Chapter 448: A New Member for Monarch Squad
Just as Marcus was about to introduce everyone, the little devil Jade suddenly came running over. She grabbed FreshwindElara’s free hand and immediately started firing off questions.
"Sister Moonbamboo, what are you doing here? Since when do you play games?" The rapid barrage left everyone slightly stunned, and Marcus, in particular, froze on the spot.
"Jade?"
FreshwindElara stared at jade in disbelief. Jade was still wearing her mask, but anyone familiar with her could recognize her instantly.
"Sister Moonbamboo, it’s me." Jade quickly removed her mask, then looked back and forth between Marcus and FreshwindElara with obvious curiosity. "Sister Moonbamboo, how do you know Marcus?"
"Marcus?" FreshwindElara turned toward him. She still didn’t know his real name. Marcus immediately nodded, secretly delighted. Any concern he had vanished at once—if Jade was here, then everything would work itself out. This was perfect. Of course, he kept those thoughts to himself and maintained a calm expression.
"Jade, you two know each other?" FreshwindElara looked from Marcus to Jade, now even more confused than Jade herself.
"Of course I know him!" Jade puffed out her chest proudly. "Marcus and I are close. I’ve been with him this whole time." Then she pointed toward Crystal, who was walking over to join them. "My sister’s here too. We’re both with Marcus."
At that moment, Crystal stepped forward and removed her mask. "Sister Moonbamboo." Although Crystal still carried her usual cool and reserved demeanor, there was clear warmth in her eyes as she greeted FreshwindElara.
Marcus glanced between the two women. When he had first met Crystal, Jade, and Thunder at Boss Blaze’s shop, Crystal had barely acknowledged anyone—she had offered only the briefest greeting, kept her mask on, and ignored almost everyone around her. Cold was an understatement. Yet now, standing before FreshwindElara, she had taken the initiative to speak first and even removed her mask without hesitation, revealing a face so striking that it was difficult to look away from.
’Who exactly is FreshwindElara?’
Marcus couldn’t help wondering. The fact that someone like Crystal treated her with such familiarity was genuinely surprising and, admittedly, a little enviable. Crystal still treated him politely, but she rarely spoke more than necessary.
"Crystal." FreshwindElara’s smile widened, clearly happy to see her. Still, after greeting Crystal and Jade, her gaze drifted back to Marcus. She simply couldn’t figure out how the two sisters had ended up with him. Marcus noticed the look and felt even more pleased with himself.
The reunion between FreshwindElara, Crystal, and Jade was surprising enough, but something else soon caught his attention: Anya, Icefall, and Firebrand.
"Riley? Casey? It’s really you two? What are you doing here?" While Jade was talking excitedly with FreshwindElara, Anya stepped forward toward the twin sorceresses, unable to hide her surprise. Immediately, Icefall, Firebrand, and Old Vine all looked at the woman wearing the butterfly-patterned mask. Who was she?
"Riley, Casey, it’s me. Anya." Only then did Anya realize she was still wearing her mask, so she removed it, revealing her face.
"Sister Anya!" Not only Firebrand, but even the usually composed Icefall looked shocked. Beside Anya, Chloe also removed her mask. The two sisters stared at Anya, Chloe, and then Marcus. If they hadn’t seen it themselves, they never would have believed Anya was traveling with Marcus—after all, they knew exactly who Anya was.
Their eyes drifted back to Marcus. At first, the idea felt impossible, but standing there among FreshwindElara, Crystal, Jade, Chloe, and Anya, Marcus somehow didn’t look out of place at all. His tall frame and powerful build naturally drew attention, while the dark armor he wore gave him an imposing presence and the faint gray mist surrounding it added an air of mystery. He stood with easy confidence, and whether people liked him or not, it was difficult to ignore him. For a moment, both sisters found themselves staring. Even surrounded by so many remarkable women, Marcus remained the center of attention rather than being overshadowed by them. Only then did they begin to understand why someone like Anya would willingly stay by his side, but that only raised another question: ’Who exactly is this Knight Stonehaven?’
"Riley, Casey, you know Marcus?" Anya asked. "How come I’ve never heard him mention you?"
"Sister Anya..." The moment Anya asked, Firebrand’s eyes immediately reddened. All the frustration she had been holding back resurfaced at once as she thought about the way Marcus had treated her during their previous encounters—the misunderstandings, the arguments, and all the grievances she had never properly vented. The more she thought about it, the more wronged she felt. "I... I don’t know him at all..." Her voice trembled as tears finally gathered in her eyes, and she grabbed Anya’s hand tightly, as though she had finally found someone who would listen to her side of the story.
Seeing her reaction, Anya immediately sensed there was more going on. She glanced at Marcus before gently patting Firebrand’s shoulder. "Did Marcus upset you? Don’t worry. Tell me what happened. I’ll make sure it’s handled fairly."
Marcus nearly choked. ’Upset them?’ He had gone out of his way to help those sisters more than once, and the accusation felt completely unreasonable. Still, looking at Firebrand’s emotional state, he decided arguing would only make things worse. Besides, he was confident that once Anya heard the whole story, she would understand, so he left the matter alone.
Turning his attention elsewhere, he noticed that FreshwindElara had finally freed her hand from his grasp and was now chatting with Crystal, Jade, Lily, and the others. The atmosphere was unexpectedly harmonious—just as he’d hoped. With Jade acting as the bridge between everyone, introductions had become far easier than he expected.
Feeling relieved, Marcus returned to the table and sat down. He poured himself a cup of the one-hundred-and-fifty-year-old Duke’s Vintage wine, raised it toward Old Vine in a casual toast, and drank it in a single swallow. The wine tasted excellent, and his mood was even better.
Old Vine, however, was in no such mood. Watching Marcus sit there looking completely satisfied with himself, the old man became increasingly irritated. A few minutes ago, he had been expecting a disaster; he had imagined the women discovering Marcus’s various connections and dragging him through a brutal interrogation. At the very least, he had hoped the brat would finally learn a lesson. Instead, everything had somehow worked out perfectly.
Nobody was angry, nobody was arguing, and everyone looked happy. Old Vine could only stare at Marcus in disbelief. ’Does this brat have luck blessed by the gods?’ The more he thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed; Marcus’s luck with women was enough to make any man jealous.
Yet beneath the annoyance, Old Vine found himself looking at Marcus with a different perspective. His gaze shifted toward Anya and Chloe. Earlier, when Anya had visited his auction house to purchase equipment, he had thought she looked vaguely familiar. Now he finally remembered why: there was a photograph of her sitting on his granddaughters’ bedside table, and if memory served him correctly, she was the heiress of the Lynn family.
Old Vine took another look at Marcus. "Brat," he muttered inwardly, "you almost fooled me." For the first time, he began to realize that Marcus wasn’t nearly as aimless as he appeared. Maybe the boy looked lazy sometimes, and maybe he acted carefree, but looking at the people gathered around him, Old Vine could no longer deny that Marcus had accomplished something most young men could only dream about. He had the ability to attract talented people, he had ambition, and he clearly had the means to back it up.
’Good. That’s how a young man should be.’ The thought improved Old Vine’s mood considerably. He poured himself another drink and took a long sip, thinking that sharing a drink with this brat wasn’t so bad after all.
Meanwhile, Marcus had no idea what the old man was thinking. His attention remained fixed on FreshwindElara and the others, who were already chatting as though they had known one another for years. The sight alone was enough to make him grin, and then a familiar system notification appeared.
Ding!
[Player FreshwindElara has joined Monarch Squad.]
Lily, acting in her role as vice leader, had already approved the application. Marcus couldn’t stop smiling—Monarch Squad had grown even stronger. FreshwindElara wasn’t just one of the most famous players in Dominion; she was also the only known holder of the hidden class Five-Element Cleric, a class widely recognized for its extraordinary potential.
For Marcus, this was another major step forward, and a very welcome one.
