Brother De, No!

Cleveland had no idea what Kang De was up to.

He barely even knew what a phone was, much less that it could take pictures and record video.

If he had known, he would have shouted something like, "You despicable outsider!"

But the princess knew.

The first time Kang De had taken the princess back to her camp, he had taken a selfie with her and shown Tina the phone's increasingly sophisticated camera functions. The girl had been deeply impressed.

The moment she saw what Kang De was doing, she knew what he was planning.

She covered her mouth and pointed at Kang De with her other hand, her eyes wide with shock.

It looked as though she were reproaching him for his behavior.

But her eyes were full of laughter.

Kang De whispered, "Once I've taken the pictures, I'll give you a copy too."

Tina lowered her hand and smiled, playful and sly. "Deal... but you can't show anyone else."

"Of course," Kang De said with a smile. "Only the two of us will know. We'll keep them as a memento."

The girl giggled.

They exchanged a glance and felt a little closer. Sure enough, the best way to raise affection was to team up and bully another honest person.

Not knowing how long Cleveland would take to get dressed, the two chatted for a while.

"High heels?"

The princess knew the subject inside out. "They started as high-heeled riding boots invented by the Bayero People, to help keep their feet in stirrups during battle. They were brought into the empire, but better designs came along later, and they gradually fell out of use. Some nobles still kept the tradition, though. As for how they became truly popular, that was over a century ago. Aust I, the imperial head of state at the time, was short, and when he received an elven envoy, his master of ceremonies had a sudden idea and designed some high-heeled shoes on the spot, so he wouldn't be at a disadvantage. The emperor loved them from then on..."

Kang De said without thinking, "The elves again."

"Yes, the elves again."

The girl sighed as well. "Elves are naturally more gifted than humans, and they have an exceptionally strong affinity for nature. The druids of the Dusk Moon Dynasty spend their lives planting crops, cultivating trees, making bows, and raising livestock. Fighting is barely even a secondary concern... Elves have better natural gifts than humans and eat their fill more often, so naturally they're physically stronger too. Over a century ago, it wasn't just His Majesty the Emperor-even in terms of average height, elves were much taller than humans."

"Things are much better now. Humans have their own druids, and they've broken through the elves' arcane blockade and forged their own path. The population has grown, food production has increased, and more land has been cultivated to feed more people... Humans have gradually grown stronger too."

"It's just..."

"It's just that the elves have kept growing stronger too..." Tina said softly.

"Not just in military and economic strength, but in other ways too..."

"The most popular and famous plays and operas in human nations are sure to have been imported from the Dusk Moon Dynasty," the girl murmured. "And whatever clothes and fashions are popular in the upper circles of the imperial capital, the elves are sure to have started the trend."

"Elven novels, elven songs, elven plays, elven clothing, elven culture-anything elven is enthusiastically sought after by the nobles. An utterly ordinary elf, even one with a long record of misdeeds, will receive all sorts of inexplicable preferential treatment in a human country. There are even women who throw themselves at them."

"As for the stockings you mentioned, Kang De, they came from the elves too. They were originally made of a special material for the Sky Rangers, to protect them from thorns and plants while moving through the woods. But the imperial nobles paid no attention to that and simply copied them. Not only that, they even became a symbol of status..."

At that point, she shook her head repeatedly, a complicated expression on her face. Perhaps she was frustrated that they wouldn't stand up for themselves.

Tina was unusually talkative today.

Perhaps she simply had too few people to confide in about this.

"This situation... makes me uneasy. The elves rely on their powerful military and economy to spread their culture throughout the world, making the other races accept elven ways of thinking and gradually, subtly come to accept the elves. I just feel that these signs are dangerous."

"But when I tell the people around me, they all dismiss it and say I'm overthinking things..."

She looked at the Cathayan before her and asked softly, "Kang De, do you understand what I'm saying?"

Of course he did.

He understood all too well.

Cultural invasion, killing with a soft knife.

There was nothing new under the sun. The situation humans faced in this other world existed on Earth too.

Cultural export.

Foreign trash.

Hollywood.

National soft power.

There was so much.

Kang De wanted to analyze the situation for Tina and tell her that her concerns were entirely justified, but for the moment, he didn't know how to describe and explain it to her systematically and concisely. He couldn't use examples from Earth; he still had to keep Earth a secret.

But Tina smiled.

"That's wonderful..."

"Your eyes tell me you understand," she murmured, "and that you agree with me. So my concerns really are justified, aren't they?"

Kang De nodded. "Of course they are."

He spoke slowly. "If I had to describe this situation... I suppose you could call it a clash between civilizations. It isn't just a military or economic conflict. It's more a conflict of systems, history, beliefs, spirit, and things like that. For a civilization to prosper, it must not only keep reforming and strengthening itself internally, but also avoid focusing solely on expanding its territory and population. More importantly, it must maintain cultural strength as well..."

Kang De looked troubled at that point. He felt he wasn't quite expressing himself clearly. After all, he wasn't a scholar, just an ordinary person with a little knowledge.

Even that explanation came from his experiences and reflections over the past year.

Just a few thoughts.

But those few thoughts were already important enough to Tina.

Her eyes widened. "Then how should we change all this?"

He did know how to answer that sort of question, but knowing was all it was.

"Of course, you strengthen yourselves and maintain your superiority in strength. Only when your country is strong do you have the standing to export your culture. Only then will others be interested in it and willing to learn about it, understand it, and embrace it. Without aircraft carriers, it doesn't matter how many Confucius Institutes you build—they won't do a damn thing."

"Of course, it's best for both to advance hand in hand. It's best to flourish in both culture and sports..."

Kang De spread his hands. "Of course, that's just speaking in general terms. For example, everyone understands the principle of strengthening oneself, but when it comes to actually doing it, they don't know how."

Tina gazed at him quietly. "Kang De... do you know?"

Do I... know?

Cultivate more land, produce more food, feed more people, smelt more steel, and make bigger explosions—that was the path to national strength Kang De had deduced from the course of history.

As for countering cultural influence once the nation was strong, that was even simpler.

After all, unlike Tina, he knew the lessons and mistakes humanity had accumulated over thousands of years. The bookstore in the shopping center also held a wealth of civilization's finest works.

A path that was certain to succeed.

But he only knew it, nothing more.

Even so, Tina saw the light in his eyes.

At that instant, the princess nearly lost her composure and instinctively grabbed Kang De's hand.

But she quickly realized what she was doing and swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue.

Like Kang De, Her Highness the Princess was cautious and rational.

She smiled calmly. "Talking with you really is interesting, Kang De."

Kang De felt the softness of her hand. Though surprised, he smiled too.

"So..."

The princess changed the subject without a trace. "Where you come from, Kang De, have stockings and high-heeled boots become women's clothing?"

Kang De nodded. "Ah, yes..."

He saw the embarrassed longing in Tina's eyes.

Ah, I actually forgot about that.

Kang De slapped his forehead. "Once this is over, I'll give you a set, cosmetics included... as a gift."

The princess showed genuine delight and gratitude. "Thank you so much..."

Just then, a disgruntled growl came from the jungle behind them.

...A Xing was actually eavesdropping.

Kang De shouted over his shoulder, "All right, don't be mad. I'll give you a set too!"

Honestly, he could find clothes and shoes in sizes big enough for the knight, but how could he possibly find women's clothes that would fit A Xing? Even if he tried to get them custom-made on Taobao, nobody would take the order.

Honestly.

He grumbled to himself, then heard a crisp sound.

It was the clear, ringing sound of the high-heeled boots' thin heels tapping against the ground.

Over the decades, high heels had gradually acquired sexual associations. Supposedly, many men felt a tingling sensation whenever they heard the crisp sound of high heels walking.

Kang De didn't go that far, but he still held his breath.

A pair of black boots stepped out.

The boots reached above the knees, followed by a short stretch of sheer black stockings. Above that, rounded thighs were hidden by a short black skirt. It was a lovely sight.

A white turtleneck sweater perfectly concealed the Adam's apple.

A khaki trench coat displayed the latest fashion.

Long, wavy brown hair gave off a mature charm.

The knight blushed and growled, "What kind of shameless outfit is this?!"

The princess was already staring, dumbfounded.

It had to be said, the knight's outfit really did look good.

A trench coat, a white sweater, a short skirt, stockings, and boots-Kang De had picked them out. It was the taste of a thoroughly straight man, the sort that would be mocked on Earth... but on the knight, it somehow looked great.

Kang De had seen enough that he recovered after a moment of amazement. The knight's face did somewhat break the illusion, after all... But that was all right. There were plenty of ways to fix it.

"You'll have to put on the charm necklace in a bit."

He bent down and picked up the bag of cosmetics. "I'll help you with your makeup... Tina, give me a hand."

The knight backed away two steps, nearly falling over. Kang De's expression made him uneasy.

"W-wait! Don't come any closer yet!"