A Core Ship From The Start

Chapter 2683: Chapter 1814: The Attack (Another Snowy Day)

Since I joined the Tribunal, I have experienced several battles, many of which could be considered "saving the world," but never has it made me so nervous and uneasy. I know very well why—in previous battles, Mr. Duanmu was either by our side or behind us. This gave us great reassurance, at least when we encountered something difficult, we knew someone could solve it.

But now he stands opposite us.

Everyone feels a bit uneasy and nervous. I wonder if this is also part of Mr. Duanmu’s plan, because from my experience, he often makes strange moves without explanation, and afterward, we find out why he made those decisions. I talked to a few others, and they also held a similarly optimistic hope—as if Mr. Duanmu would turn around and become our ally the moment he saw us.

However, I also know that this is just an optimistic expectation, and it is not likely to become reality. Mr. Duanmu has said more than once, "No expectations, no disappointments," suggesting that we shouldn’t expect things to change, but rather focus on what’s in front of us... I don’t know if this interpretation is correct, but I must admit that I have indeed benefited greatly from this saying right now.

Considering that readers have written to me asking why I seldom describe my romantic relationship with Mr. Duanmu in my novels, my answer is... it’s not that I have hidden these relationships for some reason, but when viewed from an ordinary person’s perspective, being with Mr. Duanmu is actually devoid of romance. Using some adjectives, Mr. Duanmu’s demeanor in thinking is very "straightforward." He would consider what problems you encountered and then solve your problems. But it ends there; he doesn’t care about the kind of romance that girls expect. Even when having afternoon tea with me, it seems like a normal meal to Mr. Duanmu, rather than a chance to chat with a girl. His interest in the dessert on the table is significantly greater than in the girls.

Miss Ann once described to me, with a hint of complaint, an occasion where she felt that Mr. Duanmu spent too little time with her, which made Miss Ann feel lonely, so she specially went to Mr. Duanmu to complain (or maybe acted coy according to my understanding of Mr. Duanmu, who usually interprets it as a complaint).

And Mr. Duanmu solved this problem very simply—the next day he called Miss Ann to the office and let her work with him. When the overwhelmed Miss Ann started complaining during work, Mr. Duanmu’s response was, "I have too much work to do to have any time to accompany you, so I simply have you work with me to meet your needs."

I don’t know what expression Miss Ann showed at that moment, perhaps it was similar to mine when I heard it.

By the way, I am sure Mr. Duanmu was quite pleased with his cleverness, thinking it to be a win-win solution.

As for whether this is really a good idea or not, I believe the readers must have their own judgments.

Some readers find it hard to understand how such a person can be so favored by many women, and I do think it’s understandable. Many of us may have our first impression of Mr. Duanmu influenced by the suspension bridge effect. After all, you have to admit, when you encounter an almost irresistible despair and danger, the figure standing before you from out of nowhere indeed brings a kind of indescribable security. But things are not so simple, or rather emotions themselves are very complex.

Mr. Duanmu had also specifically asked me for my views on love. But in fact, it’s hard for me to explain; it’s not just me, I fear everyone is like this. Our feelings for Mr. Duanmu are complicated, not simply romantic love. More often than not, feelings of dependency or trust prevail. Of course, some people’s situations are particularly unique and strange (like Miss Greiya and Miss Zuo Niao).

But anyway, Mr. Duanmu is indeed the bond that connects us, and perhaps that is why we haven’t had any conflicts or frictions among us. Generally speaking, love is selfish, yet our feelings are like comrades in a trench, fighting side by side. More reliant on and trusting in each other, rather than competitors grabbing for something.

Of course, who exactly are the enemies we are fighting? That question is a bit difficult to answer.

However, for now, our enemy is very clear: figure out a way to trap Mr. Duanmu and restore his consciousness. This mission indeed has Mr. Duanmu’s style—no complex plans, just clear goals, with the rest of the matters left to resolve themselves on the battlefield. I suspect this is because we’ve followed him for so long that we barely have any concept of complex plans.

But anyway, we still did everything we needed to do.

We set up camp under a nearby mountain, and Miss Liao used her magic to excavate a massive labyrinth within the mountain (considering the Green Orc’s combat style, we’ve unanimously agreed that it’s safer to trap them in narrow passages than on open ground). Two regiments of Night Guards have already been stationed inside. I have explained the plan and objectives of this operation to them. Though somewhat confused, they executed the orders decisively and effectively.