187 Thank You for Your Approval
Kang De understood Mayor Nick’s thoughts.
The elves invaded on a large scale, and Goethe retreated step by step. Their country was about to be destroyed, and there were countless casualties. In the danger of extinction, any reinforcements were extremely precious, let alone an extremely huge green-skinned army… This force was even enough to change the situation of the war.
Therefore, Kang De understood Mayor Nick’s anxiety and loss of composure very well.
Any patriotic Goethe person would fight for such a thing.
Unfortunately, no meant no.
He was about to turn around and leave when Nick suddenly took two steps forward and grabbed Kang De’s shoulder with both hands like iron clamps. His wrist strength was naturally far inferior to Kang De’s, but his strong mind could transcend his body.
Kang De said coldly, “Let go.”
“Why not? Why not?”
Nick’s eyes were red and bloodshot, and he looked like he had gone crazy. He did not want his poise and etiquette anymore. He glared at Kang De and hissed, “Do you know how many people have died in Goethe since the war? Those who are willing to sacrifice the most precious strength of this country are the ones who have died! Now, you only need to say a few words and the situation will change. If the green-skinned are willing to help, many fewer people will die!”
“Don’t you know what this means? Do you think we can win like this? We can’t! Unless we don’t hesitate to pay any price and gather all our strength! Otherwise, we’ll definitely lose! Everyone who’s willing to fight for Goethe will die! I’ll die, the people of this city, the people of this country, the large guilds, the princess, and everyone with courage will die!”
“Now, you have the chance to change all of this.”
“Why won’t you do it?”
“I know. I know why.”
Nick slowly let go. Perhaps Kang De’s calm and cold gaze had told him the answer. The other party could not empathize with their pain, because this was not his home.
He smiled sadly. “Because you’re not from Goethe. You’re not from Goethe after all.”
“It has nothing to do with this,” Kang De said. “I’ll do my best to help you and Goethe, but I won’t use my identity as a so-called prophet to coax the orcs into interfering in the war, because trust is very precious and shouldn’t be let down. I sympathize with your encounter and sigh at the suffering of the war. I’m willing to stand in your shoes and end this war.”
He looked at the other party calmly, “However, I have to remind you, Goethe, your country has been devastated by war, but this is not enough reason to involve innocent races in the war…”
When Nick heard this, he clenched his fists tightly and roared, “Enough! You’re not the one whose country was destroyed! You’re not the one whose compatriots were slaughtered! You’re not the one whose country was trampled by the enemy! That’s why you can calmly stand at a high place and guard your morals and bottom line!”
“Do you think I’m so willing to be a bad person? Do you think I’m born cold-blooded and cruel? I also want to fight bravely and elegantly, just like those sharp ears outside! I also want to keep my morals!”
“But there’s no other way…”
He sighed sadly and helplessly.
“This is war. In war, morality can only make you die proudly and without regrets.”
“But what’s the use?”
“It’s useless!”
Nick widened his eyes and was as ferocious as a cornered wolf, “Protect all the refugees, open the warehouse and release food, gather the warriors, protect the women and children, and fight the enemy to the death. On the day the city is broken, we’ll fight unyieldingly and burn all the foundations of our ancestors with fire. We’ll die with glory and dignity. Let the elves praise us and let the stupid commoners and nobles remember it for a few days—I know how to do such a thing too! I can do it better!”
“However, it’s useless!”
“If we can’t defend the city, what’s the point of dying?! What’s the use of dying for the country one by one? The country will still fall, and the refugees we risked our lives to protect will still be trampled and injured! No matter how many such people there are, Goethe will still be destroyed! In this chaos, we still can’t really be ruthless, so Goethe will retreat step by step!”
The mayor became louder and louder as he spoke. His tone was sharp and his expression was fierce. He roared and roared as if he was justifying his actions. He must not have been like this in the past.
However, the war made him choose. It was a cruel dilemma.
He stared at Kang De fiercely, his gaze proud and sharp.
“They should be like me!”
The collar of his decent and luxurious clothes became messy. He pulled open the button forcefully, then pounded his chest and said in a low voice, “If every Administrator of Goethe was like me, the elves would not have advanced so quickly! Defend the city at all costs and resist the elves. Fill it with your life and fight with your life! Let them be shocked by Goethe’s blood and resistance even if they take the city!”
“In fact, if we take down every city, we’ll be exhausted by the resistance and attacks. Until more and more chaos, casualties, and resistance cause the elves to suffer heavy losses, causing the Elven Council to no longer be able to endure the high casualties and losses—this is Goethe’s only chance!”
“What a pity, what a pity.”
He sighed and lamented, and his strong will was replaced by a weak sense of defeat.
“I’m only a small mayor guarding this small city.”
“But you… you’re different.”
He looked at Kang De, his eyes shining again, “The orcs… if what those green-skinned people said is true, as long as you’re willing to lead them south, you’ll save countless lives of Goethe!”
Kang De had been listening calmly. At this moment, he said, “I guess in order to protect Goethe, you definitely don’t mind how many orcs will die because of this, just like how you didn’t hesitate to put foreigners on the city wall, right?”
Nick had finally revealed his heart today and was feeling carefree. Moreover, it was meaningless to lie in front of smart people. He said without hesitation, “Yes! Moreover, how can the green-skinned be compared to humans? They’ve been muddle-headed and violent all their lives. If you bring them to fight the elves, even if they die in battle, they’ll only be grateful to you!”
Kang De said indifferently, “I’ve said it before. What they think and what I do are two different things. Let me tell you the truth. In my eyes, the people in this city have the same worth as those green-skinned orcs.”
Nick’s pupils shrank.
He looked at Kang De and saw that he did not have any teasing or disdainful expression. Only then did he understand that the other party’s words were sincere, and this shocked him even more.
“You…”
He was first surprised, then he felt a strong sense of absurdity as if he was looking at a peerlessly rare animal. “Your morals are really noble to the point of making me laugh. You should have been a priest for Akatum.”
Kang De replied, “This is not noble morals, but common sense that everyone should have. However, you don’t, and I won’t look down on you because of this. You just haven’t developed to that stage.”
“But you shouldn’t laugh, as a person of Goethe.”
He looked straight into the other party’s eyes and looked at the mockery and disdain. He said calmly, “I came to your country and stepped into a cruel war that has nothing to do with me. My hands were stained with blood and I helped you defend this city. The reason is my integrity. It’s justice to punish the strong and help the weak. It’s pity for the victims who have fallen into the violence of war and respect for the brave people who are brave enough to protect their homes and resist invasion. In short, it’s nothing more than morality. If not for this, I wouldn’t have come here at all.”
He would not return to this world at all.
Nick did not know what he was implying. The mayor’s eyes flickered and he glanced aside.
He sighed, “I’d rather you not be here and not guard this city. Instead, you can set off to lead the green-skinned south… It’s more valuable than staying here.”
Kang De said, “Do you know that humans are very adaptable? This is a merit and a sad thing. The sad thing is that they’ll quickly adapt to the kindness and help of others for free and slowly take it for granted. Then, they’ll criticize and tell others that they should do this and that and ask for more.”
He reached out and patted Nick’s shoulder, then pushed him back a few steps. “Do you understand? I do what I want. I don’t need you to tell me what to do.”
It would be strange if Nick could be convinced by this. He gritted his teeth and said, “What can make you change your mind?”
Kang De said impatiently, “You were right about something just now. You’re only a small mayor. Just do your own thing. There’s no need to rack your brains and offer suggestions for Goethe’s huge strategy. It’s not your turn to interfere in this matter… Now, go do what you have to do.”
He turned to leave.
Nick was helpless, but his body trembled and his eyes changed violently.
He felt sad and ridiculous.
Fate was so ironic. An opportunity that could almost change the situation of the battle and add a powerful leverage to Goethe had appeared, but the person who could decide all of this was such a Cathayan.
“…You protected your morals and willingly fought for Goethe. When you tried your best and saw people die one after another, people unrelated to you, people you knew not long ago who fought side by side, even people you knew for a long time, fighting until the end could not change Goethe’s fate.”
He slowly said, “At that time, after witnessing all the separation and destruction and even facing the… hatred of some people, are you sure that you won’t regret it at that time?”
Kang De’s figure paused slightly.
Countless thoughts appeared chaotically.
Almost immediately, he imagined the possibility Nick had described.
It was a very grim future.
“If that’s really the outcome, I definitely won’t attribute all of this to myself. All of this happened because the elves started the war, not because of me. I didn’t use the trust the orcs have in me to involve the innocent them in the flames of war. This is the right choice. No matter what, I’m not wrong.” Kang De said frankly.
However, Nick only sneered, “Naive… Do you think everyone is reasonable? There’s no reason in this world that’s greater than the destruction of a country. Do you understand?”
He understood.
The beautiful figure appeared in Kang De’s mind.
Tina, a pure and kind girl, was like this in his impression, but she had also experienced the shocking change in Glory Sand. Now, in the description of others, she had already become fierce and decisive. She was completely different from the person he knew… She had already become unfamiliar.
If Goethe really lost the orc reinforcements because of his stubbornness and rejection and could not escape defeat in the end, what would Tina think, and what would she do?
Kang De felt a stab of pain in his heart at the thought of Tina looking at him in pain and hatred.
Nick looked at Kang De’s figure quietly.
However, he still did not obtain the result he wanted.
Kang De turned and looked at him with a calm expression.
The mayor’s heart skipped a beat as disappointment swept through his heart.
“I don’t know. I really don’t know.”
Kang De said softly, “I don’t know what will happen in the future, nor do I know how much I can help. I don’t know how many people will die. I don’t know if I can fulfill my promise. I don’t even know what some people will think of me once that happens…”
In the alley, Kang De’s eyes met Nick’s. He stood in the sunlight, Nick in the shadows.
“I don’t know any of this, just like how you don’t know why I came here calmly and firmly. You don’t know my story and experience, but I know one thing.”
Nick subconsciously asked, “What?”
Kang De smiled.
“I came here because of my promise and because of my pity and determination to end the war. I fulfilled my promise and tried my best to help the Goethe people. I abide by the bottom line and definitely won’t do anything wrong. I’ll always do this until the future, at all times, even if it still leads to the end of Goethe’s destruction in the end. I can’t change anything no matter how hard I try…”
He smiled gently. “I just know that he definitely won’t blame me for this. That’s enough.”
The mayor was speechless.
Although he did not know who Kang De was referring to, he knew that this matter could no longer be changed… at least, he could not change it.
Kang De turned and left the alley.
At the entrance of the alley, Nick suddenly said from behind, “Do you look down on me?”
Kang De stopped and did not turn around. “You’re thinking too much. I agree with your actions and admire your decisiveness, but I’m afraid of your ruthlessness and uneasy about your cold-bloodedness. Therefore, we cooperate in official matters and stay away in private. If you don’t like it, you don’t like it. Since you’re determined to defend the city, you don’t have to care about the opinions of others.”
“No, you’re looking down on me.”
Nick leaned weakly against the wall and slowly said, “No, I think you look down on anyone.”
Kang De was silent for a moment before smiling. “Nonsense.”
He left easily.
Nick stayed in the alley and looked up at the sky. The violent elemental abnormalities left behind by the intense spell battle had still not dissipated. Dark clouds filled the sky, and from time to time, arcane arcs of light exploded.
“You’re right about one thing.”
The mayor muttered, “I don’t have to care what others think… What you say and what I do are two different things. You can stay out of it, but I’m from Goethe.”
At this point, a tear suddenly rolled down his face.
“No, no, it’s not like that.”
Tears suddenly fell like torrential rain. In an instant, Nick was already covered in tears.
“I still care about what others think…”
He slowly squatted down and wrapped his arms around his knees. He covered his head and face and cried silently.
There was also an imperceptible sentence.
“Thank you for agreeing with my actions…”
…
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