I Rely on Drawing Cards to Set Up a Persona

Chapter 31.2

Here it comes.

Qiao Xingnan said to Zero in his mind.

Zero felt his master controlling himself. His back was tense, and he sat on the chair like a straight sword. This posture was taught to him by his master, and it appeared both mysterious and powerful to outsiders.

Long Teng’s dark eyes stared at the mysterious Wood race cloaked in a hood in front of him, and the closer he got, the more he could feel a faint hint of the Wood race’s aura.

He stood beside Zero and also found a seat. Just as Long Teng was about to open his mouth to test Zero in front of him, he noticed a slight movement of the hood of the person next to him, as if he was looking at himself.

“You are… the Wood race?”

The low, hoarse voice seemed like wood rubbing against each other. Long Teng was stunned when he heard it, not expecting the other party to take the initiative to talk to him.

After all, from the descriptions of Howard and Ilir, the white-robed man in front of them has always been aloof in nature and would never talk to anyone unless necessary.

And this is exactly what Qiao Xingnan expected. In a situation where he knows that his opponent is tougher than him but wants to test himself, being the first to seize the initiative and hold the tempo in his own hands is the most effective way to crack the problem.

“Well, I’m from the Wood race.”

A trace of inquiry flashed across Long Teng’s eyes.

He clearly felt that the white-robed man seemed to be more cordial to him after he said that he was a member of the Wood race.

This would be much better.

Long Teng’s expressionless handsome face had a little smile, “My name is Long Teng, and I belong to Arilance. I wonder what your name is?”

“Long Teng?” The jawline under the white-robed man’s hood tightened, “You are, Dragon Vine clan?” 1

Long Teng smiled and nodded. Only the purest bloodline of their clan could bear this title and use this name, which was his pride.

Qiao Xingnan lowered his eyes, and his long and slender eyelashes covered the smile in his eyes. Knowing the clan is good, he mentally controlled Zero to continue with the next step of his plan.

Then, Long Teng saw Zero, who had just expressed closeness to him, turn around coldly. The white hood covered most of his face, and from his angle, he could only see the other party’s tightly pursed, thin lips. It was obvious that the other party refused to talk to him.

Long Teng frowned, then remembered that the Lotus sisters said before that he frowned too fiercely, so he forced himself to loosen his frown. His face was expressionless, and there was a deliberate hint of softness in his voice: “Your Excellency?”

Qiao Xingnan tapped his fingers, inwardly reassuring Zero, ‘At least at the banquet, he will never act rashly, and we will act according to the plan.’

At the same time, Qiao Xingnan noticed that Ster had also moved. A smile flashed in his eyes as the corners of his mouth were pursed. Really awesome, Uncle Ster.

Qiao Xingnan lowered his eyes and took a sip of water. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Asrit brushing the snake with one hand, but his eyes were staring at his face.

No, to be precise, he was staring into his own eyes.

Qiao Xingnan raised his eyes and met with Asrit, his cold golden eyes looking at the other without blinking.

He thought that the other party would move away but did not expect that Asrit’s green eyes did not shift in the slightest, and even a smile gradually emerged in his eyes: “Qiao, are you looking at me?”

No, I’m looking at someone who is sick in the head.

Qiao Xingnan laughed a little, but he did not feel funny in his heart. Why would the tyrant like to look into his own eyes so much?

Thinking back to how the tyrant got along with himself before, Qiao Xingnan instantly remembered that the tyrant always loved to stare at his face when he was free before, and he always thought he was observing his expression as a way to deliberate whether he was lying or not, and later on he gradually got used to the tyrant’s occasional staring.

Only now did he suddenly realize that the other party had been looking at his own eyes. Qiao Xingnan lowered his eyelashes, the tyrant had been looking at his own eyes to do what?!

All of a sudden, as a screenwriter’s wild imagination instantly exploded, a variety of characters with bizarre habits appeared one by one and finally converged into a sentence. The tyrant would not be a pervert who likes to collect eyeballs, right?

Qiao Xingnan forced himself to calm down, don’t panic, don’t panic. First of all, not to mention that this is just speculation, even if it is true, as long as the persona is maintained, a tyrant who has some sense will not think about gouging his own eyes.

On the other end, Ster did not know what his master had realized with a flash of insight, and he was following his master’s instructions last night to appear at the right time to give Zero assistance.

Zero turned sideways, his hood covering most of his face, refusing to talk to this Wood race man in basalt clothes beside him.

Long Teng was even more confused for a while. What was wrong with this Wood race? Did he realize that he was going to test him?

Then, this attitude of his just tells something, and a dark color flashed in Longteng’s eyes.

Just when Long Teng got up to leave, an old man in a tuxedo came over. Long Teng knew that this man was the butler beside the “emperor”. Seeing the two men in a stalemate, the butler, Ster, froze for a moment and then looked at the two with a smile: “What are Zero and this Excellency doing?”

The white-robed man heard this, and the original low-hanging hood seemed to lift up, and his long fingers moved slightly: “He, Dragon Vine clan.”

There seemed to be a hint of aggravation in his voice.

What happened to the Dragon Vine clan?

Long Teng twisted his eyebrows and just wanted to ask out when he saw the elder wearing a tuxedo next to him looked like he had a sudden realization, then he sighed and said, “Sorry, Your Excellency, please forgive Zero’s rudeness. He just made a promise to the clan in our country that he would not say another word to the Dragon Vine clan.”

Long Teng was confused for a moment.

Immediately afterward, he saw the Ster in front of him revealing a difficult expression, “It is not because the Dragon Vine clan is generally arrogant and fierce, but because Zero, their clan, once had a conflict with our Dragon Vine clan.”

It seems like this conflict was unspeakable.

Long Teng could see what they were expressing but did not believe it. Their Dragon Vine clan is indeed one of the few arrogant and ferocious branches of the Wood clan, but this is really some coincidence.

Thinking so, Long Teng looked deeply at the two men. Ster gave him a gentle smile while the white-robed man did not even look back. He kept his white hood exposed to him, conspicuously expressing ‘I don’t welcome you’ to him, not even half the same as his previous active conversation.

Long Teng retracted his eyes, nodded slightly towards the Ster, then said no more and turned to leave.

Watching the back of Long Teng leaving, the gentle smile on Ster’s face remained unchanged. He knew that there were many eyes around them now that had been watching them, and his every move was extremely graceful and even more composed.

But Stere sighed inwardly, poor master, one hurdle has passed, and there is still another hurdle. Long Teng’s test has been dodged for the time being, but there is still the next one. However, if they can successfully pass the Lotus clan leaders’ test next, it will be much easier for them afterward.

Ster did not leave with this thought but sat beside Zero. He wanted to wait for the arrival of the two Lotus clan leaders according to his master’s plan and continue to perform the script, only to notice in the corner of his eye that the two Lotus clan leaders sat beside Long Teng, quietly drinking tea the whole time without taking much action.

Obviously, they are not ready to continue testing for now.

From the corner of his eye, Ster glanced at the cold and dignified expression of his master in the upper seat and laughed softly. It seems he will have to wait until next time to perform.

The four paladins on the other side were all a little itchy after seeing that the Wood race had taken the initiative to approach one of the liars.

The four paladins, who were appointed by the emperor, are extremely capable. It can even be said that not many people on this continent can be called their opponents. If they were ordinary liars, they would naturally teach the other side a lesson.

However, the liars were brought by His Majesty, and even with their high status, they did not dare to act provocatively in the slightest.

But this idea began to change after the chief paladin learned from Howard’s side that one of the liars was far stronger than Howard.

Howard is a close servant of the emperor. Although his strength is not as strong as theirs, he still has something to offer. If he can outperform him, this “paladin” of another country must have great strength.

“Avino.”

The chief paladin tapped the table.

Avino is the paladin among them who will not be scorned the most. In other words, he seems to be the weakest one in terms of combat power. As a friendly country, they will certainly not provoke the other side against the will of His Majesty.

But as a knight, it is normal to have a good fight.

The chief paladin was curious to know where the other side’s strength lies, and even if His Majesty knew about this, he would not say anything.

“The one drinking over there is the paladin that Howard said. We don’t know what his combat power is, so you go and talk to him.”

To be honest, this is a bit euphemistic.

But who is Avino? He knew what the chief paladin meant as soon as he heard it. In short, he asked him to set an appointment to fight with the other.

Avino was also interested in the strong man that Howard spoke of, and with the paladins’ hopes in mind, he made his way unnoticed to Ruiert, who was drinking.

Ruiert was tasting the wine at this banquet. Although the taste was not as good as the wine in his white moon jug, he could occasionally have a taste of it.

Of course, he did not forget the task given to him by Qiao Xingnan. When he noticed a man standing vaguely behind him with a silver sword, a hint of interest passed through Ruiert’s eyes.

The master is really smart.

Ruiert thought and poured another mouthful of inferior wine. No, it should be said that the master has really taken every aspect into account in order to live. For his previous stupid masters, perhaps they would die on the first day of meeting the tyrant and simply could not go this far.

He thought to himself but did not take the initiative to speak as Zero did. Instead, he waited for the other party to strike up a conversation first.

Qiao Xingnan had previously specifically instructed Ruiert and clearly told him that his status was different from Zero’s.

Ruiert’s setting is a paladin, but because his identity is so mysterious and linked to the royal family’s secrets, his every move should have the pride of the royal family so he can drink everywhere without fear.