Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 686 - 679

Chapter 686: 679

"I understand." Luoer nodded.

"Do you understand the first phrase or the second?" Melia stared at him and asked with a smile.

Luoer didn’t respond, but coughed and lowered his head. In front of Melia, Luoer always felt overshadowed by her, she liked being in control. Even in difficult times, Luoer rarely saw her being passive.

"I have prepared a banquet for you." Seeing Luoer’s shy appearance, Melia revealed a smug smile and continued.

"That’s not necessary." Luoer declined gently.

"Not just for you, but also to enhance our friendship with the headquarters." Melia said.

"Alright." Luoer nodded and reluctantly accepted her words. Melia was smart, she invited Luoer in the name of official duties, making it difficult for Luoer to refuse.

"As for your mission, don’t worry too much. I have deployed two border infantry regiments made up of Odelanqi people. Even if they encounter resistance, they are fully capable of stopping those people and retrieving your things. You may not even need to mobilize the Advance Team." Melia reassured Luoer.

"I hope so." Luoer pressed his lips together, agreeing with Melia.

The two walked along the smooth stone path to the garden in front of the mansion. Looking at the towering mountains in the distance, Luoer suddenly thought of something and asked: "Melia, how is the situation in the Masaya Kingdom?"

"Whom do you want to ask about?" Melia turned her head and asked him.

"About everyone and everything." Luoer replied.

"Everything remains the same," Melia said, took a step forward, looked at the distant peaks and spoke with a touch of melancholy, "In the southwest of the Kingdom, the rebels are rampaging and the court is in constant dispute. However, the only consolation is that my father no longer sends people to ask me to return for marriage. Even if I return, I probably won’t have the peace to be a princess."

She said this and a self-mocking smile slowly appeared on her originally melancholic face. Based on her tone, Luoer preferred to interpret it as her feeling relieved.

"If I go back, I will wear the crown bestowed by the Pope himself, ascent to my throne, and make those who once looked down upon me and arbitrarily ruled over me submit at my feet. I want to see their astonished looks, and make them pay for their past actions." Melia stared at the peak in a daze, uttering these words absently.

After a slight pause, she turned her head to look at Luoer. She chuckled, and continued; "I’m very thankful to have met you. I’m pleased that I didn’t let you down. I’m happy my intuition was right. Now that the headquarters and the Church Court are getting along well, as long as I manage the relationship with the headquarters, I will have the opportunity to be accepted by the church."

"Actually, I never quite understood why a girl would be so intoxicated with power," Luoer walked to her side and said lightly, "But I understand you, because you don’t have any way out. You refuse to be arbitrarily ruled by others, you just want to hold your life in your own hands. I once was startled by your seemingly cruel decisions, but now, I can calmly accept everything you have and what you are striving for."

"Thank you for understanding me," Melia said, unable to help but lean her head towards Luoer and rested on his arm, saying with relief, "I thought that I had been very lonely. Thank you for standing by my side and speaking such words to me."

"Actually, I don’t quite understand the joy that power brings to people. Perhaps it’s because I am indifferent to fame and fortune. I always feel that power is a reward, but at the same time, it is also a heavy burden." Luoer didn’t reject Melia’s action, but looked into the distance and said lightly.

"You may not yet understand the benefits of power, but once you experience more, you will inevitably crave it." Melia said, arm-in-arm with Luoer in an uninterrupted motion.

"Why do you speak so confidently?" Luoer was taken aback and couldn’t help but ask.

"Because I understand you," Melia raised her head to look at him, fearlessly meeting his gaze and said with a smile, "Want to make a bet with me? I bet that in the future, you will struggle tirelessly for power. Why? Because we are the same kind of people, that’s why I understand you."

Luoer stared at her, taking a while to recover before humorously replying, "Perhaps, maybe it’s just because I haven’t been beaten up by life yet."

Hearing his words, a captivating smile tugged at Melia’s lips; her big eyes also shaped into beautiful crescents. After the smile, Melia pondered a moment and continued, "When the tree that shelters you falls, you will be lost and strive to become the tree yourself. Luoer, we don’t cherish what we never had, but once we’ve had and lost something, we will do everything in our power to regain it."

"The sea can hardly forgo its past, right?" Luoer couldn’t help but recite this line of poetry.

"I understand." Melia smiled sweetly at him, recognizing the Chinese phrase Luoer had just spoken.

The two of them stood quietly together, clinging onto each other. What worried Luoer was that Melia didn’t continue teasing him, nor did she have any other intentions. This allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief at least, knowing he had not betrayed Tangmo and Baiyue.

So, under Melia’s arrangements, the Advance Team temporarily stayed at the Meiliya Camp. Luoer instructed Tangmo to notify the air fleet to maintain surveillance, and to coordinate with the Border Infantry Battalion that Melia had sent. Once the target was spotted, they would immediately establish a three-dimensional support network to assist the ground units, and the Advance Team would promptly leave the camp, parachuting into the combat area to retrieve the goods.

Tangmo’s main job was to take care of Feng. She was essentially her logistics captain. However, upon arrival at Meiliya Camp, she delegated caring for Feng to Baiyue and devoted her attention to Luoer to prevent Princess Melia from kidnapping him.

For Tangmo, Melia was indeed a formidable rival. Momo had also warned her to be cautious of the interaction between Luoer and Melia.

You could say they were worrying needlessly because in terms of their personality, Luoer and Melia were not complementary. Luoer was of a dominant nature, although he has a good temper, it didn’t change the essence of his personality. What he needed to balance him was someone relatively weak-willed, not someone with an equally strong will.

The biggest difference between Melia and Tangmo was that Melia was truly dominant, while Tangmo could only be considered as faux dominant. As Cheng Ziang had said, Melia was just as capable as Luoer in decision-making, even surpassing him in some areas. This could shake his authority, which Luoer wouldn’t allow.

In the advance team, although Cheng Ziang also had decision-making power, he acknowledged his role as a consultant and inspector general. His responsibilities were to devise strategies and monitor Luoer’s decisions. Ultimately, the final decision still lay in Luoer’s hands, which made Luoer able to tolerate him.

Although Tangmo often clung to Luoer, making him tormented, she didn’t have the ability to make decisions on vital issues, she simply obeyed Luoer’s arrangements. This made Luoer tolerate her persistence.

One could say that, apart from Luoer and Cheng Ziang, almost everyone in the advance team held a subordinate position. This outcome was preferable for Luoer, who would not ignore these fundamental issues due to his patient and mild manner.

So understanding all these facts, Tangmo had no reason to worry about the threat Melia might pose. Luoer wouldn’t marry a woman more dominant than himself, as it would turn his household upside down.

Of course, if Melia was willing to change for Luoer, it’s not impossible. However, judging by the current situation, it seems that Melia would rather stay the course in her pursuit for power.