Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 852 - 845: Conversation by the Hearth

Chapter 852: Chapter 845: Conversation by the Hearth

"Yes, yes..." Xilia was stunned for a moment, stealing a glance at Luo’er with a face full of unwillingness. She bit her teeth and forcibly suppressed the anger boiling in her stomach.

"Come in." Melia squinted at Luo’er, with a smile that never ceased on her face.

Unlike the usual perfunctory smile, everyone could see that Melia’s smile upon seeing Luo’er was genuine, not the kind displayed during polite exchanges.

Luo’er glanced at Xilia, followed Melia into the room, and simultaneously closed the door, leaving Xilia kneeling at the door, out in the cold.

Upon entering the room, Luo’er was enveloped by a wave of warmth. Melia’s office wasn’t large; behind her desk stood a large floor-to-ceiling window, allowing the light streaming in from outside to brighten up the entire space.

The fireplace was ablaze with crackling charcoal, next to which sat two sofas and a coffee table for hosting guests; everything seemed quite cozy. The brightness of the charcoal fire was so intense that even Luo’er, several meters away, could feel its heat radiation stinging his eyes.

Melia seemed to feel the warmth as well, so she tilted her head slightly, straightening out her robe and revealing her long and fair neck.

To be fair, Luo’er had traveled through many parts of the Otherworld in recent years and had seen many beautiful girls. In his eyes, the most beautiful girls were undoubtedly mixed-blood members of the Elf Race—there was no question about that, even for those of the Otherworld Human Race who deeply despised half-elves.

Therefore, in Luo’er’s view, Melia’s looks were only slightly above average; her youthful appearance was still evident, and baby fat could still be faintly seen on her face. However, it must be said that Melia had an aura about her that was the most remarkable among all the girls Luo’er had ever met.

Luo’er still remembered the first time he saw Melia; she had perfectly embodied the essence of nobility, with an elegance and confidence that he still found unforgettable.

Melia seemed to notice Luo’er’s gaze, turned her head to look at him, and then smiled sweetly, biting her lip and pulling the neckline of her robe slightly lower, exposing her rounded shoulders.

"Actually, when you were about to come in, I was planning to change clothes, but I figured you wouldn’t mind, right?" Melia said, turning around with a giggling smile as she looked at Luo’er, her hands poised at the edges of her robe, seemingly ready to take it off.

"No, no, no. If you are going to change, I should probably step out," Luo’er hurriedly said, waving his hands in disarray.

"Just kidding with you, I’ve actually already dressed," Melia revealed a triumphant smile and then removed her robe, revealing a long dress befitting a noblewoman.

"You, why do you always like to tease me..." Luo’er asked, awkwardly averting his gaze.

"Because you’re interesting," Melia said with a twinkle in her eye. "You’ve seen it before, why do you always get so shy?"

"Let’s not mention the past," Luo’er lowered his head, sighed deeply, and then said earnestly, "To be honest, back then, I really had no interest in you. I even thought you were rather pitiable, ready to sacrifice yourself for your own future, for your goals..."

Upon hearing Luo’er’s sincere words, Melia was taken aback; the smile on her face gradually turned into a bitter one. She slowly walked toward him, then looked up, face-to-face with him, gazing intently.

"I..." Melia had just opened her mouth when she suddenly felt a sting in her nose, and tears almost squeezed out. She quickly lowered her head and involuntarily leaned forward, gently resting against Luo’er’s not-so-sturdy chest.

"I’ve always felt very lucky, because it was you whom I met, you whom I begged. I thought that I could pay any price to achieve my goal, including my body. It was you who taught me the meaning of a boundary, you who taught me how to exchange interests..."

"Luo’er, I truly feel that my feelings for you are complicated. I clearly know that there’s no possibility between us, but I always, always want to try for something, even if it’s just to take advantage of you a little, it can make me happy for a long time..."

Luo’er bit his teeth, standing still and silent, his body tense. If he only lowered his head slightly, he could smell the faint fragrance of Melia’s hair, which always stirred his emotions.

"You already have someone you like, so you won’t reach out to hold me, right?" Melia asked, her head bowed.

"Hmm..." Luo’er nodded silently.

"It’s okay, this is fine." Melia stood up straight again, then sniffed hard. Luo’er could see that her eyes were already red and her eyelashes were clumped together because of the tears.

"Sorry..." Luo’er scratched his head and said with his head lowered.

"No, you don’t need to apologize to me," Melia said with a smile, shaking her head, "Meeting you has been the greatest fortune of my life."

At her words, Luo’er indeed didn’t know what to say. He truly wanted to speak his heart to Melia, but he was well aware that the room wasn’t only occupied by the two of them. Fulajie’er was there as well, which meant that much of what he wanted to say had to be kept inside.

"Sorry for my loss of composure," Melia wiped away her tears, managed to squeeze out a smile again, then turned and sat down on the sofa in front of the fireplace, while gesturing for Luo’er to take a seat.

Luo’er nodded slightly, then sat opposite Melia. Melia picked up the coffee pot from the coffee table, poured a cup, and handed it to Luo’er.

"Thank you." Luo’er accepted the coffee and took a sip. It was the very common instant black coffee from Earth, nothing special about it except that it was particularly bitter, so bitter that he couldn’t help but frown.

"Sorry, I forgot to add sugar cubes for you, aren’t you used to it?" Melia asked, holding her own cup.

"I rarely drink this stuff." Luo’er coughed and awkwardly put the coffee cup down.

"I thought you Earth people drank this often. This drink isn’t cheap on Earth, is it?" Melia took a light sip with a slight frown, then set down her coffee cup and asked.

"Don’t underestimate Earth’s industrial capacity. The reason you find it expensive is because these things are produced on Earth," Luo’er replied with a shrug.

"It seems to me that you see us as country bumpkins in the eyes of your Earth people," Melia said with self-deprecating laughter.

"You don’t need to feel that way," Luo’er said, "Progress and backwardness are objective realities. Blind praise or denial holds no meaning. Acknowledging the reality and learning from it is what should be done."

"But it seems that you Earth people aren’t planning to share your achievements with us backwards people from Otherworld," Melia said.

"There are many reasons for that. Objectively, because the rules of Earth are different from those of this world, we can’t just replicate Earth’s experiences here. Subjectively, this world hasn’t reached a certain state yet, so it’s not yet worth for Earth people to impart their knowledge to you," Luo’er answered.

"What is this certain state you speak of?" Melia asked hesitantly.

"A unified entity, or say, an unbreakable alliance," Luo’er responded.

"A unified entity..." Melia frowned and muttered the unfamiliar term to herself.

"The entire Otherworld should be unified, doing away with the dissensions and differences between races, classes, and national borders, and brought under the rule of a centralized government. Only then can Otherworld truly advance into a higher civilization," Luo’er explained.

"This centralized government would only be controllable by you Earth people, right?" Melia asked without any change in expression.

"Of course, but you can also take part in it. After all, Otherworld belongs to the people of Otherworld, not Earth people. How you think is how this world will develop," Luo’er said.

Upon hearing Luo’er’s words, Melia bowed her head, lowered her eyelids, and fell into deep thought. After a long while, she brought up a question that had always been of great concern in her heart: "If, and I mean if, that day comes, can I... still securely sit on my throne?"