"Of course. Does Yuanxi Palace also enjoy [Endless War Chess]?"
Westheid made a "please" gesture, accepting Luyetan's challenge.
"I've dabbled in it in my spare time. The game is quite interesting, isn't it? In a boring life where one can't truly command great armies, it's a decent diversion."
Luyetan opened the exquisite card box her maid handed her, took out her cards, and her hands began to fly as she constructed her deck.
"It's just that I thought I had studied it deeply enough, but I never expected Duke Qinghui to give me such a huge surprise... Your deck construction earlier was entirely composed of passive, defensive types: [City Defense Card], [Position Card], [Mystery Card], and [Shield Guard Card]. And yet, you managed to achieve the effect of an aggro deck."
The brown-haired girl's eyes sparkled as she sighed, "I've never seen such an ingenious idea. I originally came to discuss official business with Duke Qinghui, but talking while we play won't hurt."
"[Endless War Chess] is a game where one shouldn't be restricted, where imagination should run free. As long as you don't get fooled by the card descriptions, you'll be fine. My strategy was merely taking advantage of an information gap."
Luyetan said, "Information is a key factor in battle. That's absolutely true."
After they both finished building their decks, Westheid stated,
"My matches require a wager. That's no exception, even for Yuanxi Palace."
"Naturally. Without a wager, there's no motivation to give it one's all... Pfft. It's just that Duke Qinghui's wager of five hundred silver leaves truly makes me chuckle."
The perfect smile Luyetan had been maintaining so well finally broke.
Joke explained: Yuanshi Territory is an extremely wealthy trade hub, and as its Lord, Luyetan is an undeniably rich woman.
The kind whose wealth could rival a nation's.
If Yolanda were here, she'd probably be seeing red by now, insisting on saying something like, "The tables will turn! Don't you dare bully the Qinghui just because they're poor!"
But Westheid just said lightly,
"The Qinghui Clan is just that shabby right now. This is all we can afford to bet."
"My apologies, my apologies. I didn't mean to mock Duke Qinghui. The Chaos Tide that the Qinghui Territory suffered was a terrifying horror. As a fellow [Branch of Prosperity], Duke Qinghui's experience truly saddens me."
Luyetan covered her mouth to stop her laughter, then said with a serious expression,
"It's just that, as the Master of Yuanxi, I really can't accept a mere five hundred silver leaves as the wager. It's no different from not betting at all... How about this? I'll bet the most valuable thing I have with me right now. What do you say?"
Yuanxi Palace pointed to the Half-Elf Maid at her side and said with a smile, "If I lose, I'll give you Rozana. She's a great beauty, you know. I'm sure Duke Qinghui will like her."
Upon hearing this, the Half-Elf Maid was overcome with bashfulness, clutching her skirt. "Yuanxi Palace?!"
Hearing this, Westheid also gave Rozana a serious look-over.
Her fair, lustrous face held a graceful and noble yet cold expression. Her stunning, jade-green hair cascaded down to her waist like a waterfall. A touch of pale red on her lips was just right, a perfect match for her azure eyes.
A Golden Phoenix Badge Ruby Pendant hung from her long, swan-like neck. The custom black-and-white maid uniform wrapped tightly around her ample bosom, yet even such sturdy fabric looked as if it were about to burst, exuding an allure that was both extremely taboo and inviolably pure.
The light, black silk stockings squeezed her thighs tightly, displaying both their softness and substance. The custom-made short skirt clung to her body, revealing her perfect, captivating waistline without a doubt.
The special maid dress was designed to intermittently reveal glimpses of tempting, delectable, snow-white skin.
As for the curve of her hips and thighs, tightly wrapped in black silk... Westheid didn't want to be too impolite.
But they could only be described as sinfully thick.
Luyetan was right. Rozana was indeed a great beauty he would like. He had a thing for that kind of purely indecent figure.
However, this wager held no appeal for Westheid, because he had no need to gamble for something he had already obtained.
Duke Qinghui smiled faintly and said,
"Yuanxi Palace, please don't joke. Let's change the wager... Actually, I'm currently looking for a craftsman to build a prosthetic limb. If you could introduce one to me, it would be a great help."
Luyetan interlaced her fingers, propping up her delicate, snow-white chin. "Finding a craftsman in the Imperial Capital who can forge a prosthetic limb isn't difficult. But... why a prosthetic limb?"
Westheid didn't hide it. "It's a gift for Her Highness Reiya."
"Hoh..."
Luyetan drew out the sound meaningfully, a half-smile on her face.
"I heard about what happened that night. Is Duke Qinghui truly growing close to the Fourth Princess? That's quite rare... Interesting. Truly interesting."
Westheid said, "If Yuanxi Palace finds this difficult, we can call off the bet."
Luyetan waved her hand. "No need. As long as Duke Qinghui wins, I will certainly prepare a top-quality prosthetic limb for you. Now, let's play."
Having agreed to the wager, Luyetan was the first to slap down a card, its projection appearing on the floor.
"I'm sending out a regiment of [Desert Raider Riders] to take the field. I'll use [Marching Speed] to boost their speed and reach your side of the board in one turn. According to the card's effect, as long as they reach your side, I can summon an additional regiment of [Raiding Rider]."
'A direct board flood?'
"Is Yuanxi Palace planning to play an aggro deck?"
Just seeing this familiar opening move made Westheid's very DNA stir.
"I just want to counter Duke Qinghui's strategy from the last game. Whether you plan to use it again or not, I have no desire to have a castle dropped on my face... That disgusting tactic completely ruins the game experience."
'What did urban planning ever do to you?! To think such a wholesome strategy would be slandered like this!'
Westheid was instantly seething. He said,
"Yuanxi Palace is mistaken. It's just a normal management strategy, hardly disgusting... But since Yuanxi Palace dislikes it, I suppose I'll switch things up."
"A [Guard Tower] to block the riders' charge, and then I'll play this card—[Casting Embryo]."
"[Casting Embryo]?"
Luyetan let out a surprised and skeptical sound.
Westheid smiled. "That's right. The infinitely scaling [Casting Embryo]. After five turns, it will become a [Star Gate] or a [War Workshop] that steadily produces units. If I plan to use [City Defense Card]s to survive your early-game rush and then transition to a control strategy in the late game, I wonder how you will respond?"
There was no reply. The gorgeous and elegant Yuanxi Lord played a card on her turn.
It was also a [Casting Embryo].
"What a... coincidence, isn't it? It seems we had the same idea."
Luyetan clapped her hands briefly and chuckled sweetly.
"It seems this is going to be a fun game!"