Something on His Mind

Sound of the Tide Manor.

As dusk settled and the night grew quiet, Kang De stretched and glanced out the window at the Distant Harbor at night.

He hadn't seen this exotic harbor for over ten days, but time in this other world only lasts two or three days. This misaligned flow of time, even after experiencing it a hundred or eighty times, still made him feel as if he were in another world.

I'm back.

Another world.

He went to the window and looked down at the city lights in the distance, bustling and vibrant. Even with just a cursory glance, he knew that this ancient city was being revitalized.

Kang De's eyes flickered, and he sighed slowly.

The door was slowly pushed open, and the ringing of the ring revealed the identity of the visitor. Kang De turned around. The room was dark, with only moonlight streaming in through the window, outlining the hazy and graceful figure of the beauty under the moonlight.

Her radiant blonde hair reflected the cool moonlight as the young woman arrived gracefully, her demeanor beautiful and elegant. The undisguised love in her eyes blossomed for only one person, and her gentle smile was enough to melt even the coldest ice.

"You're back."

"Um."

A smile appeared on Kang De's face.

A fragrant breeze caressed my face, and her beautiful features magnified before my eyes.

His lips felt a cool touch, and his soft, full breasts pressed against her. He instinctively held Tina's waist, the smooth fabric of her long dress conveying the heat of her body. Slightly lower down, there was her stunningly curvaceous peach; with a gentle touch, he could feel its rolling elasticity.

The two awkwardly pressed their lips together, instinctively swirling their tongues, gradually getting into the mood from their initial awkwardness, experiencing this unique expression of emotion. Kang De's movements went from hesitant to proactive, and then to forceful demands and releases, while Tina gently endured, the occasional moans leaking from her throat and delicate nose extremely alluring.

With seductive eyes, she changed her strategy, abandoning the initiative and passively enduring Kang De's onslaught.

Feeling her lover roughly stirring and drawing in, feeling his hard teeth gently biting her soft lips, feeling his tongue licking her chin and tracing her neck, feeling hot kisses sliding down her cheeks and neck, feeling him roughly untie her shoulder straps, pull open her dress, and plunge into that deep cleavage, rubbing and biting like a greedy child.

Before meeting Kang De, she always felt that her breasts were growing too much, affecting her life and causing a lot of trouble and problems. But after meeting Kang De, she realized that it was a gift from the gods, something beautiful and beneficial, because he clearly liked it very much.

Just like the hardships and challenges she experienced after the outbreak of war, which still evoke heartache and sighs now, they were the necessary path to happiness... All of this ultimately led her to meet Kang De.

The fiery sensation made her instinctively cover her mouth. Waves of electric-like stimulation spread throughout her body. Tina's other hand tightly encircled Kang De's head. Her eyes were brimming with tears and longing. She looked down at Kang De, who was constantly licking and kissing her, her heart overflowing with tenderness, love, and even maternal instinct. She even forgot where she was and wished that Kang De would devour her whole.

--Bang.

Just then, a loud bang echoed throughout the entire Sound of the Tide Manor, as if someone had punched a wall with a heavy blow, shaking the entire manor and revealing a sense of impatience that "that's enough."

Tina was startled, then finally realized what was happening. She bit her lip and gently patted Kang De's head. "Wait, everyone's waiting for you to have dinner!"

Kang De mumbled, his voice indistinct, "Eating, eating..."

Tina was both annoyed and amused, and said haltingly, "Let go quickly, or they'll come up!"

Fortunately, Kang De still had some sense of reason. Under Tina's repeated urging and pleading, he finally reluctantly let go of her mouth, pulled his head out, glanced at that beautiful, round, infinitely wonderful, and supremely beautiful thing, and couldn't help but rub it a few times and lick it a few times.

The princess almost lost her balance, pushing Kang De's head away. She couldn't help but pinch his silly, grinning face again before blushing as she pulled up her shoulder straps and straightened her clothes. Seeing Kang De looking at her expectantly like a hungry child, she couldn't help but laugh again.

She found Kang De particularly endearing now.

"Honestly," Tina whispered, "We need to hurry up and decide on the address for the Ministry of Unity's headquarters building."

Kang De was greatly encouraged and exclaimed repeatedly, "We've got a lead! We've got a lead!"

Tina gave a soft snort, took two steps, revealed a strange expression, and then glared at Kang De with a flushed face.

Then something occurred to her. She reached out and turned on the magic crystal lamp in the room, looked at herself in the full-length mirror, and exclaimed, "Ah... this won't do!"

The reflection in the mirror showed her long dress slightly disheveled, with some wrinkles at the chest and below the waist. More importantly, her neck and chest were dripping with saliva, and her face was flushed—it was all too obvious.

Her Highness immediately gestured, her slender hands coated with a layer of ice and snow. She rubbed her hands on her chest, neck, and face, and the redness faded away, leaving no trace.

Kang De exclaimed, "Wonderful!"

"And what else!" Tina glared at him. "You need to get yourself ready too, so you don't let them smell it or recognize you!"

She jogged to the bathroom, and Kang De followed. The princess looked slightly flustered at the numerous cosmetics and toiletries in front of the mirror, thought for a moment, then turned to Kang De and said, "First, we need to..."

Next, Tina was astonished to find that Kang De had already applied face wash to his face, squeezed toothpaste onto his toothbrush, sprayed some breath freshener into his mouth, carefully picked at his nails with a toothpick, sprayed some perfume on his body, and finally evenly applied hand soap to the front and back of his hands, between his fingers and forearms, and turned on the faucet with the water tank to start rinsing.

Hearing the princess's voice, he turned around and asked, "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing."

The princess's tone was somewhat complicated. She vaguely felt that something was wrong, but the situation was urgent and she had no time to think about it. She also quickly washed up like Kang De and then used magic to evaporate the water.

Done.

Tina breathed a sigh of relief, pulled Kang De around to look him over, and finding no flaws, nodded. Then she twirled in front of Kang De, her skirt blooming like a flower. "Help me check if there's anything...?"

Then she felt warm, broad arms embrace her. "... Thank you."

Tina paused for a moment, then nuzzled his cheek and whispered, "I read in history books and legends that great heroes and saints have a special quality: they see more and farther than ordinary people, so they have compassion and kindness in their hearts, and regard many things as their own duty... Kang De, I don't want you to be so tired."

Kang De paused for a moment, then said, "I meant, thank you for your hospitality."

"..."

For a moment, even Tina, who was deeply in love with Kang De and completely devoted to him, felt an itch in her teeth, wishing she could bite him a few times. But her embarrassment and annoyance only lasted for a moment, and she chuckled.

That's fine too.

"Let's go, everyone's getting impatient."

"Um."

He spent nearly twenty days on Earth, but given the time difference, the other world was only two or three days in reality. However, during these nearly three weeks, Kang De didn't spend all his time on Earth. He would return to the Distant Harbor at night to check if anything was amiss.

Tonight, at the appointed time, he arrived as scheduled to have dinner and relax with everyone who had gathered in Distant Harbor because of him. Under the bright lights, the Chinese table was filled with all kinds of delicacies, all ordered from the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, representing almost the highest level of Chinese cuisine on Earth.

Dinner was a quiet and leisurely time.

Aside from Kang De, there were only two other participants, a Long Yi gorilla. He specifically asked A Fu, and the ship girl said that she had an appointment with the admiral of the Council and would not be participating, asking Kang De to go later.

As usual, the Parrot did not participate. She always kept her distance from everyone. Even when she took on the role of head of the Truth Office, she wore a golden mask. She only revealed her true form in front of Kang De and Dairila.

Having fewer people is actually a good thing. Even though the four in front of him actually formed two small groups, Kang De knew this but didn't point it out. He was joking, after all, this wasn't a place for grown men to speak.

But regardless, I still enjoyed the meal very much.

He held A Xing's hand and inquired about Leona's work, asking her what troubles she encountered in running the West Goth Company, whether she was tired, and what she needed. He asked the same question about Tina's Ministry of Unity.

The Dragon Girl would roll her eyes and complain to him about what kind of trouble those bastards on Dragon Island had gotten into. She had now become the liaison between the Dragon Defense and Kang De, and besides writing and drawing every day, she spent her time finding all sorts of ways to annoy the Dragon Island side—she had suffered a lot of ostracism there since she was a child, and now she had a chance to finally get her revenge.

Have you been feeling bored lately?

He finally asked A Xing a question.

After the battle to seize the Broken Isles, A Xing returned to the Sound of the Tide Manor. Although he tried to spend time with her whenever he could, he was sometimes unable to get away and didn't want to keep A Xing by his side all the time, so he was afraid she would be lonely.

"It's alright," A Xing said. "I eat every day, watch the videos you gave me, and when I get bored, I go and fight with her. The only thing I miss is when I can't see you."

Kang De held her hand, feeling somewhat apologetic. Whether it was Tina, Leona, or Lily and the Parrot, they all had things to do. They were either Goth's princesses, noble ladies from prestigious families, noble silver dragons, or the ancient emperors of the elves. Each of them had countless connections to this world.

A Xing is the only one who is a blank slate; her only connection to this Mortal World is probably Kang De.

Is there anything you'd like to do?

"What do you want to do?" A Xing thought for a moment, "If I want to eat, Kang De will give me something; if I want to see something, Kang De will give me something; if I want to fight, I'll just find someone to fight..."

Lily raised her eyebrows and said, "Hey!"

Ignoring the Dragon Girl's angry glare, A Xing looked at Kang De, her lips still greasy, and smiled adorably silly, "There's nothing else I want to do, I just want to be with you."

Kang De wiped her mouth, smiled, and said, "Yes, I understand."

Due to some unclear mechanism and outcome, A Xing can disregard the annihilation laws of the White Mist World. This time, the London operation was rushed and the situation changed quickly, and the enemy wasn't too powerful, so A Xing wasn't called along... Next time we cause trouble, we can take her with us; she'll be very happy, right?

He placed a meatball on A Xing's plate and said, "Once we finish this current matter and the development of Distant Harbor is on track, we won't need to run around anymore, and everyone can take a break."

Tina smiled gently, "Then you can spend more time with us?"

Kang De chuckled softly, "Hmm."

Leona poked at a piece of Mapo Tofu with her chopsticks and muttered, "Who cares?"

The princess didn't point it out; she winked at Kang De and smiled sweetly.

It's better if you don't care; you won't even get to drink the soup, you idiot.

After a satisfying meal, everyone chatted for a while.

Kang De glanced at Tina's chest. Although he wanted to continue the conversation, the two small groups in front of him were mutually restraining and hindering each other. The clever girls, whether naive or shrewd, were all aware of what had happened when Tina went upstairs alone and the two of them were alone for a while. Based on their naive intuition, obvious jealousy, and mischievous mood, they reached a consensus and sat around Tina and Kang De, clearly intending to prevent something from continuing.

Tina found Kang De's anxious expression amusing. Although she also missed the passionate feeling from before, she was helpless, and besides...

She smiled and said, "Isn't business more important? Shouldn't Kang De go and Arcane Council and the Broken Isles? Oh, and I also need to discuss this with Mr. Hong San?"

Kang De was reluctant, but he still got up dejectedly. "Alright... I'll go take a look first."

"Um."

Everyone greeted each other and watched Kang De's figure disappear through the Phase Gate. The joyful atmosphere froze instantly, and every beautiful face showed a thoughtful expression.

Leona frowned and asked, "What's wrong with him? Is something on his mind again?"

Tina sighed silently, a bitter feeling welling up inside her. Even now, despite their shared journey, their deep connection, and their increasingly intimate relationship, she still couldn't fully embrace and share everything about Kang De.

Kang De... The whole world envies me, envies that I have received your love and protection, envies that I share your power, fame, and glory.

But I envy another person who can share my sorrows, troubles, and burdens.

"Quickly! Show it to me! Let me see what good stuff you stole from the pirates of Ansar!"

At the temporary research institute of the Truth Office, the Parrot's cacophony nearly lifted the roof off. Upon hearing that Kang De had pulled off a major heist in Britain, she was even more ecstatic than the Han chauvinists.

Even though the hegemonic path of the Dusk Moon Dynasty was very similar to that of the British Empire at its peak, both being maritime Civilization that used force and trade to mutually reinforce their power, Parrot's understanding of Britain was entirely based on Kang De's narrative. A China person with strong nationalist sentiments speaking about the United Kingdom, while making some fair and positive assessments, generally still dismissed it as a bunch of damned pirate descendants.

After all, they were bastards to begin with.

Clearly, because of Kang De, the previous Phoenix King was also very hostile to the Onsa people, and when he heard that Kang De was making a fortune in Britain, he felt extremely sympathetic and excited.

Kang De straightened his collar with composure, took out a printed summary of transferred assets from the Phase Gate, and said calmly, "Not bad, still a long way from being the world's richest person."

The Parrot snatched the book, skimmed through it, and after a few pages, frowned.

"What kind of bullshit is this? What good are private schools and private banks to Dior? Universities are useless too. You can't just send your underlings here to study. Even if they graduate from Earth, they won't listen to you. If you really need talent, just throw money at them and treat them like dogs. Why bother training them yourself? They're not your core group. If you really train them yourself, it would take at least ten or eight years to get a doctorate. By then, Star Palace would have been established long ago."

The Parrot muttered to itself, flipping through the documents with a rustling sound, its face full of disdain.

"What kind of trash are these so-called upper-class tycoons? Doesn't anyone want to buy Rockstar North stock? Those bastards set up a branch in the United Kingdom to run GTA, spending their days swindling subsidies from the United Kingdom. They're so unambitious!"

She grumbled and cursed; this was indeed the pain of the previous Phoenix King.

As a hardcore gamer who is extremely interested in modern products brought by Kang De and obsessed with video games, GTA5 is one of her favorite games. Not only is the gameplay great, but the content is also fantastic. The game creates a crime city under modern Civilization, allowing players to run rampant and do whatever they want. For Parrot, this is the best design and content.

Because not only can she have fun, but through this game, she can also gain a more direct understanding and experience of modern Civilization on Earth, something that movies and books cannot provide.

However, due to the lack of internet access, Parrot could only play the single-player portion and had no chance to experience the more rampant, outrageous, and exciting online portion, which she considered a great regret in her life. Kang De told her that because GTA5 always sold so well and the online mode was extremely profitable, Rockstar had become complacent and there was no news of GTA6 for a long time, which made Parrot even more resentful.

"You tell the United Kingdom to trade these junk industries for Rockstar, and better yet, buy the headquarters too, and use Gatling guns to make the sixth game! You son of a bitch!"

"Okay, okay, I'll talk to you about it next time, I'll talk to you about it next time."

Hearing Kang De's dismissive response, the Parrot grew even more dissatisfied. She said, "United Kingdom really that weak? How come they rely entirely on the tertiary sector? What about industry? I remember their industry had some merits!"

Kang De shrugged and said, "We have shares in BAE Systems, which can build aircraft carriers and F-35s, Rolls-Royce, whose aero-engine technology is unparalleled globally, but the United Kingdom are adamant about not selling."

The Parrot retorted angrily, "Don't you understand free trade? If they won't sell, then rob them, cheat them, and mess with them!"

Kang De waved his hand and said, "Isn't this exactly what we're going to do? I came to discuss it with you."

The Parrot's anger turned to joy. "How exactly? Tell me."

"It's like this..." Kang De explained briefly, but in short, it was about changing the original plan, using fabricated extraordinary relics to lure the United Kingdom in, and even tricking the United States into joining in.

"Star Wars Program, brilliant!"

The Parrot exclaimed, "I love defeating them using those Western devils' methods! When we unearth some antiques, I'll have to give them a makeover..."

She flipped through the list of properties for sale. "Although many of them are worthless, you've still made a big splash. How did you manage to acquire so many? The United Kingdom actually chickened out. What leverage did you have over them?"

Kang De paused for a moment, then smiled, "It's just catching a group of people doing things against humanity. To be frank, it's not worth mentioning. From that perspective..."

"--etc."

The Parrot stared at Kang De for a few moments, then asked, "What did you see in Britain? Why are you so unhappy?"

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PS1: Didn't sleep well, overslept... it's a real headache. Now that the weather's cold, sleeping is a real hassle. I'm used to sleeping with the air conditioning on, but if I keep it on, I'll get a runny nose or even catch a cold in the morning. So I turned on the heater, and just like last night, I woke up many times with a dry mouth and throat. So frustrating.