I Was Clearly First!

The next day.

Rested and refreshed, Kang De gathered all his equipment and came to the Goth camp to meet up with the princess.

His diplomatic work the night before had paid off handsomely. The sailors and soldiers all remembered his kindness and greeted him with friendly, even slightly ingratiating expressions.

These hearty Goth men were even a little awkward around him.

They looked as though they wanted to say something but were too embarrassed to speak.

Kang De noticed and chuckled inwardly.

He knew those expressions very well.

When he started boarding at school in high school, he had shared a dorm with eleven other hot-blooded boys. They had all grown up in different circumstances and followed different paths in life, so their personalities were completely different too.

Some were already pretty lewd, while others were still innocent.

Over their three years in high school, they would all turn lewd sooner or later.

But it took time.

For instance, when an innocent kid who had never had a chance to watch porn first saw the gateway to this new world through a roommate, he would enter a state where his mouth said no but his body said yes. He would say he didn't want to watch, while desperately wanting to see more. When those complicated feelings showed on his face, he looked just like the Goth sailors did now.

Back then, Kang De had been the educational mentor for his dorm and even the whole corridor.

His reputation had even spread throughout his grade.

He had seen those looks far too many times.

They obviously want the goods but don't know how to ask. These people from another world are so easy to read.

He knew exactly what was going on but didn't say so. He understood the principles of hunger marketing very well.

But then again... Cleveland had never watched porn. He wondered how such a serious knight would react to seeing that sort of thing.

As Kang De pondered this, he heard a familiar voice.

"Good day, Mr. Kang De."

Her Highness the princess and the knight had come out to greet him, both wearing smiles that were polite yet warm.

"Good morning, you two." Kang De asked, "How did you sleep last night?"

Tina smiled. "Well enough, except there was thunder last night, and it woke me up once. The people in camp were nervous too, worried there might be a storm... but nothing happened."

Kang De said in surprise, "There was thunder?"

He had gone to bed early, and his room was so well soundproofed that he hadn't heard a thing.

The princess nodded. "Yes. The people on night watch said it sounded like thunder coming from somewhere nearby. The weather seemed very bad, but it didn't affect this island at all... How strange."

Despite saying that, Tina didn't look particularly surprised.

After all, this was the Holy Seal Archipelago... Anything could happen here.

Kang De didn't give it much thought either. He had spent a year on this damn island and run into who knew how many strange things. What did a little thunder in the distance matter?

The weather was only an opening topic. Then he got down to business. "Are you going?"

Tina nodded. "Yes, I've eaten my fill, and I'm ready to leave whenever you are!"

They had agreed the night before that Kang De would take her along when he went to investigate the Black Beast's abnormal changes today.

Today, the princess had changed into the hunting outfit she had worn the day before yesterday, which was easy to move in. Its close-fitting cut showed off the lines of her body. Compared with yesterday's magnificent dress, each had its own appeal.

The knight was also fully equipped, his suit of armor gleaming coldly. He was silent and reliable.

After greeting Kang De, he got straight to the point. "Mr. Kang De, my only task, my entire duty, is to ensure Her Highness's safety. Should my strength prove insufficient or I overlook something, I hope you will lend a hand... May I ask how many people you need for this expedition?"

Kang De paused, then shook his head. "We don't need anyone else. Just the three of us."

Was he kidding? Was this a picnic?

He had already made up his mind to take the princess running all over the place today and tire her out completely. Then tomorrow, he could ditch these natives and go about his own business. But as a thrifty, careful Chinese man, he didn't think he should work for nothing. He ought to get something out of spending the whole day running around.

So what was the benefit of being Tina's free tour guide and showing her around today?

Naturally, it was spending a day with a gentle, beautiful, adorable girl.

Why would he want so many third wheels?

If Cleveland wouldn't have been worried sick, he wouldn't even have wanted to bring the knight.

The knight frowned. "Isn't that..."

After all the upheavals and dangers of the past two days, he now wished he could bring dozens of people with shields to surround Her Highness so tightly that nothing could get through from any direction.

Kang De waved a hand. "I'll bring my animal friends along. Trust me, they're excellent bodyguards. Besides, your camp looks like it needs people right now, so you shouldn't spread your forces thin. You never know what might happen. If the Black Beast attacks again, more people in camp will mean more strength."

He said seriously, "And I would never take Tina into danger. If I discover danger in an unusual area worth exploring, I'll be sure to bring Tina back first."

The knight hesitated again and again, but finally agreed, albeit reluctantly.

"Then there's no problem," Kang De said. "Come on, we'll take a boat."

"A boat?" the knight asked, puzzled. "Where are we going?"

Kang De pointed north. "We'll take a boat to have a look at the island up north."

An archipelago was a group of islands arranged in a line or an arc. The Holy Seal Archipelago had seven larger islands. Kang De lived on the second island from the north, and their destination this time was the northernmost one.

The two islands were separated only by warm, shallow water, so clear that the seabed was visible. When there was no wind or waves, it wasn't even difficult to swim across.

The main reason he was bringing the princess here instead of taking her on an outing on his own island was that it hid quite a few of his secrets. If he deliberately avoided those places while showing the princess around, she might think he wasn't being sincere and was only going through the motions. But if she saw something she shouldn't, it would be troublesome to explain.

Besides, the scenery on North Island was lovely and its terrain varied, making it tiring to walk around. That would let Her Highness enjoy herself while also using up plenty of her energy, in keeping with Kang De's plan.

Perfect.

The Goths had some lifeboats and had also made a few rafts over the past two days to transport supplies. Seeing that they had boats to spare, Kang De simply borrowed one.

He had a boat of his own, of course... though it was more of a liferaft. He had taken inspiration from the game Assassin's Creed: Origins. Besides ordinary boats, there were rafts with sails floating on the Nile River in the game. Basically, he had tied a row of logs and branches together, then put floating objects like gourd-skin bags around the edges. He had built one himself along those lines, and, surprisingly enough, it worked.

It just looked shabby.

It also had serious limitations in terms of carrying capacity. Whenever Kang De went to another island, he couldn't bring the larger animals. That made A Xing unhappy every time, and he always had to spend three days coaxing her before she cheered up.

Now that he had borrowed a boat from the Goths, he could bring A Xing and the kangaroo along.

...So why was A Xing still unhappy?

The knight took it upon himself to row, and the boat rippled through the blue water. Its passengers sat spread out to balance the weight, with Kang De beside the princess and the kangaroo near the knight.

A Xing sat alone, looking very unhappy, and glanced at Kang De from time to time.

The parrot stood on the gunwale, loudly supplying the dialogue: "I was clearly first! I was clearly first!"

Have I taught this parrot too much?

Heaven knows, A Xing is gentle, attentive, steady and reliable. She can keep those beasts in line, she's understanding, and she can fight incredibly well, but she's still an animal. I see her as a brother.

White Album my ass. If you all gain sentience and turn human, it'll still be time for White Album then.

Though Kang De thought this, his heart still softened when he met A Xing's pitiful, aggrieved gaze. He comforted her gently. "There, there. You can't move around on the boat, or it'll capsize."

The two islands were not far apart.

The boat soon reached a shallow beach. The white sand was fine and flawless, and the blue-green sea lapped at the shore. When it came to beautiful scenery, he had to admit this place was far better than Earth.

The princess was delighted at the sight. As soon as she stepped onto the beach, she trotted forward.

The knight hurried after her.

The first thing A Xing did after getting off the boat was to grab Kang De's arm tightly, just like a child afraid of being left behind by a parent.

Kang De reached out and hugged her, smiling. "Don't be afraid. It's all right."

He said to Pigeon, "Sorry for the trouble, but could you go find Second Senior Brother? Since we're here, we might as well pay him a visit and ask whether anything strange has happened on the island. North Island is his territory, after all."

Second Senior Brother was a wild boar, an extremely ferocious one. He and Kang De had a grudge. To beat him, Kang De had used up several skyrocket firecrackers and chased him across two whole hills.

Pigeon cooed in acknowledgment and flew off.

Kang De stretched and said to the knight and the princess, "Well then, let's get going."

Meanwhile, on the north side of the island, the Wings of Wayne had finished dropping anchor.

The elves prepared to go ashore.

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PS1: Damn it, I updated early yesterday, and today I'm back to my old ways... The second update will be later. Hopefully I can finish it before midnight. Ah, I have to keep working hard tomorrow.