At this, Miles Sanctus’s expression darkened.

’Hand my base over to her to manage?’

’She’s delusional!’

However, as if she couldn’t see his ugly expression, Stella Sterling continued, "That’s just the first thing. Since you’ll be handing the base over for me to manage in the future, I expect you to completely stop meddling in its affairs. Leave it entirely to me. Also, you’ll have to give me all of your possessions."

Stella Sterling saw his face had grown completely black, so dark it looked like ink could drip from it. She continued with a grin, "As for you? If you’re truly fortunate enough to marry me, you can just stay at home and manage logistics for me. Don’t worry, I won’t treat you unfairly."

"So? Those are my conditions for now. If you can accept them, then on account of you being somewhat handsome, I’ll give your proposal some serious consideration."

By now, the surrounding crowd had heard Stella Sterling’s words, and their eyes were wide and their jaws had dropped.

This... this... this...

’How can she say that? This isn’t a marriage alliance, this is demanding he marry into her family! Even that wouldn’t be this extreme.’

Chloe Lane, standing nearby, was also stunned, and she couldn’t help but give Stella a mental thumbs-up. ’This woman really has guts, way more than me.’

The man in front of them wasn’t just anyone; he was the leader of Sanctyr Base.

’Maybe Stella Sterling doesn’t know much about this man or Sanctyr Base, but I certainly do.’

’Sanctyr Base is incredibly powerful, with a huge number of members. And their people are ruthless and show no mercy.’

’From what I know, the base seems to be conducting some unspeakable experiments.’

’Compared to Sanctyr Base, my own base is lacking by more than a little. I would never dare to take this attitude with him.’

’Let alone say something like that.’

For a moment, her gaze on Stella Sterling filled with worry. ’This woman is way too bold. Isn’t she afraid of offending him?’

’This Miles Sanctus isn’t known for being magnanimous.’

As the surrounding crowd snapped out of their astonishment, some of the men who had been interested in Stella Sterling quickly abandoned the idea.

Miss Sterling was certainly charming, but no ordinary man could afford to meet her conditions.

A few others, however, narrowed their eyes, seemingly deep in thought.

Only Mr. Cheney, standing to the side, shook his head. He didn’t know if the Miss truly meant what she said or not.

But from her demeanor, it was obvious that Miss Sterling had no interest in the man from Sanctyr Base and was deliberately saying these things to humiliate him.

He shook his head, looking over at Miles Sanctus. ’I wonder how this man managed to offend the Miss!’

Miles Sanctus’s aura had turned grim. He stared directly at Stella Sterling, his tone suppressing a wealth of impatience. "Are you serious, Miss Sterling?"

"Of course I’m serious. After all, I am this exceptional. If you want to be with me, you have to pay a price. Otherwise, how could you possibly be worthy of me?"

Stella Sterling nodded, her expression completely earnest. Her tone was bold and confident, without the slightest hint of a lie.

After speaking, she looked at him again. "Don’t you admire me? How can you not even agree to such simple conditions?"

Miles Sanctus took a deep breath. ’If it were anyone else speaking to me like this, I would have made them regret it long ago!’

’But...’

’I can’t quite see through the woman in front of me, and right now, we’re on Meridia Base’s territory...’

So, Miles Sanctus calmed himself and smiled. "I didn’t realize Miss Sterling had such a sense of humor!"

"No, I’m serious. As long as you agree, I will naturally give you some consideration."

The moment he heard this, Miles Sanctus nearly erupted in curses.

Even if she were a Heavenly Immortal, it wouldn’t be worth him giving up everything he had, just for the sake of her *consideration*!

’Where did this woman get the audacity to say something like that?’

He ignored Stella Sterling’s words and continued, "It seems Miss Sterling doesn’t fancy me at the moment, which is why you’re saying such things to make me back down. But my feelings for you are as clear as the sun and moon. I will not give up. Besides, if our two bases were to join forces, it would elevate us both to a new level."

’Ah, he really knows how to hold it in. Even after I said all that, the man didn’t even get angry.’

Stella Sterling sighed with a touch of disappointment. She had actually been hoping he would fly into an uncontrollable rage and, preferably, attack her.

That way, she’d have a valid reason to deal with him. If he made the first move, Meridia Base couldn’t blame her.

But unexpectedly, the man truly lived up to his reputation as someone destined for great things; he could tolerate even this.

It almost made her want to applaud him for his good temper.

Seeing Stella Sterling remain silent, Miles Sanctus became even more convinced that her previous words were merely a deliberate test or an attempt to make him retreat.

He quickly put it out of his mind.

He had set his sights on the woman before him, and he was determined to have her. Taking her down was only a matter of time.

’By then, I doubt she’ll still be so arrogant.’

He took two steps forward, trying to get closer to Stella Sterling.

But the next moment, he sensed danger. Alarm bells screamed in his mind as he quickly sidestepped and retreated several paces.

CLACK. A small stone fell to the ground.

He looked at the stone, but he knew perfectly well that if he hadn’t dodged so quickly, it would have hit him in the head. With a little more force, it could have killed him.

His gaze swept the surroundings before finally settling in one direction.

Stella Sterling also looked in that same direction.

She raised an eyebrow as Ethan Young walked toward them. "Mr. Saint, constantly harassing a lady like this... it’s not a good look, is it?"

As he spoke, Ethan Young’s eyes were on Stella Sterling, a hint of astonishment in them.

He never would have imagined that Stella Sterling was the leader of Caeluna Base.

Although he had heard that the leader of Caeluna Base was named Stella Sterling, he had never connected the two. He just assumed it was someone with the same name.

After all, if they were one and the same, it would be too incredible.

But to think that the Stella Sterling of Caeluna Base was actually the Stella Sterling he knew.

Stella Sterling nodded at him. "Captain Young, long time no see."

Miles Sanctus glared coldly at Ethan Young. "As the hosts, Meridia Base attacks its own guests? That’s rather hard to justify, isn’t it? If Meridia Base doesn’t give me a reasonable explanation for this, then Sanctyr Base will be at odds with you until the end."