Steven stepped forward and gave the man in front of him a graceful curtsy before turning to Jared.
"Mr. Jared, you're really not being cautious, the friendship between the Federation and the Empire is not the same. You probably don't know what kind of agreement was signed between the Federal Magical Research Society and the Academy. Besides, it's only natural for a friendly nation to send someone to investigate such a strange change in the Forest of the Dead, isn't it? How can you be so stubborn as to misinterpret the good intentions of others?"
Bullshit!
Everyone from Tawana on up had this puzzled look on their faces. Anyone with half a brain knows that just because two countries are on good terms doesn't mean that the other country can send unauthorized people to survey their own land. Even Tawana understood this, how could Marianne and Serenity not? Steven was clearly speaking in favor of the other side! Serenity stepped forward and was about to say something. But Jared stopped her.
"Mr. Stephen ..."
Jared looked at him with a smirk.
"Who's in charge of this team?"
"On this team, of course you're in charge."
Steven sneered.
"But I'm a Watcher here on behalf of the Tower of Heaven, and I'm not part of your team. Besides, I can't just sit back and do nothing when you're trying to jeopardize the diplomatic relations between my country and the Federation! Don't you see? Mr. Jared, what you're doing will only lead to war! If, however, you still decide to do it ..." He turned around and took a few steps in front of Prince Heine.
"Then, step over my dead body first."
Everyone was shocked by these words. Kylie frowned slightly, she did not expect, in this kind of place, Stephen would actually be so obviously biased in favor of outsiders. Indeed, in terms of identity, directly belonging to the aria ambassador Stephen's identity is indeed higher than any of the people here. After all, Serenity two people are only trainee praise messenger, purely in terms of identity, Stephen's orders they are no way to disobey. Not to mention ... Kylie subconsciously stepped back, watching Jared, waiting for his action.
But Jared did nothing, he just watched the man in front of him with a quiet, satisfied smile.
"It's good, really."
He nods.
"Since you've made it so clear, I'm telling you, from now on, you're not to appear in front of us again. And with those people, the farther away you go, the better. I don't like to talk shit, and I don't like people pretending to be deaf, so I don't want to repeat myself. If you're not one of us, then get the hell out of here. Otherwise, if you let us see you again,... don't worry, at least there will be the sun at eight or nine o'clock in the morning for you to see."
This snatch of words made Stephen's face a burst of white and a burst of red, he subconsciously gripped the hilt of the sword, and at this moment, Caroline also came to Jared's side, the umbrella in her hand at some time has fallen into her left hand. Jared was looking at him with a funny look in his eyes, like he was inviting him in. Steven watched the two men, and finally he sucked in a cold breath and let go of the hilt of his sword.
"I'm not going to talk to you brats, I'll give you time to think and reflect, after all, you're still young, there are some things that you don't understand."
With that, Stephen turned helplessly and bowed to Prince Heine.
"Prince, please forgive their rudeness, please come with me ..."
"It's okay, I don't care."
Prince Heine responded with a smile, then he swept a glance at Caroline with intent, then left, led by Stefan.
"I can't believe it!!!"
As soon as the crowd left, Kelly spoke up in exasperation.
"What's the difference between that and essentially treason! It's not like our Empire is affiliated with the Federation! Why does Steven have to stoop so low!"
(Fox's tail is showing.)
A message of Caroline's judgment came through her head, while Jared smiled and nodded.
"That's right, that guy finally couldn't help himself, and the way I see it, this group of people is simply what he lured here."
"But why would Mr. Stephen do that?"
Tawana didn't get it, and in fact even Kylie didn't get it. Steven was one of the five Guardians of the Empire, and his words and actions spoke for the entire country. There was no need for him to stoop so low. Everyone sensed that something was wrong, but they couldn't tell what it was. Serenity sighed, helpless at the suddenness of the situation.
"That means he'll be our enemy the next time we meet?"
"Sure."
There was a hint of regret in Jared's voice, he had thought that he would finally have a chance to kill this guy. He didn't realize that this nasty bastard actually slipped away with his tail between his legs, which made Jared very sorry. But no matter what, now that the main base has been built, at least the people can have a safe camp. In this case, the search and reconnaissance began ...
"Brother Jared?"
"Huh?"
Tawana tugged gently on Jared's shirt, seeming to have some difficulty in speaking.
"What about the sister?"
(You mean ...)
In fact, if Tawana hadn't warned them, they would have almost forgotten someone was there. She was still wrapped in a white cloth, standing quietly. There was a mixture of uneasiness and doubt in her expression. After all, Stephen had nominally joined her as her guardian. Now that Stephen had left without authorization, the position of the one who stayed behind would become very awkward. Remember, her name is ... Wendy.
"Ms. Wendy, what are your thoughts?"
But when confronted with Jared's question, Wendy gave a strange answer.
"Lord Cthulhu has ordered me to come and investigate the forest, and to cooperate with your operations."
"... But your guardian is gone."
"Lord Cthulhu said that I just have to cooperate with your actions ."
Wendy repeated her words again, as if she didn't care at all that Stephen had left her.
What a weirdo.
Now that it was over, Jared had nothing to say, and Serenity had assured him that Wendy would be no danger to them. Jared didn't have a problem with it anyway, and he was obviously happy to accept the situation as it was.
（"Do you want to start a harem again?)
"Thinking about it. It's not a crime to think about it."
If it were any other woman, Jared wouldn't have been able to admit it so readily. But unlike Caroline, their relationship was more than just jealousy for the sake of jealousy. They knew each other too well to waste their energy on frivolous arguments, and Caroline trusted Jared as much as Jared did. Of course, a little grumbling was in order. After all, just because you're well-bred doesn't mean you have to be patient.
And so, in Jared's mind, a tantalizing pink scene soon emerged.
In a forest far from the beaten track, Caroline was curled up in her arms, surrounded by Kylie and Serenity, and even Tawana, blushing, leaning in. Immersed in this gentle wine and meat forest, the supreme emperor elegantly killed the four sides, enjoying a sumptuous meal that would make the world's eyes red with envy. In the arms of the young girls in the eager eyes of up and down his hands ...
"Okay, delusion over, let's get down to business."
Jared stretched and mumbled to himself. This caused Serenity and Kylie, who were discussing what to do next, to look at him oddly, while Caroline sighed, resting her forehead. As a woman, it was only natural that she would not have a desire for exclusivity. In fact, during their initial travels together, Caroline's desire for exclusivity was so strong that she couldn't stand the idea of Jared paying too much attention to another girl. Of course, too much exclusivity is never a good thing, and once Caroline realized that no matter what Jared did to the others, she would eventually come back to her, she stopped acting as extreme as she had been. By now, Caroline had adapted to Jared's idiosyncrasies and was able to understand them with tolerance.
"Our opinion is this..."
Serenity said to Jared with a straight face.
"Now that the situation has gone beyond our expectations, I suggest that we contact the Lord of the Heavens and leave it to her to decide our next course of action. According to our investigation, although the cause is unknown, the Forest of the Undead has become suitable for human habitation. As for the second mission, due to the sudden appearance of the Federation investigation team, it will indeed become a diplomatic issue between the two countries as Steven said."
"Wouldn't it be better to take them out before they get out of the Forest of the Dead."
Nipping danger in the bud has always been Jared's policy.
"I would strongly agree with you if there were no prince on the other side."
In politics, Kelly knows a lot about that.
"But it's different now, after all, a country can't be without a king, and although the federation is a unified collection of several small countries, the prince's role in it is also very large. In this situation, if the prince disappears, no matter whether it stands on reason or not, the federation will turn on my empire, and at that time ..."
"It won't."
Jared shook his head, interrupting Kelly's worried statement. He looked very confident, and clearly had a plan.
"Believe me, they wouldn't dare do anything even if we were here to make a slice of that prince and send it back."
"What are you talking about? You don't know anything about ...!"
Kelly frowned instinctively and tried to retort.
"I don't need to know."
Jared held up a finger and shook it, as easily as if he were stating a matter of course.
"Now that they're here, they're not going back alive, and other than that, we don't have to do anything."