Mid-December.
Xiang Nan took a military airship from the Republic of Padokea and arrived in the Kakin Empire.
This time, he came at the invitation of King Hui Guo Rou.
Ever since Xiang Nan, representing the Padokea military, struck a deal with him, the two had rarely kept in touch—or rather, they had reached an unspoken understanding to mind their own business: Xiang Nan wouldn't leak Kakin's secrets… and Kakin would help the Republic of Padokea build national strength while deterring the V5.
But after all these years, Hui Guo Rou suddenly asked to see him now. Xiang Nan knew exactly why.
The last time he came to Kakin, it was for a system mission, and the one who received him was the First Prince, Benjamin.
This time, the reception was on an even higher level.
It was King Hui Guo Rou himself—
and several other princes as well.
It showed just how much the fat man valued Xiang Nan's personal visit to the Kakin Empire.
Officially, of course, this meeting was billed as a "friendly exchange" between two nations.
Xiang Nan was still here as the Republic of Padokea's military representative.
Compared to the somewhat "on-a-knife's-edge" atmosphere of last time, Hui Guo Rou was downright warm this time… after all, last time he'd been strong-armed by Xiang Nan and agreed, very unwillingly, to unreasonable demands.
A long motorcade of luxurious black cars rolled through the capital's streets; to welcome Xiang Nan, Hui Guo Rou even locked down sections of the city. The two of them chatted animatedly in the car, neither of them bringing up "business" first—both were sly old foxes.
Xiang Nan had also brought Owl along on this trip.
After a round of polite, empty small talk, they returned to the palace and went straight into a banquet.
In the hall, Xiang Nan laughed and mingled with the key figures of Kakin's royal family.
Owl sat beside him, taking in the lavish scene. It was his first time formally meeting a national leader—and of all places, in the militarily mighty Kakin Empire. Hui Guo Rou, seated on the royal throne, clinked glasses with Xiang Nan like an equal, without the slightest airs.
To Owl, this was something the former "emperors" of the underworld—the Ten Dons—could never hope to match.
Even if the fat man opposite looked comical and lacked any outward gravitas, everything Owl had seen in Kakin's capital, plus the palpable "power" inside the palace, pointed to one thing: in the Kakin Empire… King Hui Guo Rou was a god.
An entire vast nation moved at his command.
Endless resources and manpower, terrifying state depth—backing like that put the Ten Dons, even at full strength, to shame.
And though Xiang Nan was a big shot in the Padokea military, his clout back home still couldn't compare to Hui Guo Rou's. There was a real gap in status and power between them; only external factors forced the fat man to lower himself and speak to Xiang Nan as a peer.
Inside the hall, the mood was harmonious, full of laughter.
It wasn't just the graceful palace dancers—stunning and easy on the eyes. Even the attendants at the side were uniformly beautiful and scantily dressed… their glances at Xiang Nan held a flirtatious gleam.
No surprise—that was likely one of Hui Guo Rou's little touches for entertaining guests.
Owl's gaze drifted over the princes of Kakin at the banquet, his thoughts turning.
Before they came, Xiang Nan had given him a quick rundown of Kakin's princes.
"The empire's top deputy military adviser—the First Prince, Benjamin—really does feel like a lion, dangerous to the core, and nothing like his father in appearance. Judging by outside rumors and sentiment, he seems to be the strongest among the princes—whether in ability or power. Many believe he'll be Kakin's next king."
Owl's eyes shifted to the woman sitting opposite Benjamin—the Second Prince, Camilla.
"Extremely arrogant. Everything revolves around herself…"
He recalled Xiang Nan's assessment of her.
Not all the princes were present today—just a few.
But the fact that Hui Guo Rou brought these particular ones out to meet Xiang Nan made it clear he valued them more than the rest.
After another sweep, Owl's gaze finally settled on a man seated farther away, at the final table.
"So that's him… the Fourth Prince, Tserriednich—the hidden heir… the psychopath." Owl's eyes narrowed slightly as he studied the fourth prince, who for now was still an ordinary man who knew nothing about Nen. From appearance alone, Owl felt no threat whatsoever from him—completely different from the First Prince. And the prince's overall bearing and expression didn't match the "twisted" and "cruel" figure Xiang Nan had described.
If anything, he spoke little and carried a hint of royal poise and dignity… though his unfocused, drifting gaze said he had zero interest in this grand banquet for Xiang Nan, like he'd been dragged here against his will.
There was a trace of spoiled scion about him.
It was still hard to connect him to the "secrets" and "future" Xiang Nan had mentioned.
While Owl was studying the princes, Hui Guo Rou, seated in the place of honor, suddenly clapped his hands. The dancers and attendants withdrew, and even the princes were dismissed, clearing the hall. The banquet had gone well; after several rounds of wine, it was winding down. With the groundwork laid, it looked like Hui Guo Rou was ready to get to business.
Owl, knowing his place, stood up, nodded to Xiang Nan, and left the hall with the others.
Only Xiang Nan and Hui Guo Rou remained inside.
This time, Xiang Nan was the invited party. He knew exactly what little game Hui Guo Rou was playing, so he refused to bring up business first. As the host, Hui Guo Rou also knew Xiang Nan was a seasoned operator; if he wanted to talk, he'd have to be the one to open.
Last time they met, because of the "screen," they couldn't speak face-to-face or see each other's looks and expressions clearly.
Now… it was different.
"At present, the Republic of Padokea and my Kakin Empire are joined at the hip—hardly distinguishable. With our help, your military hasn't just received massive resource shipments; you've also reformed and upgraded your whole system. The money Kakin pours into Padokea every year is astronomical… for us, it's an extra burden—not just money, but manpower too. With our support, you've even established a military academy to train talent… all of this should be unfolding just as you envisioned. Satisfied?"
Hui Guo Rou's fat hand, heavy with jeweled rings, swirled a golden goblet as he asked with a genial smile.
"Very satisfied," Xiang Nan affirmed.
"And thanks to our diplomatic ties, both your personal operations and Padokea's international standing have benefited greatly since we began cooperating. Even the V5 you provoked don't dare act rashly against you. We in Kakin deserve some credit for that, don't we?"
Xiang Nan wasn't surprised—Hui Guo Rou had clearly been keeping tabs on him.
The fat man's meaning was obvious: he was angling for credit.
"I've kept my word too—and kept your secret," Xiang Nan replied.
"Heh…"
Hui Guo Rou didn't drink. He set the goblet aside instead, his chuckle oddly shaped.
Then he abruptly stood, stepped down from the throne, and began to pace. "A secret? You're not the only one from the Nameless Town who knows about the 'Pot' ceremony and the Chimera Ants, are you?
"Back then, with nothing but your tongue, you got something for nothing—blackmailing my Kakin Empire for this long. You're quite something."
His tone carried a new chill.
"So you've learned about it. Which means Kakin has also been quietly recruiting a batch of people from the Nameless Town, hasn't it?" Xiang Nan smiled, utterly unsurprised.
"Of course."