What Is Kang De?

Ah, yandere.

Kang De looked at the emperor and suddenly felt a headache coming on.

It's even more of a headache than when I first received that letter.

The emperor sat calmly on his throne, looking at the young man before him with great interest.

Even as the supreme ruler of humanity, who absolutely does not believe in the so-called destiny, at this moment he cannot help but marvel at the wondrous nature of life; who can truly predict what will happen?

A year or two ago, Kang De was nothing more than an ant that suddenly appeared in his mind.

A few months ago, Kang De was an enemy he had to pay attention to, care about, be hostile to, and plot against.

Now, various factors have led to this outcome. He no longer harbors murderous intent or hostility towards this mysterious young man; instead, he feels more complex emotions.

Appreciate, cherish, be curious about, value, like, expect, and entrust.

Of course, there's also...

--malice.

But it doesn't matter. He is completely at ease with all of this. The only thing he needs to worry about and be troubled by is the little guy in front of him—he is still very young and disdains many of the world's fair principles.

"... Wait a minute, wait a minute."

Kang De rubbed his forehead and gestured with his five fingers as if to push the emperor away. "Let me sort this out, let me sort this out."

"I'll give you time," Otto II replied gracefully. "Undeniably, our exchange today is one of the wildest things in the Mortal World. I've been thinking for months about what I want, so I don't expect you to accept it immediately—anyway, Kang De, I'm very happy."

Earthlings looked at them with questioning eyes.

Only you can understand, only you can accept, only you can agree... only you deserve it.

The supreme ruler of humanity declared proudly, "Don't disappoint me."

Kang De shook his head. "Don't get sentimental yet—let me start from the beginning."

The emperor slightly raised his chin.

"First of all," the Fire Thief, still feeling awkward, said, "You're prepared to treat me as your sole heir, cooperate with me in exploiting the nobility across the continent, do your utmost to support me in my fight against the Star Palace, and even entrust me with the power, strength, and wealth of the entire empire, becoming the best possible father figure?"

Otto II nodded and said, "Indeed."

"And then you, asking for nothing in return—at least not materially. You don't ask for increased power or territorial expansion, you don't need the protection and guarantees I promised, and you don't mind me extending my reach into your sphere of influence—damn, that sounds so agreeable now."

Kang De shuddered and continued, "In short, on this issue, are you prepared to shed all the selfishness, defensiveness, treachery, cruelty, and ruthlessness that come with being a competent ruler, even at the cost of severing your bloodline, to hand over all the power of this country to me?"

"Regarding the issue of bloodline, I still hope that you will at least marry one of my daughters, so that my bloodline, which originated from you, can continue in the world... After all, I am still a living being, with the instinct and desire to reproduce."

Otto II smiled and said, "Based on that, my answer is—yes, I don't need any material reward, because I have already received what I deserve."

Kang De's lips twitched. "... So you mean fun and pleasure?"

"I think I've already said it before, I no longer have any desire for living beings. The power of the empire is just a burden to me. My whole life has been about fighting, seizing, controlling, and exploiting. Now I want to enjoy the pleasure and feeling of unconditional giving as an ordinary father."

"Besides that, I'd like to see some changes."

"Change?"

"Yes, change." The emperor's smile turned mocking. "I am the supreme ruler. When I peruse history books and look down upon the Mortal World, I find that this world has remained unchanged for thousands of years."

"Unchanging rule, exploitation, apathy, strife, greed, filth, and sin."

"Hunger kills the most, war is the most brutal and disgusting. Driven by desire, beneath the guise of faith, honor, and morality lies the exchange, annexation, and struggle for interests."

"Whether they are ignorant commoners or so-called nobles, they are all like dogs, pathetic and boring."

"Druids improved crop varieties, spellcaster groups began large-scale climate regulation, and mechanical golems participated in farming. Crop yields are now several times higher than a century ago, yet the proportion of the hungry has never decreased."

"The path of arcane magic has seen continuous innovation, but it has either become a tool for magical clans to make money or a more efficient weapon of suppression. Spells have always been a tool for plundering wealth and maintaining violence."

"A hundred years ago, commoners and even slaves could become pioneering knights and change their fate. Now, apart from Distant Harbor, such a thing simply doesn't exist."

Otto II smiled coldly, as if cursing, or perhaps scorning.

"Kang De, this world is worse than it was a hundred years ago."

His tone was so confident that Kang De didn't have the slightest doubt.

Because without a doubt... the emperor is the most qualified to speak on this topic.

The Earthlings gazed at their sovereign and sighed, "It's unbelievable that the greatest exploiter, oppressor, and ruler of the Mortal World would have such thoughts. A fleeting glimmer of great insight has sprung from the most unlikely of minds; it makes one marvel at the absurdity of the world."

The emperor was taken aback.

"Great ideas?" He snapped out of his daze, shaking his head. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not you."

"I have always believed that the common people should act like commoners: able to farm, able to work, and not starve; to endure oppression and remain silent in the face of injustice; to show reverence to the officials appointed by me and the law; to humbly marry a wife; and then to have many children and grandchildren, working tirelessly to achieve the goals I have set for them—and if they can also remain loyal on this basis, that would be even better."

The emperor snorted, "Someone like you, giving power, dignity, promises, and a future to the lowly, broadening their horizons, acquiring knowledge, and awakening their minds, will one day cause great chaos."

Kang De raised his eyebrows, revealing his displeasure.

"You don't need to argue with me about this. I've already decided to give this country to you. You can change it however you want later. History will tell you who was right and who was wrong. You will bear the consequences yourself."

"As for me? Don't even think about it. I won't change my mind, and you shouldn't try to change mine either. I think you'll still grant me this level of freedom and power, right?"

Kang De merely grunted.

Seeing his displeased expression, the emperor chuckled and said, "Like a child... Kang De, this conclusion is based on my decades of knowledge, experience, and understanding. I suggest you listen carefully."

He tapped the table, his tone turning sinister. "Whether farmers, beggars, laborers, scholars, nobles, or merchants, whether imperial citizens or your bright and glorious Distant Harbor, their souls are essentially no different. Most are twisted bastards and boring fools; only a small minority still resemble human beings."

"Based on my observations and estimates, the former accounts for about 80%."

Kang De asked coldly, "So you still want to change?"

"I'm not trying to change anyone's fate; I just want to make the world a different place." The emperor smiled indifferently. "Good changes are fine, bad changes are even better."

"Either you remain steadfast in your beliefs from beginning to end, never wavering in your original aspirations even in the face of the depravity of your former comrades and the corruption of human nature, and strive to create a new era for this boring and rotten world."

"Either you recognize the ugly nature of the world and choose to fight darkness with darkness, and evil with evil, then all the twisted bastards and boring fools in the world will scream and tremble under your iron hooves, and will spend their lives in the most suitable place for them. You will build a vast empire that all emperors throughout history have dreamed of, iron-fisted, efficient, and centralized... Wouldn't that be great?"

Kang De stared at the emperor for a long time, and finally pointed to his head.

Something's not right here.

"I've been irrational for a long time," the emperor chuckled. "I've been ruling a rotten and lifeless country for decades. How boring would it be if the empire remained this wretched state for another hundred years?"

So you chose me?

"You're perfect for this."

"You say you don't want to choose a son as your heir because you're afraid he'll turn on you and betray you..." Kang De said in a deep voice, "Aren't you afraid I'll kill you someday?"

"I'm not afraid."

Why?

"I believe you won't. You're a sentimental and soft-hearted person. I've cooperated with your career, giving you everything I have. As long as I don't do anything to cross your bottom line, you won't kill me."

"The Emperor's trust..." Kang De sneered, remaining noncommittal, "... what if?"

"In that case..." the emperor laughed instead, "I would probably be very happy."

Kang De's focus was no longer solely on the mentally ill.

"I'm certain I won't cross your line—so if you try to kill me, it can only mean that something has changed your thoughts and perspectives, that you've developed an emperor's mentality, betrayed your former self, tainted your soul, and introduced suspicion, cold-bloodedness, and cruelty into your character."

"Then what?"

"Then..." the emperor exhaled, "You will ravage."

"You will unleash the boundless rage that has been building up within you; you will ravage the Mortal World, you will ravage the Star Palace, you will ravage..." He looked into Kang De's eyes, enunciating each word clearly, "... your world."

"You will make some people scream, or you will make everyone scream, you will be able to unleash an eternal nightmare across three worlds, and even if I die—" the emperor revealed a sinister smile, "I will be very happy."

The two stared at each other for a long time.

Kang De took a deep breath and said decisively, "You're dreaming!"

"In that case, this is a gamble that's guaranteed to make a profit."

The emperor smiled at Kang De and slowly extended his hand.

"I'm betting the empire on the future of the Mortal World realm, gambling with you on its destiny." He laughed warmly. "Since you're so confident of winning, why not take the biggest gamble in the history of the Mortal World?"

Kang De stared at the hand for a long time.

With a flick of the wrist, he struck the opponent's palm.

A crisp snapping sound.

The emperor seemed to have foreseen all of this. His smile remained unchanged as he said directly, "Then let's get to know each other a bit first. I'll show you that I'm not lying."

Kang De seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

He began, "Your cooperation is needed for the sale of land to the nobles."

"That's easy." The emperor didn't even blink before retorting, "With such a grand scale, you're surely targeting more than just the human kingdoms, aren't you? The Arcane Council, even the elves and dragons."

Kang De nodded. "Yes, wealth only has meaning when it circulates and is used. Resources need to be used in a concentrated and proper manner to avoid inefficiency and waste."

"The occupation and control of the Northern Council is nearing completion. Once this is finished, my prestige will reach a new height, making other nations no longer dare to underestimate me. Taking advantage of this great victory, I intend to convene an international summit in the Distant Harbor to settle some matters, and this is the second thing I want to discuss with you."

He paused, then said solemnly, "I hope you can come and agree to my proposal."

The emperor said gently, "Of course... Supporting one's child's endeavors is the responsibility of parents."

Kang De frowned slightly. "Let's make this clear first. Although I don't agree with some of your ideas and beliefs, you have earned my respect for the breadth of vision, thought, decisiveness, and will you have shown as a monarch. Considering your age, I can respect you with the courtesy due to an elder, but now you want to act as my father. I'm sorry, but I cannot accept that."

"I'm going to give you this whole country."

The emperor said in an exaggerated tone, "You won't even call me 'father'?"

"First, I did not accept your country out of personal lust for power and pleasure; everything was for the purpose of repelling the Star Palace and protecting Mortal World beings, including you. Therefore, I have no moral burden in this regard," Kang De said calmly. "Second, you haven't given it yet."

"A stubborn and unruly child, is this the legendary rebellious phase?" The emperor asked with some interest. "I've heard that children go through this phase when they reach a certain age; some ministers' children have acted this way."

"Unfortunately, when I was your age, I didn't dare breathe loudly in front of my father, let alone go through a rebellious phase. I could only rack my brains to figure out what the old man meant, and fight against and eliminate my competitors. Many times, I also had to copy some inexplicable nonsense and strange words day and night..."

Otto II sighed, "My children's experiences have been much the same."

The stubborn and aloof child listened quietly, offering no comment.

After the emperor finished speaking, he looked at him, and after a while, he laughed.

"What are you grinning about?" Kang De asked, frowning.

"I'm laughing. Humans are truly amazing. Maybe I'm not quite normal either," the emperor said, shaking his head. "I find you more and more pleasing to the eye... I hear countless flattering compliments every day, which only makes me feel disgusted. But just now you said I've earned your respect, and I'm actually very happy about that, even ignoring your repeated rejections."

"Normally, no one in this country dares to disobey what I say, and I take it for granted. But just now, or even earlier, whatever I said, you listened quietly, whether you agreed with what I said or not... I was actually very happy about that."

Kang De didn't know how to respond, so he just shrugged.

"Okay, I promise you... everything. I'll go to the summit in Distant Harbor to help you, and I won't insist on being your father for now, because I've already felt your respect."

The emperor smiled kindly, which made Kang De realize that this middle-aged man, who did not show much signs of aging, was actually his greatest potential enemy and challenge in the Mortal World in the past year or two.

Fate is truly unpredictable.

"Let's get back to the main point... Are you also going to sell land to elves and dragons?"

Kang De replied, "My land in another world is precious, safe, scarce, and far from war and destruction. Therefore, it is expensive, rare, and requires a huge price to obtain; it is worth paying an extremely high price to acquire."

As he said this, a sly glint appeared in his eyes.

"That's precisely why it's worth giving away," he added, "That's why it's worthwhile."

The emperor was taken aback, then clapped his hands and burst into laughter.

He laughed for a while, then asked, "Do you have a clear idea of the land sale price and plan?"

This question carries the meaning of testing and teaching—in the emperor's view, although this "chive harvesting" plan is amazing, those thriving leeks are not without Spark, and they will definitely not obediently let you harvest them.

To seize this opportunity, one needs a detailed plan, meticulous arrangements, and decisive measures. Even an emperor would need to proceed slowly and thoughtfully. Kang De, lacking political acumen, would likely produce a crude plan if he were to offer one now. This is where his elders come in to provide guidance...

"Damn, I know exactly what I'm doing."

Kang De got right to it. Sitting opposite the emperor, he began. "First, why buy a house... I mean, buy land? In short, it's a necessity!"

"Then, what makes them think this is a necessity? Publicity, of course! Subtle, pervasive publicity! An oasis amidst a cataclysmic disaster, an ideal land far removed from the world, Spark hope left for future generations... All of that must be done! Hype, hype, advertising—and the threat from the Star Palace is free publicity!"

"All supporting measures must be arranged! The high price is justified!"

"Attract investment! Land can be approved! If you're so capable, build a golem factory over there, and you'll get plenty of loans! If you take the land and dare to hoard it without developing it, waiting to sell it later, I'll hang your whole family on the streetlights!"

Kang De began to speak eloquently about these methods, leaving the emperor dumbfounded!

"... Open up the market? Why should we open up the market! A bunch of filthy scum, dogs, do they even deserve to buy my land? All of you, go to the lottery! Only those who win can buy!"

"Suppress the secondhand market? What a joke! Of course we'll speculate! And I'm getting in on it too. Why not make money off these idiots? Besides, if we don't drive the secondhand price sky-high, how will any fool think this stuff is valuable?"

"Evil? This is hardly evil. War bonds against the Star Palace, concept stocks related to the Star Palace technology, virtual currencies that can serve as refuge certificates for entering the Shelter... I mean, Redemption Coins, haven't they all been listed yet? If I weren't afraid of attracting poor suckers to join the fray, I would have listed them all!"

"..."

When the emperor mechanically accepted the fourth bottle of Coke from Kang De, a small blackboard even appeared in front of him, covered with scribbles.

Kang De has already discussed the "welfare housing allocation system" and the "talent introduction program."

A sinister net is slowly being cast around the upcoming Distant Harbor International Summit.

Otto II had already seen through Kang De's plan.

Distant Harbor will become the driving force of the Mortal World, and this "real estate salvation" plan will become a powerful pump, drawing the freshest fuel from all over the Mortal World, including talent, wealth, wisdom and technology, and continuously injecting it into this engine, bursting forth with a terrifying power to fight against the Star Palace!

And, most importantly...

Unless the Star Palace never invades the Mortal World again, every attack they launch on the Mortal World will make this pump pump harder and the engine run more violently, making the fleeced willingly fleece them!

"I will also invite powerful and noble families who control vast resources and manpower in the Mortal World to participate in the development of Shelter, the establishment of settlements, and the construction of cities and villages."

Kang De murmured, "They will certainly invest most of their resources in the Shelter, especially once the threat of the Star Palace is confirmed... I will reveal to them that if the Star Palace becomes too powerful and the Mortal World cannot resist, then Mortal World beings will do their utmost to migrate to this new world. At that time, the Land of Shelter they build will bring them unimaginable power and wealth... Ha."

Even the emperor felt a chill run down his spine.

But a hidden excitement lingered within me.

He swallowed a sip of his drink and asked, "What if someone doesn't follow your plan?"

"Um?"

"They refuse to buy your land, offer you only minimal support, and prefer to stay in their homeland, refusing to go anywhere else... What are you going to do with such a goal?"

"Is that even a question?" Kang De said without hesitation, "They must be in cahoots with the Star Palace."

He said coldly, "The kings of the Mortal World support me, the strongest military force on the continent is in our hands, and even in terms of wealth, we have the upper hand— in the Otto Triangle, we hold an overwhelming advantage. When the tide has turned, and when all my plans and arrangements are executed flawlessly, the whole world will have no choice but to believe in this myth of Shelter and do everything possible to ensure that it is not exposed."

After speaking, Kang De glanced at the stunned emperor. "What's wrong?"

"I can't imagine," the emperor said blankly, "What you would look like if you became a slut."

Kang De paused for a moment, then chuckled.

"It seems I've convinced you."

"That absolutely terrified me."

"We'll discuss the specific issues behind closed doors at the summit. This plan first requires the cooperation and approval of Mortal World kings, and it also needs a large number of people to implement it. This is also one of the purposes of the summit."

Kang De calmly stated, "Resources, technology, personnel... We need to establish an organization, funded and staffed by various powers, to counter the Star Palace."

The emperor asked, "What organization?"

Kang De immediately replied, "GDI! Global Defense Organization!"

"... What name? It's a bit strange." The Emperor said casually, "You need to change your habit of randomly coming up with names. Let's discuss this naming issue at the summit. Speaking of which, haven't you forgotten something?"

Kang De racked his brains for a moment. "I also mentioned property tax... What did I forget?"

The emperor sighed, "Alex."

"Oh, that wild bird," Kang De exclaimed, "Let's issue a global bounty and a warrant for its capture. Once it's caught, I'll personally dismember it, and that'll settle things between us."

His tone was calm.

Indeed, when plotting such a shocking plan, Crown Prince Alex was truly an insignificant pawn...

Otto II shook his head and said, "That won't do."

Kang De paused, his eyes narrowing, a chilling glint in them. "What?"

"Don't look at me like that—if the Empire issues a declaration that the Crown Prince has defected, it will be a blow to the Empire's reputation. If you then openly issue a bounty, it's practically slapping the Empire in the face. Although I don't particularly care that you're the one slapping us in the face, the people within the Empire will care."

"If you were to take over power from me in the future, even those loyal to me would harbor resentment when they think back to what happened today, let alone the other factions. This is not conducive to the unification of power or the consolidation of people's hearts..."

The emperor spoke slowly and deliberately, "Of course, if you don't care, and you've had your fun, that's fine too. Even if it causes internal strife like the Council within the empire, that's up to you."

Kang De lowered his head and thought for a moment, then said, "Just tell me directly, what's the crux of the problem?"

"Solving this is very easy."

The emperor held up one finger. "It's nothing more than a matter of legitimacy—let's establish our legitimacy first. That way, you can act as my chosen and favored successor, launching an attack and purge against Alex, this defeated and fleeing enemy. With this justification, it's perfectly logical, and no one can find fault with it."

Upon hearing this, Kang De angrily retorted, "I knew it! You still want to be my father!"

"No way."

The emperor calmly replied, "Since I've already agreed, I won't think about that for now—don't you consider me a respected elder? If an elder wants to marry his daughter to you, you can't refuse, can you?"

He raised his chin, indicating, "Let's get straight to the point today. I'll call all my children to this study. You can pick one or a few you like and take them with you. The rest, just kill them all here, so we don't have to deal with this later."