Chapter 944: Chapter 546: You Wenqi Returns (Part 2)
[To be honest, the impression Red Maple Fortress gave her was quite terrible, but this might just be an exception.]
["Moreover, your purpose is to head to Deep Harbor to find my old friend, not to get involved in this world’s conflicts... If doing so cannot bring you joy and other benefits, then don’t add new karma to yourself."]
Actually, Alice had done many actions that harmed others without benefiting herself. Each time she stirred up trouble initially, it seldom brought her significant gains, but she later reaped good rewards due to various coincidences.
Because Shen Sui had received a large number of brand-new Life Cards, he turned a blind eye to Alice’s behavior and sometimes even enjoyed seeing her succeed.
But this time, it was indeed somewhat different.
Because the target of Alice’s mischief might already have some connection with him.
Although he still didn’t know Lexington and the others’ attitude towards the Azure Federation, at least from their normal behavior at Deep Harbor, it seemed they didn’t dislike the current Azure Federation.
So, how could Shen Sui let Alice become the leader in inciting internal strife within the Azure Federation?
Shen Sui thought about it and decided to have Alice go directly to Deep Harbor and then arrange subsequent matters based on the situation she encountered there.
["But what reason should I give for going to Deep Harbor..." Alice pondered, somewhat troubled.]
["Some things don’t require a reason."]
[Alice decided to listen to your advice.]
[However, without official orders, the Purple Moon group couldn’t leave their defense area without authorization.]
[Thus, Alice set off with Zhu Yue and the transformed Deep Sea North Residence. Together, they formed a small fleet, while the Purple Moon Fleet remained closed off. Without explicit orders from Alice, they would not participate in any factional disputes.]
[Deep Sea North Residence had no opinion on this. Although slightly disappointed that Alice’s change of plans meant she couldn’t involve herself in the Azure Federation’s civil war, her main goal was to attend the comic convention, not to attack the Azure Federation.]
[Clearly, Deep Sea North Residence had not realized one issue: with the new season approaching, it was uncertain whether the comic convention would still be held.]
[Alice had no intention of bringing up this issue.]
[The three of them embarked on their journey to Deep Harbor.]
As Alice set out with the small fleet on her journey, Shen Sui was also preparing to head abroad for the Thor Cup.
Of course, as there were still other participants who had to go through the preliminary qualifiers, Shen Sui estimated that it would take some time before he could officially start competing.
But because the other contenders back home needed to enter the preliminaries, Shen Sui had to depart early with them.
Luckily, Vivian’s testing work already included global testing, so this trip abroad wouldn’t affect the second buffer zone test.
"Are you taking such a large group with you?" Xinyuan Tanchun asked, mouth agape, looking at the group behind Shen Sui.
Seeing Shen Sui surrounded by this group of pretty (albeit questionable) young girls, Xinyuan Tanchun, despite being a woman, couldn’t help but feel a tinge of jealousy.
Damn! Do we really live in the same world?
"There’s still some time before my official match, so it’s a good opportunity for a trip." Shen Sui said with a smile.
This time, he brought everyone along, even having Qishala switch to casual attire because Shen Sui provided a sensible reason: since it’s a holiday, Qishala should temporarily step away from maid duties.
"I want to go too! I want to go too!" exclaimed the small Isabella, jumping out from Xinyuan Tanchun’s chest and diving into Shen Sui’s arms.
However, just as she nestled in, seeking Shen Sui’s warmth, Qishala pulled her out unceremoniously.
"As a Soul Card follower, being away from your Life Card Master for too long is taboo," Qishala said with a smile.
Isabella instantly flailed with anger, declaring she was going to duel with Qishala.
"Hmm! It’s no use throwing a tantrum. Even if I didn’t stop you, once the plane takes off, you’ll teleport back to your Life Card Master."
"Ahhh! Duel! We must duel!"
Vivian chuckled, "It’s okay if you can’t go now; soon the new test will start, and you’ll encounter Shen Sui in the buffer world then."
Isabella blinked: "Oh, right~!"
So Isabella finally abandoned her futile insistence.
"Isn’t Xinyuan Tanchun going with you for the matches?" At this moment, a familiar voice emerged.
"She has competitions at home," Shen Sui explained as he turned to face the newcomer, "I didn’t expect you to decide to make a comeback in this contest."
The visitor was You Wenqi.
Pulling a suitcase, You Wenqi approached alone.
"Neither did I," he admitted honestly. "But one has to come back eventually."
He bore signs of weariness from travel, having been constantly dispatched nationwide by the Exploration Bureau to tackle various Extraordinary Invasion events since the start of the year.
Fortunately, these issues weren’t overly challenging for him beyond the travel fatigue, and they even bolstered his confidence a bit.
After handling numerous Extraordinary incidents, You Wenqi no longer feared them.
As long as the rules of Life Card Duels stood, he wasn’t afraid of any Extraordinary.
Like Shen Sui, You Wenqi wasn’t required to participate in the qualifiers and had a guaranteed spot in the main event.
It wasn’t a special Black Card privilege but simply because he was last year’s runner-up in the Thor Cup. The top two finishers automatically advanced to the main event without going through qualifiers.
The remaining domestic ninth-level Life Card Masters had to qualify through the preliminary rounds for a shot at the main competition.
Among them, Shen Sui knew only Tan Song.
An Hai hadn’t opted to join the Thor Cup, not from lack of interest but due to the Exploration Bureau’s directives.
Ninth-level Life Card Masters are vital against the Extraordinary forces, and if all the top-tier talents competed abroad, who would defend if a powerful Extraordinary invaded suddenly?
Despite several ninth-level Life Card Masters remaining in the country not joining the Thor Cup, the true stalwarts were few, so An Hai’s presence assured everyone.
An Hai’s tournament withdrawal was driven by national and familial interest.
Even so, he begrudgingly challenged all the participants before they departed, sparing only Shen Sui, knowing he was tied up with buffer zone work and couldn’t be disturbed.
"But, after his bout with Old You, he calmed down." Tan Song recounted, as he settled into the plane seat next to Shen Sui, the story of An Hai’s duel with You Wenqi a few days prior. "He lost all five matches he contested. Even if he had entered the Thor Cup, he’d have no chance against Old You."
"If winning the championship isn’t possible, there’s no point in going," An Hai had remarked.
"That’s not true," Shen Sui said, stroking his chin, "It’s common for players who excel in big tournaments to perform better once the stakes are high."
You Wenqi chuckled, adding, "I told him that too, if he insisted on competing, Director Zhang wouldn’t overly object, keeping him was just a precaution. Director Zhang is also a ninth-level Life Card Master."
"Yeah," Tan Song grinned. "If he was lucky enough to face Old You only in the finals, the championship would be a sure thing!"
You Wenqi’s lips twitched at Tan Song’s words.
Even knowing Tan Song jested, the remark was stinging.
"You cheeky brat, daring to mock me," he shot Tan Song a stern glance. "Once we’re airborne, I’ll show you my newly developed deck!"
"Whoa! No, please! I still need to build confidence for the qualifiers," Tan Song quickly pleaded.
"Enough talk! Duel time!" You Wenqi pulled out his Dueling Device, "Let’s gauge the national champion’s strength."
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