Civilization: Beyond Two Worlds

"At least three days, at most five days…"

There was a map on the table. Hong San bent over the table and looked at it carefully, his fingers wandering around Valentine.

Kang De leaned against the table, and Leona sat on the other side. After sending Mayor Nick off, Hong San, who was recuperating in the room, finished his work and was called to the security office with the map.

Hong San already knew the entire story and was studying the map.

Leona, on the other hand, crossed her arms and turned her head to the side, sulking.

Seeing her like this, Kang De frowned and said, "I say, compared to lying to you with sweet words, it's better to tell the truth and be honest, right? I said this because I indeed think so…"

Leona snorted heavily and turned her head to the other side. "As expected, if Tina likes you, you must have cast some evil spell! Don't you know how to communicate with girls at all?"

"How is that possible?" Kang De glared at him and said, "I'm not a male chauvinist. If I'm really unromantic, when you hit my head with your hand just now, I would immediately grab your arm and throw you around—I didn't do that, right? Didn't I let you lose your temper as you pleased?"

Leona said with a straight face, "When did I lose my temper?!"

Kang De was indeed a fair person. He would definitely not compromise and accommodate the other party because of her female identity. It had to be known that such behavior was the greatest prejudice and offense against women.

He argued and said reasonably, "Come, come, come, let's figure things out…"

At this moment, Hong San suddenly turned around and said, "Master…"

This attracted their gazes. After all, everyone knew the priority. Kang De asked, "How is it? Strategically speaking, did Nick lie?"

He did not know the art of military command and war, so he had to consult professionals.

Hong San replied, "From the map, it's indeed possible for these three cities, Kunke City, Tamin City, and Red Creek Valley, to send reinforcements, and it's a three to five-day journey. However, it's only a possibility because Mayor Nick said that the Sword Orchid Army is mobilizing in Valentine's direction. It's impossible to verify or ensure that the other party can successfully command the army to gather the reinforcements of the three cities to surround the Dusk Legion… It's still a question of information."

He picked up the phone on the table and studied it for a moment with a troubled expression. Kang De took it, opened it, and pressed the play button. Mayor Nick's confident voice sounded again. The scene was clear and the scene appeared again.

The recording function of electronic products was already common sense to modern people, but in the eyes of the natives of the other world, it was like a miracle. It could replay fragments of the past. This time and space backtracking method could be said to be a divine technique. It was a problem that the Arcane Council could not resolve after hanging the wall of knowledge for thousands of years.

Even intercepting and keeping an image required extremely deep magic techniques.

Now, it was done with an exquisite and magical item.

In the scene, Mayor Nick was talking. Even if he saw it for the second time, Hong San and Leona were also focused. Then, in the end, the eldest daughter of the Vidal family could not resist the businessman's nature to pursue benefits. After an intense mental battle, she took the initiative to talk, "Is there any more of this alchemy treasure? Can you sell it?"

Kang De said in a low voice, "The war is dangerous, so don't let your imagination run wild. After guarding the city and everyone is safe, I'll talk to you about a few small businesses."

Leona smelled money and subconsciously revealed a happy expression.

Then, she seemed to have thought of something.

Something was wrong…

When they met in the city hall, this guy did not hesitate to ignore her initiative to express her goodwill.

After chasing, in that alley, he slashed down with his axe.

After leaving an extremely bad impression on him, he appeared polite and neither servile nor overbearing in the subsequent negotiations. Moreover, he said something like "I want to ensure your safety" and successfully pulled his good impression back. However, in the end, he said "I'll kill you if you betray me". It was simply infuriating.

The next interaction was completely the same. Firstly, it was warm, reliable, and reasonable. From time to time, he would say heartwarming words and do heartwarming actions, causing her to be extremely touched. However, after doing this, he would definitely say unromantic words that made her stomp her feet in anger. After she was angry, he would make her happy…

This cycle of giving a carrot after an axe made her feel very familiar.

His mother would be like this when she taught the servants a lesson, so the servants respected her. It would be like this when her brother pursued the noble ladies. The girls listened to him. When her father trained the dogs, there was even less of a need to talk about them. They were ferocious and violent, but they licked her father enthusiastically.

The more she thought about it, the more she felt that something was wrong.

Could it be that this guy was actually an expert who was good at disguising himself?

Thinking of this, Leona looked at Kang De warily, "Don't tell me… you want to play with me?"

Kang De was puzzled, "What??"

Leona narrowed her eyes and stared at Kang De from head to toe.

Kang De felt a little scared and casually added, "I don't play with women."

"…"

"…"

These words were a little ambiguous, so much so that Hong San, who was lying on the table watching the video, quietly moved his butt away.

After Kang De realized this, he immediately added, "Don't misunderstand. I mean, I've never played with women… This is wrong!"

Leona could not help but laugh.

Kang De said angrily, "What are you laughing at?"

The eldest daughter of the Vidal family looked at him and said with a smile, "Could it be that you're a virgin?"

When Kang De heard this, he looked up and laughed wildly. The sound shook the surroundings, even causing some dust to fall from the ceiling. The chandelier swayed. He looked at Leona proudly and disdained to answer this question.

Leona was frightened and surprised.

At this moment, the video was approaching the end. Hong San straightened up and heaved a sigh of relief.

The smile outlined on his lips quickly disappeared.

Kang De immediately asked, "How is it?"

Hong San's expression quickly turned serious. He thought for a moment before answering, "I can't be trusted easily."

Kang De thought so too. He said, "What's the reason?"

Hong San looked at Miss Leona. "You said before that in the beginning, when the mayor wanted to tell you the plan, he wanted Miss Leona to leave. Later on, after your objection and advice, he stopped insisting."

Kang De frowned and said, "You also think there's a problem with his attitude?"

"Yes," Hong San said. "We'll beat them at their own game and form an encirclement. We'll coordinate from the inside and ambush the Dusk Legion. Once we succeed, this powerful elf champion team will be heavily injured or even wiped out. It'll have a huge and far-reaching impact on the battle… This is undoubtedly top secret among top secrets. It's even more important than the rations reserve and military situation in the city. We can't leak it."

At this point, the Cathayan frowned, "To be able to tell you this plan, it can also be said that he vaguely guessed your identity and needed your help, so he showed his sincerity. However, it's a little strange that he doesn't mind telling me this plan. After all, he did that kind of thing on the city wall… but it can still be explained. However, in the beginning, he wanted Miss Leona to leave, but later on, it was like this. I can't understand…"

Hong San slowly said, "He compromised too easily and too quickly."

Kang De said, "So, is this a trap? Or is he lying? What's his goal?"

Hong San pondered for a moment and said, "I don't know, but I can guess. If I hate Mayor Nick in the worst-case scenario, or if Miss Leona is really colluding with the elves, what will the consequences be if I or she think of a way to send this news to the elf troops outside?"

Kang De said, "The elves will beat them at their own game. On the one hand, they'll pretend to attack the city. On the other hand, they'll ambush the troops who came to support and even set a trap to severely injure the Sword Orchid Army?"

Hong San shook his head and said, "No, this is impossible to operate. The Dusk Legion is known as an elite of 12,000. It sounds like a lot, but it includes a portion of the logistics. The Druid team and veterinary team in charge of the treatment and maintenance of the battle beasts, the battlefield medical camp in charge of medical rescue, and even the archer and swordmaster team in charge of forging and repairing equipment. There must be engineers and alchemists…"

He listed the logistics part, "Although the elves reformed the military system and greatly reduced the bloated transportation portion through technological advancement and conceptual innovation, the army will definitely not bring a large number of servants to work as auxiliary soldiers to this extent. Although their military strength is elite, it's limited."

"This means that the elves can't fake an attack through tactical deception. How much strength have they invested? They can completely deduce through the strength of the attack and even visual judgment… The division will definitely be discovered."

At this point, Hong San stole a glance at Kang De. Seeing that the other party was not angry at all and looked like he was listening humbly, he secretly heaved a sigh of relief.

Then, he continued, "As for setting up an ambush, it's impossible. Although I only arrived in Goethe in the past two months, I've also heard of the name of that Second Prince of Goethe. In the entire battle situation, the Sword Orchid Army is one of the few troops that can still maintain their advantage and win against the strong elf army. It's very difficult to ambush this army."

"Unless the quality and number of the elves far surpass the Sword Orchid Army, only then can they cover the atmosphere and prevent the mage sentry team of the Sword Orchid Army from detecting the ambush of the enemy."

At this point, Kang De was enlightened.

That's right, the situation in the other world was very different from ancient Earth, so he could not use Earth's history to understand it… Because of the existence of magic, the form of war changed greatly. A series of tactics, military strategies, and decisions had to be developed around magic.

He thought for a moment and said, "It sounds like if the Sword Orchid Army and the reinforcements of the other three cities arrive, the elf army will definitely lose. There's even no possibility of turning the tables?"

Hong San nodded and said, "There's no absolute in war, but usually speaking, it's like this. The two sides fighting first have to see the strength comparison of the division. The side with more and stronger mages occupies a huge initiative. They can roll up a torrential rain and wet the enemy's bowstring and arrows. They can summon the mud and make the enemy's cavalry troops unable to move… Even if they don't use lethal spells to provide long-range support, just changing the battlefield can greatly affect the outcome of the battle."

"If we complete the encirclement, the strength of the mages on Goethe's side will far surpass the elves."

Kang De was deep in thought. "Then, what will happen if the news is leaked to the elves?"

Hong San said, "The enemy's commander will first suspect if this is a tactical deception and trick from Valentine. They'll think of a way to confirm this information. Once they confirm it, they'll make a decision. Otherwise, they'll use all their strength to attack Valentine City and take it down before the Sword Orchid Army arrives. However, if the losses are too great or they can't attack in a short period of time, they'll…"

Kang De and Hong San said at the same time, "Run."

The two of them looked at each other. There was silence in the room.

After a long time, Kang De slowly said, "In that case, the siege of Valentine City will be released. The people will be liberated from the shadows of war, and the flames of war will no longer…"

Hong San said nothing, and Leona did not speak.

When they thought of this, their hearts wavered for a moment.

This war was Goethe's war, a battle to save their lives. However, it had nothing to do with Leona or Hong San. The two of them and their companions were innocent people who had been involved in the war.

The elves retreated. This matter was really tempting…

Hong San was momentarily sad and happy. When he thought of the people who had died today, he felt very upset. His voice became bitter as he said softly, "Could this be Mayor Nick's plan? He deliberately revealed it to us…"

Kang De knocked on the table. "Come back to your senses… Don't let your emotions interfere with your judgment."

Hong San was stunned.

Kang De said, "It's very obvious. You're only resentful and don't necessarily have the courage to believe outside the city. Whether Leona is colluding with the elves is also ambiguous. How can he place such a plan on an unclear probability? If he has such a plan, why won't he do it himself?"

When Hong San heard this, he muttered, "That's true… Then, why did he do this?"

Kang De did not speak. He sat on the edge of the table, took his phone, replayed it, and slid the progress bar to the part where Mayor Nick's emotions erupted.

Leona mocked him for disregarding the lives of commoners in order to get promoted and rich. Although it was this Miss Vidal who mocked him because of the prejudice and hatred in her heart, Mayor Nick instantly exploded and roared in response. He was a completely different person from his usual calm and collected appearance as if the pressure and madness in his heart had instantly been released.

Kang De thought for a moment and said softly, "Do you think he's willing to use Valentine as a blood bait to fight to the death to defend the city for a larger strategy and hope of victory?"

Leona said indifferently, "He's already done it whether he's willing or not."

"Doing it is one thing. What he thinks so is another."

Kang De said, "Just like what he did to defend the city, although I can understand this behavior, I can't accept it emotionally. This is the same. Although he thinks that the opportunity to surround and hunt the Twilight Group is rare and is willing to defend this city for Goethe, is he willing to let the flames of war burn in his hometown and let the familiar city suffer this sacrifice… Is he willing?"

The two of them pondered.

After a while, Leona said with a complicated expression, "What's his goal? On the one hand, he decided to defend this city to death and disregard everything, but he deliberately did such a thing, hoping that the elves can hear the news and escape… What's he thinking?"

Before Kang De could speak, Hong San sighed softly, "It's just people who can't help themselves. It's not easy."

Kang De said, "But this is only our guess. It's not necessarily right… Only he knows what Mayor Nick thinks, what he plans, and if he's hiding anything."

Hong San said silently, "If this guess is true, it can indirectly prove that reinforcements are coming… That's why the mayor has a dilemma."

"I hope so…" Kang De said indifferently, "Because even if the reinforcements don't come, we have to guard this city. Otherwise, you all understand, right? No matter what, as long as Nick is not a traitor of Goethe, we have to temporarily help him guard this city, but we have to be wary."

"But the problem is…" Hong San said worriedly, "How can we defend?"

He really could not think of what the two of them could do.

"Just do your best," Kang De said. "Persevere and wait… I called for help. They're probably rushing here now. If they can arrive in time, our chances of winning will be much higher."

When Hong San heard this, his eyes lit up. "How many people?"

Kang De thought for a moment and raised a finger. "There's only one."

The Cathayan was first shocked, then expectant, "That must be a peerless expert!"

Kang De shook his head. It was far from enough. His iron son's ammunition was limited. It was easy for him to fight dozens of elf cavalry alone, but facing an elite battle group of 12,000 people, it was really too insufficient.

After all, it no longer had any heavy firepower.

Hong San was finally disappointed and could not help but ask, "Then why is the chance of winning much higher?"

Kang De revealed a proud smile, just like all the parents in the world who mentioned their successful son. He said, "Because this child is hardworking and very capable. His work efficiency is very high. I've fought a bloody battle and can only defend a small portion of the city wall, but after a hard night, it can temporarily increase the combat strength of an entire city defense team. As the saying goes, if you want to do things well, you have to sharpen your weapons first…"

Hong San did not understand.

However, it did not matter. Kang De said to Leona, "Speaking of which, there's no time to lose. I have something to ask you to do. Send someone to the city hall to find Nick and ask him to send two sets of elf armor over. It's even better to send one or two experienced veterans who are fighting the elves. In addition, ask him to send some weapons of the city defense army. I want spears and arrows, as well as weapons like spears…"

Leona snorted. "It's quite convenient to order me around…"

She complained, but she still personally went out.

Only Hong San and Kang De were left in the room. Kang De looked at the door and frowned, "I keep feeling that Leona is getting increasingly angry. She's much worse than before. How did she become like this in the face of a battle?"

Hong San hesitated for a moment as if he was considering whether to say it or not. In the end, he made a decision and said as if nothing had happened, "Master, but Miss Leona still maintains her original attitude towards me, the people of the Chamber of Commerce, and even Mayor Nick. She's polite and generous, neither servile nor overbearing… You don't know, but girls are only rigid in front of unrelated outsiders. Being like this with you means that she doesn't treat you as an outsider…"

He did not finish, but the meaning was obvious.

Kang De was stunned for a moment, but then he understood and subconsciously revealed a proud smile.

However, in the next moment, his smile retracted and he frowned, "Wait, why are there all kinds of snorts when she has a good impression of me? Then it's not as good as before. If she has a good impression, she should be more sensible in front of me. Moreover, it's not like I took advantage of her. Why should she do this to me every other day?"

Hong San was stunned, then he revealed a speechless expression, "Master, just keep these words in your heart. Don't tell Miss Leona in person. Moreover, although she said a few words, it won't delay things. Just get someone to do what you said, but she clearly wants to personally arrange and ask. Moreover, didn't she give many things without hesitation earlier? You shouldn't be too…"

Kang De waved his hand and said, "I understand, I understand. I'm not a blockhead."

…