"I'm relieved to hear that, Chief Bryant," Rocky said with a smile.
While they were talking, a graceful and plump figure came in. She had a cold expression on her face,
but as soon as she saw Rocky, her face brightened with happiness though it was only for a moment.
"It's nice to see you, Miss Shirley." Rocky recognized her immediately. It was Shirley who just came in.
"What are you doing here?" Although Shirley was happy to see Rocky, she hid it well and spoke to him
in the same arrogant voice she often used.
"I'm here to talk with Chief Bryant," Rocky replied, not minding the cold treatment from her, as he was
already used to it.
"Oh, I see," she answered, suddenly hesitant, as she looked from Rocky to Bryant. Finally, she felt that
she had disturbed them, so she nodded at them politely and turned away. "I'm sorry I disturbed your
conversation then. I'll go out first."
But before she could leave, Bryant stopped her. "Wait. We are done here, actually. And it's the first time
that Prince Crimson has come to our Sky Army Group, so why don't you show him around for me?" he
suggested.
Shirley hesitantly faced them, a look of unwillingness on her face. Unfortunately, she couldn't say no to
Chief Bryant, so she just looked at Rocky, expecting him to turn the offer down.
However, Rocky had no reason to turn down Bryant's offer. It would be impolite to reject his kindness
after all. So, he stood up and bowed a little toward Bryant before he walked to Shirley. "Thank you,
Chief Bryant. I will be happy to see your Sky Army Group. Thank you, Miss Shirley, for your time."
Shirley snorted slightly and didn't deign to reply to Rocky. Then, she walked out without waiting for
Rocky, who hurried after her after nodding at Bryant one last time.
The two of them strolled around the base camp of the Sky Army Group. It looked like an impregnable
fort, and it was bigger and more majestic than the Crimson Dragon Group.
Shirley kept silent most of the tour, except when she had to tell Rocky about the places they went to,
and even then, she kept them as brief as possible. However, despite her silence, she kept stealing
glances at Rocky all the time.
She looked like she wanted to say something, and her movements were jerky and abrupt whenever
she felt that Rocky wasn't looking at her. Finally, Rocky was fed up and asked her bluntly, "Do you have
something to say to me? Just say it."
"What are you talking about? I have nothing to say to you!" Shirley contradicted. She lied because she
was flustered and didn't know what to say to Rocky. She had a lot of questions for him, but didn't know
where to start. This was the first time that they were alone since Rocky refused her in person. Although
they saw each other several times a day when she stayed in Crimson City, they didn't talk at all, and
Shirley had deliberately kept her distance from him. Besides, there were always other women around
him, and they all seemed to enjoy being around him, so it wasn't like he would miss her presence.
For Shirley, getting along with Rocky made her feel embarrassed, partly because she once regarded
Rocky as a man who was good at nothing. However, as time passed, the man she had judged too
quickly and put down had grown into Prince Crimson, a man who achieved success and won
recognition everywhere he went. Even though she was also proud of him, Shirley could not accept
such a big change. What troubled her even more was that during her stay in Crimson City, she became
more and more attracted to him, and she couldn't take her eyes away from him as long as he was
around. It was, frankly, disturbing.
"Shirley, do you have a crush on me?" Rocky suddenly stopped and said to Shirley bluntly.
At once, Shirley's face turned red, and her heart leaped and thundered inside her chest. He hit the nail
right on its head, although she could not even admit it to herself. Instead of answering, she avoided his
eyes and hastened her steps, as she tried to get away from him as fast as possible.
However, before Shirley could take one more step, Rocky grabbed her hand and pulled her abruptly.
He forced her to look at him, and he lowered his head closer to hers so that he could peer into her
eyes. Panic and shame dilated her pupils, and her face was a bright crimson, so she didn't want to look
at him. But once their eyes met, she could not look away.
"I want you to look me in the eyes and repeat what you just said. I won't believe you if you can't say it
to my face," said Rocky lowly, and his husky voice and warm breath tickled her ears. On the other
hand, he was frowning sternly. His worries seemed to have come true!
"I don't want to! You can believe me or not. I don't care!" Shirley exclaimed, struggling to look away
from him again. She bit her lips in embarrassment, and soon, it was almost as red as her face.
"Oh? Chief Bryant told me a different story." Rocky probed deeper as he studied her face intently.
"What did my grandfather say to you?" Shirley asked, feeling fidgety.
"I suppose you know better than me. I don't mind if you want to keep it a secret or refuse to admit, but I
still have to make it clear to you. You should know all the women around me. If you want to become
one of them, I can't stop you. Honestly, I don' know how to deal with relationships, and I never intended
to cause such a situation, though I hope I can figure it out one day. I owe them all as much. But for all
the people close to me, I will cherish and protect anyone of them. That is my only promise," Rocky
frankly answered. He knew that the relationship between the girls and him was too complicated to sort
out, and he was also reluctant to include Shirley, as it could become even more complicated.
Fortunately, they were kind to each other like real sisters and didn't mind sharing the same man, which
was a great relief for Rocky.
After all, he wanted them to be happy because he valued every one of them. Isis had a child with him;
Sabina had supported him for so long; Lucilla had given up everything for him, and he always felt guilty
as he once hurt Lena. Anyway, he had a unique and unforgettable reason for each of them. The last
thing Rocky wanted was to add more women to the mix.
Now that Shirley had such a tendency, Rocky hoped that he could nip it in the bud because he didn't
want to see her fall deeper and deeper and end up like all the other girls.
"Do you love them?" Shirley quietly asked after she had been silent for a while, lost in her thoughts.
"Love is just a word. I think the most important thing between us is connection and understanding,"
Rocky replied with a faint smile.
"Don't you think it's unfair to them? Even when all of them put all their hearts on you, you still haven't
clearly responded to their love," Shirley protested, feeling like the girls were suffering some kind of
injustice because of Rocky.
"Maybe I am; I don't know. But I suppose that our connection is deeper, and it will last longer than love.
Perhaps, one day, you will understand this feeling. But I don't want you to learn it from the girls and me.
I think you should find a better man for you," Rocky said sincerely.
"It's none of your business. I will take care of my own feelings. If you don't have anything else to do,
just go." Shirley cast a sidelong glance at him. However, she could not stomach to see Rocky leave, so
before he could leave, she walked away from him first. At that moment, Rocky could tell that she was
as complicated as the other girls.
"I hope she can understand what I mean. Don't fall in love with me anymore." Rocky sighed, looking at
Shirley's back.
Rocky then went to Bryant to say goodbye and left the Sky Army Group. He went back to the Crimson
City first and made some arrangements, preparing to start the genetic modification plan of the spirit-
manipulated beasts in the four groups.
When everything was ready, he went to the Imperial City. But he didn't go back to the Palace City.
Instead, he went to the Fragrance House to see Laney. Earlier, he had asked her to look for clues
about Alston. So, he went there to know if there was any progress.
However, instead of hearing the news he expected, he got another astonishing message about the
Timber Deity Empire.
"What did you say? The Wood Clan is going to ally with the Heavenly Demon Clan, and Alyssa has to
be sent to the Heavenly Demon Clan as some kind of condition?" Rocky was shocked by what he had
heard.
"My sources are sure, so they can't be wrong about this. When I heard the news, I wanted to send you
a message right away. Fortunately, you came back in time." Laney's face had never looked as serious
as it did at that moment.
"The Heavenly Demon Clan once wanted to take away Alyssa's legendary guardian beast. This time,
they must be plotting something by asking for such a condition. There's something wrong about their
sudden request. Why do they want Alyssa?" Rocky wondered aloud.
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