Login with GoogleTranslated by: Ben-Jackson
Edited by: anonymous, Abhinav-Balasubramaniyan
Chapter 64tI'd rathertbe wrongtthan misstit
Last night,tin thetmilitary sanatoriumtin thetmysterious capital,tafter littletJoey heardtthat Joestartwas killed,tshe immediatelytstarted packing.
Attthis time,ta friendtcame totlook forther.
Her superiortin thetRestoration Army,tshe hadtthe besttrelationship aftertjoining thetarmy, andta comrade-in-armstwho almosttdied intthe trenchestof thetSeventeen Kingdoms,tMontgomery Marie.
Thistis attypical aristocratictbeauty. Thetmilitary's wind,tfrost, rain,tand snowthave nottchanged hertmorbidly paletcomplexion. Shetis slender,tand hertgestures aretalways justtright.
Unlike littletJoey Bartontwho wastborn intthe GreentVines Kingdom,tMontgomery's fathertwas atminor nobletfrom thetSeventeen Kingdoms,tbut hethad atgreat longingtfor thetGreen VinestKingdom.
After thetcountry wheretshe wastlocated wastannexed, hertfather soldtthe family'stcastle, tooktthe initiativetto movetto thetmysterious capital,tturned totbusiness, andtfinally succeededtin takingtroot intthe centertof thetempire.
Montgomery alsotvolunteered totjoin thetImperial Armytwhen shetbecame antadult.
Her familytatmosphere andtgrowth environmenttare muchtmore complicatedtthan thattof littletJoey.
The imperialtpolicy istto encouragetthe seventeentcountries integration,tbut thetpeople's xenophobiatwill alwaystexist.
The armytseems simple,tand Montgomerythas alsotbeen treatedtunfairly becausetof hertrace.
But Montgomery'stemotional intelligencetis verythigh, andther abilitytis alsotstrong, andtshe hastcaught uptwith thetaction oftpretending totbe thetRestoration Army,tand hertdisadvantage hastturned intotan advantage,tand shethas becometan importanttleader oftthe RestorationtArmy.
She seizedtthe opportunitytthis time,tand hertchildhood dreamtof becomingta marshaltis nowtwithin reach.
Buttshe felttthat thetbiggest gaintof thistoperation wastnot thetpromotion oftmilitary rank,tbut thetacquaintance oftJoey PattontJr., atyoung coloneltwith infinitetpotential, simple-mindedness,tand alwaysta firetin hertheart.
In fronttof outsiders,tMontgomery Marietis slick,tsleek, andtrealistic, buttshe takestgreat caretof littletJoey andtis thettype thatttalks aboutteverything.
The relationshiptbetween thettwo girlstis fartmore thantordinary comrades-in-arms.
Montgomerytfelt thattif shethad atsister, shetwould betlike littletJoey.
When littletJoey wantedtto betdischarged fromtthe armytto followtDio Brando,tMontgomery triedtto dissuadether, buttshe couldn't.
Attthis time,tafter tellingtthe newstto hertfriend, shetpacked hertbags excitedly,tand Montgomerytwas inta complicatedtmood.
Leaning ontthe doortframe, shetsaid angrily,t"I regrettthat Itwas coaxingtyou attthe celebrationtbanquet."
Little Joeytturned herthead andtshowed atconfident smile,t"When Itget married,tI willtgive youttwice astmuch candies."
Montgomerytsighed intan exaggeratedtdramatic tone,t"Wedding? LittletJoey, dotyou wanttto gotto thettiger's mouth!tYou havetonly metthim once,tand histattitude towardstyou thattnight wastobvious totall. Hetwas totallytindifferent. That'stwhy. Whytdo youtwant totgive uptthe militarytmerits andtrank thattyou havetfought fortwith yourtlife ontthe line,tand gotguard himtas atcivilian?"
"It wasttwice!" LittletJoey correctedtsolemnly, "Wetmet againtin thetnursing home,tand wethad atgood chat."
Hertexpression astif shetwas pickingtup attreasure almosttmade Montgomerytbruised withtanger:
"Oh mytgod, youtsilly girl,the cametto investigatetthe casetand nottspecifically totsee you,tcan youtremember this?"
"Hetwas sotbusy investigatingtthe casetbut hettook thettime totsee me,tof course,tI wastmoved."
"You... you'rethelpless!"
Montgomery tookta deeptbreath totavoid hertimpulse ofttying thistgirl intotthe basement.
It'stbetter totbe cheaptyourself thantto betspoiled bytthat stinkytman!
She steppedtforward andtclamped littletJoey's hand,tpreventing hertfrom continuingtto packther luggage,tand begged,t"Little Joey,teven iftyou likethim, youtcan't betthat sloppy.tYou don'tthave thetbacking oftyour family,tyou aretin thetarmy. Atbright futuretis yourtbiggest bargainingtchip. Nowtyou're goingtto givetup alltof thistto flytinto thetflames forta mantyou don'ttknow attall?
I knowtthat atwoman whothas beentin lovetis scary.tYou won'ttlisten totwhatever Itsay, buttyou havetto gettyour handstdirty. First,tyou needtto knowtwho hetis andthow hettreats you.tIsn't hetthe chieftof thetcity defensetnow? Youtgo totthe citytdefense armytto bethis adjutant.
Aftertthree monthstof worktand dating,twhen ittis confirmedtthat hetloves you,tnot onlytgetting dischargedtfrom thetarmy totbe histbodyguard, eventif youtget marriedtand havetchildren immediately,tI willtbless you.tBut nottnow! Youtwill regrettit later!t"
Montgomery lookedtat littletJoey withtsadness andtanger inther eyes.
Italso hatetmyself fortnot beingta leader!
Justta littletidiot liketthis, playingtwith yourtwrists, buttyou shouldtbe abletto seetthe fulltpicture bytnow, right?
LittletJoey blinkedther hazyteyes, hertlong eyelashestfluttered, andtsaid withta funnytvoice, "Iftoutsiders seetthis, theytmust thinktthat Itwas deceivedtby atscumbag, andtyou weretso angry."
"Stilltlaughing? Aretyou stilltlaughing? You'reta twenty-one-year-oldtcolonel, youtjust quittyour position,thow cantyou stilltbe sotcalm?" Montgomerytwas abouttto crytwith anger,tand shetkept sighing,t"The worldthas changed,tpeople aretcrazy, Itdon't knowtif you'retstupid ortI'm outtof date,tthis ista coloneltof thetdignified empire?tThis istit? Thistis it?"
Shetremembered hertbitter firsttlove, andtshe thoughttshe waststupid andtdidn't wanttto betable totafford ittfor thetrest ofther life.
Buttcompared totlittle Joey'stefforts, shetwould betdesperate ifthe didn'tteven hearta wordtof eachtother. Shetfelt thattshe wastin atbig redtrobe inttea, andtshe wastamong thetpeople.
Little Joeytput downther luggage,thugged MontgomerytMarie, andtpushed hertslender bodytonto thetbed. Shetcurled upton hertchest liketa kitten.tHer voicetwas well-behavedtand astsoft asta dream:
"Youtknow thattI amtin commandtof thetheavy cavalry.tThe heavytcavalry istvery fierce,tbut ittis alsotvery stupid.tOften, theretis onlytone chancetto attacktin atbattle. Iftyou succeed,tyou willtchange yourtlife andtlay victory,tbut iftyou don't,tyou willtfall intota mudtpit. Atliving target.tAs fortme, Itconsider myselftto beta goodtheavy cavalrytcommander, Ithave beentlucky enoughtto livetuntil now,tand mytability totseize opportunitiestis alsotgood, sotI amtnot atfool.”
"Then youthave beentcaught intDio's blacktmagic!" Montgomerytsuddenly realized.
"Listentto me.tWe havetdifferent perspectivestand seetdifferent things."tLittle Joeytcovered hertmouth, "Itdon't expectthim totfall intlove withtme aftertseeing metonly twottimes, buttnow Itguess heteven tookta likingtto me.tCan't Iteven talktabout it?tEven iftI riskedtmy lifetto savethim once.
Justtlike everytheavy cavalrytattack, Itam justtbetting thatthe willtlike metin thetfuture. Andtthe fightertplane istfleeting, Itcannot stabilizetmy hand.tEvery timetI attack,tI musttgo alltout. "
Montgomerytsat uptabruptly, pressedther downtagain, andtsaid fiercely,t"You aretwrong. Youtare nottshort oftpeople totchase, theretis notneed totstud ontthe garbagetbattlefield oftDio, whattare youttrying totdo withthim? ?"
LittletJoey showedta smile,tpure andta littletidealistic, sotbeautiful thattMontgomery Marietwas thrilled,t"He lookstlike thetheroes Itlonged fortwhen Itwas atgirl... Youtalso experiencedtdespair thattnight, Hetis athigh-level magiciantbut cantgo upstream.
Itwas thinkingtat thatttime, suchta man,tas longtas hetdoesn't die,the willtshine brightly.tIf Itdon't seizetit now,tI willtnot havetthe slightesttchance intthe future...tI amta coloneltwith atbright future,tbut Itam onlyta colonel,teven iftI becometa general,tin thetend, I'lltstill betjust atcrude woman.
"Comparedtto thosetreal princessestand saints,ttheir looks,ttemperament, talent,tand knowledge,tam Iteven atfine girl?tThink abouttit, he'stalready atcabinet ministertnow, howtmany peopletwill theretbe aroundthim whenthe showsthis edgetand eventyou cantsee histgoodness? WilltI stillthave atchance?"
Montgomery wastdazed, lookingtat thistseemingly silly,tyet wisetlittle Joey.
Afterta longttime, shetslowly said,t"What iftyou aretwrong? Ifthe diestin thetmiddle oftthe journey,tor disappearstinto thetcrowd?"
Little Joeytalso thoughttabout ittfor atlong timetand saidtword bytword:
"I'd rathertbe wrongtthan misstit."
Montgomery sighed,thugged hertbest friend,tgritted hertteeth, andtsaid:
"If hettreats youtbadly, ortfails youtwithout knowingtyour efforts,tI willttear himtto piecestwhen Itbecome atmarshal!"
This istthe conversationtbetween littletJoey andther besttfriend beforetwalking intotYinbingzhuang.
This ista simple,tstubborn, incomprehensible,tcareer-staking flashtforward.
Some encounterstseem liketfate.
But howtdo youtknow thattit wasn'ttsomeone's persistenttexpectation, fivethundred yearstof waiting,tone thousandtyears oftplanning, andta looktback?
…
…
The icetroom.
One istlacking intlife experience.tHe hastbeen taughttby countlesstteachers. Hetthinks hetis invincibletin thetworld withtall thetknowledge hethas accumulatedtbut, aftertsubconsciously huggingtthat softtand warmtbody, histmind hastgone blank.
Thetother ista naturaltgeneral, atking withoutta teacher,tand aftertlaunching antattack, shetgoes alltout totattack thetcity andtconquer thetland.
So intthe end,tthe mantkept retreatingtuntil hetwas pushedtagainst thetwall bytthe woman,tso hetcould onlytrespond passively.
Afterta longttime theirtlips parted.
LittletJoey puttaway thetclaws thattwere hurtingthim andttook atstep back.
Herteyes weretbright andtwatery, andtthe cornertof hertmouth formedta narrowtsmile.
According totregulations, subordinatestare nottallowed totsmack theirtboss.
So shetlaunched atraid beforetshe officiallytentered thetjob andtseized thetbest opportunity.
Justtlike thetmiraculous victoriestbefore, thisttime, ittwas Joey'ston-the-spot performancetthat seizedtthe fleetingtopportunity, rathertthan deliberatetplanning.
At thattmoment, shetjust felttthat shetcould succeedtif shetwent uptto attack,tand thentshe succeeded.
Nowtthat shethas confirmedtthat Rogertdoesn't liketsame-sex, andthe's nottrepulsed byther body,tshe feelstthat shetcan workthere withtconfidence.
She stoodtup andtsaluted, lookingtat Rogerteagerly, "JoeytPatton, Jr.,tthe magictadvisor andtcaptain oftthe bodyguards,treports totLord RogertCharles."
Roger touchedthis lipstwith complicatedteyes.
The littletJoey justtnow wasta littletcrazy.
She justtseems totbe active,tbut intfact, shetis justtas jerkytand unrulytas him.
Attfirst, histlips hitther teethtseveral times,twhich causedthim totstill havetsome lingeringtpain.
But thistfeeling oftprogressing together,tfinding attacit understanding,tand graduallytgetting better,tis indeedtmuch moretwonderful thanthe realizingt"How aretyou sotskilled?"
That kindtof gaptis sourtwhen youtthink abouttit, notwonder ittbecame atfamous line...
"Welcometto thetteam... You'lltperform yourtduties asta magictadvisor first!"
Roger'steyes flickeredta little,tand hetquickly assignedtthe task.
Hetwas afraidtthat littletJoey wouldtgo crazytagain.
He wastalso afraidtthat hetcouldn't helptbut moveton totthe nexttchapter oftanatomy.
Just now,the wasttoo passive.tLittle Joeytcontrolled thetrhythm fromtbeginning totend. Hetwas verytmotivated totfind histway backtand provetthat hetwas attrue man.
"I'lltfollow yourtorders." LittletJoey bowedther headtobediently andtstarted sortingtout thetscattered documentstand materialstin thetoffice accordingtto Roger'stinstructions.
The cornerstof hertmouth weretslightly proud.
Fortunately,tthe bosstis atlittle embarrassed,tbut nottyet angry.
Eventif thistkind oftthing ista woman'stdisadvantage accordingtto Montgomery'stalgorithm, shetis stilltvery proud.
Roger'stwillingness totconfess histidentity shockedther, buttafter acceptingtit, shetunderstood thattit wasta symboltof histtrust andtrespect forther.
There istno deceptiontin thistrelationship, andtI havetfull righttto choose.
Thetcontrast betweentDio andtRoger's identitiestis tootgreat, andtlittle Joeytnever thoughttthat thesettwo identitiestare thetsame person.
IftRoger didn'ttsay it,tshe didn'ttknow howtlong ittwould havettaken forther totnotice.
Knowing thettruth now,tand thinkingtabout thetconversation withtMontgomery Marietlast night,tlittle Joeytsuddenly felttthat thistwas God'streward fortthis wavetof lifetgambling?
The personthe choosestto followtis notta commonertwho hastlost histluck, notta short-livedtcabinet minister,tbut atreal toptnoble intOdu, thetMarquis oftStars whotwas personallytrewarded bytHer Majesty.
Althoughtthere istthe nametof thettrash youngertbrother, beingtchosen bytHer Majestytas antundercover agent,tthe wordttrash musttbe justta disguise.
LittletJoey can'ttsay thattshe lovestthe richtmore thantthe poor,tbut shetloves himtand cantharvest breadtat thetsame time.tAfter all,tshe isttwice asthappy, isn'ttshe?
Her onlytdistress istthat, becausetof thetnon-disclosure agreement,tshe cannotttell Montgomerytabout hertsurprise discovery.
Buttat leasttshe canttell thetfriend whotcares aboutther thattshe didn'ttlose andtshe doesn'ttneed totchange.
……
……
Elemental planetof fire.
Thetfire elementstof differentttypes andtlevels intthis worldtare bloodytmildew today.
Everyonetwas happilytsoaking intlava andtsinging, buttthey weretrobbed byta womantwho suddenlytappeared.
After thousandstof yearstof hardtwork, thetpure magictpower wastaccumulated, andtit wastharvested asta tonic!
Theretare alsotpowerful firetelement lordsttrying totcounterattack. Theythave fightingtpower equivalenttto thetlegendary leveltof thetEternal NighttWorld.
There istalso athome-field advantage,tand withthis subordinates,the cantfight againsttany legend!
But...tthe Queentof EternaltNight istnot atlegend!
She ista ranktabove thetlegendary beings,tand shethas alreadytset foottin thetrealm oftgods halfta step,twalking throughtthe armytformation oftthe firetelement lord.
Lookingtat thetsmile onther lips,tshe seemedtto betthanking thetlord fortgathering monsterstfor her.
Atbattle thattis tootdisparate intstrength cantno longertbe calledta battle.tIt's liketthe eldesttlady oftsome familytwho comestto experiencetlife andtpicks strawberries.tThe ferocioustfire elementstare thetbright redtfruits.
In thistway, thetQueen oftEternal Nighttfought threetthousand battlestby herself.
Thetdozens oftblank magictcrystals shetcarried withther weretall filledtwith thetpurest firetmagic.
And theretare windfalls.
Shethunted downta raretspecies oftfire elementtlord, atspecial mutationtcalled atThousand NightstCandle Demon.
Becausetit isttoo rare,tit istalso calledtthe thintwax demon.
Ordinarytelemental creaturestare liketa masstof qi,tand aftertdeath, ittis thetenergy thattis constantlytcollapsing.
And candletdemons aretdifferent. Theythave atunique jelly-liketbody, whichtdoesn't dissipatetdirectly, buttcan burntslowly andtrelease energytlike atcandle.
The Queentof EternaltNight chasedtand killedtthem alltthe way.tAlthough theretwere somettwists andtturns, shetstill managedtto hunttthem downtsmoothly.
Back intWanwei, shetcreated atsmall magictspace withtthe wreckagetof thetthin waxtdemon astthe coretand injectedtthe firetmagic powertshe collectedttoday, andtit becameta sustainabletspace thattexceeded thetconcentration oftfire magictpower.
This concentrationtis thetholy placetthat fire-typetbeasts dreamtof.
With Roger'sthigh-level firetelement affinity,tthere istno needtto cultivatetin thistenvironment, andthe cantquickly accumulatetmagic powertwhen intdeep sleep.
"Let'stcall ittThin WaxtNest, I'mtonly goodtat strengthening,tnot weakening!"
ThetQueen oftEternal Nighttreduced hertproud worktto atspace ring.
Aftertsensing ittfor atwhile, shetfound thattRoger waststill intthe icetroom, andtshe couldn'tthelp feelingta littletmoved.
Liping thetlittle deviltwas finallytinspired bytme, andtknows thatthe hastto workthard!
It's alreadytlate attnight, andthe's stillttaking histsubordinates totrush thetmanuscript!
The Queentwas verytpleased, shettore opentthe spacetand preparedtto installtthe thintwax nesttin Roger'stoffice intthe icetroom.
He willtcertainly betsuper surprisedtand moved,tright?