Civilization: Beyond Two Worlds

396 Monopoly

“The Phoenix King asked me to bring you a message.”

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone’s expressions changed.

The Twilight Dynasty was the greatest client of Dragon Island’s Defense Company. The two countries were strategic partners. The elves had suffered in Red Maple City. The dragons had died in Red Maple City, and it was all Kang De’s fault. The first thing the envoy of the Dragon Island said when he came to see Kang De was that the Phoenix King had asked him to bring you a message…

—It’s an assassin!

Sword Saint Snowfall immediately raised her sword. Although the gorilla’s mind was slow, her reaction was not slow at all. As soon as Hillmelia drew her sword, she was prepared to fight. Tina and Stella stood in front of Kang De almost at the same time.

“—Misunderstanding! Misunderstanding!”

Santos was simply about to explode. This girl!

He knew that the Dragon Girl’s words were very misleading. He jumped out anxiously and danced as he explained, “There are no elves! This visit is under the orders of the Dragon Emperor and has nothing to do with the elves! We were only intercepted by the Phoenix King outside the city! We don’t plan to see her, let alone want to see her!”

The Dragon Girl tilted her head and explained in a daze, “Oh, I misunderstood. The Phoenix King doesn’t have any ill intentions. She discovered me and thought that I was here to kill you, Kang De, so she stopped me and didn’t allow me to kill you. She said that if I hurt you, even if it’s only a small wound, she’ll erase Dragon Island from the world.”

“…”

“…”

Apart from the gorilla, everyone’s expressions changed from shock and defense to subtle and awkward.

They looked at Kang De.

In the past few days, they had heard the gossip about Kang De and the Phoenix King.

Several days had passed. The process and outcome of the final battle of the Goethe Moon War detonated the world at an extremely fast speed. All the people in the know were talking about Kang De’s name, asking about his background, discussing his strength, guessing his limit, evaluating his threat, and collecting all the information about him.

However, gossip was the common nature of intelligent races. In this miraculous victory, what everyone discussed the most was the story of Kang De and the Phoenix King. This matter spread quickly, far, and evil.

It was very normal. After all, the bitter elves of the world had been around for a long time. These sharp ears relied on their money, ability to fight, advanced magic technology, and prosperous culture to harvest the entire world with troops, fleets, colonization, and finance. Moreover, they were arrogant and prided themselves as a chosen race. They treated everyone present as trash.

Everyone had been unhappy for a long time.

It was already a good thing that the elves had suffered in Goethe. The arrogant king of the elves actually had an indescribable subtle relationship with an ordinary, humble, and small human. That was really news worth celebrating.

The difference in status, the estrangement between races, the hatred of the country, and the resistance of the secular world could simply touch the world with love born under such heavy obstacles, so much so that the monarchs of the various countries, the heads of the organizations, and even the leaders of social circles like the nobles, artists, and spellcasters were touched to tears.

They paid out of their own pocket and activated the public opinion machine. They were willing to praise this great love for free and let more people know about this love that crossed races to offer their blessings.

Because of this, Kang De was famous. From the west coast of Goethe to the east of the Empire, from the Sava in the south to the barbarians in the northern wasteland, his reputation as a lover quickly spread. All kinds of exaggerated rumors continuously grew.

Although the emperors, kings, nobles, and masters wanted to take this opportunity to mock the elves, they did not think of advertising for Kang De. Therefore, the people of the middle and lower levels of the other countries did not know that Kang De was a ferocious man who could make forbidden spells with his hands. They only knew that this guy had wooed the Elven Empress.

He even played and abandoned her.

Of course, this was not the main point. The main point was that such rumors were sold internally and returned to Goethe. After the three of them became tigers, it also added an indescribable subtle feeling and sense of danger to the Goethe people. Prince Kang De was Princess Tina’s fiancé and was exchanging glances with the Elven Empress. Something seemed to be wrong.

This feeling was not only felt by ordinary Goethe people, but also by the Tedrell family.

From the looks of it…

—Kang De, you still said that you didn’t woo her!

As for Kang De, he was stunned and confused.

What was going on? Was she such a domineering CEO? She wanted to destroy the entire Dragon Clan if he lost a piece of his skin?

He instinctively did not believe it. “Is that true?”

The Dragon Girl’s tone was indifferent and her expression did not waver, “I’m a dragon. I don’t lie.”

She had only exaggerated some necessary rhetoric.

Kang De was stunned for a moment before sighing.

He got along quite well with Delilah, who was pretending to be Duke Tiling. The Elven Empress had come with good intentions and reminded him that a powerful enemy from outer space was about to approach and she wanted to end the meaningless war. However, the ambition of the council made her efforts go down the drain. The war continued and blood flowed for nothing. The small boat of friendship had capsized.

The helplessness of the world and the unpredictable fate could only be said to be fate.

If not for the fact that something had happened to his father in Africa, causing Kang De to not dare to take any risks, if it was only the danger on Goethe’s side, after knowing that Red Maple City had been raided, Kang De might have directly gone to the Phoenix King to lay his cards on the table… Then, there might be a more peaceful way to end this matter.

It was not the defeat of the six armies, not the countless casualties, or the irreversible relationship.

Now, they could not be friends.

He recalled the beautiful woman above the phoenix outside Red Maple City. She did not have the domineering and dignified aura of a king. He saw the weakness and tears of the Empress of Twilight, even if it was only for a short moment.

He wanted to say that those who were not of his race would definitely have different intentions, but she was really too beautiful.

He realized that Stella and Tina were looking at him. They were being watched by the sisters and Tillian at the same time. The second princess’s eyes were filled with scrutiny, and Tina was smiling faintly and playfully.

Kang De immediately explained, “Don’t panic, it’s very normal. This is only to return my favor. She’s an elf who distinguishes gratitude and grudges. I spared her hundreds of thousands of subordinates a few days ago. It’s very normal for her to do this…”

The Dragon Girl glanced at Kang De.

It was really the same as the Phoenix King’s words, but Her Highness Delilah was stubborn and only wanted to hide her true feelings. As for you…

Idiot.

She wrote on the paper a few times, then said faintly, “It’s not like that.”

The women looked over again.

The Dragon Girl said indifferently, “Her Majesty Delilah asked me to tell you not to forget her.”

The air became dangerous again.

This was not a lie, but revenge for the three clansmen.

D*mn.

What do you mean?

It could not be, right?

In a flash, under Tina’s gentle gaze and under the pressure of the chopper domain, a light flashed through his mind. Kang De had broken through his limit—he had guessed the girl’s mind!

He used a bullet to shoot!

“Nonsense!” Kang De shouted. “How can she let you tell her such embarrassing words?”

The Dragon Girl was not flustered in the face of danger. Her tone was calm and her expression was calm, “You know Her Majesty Delilah very well.”

“…”

The dragon girl dealt another blow. She looked at Tina and said, “Perhaps that’s really the case, but perhaps she foresaw the current situation, so Her Majesty Delilah asked me to say it.”

“…”

The Dragon Girl bowed and said, “I’m done.”

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, b*stard!

Apart from Kang De, Santos was also roaring in his mind.

Previously, he had reminded her a thousand times to be obedient and quiet. Don’t speak nonsense, don’t take matters into your own hands, and don’t interfere with the Dragon Emperor’s plan—it was a waste of time!

He had shouldered his mission to salvage the losses of the Dragon Defense Company, and then his teammates were beside him.

Could it be any better?

He should have interrupted her more forcefully earlier!

Now, Santos seemed to have suffered a loss and could not say anything. He could not say that the Dragon Girl was talking nonsense, right? This way, he would anger Kang De even more… He could only pinch his nose and continue.

However, in the current situation, even if he was quick-witted, he did not know how to smooth things over.

After racking his brains, Santos could only laugh dryly, “Ahahaha, we…”

Tina suddenly spoke, her tone calm and gentle, “Thank you for this dragon’s message. Kang De and I have indeed heard it. In the past few days, Kang De has received countless love letters from Red Maple City, but he didn’t even look at one and handed them all to me to deal with. The Phoenix King is quite considerate. Please say it in person and save Kang De the trouble of telling me later.”

She smiled gently, “Alright, everyone, please sit. We’re talking about the dragons today, not the elves, let alone the little coquettish cat who secretly wrote a love letter to Kang De… Let’s get to the point.”

Impressive.

Santos praised it in his mind.

No matter what he thought in his heart, at the very least, the superficial method of handling it was impeccable and generous.

—There are many cats and dogs who have improper thoughts about my man. Can I still be angry with them one by one?

He immediately looked at the Dragon Girl. This time, this young lady finally did not cause any trouble. She sat down with the assistants present. It was the classic negotiating table model. On the master’s side, on the guest’s side.

Through the vase, fruit, and decorations, Kang De and Santos looked at each other.

They all saw the sigh in the other party’s eyes, “Let the troublesome women move aside and let’s quickly resolve the matter.” Then, they discovered a consensus and felt surprised.

It was a comrade.

Santos was afraid that his teammate would cause trouble again, so he immediately affirmed the subject of the negotiation and the highest authority.

He said, “Your Highness Kang De, princesses, I have the Dragon Emperor’s token and have accepted the full appointment of the Dragon Defense Company. I’m going to Goethe to see Your Highness Kang De and welcome the remains of the dragons who died in battle to hand over the ransom.”

“According to the compensation law and the emergency battlefield regulations, as well as the Dragon Blood Declaration, the individuals, armies, organizations, and countries who kill and injure the dragons participating in the war will not be hostile and hunted by the dragons. Correspondingly, they have to return the injured, captives, and corpses of their race.”

“The captives and injured people who are returned will be directly taken over by the dragons and won’t participate in the war anymore. The ones who return them will obtain a huge ransom and reward from the dragons for shelter, treatment, and compensation for losses.”

He took out a gold plate shining with the luster of magic from a box and handed it to Kang De with both hands.

“This is a memorandum written in the Dragon language, the common language of the human continent, and the Cathayan language. If there’s no problem, please sign it, Your Highness, and this matter can end.”

Regarding ransom, the dragons had always been generous. The amount could be said to be huge.

In any case, no matter how much money there was, it was still paid for by the employing country through insurance, welfare guarantee, and contract rules. No matter how much it was, his heart would not ache.

This was to reassure the employees. Moreover, it would make the captured dragons feel very proud. Moreover, there was a huge difference between a living dragon and the ransom of a dead dragon corpse. This could maximize the safety of the mercenary dragons. Even if they fell into danger, the enemy was inclined to capture them alive, not directly kill them.

Who knew that he would encounter an unreasonable person like Kang De?

Moreover, the ransom quota this time was extremely high. The three dragons had clearly been directly killed, but the ransom quota was similar to capturing them alive without any injuries. The highest standard was filled with sincerity. As a businessman, Santos knew the principle of giving up. This side had made enough of a gesture. After settling this matter, it was easier to speak about the next thing. Compared to these three dead dragons, the financial report of the company’s explosion was the most fatal.

Kang De carefully looked at the memo made of this gold. It was very dragon-like.

He almost had tears in his eyes.

What a good person. How considerate. The user experience was so awesome.

He actually wrote it in Cathayan words.

Finally, he would not expose the nature of illiteracy.

He read it once and showed it to Tina and Stella.

The ransom limit was very shocking. When converted to gold, he could bring it back to Earth to buy air-to-air missiles and kill more dragons, forming a virtuous cycle. It was really f*cking happy to fight the dragons.

—Of course not.

He knew in his heart that dragons were extremely proud in novels. They had an overwhelming sense of superiority and extremely strong self-esteem. They were definitely unwilling to lower their heads to humans. This time, on account of the money, they shouted that it was really good, but dragons who did business were also dragons, not grandsons. This money was not so much a compensation, but a protection fee.

If they continued to fight, they would really send out hundreds of dragons to bombard the city.

However, there was a relatively awkward problem here.

There were three dead dragons, but only two corpses.

The third dragon corpse was actively extracted by the power of the Fire Thief. Kang De did not attack at all, but the power of the Fire Thief activated on its own and swallowed the dragon.

There were not even any bones left. It was even cleaner than grabbing a treasure.

He could not let the dragon know about this. Otherwise, how could the Dragon Emperor care about the company or business? He would definitely come out in full strength to fight side by side. It was either one of them dying.

“What should I do, what should I do, what should I do…”

Firstly, he could not panic and had to remain calm.

He looked at Santos opposite him. There was no joy or dissatisfaction.

Santos asked, “Your Highness, do you have any thoughts about the ransom amount?”

Kang De said with a faint smile, “I don’t have any thoughts. I’m not interested in money. Although this money is a lot, I wonder if it’s enough to compensate the relatives of the soldiers and citizens killed by the dragon…”

—D*mn, so you think it’s too little? Compensate the family? It sounds nice. One gold coin per family is enough. If a batch dies, another batch will grow next year, just like weeds by the roadside.

When these words fell into Santos’ ears, they meant to continue blackmailing him. He was dissatisfied and secretly gritted his teeth, but he still said, “If your Highness is dissatisfied with this number, we can discuss it again…”

“I’m not dissatisfied. I don’t touch money. I’m not interested in money. Even if this money is transferred, it has to be dealt with by Tina.” Kang De smiled and said, “As for me, I only want to ask a different question…”

“Please speak, Your Highness.”

Kang De knocked on the table and pondered for a moment, “It seems that your company has a perfect and mature rescue and even burial process for the dragon mercenaries who died in battle or were injured and captured…”

Santos nodded proudly. He had personally set many of the company’s rules. They were professional and orderly. This was the foundation of becoming stronger. He was proud of this.

Kang De asked again, “Then, I want to ask, can this process succeed every time?”

Santos frowned. “What do you mean, Your Highness?”

“What I mean is that you can redeem the corpses of the dragons who died in battle every time? I heard that the blood, scales, bones, flesh, and even hearts of dragons are very precious materials. The killed dragons themselves are also extremely good spoils of war that are worth bragging about. Is there no one who is unwilling to return the dragon corpses?”

Kang De smiled and said.

Santos’s expression changed.

He finally understood.

The other party did not want to return the dragon corpse.

This was no wonder.

Kang De had relied on an extremely terrifying alchemical weapon to repel the elf army and kill three dragons by himself. According to the company’s intelligence department, he was an extremely powerful alchemist.

As for dragon scales, dragon blood, dragon bones, dragon wings, and other materials, to an alchemist, they were rare treasures that could not be bought with money. They could only be bought at a high price from an extremely secret black market, the highest-secret auction, and the top exhibitions of some large Chambers of Commerce.

No one understood the scarcity, high price, and market demand of these materials better than Santos.

After all, that was another monopoly product of the Dragon Defense Company.

…

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