The Encirclement

Two more days passed in the blink of an eye.

The international situation is turbulent, and the atmosphere of tension is only increasing. The Kang De Shogunate and the Starry Sky Council are exchanging insults from afar, putting on a show of brawling and preparing for a major confrontation.

On one side are the guides to the path of esoteric magic in the Mortal World, and half of all spellcasters in the world come from their school.

On the other side is a newly emerged war maniac, wielding a Forbidden Spell sword and possessing unparalleled alchemy skills.

Whether the monarchs on the mainland acknowledge it or not, the seemingly isolated and powerless Cathayan, like the Council, have acquired the power to forever change the course of the continent.

He rose from a small town in the south of the empire, quickly climbing to the top. Initially, he stepped over the countless bones of the Elf Expeditionary Force, but now his reputation is built by an entire main fleet of the Council. Today, all eyes that gaze upon the west coast of Goth are filled with amusement.

First the Dusk Moon Dynasty, then the Arcane Council, so who will be next?

While these detached onlookers were speculating with no small amount of malice about when the Forbidden Spell spellcasters would finally have a real fight with the Empire, the Distant Harbor authorities were already planning their next move.

The target was certainly not the empire, because in Kang De's revenge narrative, revenge against Alex and the entire empire required leading a large army to breach the city walls, fight their way into the capital, and overthrow the throne.

"The two-day period has ended."

Horus's electronic eyes swept across the Shogunate ministers seated opposite him. "The pseudo-government of the Broken Isles, supported by the Arcane Council, has not declared its dissolution, nor has its main members announced their withdrawal. Given that we have declared that we will maintain the existing achievements and well-being of the people of the Broken Isles by any means necessary after forty-eight hours, including but not limited to all violent means, I recommend issuing an execution order."

This meeting was very important; all the ministers of the Shogunate were summoned to attend, including Leona.

White Hair has largely taken control of West Goth Company's commercial power and is methodically integrating the spoils from the Broken Isles, recruiting business-savvy talent from the refugees, and preparing to make a big splash. She has already finalized West Goth Company's export projects with Kang De, and the various goods from Earth have an overwhelming advantage in both quantity and quality.

Therefore, upon hearing Horus's murderous words, she frowned slightly.

Businessmen are generally risk-averse and value harmony for making money. They will only resort to poisoning, hammering, or outright robbery with their henchmen when pushed to the limit.

Seeing that no one around her spoke, she then said, "... Assassination?"

"It wasn't an assassination," Horus corrected, "It was a kill attempt."

He turned his head, and the information module in his electronic eye remotely influenced the projector, unfolding the vast territory of the Arcane Council on the screen, magnifying the terrain until the cities were located.

"Assassination is the silent and violent elimination of a target. Its focus is on eliminating the target covertly, without leaving any trace, so that no one can find any evidence against them. Assassination..."

Horus's metallic synthesized voice resonated with a resounding, murderous force. "Assassination is the elimination of a target through violent means, carried out without fear of public display. Assassins do not necessarily need to conceal their tracks; they may even deliberately leave clues and reveal their identities, using this method to declare their will and beliefs."

Leona composed herself. "What's your proposal?"

The Transformers replied calmly and sternly, "Father's word is his bond."

White Hair opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.

If that's the reason, then she has nothing to say, since it concerns Kang De's reputation.

Horus softened his tone and looked at Leona. He had a camaraderie with this young lady from Zaun, having fought side by side in Valentan: "If you have any concerns or opinions, please speak them out. The Shogunate is not a place where one person can dictate everything. Meetings need to gather diverse perspectives, especially since the entire Shogunate leans towards an aggressive stance. We need someone to step forward and voice a dissenting opinion."

Leona glanced at Kang De, noticing his attentive posture, and subconsciously snorted before quickly saying, "The Council supported this exiled organization. If they plot assassinations at this time, resolving the issue in such a radical way, wouldn't that give the Starry Sky Council a pretext for war and escalate the conflict?"

Upon hearing this, Kang De smiled and said, "The Starry Sky Council's declaration of war list is already overflowing with pretexts for war, one more won't make a difference. If war won't break out, then war won't break out."

"But conflict, retaliation, and counterattacks aren't limited to war."

Leona said seriously, "Right now, with the two sides exchanging insults, the entire continent's attention has been drawn. You've put the Starry Sky Council in a very difficult position. The capture of an entire main fleet is already embarrassing enough. If you openly assassinate the exiled organization in the Broken Isles and the councilors remain silent, then they might as well give up... So, do you understand? They will definitely respond."

The young lady counted on her fingers. "The most direct retaliation is an assassination, an eye for an eye. Besides that, there are economic and academic sanctions, such as halting the export of alchemical products like magical artifacts, recalling serving mages, and repatriating mages studying at the Council..."

She sighed helplessly, glancing at Tina beside her. "I know Distant Harbor isn't afraid, but the Council might turn its guns on the entire Goth, using Goth to sow discord within Goth and create voices against you... You should at least think about Tina's feelings."

Upon hearing this, Tina smiled slightly, extended her delicate hand, and grasped the white-haired girl's slender hand to express her gratitude.

The tall, elegant, and shapely blonde princess and the slender, delicate, and budding silver-haired girl, their beautiful faces complementing each other, exchange a smile, a scene as picturesque as a poem.

The Parrot sitting opposite—with its metallic face—whistled and peeled off more than half an orange, placing it on the table.

Tina glanced at the Parrot without showing any emotion, still holding Leona's hand, and smiled at Kang De, "Kang De, you must have thought of Leona's concerns as well."

Kang De nodded and said, "Of course, I have already read Goth's and the Council's trade report. On the import side, only magical items and mage training are difficult to replace, but it's not entirely hopeless. On the export side, I also have a plan for now, but it will take time to implement it..."

Her Highness smiled slightly, "Then let's do as you wish."

Kang De hesitated for a moment, then said, "Although there is a plan, things don't always go as planned. There may be various changes, and change and innovation also take time..."

"Just as I said," Tina interrupted Kang De, "Goth, even if he can't be your support or reliance in the short term, must never be a burden. So, do it."

Kang De gazed into those clear, azure eyes, their beautiful features radiating unwavering trust and affection. He slowly nodded. "Okay, I'll remember."

He looked at the ministers of the Shogunate, and seeing that they had no further objections, he made a proclamation.

"I authorize the extermination of the Broken Isles separatists Council, to let the entire continent see our strength and will. The Traitor Suppression Society prepares to move out. Horus, devise the assassination plan."

Iron Son replied, "We're analyzing it now; the assassination plan will be ready later."

Damn, this other world is so much better.

Rebels can be killed at will, and international opinion is nothing to them.

However, assassinating those few nobodies is a minor matter.

The old drunkard's intention was never in the wine.

"In all things, one must consider the possibility of failure before the possibility of victory. The assassination is unlikely to fail, but we must prepare for what will happen if it succeeds—namely, the Council's retaliatory actions, the first of which will be an eye-for-an-eye assassination."

A Fu has taken over the media system in Distant Harbor, a hotbed of intelligence work. After friendly consultations between the siblings, the lovely younger sister, understanding her brother's hard work, took over some responsibilities from him. Naturally, A Fu was the one to speak on security issues.

"Local residents' ID cards have been widely issued, and outsiders have undergone strict registration and been issued permits. Cameras are installed Distant Harbor, the surveillance system is being improved, and the personal security system for senior retainers of the Shogunate has been established. In theory, the ability to prevent and respond to terrorist attacks and assassinations has been initially established... but it still needs to be tested in actual combat, and there may be more room for improvement."

After hearing A Fu's report, Kang De thought for a moment and said, "We can organize several exercises. In addition, I have a new plan, and we'll have results in the next few days."

He met the curious gazes of the crowd and said, "Lily is the Brotherhood's legendary assassin. Through her connections, I contacted the Brotherhood's Fate Weaver last night and invited him to Distant Harbor to discuss a business deal."

At this point, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Last night, when Dragon Girl heard "discuss a business deal," she spat out the yogurt in her mouth, making the scene extremely suspicious.

The legendary assassin, codenamed "Dragon," exclaimed in shock, "You don't actually want the Brotherhood help you assassinate the Starry Sky Council members, do you?"

"It's a long-term cooperation agreement, and it involves selling some services that the Brotherhood interested in."

Which assassin could resist two silver silenced pistols?

And what Asa could refuse a communicator that could call in a time-space guided missile to assassinate a target?

"And there's also a return scroll that lets you escape at any time, regardless of whether the mission succeeds or fails."

Kang De took out a capsule from his pocket. "I Extraction from a star god and gained some inspiration from his supernatural abilities. With the help of Paradox Element, I have gained new insights and skills in the application of spatial laws. In other words, the automation and intelligence of spatial teleportation have been improved."

Leona perked up; she sensed a business opportunity. "How do I use this?"

"Crush the packaging, activate the Paradox Crystal, then swallow the capsule. He will then be teleported to the Hall of Reincarnation. Well, the name doesn't matter— Main God Space, Spacetime Nexus, Chaldea, anything is fine. In short, the person who crushes and consumes the capsule will be teleported to a safe area via my phase jump service."

Kang De's expression was somber, but his eyes gleamed with satisfaction.

"This thing was made before, but it has significant side effects. It's only used as an escape method for our soldiers in critical situations because the Paradox Element entering the body will cause some damage..."

He said, "But Bennu's divine power gave me new ideas and inspiration. These Paradox Crystal were sanctified into miniature holy pillars. After being ingested, they could create a small domain that could harmlessly teleport the target. Once the target was teleported to a safe area, the Phase Teleportation service was considered complete."

"The miniature holy pillar that he swallowed can simply teleport out of his body and back into my hands," Kang De said with a cunning smile. "Then I'll wash it, repackage it, and sell it again."

"Grass."

Leona was shocked by this tactic. "Aren't you just ripping people off?"

"How dare you slander someone's innocence out of thin air?" Kang De retorted arrogantly. "The customer knew nothing about it, so how can you call it overcharging?"

"This..."

Dong Tianming was shocked. He reached out and grabbed the capsule. The Imperial Tutor of Cathay immediately realized the immense value of this thing... it was practically a soldier's second life.

If the soldiers of Divine Land possessed such a treasure...

Seeing his excited expression, Kang De quickly said, "It's not as amazing as you think. In the end, this capsule is just a positioning device. The reason it can teleport is because I'm operating it. That's why I can't sell more for now. Otherwise, I can't just do nothing all day long, pointing out the path to hyperspace for thousands of users and letting them safely travel through hyperspace, can I?"

Horus chimed in, "Yes, it's not a pleasant feeling to be a lighthouse for others while sitting on the toilet."

Kang De nodded; this rebellious son had finally uttered something sensible.

Unexpectedly, the filial son revealed his true colors the next moment.

"But Father has someone to do it for him," Iron Son said. "Father has managed to grant Shalana certain permissions, allowing her to perform simple and tedious jump procedures for him..."

--You beast!

Kang De's expression changed drastically, but he remained outwardly calm. However, the name immediately caught the attention of the ladies. Leona raised an eyebrow and asked, "Shalana? Who's that?"

Horus was about to speak when his quick wit kicked in, and he said calmly, "It's the name of a good friend of mine who died... The divine power I stole from Lahma, the God of the Star Palace, was Mist Crystal Illusion. I transformed it into a human and gave her that name."

He paused here, his tone calm and composed, and said, "Let's move on from this topic."

The crowd turned solemn, and even Horus was habitually prone to backstabbing, was speechless.

You've really got something out of you, Father.

"In short, the commercial version of this capsule is ready to be launched."

Kang De stated, "Due to Shalana's limited computing power, and the need to prioritize services for our people, the commercial version is limited in quantity and will be given priority to our loyal allies."

"The Brotherhood definitely love it. They do a dangerous job, and each elite assassin requires a lot of time, effort, and money to train. This capsule can give them a second life."

"I intend to establish a long-term partnership with the Brotherhood, signing a contract in return for providing them with this product. In return, they should promise never to be my enemy or undertake any tasks that would harm my interests."

"At the same time, I also want to hire a group of elite assassins as instructors and trainers to train our combat troops. I also want to invite their weapons experts and magic scholars to jointly develop a new generation of tactical weapons, promote the magicification of firearms, and improve other tactical equipment..."

Hong San pondered for a moment and said, "Does our lord intend to recruit them?"

"Why not? They're shrewd businessmen, and they got along well with us back in Valentan."

When the Forbidden Spell struck, it shocked the continent. The Brotherhood the fastest to flee, and the mentor who came to visit even gifted Kang De a top-of-the-line assassin's suit.

That set of equipment left a deep impression on Kang De and helped him a lot.

Recalling the past, Kang De exchanged a smile with Hong San and continued, "The Brotherhood a deep foundation, extensive business, and numerous branches. This super organization rooted throughout the entire continent possesses unimaginable potential and should be brought onto our chariot... With the Star Palace invasion imminent, every bit of its strength deserves attention."

Just then, Tina frowned. "You want to invite the Brotherhood join the multilateral talks?"

"They dream of it, but of course not..." Kang De laughed, "Give them to America."

"I guessed so," Tina said softly, as if remembering something. "The situation isn't looking good."

Kang De raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Tina, who heads the Ministry of Unity, which handles diplomatic tasks, frowned slightly and explained, "So far, the countries haven't responded positively to your proposal, and I feel something is wrong."

Kang De's smile faltered, and his expression gradually changed.

"What do you mean by 'various countries'?"

"All."

Kang De paused for a moment, flicked his forehead, and calmed down. "That's strange. Come on, let's start from the beginning."

He turned to look at the map of the mainland on the wall. "Those bastards in the Council, needless to say, they have no chance of getting involved in such a good thing, and I never intended for them to get involved."

"So, what does the Empire say next?"

Tina replied, "The Empire's response was very polite. The Foreign Minister relayed my message, saying that the Emperor's tour is no small matter, and the court is currently studying the details and discussing a decision..."

Kang De pondered for a moment, then let out a cold laugh.

He then asked, "And what about my half-brother, His Majesty the Dragon Emperor?"

Tina replied, "I heard the dragon elders are arguing fiercely and haven't made up their minds yet."

"Damn, no wonder Lily seemed a little guilty when she saw me last night."

Kang De glanced at Tina, hesitated for a moment, and then asked seriously, "What about the Dusk Moon Dynasty?"

"The Silver Moon Council's response was 'under discussion,' which is just another excuse and delaying tactic," Tina said softly. "While His Majesty the Phoenix King may have the freedom to act arbitrarily, it can only be a personal matter. When representing the nation, he must act with decorum and the consent of the Silver Moon Council..."

Kang De pretended not to hear and opened his eyes to ask, "Where are the dwarfs?"

"That's true too," Tina reminded her. "The Dwarf Kingdom and the Empire have a close relationship; they are traditional allies."

"Oh." Kang De stroked his chin. "How strange. The matter of Yilan-Tai'er can't be fake. The legacy of an ancient Civilization —how could they not be tempted?"

Hearing this, the Parrot sneered, "Of course you're tempted, but there's no need to rush. The ancient legacy is right here on the Broken Isles, right here with you, Kang De. Aren't you afraid it'll grow wings and fly away?"

Seeing that Kang De didn't understand, Dong Tianming laughed and said, "My lord is blinded by his own involvement and has never been involved in politics, so he doesn't understand the intricacies involved—in any national court, legitimacy and prestige are highly valued."

Kang De asked, puzzled, "What do you mean?"

Both the Imperial Tutor of Cathay and the Parrot were former rulers of powerful nations, and they immediately saw the key point. "Is the Lord's invitation to all nations to share the essence of Yilan-Tai'er Civilization intended to convene an alliance meeting, bringing together the monarchs of all nations to discuss important matters?"

"Right."

"The Holy Empire, the Dusk Moon Dynasty, and Dragon Island, which were invited, are all powerful nations of our time, aren't they?"

"Right."

"In the eyes of the world, that lord's actions suggest he intends to seize this opportunity to become an equal partner with other nations."

Dong Tianming shook his head and said, "The elves are the current hegemon, the empire is the common ruler of mankind, and the chosen race of Dragon Island are all geniuses of this era. My lord, with your own strength and the people of one city, you want to be on par with these ancient behemoths? These old powers are probably not happy about it."

Kang De thought for a moment before realizing, "Just because of this?"

"Of course not, but it's a good reason... a reason for arguing and procrastination."

Dong Tianming said, "Everything in the world has its cause and effect. The fact that all the nations have resisted the temptations of ancient Civilization and unanimously chosen to delay is to teach you a lesson. There are also conflicts of interest behind this. I hope my lord will understand."

The Fire Thief thought for a moment, then let out a cold laugh.

"It seems I was underestimated."

Dong Tianming lowered his head slightly.

That's absolutely true.

The Battle of Valentan was a clearing of the field with Forbidden Spell, the aid to Danfeng Lucerne was a swift and decisive victory, and the sweeping of the Distant Harbor port was accompanied by the roar of warships. From beginning to end, the world has always regarded Kang De as an unparalleled powerhouse, a Forbidden Spell mage, and an incomparable alchemist, rather than a monarch wielding great power.

In their view, Kang De's victories, one after another, were achieved either through Forbidden Spell or by wielding powerful alchemical weapons, which they considered personal combat prowess and had nothing to do with Forbidden Spell.

Although they possess the power to destroy the world and change it, even the strongest individuals are still inferior to the most powerful regimes. In the eyes of the world, no matter how strong an individual is, how can they compare to the vast territories, formidable national strength, and massive armies of the great powers? Only royal power is eternal.

Kang De's eyes flickered as he thought of this, "In that case, we should Council the council even more and demonstrate our strength to the world. Times are changing too fast, so fast that the world can't keep up. They need to refresh their impression of Distant Harbor. We are no longer the same."

Dong Tianming nodded and said, "Yes."

The Fire Thief stroked his chin. "We also need to tear apart the web of prejudice and indifference that the whole world has woven around us."

The Imperial Tutor said, "This is the real challenge."

"Interesting... Let's give it a try and find a breakthrough."

Kang De looked at Dong Tianming: "Also, you've misspoke about something."

Dong Tianming was taken aback. "Please give your instructions, my lord."

"You forgot to mention a country," Kang De smiled slightly. "I also invited Cathay powerful nation of our time Cathay, to cooperate with Distant Harbor and join the alliance I proposed. One day, the whole world will unite, sir, and together we will fight against a powerful enemy from outer space."