A Monk from Another World Comes to Chant the Sutras

"My father said that meeting Miss Nixiyasi under these circumstances would surely embarrass her."

In the stillness of the night, moonlight spilled onto the bridge, casting a hazy shadow of A Fu's figure in the silvery reflection of the ship's hull. With her hands behind her back, she smiled sweetly, "So, he avoided it, huh?"

Nixiyasi, filled with mixed feelings and a certain realization, was stunned.

She made the request for a meeting in a daze, and boarded the Knight Astolfo in a daze. She didn't know the purpose or outcome of this trip, nor what to do after meeting Kang De. She was unsure of what would happen tonight, and she didn't know what decision she would make. But in the female admiral's plan, this was a completely unexpected development— Kang De deliberately avoided meeting her.

The reason was unbelievably gentlemanly.

--To avoid embarrassing you.

In that instant, she thought of the Council's flawed and dubious hard orders, her father's aggressiveness, the special envoy's ugly face, and the fleet officers' own petty thoughts.

They raised different banners: the Council entrusted them with a mission, the father advocated for rewards, the special envoy proclaimed honor, and the officers and soldiers shouted loyalty. But behind these pretenses lay greed and lies, the pursuit of power and wealth, and everyone was like that.

Everyone was like an insatiable wolf, scheming against her, exploiting her, and coercing her. Even her own flesh and blood treated her this way, and her comrades-in-arms were probably the same. They all wanted her to sacrifice and give in exchange for their own benefits and interests. No one cared what she thought...

But Kang De said, "I don't want to embarrass you."

Breaking down a person's psychological defenses may only take a single sentence.

In that instant, the Flower of the Navy, known for her tough style and fierce fighting, recalled a long-lost feeling... called crying. She thought she had long forgotten the taste of tears.

But this feeling lasted only a moment before the proud naval admiral regained control of her emotions. She would not allow her weakness to be exposed to anyone, no one at all.

But Kang De wasn't there... so what was she doing here?

The thought had barely formed in his mind when A Fu said, "Father asked me to tell you that we will treat the captured members of the Azure Fleet with courtesy. They will be placed in a POW camp on the central island, and apart from restrictions on their personal freedom, they will not suffer any corporal punishment, abuse, or forced labor."

At this point, she smiled apologetically, "But it's impossible to let them go back. At least not until this incident is over. Father wants to make sure they won't become pawns of the Council again and continue to cause us trouble. We can't kill them, so we have to keep them locked up for now."

Even with her thick skin, Nixiyasi couldn't bring herself to say something like, "Please let me take them back." She whispered, "It's already very kind of you. Thank you. Thank you for showing mercy."

A Fu smiled and said, "Don't be so polite. You've helped us a lot. Nobody wanted this to happen. My father was also very sorry, saying that the Council selfishly and recklessly used these innocent soldiers."

The admiral was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

A Fu, realizing his slip of the tongue, stuck out his tongue. "I almost let it slip."

Nixiyasi was even more concerned upon hearing this. "What are you saying?"

"Please don't ask anymore," A Fu waved his hand. "Although Father and you are good friends, and emotionally he doesn't want to be enemies with the Azure Fleet, we each have our own stances. We are currently in a hostile situation. Even if Father feels sympathy for the Azure Fleet, he cannot tell the truth... After all, we have different positions."

She thought for a moment, then said seriously, "The only thing I can remind you is to control your emotions, restrain your subordinates, and absolutely not resort to force—although we maintain a friendly and restrained attitude, if the Azure Fleet launches a substantial attack, we will certainly respond."

Nixiyasi felt a chill run down her spine; an inexplicable unease lingered in her heart. She seemed to realize something, to have guessed something, but she wasn't sure...

A Fu changed the subject. "Would you like to go to the island and see the camp we built for the prisoners?"

Nixiyasi sighed, "No need... I trust Prince Kang De."

"Of course!" A Fu clasped his hands together and tilted his head, saying, "Father is a very kind person."

This title finally caught Nixiyasi's attention. The blue-haired admiral looked at the girl in front of her. Even as the Flower of the Navy the Council, she couldn't help but admire A Fu's appearance and temperament. Most importantly, she sensed a familiar feeling in her.

This is a knight who gallops across the sea.

Just like her.

Nixiyasi sized up A Fu's imposing, sword-like figure, his slightly petite but certainly not young build, and his playful, adorable face. She hesitated before asking, "Your name is Kang De... Father?"

She doesn't look like Kang De at all, and Kang De wouldn't have had a daughter this old.

--Is this some kind of weird way to play?

A Fu nodded and said, "Yes! I am Astolfo!"

She pointed to the deck beneath her feet. "This is me too. I am an alchemical creation, the mental model of this warship. My father illuminated my spirituality from chaotic consciousness, and that's how I created A Fu!"

As the ship girl spoke, she opened her arms, spun around in place, her sword-armored skirt swaying gently, her boots touching the ground, her long legs and petite figure clad in armor, exuding boundless power.

"Ah..." Nixiyasi sighed sincerely, "It is said that His Highness Kang De's alchemical skills are unparalleled in the world, and it is indeed true. Even the Council does not possess such great power."

A Fu laughed even harder, "Of course! Daddy's the best!"

Her pure admiration and respect were like a young child's unconditional worship of their father, innocent and endearing, seeing him as the sky and the mountains. That pure emotion brought a knowing smile to Nixiyasi's face, but then, the admiral thought of her own father...

Strict and ruthless, she had high hopes for her since childhood, hoping she would achieve success on the path of arcane magic, stand out from the crowd, and repay her family. Nixiyasi grew up in such an environment, and in accordance with all her parents' expectations, she studied, pursued further education, became stronger, joined the Council, enlisted in the navy, and gradually accumulated military merits, eventually becoming the commander of the Azure Fleet.

But her father never asked her what she wanted to become.

The girl in front of me is probably the same.

Dressed in full military uniform, he is the embodiment of a warship, taking over the defense of this sea area in place of his father...

With this in mind, Nixiyasi's goodwill and gratitude towards Kang De diminished considerably.

Perhaps it was a shared fate, or perhaps it was the surge of emotion within her, but almost inexplicably, Nixiyasi whispered, "Are you happy now? Although you have life and consciousness, since birth you have fought for your father's interests as a soldier and a warship..."

A Fu asked doubtfully, "Of course I'm happy! I'm happy every day!"

Nixiyasi smiled wryly, "Don't you have anything you really want to do? Fighting as a soldier is the mission Kang De gave you, the thing he made you do. Does he even know what you really want to do?"

"I know."

"What do you think you are...?!"

Nixiyasi was struck dumb, staring wide-eyed as she asked, "What did you say?"

My father asked for my opinion.

A smile appeared on A Fu's face. Although he was born not long ago, he already had many interesting memories.

"My birth was an accident. That day, this warship was a sacrificial pawn sent to approach space and pursue the enemy. It was almost reduced to ashes in outer space, but at that moment, I gained life and was saved by my father in that instant... Do you know what happened next?"

At that moment, A Fu's innocent and carefree smile vanished, replaced by a calm and gentle demeanor. She smiled softly and said, "My father solemnly apologized to me and asked if I was in a lot of pain."

She chuckled softly, "Then, my father had a formal talk with me. He said that since I gained independent perception and consciousness, it meant I was no longer a weapon or an object, but a free soul. He needed help, but not in the form of enslavement or coercion. He asked me what I wanted to do, whether I could accept fighting, or if I had any other hobbies or interests..."

Nixiyasi was already stunned.

"I told him that I am the embodiment of a warship, yearning for battle and honor. Before I awakened, I carried many emotions and expectations from the outside world. I wanted to see those people's smiles and happiness. I was created by my father, for which I am grateful and therefore close. I want to stay by my father's side."

A Fu chuckled, "So Father put me in charge of the Navy Department and handed over control of the media system to me, allowing me to roam the seas, deter enemies, listen to the breathing of sleeping babies, and hear people's hopeful and contented whispers about the future. I can monitor the calm of the sea with my eyes and ears, protect the peace of every good person, and stay by Father's side. These days have been fulfilling and happy."

After a long silence, the young admiral's voice trembled slightly.

"Don't you... have any conflicts or anything like that?"

"Well... that's true. I think it's the same for both fathers and daughters. After all, daughters always have a few secrets, and fathers can't possibly know everything about their daughters."

A Fu smiled demurely, "For example, my father still has a cute misunderstanding about me. For example, when my father asked me what I wanted to do, there was something I really wanted to do, but I kept it a secret."

What is that?

A Fu sighed helplessly, "My father still thinks I might be a boy."

"... ah?"

The female admiral's eyes widened—the girl before her had a graceful figure, slender legs, a fair neck, and rounded shoulders. Her beautiful figure, veiled by a snow-white cloak, was like a painting. Her face was exquisite and incomparably beautiful. Admittedly, in terms of figure, she couldn't compare to herself, but she was clearly a cute little girl!

She asked blankly, "Was Kang De face-blind? Why would that be?"

"That's why I kept something I really wanted to do from him," A Fu blinked his right eye, looking adorable. "I wanted to dismantle my old mobile phone into eight pieces and throw it into the toilet as scrap metal."

Commander Nixiyasi of the Azure Fleet visited Astolfo, the naval commander of the Ministry of Peace of the Kang De Shogunate, overnight. However, the core of their conversation was not about prisoners, legendary materials, or military conflicts, but rather about fathers and daughters, family, and many other personal matters. She expressed restraint, envy, sighs, and blessings.

Finally, Nixiyasi took her leave, her figure lonely and even somewhat dejected.

She even made remote calls with some of the captured soldiers, seeing their morale, their food, their treatment, and even what A Fu told her about Kang De's behavior as a father—clumsy, funny, and comical, but always full of love.

With mixed feelings that she herself did not understand, Nixiyasi boarded the ship for her return journey.

"Elder sister."

A Fu gave her a final hug and whispered in her ear.

"If you can't hold out, you can be captured by us," she chuckled. "Many people have been captured by Daddy, it's nothing shameful."

And that's how it was done.

"A Fu, you did a great job! You did a great job!"

After watching the entire surveillance video—of course, the few lines where he brilliantly betrayed his brother were cut— Kang De breathed a sigh of relief, patted A Fu on the head, and praised him highly.

"Hehehe, I got a compliment!"

A Fu grinned and said, "Dad, isn't he very capable? Isn't he better than that useless piece of trash who forgets something as important as the time difference?"

Horus snorted, "You've never seen her, so of course you don't know what it means to be blinded by concern."

A Fu nodded and said, "Yeah, yeah, you went first. Anyway, you went first, and that's all you have to brag about. The truth is, if we switched places, you wouldn't have done any better than me, and I certainly wouldn't have done as badly as you."

"Okay, okay."

Although he had forgotten about the time difference, thankfully nothing went wrong. Kang De stopped the siblings from bickering. "A Fu performed very well this time. I'll need you to continue leading the battle in the Broken Sea. Deal with whatever comes your way... I need to take care of things in the United Kingdom first."

A Fu nodded and said, "Okay, leave it to me!"

Kang De considered the time. "Taking into account the time difference, I'll try to resolve things over there before noon today... Anyway, I'm leaving this to you. Signal me if anything unexpected happens."

"Yes!"

A Fu saluted and asked, "Dad, will I get a reward for doing this well?"

Kang De smiled and asked, "What reward do you have?"

Military merit points and work points are things that neither A Fu nor Horus need. They will find their own amusement, and Kang De will sometimes hold his nose and be betrayed by Horus, just to amuse his Iron Son —yes, it's not Kang De being betrayed, it's fatherly love!

A Fu laughed and shouted, "Dad, I want to go to Earth!"

Kang De paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay."

Horus has been there, so there's no reason not to let A Fu go.

In short, the battle on the Broken Isles has reached a stalemate. The Azure Fleet has suffered a defeat and is looking for a new breakthrough. They are maintaining an eerie silence, and it is unknown what kind of game they are playing. This precious period of silence is just what Kang De needs to do on Earth. He wants to take advantage of this time to resolve An Youyi's matter.

They also sought ways to expand the armament of the Distant Harbor navy and urged the diving equipment to be put into place as soon as possible.

He inspected and deployed military equipment in the Broken Sea, replenished some ammunition and weaponry, Kang De then returned to the Distant Harbor to make another appearance and discuss things with Parrot.

"Hold the sun."

The Parrot said, "It's already 202 AD, and you're still here selling people?"

"Those are the pirates of Ansar," Kang De said. "It's their traditional art."

"So it's just that Wang Xiaoman's fake best friend got kidnapped, why are you coming here to me?"

The Parrot rolled its eyes and said, "Go to the Buckingham Palace and play Russia roulette with the Queen. The United Kingdom will definitely turn London upside down to help you find him. It's that simple. Do I need to teach you?"

Kang De pondered for a moment and said, "Wait, is this the Russia roulette wheel I'm thinking of?"

"... Eat shit!"

"Seriously," Kang De said seriously, "I have a feeling that something is amiss, something suspicious."

"You have PTSD," the Parrot said, waving its hand. "You think many things in the world are logical, but that's not actually the case. Living beings are emotional creatures. You think they must act logically and according to their interests, but most people in the world are just pure idiots [beep--]. Like this matter, all the absurd and suspicious signs you see might just be because they had a brain fart at the time."

Kang De pondered, "But I still feel..."

"... Just tell me why you're here."

"I mean, the worst-case scenario is that the United Kingdom won't be able to catch anyone. What should I do then?"

"The United Kingdom control the state's machinery of violence. If they want to find someone, they certainly won't send cops to search the streets. Instead, they'll arrest all the underworld figures in London and take them to Scotland Yard one by one, then send them back to their next-level henchmen, and so on, until they find Wang Xiaoman's fake sister."

The Parrot stroked its chin. "If we can't get rid of anyone, it means this method isn't working, or the United Kingdom don't want to bother anymore... In any case, we'll have to figure it out ourselves, so..."

She raised an eyebrow. "If the methods of Earthlings don't work, then let's find a monk from another world."

Ten minutes later, Kang De returned to Earth.

At Diaoyutai Guesthouse, Qin Mengjin was still working on the first floor, a cup of coffee beside her. She stared at the screen with a serious expression, even showing signs of dissatisfaction.

Kang De appeared in a flash, snapped his fingers, and asked, "How was it?"

Qin Mengjin felt a fragrant breeze enter her nostrils—the scent of Safeguard shower gel—had Kang De taken a bath? The thought flashed through her mind, and she looked up, saying, "Something's wrong."

Kang De's expression changed slightly. "What?"

"The United Kingdom attitude is very strange."

Qin Mengjin said, "An hour has passed since we issued our protest. Our embassy personnel have arrived at the scene, but the London police arrived earlier. The area has already been cordoned off, and our personnel were refused entry. When they inquired about the situation, the person in charge at the scene gave them the runaround. We requested the British side to share real-time updates on the case through diplomatic channels. They initially agreed readily, but now they are making excuses..."

Kang De said in a deep voice, "For example?"

"For example, the crime scene was in an upscale residential area near Hyde Park, with tight security and a high density of surveillance cameras. We requested the British side to share the details of the surveillance footage, but they refused, claiming that it was still in process..."

Qin Mengjin said, "While it's true that the bureaucratic system is inefficient, this attitude of handling special cases specially is rather strange. When we pressed them for details, their reaction became quite strong, saying that United Kingdom is an independent and sovereign country and does not need foreign guidance or interference, and so on..."

Kang De's expression had turned extremely grim.

There was indeed a problem.

"The situation has gotten worse. We need to prepare for the worst: that our plane to London won't be able to land safely." He took two steps back. "I'll go to Zhuerban to make preparations."

Before Qin Mengjin could speak, his figure disappeared into the unfolding Phase Door.

White Mist World.

"Emergency assembly!"

An alarm sounded over the loudspeaker, and the elite trainees, who had been training in the White Mist World, quickly assembled and saluted Kang De.

"Soldiers, there is a scenario that requires some of your special skills."

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PS1: Ah, updating lately is a bit risky... I tend to slack off during the day, I'll write tomorrow!