Civilization: Beyond Two Worlds

Chapter 20

Elf

Out of some unpredictable sense of danger, Kang De temporarily suppressed this bold thought.

At home in the valley, the knight was treated kindly.

“Is black tea okay?”

Kang De held a bottle of iced black tea and smiled.

“…Thank you. Water is fine.”

Knight Cleveland trained by purifying his mind and body. Tea and wine would affect his state.

Kang De thought for a moment and brought him a bottle of mineral water.

“Thank you.” The knight was surprised by the transparent and light material of the mineral water bottle, but he did not show any shock, which disappointed Kang De slightly.

After all, as a civilized person in modern society, no matter what his personality was, he would definitely feel a sense of superiority when facing the “natives”. Moreover, he had read so many novels and was looking forward to that show-off scene.

—Look at this mineral water bottle. It’s transparent, light, and made of an unknown material. Will you be shocked? Do you think this is a rare treasure? I’m sorry, that kind of thing is everywhere in our place.

That was probably his thought.

He thought for a moment and was a little unwilling to give up. Then, he asked, “This kind of thing is not common in your place, right?”

“I should say that I’ve never seen it before.”

The knight replied frankly without any embarrassment of being ignorant. He sized up the drinking water bottle in his hand and pondered for a moment before saying, “The wealth of Cathay is really unexpected. If I’m not wrong, this is specially provided water for nobles to travel long distances or lead armies, right?”

Kang De frowned, “Ah?”

“The things that the nobles pursue have to be beautiful, thick, and luxurious. This bottle is light and lacks class. I’m afraid it’s not something the nobles use daily.”

“Civilians can’t afford it, let alone need it. After all, water is everywhere. Why do you have to do this?”

“After thinking about it, there’s only one use. Its appearance is also convenient to store and carry. It should have been specially prepared for a large number of important figures like you. After all, this is an overseas deserted island far from human habitation.”

As the knight analyzed, he unscrewed the cap like Kang De and compared the markings of the cap. He said in surprise, “This design… is very ingenious and has a lot of uses. This ordinary but subtle design can reflect one’s true strength. It seems that the development of Cathay has exceeded our imagination over the years.”

“…” Kang De looked at the knight in confusion.

The knight took a sip of the water in the bottle in a pleasing manner. Then, his expression changed slightly. He quietly swallowed it and smiled elegantly at Kang De.

—What’s with that expression just now? Do you think it tastes bad? Do you have any objections to the mineral water that costs a few dollars a bottle? Is the water in your other world so delicious? Is it so great to have magic?

“Your life is really simple. Although you have special privileges, you still maintain the lowest level of material desire and enjoyment. It’s really admirable.”

A look of admiration and approval actually appeared on the knight’s face, “I’ve heard of such a saying in Cathay. Using beautiful cutlery is something that must be maintained for honor, but eating rough rice with beautiful cutlery is a noble virtue that has been cultivated from a young age. It’s for people like you, right?”

He praised sincerely.

—F*ck you! Even if I eat until my mouth is covered in oil every night and lie on the sandalwood bed playing games until I’m done and preparing to sleep, I’ll occasionally think to myself, “Isn’t my transmigration life a little too satisfying?!”

—Also, did you mock me just now? B*stard, you did mean that, right?

The plan to show off against the people of the other world had failed subtly.

How should he put it…

They were not on the same page at all.

In addition… Cathay.

This knight had mentioned Cathay many times.

Along the way, Kang De asked indirectly and already had an idea.

In this world, there were probably also Asian countries similar to ancient China. They had black hair and eyes, and they had another civilization that was completely different from the West. The two continents were separated by the sea, and there had been no large-scale communication for hundreds of years.

These people treat him as a Cathayan… It was good.

It’s safer than them thinking that he’s from another world…

East?

He felt a trace of yearning and curiosity.

There was a term called cultural recognition. Although the “continent” and “Cathay” that the knight spoke of were completely unfamiliar countries and civilizations to him, as expected, the latter could make him feel closer. After all, they had the same appearance and seemed to have similar cultures and even… languages.

He had transmigrated to the wrong place. How did an Asian like him transmigrate to the territory of Western Civilization?

Kang De continued to inquire calmly.

The knights came from a duchy called “Goethe”. It was a human kingdom. There were many duchies on the continent. They were nominally vassals of the Human Empire and had a high degree of autonomy. Together, they formed a loose community.

The reason why they floated here was that they had encountered the Elven Navy and fled here to take refuge.

Kang De frowned. Did that not mean that these guys would bring aggressive enemies?

Moreover… elves?

Kang De, who had been bombarded with Internet information, perked up.

Sharp ears, extremely beautiful, aloof from worldly affairs, loved art and was close to nature.

They were simply the star race of the Western Fantasy World.

If the protagonist of that year’s Western Fantasy did not have an elf friend, he would simply be embarrassed to greet others. In addition, there were many variations, such as the coquettish, unrestrained, sinister, and despicable Dark Elves, as well as the Sex Elves who gathered together to play and have sex all day, and so on.

Therefore, how could these Goethe people have a grudge against the elves?

According to the impression he had in his previous life, Kang De looked at Knight Cleveland with a critical gaze. Little guy, you must have gone to the forest to capture elves every day to use them for pleasure.

It was too depraved and shameful.

The knight had a subtle expression, “…Mr. Kang De, what’s the matter?”

“You know that I don’t know much about your continent.”

Kang De said slowly, “Therefore, I’m very curious why your country fought with the elves. In other words… did you capture the elves for the slave trade?”

If this was true, his evaluation of these Goethe people would be greatly reduced.

No matter what race they enslaved, slavery was slavery. Human traffickers were human traffickers. As a modern person, it was completely unacceptable.

The knight was first stunned, then he shook his head and smiled bitterly, “You indeed don’t know much about the situation on the continent… Although the slave trade has not been banned on the continent, almost no one dares to do the trade of elves.”

Kang De said, “Why?”

Cleveland said, “Because the Twilight Dynasty announced to the continent hundreds of years ago that any act of kidnapping and enslaving elves will be seen as a declaration of war. Individuals who enslave the elves will be killed. Organizations that enslave them will be razed to the ground. Families that enslave the elves will be wiped out. Countries that enslave the elves will be destroyed.”

“…” Kang De was shocked, “So fierce?”

The knight did not answer.

The Twilight Dynasty was like the sun in the sky. The power of the elves covered the entire continent. Military deterrence, economic infiltration, cultural invasion, and immigration were really too powerful.

“Impressive, impressive.”

Kang De nodded and said, “To use such an extremely domineering method to protect every subject, it has yet to be declared a war by the entire world. This so-called Twilight Dynasty is really something.”

Hearing the Cathayan praise the enemy country, the knight could not help but say, “Sir, you’re wrong.”

He said, “The larger a country is, the less they care about the thoughts of the commoners. The Elven Empress and the royal ministers will care about a year’s worth of taxes, the increase in the share of trade exports, how many new main ships are in service, and what new breakthroughs in magic technology there are. The only thing they won’t care about is whether an elf with an ordinary bloodline and a humble background is enslaved and trampled by the outsiders in a corner of the continent.”

Kang De was surprised, “But didn’t they announce that they wanted to protect every subject…”

“Please allow me to point out, Sir. That’s not a statement of protection, but an excuse for war.”

Knight Cleveland said, “The elves have run this declaration for hundreds of years until it is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, until everyone on the continent believes that the elves will start a huge war for an enslaved citizen. Therefore, when the elves declare war using this reason, they will stand on the moral high ground. The general public opinion on the continent will take this for granted.”

A trace of mockery appeared on his face.

“Therefore, the Twilight Dynasty won’t care if ordinary citizens are enslaved. As long as it doesn’t blow up, they might even turn a blind eye. However, when the faction or country that enslaves the elves becomes the next goal of the elves’ expansion strategy, all the sins will instantly be announced to the world and become evidence in the impassioned speech of the council members. It will become the reason for the war of the Twilight Dynasty.”

The knight said coldly, “Moreover, according to the rumors, the Military Intelligence Bureau of the Twilight Dynasty will even take the initiative to send trained beautiful spies and order them to become the captives and toys of a noble or faction leader in a beautiful coincidence, allowing them to be trampled and enslaved. When the war is ready, this pitiful slave will be saved by her righteous clansmen and stand in the Full Moon Hall to show the injuries and pain on her body to everyone in the Twilight Council and make a bloody accusation.”

“…”

F*ck.

Kang De felt that his logic was collapsing.

Were these… really elves?

The transmigrator muttered, “This is different from the elves in my impression…”

The knight asked curiously, “In your impression… what are elves?”

They lived in the forest and were very beautiful. Moreover, they often appeared as a partner of the orcs in various fantasies. In recent years, their relationship with the green-skinned creatures had undergone a subversive change.

A large flow of information appeared in Kang De’s mind.

If he showed this guy the thing in his notebook, what would this serious knight’s reaction be? Would he laugh to death or go mad on the spot?

Kang De suddenly thought of something.

“…Forgive me for being presumptuous, but will the elves who chased you here come onto my island?”

He asked cautiously.

To be honest, he did not have any relationship with these Goethe people and did not want to be inexplicably involved in such a war and murder. What a joke, helping the natives fight when he came to the other world. Was he crazy?

“Don’t worry.”

Cleveland subconsciously said, “The elves treat the Holy Seal Islands as a forbidden area. This is a taboo for their entire race. Even if we kill them, they definitely won’t dare to approach here. I…”

At this point, he suddenly woke up. His expression changed and he covered his mouth with a bang.

The sound felt like it hurt.

“…” Kang De looked at him. “What’s wrong?”

The knight’s eyes revealed nervousness and unease. He shook his head like a child who had caused trouble.

Kang De was even more puzzled, “…What’s wrong?”

The knight hesitated for a moment before shaking his head.

Kang De’s expression slowly sank. “Mr. Cleveland, your strange actions make me feel uneasy. I hope you can resolve my doubts. It’s better for us to be honest.”

The knight’s gaze shook and struggled intensely. After a long time, he slowly put down his hand and whispered, “Mr. Kang De, you’re from the Cathay Empire. I heard that in some fields, the mysterious attainments of the Cathay Empire surpass the continent. Then, may I ask if you’ve heard of some strange phenomena? It’s… it’s that…”

He hesitated and said, “Even if a person says something reasonable and logical, the outcome will often be contrary to his deduction… Have you heard of this phenomenon?”

Kang De subconsciously said, “Isn’t this a jinx?”

“…Jinx?”

…