Liu Ye was already prepared for some ultimate Ability and Queen Luna didn't disappoint him. The wind intensified with each second and began circling around them in the form of a gigantic tornado. She didn't stop there and even crashed the Ice Sphere into small ice shards which she used as projectiles that floated along with the wind.
-50
-50
Queen Luna's mana decreased at a rapid pace but she recovered it just as fast. The Recovery Pill was simply too broken if it truly lasted a whole hour. Liu Ye didn't even think such an item should have been allowed in the game, but he wasn't the one to make the rules. He would definitely find a way to abuse it later in the game.
"I love Air Element," Queen Luna muttered as she closed her eyes and embraced the wind with a graceful spin. "It can be so gentle and peaceful but also sharp and chaotic. I just want to let it take me in the sky and fly into the horizon."
The tornado seemed to follow her desires as it suddenly spun even faster, almost knocking Liu Ye off his feet. He started sliding on the ashy ground which forced him to grab onto Queen Luna's waist for safety.
"Are we going to use the tornado to kill more Fire Spirits?" Liu Ye inquired about the plan but Queen Luna completely ignored his question.
"The two of us would be unstoppable, don't you think?" Queen Luna asked while opening her eyes to look at him. "With my resources, I would only need a few months to help you reach my level. No one would be able to face us by then."
Liu Ye only breathed out deeply as he gazed at Queen Luna with a helpless expression. It was quite obvious that no matter what he said, Queen Luna wouldn't give up on courting him. She didn't accept no for an answer and it was even harder to reject her again in the middle of a raging tornado.
"I know what you think," Queen Luna continued, her fingers gently coiling around his face. "You are probably annoyed at how persistent I am but you have to understand me. There is a limited pool of men in this world qualified to stand by my side. This is actually the first time I have met someone who meets my standards. Is it weird that I'm determined to get what I want?"
As she spoke, Liu Ye felt the wind wrap around their legs and their feet lifted off the ground. He unconsciously held her waist tighter to not fall down from the sky and Queen Luna grew closer as well with their noses almost touching.
"It's not weird. You should be able to pursue your desires," Liu Ye agreed. "But there is something you don't understand."
Queen Luna lowered their bandanas and brushed her fingers through the back of his hair, "Can you enlighten me?"
She sounded as if nothing he said would convince her to stop but she froze at Liu Ye's next words.
"The man you want me to become is not the man you want," Liu Ye replied calmly while giving her a friendly rub on the back. "You want me to leave my woman for you as if she meant nothing to me. Do you want a man like that? A man that betrays their partner? What if I do the same to you? What if another woman comes and charms me the way you do right now. I would have already done it once so what would stop me from leaving you as well?"
Queen Luna leaned back, looking as if she just learned something she never thought about. Liu Ye couldn't really blame her though. The Game AI didn't have experience with the entire human race and probably only learned by observing players' behavior.
"You are right. That's indeed not a man I want. I expect full loyalty and I would kill whoever betrays me," Queen Luna admitted while feeling conflicted. "But at the same time, sacrifices are common in war. If I want to claim victory, I can only accept drawbacks and work around them."
Now it was Liu Ye's time to be taken aback, not expecting Queen Luna would think of a comeback this quickly. He took a glance at the ground that was twenty meters below them and decided on a compromise.
"We are wasting the effects of your Recovery Pill. How about we stay as friends for now and see how well we cooperate with each other?" Liu Ye suggested while drawing water from his waterskin. "I can help you in need and you can help me as well. I can't work for you directly, but we can form a small alliance between us. What do you think?"
Queen Luna didn't even hesitate and agreed with a bright smile, "Fine, let me show you what you are losing out on."
[Ding! Your Affinity with Queen Luna reached 250! She will now actively support you and take your side in any battle."
[Ding! You have acquired a new Ally: Queen Luna. You are now friends with Queen Luna and agreed to help each other in need. The pact will be broken once your Affinity drops below 250.]
They couldn't back out anymore with an official system message and it worked for both sides. Liu Ye didn't need to commit to her faction and could explore his options while also receiving support from the strongest bender in Earth Empire.
What could go wrong?
It wasn't even a minute into their deal when Queen Luna smiled innocently and sneaked up to kiss Liu Ye on the cheek.
"Now that we are friends, we can be even closer to each other," Queen Luna pointed out innocently and pulled up his bandana. "It shouldn't matter if we hug each other more intimately than normal, right?"
Queen Luna didn't wait for Liu Ye's reply and laid her chin on his shoulder as the raging tornado launched forward. It gathered speed with each second and stormed through the Lava Field like it was its home.
They could finally continue farming so Liu Ye postponed his complaints. He freed one of his hands while holding Queen Luna tightly to his chest and froze one Ice Projectile after another to fill the tornado with bullets. Even if it didn't do much damage, he wouldn't receive any Experience unless he attacked as well.
"I can sense a Fire Spirit ahead," Queen Luna informed just a few minutes later and hugged him comfortably. "Just watch. Let me show you true strength."
Liu Ye wasn't complaining in the slightest and observed the flaming giant ahead. Its arms raged with fire as it tried to break through the barrier of wind and water but it failed miserably. Queen Luna used her mind to push the tornado forward and sucked the monster inside.
Wind and ice slashed through its body and broke it apart within seconds but it was surprisingly resilient. Fire Spirit lost hundreds of HP but its core remained intact. The Fire Soul floated within the tornado with lava wrapped around it and approached the center with each spin.
"Isn't it getting too close?" Liu Ye warned as he started to get nervous but Queen Luna remained silent with her eyes closed. He didn't hesitate to free his hand and began forming an Ice Spear just when the tornado suddenly slowed down.
The Fire Spirit went on instant offense as it expanded in size just five meters away and grew back to its original form. Its flaming arms locked them from all sides while the Fire Soul stared them down fearlessly, almost as if daring Liu Ye to throw his spear.
-10
-10
Even without being hit by flames, Liu Ye's health started decreasing due to high temperatures, leaving him no choice but to trust in Queen Luna. "If you have anything planned, you should do it now."
Liu Ye was about to cover their bodies with water to stop them from being burned when Queen Luna pulled away with a chuckle. She sent him a wink and her eyes brightened as immense cold surrounded them.
Small snowflakes appeared out of nowhere and mixed into the tornado. Even when the Fire Spirit tried to spread its flames, they were immediately extinguished by the never-ending snowstorm.
"I was just testing you earlier," Queen Luna informed playfully as she let him carry her by her waist. "I wanted to know if you trust me or you will panic. I'm glad you didn't doubt me."
She performed a unique gesture by sliding her fingers across her arms and surprised him with buzzing lightning. She gazed cooly at the Fire Spirit before shooting from her fingers like a gun.
Bang!
The lightning pierced through the sky and struck straight at the Fire Soul. It exploded like a balloon and the flames extinguished, leaving nothing behind in the sea of snowflakes.
[Ding! You killed the Young Fire Spirit. You received 49,600 Experience. Due to the difference of 31 levels, you earned 33,600 bonus Experience.]
[Ding! Congratulations! You reached Level 30!]
