171 A Family That He Once Did Not Have!

As usual, Paul Solares was the commander of the Naval Force. Any decisions or actions to be made--concerning the three ships, would need his approval before implementation. 

On the other hand, the Attack Team and the Support Team were replaced with the Advance Force, the Land Force, and the Logistics Force. All of which are responsible for any on-land related tasks or objectives.

Both the Land Force and the Logistics Force would be under Mathew's command. That said, he would focus more on managing the Land Force consisting of Talia and the Treants, who would be the new frontline fighters of this battle. 

The Logistics Force would still be under Mathew's command, but... The work was divided amongst Charlotte, Elisabeth, Ashley, and Aunt Veronica who were assigned as 'messengers' and 'reporters' that were scattered through the battlefield. 

The goal of establishing the Logistics Force is to ensure proper communication between all of them, and, at the same time, improve coordination between their troops to avoid suffering any loss, especially in terms of the life of their men. 

Charlotte, Elisabeth, and Ashley's coordination are very important. Elisabeth and Ashley were the messengers and reporters of Talia and Mathew--who are amongst the three major frontline fighters of their force. 

In case any or both of the two forces needed back up, they would be the ones who would contact Charlotte who is in charge of the NPCs from Karakoa Fleet. 

What happened to Arvedar was an eye-opener to both Pedro and Mathew. They knew that they someday experience the same situation as Arvedar, where they were too busy fighting in their Transformation Form to the point that they won't be able to revert back to their human form just to send a message or report. Thus, the messengers or the reporters were a crucial part of their force. 

Lastly, for the Advance Force, Pedro would lead the said small group whose goal was to advance ahead to the East and gain as many 'things' as they can. Be it Manpower, Money, Connections, Reputation, or Weapons, they would take as much as they could with them. 

Truth be told, Pedro was hesitant in bringing Aks, Antonio, and Yuson with them. He did not want to use his identity of being a part of BHO in obtaining his objectives and targets. However, he had no choice. 

First of all, it would be suspicious to Paul and the rest of the NPCs as to why he wanted to suddenly head into the East. Thus, in order to avoid that suspicion, he had no choice but to bring the three NPCs with him. 

With the three NPCs, namely Aks, Antonio, and Yuson, as his representatives, and his title as Contra Almirante from the BHO, Pedro could obtain the authority that would allow him to control, not only the Tarala Kingdom, but the majority of the NPC forces of the eastern side of Aquari Continent, and lead them in fighting against the monsters and the 'troublesome' Adventurers. 

As for Sabrina, she was his 'private bodyguard'. Her goal was to protect Pedro from any threat, no matter what. 

It was unfortunate that she was not left on the Land Force. With her huge range of vision, paired with her Demonic Eyes and her telepathically controlled pen-knives, the Land Force's advance could have been twice faster. 

She was basically a one-man army. Her attack range was as wide as what Talia's ant army could cover--around a kilometer radius. While her kill rate was as fast as the combined kill rate of the Treants and Mathew, on his chicken form. 

Well... It was the advantage that Pedro gained for bringing Sabrina along with him. In case they needed to go against a combined force of monsters and players/adventurers, Sabrina would be enough to 'take care' of the majority of them. 

As for Loren and Aldo, they were their personal messengers and reporters. Aldo was Pedro's friend, so there's no doubt that he'd be the one that Pedro would fully trust to always ride on his back.

While Loren was Sabrina's friend... or more like her sister. Thus, Loren was the only one allowed--besides Pedro, to ride behind Sabrina's back on her eagle form. 

With everything organized compared to earlier, Pedro hoped that they won't suffer that much loss this time around.

On top of that, he could only hope that Yojiro and Arvedar would recover fast. Though their firepower was not in the level of Sabrina, Mathew, or Talia, they were at the least on par with Beatrice's strength. Thus, their presence was still very important, especially that their manpower was limited. 

At this moment, Sabrina had arrived at where Pedro and the rest of the Advance Force were located. She reverted to her human form and ate an 'early' breakfast with everyone else. 

Loren jumped and hugged Sabrina the moment she arrived, and said, "Sis! How are you? Did you get any injury? Just tell me... I'll take care of them for you."

Sabrina simply retained her calm expression--not minding much Loren's sisterly hug, and said, "I'm fine, Sis. Don't worry about me. How about you? Did you rest?" 

"I'm fine! I'm fine!" Loren said as she let go of Sabrina. Then, She smirked towards Sabrina and raised her left hand--showing a ring in one of her fingers. "Classmate Pedro gave me a ring."

In the next second, Sabrina's eyes turned all red. Fortunately, before she could release a strong murderous aura, Pedro threw the 'EXP' Amulet towards her--making her shift her attention towards it.

Since her demonic eyes were activated, she was able to see the thrown 'EXP' Amulet in slow motion, and, at the same time, she was able to predict several trajectories it might take--allowing her to perfectly catch it with one hand.

"Nice catch!" Pedro said, smirking afterward. 

Sabrina glared at him as if asking 'Why did you give Loren a ring?'. 

Pedro could only fake out several coughs before forcing out a smile. Then, he said, "Don't misunderstand... I gave it to her so that she would understand what you would say in your eagle form. You'd be our eyes from above after all. It would all be useless if you would not be able to convey or report what you guys see. And... Don't expect that her vision would be as clear as yours!"

Sabrina could only sigh after hearing Pedro's explanation. At the same time, her pen-knife--that was initially aimed towards Loren, curved towards Pedro, consequently missing Loren's neck by a hair's breadth.

That said, Sabrina's pen-knife simply ricocheted off Pedro's black scales on his neck--leaving a small scratch in it. It was small enough to the point that it would be hard for someone to notice it even if they were just standing a meter away from Pedro. 

On the other hand, Pedro could only force out a smile and grumble, "What was that for?"

Sabrina ignored him with a 'Hmph!' and simply took a Flocoloso Bird for her to eat. This made Loren and everyone else burst into laughter, thinking that the two lovers were about to have a quarrel. 

Hopeless, Pedro could only shake his head in response and sigh. Then, he glanced at everyone and said, "Make sure to eat a lot! We would be traveling straight to the East. We won't make any stops along the way. So... Be sure that you finish all the things that you need to do and prepare all the things you need."

Loren, Aldo, and Yuson nodded in agreement. However, Antonio and Aks could not help but force out a smile instead. They know that riding behind Pedro was like their ride to their afterlife. They would rather endure their hunger later on, rather than ride a 'roller coaster' with their stomach full. 

Pedro could only smirk at their response. Well... Loren was lucky. She would ride behind Sabrina. Unlike Pedro, Sabrina's flight was stable and not bumpy--like a car that's traveling on a highway. So... It would rather be an enjoyable experience for Loren. 

As for Aldo and Yuson... Those who were able to experience riding behind Pedro... They could only say one thing... 

Good luck!

With many things to look forward to, Pedro can't help but be filled with happiness despite their situation. 

Sure, they lack personnel. 

Sure, they were not yet strong enough to protect, nor dominate the whole of Aquari Continent. 

But...

This time...

In his second life...

He had capable comrades...

He had their loyalty...

And most of all... He gained something that he did not have in his past life. Something... that only a few would obtain inside a game.

He gained a family that he once did not have.