Graves had reached Elite Member status at late Monarch Realm. The standard requirement was crafting a Seven-Star card. No shortcuts, no exceptions.
And here was Luke, a rookie who hadn't even taken the college entrance exam, being offered Elite status for three Six-Stars.
A small, irrational part of her found that mildly infuriating.
But a larger, more pragmatic part reminded her that Luke was Westbridge's student. Not Crestfall's. Not Ironvale's. Theirs. And when she imagined those schools' reactions if they found out?
Yeah. She could live with this.
Besides, it wasn't her call. The man who'd made the decision was Harrison Cole. In Ashenvale City, only Victor Ashford stood at the same level. If Harrison wanted to grant a special exemption, nobody had the authority to argue.
"Compared to Standard Members, Elite Members receive substantially better benefits," Graves continued. "Applications come in every year and the pass rate isn't high. If President Cole is backing you, make the most of it."
"I will." Luke nodded and pocketed the membership card. The specifics of what the Association offered could wait until he got home.
"Now." Harlow's tone shifted. The warmth drained away, replaced by something harder. "There's one more thing. And it's not good news."
Luke, Graves, and Tanner all straightened up. When a man like Harlow switched to that voice, you paid attention.
"The trip to Fae Spirit Hollow was originally scheduled for tomorrow." Harlow paused. "It's been pushed back three days. Because of an... unexpected development."
"Moonvale City Lord Helena Frost is arriving tomorrow with a delegation. There will be an inter-academy exchange match between our two cities." Harlow let the words settle. "City Lord Ashford wants you to participate as one of Ashenvale's representatives."
Moonvale City. Friendship match.
Luke's brain processed both terms and immediately threw out the second one. Moonvale was a top-three powerhouse among the twelve satellite cities. They didn't do "friendly." This was a flex tour, plain and simple.
"Right before the college entrance exam?" Graves's expression hardened. "If Moonvale is coming now, at this timing, they're not here to shake hands. This is provocation."
As someone who'd spent her entire career in Ashenvale, the gap between their city and Moonvale was something Graves understood intimately. Helena Frost choosing to show up now, when students should be focused on exam prep, reeked of bad intentions.
"No question about it," Harlow agreed. "But as the City Lord pointed out, this year is different."
His eyes found Luke.
"Your Card Spirit could compete for a top-ten finish in last year's Eastern Region college entrance exam. Moonvale's plans might not go the way they expect."
Luke considered this for about two seconds.
"Well, I can't exactly let you down now, can I?" A half-smile crossed his face. The truth was, he'd been wanting to test Mana's upgraded strength anyway. A match against students from a top-three city was as good a proving ground as any.
And beyond that, Ashenvale was home. If some outside power wanted to come in and flex on his turf, Luke didn't see a reason to be polite about it.
"Good." Harlow caught the look in Luke's eyes and smiled. I know exactly what you're planning. And I approve.
Meanwhile, in Sunridge City.
Vernon Drake, City Lord of Sunridge, watched the Moonvale delegation's Frost Sparrow shrink into the distance and let out a sigh that seemed to come from his soul.
"Thank God. The crazy woman is finally gone."
Sunridge City was slightly stronger than Ashenvale overall, but the margin was razor-thin. Against Moonvale? Not even close. The "friendly exchange" between Sunridge and Moonvale hadn't been a total massacre, but it was close enough that the distinction didn't feel meaningful.
Drake and his people were thoroughly demoralized. But what could they do? Helena Frost wasn't just politically aggressive. She was personally powerful enough to back it up.
"My lord," the advisor at Drake's side spoke up, "Moonvale's next stop is Ashenvale City. Ashenvale is slightly weaker than us overall. Against Moonvale, they'll fare even worse. At least we'll have company in our misery."
The advisor was a genuine strategist. Sunridge had managed to scrape out one win against Moonvale's delegation specifically because of its tactical planning.
The advisor was also, quite literally, a Kobold. A Kobold-type Card Spirit serving as Vernon Drake's personal military consultant. Dog-headed, sharp-minded, and possessed of the particular brand of cheerful cynicism that came from being both very smart and very aware of how the world actually worked.
"I hope so," Drake sighed. Then his expression soured further. "I still don't understand how Helena Frost keeps getting this lucky. Last year's college entrance exam, Moonvale produced a student who placed in the Capital's top three. And now this year, apparently, they've got someone even more talented."
"Maybe next exam cycle, Moonvale will push even higher." Drake turned to face his assembled retainers, and the look on his face was somewhere between exasperation and genuine pain. "Why can't we produce a genius like that? Just one. Is that too much to ask?"
The Sunridge delegation exchanged awkward glances. They didn't have an answer. They wished they did.
Luke left Harlow's office around noon, said goodbye to Tanner, and headed home.
Whether Luke would keep showing up to school between now and the college entrance exam was something none of the faculty, Tanner, Graves, or Harlow, particularly cared about. If anything, they thought giving him freedom would be better for his development.
After all, Westbridge didn't have a single teacher who'd ever crafted an Original Card. Nobody on staff could offer Luke guidance that he didn't already surpass. If anything, the learning should flow the other direction. Luke teaching them about Original Card construction would be the natural dynamic.
Back home, Luke plugged the Association membership card into his personal terminal. After a data handshake and a series of authentication protocols, the Card Master Association's internal website loaded on screen.
Without the card's built-in authentication chip, neither civilians nor non-member Card Masters could access this portal. It was members-only by design.
"Card Masters can trade materials and post missions through the Association. And as long as you don't do anything that harms the Association or the country, the rules are pretty relaxed." Luke scrolled through the interface, getting a feel for the layout. "They also post special missions monthly. Better rewards than standard ones, but the difficulty matches."
The mission system was interesting, but not what Luke needed right now.
His eyes drifted to the trading system.
For a Card Master in his position, fresh off a breakthrough with a second card to build and dragon materials to find, the marketplace was where the real value lived.