Queen Luna paused at his sudden question. "What? You want me to teach you?"
"Well, I'm a quick learner. If you can teach me a few moves or combos, I might be able to reach your expectations," Liu Ye replied casually.
He usually preferred to train and find his way by himself but Queen Luna was a Level 120 NPC. Who wouldn't like to see what kind of techniques she was equipped with? Too bad, it was easier said than done.
"Why would I do it?" Queen Luna asked back while folding her arms. "You are just a mercenary I hired and you didn't even join the Earth Empire. What if I trained you and you later fought for my enemies? Maybe if you sided with me I would think about your proposal, but until then, you can only dream about it."
"I see…" Liu Ye muttered and shrugged it off as he walked away. "Alright, forget that I asked. Let's go, we already wasted too much time chatting."
Queen Luna was immediately rendered speechless while staring at his back. "Are you not going to ask me to join me? I can train you if you do."
Liu Ye didn't even turn around as he rejected her on the spot. "Nah, I'm good. I won't blindly join anyone without even knowing what they are capable off. Maybe once we complete our mission I will see enough to evaluate your performance."
"Huh?" Queen Luna muttered confused and suddenly boosted herself up with a gush of wind before landing right in front of him. "Aren't you going too far? You are changing the script. You are supposed to satisfy me instead."
Liu Ye couldn't help but smile behind his bandana and shrugged unbothered, "It's you who wants to rope me in. You will have to do much more to convince me."
It was hard to break through Queen Luna's ego but surprisingly, with a bit of reverse psychology, she was showing signs of cracking. She squinted her eyes and grasped onto his leather jacket. "You are the first man who has ever talked to me so boldly. I don't need to prove myself to anyone."
Liu Ye remained calm and grabbed her wrist to pull her away. "I guess it is never too late for the first time. If you don't want me then just say it. I'm fine with that too."
Queen Luna stared him down and finally gave in. "Fine! You want to see my strength? I will show you some strength. Follow me!"
They ran along the same path leading towards the distant mountains and it only took them a few minutes to meet another target. A group of five Red Desert Thieves jumped out onto the road and blocked their way.
"It's a robbery! Give us—"
The thieves couldn't even finish their formula when Queen Luna attacked with no mercy. Air gushed out from her fists and she slid on the moving rock as if she was surfing. She appeared by the thieves' side before they could prepare their defenses.
"Just die," Queen Luna announced their fate even before she landed and shot five Air Bullets that blew them off their feet. What was the most surprising was the damage this most basic ability caused.
-420
-420
-420
-420
-840!
Liu Ye widened his eyes at the crit damage that dealt as much as his most powerful ability. Although it was logical knowing she was level 120 but it was still hard to swallow. She could one-shot him with just a single gush of wind.
He didn't even have time to calculate how much Elemental Power Queen Luna could have as she continued her combo. As soon as her feet touched the ground, the Earth trembled and wrapped the thieves in stone prisons. With only their heads sticking out, they had no way of escaping her.
"Wait! Let me—" Liu Ye called out after her, hoping he could end them himself for free Experience but he was too late. Queen Luna clenched her fists and Earth Spikes burst out from the ground, executing the thieves on the spot.
"That only took me ten seconds," Queen Luna informed after turning back to Liu Ye. "I actually went easy on you when I asked you to drop down to one minute. Do I need to prove myself more or was that display enough?"
It was obvious which one Liu Ye preferred but talking with Queen Luna was always tricky. He wanted to receive her assistance and teachings but at the same time, it would be best if she offered them herself.
"It is enough if you just wanted to impress me," Liu Ye replied as he slowly approached. "You being strong doesn't bring me any additional benefits. I won't get stronger just by watching your techniques. I can only improve through battle so unless you fight alongside me, there is nothing to gain for me."
Queen Luna gazed at him deeply and wrapped her arms together. "What if I teach you some techniques? Name anything and I will teach you."
Liu Ye was taken aback for a second, not expecting he would convince her so easily. "How do you plan to teach me then?"
The only known way to learn Abilities was to learn them from the Elemental Tree. Liu Ye already thought of alternative ways like scrolls or NPC teachers but he was yet to confirm it.
"Simple," Queen Luna replied casually as she buried the thieves in a single move. "I will show you the ability and you will repeat after me. Seeing you know the Waterbending more, I can teach you some basics from Earthbending. Try to lift a stone and throw it at me."
Liu Ye had nothing to lose, so he didn't hesitate to try. He shot a nearby stone at her and she extended her hand to catch it. The rock stopped midair right in front of her palm and she took control of it with ease. "Did you see what I did?"
Recalling his earlier battle, the thieves never tried to catch his rocks and always either smashed or dodged them. Liu Ye could tell right away that it wasn't one of the basic abilities.
"You stopped the rock without touching it," Liu Ye replied curiously. "I was thinking about doing the same but the rocks only react to my call if they are on the ground or if I touch them."
"That's because you are not focused enough," Queen Luna informed while aiming at him. "What I did was called Remote Earthbending and it's basically an improved Earth Levitation. If you can master it, you will be able to bend earth suspended in the air or when you don't have contact with the earth. Try it yourself."
Queen Luna didn't warn him when she suddenly shot the rock in his direction. He was only able to lean to the side while the rock shot next to his face. "Are you trying to kill me? How am I supposed to control it when it is so fast?"
"Excuses," Queen Luna commented with a roll of her eyes and summoned another rock. "Focus your bending on the rock and try to slow it down. Once I shoot the rock, I no longer control it so you can take it freely. It works the same with water so it shouldn't be hard for you. Ready?"
Liu Ye didn't even try to reply, focusing his mind on the incoming rock.
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