The Best Bad News

"The core of the furnace gathers energy!"

"Elemental channels are open!"

"PRISM refraction is ready!"

Launch pad is open!

"Irradiate!"

Intense rays shot out from the launch pad, the Flame-Particle Light Lance refracted by the mage tower PRISM, the deflected light blades swept across the vast beach, burning transparent glass crystals along the way. The swarming sea monsters were dehydrated and dried up like the Trisolarans, leaving the ground covered with charred corpses and shiny glass marks!

"Continuous illumination! PRISM deflection!"

The naval mages on the mage tower wielded powerful blades of light, slicing and slashing about like they were playing Fruit Ninja, instantly killing any sea monsters they encountered!

Now, all three fortress-like magical devices on the central island have been captured. The Arcane Council and the elite elven naval mages, through their own hard work rather than using backdoor programs, have cracked these three strategic weapons and brought them under their control, launching a massacre against the sea monsters that have come ashore.

As for the mage towers responsible for deflecting the Flame-Particle Light Lance... although the few mage towers capable of attacking the Long Beach area have been destroyed, there are still others at other angles and directions.

Kandy went there and used a cannonball the size of a vinegar bowl to make the mages on duty at the mage tower bow down in worship. Then he pulled the mage tower upside down and knocked it to the designated attack position.

The Prism Tower didn't rise from the ground either, so that's not surprising.

The spellcasters and apprentices, who bowed in surrender, were carried back to the large platform base by the dragon attack aircraft, Kang De had questions for them.

Master Mei Xizhu of Cathay and his good brother Ailike, as the first progressives to abandon darkness and embrace light, showed concern and did ideological work with their former comrades and fellow villagers.

Once the formalities were observed and the guard was lowered somewhat, the opportunistic, high-pressure interrogation began.

In a small, dark room, a mage sat in a chair, curiously looking at the lamp on the table. He was intrigued by this alchemical magical tool that emitted light on its own without any Magic Power fluctuations. But soon his attention was drawn to the food on the table—a bowl that looked like it was made of paper, with the lid slightly ajar, releasing steaming heat and an enticing aroma that made him subconsciously swallow.

Outside, soldiers from the logistics team were urgently transporting a trailer full of artillery shells, accompanied by two alchemical puppet dogs, each carrying two bags of machine gun ammunition, running along with a clattering sound.

Further away, booming sounds echoed, light and smoke burst forth, and the sky resounded with the shrieks of death.

Kang De parted the blinds, letting the light in. He glanced outside a few times, then turned and said, "You know who I am, don't you?"

As the controller of the wartime mage tower PRISM, the mage naturally held a high status and Arcane rank, and was considered a senior expert within the Broken Isles' staff system, enjoying considerable renown.

But everything he was so proud of paled in comparison to Kang De.

In terms of status and position, Kang De usually chatted and laughed with the Phoenix King, and only had enemies at the level of the Holy Empire, the Arcane Council, and Dragon Island, which were far superior to him.

Regarding Arcane ranks, although Kang De did not attend the Arcane Council's professional ranking exams and certifications, the several large stones that fell from the sky in the past few months were the best certificates. The arcane world values strength above all else, and the title of Forbidden Spell Mage is a coveted honor that a spellcaster like him could not even imagine.

Moreover, this man is notorious throughout the world for his ruthlessness towards murderers, elves, and dragons.

The spellcaster, who held a respectable position on the island, immediately stood up like a schoolchild, his tone trembling, and recited titles like "famous thinker, educator, revolutionary" from a history textbook. "You are Forbidden Spell spellcaster, the Dragon of Cathay, the Enemy of Twilight Moon..."

"Alright, alright."

Kang De pointed to the chair. "Sit."

He pulled out a chair opposite him and sat down in front of the monk.

The Dragon of Cathay adjusted the angle of the desk lamp, then said calmly, "Since you know who I am, you should also know what I hate most."

The monk swallowed hard. "You... hate traitors the most."

"You're right."

Kang De was greatly pleased; it seemed that Kantianism was gradually gaining traction, which was quite satisfying.

He nodded and said, "Since you understand so well, then we have a basis for our next conversation. I hate traitors and untrustworthy people, but apart from that, I am also a reasonable person who is willing to put myself in others' shoes and give them trust. Now, I am interested in making a deal or an agreement with you."

"... You said."

Kang De pointed outside. "As you probably already know, the outside has become a giant cesspool, and all sorts of monstrous creatures have sprung up from the sea. Your Broken Isles are finished. My primary objective now is to bring my people back alive, so I can make a deal with you."

"My bargaining chip is that I can take you and your people with me when I leave, and take you to Distant Harbor. Afterwards, you can leave on your own, or stay. If you're interested, you can even work for me, but only if you pass the vetting and evaluation and prove your worth to me."

The monk replied without hesitation, "I agree!"

"Let me finish," Kang De said, his tone devoid of emotion. "It needs to be emphasized that I consider this an agreement. My reward is that you answer all my questions to the best of your ability, without concealing anything. If you agree, the agreement is established, and we both must do our best. You fulfill your promise, and so do I. But if I discover that you have lied or concealed anything..."

He said casually, "Then you'll be in for a treat."

"... Absolutely not, Your Highness."

"That's for me to decide."

"Yes."

"So, the first question..." Kang De tilted his head, "Did you create those monsters?"

"Huh?" The mage paused for a moment, then instinctively said, "No..."

Then he realized what he had said, thought about it carefully, and said with a wry smile, "I really don't know, Your Highness. With my rank and status, I have never heard of any similar topics or rumors. If this were truly the island lord's secret weapon, it wouldn't be something someone like me would know."

Kang De nodded. "That makes sense. As for the second question, the central island is the largest in area, so I think its population should also be the largest."

The monk honestly replied, "In terms of the number of soldiers, staff, laborers, and merchants, it is indeed the largest. However, there are no civilians residing here, nor are ordinary tourists received. Those who come here to enjoy themselves are all important figures with status, wealth, and influence. Apart from them and the island lord, everyone else on the island is there to protect, serve, and please them..."

"So where did all these people go?"

Kang De inquired, "After the sea monster attack, we fought our way here from near Ajinsi Island. Before that, the central island didn't seem to have been invaded by the sea monster, but apart from the garrison and defense forces, I haven't seen any ordinary people. Where did they go?"

The spellcaster paused for a moment. "This... I can only answer what I know. When your ultimatum spread throughout the Broken Sea, the order issued by Sea Suppression Castle was for us to continue the attack and hold our posts, saying that these sea monsters were devourers released by you. Your words were just a performance to lure us into lowering our guard."

Kang De scoffed.

"As for where the people on the island went... I'm not entirely sure, but while on duty, out of unease and hesitation, I observed the situation on the island using Eagle Eye and Atmospheric Perspective array."

The spellcaster said softly, "Long before the attack, all personnel at the resort winery east of Mage Tower No. 12, where I was stationed, had already been evacuated—towards Sea Suppression Castle."

Kang De frowned and asked, "All of them?"

Yes, all of them.

The monk emphasized, "From the winery manager to the laborers and farmers, and even the waiters, wine tasters, maids, and all other staff, everyone retreated to Sea Suppression Castle under the escort of the guards."

Kang De's eyebrows rose.

He pondered for a moment, "Your boss is the owner of this island, a kind-hearted man who loves his people like his own children?"

The monk was taken aback, then shook his head and said, "Your Highness, this island is a paradise, a dreamland personally created by the island's owner, a place that many of the world's powerful and wealthy linger in. It can make even those well-informed and powerful figures feel incredibly happy and joyful. As for what the so-called services are, even a monk like me doesn't want to think about it in detail."

"He controls 40% of the Broken Isles' wealth, and his business partners are all over the world. I don't know exactly how much money he has, and I doubt even he knows himself, but if you were to rank the twenty richest people in the world, he would definitely be among them."

He paused here, a complicated, bitter smile on his face, "Do you really think someone who's this rich, and has always been this rich, would be a good person?"

Kang De's expression shifted slightly, and he clicked his tongue. "Damn."

He stood up, snapped his fingers, and the lights in the room flashed.

"Transaction complete. You did well... for now. Now eat something and rest. You're safe. I'll take you and your people away. In the meantime, you'll be under house arrest. Don't use magic or do anything suspicious. You know the consequences if you're caught."

Then he pushed open the door and went out.

"Quilion! Halsey!"

The elves and humans immediately took their positions.

Kang De looked at the Son of the Typhoon: "How are things on the other islands?"

Halsey reported, "We sent messages to the islands using the Omnipresent Wind, but the observations from Atmospheric Perspective and Eagle Eye were not optimistic. The other islands, lacking our offensive capabilities, were also attacked by sea monsters immediately, suffering heavy casualties. Countless monsters attacked ships, docks, residential areas, and settlements..."

He sighed as he said this.

"... The casualties are heavy, and the sea monster's offensive continues to spread."

Kang De remained silent for a moment.

Although the evacuation operation removed almost all the Cathayan, Goth People, Imperial, Elven, and Arcane Council citizens who wanted to leave, many people remained on the Broken Isles.

Many of them were hostile to Kang De, or willing to be lackeys of the island lords, or simply drifted along aimlessly, unable to control their own destinies... and thus perished in the jaws of the ferocious sea monster.

Regardless of one's stance, the helpless loss of life always evokes a sense of sorrow.

But he didn't have any good ideas and couldn't save so many people.

Even immediately withdrawing his more than a thousand men to the Distant Harbor would be difficult.

He sighed, "Have you noticed...?"

Just then, the eagle-eyed officer on the observation platform shouted, "Something's up!"

At the same time, Horus's voice rang in my ears. "Father, we've detected new information. On the island to the southeast, spellcasters are using gliding devices to fly towards the observation platform, and hot air balloons are taking off—it's the Eye of Lucius the Survey Corps used before..."

Kang De suddenly realized. "Ah! That's right!"

--Why didn't I think of that before!

Sea monsters are endless, emerging from the deep sea to attack, bite ships, and board them to devour people, making navigation unsafe. These ferocious sea monsters can roam the deep sea and climb onto land, but they can't fly!

His previous worries stemmed from a rigid thinking that he couldn't evacuate over a thousand people at once.

Sea routes were impassable, space teleportation was difficult and troublesome, and air transport also required a venue, but after thinking it over, one point was forgotten—humanity's first flight through the sky was not achieved using a fixed-wing aircraft.

It was a hot air balloon.

Similar flying machines based on the same principle have also appeared in this other world, but they make more use of magical power.

Even Goth was equipped with quite a bit of it.

With this in mind, Kang De no longer hesitated and said to Halsey, "Now issue a notice to the entire Broken Isles region. I will do my best to provide rescue and assistance to the survivors. All those who are willing to accept help, regardless of their status or wealth, will have the opportunity to receive assistance as long as they strive to save themselves."

"Have them head towards the highest points on each island, then gather all the spellcasters from each island. I will then launch hot air balloons onto each island; experienced spellcasters will be needed to operate and control them..."

Upon hearing this, the officers were all taken aback.

They hadn't expected Kang De to issue such an order.

Regardless of status or wealth.

--If we're talking about rescuing spellcasters, the wealthy, and technicians, that's understandable. After this battle, the Broken Isles are practically finished, and using such favors to win over the most valuable talents of this land of wealth is indeed a worthwhile deal. But... should we also rescue the poor and the lowly?

Seeing their surprised looks, Kang De frowned and asked, "Is there a problem?"

"... No, no!"

They looked at each other, then suddenly realized what was happening and gave each other a self-deprecating smile.

The navy is sometimes a bit more romantic than the army.

"In fact..." Quilion bowed deeply to Kang De, "That's what we should be doing!"

Halsey turned and shouted, "Wind Mage Group! Sonic Howl Array!"

Horus's low chuckle reached his ears, "Father, don't forget, those you're trying to save might have been cursing you just hours ago, and they might still be cursing you now."

"It's okay, I'm kind, I'll give them a chance to change their minds."

The Transformers then asked, "Those who were willing to believe you, or those who were wise, have already left during the previous evacuation operation. Are these die-hards even worth saving, Father?"

"Worth."

Kang De stated unequivocally, "Those with money pay to save their lives, those without work for me. I will use them to create more value to save more people who deserve it—don't you think it's worth it?"

"... ah?"

"Huh what?"

Kang De said impatiently, "When have you ever seen me do a good deed for free?"

"Ah, there are quite a few, for example, Valentan, Danfeng Lucerne, Moyani..."

"Shut up! That's called long-term investment!"

Kang De shouted, "Quilion, assemble a commando team! Include the most experienced tactical advisors, construction experts, trap specialists, alchemy consultants, and more! When the rescue operation begins, we'll kick down the Sea Suppression Castle! Besides rescuing people, we'll punish the wicked!"

The elven captain responded loudly, "Yes, sir! I obey your command!"

Horus smiled. "It sounds like you're convinced this has something to do with that island lord."

Kang De snapped his fingers, opening the Phase Gate: "All indications suggest he's definitely involved—and what do you think he was trying to do by bringing most of the island's population into the castle? He's hardly a benevolent, kind-hearted man."

The Transformers guessed, "Hostages? Perhaps they think Father is a kind and compassionate man who loves his people, so they're taking many innocent people hostage to force you to spare his life?"

Kang De shrugged, leaped into the White Mist World, and left behind only one sentence.

"That's truly the best of bad news."

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PS1: Ugh... Damn it...