Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 848 - 841: Arriving at Camp

Chapter 848: Chapter 841: Arriving at Camp

After saying goodbye to the others, the Advance Team spurred their horses along the pebbled path by the Roen River towards the upper reaches. Traveling day and night, they should be able to reach the tributary of the Roen’s upper course in about three days.

However, Luo’er clearly had no intention of doing so. After leaving the encampment, he led the Advance Team swiftly away from the vicinity to ensure they wouldn’t be followed by any hostile forces. The group kept moving relentlessly and did not stop until the evening when they camped by the riverbank.

Once certain no one had followed them, Luo’er slowed down the pace. From their current location, it would take at most three days to reach Melia’s camp.

The reason they needed only a few days was not due to their quick pace, but because Melia’s territory had expanded significantly compared to before. Although it was still trivial compared to the land area of the Masaya Kingdom, it was enough to witness the strength of Melia.

Previously, Melia could only stay upstream of the Roen River, but with a series of expansions, her controlled area had already expanded at least twice over. And the Roen River was her main direction of expansion.

According to Melia’s plan, she intended to expand all the way near Yazhi City, adjoining the headquarters’ location, so as to facilitate immediate support from HQ,

Princess Melia’s displayed steadiness and expansiveness gained her the attention of headquarters; as long as Melia didn’t make any significant blunders, the headquarters could rely on her to maintain a firm foothold in Masaya. It wouldn’t be to the point of contending equally with the rebels supported by NATO, but at least they wouldn’t be without achievements in Masaya.

Wang Xu’s previous arrangements seemed to have had an effect, as Luo’er noticed that they had hardly encountered anyone who might be an operative along the way.

As they traveled northwards along the Roen River, after four days, they finally met the long-awaited subordinates of Princess Melia. It was a small Cavalry team, presently encamped by the river waiting for their arrival.

To everyone’s surprise, the leader of the Cavalry was the long-absent Knight Commander. If Luo’er remembered correctly, this Knight Commander had been at odds with them ever since they had made Melia’s acquaintance, and he had no idea why Melia had sent him.

"Long time no see, Knight Commander, it was last year when we met on the merchant ship, wasn’t it?" Luo’er greeted warmly.

"Hmph, hurry up and move along, don’t dawdle," the Knight Commander snorted and gave Luo’er a cold look, then turned his horse and rode off.

"This guy is still the same as ever," Luo’er said with a wry smile, shaking his head.

"But his body’s quite honest, wouldn’t you say?" Hu Daoke teased, glancing at the pistol strapped to the waist of the Knight Commander.

"Quiet down, or he’ll throw a tantrum again," Cheng Ziang whispered a reminder.

Whether the Knight Commander heard their conversation or not, he violently turned his head back, giving them a fierce glare. The two of them exchanged glances, then revealed helpless, wry smiles.

In fact, they were all well aware that, although the Knight Commander was at odds with them, he was a true and devoted servant, practically Princess Melia’s right-hand man.

Even though he always clashed with the members of the Advance Team, as long as it was a mission assigned by Princess Melia, he would give it his all to accomplish it, even if it meant helping the Advance Team.

For this reason, Luo’er, as well as most of the others, bore no great animosity towards the Knight Commander. After all, people tend to have difficulty accepting new things as they age, which is understandable. The primary conflict between the Advance Team and the Knight Commander stemmed from this.

This time, Princess Melia’s camp had been relocated once again, from the previous location to the fork of the Roen River and its tributaries. In the future, she might move even further upstream to border with Lipei, but as long as she could hold on to powerful support, Melia didn’t mind frequent relocations.

After following the Knight Commander for about half a day, the group finally arrived at Melia’s new camp. Upon seeing Princess Melia standing in the open space, waiting quietly for them, a sudden unease welled up in Luo’er’s heart, a sense of inexplicable panic.

Melia was dressed in an exquisitely gorgeous gown, her hair arranged stunningly, her face lightly adorned with makeup to conceal her flaws, enhancing her bewitching charm.

Coming face to face with Melia, the group dismounted their horses. Luo’er stepped forward and as he lifted his head, he met Princess Melia’s enthusiastic gaze, which instantly made his cheeks flush red.

"Long time no see, I thought you weren’t coming after all," Melia said with narrowed eyes, her face radiating with a genuine smile, warm as the sun on a spring day.

"Sorry, I said I’d come visit when I was free, but this time..." Luo’er said somewhat awkwardly.

"No, I understand," Melia nodded generously and continued smiling as she spoke. "I’m happy just because you came. I don’t care about your purpose."

As she spoke, she raised her delicate hand. Faced with Luo’er’s somewhat panicked gaze, she said cheerfully, "A cheek-to-cheek or a hand-kissing greeting, choose one."

"Can we shake hands?" As soon as he heard her words, Luo’er immediately broke out in a cold sweat, feeling as if cold stares were piercing through his back.

Melia said nothing but shook her head with a smile and stretched out her hand towards Luo’er. Luo’er clearly understood her intention—formality was unimportant to her; she simply wished to be a bit closer to Luo’er, nothing more.

"Then..." Luo’er took a deep breath, then took Melia’s hand and leaned forward slightly, pressing his left cheek against Princess Melia’s right.

"Your little lover is going to be furious," Melia whispered in Luo’er’s ear the moment they touched.

Hearing her words, Luo’er revealed a helpless wry smile. Then he leaned his right cheek against her left and whispered back, "You did that on purpose, didn’t you?"

After finishing the ritual, a mischievous look appeared on Melia’s still-smiling face as she narrowed her eyes at Luo’er. Luo’er shook his head; it appeared Melia had admitted it.

"Let’s go, I’ve prepared a welcome banquet and rooms for you. Stay for a few days before you leave." Melia said before picking up her skirt and turning away.

In truth, out of all the people in the Advance Team, Melia only cared about Luo’er. She outright ignored the rest as if they were air. She was well aware that Luo’er held a significant position at headquarters and befriending him could be advantageous for her. As for the others, they could basically be seen as mere tools.

It must be said that Melia’s assessment was quite accurate. Despite Cheng Ziang now being confirmed as Princess Odelanqi’s son, he virtually had no influence at headquarters. Most of the time, if the Advance Team wanted anything, they had to rely on Luo’er to negotiate.

"This... we still have a mission..." Luo’er said with difficulty.

"Your mission doesn’t seem that urgent, does it?" Melia asked, turning back to him.

"Uh..." Luo’er coughed, then said with his head lowered, "Actually, it is quite urgent."

"Luo’er, there’s no need for smart people to hide things from each other. You don’t think I’m completely unaware of your situation, do you?" Melia said with a smile.

"Alright," Luo’er nodded and replied, "then we will set off... in a few days."

"That’s more like it." Melia’s smile grew even more radiant upon seeing Luo’er concede.

The Knight Commander silently observed Melia, laden with myriad thoughts which he could not express. He did not want to tell Luo’er that this was the first time Melia had smiled so brightly in months. Although he was reluctant to admit it, he knew that it was only in Luo’er’s presence that Melia revealed a truly heartfelt smile.

Thus, even though he did not like Luo’er and his companions, he still hoped Luo’er would stay a while longer, allowing the Princess’s tense nerves some days of relaxation.

"Luo’er..." After Princess Melia had walked away, Luo’er heard Tangmo’s wistful voice behind him.

He turned around and was immediately startled because Tangmo was being controlled by his little sister Momo. If he remembered correctly, the last time Momo nearly killed Princess Melia.

"Little ancestor, please don’t stir up trouble today; if it’s too much, let your sister take over," Luo’er pleaded.

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