Persecuting Kang De

Kang De only heard the last sentence.

Please have His Highness Kang De come down and explain the situation.

He let out a sneer, "What a big face."

Lily said casually, "Of course, a dragon's face is much bigger than a human's."

"..."

Grass.

Kang De shook his head and said, "What were you thinking?"

"I'm just giving you face," Lily said casually. "Look, the dragons noticed the disturbance and could have easily barged in to investigate, but out of respect for you, they remained outside the Germany, waiting for you to explain the situation—that's an immense honor and show of respect. Don't you feel honored?"

Kang De countered, "Is this pride, or arrogance?"

The Dragon Girl said softly, "That depends on how you want to respond."

Kang De obediently went to the Goth Sea to explain the situation to the dragons, and they might treat him politely. Such behavior is the pride of the dragons: powerful but not arrogant, polite but not servile, sincere and dignified—just as many idiots with mental problems have boasted about the dragon race.

After all, there will always be some people who attribute their failures in life to problems with their surroundings or even their own race. To prove the correctness of this idea, they will also imagine a big, round moon on the outside, regarding it as a perfect paradise, almost like a faith.

Therefore, if Kang De's response were to slap these dragons across the face, leaving them bewildered and utterly humiliated, then the dragons' previous behavior would have been nothing but foolish arrogance.

Some things, once the veil is lifted, everything becomes clear.

Lily awaited Kang De's reply.

Although she was almost certain that, given Kang De's temperament and power, he would absolutely not be polite to some clueless old fogies—yes, those old dragons didn't even understand the situation yet.

But Kang De looked at her and said, "What do you want me to do?"

Lily blinked, a look of surprise on her face.

"After all, they're your fellow dragons. If they suffer a humiliating defeat, wouldn't you feel uncomfortable?" Kang De explained, "We have to consider your feelings."

Lily stared at him for a moment, then shook her head and said, "There's no need. Don't apply your human concepts of family and country to dragons. I'm not interested in upholding so-called dragon dignity. That kind of thing is boring and disgusting. I don't like it, and I even hate it."

Kang De's mind stirred.

Lily's father was a so-called Rebel Dragon. It is said that he caused a great uproar over the Fire Thief, and the Dragon's Covenant became a taboo for the dragon race. Her father followed the Fire Thief, leaving behind an orphan and a widow. Lily's childhood was mostly unhappy.

He thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll stand up for you?"

Dragon Girl glanced sideways at Stella beside her. "Are you sure you want to use the trajectory of major diplomatic events or even emergencies in your fiancée's country to curry favor with me?"

"..."

How can this child talk like that!

Meanwhile, Horus, still clinging to Kang De's back in his shoulder armor position, whispered, "Father, you probably don't understand, but this means 'Don't let my boring past interfere with your important matters.' It's this dragon lady's unique way of expressing herself. Progressing smoothly, not bad."

--Wow, your imagination runs wild! Are you love-struck?

Kang De didn't take it to heart and rolled his eyes at Lily: "You don't appreciate kindness."

In short, after listening to Lily's words, Stella's gaze was filled with a meaningful scrutiny. Some things really couldn't be done. After discussing it for a while, she finally made a decision.

Send Lily over to explain the general situation.

This was also an agreed-upon arrangement: to regularly report investigation information to the dragons. It was very appropriate for Lily, the middle dragon, to do this.

The silver dragon roared and soared into the sky. Inside the tent, Stella stepped forward and stared at Kang De.

Kang De felt a little guilty and shifted his gaze. "... What's wrong?"

Stella narrowed her eyes. "I've heard some gossip these past few days, saying you have an amazing ability to pick up women, and that you especially have a taste for women of special status and high standing..."

Such rumors should have been categorically denied, but the vain desire of the virgin was so strong that he desperately wanted to maintain this hopeful rumor.

He said seriously, "No, you're wrong. I don't like chasing girls. I'm not interested in chasing girls. I admit I might be popular, but that's not my intention. It's just that my upright character and outstanding talent are like a lighthouse on a dark sea, indiscriminately attracting every wandering soul yearning for stability..."

Stella's eyes, similar to Tina's but far Tina, were fixed on Kang De.

His eyes held a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

--I really didn't know that a wandering soul yearning for peace and stability was hidden within the heart of someone as noble as the Phoenix King and as powerful as a dragon.

She sneered, "For example?"

The next moment, Hong San lifted the tent flap and called out, "Your Highness!"

"Why are you so late! I've been calling you for ages!"

Kang De strode over, grabbed Hong San's hand, and pulled him outside. "Come, come, we have a new mission. The Dragon Clan has their eyes on this place. We need to deploy the Shilka Anti-Aircraft Gun..."

The two walked away quickly, and Kang De finally let out a slow breath. "They came just in time."

Hong San smiled faintly, "It seems you've timed it well."

"... Um?"

The true Cathayan said nonchalantly, "Princess Stella is Princess Tina's older sister. Regardless of the reason—whether for personal reasons, public duty, for the sake of the country, or for her sister—there must be some oversight of Your Highness's private conduct. And it just so happens that Your Highness's private life has recently run into some issues. Rumors have already begun to circulate about your glorious achievement of subduing a female dragon in just a few days..."

He gestured. "In the tent just now, you, Princess Stella, and Miss Dragon created a delicate balance, but after Miss Dragon left, the questioning will..."

Kang De interrupted him, "... Have you heard me tell you about the cause of Yang Xiu's death?"

Hong San's smile was warm and approachable, "But Your Highness's style is completely different from Cao Cao's."

"Father, he's indirectly criticizing you."

Horus whispered again, "The word 'style' he mentioned seems to refer to a suspicious and murderous character, but he also just mentioned the word 'style' to describe your personal lifestyle. In other words, it's a double entendre, meaning that while Cao Cao was having a blast with other men's wives, you... oh dear, this man has gone astray too. I really worry for Father; besides me, where else is there a loyal and filial son by his side..."

"..."

Kang De's expression became subtle.

Hong San asked curiously, "Your Highness, what's wrong?"

The other person's expression was sincere and open, full of trust and understanding. They had experienced a lot together in Valentan, and Kang De witnessed his transformation from a caterpillar to a butterfly, a perfect metamorphosis.

He also pledged his loyalty to Kang De.

Damn it, this unfilial son dares to sow discord between me and my trusted ministers.

How could Hong San possibly persecute me?

He shook his head. "Come on, we've trained for a few days, it's time to try it out."

Whether it's to guard against the dragons or to defend against the terrifying monsters that emerge from the depths of the earth, it's time to give the Valentan Guards and the Greenskin Musket Corps a good workout.

The silver dragon flapped its wings, soared against the wind, and flew towards the coast.

She silently pondered the current situation.

Indeed, no one understood the old dragons' thoughts better than her.

Born in ancient times, they never forgot the most glorious era of the dragon race, the overlords of the world, the perfect race of antiquity, the Shadow of dragon wings shrouding the earth, the whole world was their playground.

However, times have changed.

The rise of the elves, who seized the throne, and the rapid advancement of magical technology and arcane systems even granted humans extraordinary power, transforming them from a lowly race like ants.

The dragons have now retreated overseas, and their influence and deterrent power have been diminished. The new generation of dragons can no longer follow the ancient traditions to acquire wealth, because such behavior is defined as robbery by various Civilization. Those nouveau riche do not mind capturing and killing any dragon that violates their clan's laws, or even skinning it alive. In fact, those who have the strength to do so are not afraid of the dragons' retaliation at all.

On this point, the various races of the continent maintain a great tacit understanding: no ruler wants to return to the ancient era when dragons plundered nations, seizing treasuries and capturing princesses at will. If the dragon race has even the slightest thought of returning to that lawless era, the current world overlord will send them to their eternal grave—and other races wouldn't mind following suit and having a taste of dragon meat soup.

The dragons have already accepted this change of the times in practice. At most, they verbally uphold the honor of the ancient race, saying things like, "I'm just too lazy to make a fuss, so I'm giving this continent to you. Don't forget that we're the ones who helped the elves rise up." They no longer mention titles like world overlords. However, the dragons also have their own cunning. They still call themselves overlords, but only overlords of the sky.

It can fly, after all, so there's nothing wrong with that.

But a spiritual victory is ultimately just a spiritual victory. The harsh reality still leaves the once-glorious dragons extremely unwilling to accept it. They yearn to make the dragon race great again, but the increasingly sharp military force of the elves makes them lose all hope of regaining their glory. Obsession and loss, these two emotions conflict and oppose each other, causing the mental and psychological problems accumulated by these old dragons to become more and more serious.

Bullying the weak and fearing the strong is the nature of intelligent races. Just as many scoundrels, after encountering setbacks in society, only vent their frustrations by abusing the weaker, the way the old dragons regain their former dignity and face is nothing more than picking on a few easy targets, bullying small countries and towns, and showing their presence.

They've done this kind of thing quite often before. As long as they don't do anything too outrageous like genocide or the extermination of an entire city, the mainstream Civilization usually turn a blind eye. After all, although the dragon race has declined, it is still favored by the gods and extremely powerful. As long as they stay obediently overseas and behave themselves, occasionally taking a stroll on the mainland, it's not a big deal.

This time, however, they approached Goth.

It even ran into the rising star, the Dragon of Cathay.

Humans are incapable of understanding each other, and this is even more true for humans and dragons. No one could fathom why these dragons would provoke a Forbidden Spell magician who enjoyed throwing objects from high places. But Lily roughly understood that they were taking a gamble—look, Kang De has humiliated and repeatedly defeated the elves. If my dragon race can defeat Kang De's arrogance, doesn't that mean the dragon race is still stronger than the elves?

As for how to fight, that's not the elders' business.

--Hey, are you the Dragon Emperor am I? Do you need to ask us about this? What's the point of you sitting in that position then! Think of a solution!

Therefore, in the Battle of Danfeng Lucerne, the dragon was killed.

Go get your revenge! Are you still the Dragon Emperor? Are they still your subjects?!

So, Lily and Kang De actually signed the Dragon's Covenant.

--Damn it, it's all your fault! Peace talks, peace talks, business deals, business deals, and now you've dragged in another dragon, and that rebellious dragon's bastard at that! You've done something so shameless again! Do you want the tragedy of the past to repeat itself? Do you want us to teach you a lesson?!

Therefore, the Dragon Investigation Delegation sent by the conservatives, also known as the "slap in the face Kang De team," disappeared within Goth's territory.

"Damn it, look at the state you've become as Dragon Emperor! In my time, the whole world was the dragons' backyard. I'd never heard of dragons being attacked while strolling in their backyard! Why did they disappear? Because they were attacked! Why were they attacked? Because the whole world no longer reveres the power and majesty of dragons! Why is this happening? It's because you've done a bad job Dragon Emperor! The dragons' majesty has been completely lost in your hands! Now that this has happened, if you still want to swallow your anger, then we will have to depose you!"

Therefore, Goethe's reprimands and demands, which were majestic, domineering, and full of the ancient glory of the dragon race, were firmly rejected by Goth's side, and even the Phoenix King sided with Kang De to support him.

--How were we supposed to know this would happen? You, Dragon Emperor, hurry up and make a decision! We can't go to war! What if the elves take this opportunity to declare war on us? If we go to war, everything will be over. Quickly think of a way to rescue our people and end this matter with dignity while preserving the dignity and honor of the dragon race!

This is roughly the current situation within the Dragon Clan.

When the old dragons learned that the elves might be involved in the war, they were left without Spark. However, they had made too many threats before, and as proud, noble, and naturally powerful dragons, they would never back down. But they couldn't push them too hard either, lest Kang De, in a fit of anger, become the Phoenix King's lover.

This requires His Majesty the Dragon Emperor to demonstrate his abilities and skills as a ruler.

That's what the elders think.

They're still dreaming big, calculating their future with great fanfare.

First and foremost, we must exercise restraint and keep the conflict between the dragons and Goth. Under no circumstances should the elves be involved. Under this premise, we must maintain our local advantage over Goth, uphold the prestige of the dragons, and never admit defeat or back down. We must not damage the reputation and honor of the dragons. With this strategy in mind, let's actively engage in proud negotiations with Goth and make the Goth People tremble under our Dragon Might.

--These are the orders issued by the elders to the dragon commanders stationed overseas in Goth territory.

These concise yet profound statements are brimming with the top-tier awareness and exquisite execution of a skilled micro-manager. Anyone who can master and perfectly implement this approach will become the ultimate champion.

God knows how quickly, frequently, and intensely those unspeakable relationships that poor commander had with the elders' female relatives of eighteen generations in such a short period of time.

Now it will know what it means to be caught in the middle.

"In short, Kang De was furious because there was ample evidence to suggest that this corruption and mutation was most likely caused by the meteorite impact that night, which these idiots happened to witness. They saw the entrance to some ruin created by the meteorite, were attracted by what was inside, and, wanting to monopolize it, rashly ventured inside, releasing some kind of corrosive toxin or something..."

The silver dragon and the gold dragon perched on two reefs, conversing in an ancient and awe-inspiring Dragon Language. Every now and then, fish would be stunned and float to the surface, for dragons were an overwhelming source of terror for most creatures.

Lily concluded, "Otherwise, there's no way to explain why there's a fresh dragon seal at the cave entrance, nor why that idiot dragon Cuixien used nature magic to cover up the impact marks. Especially after the seal was broken, the Dragonfire Soul Lamp's sensing became instantly clear, and your immediate flight there was a clear indication that those dragons were trapped underground—"

"Now things are much better; the Goth People are already considering how to hold the dragons accountable."

Hearing this, the commander instinctively felt disdain. Who could control the actions of the dragons? Even if they unintentionally released a curse, or even if they openly attacked you, what could you do?

But the next moment, he realized that this domineering logic wouldn't work.

Perhaps it might work in small, weak countries or among weak ethnic groups.

But not with Goth.

Immanuel Kang De, Cathayan, has already made his stance clear.

Even so, the dragon race's dignity could not be abandoned. He said in a deep voice, "The dragon race will take responsibility, but it will not accept intentional framing or accusations, much less blackmail. We..."

"Yes, you refuse to yield, you refuse to compromise, you refuse to give in. That's what the elders said, right? They even told you to uphold the dignity and pride of the dragons, right? Anyway, they just stay on the absolutely safe Dragon Island, argue with the other elders in the council, and issue you some arbitrary orders. If you don't obey, or obey them in a way that doesn't please them, you're considered incompetent, a traitor, disloyal..."

Lily raised her chin, her dragon head pointing to the sky, and exhaled, looking nonchalant. "You follow their policies and instructions, don't give an inch, fight Kang De, and then, like those guys above Danfeng Lucerne, be torn to pieces by mysterious, high-speed alchemical weapons, fulfilling your duty with your blood."

"And then? All-out war? No, you, in your death, are the best scapegoat. You will bear the blame for instigating the conflict, because the elders are all bark and no bite, and they dare not risk the elves' intervention to wage war against Kang De... while Kang De can attack you whenever he wants, however he pleases."

The little dragon glanced at him, then said nonchalantly, "Do you like this ending? Or do you think I'm exaggerating? Or would you like to hear about a second option?"

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PS1: 5,000 words, Ring Fit Adventure Day 4, and... Mount & Blade! Mount & Blade! Mount & Blade!