Quadruple split.

Chapter 2705 Turn-based Games

"In short, I will find a way to get [Wu Shuang] to accept me."

Mu Xuejian casually took the longsword from her back, a sword that no one else could touch and which was heavy enough to weigh a thousand pounds even for her. She gently stroked the spine of the sword with her index finger and said softly, "I can vaguely feel its emotions, its desires, and its domineering nature. I can also vaguely sense how to please it, so it shouldn't take long."

Futaba nodded slightly, then pressed for details, asking, "So how long exactly? Can you give me a rough estimate?"

"Is this important?"

Mu Xuejian did not answer directly, but asked a question out of curiosity.

"This is certainly important, my dear Ace of Spades."

Shuangye rolled her eyes and lazily reminded him, "Don't forget, you are the armed force of our [Clown Card]. As the armed force of a non-profit organization whose business is growing bigger and bigger and whose operations are expanding, you have an obligation to break through to 'Epic' as soon as possible, so that Tanmo and I can't sleep."

Mu Xuejian frowned slightly and hesitated, saying, "That's true, but I think if you want to sleep, even if the sky falls, it won't stop you from sleeping."

"Don't talk as if we're planning to do something underhanded."

Futaba made a funny face, her tone as languid as ever: "In short, I need your power, a stronger you, a stronger power."

Mu Xuejian still didn't answer the previous question, but asked again: "But I remember that both Leisa Keworth and Lian Yuanrui, the two cadres, have Epic-level strength. Even Captain Foster Ward, who seems to only do administrative and clerical work, probably has unfathomable strength. By the way, the speculation about Captain Foster... was feedback given to me by [Wu Shuang]. I didn't see anything myself."

"I know everything you said."

Futaba twitched the corner of her mouth and shrugged, saying, "But they can't be relied on."

Mu Xuejian looked at the other person with some confusion, and repeated with a puzzled expression, "Unreliable?"

"To put it another way, darling, while in most cases I can give direct instructions to those three people you mentioned, the problem is that there's also a very high probability that they'll ignore my instructions."

Futaba sighed, but a leisurely smile remained on her lips: "After all, we, the [Clowns], are not a strictly structured organization. In the end, we are just people who came together by chance for various reasons, each with our own ulterior motives."

Mu Xuejian didn't reply, but quietly stroked his longsword, waiting for what was to come.

"Neither I nor Tan Mo think it's a good idea to include combat power that requires a huge price or favor unless a certain consensus is reached in the 'essential needs' category."

Shuangye smiled gently and said powerfully before Mu Xuejian could speak, "As for me, although I have now reached the half-step epic level, you should know that after Tan Mo completely handed this place over to me, and after the [Manager] resolutely decided to leave the City of Freedom for some foolish reasons, my time has become extremely precious."

Mu Xuejian nodded slightly: "I can tell."

"To put it more simply, it's when I focus my time and energy on those urgent issues that need to be resolved, and those conspiracies that need to be plotted—"

Futaba raised her chin, pointed to her forehead in a rather exaggerated gesture, and grinned, saying, "The positive effects it can produce are far greater than a 'half-step epic'."

Mu Xuejian nodded, then asked with a rather tricky angle, "So you're saying I'm not very bright?"

"That's too narrow a view, darling."

Shuangye chuckled and shook her head, saying, "Brain, wisdom, and intelligence are often multifaceted and complex concepts. For example, my 'brainpower' in swordsmanship is far inferior to yours; as for my 'brainpower' in doing public welfare, you are indeed a bit worse than me. After all, everyone has their own expertise."

Seeing that Shuangye had easily deflected her earlier teasing remark, Mu Xuejian asked again, "What about Tan Mo? In what areas does he have a better mind?"

“Tan Mo, he’s different. He’s someone whose situation is a little special.”

Futaba shrugged and said in a light tone, "Simply put, he's an utterly despicable idiot in every way."

Mu Xuejian, who had expected this answer, smiled slightly and didn't ask any more questions. However, under Shuangye's serious gaze, she pondered for a moment and said softly, "I can't guarantee it either, but it shouldn't be more than three months at most."

"Can't we reach Epic rank within three months at the latest...?"

Futaba ruffled her hair and sighed softly, "That's great, you're already better than me."

As the player with the strongest vanity and who pays the most attention to the personal combat power rankings in the [Clown Card], Mu Xuejian narrowed his eyes upon hearing this and said with a very subtle expression, "Your ranking is clearly much higher than mine."

"First of all, let's just take the so-called rankings with a grain of salt and not take them seriously. Although I personally think that the system could create a more flexible and intuitive ranking, such as putting Lancelot, who has high stats but terrible mental attributes, back in his rightful place, since there is such a thing as the [Debate on Guilt], we can basically understand that the system deliberately uses only the 'ordinary algorithm' to rank the list, so its reference value is very low."

Shuangye raised her index finger and shook it, earnestly explaining some little-known facts to Muxuejian. Then, she changed the subject and said with a smile, "Of course, I am indeed stronger than you now, but it is foreseeable that my strength will stagnate for a long time to come. Even if I make some progress, it will probably not be enough for me to step into the 'Epic' realm."

Having fought alongside Shuangye, Mu Xuejian knew very well how unfathomable this short, stout mage in front of him was. He clearly couldn't understand this statement and asked in confusion, "Why? Since you've already touched the threshold of epic level, taking the next step should only be a matter of time, right? Besides, I remember you have a very powerful mentor; there's no reason for you to be much later than me."

"Because even I can't manage the [Clown Card] while ensuring my own strength steadily increases."

Shuangye rested her chin on her hand and said with a look of disdain, "I don't think I'm any worse than you, or any worse than those professional players with their impressive names. But my dear Mumu, you are our family's ace player. Getting stronger is your main theme. As for those professional players who are good at everything, they have an entire team behind them. They don't have to worry about anything they can avoid."

Mu Xuejian: "...I see."

"That's right. My problem now is not that I can't advance to the epic level, but that it's difficult to simultaneously improve my own strength and manage the development of the [Clown Card]. Unfortunately, although I don't care about any conspiracies or traps, Tan Mo only throws out open schemes and blatantly tries to trick me in this situation."

Futaba snorted lightly, her tone clearly displeased, but her expression remained unchanged, still that lazy look: "He took it upon himself to turn our bet into a turn-based game, then forced me to accept these rules, justifying his behavior of not improving his strength much in the early stages of the game but instead messing around, and then forced me to do what he had done before in the 'second round'."

Although she could be described as exceptionally intelligent, Mu Xuejian, who always habitually abandoned thinking when dealing with Mo Tan and Shuang Ye, blinked and said, "That sounds quite fair."

"But that's just what it sounds like."

Futaba twitched the corners of her mouth and said with a forced smile, "He has been planning in a way that maximizes his own interests. However, I, who chose to enter the game and join the 'Clown Card,' will continue to suffer losses at key points in the second round. You know, if I break through to the Epic rank during this period, he will undoubtedly be in a completely passive state. And that only card that can restrain me is actually not that important. We both know this very well."

Still not thinking critically, Mu Xuejian nodded and asked, "Then why are you still following his pace?"

"Because this is also a necessary part of maintaining 'fairness'."

Shuangye didn't mince words and said quite directly, "As one of the leaders of this organization, no one understands the terror and potential of the [Clown Card] better than me. This means that if I don't accept Tan Mo's move, it's equivalent to me voluntarily giving up the authority he offered me. And the final result will be... rather than a nominal 'leader,' I'm actually more like a senior advisor, which is absolutely unacceptable."

Mu Xuejian thought for a moment, then asked, "Then why did you agree to let him join the [Clown's Card]? Wouldn't it have been better not to give him that opportunity?"

"Because it's fun." Faced with Mu Xuejian's unusually thoughtful question, Shuangye gave a dismissive answer: "Don't you think it's fun?"

"...I think so too."

Mu Xuejian nodded honestly and reminded him, "But I remember your bet was pretty high."

"So what?"

Futaba laughed heartily and said, "As long as I can have fun, what's wrong with giving him a slight advantage? If you look at it from another angle, the fact that he doesn't dare to compete with me under absolutely fair conditions already means he's already lost a point."

Having given up on thinking again, Mu Xuejian spread her hands and said frankly, "I don't quite understand your thought process."

"Then let's not try to understand all this nonsense. To put it bluntly, I've never been complaining from the beginning."

Futaba laughed even more happily and said, "I was just answering your question and briefly explaining why my strength would not improve for a long time to come."

Mu Xuejian nodded, then silently spread his hands to indicate that he had no problems.

"Let's get back to the main topic."

Futaba stretched, casually pulled out a parchment from the ones floating in the air, and said without looking up, "For the next three months, unless there are special circumstances, you shouldn't leave the City of Freedom."

Mu Xuejian hung the [Frostless] sword back behind her and asked, "Does this mean I should focus on my cultivation?"

"You're overthinking it."

Futaba rolled her eyes, casually burned the parchment between her fingers to ashes, and then revealed a playful smile: "I'm severely understaffed here, and there are countless things waiting for you to do."

"kill?"

"Including, but not limited to."

"I'm not a killer."

"You're a female knight-errant, I know that."

"I never said that."

"In short, now that you've been on vacation with Sumir for so long, it's time to stretch your muscles a bit. After all, you're the ACE of the 'Clown' troupe, so you have to step up when the organization needs you."

"I see."

"So quick? You didn't even try to negotiate with me?"

“I originally wanted to find someone to ‘test my sword’. If you were to arrange it, I don’t think [Wu Shuang] would be bored.”

"No, but aren't you worried I might trick you?"

"If you're trying to scam me, what good will my worrying do?"

"Hehe, Mu Mu, what are you saying? We're like sisters, how could I possibly betray you?"

"You and Tan Mo are still flirting every day, but aren't you still scheming against each other?"

“He’s different; he can’t be considered a person.”

"I have a feeling that if you two weren't doing this in the [Innocent Realm], but outside the game, things might be..."

"What are you afraid of?"

"They probably already have children."

"That's impossible. I'll abort that bastard as soon as I get pregnant."

"...So, the possibility of pregnancy wasn't ruled out after all?"

"Huh? What happened?"

"...Nothing much."

……

at the same time
The City of Miracles, the third floor of the Spirit Tower of Kishua, Diana's room
"Sigh, get well soon."

Beside the sleeping great astrologer, a beautiful woman with fiery red hair, exquisite features, and dignified demeanor, dressed in a simple long dress, sighed softly. She gathered a ball of gentle, warm, and pure water element in her palm and gently wiped Diana's cheek while whispering, "Your brother has been worried about you."

"it's useless."

The [Sage of the Mist], who appeared in the room at some unknown time, was known for his arrogance, stubbornness, and harshness. However, he showed a gentler side when only his sister and fiancée were by his side. Kenneth A. Archizolti, who was gently rubbing his temples with distress, shook his head and said with a wry smile, "If she were the kind of person who would wake up on her own because I, her brother, am so worried, you wouldn't have to go through all this trouble, Sora."

“You should have said hello before you came in, Kenneth.”

The sage's beautiful fiancée frowned slightly and scolded, "Just a minute ago, I was wiping Diana's body, and I even set up a protective barrier."

"I noticed the barrier's strength had decreased, that's why I came in."

"Anyway, remember to knock next time."

"……OK."

Chapter 2696: The End