Chapter 2828 - 1340: Fresh Blood (2/2)

"Red Heart A..."

Teresa dazedly watched Mr. Tan Mo leave. It was a while before she snapped back to reality and looked down at the meticulously crafted, cool-to-the-touch metal card in her hand.

The card was about the size of a palm, made entirely of high-quality Mithril in which magic power seemed to flow faintly. Its surface displayed elegant and beautiful cloud patterns, with a letter ’A’ crafted like a piece of art in the center. The background was a vaguely swirling vortex, perfectly aligned with the clear crimson ’A’.

In the top right and bottom left corners of the card were heart symbols, intricately carved from a translucent red material.

Red Heart A!

Teresa Tarosa truly hadn’t expected that this mysterious leader would directly give her a card like this!

Although she was indeed confident in her abilities and felt that the mysterious Mr. Tan Mo... Well, now referred to as the leader, would not likely have her start from the lowest tier of 3, she never imagined that he would directly give her an A!

According to Foster, although the members of the Clown Brand—especially the officers within—do not have absolute authority, there exist differences in status internally. Simply put, from low to high are the ranks of 3–10 in each suit, then Jacks representing Knights, Qs representing Queens, Ks representing Kings, and finally the A, whose meaning is unclear but seems to rank just below the King.

Based on Teresa’s previous assumptions, if she were really to be allowed to join the Clown Brand, she should at least receive a 7 as a rare talent, and with some luck, perhaps even a 10 could be pursued.

Yet, just two minutes ago, she inexplicably became the Red Heart A of the Clown Brand!

Being someone who only learned of this organization yesterday and still hasn’t fully figured out its structure and nature, she suddenly became one of the theoretically second highest—a part of the Four Great Heavenly Kings (Red Heart A, Spade A, Plum Blossom A, Diamond A)—doesn’t this seem a bit absurd? Just a tad unreasonable?!

[Speaking of which, one must say, being an acquaintance of the Black Vatican Priest, the leader is indeed... quite different.]

Gingerly, Lady Red Heart A sat back on the chair, cluelessly stroking the exquisite card in hand while worrying about how she should explain this to Foster and Lian.

...

Game Time AM12:25

Academy City Central District, Scaley Street, Azure Sky Park

Walking briskly to the agreed-upon bench, Motan glanced at the girl who had long noticed his arrival yet remained focused on eating the petal-shaped snack in her hand without any acknowledgement. With a cheerful smile, he greeted, "Yo~"

"Mm."

The young girl, with snow-like long white hair and seemingly sixteen or seventeen years old, nodded expressionlessly, giving a casual reply as she continued devouring the snack like a hamster, both visually impressive and efficient in consumption.

"Honestly, lately it seems I’ve been dealing with quite a few people with white hair, whether they’re male or female."

Motan sat beside the girl in a carefree manner, chuckling lightly as he spoke.

"This isn’t dyed."

Snow Bathing Sword frowned, giving the bothersome fellow beside her a displeased glance. After wiping her lips, she said neutrally, "I’m white-haired outside the game too; it’s inherited from my mom."

Motan quickly waved his hand, offering an apologetic smile, "I was merely making a casual remark, with no intention of offence. Besides, if I were to express my true thoughts, I always felt that white hair looks quite nice, especially on beautiful girls like you who resemble the enigmatic and silent anime trope. It’s a perfect match."

"It’s not the anime trope; I just find it suits the expert vibe better."

Snow Bathing Sword shook her head, explaining earnestly, "The heroines in stories are often like that, tough and not very talkative."

Motan smiled brightly, asking with a grin, "What are you like outside the game?"

"That’s private."

In reality embodying the playful yet rebellious trope and once having even donned an eyepatch and bandages to complete the classic ensemble, Snow Bathing Sword frowned, not offering Motan any friendly facial expressions. "Did you invite me out just to discuss such trivial matters?"

Clearly, this wasn’t their first meeting.

"You should know why I asked you out."

Motan shrugged, then asked with a knowing smile, "Where are you staying now? I remember you’ve completed your deal with Dean Hopkins, so you shouldn’t be at the Holy Spear Knight Academy anymore."

"Glaze Pavilion."

Snow Bathing Sword curtly responded, having handled the withdrawal procedures right after that farewell feast, returned her uniform to Hopkins, and moved out of Saint Knight Academy’s small dormitory.

By the way, she exchanged into a dress reminiscent of a cheongsam: sleek and slit slightly high, though Motan inferred that she likely wore leggings beneath.

This attire, embracing traditional aesthetics, was her original gear, significantly superior in attributes compared to the Holy Spear Knight Academy uniform and visually appealing. If it weren’t for the aloof aura she continually exuded, people might line up to hit on her.