Kang De, Master of Romance

Naval commanders from various countries, nobles from Distant Harbor, scholars and mages of high status, and presidents of chambers of commerce... all greeted him with the utmost enthusiasm and politeness.

This is an experience I've never had before.

Whether it was the elven general or the elite spellcasters of the Arcane Council, these nobles wore genuinely friendly smiles and displayed unprecedented humility.

Leona responded to everyone's greetings with an elegant and charming smile and graceful demeanor. She was a poised and graceful socialite, with a beautiful appearance and refined speech. It was hard to imagine that she would utter such foul language.

She knows who is responsible for everything that is happening now.

The entire city's welcome and respect were due to this person's will and attitude.

When she was being harassed and ridiculed by the green-skinned merchants, he led a massive army to shatter all doubts and anxieties. He appeared like a god, offering her a bouquet of flowers and introducing her to so many important figures... a confidante, a friend in adversity, not some dear friend.

And so, the world became different.

Leona held the vibrant bouquet, chatting and greeting each warm and polite person, remembering their names. Her heart was pounding, yet she felt incredibly at ease, because that person was standing right beside her... Without thinking, she quietly took their arm, her body casually leaning closer.

This behavior is perfectly normal, it doesn't mean anything by it, it's just that we're dear friends...

As she thought this, she wrapped her arms around Kang De's, a blush spreading across her delicate face.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck..."

In the distance, Dong Tianming, who had quietly arrived on a cloud, was angrily gnawing on a lemon.

He watched this scene and felt a pang of ache from the top of his head to the soles of his feet.

Upon hearing the news of Leona's arrival, Kang De ordered the assembly of troops and the summons of officials who had not yet left to welcome the empire's Little Dwarf, attempting to appease the foul-mouthed white-haired woman with a grand display of pomp and ceremony. However, considering Dong Tianming's special status, Kang De did not invite the Imperial Tutor to come along.

But Old Dong still came secretly, and seeing what was happening, tears welled up in his eyes.

"Wasn't there supposed to be a great defense for the Divine Land? Wasn't he supposed to be a virgin? Does he have a preference for petite girls?"

Dong Tianming squatted on the cloud, his resentment and frustration rising and falling. Why was he, a renowned prime minister, forced to travel three times to serve the emperor, and even after his service, he was subjected to suspicion and warnings...

Damn it, why...?

He was indignant but helpless. Kang De was so fond of women and disrespectful to his virtuous ministers that he should have remonstrated decisively. However, the problem was that Kang De had only slighted him, one of his virtuous ministers. If he were to give him a direct remonstrance, it would make him seem too concerned with fame and fortune, which would damage his image as a detached and aloof sage.

Furthermore, it was I who went to serve them myself...

Upon thinking of this, he clutched his chest.

Last night I was so stunned by the mushroom cloud that I lost my mind...

While everyone was chatting with Kang De and Leona, Goldtooth Biglad— had already taken advantage of the chaos to scramble out of the terrifying area... After getting up, he turned and ran away.

Run, run, run, run!

I was terrified! I was terrified!

Goldtooth didn't even have the courage to turn back. He was afraid of kneeling before that terrifying little shrimp again. The fear and instinct surging within him tried to overpower his soul and control his body. As he ran, Goldtooth pounded his head, shouting, "I'm a greenskin from the Bad Moon Clan! I'm the richest big guy! I can't kneel before little shrimps! I can only kneel before glittering gold coins! I can only kneel before money!"

The moment he heard the roar of engines and saw the roar of chariots, a certain instinct in the Greenskin Merchant's blood was rekindled. At that moment, he unconditionally believed that Kang De was the Big Mek, that the Big Mek had turned the Greenskins into what they were meant to be—but he still chose to run away.

Because...

"I! Don't! Like! It!"

I can't let others do my bidding for free! Not even the Big Mek!

As Goldtooth ran, he pondered his next move—right, I still have five hundred big war pigs and fifteen hundred green-skinned lads! I'm going to sell them for a good price! I'm going to let the Big Mek know I'm useful! No, no, no, no, I'm not going to work for him for free! I'm going to make money off him!

He sprinted towards the latter half of the caravan, the green-skinned group.

But soon, he stopped, a look of despair on his face.

A mighty force of over two thousand green-skinned men: five hundred burly men wielding machetes, wearing iron armor, and riding war boars, and fifteen hundred young men with small machetes and bows and arrows. These two thousand green-skinned men were the most elite, the most capable, the most powerful, and the fiercest mercenaries, capable of fetching a high price in any country on the continent.

They were surrounded by at most two or three hundred green-skinned soldiers.

Heavy motorcycles roared and spewed black smoke, while hundreds of brightly colored green motorcycles circled around the more than two thousand green-skinned men.

The burly men on motorcycles from the Greenskin Musket Corps brandished pliers and rifles, yelling and making all sorts of provocative gestures and movements at the slow, clumsy, and pathetic country bumpkins.

The modified parts that the motorcycle had pieced together themselves kept releasing black smoke, Flame, and sparks. Every thrilling and explosive motorcycle stunt made these fellow villagers roar with wild astonishment.

Off-road vehicles, monster trucks, and other assault vehicles were parked all around, with the green-skinned soldiers on board spraying incendiary cannons and rockets into the air, showing off to the poor green-skinned soldiers who had come from afar.

A heavy truck roared in, stopping near the convoy with a daring fishtail. Kan Fantian tossed aside his Kan Fantian the massive machete his underling handed him—a weapon made from a 89mm heavy machine gun fitted with a wire sleeve and propeller blades—and opened fire into the sky.

"You little bastards!"

The warlord of the Red Hammer Tribe is now the biggest and most powerful leader of the Greenskin Musket Corps. Ever since he led his henchmen to find the Big Mek, his status as a formidable figure in the Kan Fantian has been completely solidified. He stomped on the roof of the truck, and the underlings inside understood, stepped on the gas, and roared towards the villagers.

Greenskins are belligerent and love to boast. Their entire existence revolves around looting and plundering. When too many orcs gather together without a target, they will descend into a hysterical brawl. Greenskins have many reasons to fight: they'll fight if they don't like someone, they'll fight if they can't relieve themselves, and they'll fight even more if there's something good in it.

The foreign gunners drove past a large number of war machines, sparks flying and lightning flashing. These powerful, black-smoke-belching behemoths should have been enough to ignite a bloody war among the greenskins over their capture. But that wasn't the case at all. Five hundred giant boars and fifteen hundred orc lads faced Greenskin Musket Corps, a nearly seven-to-one numerical advantage, yet they didn't even start fighting.

The orcs who had come from afar were filled with envy and fear, dread and excitement, and even showed a sense of helplessness and embarrassment. Some of the big orcs even shamefully hid their beloved machetes behind their backs, because compared to the weapons in the hands of these big men, their own machetes were simply not up to par.

They stared blankly at the wealthy villager who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, completely bewildered, and even forgot what waaaaaagh was.

The green-skinned men looked up at Kan Fantian, who was standing on a large truck.

Wow, this big green guy is pretty cool. His entire body is equipped with gear that has been modified and evolved several times. His plate armor, made of exhaust pipes, steel bars and solar water heater panels, is a clattering mess, leading the green skin trend. He even carries a small, rumbling generator on his back and has four speakers hanging around his neck.

"I'm the one who's Kan Fantian! The toughest green-skinned guy under the Big Mek! The leader of the first class of the Foreign Gun Team! We're here to take care of you! We, the first class of the Foreign Gun Team, are your boss! If you have any complaints, we'll beat you up with our powerful pliers and iron fists! We'll beat you until you submit!"

"From this moment on, you are the lackeys of the Big Mek's underlings! Our Foreign Gun Team, Phase One and Phase Two, will supervise you! We'll make sure you obey!" (The Kan Fantian separate, unrelated excerpt.)

"The most powerful and fierce greenskins can join the foreign gun squad! They can drive the fast cars and big trucks that we don't drive! They can scavenge the junk we don't want! The disobedient and weak greenskins can only shovel manure, carrying big sticks and sharp sticks, and will never see the big bombs of the Big Mek! They'll never catch the hot shit! The good stuff that the Big Mek pours out of the Black Gate will never be yours!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the two thousand-plus arrogant and ferocious greenskins all became excited!

They understood what the big guy was saying!

Big Mek! Big explosion! Big truck!

The cool gadgets these big shots drive and use are the best proof! I want them!

"WAAAAAAGH!"

They roared and waved their arms, even the fiercest and most imposing war pigs acted like weaklings, shouting excitedly, "Kan Fantian! We're with you!"

"Great! Very awesome!"

Kan Fantian shouted, "Now we're telling you, if you want to work under the Big Mek, if you want to drive these waaaaagh cars, use waaaaagh's bang bang, and watch waaaaagh's explosions, you'd better listen to us!"

"From now on, no more pooping anywhere! You must flush and wash yourself clean every day! No fighting outside the fighting area! No more..."

His voice was amplified by the loudspeaker, leaving the green-skinned men looking at each other in bewilderment.

"Don't worry if you can't remember! Our leaders from Phase One and Phase Two will teach you a lesson with their fists!"

"Those who don't obey will not be tolerated by the Big Mek! Those who are not tolerated by the Big Mek will never be allowed into the Foreign Gun Team! They will never be as arrogant as us!" Kan Fantian roared.

After he finished speaking, he brandished his large machete and fired shots into the sky. "Waaaagh!"

The greens, still pondering why they couldn't defecate anywhere or fight freely, hadn't recovered from this complex dilemma. They stared blankly at the Kan Fantian, motionless.

The next moment, several trucks clattered open their backs, and terrifying screams and thick smoke billowed out. Green rockets and cannons fired incessantly, exploding wildly across the plains and in the sky, sending shockwaves flying and flames spreading. Anti-aircraft machine guns and flamethrowers trailed trails of flames across the sky.

Amidst this overwhelming roar of green-skinned warriors, Kan Fantian scream, amplified by hundreds of speakers and loudspeakers, echoed in all directions, "I'll make you waaaaagh!"

The massive explosion shook the orcs to their core. Over two thousand orcs awoke as if from a dream, raising their hands in a mixture of excitement and terror, roaring in unison, "Waaaaagh!"

The commotion they were making drew the attention of Vidal's caravan, and the caravan's guards were terrified. However, the troops from the Distant Harbor remained calm; they had already seen something far more impressive.

Leona asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"

Kang De laughed, "Kan Fantian is kindly instructing those greens... to follow the rules."

Initially, only a few dozen Greenskins, including the one Kan Fantian, joined Kang De. Later, they followed Hong San from Valentan all the way to Danfeng Lucerne and then to Distant Harbor. Along the way, they plundered many new Greenskins from places like gladiatorial arenas and mercenary camps. These were the second generation of the Foreign Gun Corps. Although they had an inexplicable fanatical loyalty to Kang De, they were naturally irritable and liked to fight, defecate anywhere, and boast.

The latter was tolerable, but the former two were intolerable. In order to settle and correct the bad habits of these greenskins, Kang De came up with some methods, which were very effective and could serve as behavioral guidelines for educating the greenskins who would join later.

Leona rolled her eyes at his words: "Ugh, these greens are a real headache, they're always causing trouble."

"Once it's with me, there won't be any problems," Kang De said with a smile. "Thank you for your hard work."

The silver-haired girl's lips curled into a smile, which she quickly suppressed, a chill running down her spine.

Etc!

How could I be chatting and laughing with him so casually? Leona, oh Leona, I can't be fooled! Don't forget that letter! Don't forget all the resentment I've felt lately! This must all be Kang De faking it! His acting! I can't let him get away with this! I need to be cold! I need to make him apologize! I need to make him keep trying to appease me! I can't let him get away with this, I can't let him get away with this, I have to be furious!

The silver-haired girl was torn between her inner turmoil and her own thoughts. She thought of her "dear friend," of the extreme anger she felt that day, and of the resentment she had been harboring these past few days. Her anger reignited, and she looked at Kang De.

That black hair, that silly smile...

--Ughhhhhh, why can't I control my face?! What the hell am I laughing at?! Stare at him! Stare at him! Make him realize his mistake! Stop laughing! Ughhhhh!

In the end, the silver-haired girl couldn't control herself. She struggled, sighed, and finally shook her head helplessly, her smile blooming perfectly without any hindrance.

"Asshole..."

She laughed as she muttered under her breath, "Don't think you can just let this go."

--Phew, looks like I passed.

Kang De was still smiling, but he felt a sense of relief.

Damn, that's me for you, I nailed it.

"Alright, I'm available anytime," he smiled. "Anyway, Leona, long time no see, and... thank you for coming to help me."

The girl turned her head to the side and snorted, "The Dragon of Cathay is so powerful, it wiped out the Broken Isles just like that. Our Vidal Chamber of Commerce is scared to death. My dad and brother begged me to come here, and I also wanted to see if I could use your connections, His Highness Kang De, to make some money for our family."

Kang De laughed and said, "Alright, alright, whatever you like."

Ha, still the same arrogant person she always was.

He relaxed more and more, and, wanting to calm the Little Dwarf's anger, he recalled the tropes he had seen on TV and in novels. He looked at Leona, dressed like a socialite, in a pink and white-trimmed puffy long dress, a white top hat, and her slender hands wrapped in lace gloves, looking both cute and elegant.

Kang De complimented, "You look beautiful."

"... Hmph, disgusting." Leona glanced at him sideways, then turned her head away. "It's not like I dressed you up."

"I know," Kang De said, "You're always this beautiful."

"Ughhhhh, that's so cheesy!" Leona waved her hand in disgust. "Why are you saying these things? It's awful, disgusting. What's wrong with you today?"

From an angle unseen by Kang De, the girl was desperately controlling her expression, concealing her uncontrollable smile with a feigned look of disdain.

Damn, it actually works!

Why is it so easy?

Kang De immediately saw through Leona's true feelings; after all, tsundere is actually quite easy to understand. What surprised him was how easily he had used sweet talk—how could it be so easy?

Could it be that I'm actually the type of person in novels who "doesn't know how strong they really are"?

As he was deep in thought, he suddenly heard Leona say, "What do you want me to do this time? Are you the manager of your private trading company? What are your goals? How much capital do you have? And these greenskins, what do you plan to do with them?"

Even Kang De knew that now was not the time to get down to business— Leona was clearly full of resentment from that reply to "dear friend," so he had to greet her with such grand sincerity and pomp, and talk to her about feelings, so that she wouldn't feel like she was just a tool.

He said, "Why talk about this now? Let's rest and have some fun in Distant Harbor for a couple of days..."

Leona insisted, "Let's talk about this first. I'm here to do something, and there's also the matter of the Greenskins."

--If we don't get down to business soon, I'm afraid I won't be able to hold back, hmph.

Seeing her insistence, Kang De thought for a moment and said, "Then let's set off now and talk in the car."

Leona hesitated, looked at Kang De in silence for a moment, and then slowly nodded.

So, it was time to call it a day.

Kang De gave the order to return to the Distant Harbor, instructing his men to coordinate with the caravan for an escort. He also thanked the Elf Expeditionary Force and the Goth Cavalry who had escorted them all the way. Once the caravan was slowly setting off, he jumped into Leona's carriage and sat inside, facing the beautiful girl with her silver hair.

He suddenly burst out laughing.

Leona instinctively looked around. "What are you laughing at?"

"I rode in your car in Valentan too," Kang De said, "It feels like ages ago."

Upon hearing this, Leona's eyes softened, and she slowly lowered her head, softly saying, "Mm."

Yes, it seems like it was a long time ago.

--Ah, it really works.

The carriage swayed, and Leona's long silver hair swayed across the way, attracting Kang De's gaze. He wanted to touch that white hair after so long, but this proud woman might get angry, so he had to take it slow.

--Kang De thought to himself, filled with the self-satisfaction of a master of romance. This time, he didn't rely on the love advice given by his Iron Son, nor did he ask Hong San for help. He easily resolved Bai Mao's resentment with his own strength, handling the matter with ease. He truly lived up to his reputation.

He looked at Leona, feeling increasingly smug.

Meanwhile, about ten miles north of the convoy, a small cavalry unit was escorting a carriage towards the Distant Harbor. A gentle voice came from inside the carriage. "Stop."

The coachman slowly brought the carriage to a stop, the windows opened, and the knights respectfully stepped aside.

Her golden hair, as radiant as the sun, shone brightly; her stunningly beautiful face was fair and serene; her eyes, as blue as the sky, gazed southward. "Auntie, listen."

Hilmeria's voice rang out from inside the carriage. "It definitely sounded like an explosion..."

"It must be Kang De's alchemical weapon. Only his alchemical weapons could produce such a dense series of explosions..." Princess Tina turned and smiled, "Shall we go take a look?"

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PS1: It's a little early today... Time for bed.