Dragon King

This is for real.

The night was deep outside the window. Kang De and Hong San sat facing each other across the table, and the silence lasted for three seconds.

Then Hong San said, "Something must have changed."

During previous negotiations, Kang De suggested a rigged match, in which Kang De would lose to the Dragon Clan battle group to prove that, under certain conditions, circumstances, and equipment, the Dragon Defense's military products could still defeat Kang De's alchemical weapons, and that the dragons remained the rulers of the skies and were highly cost-effective strategic weapons.

Afterwards, the Dragon Clan spokesperson expressed their views through various channels, praising and recognizing His Highness Kant's expertise and strength in Kang De and military affairs, and conveying their intention to exchange ideas. Goth's side also placed an order with the Dragon Defense to hire the latest Dragon Rider combat group products. Both sides engaged in mutual praise, which was quite a good thing.

Such a proposal saves face for the Dragon Clan, avoids potential military conflict and threats, and is undoubtedly in line with commercial interests. It can not only save Dragon Island from its financial crisis, but also give the Dragon Defense salesmen another chance to talk. It is good news and boosts market confidence.

For Goth, there was no loss; he gained the friendship of the dragons, and even the possibility of further cooperation. The dragon rider battle group he hired could significantly enhance his national strength and deterrent power.

As for Kang De, even if he throws a match and loses, there's no real loss. His greatest deterrent power lies in Mass Projection. He can take on seven opponents at once, and losing a match won't damage his reputation. Moreover, it can solve the hidden danger of the third dragon skeleton evaporating out of thin air, connect him with the dragon race, and obtain materials, equipment, and potions supplied by the dragon race. Of course, none of that matters. The most important thing is that if Tina is happy, she will help him solve the problem of going hungry.

I get cravings all the time, it's really bothersome.

... and then they smashed it.

The Dragon Emperor has gone back on his word.

They said they wouldn't play a fixed match anymore, so let's play for real.

Hong San pondered for a moment and asked, "From yesterday to today... what made the Dragon Emperor change his mind?"

Although no terms or contracts have been signed yet, the details are being discussed, and the general framework has been finalized. The Dragon Emperor is a figure of great stature; at this level, a single word from him is a contract. Since he agreed, it is considered a signed contract. Changing his mind today is no different from breaking a promise.

So when Santos spoke tonight, he looked embarrassed and ashamed.

But when asked why, they wouldn't answer, probably because they didn't know.

Kang De tapped the table and said calmly, "Horus was injured last night."

Given that the alchemical weapon capable of threatening the dragons in the sky has been severely damaged, and considering that the dragons, due to their national system and circumstances, are not particularly wary of Kang De's Forbidden Spell, it is not surprising that they have turned against them.

But it's very low-quality.

Hong San shook his head and said, "I think that's probably not the reason. I've heard a lot about His Majesty the Dragon Emperor's reputation. From what Your Highness has told me, I can also glimpse the character and ambition of this Dragon Lord. As a king, he has the magnanimity of a monarch and the pragmatism of a merchant. The long lifespan of the dragon race also gives them a long-term vision. They don't care about short-term gains or losses, so how could they rashly change their minds and kick someone when they're down?"

Kang De pondered, "Perhaps it's a test of a calculated move. He wants to see if I can maintain strong control over the skies after Horus's injury. In other words, he wants to see how I performed in that battle before deciding whether to continue cooperating... Hmph, essentially it's still taking advantage of someone's misfortune."

Hong San frowned in thought, "If that's the case, the Dragon Emperor could have used a more discreet method instead of this abrupt and impolite reneging on his promise..."

Kang De waved his hand and said, "Alright, whatever the motives or reasons, this battle is unavoidable. Thinking about it is useless now. Let's win and see what the Dragon Emperor has to say."

Hong San paused for a moment, then chuckled self-deprecatingly.

That's absolutely true.

He realized the difference between his way of thinking and that of His Highness.

Upon hearing the news of the Dragon Emperor's broken promise, both he and His Highness were puzzled. He racked his brains trying to figure out the inside story and reasons, while His Highness didn't care, because no matter what, this battle was inevitable, and as for the reasons, they would know after winning.

--Is it a difference in thinking between a lord and his strategist?

That's a good thing.

Complementary is best.

He smiled and explained his thoughts, then cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness's mindset has matured, which is a good thing. So let's each do our own thing. Your Highness prepares for victory, and I'll fill in any gaps."

Kang De frowned and said, "You still want to find out the Dragon Emperor's thoughts and plans? I'm afraid it will be difficult to succeed. He has made up his mind not to say anything. Even Santos doesn't know, let alone us... These guys are really annoying. They clearly have a plan in mind, but they don't say it and just let others guess."

For some reason, the image of Prime Minister Xide flashed through his mind.

Hong San laughed and said, "Those in high positions have their own considerations, vision, and pride. They also understand the principle that if they don't keep their plans secret, they will suffer the consequences. Since they hold high positions, they must have seen a lot of the wickedness of people's hearts. Why would they reveal their plans completely? The higher the position, the more isolated they become, because they don't trust anyone except themselves. After all, what chess player would trust the pieces in their hand?"

He spoke while looking at Kang De.

Kang De glanced at him sideways, somewhat annoyed. "What are you looking at? Although I may be suspicious, cruel, cold-blooded, and ruthless, it's not like I don't trust anyone."

"Understood." Hong San smiled and bowed. "The relationship between ruler and Hong San is perfect; how could I have any regrets? I fully understand my lord's intentions."

"He's farting again."

Kang De rolled his eyes. "Let's get down to business—what's your lead?"

"I was just about to discuss this with Your Highness," Hong San said. "The most common way to understand someone's intentions is to consider their position and political situation. In Your Highness's words, it's about putting yourself in their shoes. So please try to put yourself in their shoes. You are the Dragon Emperor. What would be the reasons behind your decision?"

"... To put yourself in someone else's shoes, you need at least a basic understanding. I'm not the Dragon Emperor, and I don't know him. How can I put myself in his shoes?" Kang De asked doubtfully. "What kind of terrible idea is this?"

Hong San asked in surprise, "Does Your Highness not understand His Majesty the Dragon Emperor?"

"... Nonsense, I don't know him at all." Kang De rolled his eyes. "I only know the Dragon King."

"The Dragon King?" Hong San looked surprised and asked in astonishment, "That is..."

"The most talkative jerk in every group."

"..."

A smelter worker who is very good at playing shogi (Japanese chess).

"... Alright, I understand. Please don't say any more."

Hong San interrupted Kang De's rambling, saying seriously, "What Your Highness said earlier is absolutely correct. Empathy requires a certain degree of information advantage, that is, a certain understanding of the target. I don't understand the Dragon Emperor, and neither do Dragon Emperor, but someone else does."

Kang De suddenly realized. "Santos?"

Hong San added, "And there's Miss Lily too."

"I understand," Kang De said. "In other words, you want to..."

Hong San nodded solemnly. "Your Highness, please use your beauty, charm, understanding, and methods to subtly obtain detailed information about His Majesty the Dragon Emperor from Ms. Lily."

"..."

Kang De thought of the Dragon Girl's appearance, with a straight face, writing rather subtle things, occasionally uttering surprising remarks. What impressed him most was Bai Da Ting that night.

As well as...

The stockings that Tina "accidentally" left on his bed, and which then mysteriously disappeared.

Only the Dragon Girl ever rolled around in his bed.

The criminal can be found very easily.

The thought of this filled Kang De with immense resistance; the idea of social death, the thought of that thing being in the Dragon Girl's hands, made him extremely uneasy.

That little female dragon might cause some trouble.

Upon thinking of this, he blurted out, "It would be better to find Santos than her."

Unexpectedly, Hong San let out a long sigh of relief, revealing a reassuring smile. His smile was very kind, and he even patted his chest. "Now that Your Highness thinks this way, I'm relieved. Sigh, I was just thinking about how to express my thoughts tactfully, so that Your Highness would realize that you are better at dealing with men than women..."

"..."

Your Highness?

"Hong San."

"Your subject is present."

"Have you noticed that you've become a bit more irritating this time?"

"Please, Your Highness."

"... Get away from me!"

After discussing with Hong San for a while, Kang De returned directly to the White Mist World.

Horus is still fixing things up and tidying up the lines.

"Father," he looked at Kang De, who had just emerged from the tear in space, "Is something the matter?"

"The Dragon Emperor is going to really fight."

Kang De said, "This battle is irreversible; it is basically inevitable."

Horus said in a deep voice, "We must fight; that is to say, we must win."

"Right."

"What are Father's plans?"

Kang De answered bluntly, "First, we need to see you. Even without this incident, we must repair you as soon as possible and restore your fighting strength."

Horus paused for a moment, then picked up a stone tablet from the ground. The tablet was decorated with patterns and inscriptions, and a USB drive lay beside it. "I had a comprehensive check-up today. With the help of knowledge from Tastus, it went fairly smoothly. Just as humans on Earth still cannot fathom the secrets of life, but can understand the mechanisms and laws governing the human body, my situation is similar."

He handed the heavy stone slab to Kang De: "Although I still cannot understand my origin, nor the form of existence of a mechanical life form like myself, let alone replicate one... the operation and activation of my body's systems have been barely grasped to the point of knowing how but not why, and that is sufficient for now."

Kang De nodded and said, "In other words, although you don't understand the code, you know what each program does and what each piece of hardware does."

"A fitting metaphor."

Horus let out a hoarse laugh, "Indeed, I know which hardware is broken, which program is malfunctioning, and how to fix and install them, because I know where to download new software, and which online store to order new hardware..."

"That's definitely enough."

Kang De's face lit up with joy; it was good news.

He asked, "How can I help?"

"To be precise, it's been a lot of busy work."

Horus, who had been sitting cross-legged like Jing Ke, stood up against the wall. His massive and dilapidated body made a loud noise, and fragments and parts kept falling off. The Transformers came to Kang De, knelt down, opened its chest, and deformed its body, revealing the sparks and broken structure inside.

"As you can see, the body has suffered severe damage, and many structures and parts need to be replaced. As the intensity of the battle has increased, the original strength of the body has become somewhat insufficient. Battle of Danfeng Lucerne, the parts that were enhanced by bathing in dragon blood were only the surface armor, and it was a rather crude enchantment enhancement. Father, my plan is to not only complete the repairs, but also take this opportunity to carry out a comprehensive enhancement."

Horus said, "This requires a large amount of super-strong materials, as well as the enhancement of enchanting skills. I will carry out the repair and enhancement plan and specific process, but these can only be done by Father."

That makes perfect sense.

Since it involves enhancement, it must consume top-tier materials. Only Kang De could propose that Goth use the power of the state to cooperate and provide support. The same principle applies to enchanting.

Kang De glanced at the list, then took the USB drive.

He said, "This kind of project can't be completed in ten days or half a month."

Even with Goth's resources, it would take time to gather these materials, and some materials require deep enchantment and enhancement. Either alchemists would need to be summoned, or Kang De himself would have to do it. If he chose the latter, he would need to undergo specialized training... The agreed time with the dragons was half a month, which might not be enough.

Kang De murmured, "So..."

Horus Interface: "So, perhaps we'll have to extend this two-week period sevenfold."

Some of the materials used in the process are not found in this other world.

"I'm going to be busy again."

"Yes, Father, this is the price of peace."

If you want peace, you must first prepare for war; if you want to avoid war, you must be on the path to war.

"I'll go talk to Tina. We'll focus on the other world first, set some ground rules, and then negotiate with the dragons to see if we can extend the time a bit," Kang De waved his hand and said, "Let's go."

"Father, take care." Horus's voice lowered slightly. "I have been a burden to you. With the enemy at hand, I am of no use, yet you have been kept busy and running errands for me."

"Go away, go away," Kang De waved his hand and said, "Don't overthink it. This is to help you heal your body, not to rush you into battle. I'm asking you today not to force you to go into battle. Even if you need to recover, I have a way. Two weeks is fourteen weeks on Earth, more than three months. That's enough time for me to bring over all the mainstream short-range air defense missiles from various countries and blow them up. So don't feel pressured."

Forget about anti-aircraft missiles, even the Shilka Anti-Aircraft Gun in the White Mist World would be enough to give the dragon a hard time, but it's best not to use those things if you don't have to.

A genius alchemist, a rare find in a millennium, who could conjure Forbidden Spell by hand, piloted the only alchemical weapon on the continent, a weapon made from countless precious materials and imbued with boundless wisdom and power, and used its speed advantage to easily defeat several ordinary dragons in the skies above Danfeng Lucerne's home turf—something the dragon race could tolerate.

But if you line up a dozen or so Shilka Anti-Aircraft Gun, pouring a torrential downpour of Flame into the sky, weaving a river of death, and drawing a no-fly zone for dragons, a farmer could train them and easily control these seemingly numerous, mass-producible alchemical weapons to utterly defeat the Dragon Knight...

Even if the Dragon Emperor didn't want to turn against them, he had no choice but to.

Kang De always clearly understood the power of the Earth, what could be brought out and what should be kept hidden.

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PS1: Update... Seriously, the more I loved the sound of firecrackers as a child, the more I hate it now. Sigh, when will the city issue a ban on fireworks and firecrackers...?