I Am Kang De

The Distant Harbor was busier than usual tonight.

The aurora that shot out of the sky with the nuclear spear shone brightly in the atmosphere, visible to half the planet. Meanwhile, the meteor shower that fell from the Starry Firmament Bridge, the remains of the giant beast, and fragments of the Star Palace could be clearly seen throughout the entire west coast. The former was only a few minutes of brilliance, while the latter was a continuous stream of shooting stars.

Even those already asleep were awakened. From the people in the Distant Harbor to the refugees temporarily housed in the Broken Isles, they gazed at the shimmering lights on the distant horizon, each with their own expectations and anxieties.

Trust and doubt are intertwined, and peace of mind and unease coexist. This is human nature that should not be criticized. At least they are still here, and at least they are terrified but still trust.

They were simply comforting each other, praying, and believing.

They believed that even if something bad happened, Prince Kang De would protect them.

Ordinary civilians have limited access to information and can only encourage, comfort, and pray for each other, while those in the know who bear more responsibility are on high alert, and some are very busy tonight.

Envoys and messengers from various countries, ranging from the three major powers to powerful multinational organizations and medium-sized countries, as well as some influential families and chambers of commerce, were all desperately gathering intelligence. Their previous gloating and mocking smiles had vanished.

--They had even initially been somewhat amused and schadenfreude.

Because all signs and intelligence indicate that the invincible Dragon of Cathay has messed things up, and a terrifying behemoth, unheard of and unseen before, has awakened from its slumber and crossed the sea.

Kang De seemed to have no good solution to it.

How wonderful.

After all, the Cathayan declared war on the Broken Isles and rescued nobles and beggars alike like heroes. This behavior and attitude, no matter the reason, made the vested interest groups very unhappy. No one wants to have a sword called the Forbidden Spell Curse hanging over their head forever, even if it has never been drawn. And now, the vested interests are also vaguely aware of something.

Kang De did not appear to be sitting with them.

Therefore, it was truly gratifying that the once-proud Cathayan finally suffered a setback.

However, this pleasant feeling lasted for less than a day.

They discussed passionately how this matter would end, which supreme Dragon of Cathay would bow to in exchange for aid, the extent of the trauma and setback Goth would suffer, and the degree to which the Dragon of Cathay's reputation would be damaged—they even secretly considered pushing things along.

Then they all saw it.

It was not a report from spies, nor an observation from advanced magical communication devices, but rather, with the naked eye, rulers and superiors across the continent, thousands of miles away from Distant Harbor, simultaneously witnessed a flash of orange-red light in the sky that lingered for a long time, leaving every mage with even a small degree of achievement utterly shocked.

That is a phenomenon that cannot be explained by any elemental or astronomical science.

Combined with the unusual behavior of the envoys from the three kingdoms in the Distant Harbor, they came to a very terrifying guess.

"Mr. Hong... my father and my former boss have both come to ask me about it."

In the joint conference room, Colonel Beike, commander of the Empire Fleet, said with a wry smile, "You know what they want to know—or rather, what His Majesty the Emperor wants to know."

Hong San looked around. Even the officials and officers from the Distant Harbor and Valentan factions couldn't suppress their curiosity and unease, let alone the other "guest troops."

In fact, Hong San didn't know what had happened either. He was also uneasy and flustered, not because he was worried about the outcome of the battle, but because he was worried about His Highness's safety. He saw the brilliant starlight falling from the sky and crashing into the dark sea in the distance. According to the atmospheric mage's calculations, the landing point was near the Broken Isles.

He didn't know what it was.

Perhaps it's enemy reinforcements...

With this thought in mind, he looked at the dragon girl sitting beside him. "Miss Lily, you..."

Lily's face showed no worry, only curiosity. She glanced at Hong San and shook her head.

Don't the dragons know either...?

Hong San sighed inwardly, but he concealed his worry well. With His Highness absent, he was the highest-ranking official in Distant Harbor. He had to maintain order and stability and prevent any trouble from happening in the rear.

Lily pursed her lips.

She knew, but she didn't know how to say it.

When contact was made with the Dragon Emperor, only a confusing message came from Dragon Ballad, the supreme ruler of Dragon Island.

Translating the Dragon Language into common language would be. "Damn, damn, damn, it's so dazzling!"

Although I don't know what happened...

"Don't worry," she smiled gently, "Kang De is fine."

Two souls bound by the Dragon's Covenant can clearly sense each other's state.

At this moment, what Dragon Girl sensed was... Kang De's soul was shining brightly, and he was in excellent condition.

Hong San looked relieved. He nodded and was about to speak when an elven warrior entered and whispered a few words in Quilion's ear.

The elven commander strode up to Hong San and lowered his voice, saying, "There are nobles causing trouble again at the refugee camp, saying they want to leave as soon as possible..."

Hong San frowned, a hint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes.

He was just about to give the order when a guard outside shouted, "Salute to you!"

A smile bloomed on the Dragon Girl's face, and she had already stood up.

The door opened, and a familiar voice greeted me, "Is everyone here?"

With varying expressions, everyone in the room stood up. They were only surprised for a moment before their faces broke into genuine smiles—warm, respectful, and docile.

Hong San took a deep breath and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, welcome back."

Then he straightened up, and the emperor and his minister exchanged a smile.

"Is the battle going well?"

"Returning in triumph."

Kang De turned and looked at every face in the room.

Valentan's followers, officials of the Distant Harbor, even naval officers from the Elves, the Empire, and the Council, and the spellcaster leader from Goth... they awaited the final pronouncement.

"The enemy has been utterly destroyed, the crisis at the Distant Harbor has been resolved, and the Battle of the Broken Isles is over."

Kang De looked at the silent crowd, paused for a moment, and said, "Celebrate."

As soon as he finished speaking, cheers resounded throughout the room.

Whether their feelings were genuine or not, and regardless of their doubts, at least for now, in the presence of Kang De, everyone was cheering wildly, as if afraid their celebrations wouldn't be loud enough.

After a burst of cheers, Kang De reached out and pressed down, and soon the room fell silent.

Kang De glanced around, then turned and said, "Let's invite all the envoys from various countries in; it'll save us trouble."

Hong San nodded, went out and gave some instructions. Soon, a flurry of footsteps sounded as envoys from various countries and powerful forces entered nervously. Upon seeing Kang De, they bowed their heads humbly.

Kang De didn't exchange pleasantries with them; instead, he gave orders.

"The deep-sea behemoth was annihilated in waters approximately 600 kilometers from the Distant Harbor. I will establish a no-navigation zone, prohibiting any ships from passing through it for a certain period of time."

Hong San nodded and said, "Yes."

Everyone was holding their breath and listening.

Kang De continued, "I organized Combined Fleet consisting of the Valentan forces, the Distant Harbor Fleet, and the Twilight Moon Fleet, and ordered them to proceed along the predetermined route to the outskirts of the Broken Isles, awaiting further orders, ready to be stationed and patrol at any time. My spoils of war were left there—some very interesting things..."

He glanced at everyone and said, "Now the Broken Isles and everything on them are mine. I don't think anyone has any objections, right?"

Everyone shook their heads like rattles.

Hong San smiled and said, "It's all yours, Your Highness. According to the prevailing laws of war on the continent, you undoubtedly own the Broken Isles and everything on them. I think all the nations would agree."

This is not the power of diplomacy.

This is diplomacy of power.

Kang De nodded and said, "Quilion."

The elven commander strode forward and bowed, saying, "Your Highness."

Kang De looked at the imposing and powerful elven general and said, "Do you relinquish your rank and position in the elven army, swear a new oath of allegiance to me and Queen Dairila, and assume a key position in the soon-to-be-established naval fleet directly under my command?"

Quilion paused for a moment, then asked, "You and the Queen?"

Kang De explained, "It means..."

Before he could even begin, the elven general exclaimed with ecstasy, "I understand! I'm willing!"

"..." I felt like he had misunderstood something.

Kang De said, "As for the oath of allegiance, we'll discuss that when Dairila arrives. Now, I order you to gather your troops and proceed to the Broken Isles first thing tomorrow morning. Begin patrolling and deploying defenses as instructed—the Dragonflight will support your operations, and the Valentan Guards and Doom Warriors will follow your command..."

"--Kill all those who dared to spy despite warnings."

A chill ran through everyone.

The elf answered without hesitation, "Yes!"

"Hong San."

The Cathayan bowed and said, "Yes."

"We are preparing to establish our own Alchemical Ordnance Center and Research Center, inviting scholars from the Broken Isles to set up shop there. We will engage in comprehensive cooperation with dragons and elves, and, depending on the circumstances, invite and recruit magical scholars and alchemists from all over the world to join us... I have found many interesting loot items, which require the help of intelligent people from all over the world to analyze, research, and discover."

Hong San replied, "Yes!"

Those who listened intently had varying feelings; they wanted to know what had happened that night, but no one dared to speak up, and could only guess and speculate from Kang De's words.

Clearly, the Cathayan and the elves have become lovers.

Furthermore, they have connections with the dragon race.

He didn't even mention Goth.

"At last..."

Kang De stood up, looked at the diverse expressions on the faces of the people, and chuckled softly, "I want to speak to all the people of Distant Harbor and the new members from the Broken Isles, to tell them the news of victory."

He sat back down at his desk, adjusted the microphone, and was about to summon Horus to connect to the broadcast system when A Fu stepped forward.

Only then did people realize how beautiful the suddenly appearing knight was.

A Fu pressed the radar-shaped headband by her ear, a glint of light flashing in her eyes, and smiled sweetly, "Father, let me do it—it's all done."

The Knight Astolfo's powerful information processing capabilities, enhanced by the Power of the Fire Thief and the Paradox Element, make its electronic warfare capabilities extremely formidable.

In the blink of an eye, loudspeakers, radios, and megaphones throughout the Distant Harbor and even the new city blared a sweet female voice. "Attention, attention! His Highness Kang De is about to deliver a radio address..."

The sound drifting through the city invigorated people.

In the midst of seeing the strange celestial phenomenon and feeling panicked, the voice coming from the radio was reassuring, especially since it was a voice I had never heard before.

--So sweet, so beautiful, she must be a very beautiful girl.

Crocodile Bar.

"Tex... Tex! Can you please stop howling! His Highness Kang De is about to speak!"

Jim's helpless voice rang out, while the burly man slumped over the table, banging his head against it. "It sank! Waaaaaah! It sank! My work points have sunk to the bottom of the sea like a wrecked ship! That damned turntable! Waaaaaah! My radio! My radio!"

He reeked of alcohol; he must have drunk a lot.

Jim sighed, "How much money have you lost at the casino? And you still dare to try your luck on the roulette wheel..."

In the refugee camp, in the upscale area, Professor Xuelier nudged the drowsy Laisalin awake. "Wake up, wake up, His Highness Kang De, whom you were dreaming about, is about to speak."

"--What?! I didn't dream about that!"

In the military camp in Distant Harbor, under the dim light, the table was piled with sunflower seed shells and beef jerky wrappers. An empty instant noodle bowl, with all the soup gone, sat to the side. Han Guangcheng, Mei Xizhu, Ailike, and others gathered around the table, listening to the sounds coming from the radio.

Soldiers kept approaching from behind.

The Distant Harbor day's work, the refugees from the Broken Isles, the spies from various countries, and the dutiful soldiers—they all stood before the radios and under the loudspeakers, waiting.

In the conference room, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Kang De faced the microphone and remained silent for a moment.

A sense of relief washed over me, because the Broken Isles affair had finally come to a complete end.

But there's also a sense of tension and unease... because after tonight, many things will be different.

He looked up at Hong San, Hong San smile was as unwavering as ever, his eyes filled with unwavering encouragement. This retainer still didn't know what had happened, but Kang De knew that no matter what, Hong San would stand by his side, shoulder to shoulder with him, facing all enemies.

A Fu's smile was beautiful and radiant.

--On the way back, the new child has reached an agreement with Horus. A Fu will take over the communication and broadcasting system of Distant Harbor and the future media system with his powerful information processing ability, excellent communication skills and full of love (self-proclaimed), replacing the cold voice of the Transformers and becoming a dual-use intelligent AI.

It's easy to imagine that with A Fu's melodious voice and adorable personality, she will surely become a shared memory and a goddess in the hearts of several generations of people in Distant Harbor.

However, considering the Schrödinger's Dior beneath her skirt, Kang De regarded this transfer of power as "the greatest and most despairing event in the history of Distant Harbor."

But... he's a good kid, isn't he?

Lily was rolling her eyes at her, probably quite displeased with A Fu's appearance, but the joy and pleasure emanating from the soul connection of the Dragon's Covenant revealed her true feelings.

Malegith was draped in a cloak, concealing her face, but here, just like during her lonely days on the Holy Seal Archipelago, she was always accompanied by these magical creatures. And now, in the face of the impending destruction of the Star Palace, they would surely fight alongside this generation of Fire Thief... just as before.

Dong Tianming bowed to him. This renowned minister of Cathay, along with his disciples and followers, were about to answer the call and come to the Distant Harbor, thus reactivating the shipping routes with Cathay.

And the people in front of me, the people in the conference room, come from different countries and different races. The Battle of the Broken Isles has also proven that they can fight under the same banner. It's not just the elite soldiers of each country, but also the most ordinary people in the Distant Harbor... Unity is not just an empty word.

It's definitely possible.

The future is promising.

Because I am here.

The Fire Thief smiled and nodded slightly to the crowd.

He spoke into the microphone, to the Distant Harbor and the present, to the world and the future.

"I am Kang De."

￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥

PS1: I'm not feeling well tonight... I originally wanted to finish writing it in one go, but after writing for a while, I felt something was wrong and it was very difficult to write, so I deleted it. I'll write the next part tomorrow. Normally it's fine, but for this kind of crucial part that concludes, elevates, and connects the preceding and following paragraphs, I think it's better to focus on quality.

PS2: You might not believe it, but to prepare for the following speech, I even went to watch the Iron Curtain speech.