The Hunt

When Griffin Williams received Kang De's reply, his first reaction was...

"Your handwriting is really ugly."

Even a novice monk who has only received two years of basic education writes better than him.

This clearly shows the difference between Griffin, the incompetent Chancellor, and the previous Phoenix King Malegith.

Regarding Kang De's handwriting, Griffin simply thought it was worse than a primary school student's, while the Parrot...

"I'll divide my mental energy into twelve parts: four to hold down my hands and feet, one to massage my front, one to serve my back, four to caress my chest, one to control my mouth, and finally, one to pound my belly. When I'm at my thirty-eighth climax, I'll squeeze out a little extra mental energy to control the words I write with a pen—and they'll be fucking better than your dog-crawl stuff!"

These raunchy words deeply shocked Kang De.

Incidentally, the magical system of this other world is vast and profound, with numerous sects and diverse types. However, according to statistics, one of the most widely used and mastered spells should undoubtedly be telekinetic magic.

This fact has also led to countless risqué jokes circulating within the mage community.

Just as naive young boys and girls, upon first realizing the wonder of the human body, immediately try all sorts of things, when sorcerers first transform their spiritual power into telekinetic energy to interfere with reality, after idly floating and tossing some gadgets in the air for a while, they almost invariably think of "that aspect," and after nervously looking around, they begin to cautiously make some kind of attempt.

In this respect, spellcasters are indeed happier than Muggle bachelors.

After all, they had three wives.

Griffin was well past the age of thinking about "that aspect," so he began reading the letter.

His expression changed several times.

The crunching sounds continued incessantly as Phaethon ate. The Grand Chancellor, feeling irritated, glanced sideways at him, wondering where this God of the Star Palace's appetite and urge came from.

During this period, Phaethon has been incredibly indulgent, even sneaking off to bustling big cities to have fun. He has indulged in all kinds of pleasures, including eating, drinking, and gambling, but he hasn't touched "that aspect" yet.

It is said that the God of the Star Palace was too arrogant and adhered to his bottom line. After all, he regarded himself as a god, considered himself extraordinary and above the clouds, and "that kind of thing" was no different from bestiality in his eyes.

"Kang De replied?" Phaethon asked after eating half a bucket of spicy rice crackers. "What did he say?"

"Trying to sow discord and take advantage of me."

Griffin remained calm and nonchalant. "He said he was about to launch a full-scale decisive battle to wipe out my troops."

The God of the Star Palace's fingers, which were gripping the snacks, trembled slightly.

He quickly composed himself and said calmly, "So, you mean we can't reach an agreement?"

The Grand Speaker had finished reading the entire document and shook his head, saying, "Not necessarily... He's just telling me that if I can't move him, if I can't show him my sincerity and determination, he'll just send his entire army to crush me."

What does he want to see?

The Grand Speaker put down the letter, looked at Phaethon, and smiled slightly.

"Surrender, cut your losses, and you too."

The God of the Star Palace put down the snacks he was holding, his face cold and grim. "What?"

"Kang De wants to seize my military and political resources, make my trusted subordinates serve him, and even demands that I kill you as a pledge of loyalty—do you know what a pledge of loyalty is? It's a term originating from Cathay..."

Phaethon's gaze turned cold. "And what about you? What are you going to do?"

Griffin remained unmoved despite being stared at by the powerful god with his sharp and menacing gaze.

"It's just bargaining," he chuckled. "Our ultimate goal is to buy time, to sow discord between Kang De and the nations, preventing him from unifying the Mortal World forces before the arrival of the Star Palace —that's the ultimate objective. Then we'll determine which of Kang De's conditions are negotiable."

He unfolded the letter paper and began to write.

"My students, disciples, and trusted subordinates are all now in Kang De's hands; they are all outstanding talents, and Kang De wants them to serve him..."

At this point, Griffin paused, a strange and inexplicable expression on his face.

There was a sense of loss, a touch of sorrow, a hint of sadness, and yet also a sense of relief.

"Then take it."

Although his movements were relaxed and his tone was nonchalant, the Grand Speaker still couldn't help but glance at Phaethon.

Then he deftly wrote a handwritten letter, a personal instruction, telling his students and confidants that he had to choose a thorny path for the sake of the future of the Mortal World, and that Kang De was his companion, instructing them to serve Kang De for the time being and to do the right thing for the future of the Mortal World.

As he wrote this, a smug smile flickered across his lips, vanishing in an instant.

Griffin then glanced at Phaethon, the God of the Star Palace, who stood silently before a table laden with food, lost in thought.

The Grand Speaker frowned slightly, feeling that Phaethon had been acting increasingly strangely lately.

He seemed to have something very important on his mind.

Griffin could see that the other person was deliberately indulging themselves, but he couldn't figure out the reason for it. After thinking it over, he could only attribute it to the fact that the other person had come to the Mortal World alone, facing the terrifying might of the Fire Thief, feeling that their chances of winning were slim and that their life was in danger, yet they had no way to deal with it, so they could only indulge in some reckless pleasure to numb themselves?

Griffin narrowed his eyes slightly, concealing a cold glint in them.

--Well, how should I put it?

As expected, he was just cannon fodder with bad interpersonal relationships.

He calls himself a god, arrogant and conceited, but in reality he's nothing more than a dog.

With this in mind, he deliberately said, "I need to continue my negotiations with Kang De. Would you like to come and discuss this with me?"

Phaethon laughed, but his smile was somewhat sinister.

"You've already established communication with Apophis. The Star of Divine Destruction is very fond of you and has even authorized you to bypass me and contact him directly. What else do you need me to consult?"

"That's true," Griffin said calmly, "But you're still the one I know and trust the most. When the Star Palace descends to earth, I'll be counting on you to speak for me and keep your promises. And now, you're isolated and helpless in the Mortal World, hoping I'll help you survive and even achieve great things. We share the same fate, don't we?"

Phaethon looked at him, stared at him for a long time, and finally nodded in satisfaction.

"You're sensible," he said. "Don't think that Apophis's kind words make him favor you, you mudblood. He's never even met you, he doesn't know you. He's only giving you a second glance because you're useful right now... In the end, you can only rely on me now."

Griffin naturally nodded in agreement.

"Now," the Grand Speaker said, "Let's negotiate with Kang De, stop his insane ideas, give him a little something to sweeten the deal, buy him some time, and in addition, the lobbying plans of the various nations should be launched."

He shook his head as he said this.

"Although our initial plan was to sow discord between him and the other nations, to isolate and exclude him from the Mortal World,... if we could truly force him to leave in anger and return to his homeland, that would be wonderful."

Phaethon, sitting on the sofa, sighed softly.

He murmured, "Yes, that would be wonderful."

Griffin noticed the murmur and raised an eyebrow, "What?"

The God of the Star Palace ignored his question, instead looking up and speaking with a surprisingly sincere expression, "Griffin —in my view, the eras and Civilization created in the Mortal World are actually quite similar."

"Although I know Kang De came from another world, I cannot deduce what that world is like from these clues, but you seem to possess such a talent."

"You can discern the outline of that world from the various things Kang De brought to the Mortal World; you can deduce the morality of that world from Kang De's behavioral patterns..."

The Grand Speaker was somewhat puzzled, unsure of what the other party was trying to express.

"I just wanted to ask you..."

Phaethon asked in a subtle tone, "Was that world, that Civilization, very prosperous?"

Griffin Williams paused, pondered for a moment, then his expression turned solemn as he nodded. "Indeed."

The God of the Star Palace pressed further, "Just how prosperous was it?"

"A massive amount of delicious snacks, with identical packaging and specifications, is probably not uncommon, and may even be food intended for ordinary people... This indicates that there is enough food to feed a huge population, and ordinary people can enjoy even more."

"Superior papermaking and printing techniques, and the unbridled waste of exquisite paper, have stripped it of its sacred value as a carrier of knowledge... This implies an abundance of entertainment."

"Look at all this stuff scattered throughout Distant Harbor... Kang De has transformed Distant Harbor into the city he envisioned. It's the kind of city he believed in... Order, efficiency, cleanliness, friendliness, and entertainment permeate the entire city—a truly prosperous land..."

Griffin patiently explained... These details already revealed a great deal.

It kept him awake all night, filled him with fear, anxiety, and worry.

As for Phaethon... for some reason, he listened very attentively.

"Then..." The God of the Star Palace pondered for a moment, then continued, "Is the world where Kang De lived peaceful? Is it free of evil? Has injustice completely disappeared?"

--What kind of bullshit question is this?

Griffin was taken aback, feeling that something was very wrong with Phaethon today.

But it didn't matter—the other person's attention was focused solely on these strange details, which suited him perfectly. Griffin was more than happy that the other person was in a daze and indifferent to everything around them.

So he put on a stern face, shook his head, and said, "Absolutely impossible."

Phaethon's expression suddenly hardened, and he pressed, "Why?"

"It's obvious," the experienced Grand Speaker replied. "Armaments—weapons for individual soldiers, long-range firepower even more powerful than war magic devices, invincible war chariots, steel warships spanning the vast oceans, and that scorching sun-like light... If Kang De's homeland were a prosperous and peaceful place, why would there be a need to maintain such a massive armament? There must be confrontation and conflict!"

"A massive volume of goods means the accumulation of profits, the accumulation of profits means the accumulation of interests, and the accumulation of interests means the birth of a conglomerate... Where there are merchants, how can there be peace?"

"Broadcasting, television, transportation, factories... can serve both civilians and the military."

"Most importantly... is Kang De himself."

Griffin's gaze was intense. "If he came from a peaceful and prosperous place, even with an extraordinary background, he would just be a delusional idiot. But think about it, what did he do after coming to the Mortal World? He directly targeted the nobles, won over the common people, gave them dignity and power, and did everything perfectly!"

What does this mean?

"This shows that in his hometown, someone did the same thing, and may still be doing it now, or even taught him how to do it—to suppress the privileged class and give dignity and power to the lowest-class commoners. This alone implies almost endless conflict and war!"

He then stated decisively, "In all my years, I've never seen a group of intelligent beings gather together peacefully—there will inevitably be a hierarchy, and there will inevitably be conflict and resistance!"

"The whole world is absolutely the same—perhaps that world is incredibly prosperous Civilization civilized, but evil, disparity, wealth, arrogance, lies... these things will certainly not be lacking!"

"It might even be worse than the Mortal World."

Griffin sneered, "After all, only Kang De came."

These were all based on his private analysis and deductions.

However, after careful analysis, he realized there was no one left to confide in—the entire Starry Sky Council was dead, and he could no longer emphasize Kang De's threat and power to anyone. The military officers were not good listeners either, as talking to them about this would seriously undermine morale.

The question is... why would Phaethon be interested in this?

He glanced at the God of the Star Palace and was suddenly struck by a jolt.

Because when the God of the Star Palace heard this, he revealed a smile that made him uneasy...

Unrestrained, wild, joyful, relieved—a complex mix of emotions was hidden within the menacing smile.

"Yeah."

His tone seemed to carry an undercurrent of... joy.

"That's really..." Phaethon grinned, "It should be."

He let out a long breath, as if he had received great news and had been relieved of a worry.

Suddenly, Griffin felt a strange unease.

He recalled how, over the past few months, he had periodically emphasized Kang De's terror to Phaethon, often attributing new discoveries on the battlefield to the origins of Kang De's horrors and the strength of the forces behind them.

After all, the power behind Kang De was indeed ridiculously strong. The new weapons that were put into the battlefield today, Kang De would have corresponding tactics and equipment by the next day at the latest. Sometimes, he could come up with countermeasures in just a few hours. It was hard to imagine what a powerful group was supporting him behind the scenes.

Every time he emphasized Kang De's strength, Phaethon listened very attentively.

Griffin initially chuckled to himself—the so-called God of the Star Palace was nothing special; encountering the Fire Thief, he was like a mouse before a cat, terrified, a far cry from his usual arrogant self.

But now it seems... that's not the case.

--If we could really force Kang De to leave in a huff and return to his hometown, that would be wonderful.

At this thought, as he looked at Phaethon's face, which had returned to calm, a sudden, immense unease welled up within him.

But the arrow is already on the bowstring.

--The Star Palace seems to really want you to return to your hometown and has a great interest in your homeland.

He picked up his pen, intending to add a reminder to the letter.

But after much deliberation, he finally put down his pen and did not do so.

This kind of important information is very useful.

He summoned the messenger and ordered him to deliver the message.

"The old man is quite generous."

Kang De gazed at Griffin's handwritten letter, which contained an order from the Grand Speaker to his former students and associates, commanding them to serve Kang De temporarily. The prisoners of the Lubyanka Hotel could finally be invited to join him.

The Fire Thief glanced at it a few times and asked, "Do those bastards recognize this? Won't they think it's a fake?"

"It's impossible not to recognize it," Dong Tianming replied. "The letters written by powerful mortals, especially those of Mortal World strength, contain their own spiritual power and will of the soul; no one else could possibly forge them."

"That's good."

Kang De tossed the handwritten letter into the White Mist World, then picked it up again to read it carefully, and was somewhat moved.

--Griffin, perhaps realizing something upon seeing Kang De's illegible, messy handwriting, replied this time in a printed-like handwriting style, still much better Kang De's.

She's somewhat understanding.

"Then let's kill him."

Kang De crumpled the letter into a ball, then shredded it into dust, and laughed, "This old bastard thinks I'm going to haggle with him—what a joke! I'm just trying to swindle as much as I can before I kill him."

Dong Tianming's expression was extremely unpleasant. He seemed to have realized something, or perhaps he had sensed something from Kang De's expression—when his lord returned, he was in a different mental state.

Pioneering and enterprising, courageous and diligent, and...

I'm eager to go home.

He felt a chill in his heart, and his voice was almost pleading. "My lord..."

"Mr. Dong," Kang De grasped his hand earnestly, "Whatever it is, let's talk about it after we win this battle, okay? I can convince you; I have a better plan."

He squeezed Old Dong's hand tightly.

"But before that, I need your military support—in a battle between two armies, my troops can sweep away everything and be invincible, but when peerless experts clash, we need to rely on Lord Dong's strength."

After saying that, he began to call out to Iron Son.

"How's the preparation for war going? Is air support in place? Has the big stuff the United States ordered been inspected? Is the Fulton System online? Where's my precious gem?"

Earth, White Mist World, Mortal World realm connected to another, where the iron and fire of war flow. After months of alternating battles, new recruits become veterans. Behind the long stalemate lies the dance of the two strongest nations on Earth, misled and interfered with by Kang De. The pinnacle of modern Civilization's military achievements, with their speed and ferocity, are being enjoyed by the Fire Thief, about to unleash their fierce onslaught beneath the skies of another world.

As dawn broke and the east began to lighten, Kang De personally greeted the two guests.

He greeted the person in front of him with a warm hug, then exchanged a laugh with the person behind him, gave them a perfunctory hug and patted them on the back, while several other guests had arrived the day before.

The audience is already seated, the contestants are ready, and the steel torrent is about to surge and roar. Their king will hunt on the borders of Goth, seizing the first victory for the Mortal World army against the Star Palace.

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PS1: Attended a meeting... I was incredibly sleepy last night, but I still gritted my teeth and finished writing. Time for bed.