Cathay, a Grudge

After that little incident at the dock, the Good Family's convoy began its journey.

The target is Glimmering Sand Castle, the residence of the Good Family.

Inside the carriage, Princess Tina sat opposite Kang De.

Kang De said calmly, "I'm sorry."

Tina stared at him for a moment, then sighed, "This is really..."

Kang De said, "I didn't want this to happen either. I acted impulsively. You were going to cooperate with the Good Family, and I was on your ship when we clashed, which has embarrassed both of you. It's really not good. I will stay home for the next few days until we set sail again."

Upon hearing this, the princess was taken aback at first, then raised her eyebrows.

What do you mean by this?

She did look angry; her face was even flushed red. This seemed to be the first time Kang De had seen her so unhappy. "Do you think I'm angry with you? Do you think I think you're a burden to us? Don't underestimate the Goth People, Mr. Kang De. Admittedly, the Good Family was very important to Goth, but you were also a very important friend and benefactor of Goth. How could we stand by and watch our friend be treated unfairly?"

Well, they've even started calling him Mr. Kang De.

Kang De looked at the princess, whose face was flushed with excitement and who was puffing up in anger, and felt a little touched.

That's not what I meant.

He said, "And thinking about it calmly, I do seem to have acted somewhat impulsively."

No matter how servile Hong San was, or how much he was despised and ridiculed, it was none of his business.

Cathay is also Cathay from another world, and has no connection with China whatsoever.

Just as he had told Hong San before, he was simply venting some inexplicable anger.

Having transmigrated to another world, I made up my mind to set sail and arrive on the mainland. Full of expectations and aspirations, I wanted to start a new life. Then I witnessed the East Asians, who shared the same skin color and language as me, being despised and scorned.

It's simply a matter of feeling sorry for one's own kind; that's all.

Tina, sitting opposite, sighed.

"Kang De, the reason I sighed with emotion is not because of your previous performance, but because..."

She said helplessly, "You might not believe it, but I think Uncle Samuel meant well by arranging for that Cathayan to serve you... and you felt angry and humiliated, didn't you?"

Kang De raised an eyebrow.

"Out of goodwill?"

He went straight to the point. "Then let me ask you, put yourself in his shoes, if the viscount were to greet you today and send a Goth People to serve you, kneeling humbly like a wagging-tail-and-sticking-out dog, would you be happy?"

The princess frowned, seemingly trying to find the right words.

She said softly, "Of course I'd be very angry; this is undoubtedly an insult to Goth."

Kang De stared at her, waiting for her to continue.

The princess hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "Because the Goth People don't have this custom. If this Goth servant bows to me and offers me wine and songs, I will be very happy, because it is Goth custom. As a nobleman, I will be grateful for the hospitality of my host when I see the customs of my own country in a foreign land."

The girl glanced at Kang De.

Finally, he slowly said, "But the etiquette and customs of Cathay..."

Kang De was startled.

He suddenly clenched his fist.

Tina doesn't need to continue.

He understood what the other person meant.

If those in lower positions fawn and kneel in obsequiousness, is that what is considered proper etiquette in Cathay?

If it weren't Kang De, the Earthling, who came here with Tina, but a prince from China accustomed to being high above others and to the Cathay between master and servant, what would he think if he encountered a black-haired, yellow-skinned servant in a foreign land—a servant who was knowledgeable, obsequious, smiling, and adept at reading people's expressions?

--This Glittering Sand Samuel, the Shah, is truly a remarkable man.

They'll definitely think that way.

When Tina pointed out this hidden truth, Kang De finally realized what was going on.

A feeling of nausea and irritability.

I feel very uncomfortable.

I don't know why... I just feel really uncomfortable.

I'm so angry.

But they were powerless and didn't know who to vent their anger on.

Just like when he was on Earth, he saw those news reports about foreign trash, about white bastards who couldn't make it in their own countries coming to China and being thrown into the arms of others one after another. When he saw such news, he was even a little confused—he couldn't tell which was more despicable, foreign trash or easy girls.

After a moment of silence, he slowly said, "So... this is how it is in Cathay?"

"No..."

Tina looked at Kang De with a mixture of worry and curiosity.

She had already concluded that Kang De was a member of that "powerful Civilization," but she didn't know what kind of connection he had with Cathay. She guessed as she answered.

"At least several hundred years ago, when Cathay and Goth still had contact, according to books and historical records from that era, although the East was strictly class-based... it wasn't that bad."

She said softly, "But then, contact was lost between the two sides, and then the Elves... Until recently, when my father wanted to restart the sea route and ordered the collection of intelligence, news about Cathay could only be transmitted in bits and pieces."

"We've tried our best to gather intelligence, but we can only vaguely tell that a war seems to have broken out over there. The original dynasty has been invaded and is struggling to resist. Large swathes of the country have fallen, and the new regime's rule is too tyrannical, so many Cathayan have begun to flee. Some have endured a difficult journey across the ocean to get here..."

"I don't know much else, and my father doesn't want me to have any access to that kind of information."

Seeing Kang De deep in thought, Tina said, "Why don't we ask that Hong San?"

Kang De scoffed, "Ask him? Forget it."

Regardless of whether Hong San would answer honestly, all the questions he asked would likely appear on Samuel's desk in no time... He had a degree of trust in Tina and the knights, but he was extremely wary and suspicious of these imperial people.

Besides, that kind of thing happened before.

Tina nodded. "That's true. There's no need to rush. As the capital of the empire, the capital city has many Cathayan gathered there, and some have even achieved extraordinary positions. Kang De will deal with them. Besides, when you arrive in Goth, I will introduce you to my father, and he may tell you about Cathay."

Kang De composed himself slightly and nodded, "Okay."

Ultimately, Cathay is not his country, so he doesn't really have any emotional attachment to it.

He continued, "However, according to you, the Viscount meant no harm and was quite benevolent. My actions today certainly embarrassed him, and I must find a way to make it up to him."

Tina shook her head and said, "No need. In the end, it was that knight who was rude. You are in the right, so you don't need to worry about these things. It's alright... In the future, when you become a master alchemist, you can sell one of your creations to Uncle Samuel at a friendly price, and he will be very grateful to you."

Kang De shook his head and said, "No, one thing is one thing."

Tina felt a chill run down her spine.

She understood the unspoken meaning in Kang De's words.

Each code is a separate code.

This caused the well-intentioned viscount to lose face, forcing him to apologize and make amends.

However, those who harbor ill intentions towards him... are a different story.

Kang De... he's so petty, just like his sister.

She smiled wryly and said, "Kang De, go easy on me..."

Kang De calmly replied, "Don't worry, I won't make things difficult for you. I'm very patient."

In other words, at least this time, he won't cause trouble, because he's on Goth's side.

That's not what I meant...

Tina said, "Hannah also apologized to you..."

Hannah, Samuel's daughter, was originally supposed to ride in the same carriage as Tina, but Tina made an excuse that she had something to discuss with Kang De, so Hannah returned to her own carriage. Before leaving, she solemnly apologized to Kang De, looking quite pitiful— Kang De had assumed this noble lady was apologizing on behalf of her father, but now it seemed...

He asked, "What's her relationship with that idiot?"

Tina replied, "Knight Glenn is her guardian knight..."

"Like Cleveland?"

After receiving an affirmative answer, he clicked his tongue and said, "How can the difference be so big?"

Upon hearing this, the princess instinctively became displeased again.

Kang De nodded and said, "I see, I understand."

--What have you figured out now?

Tina was worried, but she was powerless to restrain Kang De.

Aside from hoping the other party wouldn't go too far, the girl still complained, "I clearly don't like Hong San, but I still stood up for him. Since you're so magnanimous, can't you be even more magnanimous?"

Kang De said calmly, "To avenge him? I'm no saint; I was just teaching him a lesson."

Tina was taken aback at first, then thought for a moment.

A chilling feeling.

￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥

PS1: Second update... Ah, almost 6,000 words again today.

PS2: It's Monday! Please vote! Goodnight, time for bed!