Storm of Gods

Chapter 39 Taking over the spotlight
Meeting Luo Xue unintentionally helped Li Xin solve the problem of information asymmetry. He could go to the Sacred Land now. The dice's ability was quite valuable and he couldn't possibly not use it. The Moon God Medal given by Lao Luo was a consumable, so he should save it for a crucial moment. Moreover, Li Xin wanted to better understand the divine relics. No one could just leave such a thing unattended.

Despite her seemingly aloof demeanor, Luo Xue was even more outgoing than Li Xin, seemingly treating him as a secret weapon and a capable lieutenant. She showed Li Xin around the Black Rose base, which was indeed the best-equipped of all the societies in the Order of the Church, holding a unique position within the Order. Even with the Grand Consul gone, the Black Rose Society's influence in the Kingdom of Lilong remained enormous.

Within the Order of the Order, Black Rose members enjoy certain privileges. For example, Black Rose members can freely choose their courses to attend or not, and the instructors will not interfere.

Luo Xue led Li Xin to meet up with the others. As soon as they met, Lu Shuai started winking and making faces, his eyes full of gossip. The seemingly unremarkable Li Xin was quite something.

Luo Xue cleared her throat. "Welcome to the four of you to Black Rose. From now on, we are comrades-in-arms. We must work together to uphold the honor of Tianjing Academy and not tarnish the reputation of Black Rose."

Lu Shuai and the others' eyes immediately filled with enthusiasm and anticipation. Entering the Order Academy and joining the Black Rose was every young person's dream. Stepping onto the stage of the kingdom, a new world was beckoning to them. Nan Kai and Fei Ruolin were also very happy. The strength and potential of these four newcomers were definitely sufficient. Whether to observe them for half a year or to join them directly was fine. Moreover, the Black Rose was indeed short of people and needed new strength.

"I'll introduce you to some of the senior students from Hextech later. They're more interested in research and not much in socializing. Your senior sister Fei is also very talented in this area. They're all valuable assets to our Order of the Fathers. If you're interested in Hextech, you can't go wrong by contacting them," Nan Kai said. "Two of your senior students have gone to the capital to attend the Order of the Fathers' conference, so they should be here soon..."

"Nankai, it's almost time, we're back," a loud voice rang out from the doorway, with a hint of a tenor, and a very charming voice.

Two people dressed in the uniforms of the Tianjing Academy of Education walked in. The one who spoke was very tall, about 1.9 meters, with his hair parted in the middle and flipped up, slightly curly, and he had a bright smile on his face. "Junior Sister Xue'er, it's been a long time. You've worked hard these past few days."

Behind the tall man was a lean, sharp-eyed man named Hao Ye, a senior member of Black Rose. Hao Ye's eyes darted around, scanning over everyone. His gaze was lewd as he stared at Fei Ruolin. He made no attempt to hide his contempt when he looked at Li Xin and the others, and he frowned with disgust when he saw Roland and Lu Shuai.

"Vice President Zhao Qing, I've already told you, you can call me President or I'll call you Luo Xue. Please don't use any titles that might cause misunderstandings." Luo Xue's expression returned to its initial coldness.

"Haha, you're still so cold-hearted," Zhao Qing said without any anger, his gaze even carrying a hint of doting. "Our two families are old friends, and I'm your senior brother. A more intimate way of addressing each other is more in line with our relationship."

Luo Xue was speechless. It wasn't that she wanted to act indifferent; she simply didn't know how to deal with this situation. Zhao Qing had been pestering her for quite some time, and she had repeatedly refused him, but to no avail. He was always smiling and friendly. In addition, their families did have a lot of connections, and they were both in the Black Rose organization. He would often speak to her as her senior brother, which made her very uncomfortable.

Nan Kai and Fei Ruolin also smiled wryly. Ever since Luo Xue entered the Order Academy, Zhao Qing had been like this, causing Luo Xue a lot of misunderstandings and troubles. However, there was nothing they could do to help her with this.

"Families are families, we're not that close, and I don't want anyone to misunderstand. Even friends need to maintain a proper distance, let alone us, who are just colleagues. Please keep that in mind," Luo Xue said calmly, glancing at Li Xin.

Li Xin's heart skipped a beat. Damn, this is bad. Is this how you repay your benefactor?
Zhao Qing then noticed the few inexperienced newcomers. His smile slowly faded, and he raised his head slightly. "What are you guys doing here?"

Lu Shuai smiled and said, "Senior brother, we are new students who have just joined the Black Rose. I am Lu Shuai from the Lu family. This is Hurta, a warrior from the Saxon tribe. This is Roland, a top student from Montcareta. He is Li Xin, who was specially recruited."

Zhao Qing's lips pursed slightly. Of course, he knew Lu Shuai's background. The Lu family was a joke, a laughing stock in aristocratic circles. If it weren't for their connection with the Grand Consul, they would have been finished long ago. As for the others, they were nobodys, yet they dared to speak with such veiled meaning. He knew all the noteworthy young people in Tianjing. "Who allowed you to come in?"

“We passed the official test,” Hurta said, his neck stiff and eyes wide.

"What formal test? The president just got back, he doesn't even know. Don't you guys know the rules? Go back and wait." Hao Ye, who was a step behind, suddenly said sternly, "Black Rose is the most elite place in the Order of the Order. Not just any Tom, Dick, or Harry can come here. Do you think anyone can be exceptionally admitted like Junior Sister Luo Xue? What are you looking at? Get lost!"

Lu Shuai's face turned ugly, Hurta pursed his lips and clenched his fists, the atmosphere suddenly became tense. Luo Xue walked over and looked at Hao Ye coldly, "They are the ones I recruited, is there a problem?"

Hao Ye gave a forced smile, "Junior Sister Luo Xue, you haven't been the president for long, and there are some things you don't understand yet. You should learn more from President Zhao Qing and communicate more with him. Black Rose has achieved what it has today because of its rigorous admission system. We would rather have fewer than fewer qualified candidates. Putting aside everything else, we always observe newcomers for more than half a year. Without rules, there can be no order."

Hao Ye immediately retorted, completely disregarding Luo Xue. Zhao Qing, standing to the side, chuckled, "How can Hao Ye speak like that? Junior Sister is only doing this for Black Rose; her intentions are good, but she lacks experience. These days, newcomers are all flashy and incompetent. You four should leave your badges here and go back to wait for further instructions."

Nan Kai coughed a few times, "Old Zhao, these four people are indeed..."

Zhao Qing glanced at Nan Kai indifferently, "This is none of your business."

They were all in their fourth year. Zhao Qing had always thought he would take over as president, but in the vote, they all voted for Luo Xue. The previous generation of students even tried to stop him by resigning early. It was only because of Luo Xue; if it were anyone else, he would have used underhanded tactics long ago.

“Vice President Zhao Qing, these four people are the ones I selected, no problem,” Luo Xue said.

"Haha, Xue... Junior Sister, there's no rush. We can discuss it later. This trip to the capital was very fruitful; I even brought back some gifts." Zhao Qing said with a smile, waving his hand. He understood that girls cared about their image.
When he spoke, Zhao Qing's eyes were always focused on his target with a slightly domineering gaze, and few people in Tianjing could resist his aura.

Luo Xue remained expressionless. "Zhao Qing, there's no time like the present. The new term of the Instruction Academy has begun, and some things must be clarified." Luo Xue's gaze was unwavering as she stared at Zhao Qing. She paused for a moment, her expression still cool yet resolute.

"You should understand your place. In Black Rose, I am the president, and you are just the vice president in charge of external relations. When I say I'm accepting you, I'm not discussing it with you, but informing you. Do you understand?"

Nan Kai and Fei Ruolin gaped, while Lu Shuai and the others' eyes lit up with delight. This was the president they were looking for!

(End of this chapter)