Deviating from his original plan might not be a great deal to the immortals, but it was to Patroclus. At the chief architect of the future society, he knew if he didn"t lay the foundation straight, the world he built would collapse as it grew.
The immortals were aware of Patroclus"s ultimate goal, but doubtful that it was realistic.
Outright destruction would be much easier than slow integration and a.s.similation. When the Immortals had quashed all resistance force, it would be much easier to convert the human population; even then, it would take up to decades to complete the task.
And now, w.a.n.g Tong"s appearance had given the human population hope and rekindled their desire to fight back.
Although Harmon understood Patroclus" intentions, he knew what he was trying to achieve was extremely difficult, if not impossible. Harmon knew that Patroclus didn"t plan to convert every single human into Immortals. Instead, he wanted the humans and the immortals to coexist in peace. As for his strong-handed rule, it was a necessary evil to ensure the Immortals" place on earth.
If the humans embraced the immortals into their life, they would be rewarded handsomely with the gift of immortality and invincibility.
It was senseless to debate the right or wrong of an issue since it was the results that truly mattered. Between w.a.n.g Tong and Patroclus, whoever could achieve a better outcome for humanity would be the eventual winner.
Somehow, Harmon felt that w.a.n.g Tong would be able to locate the queen, but even if he could, he wouldn"t be able to change the inevitable.
Even since w.a.n.g Tong returned to earth, Patroclus had been avoiding him, and the human fleet; the quietness had lightened the warriors" mood significantly. Meanwhile, the earthlings received a group of important guests.
With the arrival of Heidi, the Kaedeian princess, all significant leaders of the human resistance force had gathered at the same place.
Many officials had finally witnessed Heidi"s beauty; Porten had to hold back his urge of getting too close to her exquisite frame from the moment he laid his eyes on her. He had completely lost his interest in Li Ruoer, since it was clear by then that Li Ruoer cared only for w.a.n.g Tong. Considering the political clout w.a.n.g Tong currently held, Porten knew that it was unwise to hara.s.s one of his girls. Therefore, he had quickly s.h.i.+fted his attention from Li Ruoer to Heidi.
When Heidi reached the headquarters of the human resistance force, Li s.h.i.+ming welcomed her ardently on behalf of the earth resistance force. Li s.h.i.+ming had adapted to his new role very quickly ever since w.a.n.g Tong had arrived. He knew his responsibility well and fulfilled his duty satisfactorily.
He knew that it was the best option for him and for his family. Although he was no longer compet.i.tive compared to w.a.n.g Tong, he could still find his own stage to re-establish his family"s influence.
Helping w.a.n.g Tong wasn"t entirely nonconstructive for House Li. Not only was Li Ruoer widely regarded as w.a.n.g Tong"s mistress, but the connection between w.a.n.g Tong and the Blade Warrior would further tie him and House Li closer together. In other words, helping w.a.n.g Tong was helping his family.
"Welcome, WELCOME! Princess Heidi!"
"Thank you. I am here to bring Deep Blue to Earth." Heidi answered.
Porten stepped forward and stood abreast with Li s.h.i.+ming. He was not only one head shorter than Li s.h.i.+ming, but also had a slightly hunched back.
"My dear princess, I would love to take you on tour around the Earth to show you our culture and food and …" Porten stopped abruptly when Deep Blue snorted loudly at him. Never once had Porten seen a creature so terrifying; his eyes were blue as ice and teeth sharp like filed knives. Porten winced under his breath and took a step back.
"I apologize Mr. Porten, and thank you for your thought. My schedule here is very tight. I am afraid that we will have to wait until next time. "
"Princess, we have already prepared transportation for you outside the meeting hall. "
"There is no need. Deep Blue will lead me to him." Heidi hopped onto Deep Blue"s back, and then the giant monster rose from sitting position. With one single leap, it covered a few hundred meters, and after half a heartbeat, Heidi and Deep Blue banished into the distance.
"b.a.l.l.s, why do all the girls act like that w.a.n.g Tong is the only man in the world?" Porten complained.
Li s.h.i.+ming patted his shoulder. "There are plenty of fishes out there. We have other things to worry about other than relations.h.i.+ps."
"Haha, that"s right. I wish w.a.n.g Tong and Patroclus will both die in their fight!" Porten said begrudgingly. It would be an ideal situation for most opportunists if both w.a.n.g Tong and Patroclus perished. Lie Jian and Li s.h.i.+ming would be the greatest beneficiaries should that happen.
Li s.h.i.+ming was not impressed by Porten"s selfishness. To Porten, the world was a zero-sum game, and Li s.h.i.+ming worried that he would lose himself in his arrogance without proper guidance. If Porten got under w.a.n.g Tong"s skin, even Li s.h.i.+ming would not be able to save him. w.a.n.g Tong never tolerated actions that were destructive to unity, and that, Li s.h.i.+ming wagered, Porten should have known as well.
Porten was not an idiot, but his lack of grasp on reality could sometime turn him into a babbling fool. Even on his way back to his residence, his mind was filled with images of Heidi"s face. Compared to five-six years ago when he had seen her for the first time, she had shed that innocent look and replaced it with an irresistible charm of a woman, like the juicy peaches in August, waiting to be taken.
w.a.n.g Tong was told to wait for Heidi in the living room while the girls would first greet the guest in the lobby. w.a.n.g Tong knew better to not protest against the will of the higher power.
Ma Xiaoru, Zhou Sisi and Li Ruoer had put on their best makeup and dresses right after they have heard that Heidi was heading this way.
Zhou Sisi and Ma Xiaoru didn"t want to interfere with w.a.n.g Tong"s meeting, but Li Ruoer insisted that they should "greet" Heidi before she met him.
Ma Xiaoru and Zhou Sisi would be lying if they said that they weren"t threatened by Heidi at all. After all, she had spent more time with w.a.n.g Tong in the six years than they did.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Sisi asked.
"We need to be confident! We OWN w.a.n.g Tong, remember? We have to get that message across." Li Ruoer said hotly.
"She is a guest. We can"t be terrorizing her like this."
"Urghh! You two are so useless! Fine, fine, let"s just bask under her glory presence and let her take w.a.n.g Tong." Li Ruoer half jested and half complained.
Suddenly, a blue shadow flashed across the front yard, and there she was, arrived in front of the three girls with the grace of a G.o.ddess. A measured smile broke over her exquisite face. "Greetings, sisters."
Li Ruoer was immediately enthralled with Heidi"s poised and humble manner. A sense of shame rose inside her as she remembered why she was here. Ma Xiaoru replied with an equal measure of grace and humility. "Nice to meet you. What a lovely sight you are! No wonder w.a.n.g Tong kept on talking about you."
Heidi blushed. Although she and w.a.n.g Tong barely knew each other, her affections—hidden perfectly under the pretense of her responsibility— for him burned like wildfire. Before she came, her queen mother had reminded her of her responsibility: to secure marriage with w.a.n.g Tong. Heidi knew that in order to achieve that, she would have first to gain Ma Xiaoru"s approval.