FATE: Target of Grand Master

Xia Yan looked at Hu Xia with some surprise. In the past, he was the one who recruited others as the leader. He never expected that he would be recruited by someone else today, and it was the Knights of the Round Table, one of the six major master groups.

"Thank you for your offer, but I have no intention of joining the Knights of the Round Table."

Hu Xia was surprised that Xia Yan rejected her so decisively, and he couldn't help but start to doubt the truth of what the other Master Leaders had told him.

"Did other Master groups invite you first?"

After much thought, Hu Xia could only come up with this one possibility.

Xia Yan wanted to answer "no," but if he did, Hu Xia might guess that he had created the Master Group. Since she had misunderstood, Xia Yan simply went along with her line of thinking and pushed it a step further.

He smiled slightly, neither confirming nor denying, which only made Hu Xia more certain of his guess.

It turned out that one of those guys had lied to me, and I must get an explanation when I get back!

However, the most important thing right now is to try again.

"Xia Yan, if you agree, I can give you the victory in this final match."

Hu Xia leaned close to Xia Yan's ear and spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear.

This surprised not only Xia Yan, but also Morgan, who had been listening in.

It's important to understand that in the Master Trial, nothing can improve one's combat power more than acquiring a Servant. Hu Xia's willingness to give up a Servant he was almost able to obtain in order to recruit Xia Yan shows a level of determination and sincerity that is unmatched by anyone.

"Can you tell me why you're so obsessed with recruiting me?"

Xia Yan really wanted to know the answer to this question.

"Because I think you're a friend I can truly connect with. Don't be fooled by the fact that I've organized a Master group; that's just the first step in selecting partners. My ultimate goal is to find companions who are strong enough, have impeccable character, and whom I can entrust with my life. Two is perfect, no more than three. Anyway, there are seven spots available in the end. Compared to going it alone, having a trustworthy partner to help each other increases the chances of winning. And I believe that if we work together sincerely, securing two spots won't be difficult at all. This is my most genuine thought from the bottom of my heart, you know. I've practically laid my back on my sleeve; you can't just look and walk away!"

As expected of Hu Xiayao, if it weren't for that last sentence, Xia Yan would have been genuinely moved by her, and even considered whether to try to recruit her in return. But in the end, Xia Yan didn't say it, for two reasons.

Firstly, although Hu Xia is very sincere, she does have a large group of master members. If she were to tell Hu Xia about the "Lighthouse" information, the information would spread very quickly, which the "Lighthouse" cannot afford.

Why didn't Xia Yan have this concern when he recruited Feng Yan and Lan Muyan before?

It's very simple, because they are both independent individuals.

Even if the two of them leaked the news about "The Lighthouse", the speed of its spread was extremely limited. Moreover, since they were independent individuals, without the endorsement of the Grand Master Group, the credibility of the information they revealed was questionable.

The same information spread by a casual individual is completely different from that spread by a member of a large master group. Li Zhuang is a case in point. If he hadn't revealed his identity and had the endorsement of the "Knights of the Round Table," he wouldn't have been able to cause any waves in the world channel.

You have to understand that the world chat is flooded with fake news and rumors every day. There are stories of people summoning Grand Servants, joining Master groups and being targeted and committing suicide, and being turned into an idiot by Servants. Nobody has the time to verify every single piece of information.

It's not that Xia Yan doesn't trust Hu Xia, but even with his confidence in his ability to judge people, Xia Yan can't completely see through someone based on just one trial encounter. Therefore, as the leader of the group and the person responsible for recruiting important members, he would prioritize choosing independent members.

As for how to determine whether the other party is a free spirit, just ask directly. With Morgan, the human lie detector, around, is Xia Yan afraid of not getting the answer?

As for the second reason, it was Xia Yan's intuition, or rather, she still had some reservations about Hu Xiale's pretense. She couldn't open up to someone like that so quickly.

In conclusion, Xia Yan decided to be on the safe side and observe the situation further.

"Hu Xia, this matter is of great importance and requires careful consideration. How about this, let's add each other as friends first, and we can discuss the future cooperation later."

Hu Xia wasn't the type to pester Xia Yan relentlessly. Since he had already set such high standards and Xia Yan still hadn't agreed, it meant that the other party basically had no interest.

She took out her phone, added Xia Yan as a friend, and then pretended to be angry, saying, "Hmph, then I'll have to go all out tomorrow."

"Well, whoever wins will have to rely on their own abilities."

Xia Yan's tone was very calm, which made Hu Xia feel that Xia Yan completely disregarded the conditions she had previously proposed, which inevitably made her angry.

"Let's go, Artoria."

Hu Xia turned and left like a child throwing a tantrum, without even saying goodbye.

Xia Yan shrugged, watching Hu Xia leave with a hint of helplessness.

Back in the lounge, Hu Xia collapsed onto the bed like a deflated balloon.

Zenobia had sustained some minor injuries in the previous rounds of battle, and Hu Xia had specifically ordered her to recover in the rest room, so she did not go out with the two of them. Seeing Hu Xia like this, she cast an inquiring glance at Artoria, who was accompanying her.

Artoria Alter (Lancer) smiled and said, "It's nothing, it's just that for the first time in my life, a sincere invitation was met with a heartless rejection."

Hu Xia turned to Altria Alter (Lancer) and protested, "This isn't the first time! The first time I sincerely invited you out!"

Artoria Alter (Lancer) maintained her smile.

"Yes, let me correct myself. It was the first time in my life that I sincerely invited someone of the opposite sex out and was met with a heartless rejection."

"Artoria! Don't say things that will cause misunderstandings!"

Hu Xia grabbed a pillow and threw it at Artoria, who easily caught it.

She walked to the bedside, put the pillow back on, and then whispered, "Okay, that's enough. Tell me about tomorrow. What are your plans? Are you going to give it your all or fight to the death?"

"It seems you really approve of Zenobi."

"Isn't that right? Although you just mentioned those conditions, since the deal didn't go through, there's no need to hold back."

Hu Xia sat up and pushed the Storm King next to him onto the bed.

"Artoria, tell me straight, do you want to fight Morgan to the death tomorrow, or are you going to have a showdown with him?"

"Can't we determine both superiority and inferiority, and also decide life and death?"

Artoria Altera (Lancer) did not resist, allowing her Master to press down on her.

"Don't mimic me! Tomorrow, I have only one request: you can't be hurt!"

Artoria Altera (Lancer) gently stroked Hu Xia's face and said, "With you here, I'll be fine."