An Eternally Filial Son

"Where is Kang De!"

Stella asked urgently.

She suddenly had a very bad feeling.

Because Lily and the alchemical golem flew out from underground.

But Kang De was not among them.

He clearly knows how to teleport; he should have been the first one to come out.

The second princess strode forward, staring intently at Lily: "Tell me! How is he? Why isn't he responding to the signals I sent him?"

Before leaving, Kang De left Stella a signal transmitter, a transmitter based on divine Element, capable of even achieving cross-world resonance. Kang De told her that whenever something bad happened, she should press this button, and he would respond quickly and appear before her.

But now...

Lily paused for a moment, then slowly said, "He is fighting the enemy."

Stella was taken aback at first, then her eyebrows furrowed. "Then why are you here? Why didn't you stay there and help him? Do you know how much he trusts you! Now..."

Horus stepped in front of Lily, blocking her way. "... Your Highness, is this the time to talk about this?"

The Dragon Girl's face flushed and paled in turns, her eyes flashing intensely. Finally, she took a deep breath and said coldly, "You explain to her. I'll go report to the Dragon Emperor."

After saying this, he turned and left.

The two-thousand-meter-deep underground had isolated the transmission of Dragon Ballad, but now that she had returned to the surface, she could establish a real-time communication link with the Dragon Emperor. She wanted to inform the monarch of Dragon Island of what had happened in the underground world.

Hopefully, that old dragon, which has never lost money in business, will make the right choice again this time.

Stella was about to speak when Horus comforted her, "Calm down, calm down, Your Highness. Father is fine, please don't worry. I am an alchemical life form he created. If Father were to encounter any danger, it would be reflected in my soul... So, please rest assured for now."

The second princess sniffled, her voice trembling with suppressed sobs.

When will he be able to come back?

Several Dragon Break through the steel fortress and flew into the distance, seemingly to deliver a message, which meant that Kang De's underground expedition had encountered some degree of failure.

This means that even if Kang De were merely trapped underground, the malice, hostility, and greed from the outside world would seize the opportunity to exert their influence and accomplish certain things while the Forbidden Spell spellcaster was preoccupied.

Even if Kang De could never return...

The thought of what happened back then sent a chill down her spine.

Fear and anxiety continued to spread, and the pressure that had accumulated over the days turned into dependence on and expectation of Kang De, Cathayan was becoming the last straw to grasp.

Stella, her breathing rapid, asked anxiously, "Say something! We... we are now..."

"Please calm down, Your Highness Stella!"

Horus's shout echoed in the Second Princess's ears. It was a voice secretly studied and imitated from the movie version of Optimus Prime's voice. Optimus Prime Peter Cullen's perfect voice, honed over thirty years of professional voice acting for Optimus Prime, was deep, majestic, steady, and magnetic—the kind of leader's tone that any monarch would yearn for.

Advanced and efficient sensors quickly scanned the second princess's facial expressions, eye movements, and body language, determining her current mental state.

The Transformers softened his tone. "Please calm down, Princess Stella. You are not the person Father described to me, nor the one I trusted."

The princess's eyes flickered for a moment. "... What?"

--snort.

Horus's tone was calm and steady, as firm as a rock, and his charming voice could irresistibly draw everyone to listen, leaving no doubt about the speaker's honesty.

He said, "When my father ordered me and Miss Lily to evacuate and return to the surface immediately, I expressed my unease to him. He should have taken charge of the overall situation instead of fighting a powerful enemy there. I was not confident or sure if I could fulfill my father's entrustment. After all, I am just a newly born mechanical life form, and the situation outside must be more complicated than I imagined."

My father told me not to worry.

He said he had to stay where he was needed most and couldn't back down, because Goth was behind him.

He said there was no need to worry about whether the mission could be completed, because Princess Stella was there.

He said that Princess Goth's second daughter was an intelligent and courageous woman, independent, mature, and as radiant as the sun. He said he had no doubt about your love and sense of responsibility towards Goth, and believed that no matter what happened, you would fight to the end for this country. You would be afraid, but you would not back down; you would be uneasy, but you would not give up. It was because of this trust that he was able to entrust the affairs of the surface to you with peace of mind.

Stella listened, stunned.

Then, her voice trembled as she asked, "He... he really said that?"

Horus spoke in a reliable and weighty tone, like Optimus Prime: "Indeed, madam. I am an alchemical life form, incapable of lying. Loyalty, integrity, and refraining from falsehood are my pre-programmed behaviors."

A glint appeared in the second princess's eyes, and she remained silent for a long time.

"Also, ma'am, my father asked me to convey his apologies to you."

Iron Son said in a deep voice, "He said he shouldn't have spoken to you like that back then, but he didn't know how to apologize, so he asked me to convey his message now because he was afraid..."

"... Stop talking!"

Stella raised her head like a startled fawn, interrupting Horus.

Horus bowed his head. "Madam."

As the Magic Power flowed, the tears in the corners of her eyes quietly evaporated. Stella took a deep breath, raised her head again, and was now a noble and radiant beauty, as dazzling as the sun.

She asked, "What does Kang De need me to do?"

The Transformers replied, "Father, you need to handle this situation with your own judgment, composure, and wisdom. If necessary, I will also be at your service. This is the final battle."

Stella nodded slowly.

The wisdom of a spellcaster flashed in her mind, fear and unease receded, and calmness and composure took over. After a moment of contemplation, the second princess asked, "Have you encountered those escaped dragons?"

Horus's mask casts rays of light, projecting images onto the ground.

"This is exactly what I wanted to explain to you, the Dragon Clan delegation. There were seven Long Yi, and six of them have already died. We have seen the corpses of four dragons, and the other two have also been confirmed dead."

The second princess frowned and said, "But everyone in the Survey Corps saw it..."

"This is the situation that troubles me the most," Horus replied. "This mysterious Magic Creature possesses many mysterious properties, allowing the dead to move freely as if they were alive. According to Miss Lily, this is a common trick of extraterrestrial beings. So the key issue is not why they are resurrected, but what is the purpose of these dragons, who move in the form of the living, breaking through the defenses, returning to the surface, and then escaping."

Stella pondered for a moment.

The Life Department of the Arcane Council revises its manual annually to prepare for potential alien invasions. After all, this planet is full of the mysteries of nature and life, the soul fluctuations of extraordinary beings, the rich elemental phenomena, and the spiritual radiance of countless flesh and blood bodies, which always attract greedy covetousness.

As a star student and even the youngest teacher at Saint Covelo University, Stella was naturally well-versed in the containment rules. She answered without hesitation, "The behavior of hosts infected by extraterrestrial aliens, with the exception of a small number that are incomprehensible, is mostly purposeful."

"They can be roughly divided into several types."

"Blood sacrifice, the offering of countless lives to please and satisfy the appetites of the greedy in the void."

"Open the portal, and through a complex and bizarre ritual, summon one or more evil life forms into this world to achieve the purpose of invasion and devouring."

"The killings stem from the extermination tendencies of the manipulators behind the scenes, whose aim is absolute annihilation and destruction."

"A conspiracy, by controlling the mind of the host, to incite bloody wars between regions, nations, classes, and powers, causing powerful nations to collapse and strong beliefs to crumble... and so on."

"Besides that, there's also..."

At this point, she glanced at Lily, who was standing in the distance with her back turned. "Spread the word."

"Miss Lily has been fine; her father personally checked her over."

Horus said, "She is in contact with Dragon Island and should also remind the dragon legion waiting in the Goth Sea soon. We have not yet discovered whether the host of the mysterious element can spread that Magic Creature to other life forms, but it is indeed one of the possibilities. Of the several situations you mentioned, there is another one that needs to be closely observed, because it is equally applicable to the current situation."

Stella thought for a moment, "A conspiracy?"

"Yes."

Horus replied, "Cuixisi wants to raise the River of Origin to the heavens; that is its purpose, and of course, it is also the purpose of the mastermind behind Cuixisi who instigated and misled her."

"It was about to complete its plan, but was stopped by its father. Sending the Aberrant Dragon, which were feigning death, to the surface now is probably an attempt to break through from the outside. We must guard against this possibility."

For example, spreading lies to various countries, saying that Kang De is dead, or that Kang De is slaughtering dragons underground, or that Kang De is trapped by a treasure buried there... and so on.

This made the various nations and powers restless. They broke through Goth's obstruction and entered this underground world, where a series of conspiracies, corruptions, and plans awaited them.

Upon hearing this, Stella seemed to realize something, and her body suddenly trembled.

Horus keenly noticed the change in his expression. "Have you thought of something?"

The second princess murmured, "Outer sea... ships from various countries..."

The Transformers asked doubtfully, "Warships from various nations? Father cast Forbidden Spell on the Broken Sea; isn't that enough to instill fear and apprehension in them?"

Stella shook her head and smiled bitterly, "Those who are frightened are some small countries and local forces. The Empire Fleet stationed in the Broken Isles has also refused to set sail, and morale is extremely low. No one is willing to go and die. But the Empire has more than just this one fleet, and it Broken Isles more than one base in the Western Seas..."

She sighed and continued, "After all, the temptation is just too great, isn't it? The Empire, the Council, and Twilight Moon, several major powers and their staunch vassals, still ordered the fleets from the Western Sea to move towards the Goth Sea. They are merely observing, believing that Kang De wouldn't use the Forbidden Spell until the very last moment, because that would mean all-out war. In the end, the so-called fear isn't one-sided, but rather a mutual fear between Kang De and the other nations, because once the Forbidden Spell is cast, there are no winners..."

Furthermore...

The second princess's lips curled into a sneer, "It is not the monarchs and ministers who make the decisions who face the risks of the Forbidden Spell and the pressure of extinction, but the officers and sailors at sea."

"Furthermore, with warships adrift at sea, isolated from the world, it would be incredibly easy to block out news. I guarantee that the sailors of various nations currently heading towards the Goth Sea are completely unaware that Kang De cast a Forbidden Spell on the Broken Isles, unleashing a massive tsunami capable of destroying any fleet in the world."

Horus said, "We must warn them."

Stella smiled wryly, "How do we warn them? How do we gain their trust? Maybe..."

"Of course, we'll give it our all."

The Transformers said in a deep voice, "Excuse my bluntness, Goth is too weak. To survive this ordeal, he can only do his best to protect himself, grit his teeth and persevere until his father returns victorious, or seek help from a trusted external force..."

The second princess asked blankly, "External forces? Apart from Kang De, we have no friends left."

"Then let's look at the alternatives we can cooperate with for the time being."

Horus once again invoked his father's name. "Father has made all the arrangements."

The second princess's eyes lit up. "Who?"

The Transformers replied, "Dragons and spirits."

Just then, Lily, who had been shouting ultrasonic waves towards Dragon Island from a secluded spot, finished her conversation and floated over. "I've already informed the Dragon Emperor!"

How so?

Lily frowned and said, "The Dragon Emperor wants to see evidence. He won't easily believe my words, but he promised to come. However, it takes a long time to get here from Dragon Island..."

Horus said, "You should have him order the dragon legions off the coast of Goth to immediately detain any missing delegations or reappearing dragons..."

The Dragon Girl shook her head and said, "The dragon delegation consists of conservative, idiotic dragons. The dragon army that came to cause trouble and intimidate us is also a military force under the conservative faction. Even if the Dragon Emperor issues such an order, they will not carry it out... Therefore, I must go there myself."

She held out her hand to Horus: "Give me a copy of the alchemical tool that Kang De showed me, the one that can record and rewind time. I need to show the leader of the Dragon Legion as evidence so he'll believe that the dragons of the mission are already dead."

The Transformers replied, "I'll go with you. You're injured, and this mission is risky."

Lily smiled and didn't refute, "That's wonderful! I was just wondering how to ask for help without losing my dignity."

Stella asked, "Then what do I need to do?"

Before Horus could answer, the sky shimmered with light, and the spellcaster, gliding at high speed and manipulating magical winds, barely landed with the help of an aviation mage. The exhausted messenger retrieved the encrypted document bag.

He said weakly, "Your Highness, there's an urgent message from the Governor-General! Naval guerrillas have discovered that fleets from various countries are heading towards Qilin Cape!"

￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥

PS1: Ugh... You might not know this, but I drastically changed this part of the story... I cut about 40% of it... That's why I've been having such a writer's block lately... As for why I changed it, some of you might have already guessed. If you haven't, that's okay, I'll tell you why after I finish writing this part... It's so lame... Damn, finally I can wrap this up...