Civilization: Beyond Two Worlds

384 The Place I Want to Go the Most

The door of the reception room was finally pushed open.

Kang De walked out as if nothing had happened. He quickly glanced to the left from the corner of his eye and then to the right.

He had a reserved and upright expression.

Then, the fragrance assaulted him. Tina jumped out from behind and naturally held his arm. An indescribable part pressed over with a majestic force, almost wrapping his arm.

Kang De was both comfortable and troubled. He turned to look at Tina.

The princess returned a bright smile. The shy blush on her face had not completely faded. She blinked and looked at Kang De, revealing a silent and playful question.

—Can’t I?

—Alright, alright, alright. Whatever you say.

Looking at that smile and feeling the warm touch close at hand, Kang De’s heart swayed.

He subconsciously twisted his fingers. The previous feeling seemed to be lingering, but it also seemed to have been forgotten. However, what was certain was that he could not say any rejection… In his 21-year-old life, the man called Kang De finally realized how weak he was.

He lost this battle.

Looking at Kang De’s helpless expression, Tina snorted a few times before letting go of him.

Kang De was stunned and even felt a little disappointed.

The girl pursed her lips and smiled. “Why? You can’t bear to?”

Kang De said seriously, “Nonsense!”

The princess seemed to have seen through everything and revealed a bad smile.

“If you can’t bear to…” She smiled and whispered, “Then find another time?”

Kang De took a deep breath and turned his head to the other side in silent protest.

He was so angry. This feeling of being controlled felt very good.

Tina smiled and hugged him from behind. As she smiled, she whispered in Kang De’s ear like a little demon, “I’m joking… anytime.”

At this moment, a shout sounded from the other end of the corridor.

“What are you doing?!”

Kang De and Tina turned at the same time. The gorilla’s head poked out from the end of the corridor.

The princess let go of Kang De as if nothing had happened and took two steps back. The gorilla had already jumped over like a whirlwind and pulled him over like she was protecting food. Then, she glared at Tina fiercely.

Tina smiled at her calmly and friendly.

The calmer she smiled, the gorilla became angrier.

She glared at him and said, “What were you doing to Kang De just now?”

Tina chuckled and said, “Hugging him to show gratitude and love. You can do this too.”

“I, of course, I have to do this!”

Therefore, the gorilla immediately circled half a circle and came behind Kang De. She jumped onto his back and hugged his neck. She rested her chin on the top of his head and wrapped her long legs around his waist. She looked at Tina in a demonstration manner, looking like she could do it.

Tina burst out laughing.

How should she put it?

Although the current gorilla was a tall and bright woman, her short red hair was like flames, highlighting a passionate and domineering charm, and the nickname “Crimson Empress” was really not bad at all.

However…

However, her current expression, posture, the way she hugged Kang De, and the way she glared at him…

It was as if a silverback gorilla was riding behind Kang De and glaring at him as if demonstrating.

Therefore, the little jealousy Tina had just felt immediately dissipated.

That was it?

How could she lose?

From the beginning, she felt that the gorilla was very familiar as if she had seen it somewhere before, but she had no impression. In the face-to-face communication, she obtained an unbelievable answer.

She asked Kang De for confirmation and obtained an affirmative answer. Only then did she accept the truth. This powerful woman with shocking combat strength was indeed the gorilla beside Kang De. She secretly followed the Penguin to the continent and for some reason, she transformed into a human… and became like this.

The extremely intelligent and mysterious animals on the Holy Seal Islands could actually become extremely powerful humans. This really made Tina’s imagination run wild.

After all, she was knowledgeable and knew the secret of the Holy Seal Islands. She had once seen with her own eyes how the few of them had easily killed the elf army that was enough to destroy the entire crew of the Penguin. Moreover, it was only in its beast form, the Holy Seal Islands that had all supernatural powers sealed.

Of course, this was not the point.

Most importantly, the gorilla was very close to Kang De, and no matter how she looked at it, she knew him first. This caused Tina to feel sour and wary. The gorilla was clearly a powerful opponent.

However, now, she realized that she was wrong.

She could not laugh, could not laugh, and had to endure it. This way, she would have no opponent and looked very easy to coax.

The gorilla frowned. Tina turned a blind eye to her actions. Not only was she not angry, but she also revealed a doting and tolerant smile, which made her extremely unhappy.

She asked Kang De again, “What did you do just now?”

Kang De said seriously, “I didn’t do anything. It was just an ordinary…”

The gorilla did not speak. She suddenly lowered her head and stretched out her pink tongue to lick Kang De’s face. Her long bite even left wet traces.

—It smelled of lying!

Of course, the gorilla would not say that.

She asked, “Why does your face smell of her?”

...

“…”

“…”

‘Because I’m flirting.’

After explaining for a long time, he finally explained something like “Because Tina was under a lot of pressure and wanted to cry, I lent her my body to hug and cry for a while, so I got some smell”.

“Just this once!”

The gorilla seemed to be convinced and her tone softened, but she still scratched her nose at Tina and mocked, “Cry, cry, cry. How shameless!”

Tina smiled at the gorilla. Not only was she not angry, but she also nodded in agreement.

It was as if she was looking at a child.

Next was the time for the three of them to travel together.

After breakfast, the three of them walked around the palace of Goethe. The battle had just ended and there were a lot of things to do. Many things had to be arranged and dealt with. From the Grand Duke to the servants, there was no one who was not busy. Along the way, they had already encountered a few waves of people who moved things, asked to see the Grand Duke, and mobilized resources.

Kang De said, “Is there anything I can help with?”

...

Tina thought for a moment and shook her head. “It’s fine. The elf invasion army has always been very honest. The Phoenix King used the strictest orders to restrain the entire invasion army to prevent another change. Our people are gradually recovering our territory. There’s no new news of battle so far, and there’s no movement at the border with the Empire…”

…It was completely war-related.

—How can a transmigrator like me do the work of nuclear weapons?

Kang De said in a subtle tone, “I mean, food, medicine, weapons, money… Is there anything I can help with? Is there no shortage?”

Tina smiled at him. “Not for the time being. After all, Red Maple City is the capital of Goethe. We’ve made many preparations for this war. It’s only been a day since the siege, but you rushed over. The consumption is actually not great. Moreover, according to the initial terms drawn up by the Privy Council, we have to receive all the resources of the Elven Expeditionary Force and ask for a considerable war compensation…”

At this point, the princess sighed, as if she had mentioned something difficult to say.

Kang De realized the subtle change in her tone. “What’s wrong?”

“…Father originally planned to tell you this question personally, but I think it’s more convenient for me to ask than Father. After all, it’s an awkward thing.”

Tina said softly, “That’s right. If we can obtain enough war compensation from the elves, including the weapons, equipment, resources, and supplies handed over by the entire invasion army, it can minimize the trauma of the war. However, the key to the problem is…”

She looked at Kang De and sighed faintly without saying anything.

Kang De thought for a moment and understood.

The winner could take everything. This was a war creed that could work on Earth.

Not to mention in the other world where the strong preyed on the weak.

It was Kang De who defeated the insufferably arrogant Elven Expeditionary Force. It was Kang De who saved Goethe, which would have been destroyed. According to the rules of war common in the world, even if the Twilight Dynasty gave an astronomical war compensation and left behind a huge supply that could arm hundreds of thousands of troops…

—That has nothing to do with Goethe.

It was completely Kang De’s.

—If you want it, fine. If you can snatch it, everything is yours.

Could they snatch it? No.

However, Goethe clearly needed and wanted it.

“I see.”

Kang De thought for a moment and said, “Many Goethe officials and nobles represented by the Privy Council want to obtain this huge pie, but they can’t bring themselves to do it and don’t know my attitude. Therefore, they want to play the emotional card and ask the Grand Duke and you to do some work. After all, in their opinion, we’re family. The spoils of war are mine, which is Tedrell’s, which is Goethe’s… Is that so?”

It turned out that the pressure in Tina’s heart did not only come from her and the country, but also from others.

The princess revealed an uneasy expression. “Kang De, don’t be angry…”

“I’m not angry. This is their job. I won’t be angry about such a thing.”

Kang De was not lying.

He was indeed not angry.

If it was yesterday, he might have been angry.

However, today…

—I’m the number one elegant, easy-going, and understanding kind person in the world!

After all, when people encountered happy events, not only were they in high spirits, but their bodies were also in high spirits and their tempers would improve!

His smile comforted Tina. “What did your father think?”

“Father said that Tedrell will repay a favor and pay a debt. It’s difficult to repay your kindness in saving Goethe. Not only is it stupid, but it’s also shameful to think of relying on emotions to seize benefits that don’t belong to you.”

“However, Goethe indeed needs a huge amount of money to revive the economy and repair the wounds of the war. Therefore, he wants to discuss it with you properly and borrow that money from you by renting it. He wants to use Tedrell’s industry, collection, and land as collateral… That’s what he said…”

At this point, the princess’s tone became depressed.

This was the sorrow of a weak country. Even a dignified monarch had to lower his voice.

“Actually, that’s what it means,” Kang De said. “I’m no longer interested in money. If you want to use it, use it. You don’t have to mortgage it.”

“Yes,” Tina insisted. “This is Father’s idea and mine. We can’t owe you more, or we really don’t know how to pay you back.”

Kang De shook his head and said, “There’s no need to calculate so clearly between us. We can’t calculate it.”

If he really had to calculate, how much was the power of the Fire Thief that Tina had given Kang De through the Knighting Ceremony?

After bringing Kang De to the continent, a series of coincidences caused him to be pierced by the divine power dagger and unintentionally open the door to the two worlds, allowing him to finally return home. How much was this worth?

What was the price of the knight’s life?

Tina wanted to say more, but Kang De waved his hand. “These are all small matters. They’re details. Goethe has to undergo post-war reconstruction, boost the economy, and repair the trauma. I don’t object to using war reparations to do this. It’s more like I welcome it, but I have some ideas about the details of the operation and the way it’s reconstructed.”

He thought for a moment, then smiled at the princess and said, “When Hong San comes, I’ll discuss it with him first.”

“Hong San…”

This was an old friend of Glory Sand.

Tina lowered her eyes and sighed softly.

“I really can’t imagine that a person can change so much in a short period of time… Although I want to say this, I’m in no position to say such a thing, right?”

In a short period of time, she had become a completely different person. Apart from Hong San, she was the same.

After a bloody night, the people around her died one by one and left. The flowers in the greenhouse finally realized the cruelty of the wind blade and frost sword and forced themselves to grow in a determined manner. What Tina had experienced and the changes she had undergone really made her have mixed feelings.

Even now, even if she had recovered her bright and sunny side in front of Kang De, although she had displayed her best appearance to him, Tina knew that the black flower that had once bloomed was still growing healthily in her heart. Once she bathed in the shadows and darkness, it could immediately bloom again.

What replied to her was Kang De’s warm hand.

“It’s fine. You’re still you, and I’m still me. We haven’t changed.”

The princess was touched and surprised to look up and see Kang De’s calm and warm smile.

As well as the gorilla standing on Kang De’s other side, she rolled her eyes unhappily.

Ah, although there was no threat, what way could he temporarily send her away…

“Alright, let’s not talk about this.” She chuckled and exhaled, “Leave these things to Father, the Privy Council, and Hong San to have a headache. It’s a rare victory and a rare rest. It’s rare to walk with Kang De carefreely… Let’s relax.”

She quickly took a few steps forward and arrived in front of Kang De. She walked in a circle. “Where do you want to go? My room? Or my library, or…”

Kang De smiled and said, “Anywhere is fine.”

“Anywhere is fine. What I mean is, nowhere is fine.”

Tina took a step closer and asked, “Kang De, isn’t there anywhere you really want to go?”

A place he really wanted to go.

Kang De’s smile froze for a moment.

Cowardice, uneasiness, and sorrow instantly ruled his mind.

Yes.

“I…” He said in a low voice, “I want to see his family… Can I go now?”

…