Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 289 - 282: Banquet Turmoil

Chapter 289: Chapter 282: Banquet Turmoil

"I was wrong, but I was only trying to help them." Hu Daoke protested softly.

"Your good intentions only caused harm. Many tragedies originate from such actions. And you act like you’ve been wronged. Do you know why Luo’er didn’t tell you about his injury? It’s because he was afraid you wouldn’t be able to keep your mouth shut." Cheng Ziang spoke irritably.

"Alright, alright, you’re right. From now on, I’ll listen to you." Hu Daoke surrendered.

"Stop acting like you’re the victim. Mind your business and don’t spout nonsense. Lies don’t necessarily mean you’re hurting someone; they can also be a measure of protection." Cheng Ziang tried to explain patiently.

"Alright, alright, I’ll listen to you. Here, Old Er, have a drink!" Hu Daoke said as he passed over a cup of wine to him.

"What did you just call me?" Cheng Ziang asked, lifting an eyebrow, as he took the cup of wine.

"Oh, um, Old Cheng!" Hu Daoke coughed, correcting himself.

Soon, Luo’er and Melia appeared at the courtyard entrance. As the host of the banquet, Melia’s appearance immediately drew the crowd’s attention. All the handsome noble sons quickly approached, hoping to attract Melia’s favor.

Luo’er was not much interested in crowded gatherings. As a half-elf, he was inevitably subjected to disdainful looks, especially when he appeared beside Melia.

Sure enough, as soon as he and Melia made their appearance together, murmurs spread through the crowd. The nobles were whispering to each other, wondering why a half-elf would be at such a grand banquet with the princess.

Noticing the whispering crowd, Melia cleared her throat then introduced solemnly, "This is Captain Luo’er from Yazhi City, an esteemed guest. I hope you all would afford Captain Luo’er the same respect due to me. Any disrespect to Captain Luo’er is equal to disrespecting me."

As she spoke these words, the murmurings subsided significantly. Melia then gave a satisfied smile, turned and whispered playfully to him, "Are you satisfied now?"

Seeing her contrasting playful demeanor, Luo’er couldn’t help but laugh while shaking his head at her antics.

"Luo’er!"

Suddenly, a cheer came from the crowd. Following it, a petite figure darted out and promptly latched onto Luo’er’s neck, hanging from him.

"Moumou, there are so many people watching." Luo’er whispered with a bitter smile. Such intimacy in front of so many people was really embarrassing for him.

Tangmo didn’t pay him any mind, instead she sniffed him and then frowned, she glared at Melia before staring at Luo’er.

Apparantly, she picked up a scent on Luo’er that wasn’t his own, which made her alarmingly jealous. The uncomfortable half hour had left her clueless about what had happened between Melia and Luo’er, which only added to her anxiety.

She bowed her head in silent contemplation for a moment, then unexpectedly planted a kiss on Luo’er’s cheek again. This time she was smart not to aim for his lips but chose the corner of his mouth because she knew that if she directly tried to kiss his lips, Luo’er would subconsciously dodge it.

Unfortunately, the spot she kissed was the exact spot Melia had just wiped with her handkerchief. This sight made Melia feel as if something in her heart had shattered. Tangmo’s action had once again erased her imprint on Luo’er.

"Moumou, what are you doing, snap out of it!" Luo’er quickly pushed Tangmo away, staring at her with a face full of horror. He had underestimated Tangmo’s jealousy, never expecting her to be so bold even in front of so many people.

Tangmo still ignored him, she jumped off Luo’er, gave Melia a smug glance, gave a defiant snort, and walked into the crowd.

"Um..." Luo’er, sensing the awkward atmosphere, tried to explain himself to Melia.

Melia’s smile faded. Although she hadn’t appeared to be angry, Luo’er could distinctly feel the chill emanating from her body. Melia, who usually maintained her elegant demeanor in front of others, was starting to lose control of her emotions.

"Sister Moumou seems to be getting bolder by the day." Observing the scene, even Hu Daoke couldn’t help but express amazement.

"You’re just realizing it now." Cheng Ziang shook his head.

"She seems a bit off, different from before." Hu Daoke said, looking puzzled.

"And it’s all because of you—did you really think we were hiding things from Moumou to harm her?" Cheng Ziang glared at him.

"How was I supposed to know this would happen?" Hu Daoke grumbled.

"Is everything alright?" Luo’er swallowed nervously, glancing at Melia to confirm.

Melia shook her head, forcing a smile, but Luo’er could tell it was forced. Evidently, the recent incident had upset her.

"Wipe it off." Melia said, handing Luo’er another handkerchief with a displeased smile. Her action caught the noble sons off guard. They failed to comprehend why Melia, a princess, would be so caring towards a half-elf, even entrusting him with her personal handkerchief.

"I thought you were mad." Luo’er muttered softly, then took a handkerchief to wipe the corners of his mouth.

Suddenly, as if he thought of something, he stared intently at the handkerchief he held. Just as expected, it was the one she had used earlier to cover her nose. Luo’er laughed wryly; it seemed she gave no ground even in such small details.

After exchanging pleasantries with Melia, she was immediately engulfed by a group of noble sons and left. Luo’er sighed in relief, then saw Hu Daoke and Cheng Ziang not too far off and headed their way.

"Are you happy?" Cheng Ziang teased as soon as Luo’er approached.

"Stop mocking me. If I knew it would turn out this way, I wouldn’t have come in the first place." Luo’er sighed, speaking dejectedly.

"Boss, something really does seem off with Sister Moumou, doesn’t it?" Hu Daoke asked, watching Luo’er.

Luo’er sighed again, then nodded and said, "Ever since we found her in the forest last time, she’s been acting very strange."

"The issue today was ultimately your fault. If you hadn’t been making googly eyes with Melia, would Moumou have gotten so jealous?" Cheng Ziang stated.

"How is this my fault now? I didn’t want it to be like this. But Melia, she..." Luo’er suddenly remembered that Hu Daoke was still standing next to him, so he shut his mouth.

"Go on. It’s fine. The kid here made a vow, he’d rather father a son without an anus than keep gossiping." Cheng Ziang motioned to Hu Daoke, speaking dismissively.

"I never made a vow like that!" Hu Daoke hastily clarified.

Luo’er nodded, and continued, "Melia seems to... ever since that incident in Galan... it’s a bit strange... I wonder, I’m a half-elf, why would she, a Princess of Aud, seem not to care as she does?"

"What happened between you two?" Hu Daoke asked curiously from the side.

"That day, we..." Luo’er hesitated, just about to explain. Suddenly Cheng Ziang made a gesture to Hu Daoke to lean in, and then he whispered something in his ear causing his face to change immediately.

"Was it really?" Hu Daoke wide-eyed, asked Luo’er.

"Hmm." Faced with the truth, Luo’er could only nod in admission.

"Then you... you have to take responsibility for her, after all... you’ve seen her now... right." Hu Daoke spoke uncertainly.

"I’m not thinking about these things right now, okay? All I’m thinking about is how to get information from Melia and make my escape as soon as possible." Luo’er spread his arms and said.

"Moumou’s situation is indeed a bit strange, we should keep an eye on her." Cheng Ziang turned his head to glance at Tangmo - nestled against Baiyue and complaining - and spoke seriously with furrowed brows.

"I remember Sister Moumou didn’t use to be so jealous before. Even though she liked head, she was always controlled, she wouldn’t create such chaos in public." Hu Daoke said, frowning.

"If that doesn’t work, we’ll just have to take her back to Earth to see a psychiatrist." Cheng Ziang suggested, "I suspect she might have developed a mental issue."

"That might be all we can do." Looking at Tangmo who was chattering on, Luo’er deeply let out a sigh before speaking.

"Luo’er, you go and flirt a little with Melia, try to extract some information and then we skedaddle. We’ll distract Moumou, and not let her interrupt you." Cheng Ziang proposed.

"Wow, whose side are you on? Isn’t this just feeding me to the wolves?" Hu Daoke asked, looking at him.

"Don’t worry, Melia’s smart. She understands far better than anyone whether Luo’er likes her or not. Go with peace of mind, Melia will know your intentions." Cheng Ziang explained.

"Fine, I’m going then, you two, handle her!" Luo’er spoke, pointing at Tangmo not far away, then turned to leave the two men alone.

"Wow, are you sure that isn’t a rotten idea?" Hu Daoke asked, looking at Cheng Ziang.

"Rest assured, it’s better to have a quick, short pain. Go, handle your sister, don’t let her cause more chaos!" Cheng Ziang patted his shoulder and declared.

"Understood!" Hu Daoke nodded and walked straight towards Tangmo.

By now, Melia had managed to extricate herself from the young nobles. She had never viewed these bratty kids seriously, so she asked the Knight Captain to escort her, effectively shooing them all away.

She was currently preoccupied with organizing her army, and had no time to attend to the banquet. The headquarters had sent weapons and ammunition, as well as accompanying military instructors. Over the next two months, her troops would be completely transformed into an Otherworld modern army adept with Earth’s weapons.

Melia found it difficult to recruit armored knights, mainly comprised of nobles, so cheap but easily controlled commoners were the best source of soldiers. Their battle with knights depended solely on weapons from Earth, otherwise, relying solely on cold weapons such as spears and large swords would hold no advantage against knights equipped with magic.