As time approached the end of January, the snow along the streets of the Royal Capital began to melt, as if wiped clean with makeup remover, gradually revealing the city's original appearance.
After lunch, Ron André took Sylvie out of the shop and headed to a private room at the Magic Club that had been booked in advance. There, they were meeting with the heads of the activity departments from the Royal Capital Magic Academy and the Royal Capital First Military Academy.
The annual Spring Martial Tournament, jointly organized by the two academies, was about to begin.
All the preparatory work had been progressing steadily.
During this period, the two academies—acting as the military's vanguard—had dealt with a large number of toxic organizations within the Empire, yet this hadn't interfered with the hosting of this grand annual event.
As the Empire's highest institutions for training mages and warriors, respectively, the two academies had always been responsible for organizing the Spring Martial Tournament.
When the time came, participating teams from academies all across the Empire would gather in the Royal Capital to showcase their strength before the people.
Outstanding individuals or teams could receive various rewards.
Even the academies behind them would gain significant benefits.
Of course, none of that had much to do with Ron.
This meeting with the two academies was mainly about event sponsorship.
Previously, Ron had signed contracts with them that included clauses about providing free sponsorship for various activities.
After more than an hour of discussion, they finalized the quantities for Nether Orchid, Crimson-Gold Chrysanthemum, and Scalevine, as well as the free provision of Scalevine leaves with healing effects.
In addition, Ron would personally donate 10,000 gold coins. His only requirement was that throughout all events related to the Spring Martial Tournament, he would receive corresponding "advertising slots."
In this world, the concept of sponsorship advertising wasn't yet clearly defined, nor were its economic benefits fully understood—so they agreed without hesitation.
After all, 10,000 gold coins were a massive sum, enough to greatly ease their budget across all aspects of the event.
Once the details were settled, Ron stood up, shook hands with the two representatives, and left the private room.
Sylvie stayed behind to discuss arrangements for sending nuns from the convent to provide emergency medical treatment.
Injuries during the Spring Martial Tournament were inevitable. Both the Church of the Goddess of Harvest — Hervesta and the Church of the God of Life would send nuns to ensure the safety of participants.
This essentially guaranteed the safety of most people.
Ron left the room and headed to the public lounge Soren André frequented.
As soon as he entered, he spotted Soren's flamboyant figure.
"Didn't those two 'juicers' drain you dry last night?" Ron dropped onto the sofa and teased as he ordered a glass of fruit wine.
"Heh." Soren wore a nostalgic expression. "The thrill of last night is something a rookie like you could never understand."
"I don't want to understand it…"
"You sure?" Soren leaned in, snickering. "Penny was talking to her mother right outside the door, pretending nothing was happening for several minutes. That feeling—tch tch…"
"…." Ron took a sip of his drink, choosing silence.
"And then there was the second half of the night with Lareira." Soren eagerly continued sharing his "battle results" with his wingman. "Her maid noticed something and came into the room. She saw the lump under the blanket on the bed, didn't find anything unusual, and left."
"But in reality, we were hiding in the wardrobe full of her dresses."
"The way she covered her mouth, trying so hard not to make a sound… unforgettable."
Ron rubbed his temples, genuinely disgusted by this behavior. "You should really stop talking, or I might throw this drink in your face."
"Haha! That's jealousy, isn't it?" Soren slapped Ron on the shoulder. "Want me to teach you some techniques? Making a girl enjoy it while keeping her from making noise—that's real skill."
Ron shuddered. "No thanks. Let's talk about something else."
"Fine." Soren swirled his drink, his gaze drifting over the young women in the room. "That fight at the Royal Capital First Military Academy that's been blowing up lately—that was your doing, wasn't it?"
"No," Ron replied calmly.
Soren didn't seem to care. "Still impressive. Just a small trick, and the audience for Element Cards multiplied several times over."
"Just good luck."
"Tch." Soren glanced at him. "Talk about women, you're not interested. Talk about business, and you dodge the topic."
"You could talk about something else," Ron said with a smile. "Like the upcoming Spring Martial Tournament. It's an annual grand event—there must be something worth discussing."
"What grand event? It's just harvesting 'leeks.'" Soren curled his lip, then stroked his chin thoughtfully. "So, what do you think—are soft-skinned mage girls more tempting, or are toned warrior girls more addictive?"
Ron resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "How do you manage to relate everything to women? Is your brain optimized for this or something?"
"This is my life's pursuit. Don't insult my lifelong dream," Soren said righteously.
Ron raised his hands in surrender. After finishing his drink, he stood up to leave. "You go on chasing your dreams. I won't get in your way."
When he stepped out, Sylvie was already waiting. The two of them left the club together.
The Spring Martial Tournament was essentially Ron's final layer of insurance for Element Cards.
This annual event gathered nearly all the Empire's outstanding young talents in the Royal Capital.
It would attract crowds from across the capital, and even countless visitors from surrounding cities.
As early as last autumn, regional Autumn Martial Tournaments had already been held, selecting many powerful individuals and teams to qualify for this event.
This selection system was one of the reasons the Empire continuously produced talented individuals.
And Ron intended to use this opportunity—by securing advertising space during the Spring Martial Tournament—to further promote Element Cards.
It would also lay a solid foundation for expanding Element Cards nationwide.
With these thoughts, Ron returned to the shop.
After ensuring Ron arrived safely, Sylvie bid farewell—she had to handle personnel arrangements for the convent and would be quite busy during this period.
Ron went up to the second floor to order a drink from Yuna, chatting and bickering with her while waiting.
Before long, Mia and Eileen arrived at the flower shop. After instructing their attendants—who were carrying large bundles of items—to return to the palace, the two of them went upstairs to find Ron.