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Liu Ye didn't wait for the Steel Soldier's reply and simply left with no further explanation. He could see that Queen Luna wasn't done talking but she was forced to follow him. She waited until they lost sight of the Steel Soldiers to question him. "Why did you leave them so fast? I could get more information out of them."

"Because the more questions you ask, the more irresponsible you look," Liu Ye pointed out honestly. "Do you think they will talk with us about the Alliance if you don't know what is going on? The Queen loses her credibility if she doesn't have the power. They would rather talk with your uncle who clearly handles more tasks and governs the Empire."

His words weren't what Queen Luna wanted to hear but Liu Ye wasn't done. "If I didn't distract them with the proposal and cut it off right there, you could forget about visiting Metal City. Right now they will think their only choice for a good deal is talking to you."

"What if they still don't send us an invitation?" Queen Luna asked helplessly. "I actually tried to find the location of Metal City in the past and failed. Now that we were fortunate to meet them, we could use the leverage we have and meet the leaders right away. We might not find the same opportunity in the future." 

Liu Ye knew she was going to propose that which was exactly the reason why he stopped it. Visiting the Metal City without mastering the Earth Element would be a waste of time for him as he couldn't even learn Metalbending. Liu Ye needed more time and Alliance negotiations happened to be a lengthy process. 

"Don't worry, they will send the letter and present it to your hands," Liu Ye assured. "They know you are alone at the border and they will soon hear about the grand theft of the century. They will know it's our doing and who wouldn't want to work with a badass Queen like you? A fearless Queen who starts the war in such a fashion is an ally anyone would fight for. Unless they are stupid, they will invite us in no time." 

Queen Luna's eyes brightened at his compliments and she hugged Liu Ye's arm as if she forgot all the hurtful words he said. "You think I'm a badass?" 

"You definitely can be," Liu Ye nodded casually. "If we focus on our mission, you can prove that you are the most powerful Queen. Show that no other Emperor has a chance to win against you."

Queen Luna squeezed him tighter and burst with motivation. "Let's go then! No more stalling!" 

Because of the Steel Soldiers, Queen Luna almost canceled the mission which would ruin his plans. He needed to complete the Main Quest to unlock his Dungeon Key and this mission looked exactly like one. If the war was bound to happen in the storyline, a quest to initiate it had to be one of the Main Quests. 

"Alright then, let's go," Liu Ye called out while trying to move but Queen Luna still held onto his arm. "Ehem, you need to let go of me first." 

Queen Luna looked up as she tightened his arm between her chest and confessed, "I just wanted to say that you looked really cool earlier. Even though you don't want to join me, I will do everything to make you mine. Just you wait." 

Queen Luna looked at him with loving eyes as his arm buzzed. He has already experienced it a few times and it had to be no other than their affinity increasing. At that point, Liu Ye was convinced he would get points no matter what he did so he stopped worrying about it. 

At least until he received another notification right after which spiked his interest. He patted Queen Luna on the head and tried his best to free himself. "We should go. The quicker we reach the Fire Empire, the more time we can have for ourselves."

His trick worked perfectly and Queen Luna pulled on his hand as they rushed downhill. "Let's not waste time then!" 

Only when they reached the main road did Liu Ye free himself and was finally able to check his notifications. It was just as he expected and he couldn't even say he was surprised. 

[Ding! Your affinity with Queen Luna has increased by 40.]

[Ding! Your affinity with Queen Luna has reached 250. Queen Luna will now actively pursue her love for you.]

Liu Ye glanced at Queen Luna and she smiled brightly while running by his side. She looked genuinely happy which made him feel both guilty and worried. He knew he wouldn't accept her feelings which could only lead to heartbreak and problems. Unfortunately, no matter what he did, her love just kept increasing. 

"Is there something on my face or is it just beauty?" Queen Luna asked playfully when she spotted his gaze and ran faster happily. "You can stare at this dumpy instead!" 

Liu Ye had no way of stopping this crazy NPC so he just let her enjoy. As long as their mission was completed, she could talk and tease him however she wanted.

With no bandits stopping them along the way, their pace increased and the landscape also began to change. The Red Desert grew hotter with each minute passed until it became unbearable in normal conditions. It wasn't just the air but the ground also felt much hotter and the ground was covered with powdery ash. 

Liu Ye didn't need to wait for long before a warning popped up in front of him.

[Volcano Field - Warning]

[Player entered the Red Zone. If the Player doesn't meet the requirements, please return to the Neutral Zone.] 

[Recommended: Level 45, HP: 2000, Firebending] 

[Zone Buff: Fire Abilities scale with +200% Elemental Power.] 

[Death Penalty: None]

"We are entering the Volcano Field which is one of the natural borders we have with the Fire Empire," Queen Luna informed as she pointed at the mountains in the distance. "We will reach our destination once we cross it. Normally, everyone goes around the field but it would take us a few more hours and we don't have time for that. We just need to watch where we step and we will be fine."

Liu Ye looked ahead in search of the volcanos she was talking about and suddenly felt the ground tremble. No more than a hundred meters away the ground parted and bright orange lava exploded upward. It splattered everywhere before the crack sealed back as if nothing happened.

Although there was no Death Penalty in that zone, Liu Ye couldn't help but think twice about the safety of their plan. 

"Are you sure?"