In this cyberpunk era, why are you still playing the traditional villain?

However, he was clearly prepared for this—or rather, he found this method of exchanging letters quite interesting, allowing him to experience the slow pace of life and the feeling of loving only one person in his life.

"And you two, is there anything you want to take back?"

After doing all this, Xu Shi waved to the two sisters, Feng and Ling.

Pan Cheng also brought a letter with him. Of course, he was concerned about his daughters. The girls didn't need him to remind them; they already had a lot to say to their parents.

In fact, Xu Shi didn't want the two of them to come along. Fighting the sea god would be dangerous, but they weren't delicate flowers in a greenhouse, and their attitude towards it was quite firm.

"Of course, I'll set off immediately."

The messenger carefully put away the letter and bowed deeply to Xu Shi, saying, "I hope you all take care on your journey."

Xu Shi was also his savior, so of course he hoped that the other party could return safely, and it would be even better if he could return in triumph.

"Speaking of which, since none of us are here, is it alright to leave Sister Chengcheng alone on the island?"

Xia Wuyou suddenly remembered, "She's not good at fighting, and I'm always a little worried about her."

They are all in the main territory of the empire, so it's not easy for anyone to make any small moves. But now that they've all gone to sea together, there's a fear that someone might take the opportunity to cause trouble.

"It's not a big problem. If we really want to say who would do this, it's probably only the Vatican... but they're currently taking a wait-and-see approach and most likely won't actually do it."

Xu Shi smiled and waved his hand, "Even if they really are shameless, Ye Shanshan will be with her, and Cheng Gujian will also take care of things, so there's no need to worry so much."

"It doesn't matter if Cheng Gujian stays on the sidelines. Before she left the main city, I had already handed over command of the naval combat teams to her."

If we're being honest, those dozen or so warships he hid at sea were Xu Shi's biggest trump card. With that in hand, Jiang Chengcheng would be no problem at all. She's not a fool; she knows how to protect herself.

Of course, it would be best if everything went smoothly, and he didn't want to reveal this trump card so soon. However, if someone really didn't know what was going on, it wouldn't hurt to let them experience what it meant to be haunted by nightmares.

Hearing him say that, Xia Wuyou felt relieved.

It's clear that her relationship with Jiang Chengcheng is getting better and better; she even calls Jiang Chengcheng "Sister Chengcheng" so naturally... This may not necessarily mean she truly acknowledges that you're the boss and I'm the second-in-command, but it's still a form of expression.

Not long after the messenger left, a loud shout came from not far away: "Her Majesty the Empress has arrived!"

The once bustling crowd fell silent upon hearing her words, and they all knelt on one knee to welcome her arrival.

Dongfang Xiao made quite a grand entrance today, dressed even more elegantly and luxuriously than when they first met. Surrounded by a group of ministers and knights, he slowly arrived at the port.

"Flat body."

She nodded slightly, looked at everyone and spoke calmly, her tone naturally dignified, a stark contrast to the slightly lively and carefree little empress she had been before.

It's clear that, as an emperor, she was very proficient in the basic skills required.

"I am very pleased that all of you are willing to do your utmost to defeat the Sea God."

She then added, "I'll have to rely on you to take good care of me, Grand Duke Gujian."

"I will live up to your Majesty's trust."

Cheng Gujian quickly replied.

"Long live my emperor!"

No one knows who started it, but everyone rose up and bowed to him again.

"And envoy Xu... You are not subjects of the empire, but I also hope that you will return safely, at which time the two nations will surely be at peace forever."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Xu Shi was originally on his own ship, but out of politeness, he had to come and make a show of it.

She had actually said this once yesterday at the drill ground, but saying it again now has a different meaning—it's a way of making her stance clear to the world.

The trading post had not been open for long, and many people were still confused about these outsiders. Some people were born with conspiracy theories and subconsciously felt that those who were not of their kind must have different intentions.

This is easy to see – when Jiang Chengcheng and Yu Xingchuan took over the shift, the command ship had already arrived. In the past few days, many people have been pointing fingers at it. If Cheng Gujian hadn't sent people to guard it in advance, who knows what unexpected trouble might have arisen.

Her public statement reassured everyone.

Of course, she did this for another reason: to declare that Xu Shi and the royal family were on the same side. After all, the Hualan Empire was not solely ruled by the royal family, and there were many people who were dissatisfied with it, both openly and secretly.

They naturally trusted another force, and as they spoke, another shout was heard, "Her Highness the Holy Maiden has arrived—"

The scene fell completely silent.

The Papacy's pomp and circumstance were not much smaller than that of the royal family; in fact, they were evenly matched. A veiled girl slowly approached, protected by red-robed priests, while the Knights Templar stood on either side, accompanying her to the port.

"Greetings, Your Highness—"

There were many fanatical followers of the Vatican here, and their worship and veneration were no less impressive than those who had just worshipped Dongfang Xiao.

The show's here.

This thought suddenly popped into Xu Shi's mind.

Indeed, the struggle between political forces is often reflected in all aspects. If we really want to take it to a higher level, even if one less person worships you than I do, there is a lot to make a fuss about. This so-called pre-war mobilization is no exception.

However, at this moment, his attention was more focused on the saintess herself—judging by her figure, she was definitely a good girl, but with her face covered, it was hard to say.

He doesn't believe in God, so naturally he's not interested in this kind of thing. Maybe he only covers his face because you're ugly, right?

Of course, even if this saintess is as beautiful as an angel, it doesn't matter. He has seen countless women and wouldn't be so easily captivated by every pretty one he sees. In comparison, how to maintain balance and manage the relationship between the two sides is more important.

"Your Highness the Saint."

Dongfang Xiao nodded. "It is the royal family's duty to subdue the sea god. I did not expect that the Holy See would also be willing to contribute its strength. This is truly gratifying to me."

This is actually quite interesting. The subtext is that the Papacy is also part of my royal family... Sure enough, open and covert struggles exist in every corner.

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

The veiled saintess spoke in a clear, melodious voice, her words neither humble nor arrogant: "Maintaining the stability of the empire is part of our doctrine, so how could we stand idly by?"

The implication is that this is something we have to do ourselves, and it has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not we listen to the royal family.

Xu Shi was too lazy to listen to their sarcastic remarks; he just wanted to complain.

It's almost noon already, and everyone's been waiting here for you guys to spout nonsense, haven't they? It's like a school sports meet – supposed to last three or five days, but the first half of the day is always spent on the school leaders talking nonsense, and we can't even use our phones or read comics. So annoying…

After what seemed like an eternity, the long and tedious speech finally ended, and everyone boarded the ship, waiting for the command to set sail.

The royal ships were naturally meticulously crafted, not only using the technology of Silver Pine Island, but also with some small assistance from Jiang Chengcheng before she left. Compared to Pan Cheng and his group's wooden ships, they were far more magnificent.

The Papacy's ships were easy to spot; their hulls were painted snow-white, and each ship had a statue on its bow, said to be the god worshipped by the people of the empire... I don't know what methods they used, but they looked radiant from every angle.

Interestingly, compared to Xu Shi's two ships, both the royal family and the Papacy seemed somewhat overshadowed...

Many people who had gathered around were curious about who had created this strange, enormous object.

Envy me... Xu Shi was quite enjoying this feeling. Of course, he wouldn't take someone else's boat. He immediately planned to go back. He didn't even need to wait for any instructions. I'm an outsider, why should I listen to your orders?

Just as he was about to board the ship, someone called out to him, "Envoy Xu, please wait."

Turning around, I saw a red-haired woman dressed in armor.

"Who is your Excellency?"

Xu Shi raised an eyebrow.

"Commander of the Knights Templar, Qin Yiyan."

The red-haired woman had a serious expression and a low voice.

"Sorry, sorry."

Xu Shi gave a perfunctory bow. "What brings you here, sir? Are you standing up for your subordinate?"

"That's not it. I've already heard about Luo Yu's situation; it's not entirely your fault."

Qin Yiyan shook his head, then looked him up and down. "I'm just curious, since you come from a foreign land, do you believe in gods?"

"Do not believe."

Xu Shi smiled and shook his head.

"...Without reverence, they are truly barbarians."

The red-haired woman remained silent for a moment, gave him a cold laugh, then waved her hand and strode away.

?

Are you sick?

Xu Shi frowned. To say he understood was not entirely wrong. His relationship with the Vatican was certainly not good, and he couldn't expect everyone to greet him with a smile like Lu Baiyan.

You just came all this way to make a sarcastic remark? Who spoiled you?

Okay, mark her as a bad woman.

Xu Shi never denies that he is petty. Even if you have no problems, he might find something to make trouble for you, let alone someone like this who takes the initiative to provoke you.

Anyway, there's still room for maneuver with the Vatican, so he can deal with things slowly later; he's not in a hurry.

Thinking this to himself, he turned his head and saw that all the women were scrutinizing him with strange looks.

"What are you doing here? You're here too?"

"It's nothing, I'm just curious how you have such good luck with girls. Every pretty girl wants to talk to you."

The sarcastic remarks were naturally delivered by Xie Qingyan, and his expression was exactly the same as Xia Wuyou and the others' reaction when he made fun of the Little Empress.

"Which eye of yours saw this as good fortune in love?"

Xu Shi rolled her eyes at her. "Is this what they mean by 'a doctor can't heal himself'?"

"Is not it?"

The slut retorted, "You probably already have feelings for her, don't you?"

"Does wanting to beat her up count as a thought?"

Xu Shi retorted irritably, "Am I that kind of person? Besides, red hair isn't my type, okay?"

This statement was clearly not very convincing, and everyone still had a "Really? I don't believe it" expression.

It's not really their fault. When they talked about the Little Empress Dongfang Xiao, this guy gave the same answer, and who knew that the other party was exactly as he described? Now we have to be suspicious of you.

"……OK!"

Feeling annoyed by their stares, Xu Shi inexplicably got angry and said, "I'm putting my words on the line today!"

"Unless she has her hands tied behind her back, kneels in front of me, and begs me to do *that* to her, don't even think about it, okay?!"

(End of this chapter)