"Oh dear~, Miss Fu, sir, why have you chased me all the way here? So what if I sold a couple of day-old steamed buns to Yanqing? Is Captain Jing Yuan really going to go this far against your ol' pal Sampo? Even sending you after me?
Besides, I already refunded young Yanqing his money!"
"What are you talking about? That's not what this is—never mind! Why are you here?" Fu Xuan suddenly froze, recalling her disguise. "I'm wearing a mask, though?"
Sampo burst into laughter. "Pink hair, plus such distinctive features—hard not to recognize you. But who's this golden-glowing hunk next to you?"
Argenti took a half-step back, offering a polite smile. "I am Argenti. It seems you know this young lady, so my task is now complete."
"Argenti? The Argenti? Is your username 'Knight of Beauty'?" Sampo excitedly pulled out his phone. "I'm 'Uncle Frosty Legs'!"
"Oh? So it's you. You actually possess a relic of the Goddess of Beauty, Idrila? Splendid! Please, take me to see it at once!"
Sampo waggled his eyebrows at Argenti. "No rush. I've got it stashed upstairs in the game room. Care to join me?"
"Of course. This concerns Idrila's relics—it is a matter of utmost importance."
Fu Xuan shot Argenti a glance and sighed helplessly before turning to Sampo.
"I'm coming too!"
—
Meanwhile, in the game room.
Su Chen eyed the Jade before him. "Ms. Jade, how do you plan to resolve this stalemate?"
Jade remained perfectly calm. "Simple. We play another round."
"Another round? Fine. But who's playing? You, or…?"
Just then, the door swung open, revealing a figure Su Chen had half-expected.
Holding a book, the man strode slowly into the room.
"Professor!" Aventurine exhaled in relief at the sight of him.
"Greetings. I am Veritas Ratio, a university professor." Ratio extended a courteous hand toward Su Chen.
Su Chen had anticipated Ratio's arrival—just not this seamlessly.
He knew better than to underestimate the man.
If Ratio joined the game, could Qingque and Sushang really win?
Jade stepped closer to Ratio, and the two exchanged a few quiet words, swiftly summarizing the situation.
Then—
Ratio cast a glance at Aventurine and Topaz. "Fools. Aventurine, you… Very well. Allow me to assist."
His gaze settled on Su Chen. "Since you all excel at mahjong, let us settle this with a match. What say you?"
"Heh!" Qingque's eyes lit up at the mention of mahjong. "Boss Su Chen, got another table? We didn't even finish one round earlier—I'm itching for more. Let me play this time, please!"
Su Chen gave her a thumbs-up. "It's all up to you and Sushang now."
However—
A nightmare-inducing voice suddenly rang out behind Qingque.
"Qingque!!! So you are slacking off here?!
"I usually turn a blind eye, but today, you've dragged the boss out to play mahjong too?!"
Qingque's blood ran cold. She knew exactly who that voice belonged to.
Swiveling around, she confirmed her fears—the pink-haired figure stood right behind her.
"Wait, Fu Xuan, uh—" Su Chen hunched over and whispered into Fu Xuan's ear, "Since you're already here, and we're about to start the next round, pulling her away now would make us look like we're chickening out. How about this?
"You join the game instead. Use that brilliant mind of yours to win the mahjong match. Sound good?"
Fu Xuan hesitated. "Er… I suppose—"
"Great, it's settled." Without waiting for her agreement, Su Chen turned to Jade and Ratio.
"Fu Xuan, Qingque, Sushang, and Professor Ratio will form one table.
"If Professor Ratio wins the mahjong match, we'll consider all debts cleared.
"But if you lose? Every single one of you—no exceptions—stays put!"
Snap. Ratio shut his book with a faint smile. "Agreed."
—
Elsewhere in the hall—
After much fiddling, Sampo finally cracked open a suitcase.
"Whew~! Sorry for the wait—finally got it open!"
With a flourish, he produced a gleaming set of silver armor and presented it to Argenti.
Argenti shook his head. "Forgive my bluntness, but this is merely ordinary armor. I cannot, in good faith, accept it as a relic of the Goddess Idrila. My apologies…"
Sampo whipped out a remote and pressed a red button.
Instantly, the armor burst into bloom, adorned with crimson roses.
"By the heavens! It is a relic of Idrila! How many more do you have? I'll take them all!"
Argenti gazed at the radiant armor, awestruck. "Words fail me. Such purity and beauty truly exist in this world."
"Ah, actually, I've got plenty more where that came from. If you want 'em, just talk to him." Sampo pointed toward Su Chen.
Argenti followed his gesture. "Pardon—you mean the one who resembles the Trailblazer, Caelus?"
"Exactly. And by the looks of it, he's in a bit of a pickle."
Whoosh!
A gust of wind—and Argenti was gone.
Sampo smirked, pulling out his phone to make a call.
"So? The plot's thickening nicely, wouldn't you say?"
A cutesy, exaggerated voice chirped back, "Yep, yep! Ta-daa! More and more characters are showing up—this is getting juicy!"
"Such a thrilling performance, yet you're content to stay backstage? Not even a little tempted?"
"Ehh, don't say that~! Even if I'm the director, I always make my grand entrance when it counts.
"Hehe, gotta go! Still missing one last group of actors—time to wrangle 'em. Bye-bye!"
Click.
Sampo shrugged at the dial tone, then tapped Su Chen's profile in his contacts.
"Just as you planned—everyone's here. The show's about to begin."