Chapter 20
◎Lan Hua is such a scheming and pretentious person! ◎
Philosopher's Stone is also within the "Ancient God" ruins area of planet LM68, and the so-called ruins area is actually very large, covering almost half of the entire planet.
Lan Hua clearly sensed Luo Ying's dissatisfaction and resentment towards him, and the reason was obvious to him. However, he didn't care; he enjoyed the sight of others disliking him but being unable to do anything about it. But Lan Hua didn't like being stared at like that; it felt like flies buzzing in his ear—harmless, but extremely annoying.
"Hmm? Where do you feel unwell?" Lan Hua turned her head and asked Luo Ying with a smile, "You're trembling all over. Is it because you used up too much mental energy sensing the Philosopher's Stone?"
"I..." Luo Ying hadn't expected the person walking in front of him to suddenly notice him, and even single him out. He was speechless for a moment, unsure how to answer Lan Hua's question. Luo Ying paused for a moment, then realized what was happening and said, "Yes, I'm feeling a little unwell. I'll go back and rest for a while."
Lan Hua nodded knowingly. "I noticed you kept staring at my back, and I thought you had something to say to me. After all, it was so hot that I felt like my back was going to be pierced through."
Luo Ying: "..." He was only assigned to the Crown Prince's guard team later, by which time the Crown Prince and Lan Hua had already been separated for some time, so he hadn't actually had any contact with Lan Hua. His overall impression of Lan Hua was pieced together from a small amount of news and descriptions from people in the guard team who had previously interacted with Lan Hua.
Overall, Lan Hua is an unpredictable and enigmatic person; in short, he's difficult to deal with. And now, he's only just begun to truly understand Lan Hua's "difficulty." Lan Hua has really brought things to the surface, completely disregarding the other person's feelings. How could someone like that, if not for his good birth and good looks, be worthy of His Highness? He and Lan Hua are only different in terms of background.
Faced with Lan Hua's words, Luo Ying was at a loss for words and fell into an awkward silence. He looked pleadingly at the Crown Prince, who was walking alongside Lan Hua. Regas initially didn't want to say anything, but after being given a knowing glance by Lan Hua, he finally spoke to Luo Ying, asking, "Do you need someone to carry you?"
Luo Ying thought His Highness would offer him some comfort, but unexpectedly, His Highness went along with Lan Hua's words. His Highness should know the truth; it wasn't something that drained his mental energy at all. Lan Hua was simply stirring up trouble, and His Highness was practically indulging Lan Hua's antics and even covering for him. At this moment, Luo Ying felt extremely wronged. He had been with His Highness for almost three years, longer than Lan Hua had spent with him, yet as soon as Lan Hua arrived, His Highness seemed to ignore everyone else.
"No need, I can manage." Luo Ying was almost in tears, feeling wronged.
Lan Hua smiled, turned around, and said nothing more. If Luo Ying hadn't been staring so intently at his back, he wouldn't have bothered to pay him any attention.
Borenie secretly shook her head. Luo Ying had no idea of Lord Lan Hua's standing in His Highness's heart. Luo Ying had been in his guard for quite some time, and the reason His Highness had brought him in was simply because Luo Ying had become irreplaceable after His Highness changed the plan. She hoped Luo Ying could adjust her mindset and not go astray; otherwise, it might not be Lord Lan Hua who would act first, but His Highness.
The place where Regas and Lanhua's spaceship landed was the limit of the spaceship's travel range. Beyond that, all the spaceships would malfunction, and even the most obedient trained animals would go berserk and resist if they entered this area. It was impossible to carry people, so the only way to enter this area was on foot.
This area is a vast desert with occasional remnants of megalithic buildings. These buildings are scattered rather than forming a complex; they are more like isolated islands, far apart from each other.
"What's wrong?" Regas approached Lan Hua, holding her arm with one hand, and asked in a low voice.
From behind, the two seemed to have suddenly grown closer, their intimacy evident even from their silhouettes. Luo Ying felt as if her heart had been soaked in lemon juice, sour to the point of being bitter.
Lan Hua didn't push Regas away; in fact, he leaned against him for a moment before saying, "It's nothing serious, I just feel increasingly uncomfortable." Ever since he got off the spaceship and entered this area, he had subconsciously felt a strong aversion to it. The closer he got to the Philosopher's Stone, the stronger that resistance became. Accompanying this aversion was a cloud of consciousness; if his mental strength hadn't been strong enough, he might have been driven to mental instability.
"Are you really alright?" Regas asked, looking intently at him.
“It’s really nothing,” Lan Hua said with a smile. “I’m getting more and more curious about this Philosopher’s Stone.” His intuition told him that his behavior was directly related to the Philosopher’s Stone here.
"Let me lean on you for a while." Lan Hua made full use of the human-shaped cane that was leaning against her.
“It’s my pleasure,” Regas said with a smile.
The guards behind him were already used to it, knowing that His Highness and Lord Lanhua were much closer back then than they are now.
Regas could feel Lan Hua's weight increasing as she leaned against him, and guessed that Lan Hua's discomfort was getting worse.
"Shall I have someone send you back?" Regas couldn't help but say. He hadn't expected Lan Hua and the Philosopher's Stone here to be so repulsive. Lan Hua's original injuries hadn't fully healed, making him even more vulnerable to such a force field. And now, almost all means of transportation here, including the spaceship, were ineffective, so he couldn't send him away immediately.
At this moment, Lan Hua's face had turned uncontrollably pale, and his slightly furrowed brows indicated that he was extremely uncomfortable. Seeing Lan Hua like this, a strange feeling of heartache welled up within Regas. This emotion was unfamiliar to Regas, because he had always resisted letting emotions take over his reason; he didn't need feelings, because sometimes, emotions would affect his judgment and plans.
But in truth, from the moment he chose to come to this universe, he had already succumbed. Choosing the unknown and danger was perhaps a form of abandoning himself and everything he carried. Perhaps, they could stay here forever…
"No need." Lan Hua chuckled softly, his smile carrying an unprecedented sense of weakness, beautiful yet fragile, creating a poignant beauty, though this fragile beauty was merely an illusion Lan Hua gave off.
“I was just a little curious at first, but now—I’m really interested. Maybe I have a strange connection with it, right?” Lan Hua simply rested her cheek on Regas’s shoulder and said.
"You're not feeling well, yet you're still talking so much." Although he said that, Regas's voice carried a hint of doting affection.
“I need to say something to keep my senses up.” Lan Hua blew a prank breath into his ear and whispered, “I feel like this thing isn’t affecting my body, but my consciousness. All my consciousness is rejecting it, and because of this strong resistance, I’ll lose my senses if I’m not careful.”
Lan Hua had just finished speaking when she chuckled softly, "Your ears are red, tsk tsk tsk. Let me see if you have any down there—" As she spoke, her eyes glanced at Regas.
Regas was exasperated with Lan Hua. He was so upset he was about to faint, yet she still loved to cause trouble. "You really are... naughty."
"Are you trying to change the subject?" Lan Hua's voice grew softer and softer. He actually felt dizzy and disoriented. If it weren't for Regas supporting him, no matter how strong his will was, he probably wouldn't have been able to stand up.
Lan Hua had never felt this way before. His physical and mental abilities were top-notch; piloting a warship at warp speed was commonplace for him. Even if he were to pass through a black hole, he would only suffer serious injuries, but his recovery speed was incredibly fast, and he wouldn't become unconscious. Moreover, this overwhelming and intense repulsion towards the Philosopher's Stone seemed to be unique to him.
“I’ll carry you?” Regas said.
"No, this concerns a man's dignity." Lan Hua snorted, warning Regas not to act on his own. Only Lan Hua could make Regas so helpless.
Regas sighed softly and asked, "Do you need the water of Panacea?" The water of Panacea can quickly restore a person's mental and physical strength, and it is also very effective in treating serious injuries, hence the name Panacea. However, the production of the water of Panacea is extremely low, so it is exclusively supplied to high-ranking military officers.
"No need, you know I'm not injured, so this water won't work for me." Lan Hua's voice lowered again. "I never thought that His Highness the Crown Prince, who is always so rational, would resort to desperate measures."
"I've lost all reason with you," Regas said with a self-deprecating tone, half-embracing Lan Hua.
Because the voice was too low, and Lan Hua's mind was filled with an electric-like sound, she didn't hear what Regas said.
Lan Hua continued speaking, trying to keep his mind from being swallowed up by the surging chaotic magnetic storm. "So, your mind is in turmoil, isn't it?" A smug smile played on his lips, like a child who had just pulled off a prank.
"Yes." Regas knew Lan Hua might not understand his answer, but he still answered Lan Hua's question seriously. At the same time, he adjusted Lan Hua's position against him to make her more comfortable.
All of this was observed by Luo Ying, who was following behind them. The close proximity of the figures rekindled his suppressed jealousy. He truly couldn't understand why the perfect Crown Prince would be attracted to the hypocritical and pretentious Lan Hua.
In Luo Ying's eyes, Lan Hua's series of reactions just now were nothing but affectation, purely an attempt to seduce His Highness the Crown Prince. The environment around the three Philosopher Stones they destroyed earlier was similar to this place: endless desert and a few megalithic structures, impassable by airships and other vehicles. However, His Highness and his guards trekked through this desert to reach the location of the Philosopher Stones. Although some guards struggled due to exhaustion and the force field's repulsion, they still gritted their teeth and made it. And although his physical strength was not as good as those Jingwei (his guards), he also persevered.
Lan Hua is such a scheming and pretentious person!
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