I'm Tired

"The news has leaked!"

Stella strode over and hissed, "Go back now!"

Kang De's expression suddenly changed. The Dark Portal opened, and he instantly traversed space, returning to the underground.

The spatial anchor point was set at the cave entrance. A Xing and Lily leaned against the left and right sides of the cave entrance, looking at Kang De together.

Seeing that A Xing was unharmed, Kang De breathed a sigh of relief.

"What's wrong?"

Lily asked, "What happened up there?"

As she spoke, the Dragon Girl frowned slightly, her eyes showing a thoughtful and contemplative expression.

It's already instinctive for her; she always overthinks things.

Kang De's gaze shifted from the A Xing to Lily.

Horus said in a deep voice, "Father, you'd better calm her down first, then go back and talk to..."

Kang De went straight to the point. "Stella said the news leaked, so I came to ask you."

Lily's pupils contracted slightly, then her eyes filled with anger. "What do you mean?"

"That's exactly what I mean. Very few people know about this, so logically and emotionally, you'd be the first person they'd think of," Kang De said calmly. "That's why I'm asking you directly."

This composure and calmness actually caused the Dragon Girl's subconscious anger to subside.

But her tone remained very impolite. "Did you immediately treat me as a suspect?"

"If that's the case, I'll immediately call on A Xing to launch a surprise attack on you, and even bring a few Goth powerhouses down through the underground passage to help us out."

Kang De's tone was cold and even, without any fluctuations in his voice, nor any hint of guilt, doubt, or even anger. He was simply calmly explaining a very simple truth.

"I was the one who told you about the mysterious element, based on trust, but I inadvertently put Goth at risk. Now that the information has been leaked, I naturally have to take responsibility and confirm whether you are involved," he said. "So, answer my question: did you leak anything about this place?"

The Dragon Girl took a deep breath and slowly said, "No."

"Even an unintentional leak is still a leak. That is, after I told you about the mysterious elements, did you have any communication or contact with the Dragon Emperor or other dragons?"

"No."

"Is it possible that the dragons left you with magic that allows them to monitor or eavesdrop?"

"Absolutely impossible. The soul power of a dragon is incredibly strong. Even the Dragon Emperor couldn't cast a permanent monitoring spell on me without my knowledge."

Kang De pressed further, "Can't your Dragonfire Soul Lamp do that either?"

That's the dragon race's nationwide networked identity system. Since it can accurately monitor the life and safety of every dragon, it's not surprising that it has a few extra small functions.

"Theoretically, it's possible, but the Dragon Emperor doesn't dare," Lily thought for a moment and replied. "When we implemented this system, we encountered tremendous resistance. The main obstacle was the fear that the Dragon Emperor would use it to monitor all his citizens. To address this, the Dragon Emperor even opened up the spell model to all the dragons. If any dragon had any doubts, it could request to have its soul lamp checked at any time to ensure its peace of mind."

"So no, not even if it's just one-on-one monitoring, because the risk is too great. If I were to discover something, simply publicizing it would inevitably cause panic and backlash from the dragons. Even if the Dragon Emperor only monitored me once, the dragons wouldn't believe it, and the conservatives would do everything in their power to smear and attack me. Even the Dragon Emperor couldn't withstand such wrath and scandal—he's a smart man, so he wouldn't dare."

Kang De nodded. "I understand."

The Dragon Girl looked at him and said, "So what are you going to do...?"

"Stay here. If you need anything, press this button. One for each person." Kang De tossed her a signal transmitter that resonated with divine power. "To avoid misunderstandings, please keep your distance from A Xing until I return."

Kang De hugged A Xing, then nodded to the Dragon Girl and said, "Thank you for your trouble."

The portal opened, and Kang De's figure vanished.

Only A Xing and Lily remained, looking at each other in bewilderment.

A moment later, Dragon Girl rolled her eyes. "What are you looking at? Didn't you hear what Kang De said? Stay away from me, or he's afraid I'll punch you to death."

A Xing glanced at her, leaned against the stone wall, closed his eyes, and said, "You can't, and you can't."

The Dragon Girl's eyes widened, and just as she was about to say something, the Dark Portal opened again.

She said impatiently, "What now...?"

Bang bang bang bang! Snack boxes, drink boxes, self-powered light bulbs, chairs, tables—all came crashing down, even two long sofas were thrown on either side.

"Eat by yourself, drink by yourself, sit by yourself, lie down by yourself."

After saying that, Kang De turned and left.

Lily watched him leave with her mouth slightly open, and after a while, she suddenly burst out laughing.

But then, a strange look appeared on her face. "Wait, should I be angry?"

"That shouldn't be the case," A Xing said calmly. "That's just how Kang De did things; you should be happy."

"What's there for me to be happy about? I've been clinging to him for no reason, conspired with him to scheme against our own clan, and fought him to the death in this godforsaken, chaotic place, and he actually..."

While Dragon Girl was rambling on, A Xing had already walked over to her stack of boxes, opened the first one, which was filled with her favorite fruits. A gentle look appeared in her eyes as she sat down, picked up an apple, and quietly began to eat it.

The Dragon Girl couldn't continue speaking, so she sat down to the side and opened her cardboard box.

Then she shouted, "Why do I only have dried meat here? This bastard is so biased!"

"You have one too." Lily had already eaten an apple. "I smelled it in the second box."

After Lily opened it, it was indeed the case. She craned her neck to look at Lily's side, and the type and size were almost the same. The Dragon Girl snorted, "Small favors... you think you can get rid of me with this little bit?"

You don't have to eat it.

"I'm going to eat it anyway, and I'm going to eat it all. I'll make him lose something!"

A Xing nodded upon hearing this, and said, "Let's finish it all. A full stomach will give us the strength to fight."

Dragon Girl was taken aback at first, then sighed silently. She looked at A Xing opposite her. This girl, who used to be carefree and easily fooled, no longer had her usual liveliness and cheerfulness on her face. She even felt that Ah Xing had become more composed... even dignified, if it was just her imagination.

What happened?

The followers of this Fire Thief are all quite strange.

--Of course, besides me, I'm the only normal one.

As she ate, the Dragon Girl began to think. When her mouth was completely full, she chewed vigorously, even letting crumbs fall from the corners of her mouth, before finally coming back to her senses.

Wait, shouldn't I be angry? Why shouldn't I be angry?

Kang De has returned to the surface.

Stella was already waiting in place, but dust was billowing in the distance, a sign that the army was marching towards this place. The observation balloons in the sky were shining with magical light, and the mages' Atmospheric Perspective arrays were running at full power. Kang De could even hear the roar of engines. The atmosphere of the battle formation was as cold as solid iron.

When Kang De reappeared, Stella first breathed a sigh of relief, then looked puzzled.

The second princess asked, "Was she dealt with?"

As Tina's older sister and the Grand Duke's second daughter, Stella was already teaching at Saint Covelo University. As a mage, she possessed extraordinary wisdom and insight, and had seen more of the ways of the world than Tina. Upon learning of the leak, her first thought was of the suspicious dragon.

So they immediately sent a signal to Kang De, reminding Kang De to hurry back and deal with the dragon.

Because of this back and forth, the mother dragon might realize something is wrong and launch a sneak attack on the Crimson Queen.

She thought it would be a tough battle and had even started planning how to mobilize elite troops to provide assistance, but Kang De returned almost instantly, catching her off guard.

"No," Kang De shook his head. "It wasn't her."

Stella was first taken aback, then a surge of anger rose within her.

"Not her?" she suppressed her anger. "Then who is it? Who else has this motive and is suspected? How can you be so sure it's not her? Did you just believe her because she said it had nothing to do with her?"

Kang De glanced at her and calmly said, "I have my own judgment."

"You told me the same thing before, and then you told a dragon about it. Now the Arcane Council's envoy has arrived in Danfeng Lucerne, the Dragon Legion in the outer seas are reinforcing their troops, the Twilight Moon Invasion Force are stirring, and intelligence says that the Empire's fleet stationed on the Broken Isles has also begun patrolling nearby. We are being surrounded by the world, and a pack of hungry wolves have smelled the aroma of meat—is this your judgment?"

At this point, Stella's voice was almost completely overwhelmed with emotion.

Goth had been under immense pressure because of this unprecedented, mysterious substance that could propel a nation's power forward, and now the worst was about to happen, faster than she had anticipated.

Kang De, however, still appeared to be completely captivated by women!

Is now the time for romance?

Faced with Stella's almost accusatory shout, Kang De frowned, paused for a moment, and said, "There are many possibilities for the leak. We will find out where the problem lies, but that's not the point. The point is that it has already happened, and we should deal with it..."

"The solution is to imprison and detain that dragon! You actually left her down there? Do you know she's with that red-haired woman? Kang De, what kind of spell did she cast on you to make you so infatuated and defenseless? I urge you to understand the situation! We don't know how many countries know about this, but judging from the current situation, the whole world probably does!"

Stella's tone grew increasingly agitated. "There might be a war next! Father and Tina Arcane Council, buying us time. If this isn't handled properly, Goth will shed even more blood! I beg you to wake up! Don't be bewitched by that mother dragon! She..."

Kang De took a deep breath. "I said it wasn't her..."

"Who could it be? Who else knows about this? You don't suspect her, but do you suspect me? Or Tina? Or my father? You..."

Kang De's eyes suddenly sharpened.

"Your Highness, please calm down!"

The next moment, a voice came from behind. Hong San quickly came over, slipped to Kang De's side, secretly tugged at him, and then bowed, saying, "Excuse my bluntness, but Ms. Lily is not a strong suspect..."

Stella was furious. Seeing Hong San approach, her anger flared up. She snapped, "Insolence! I'm speaking to your master, what right do you have to interrupt! Get out!"

Before Hong San could speak, Kang De roared, "What are you yelling about! I'm not his master! Why can't he speak? Who do you think he is? Who do you think you are?"

Stella was stunned.

She seemed to have been struck by lightning; her body swayed, her cheeks, which had been flushed with the atmosphere, quickly turned pale, her eyes instantly reddened, tears welled up, and her teeth were clenched tightly.

Hong San wore an expression as if the world was ending.

He immediately bowed to Stella and said, "Your Highness, I am deeply grateful for Your Highness's kindness in taking me in as a retainer. Your Highness regards me as a friend and treats me as a national hero. This is Your Highness's high regard and my honor. I will repay you with loyalty and my life. This is the tradition of Cathay, nothing more. Please do not take it to heart and do not overthink it."

"You should know His Highness's temperament; he meant no harm."

"As for interrupting your conversation just now, even if we disregard the hierarchy of master and servant, or even if we were of equal status, such behavior is extremely impolite. The princess's reprimand is not wrong, but even so, I would like to tell you both that this is not the time for arguing, and moreover..."

"--You don't need to say anything."

Stella interrupted Hong San's eloquent speech.

The second princess's tears ultimately did not fall.

I really shouldn't have talked to you like that, I'm sorry.

Goth's second princess slowly bowed to Hong San became increasingly flustered. He dared not help her up, but could only look at Kang De and desperately try to signal her with his eyes.

"After all..." Stella slowly straightened up and looked at Kang De, "After all, you are not my retainer, and I have no relation to the monarch you serve."

Hong San was so anxious he was about to spontaneously combust.

He looked at Kang De with almost pleading eyes, his earnestness conveying, "Please say something, sir." However, Kang De remained unmoved. Hong San knew at a glance that things were going badly. This master was usually capricious and unruly, but if he really got stuck on something, he could wear down the whole cow.

"I was rude just now, and I was confused. I'm sure His Highness Kang De is confident in his decision. It was wrong of me to question your decision. I was saved by you, so what right do I have to question your decision?"

"Since you feel you can trust Miss Lily, then I have no objection."

Stella bowed to Kang De again, her tone calm to cold.

She said, "Let's do it your way. The entire Survey Corps will absolutely obey your orders, just like Father's decree stated, after all..."

At this point, the second princess revealed a strange smile.

She said softly, "We don't have any other choice, do we?"

Upon hearing this, Kang De's anger surged, and Hong San knew he was in trouble. He grabbed Kang De around the waist and pushed him away with all his might, shouting, "You two, calm down!"

"Princess Stella! My lord has been traveling back and forth these past few months, burdened with countless responsibilities, and now this important matter has arisen. Please be understanding! At such a crucial time, the two of you should cooperate sincerely, not fight amongst yourselves! My lord and I have important matters to discuss! Please bear with us!"

After shouting, he lowered his voice and chanted repeatedly, as if reciting a mantra. "Princess, Princess, Brother, Brother, Brother, Master, I'll call you Master one more time, please have mercy and stop!"

"There's no need, really no need! That one thing you said to her is enough to make her suffer for three months. At least consider Princess Tina's feelings, okay? Hey, it's not that you have to consider other people's feelings, but think about it, you're so magnanimous that you don't hold it against her. Princess Tina knows, knows you were wronged but are still forgiving. She's such a shrewd person, remembering your kindness, she'll just turn a blind eye to some things..."

"Oh, I didn't mean you're afraid of your wife. Sigh, what's wrong with me? I might as well just kill myself here."

"Your Highness, Your Highness, please stop struggling. I'm begging you, please? Because of what I said, you've fallen out with Princess Stella, and even gotten on bad terms with Teldrassil. I'll never sleep soundly again. I know you mean well, but could you be any better?"

After much pleading and cajoling, they finally managed to appease Kang De.

Hong San dragged Kang De to a corner before letting go. Seeing Kang De's unfriendly expression, he smiled obsequiously and bowed, smoothing out the wrinkles in Kang De's clothes. His fingers, which were extremely nimble due to his martial arts training since childhood, lightly brushed across Kang De's back, touching the hard spot on his back and gently tapping it.

Silently and without warning, Kang De was completely unaware of the shock and power being absorbed.

After doing all this, he finally said, "What's wrong, Your Highness? You seem a little..."

Kang De looked up at the azure sky, clear and bright, with white clouds drifting by. In the distance, the magical hot air balloon shimmered with light. He remained silent.

Of course, no one noticed that several silver threads and metal fragments fell from the hem of the coat, reassembling into a small sphere centered on a tiny electronic device. The sphere rolled silently outward from behind Kang De, circling the monster-spawning tower of the sealed cave and turning to another one. It was nimble and light, without making a sound, and was only caught by Hong San's peripheral vision.

In the main room of the mob farm, Stella slowly squatted down, clutching her collar. Tears fell onto the cold steel floor, blurring her face against the smooth surface. She didn't know why she was so sad; she only felt pain and sorrow in her heart, an emptiness that felt like knives were twisting inside.

Then she heard a strange noise, and instinctively looked up, her face showing surprise.

A small silver ball rolled towards us.

It stopped in front of her, and there were red lights flashing.

Such a structure, material, and design are probably unique to this place on the entire continent.

She hurriedly wiped her face, not even having time to think about why this thing was here, when suddenly she heard Kang De's voice coming from the small ball.

"I... I'm a little tired."

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PS1: Update... Damn it, I know what you guys want to say: from now on, all female characters will be written as male characters. Fuck, I don't believe it.