"But think about it—my Spirit growth rate is extraordinarily high. Once I reach Tier 8, I'll be the one donating attributes to you. It's essentially you lending me some Spirit now, and I'll pay it back later with interest."
Lanqi began analyzing it for her.
Tata's attributes were of the balanced type, with high growth in every stat.
In short: a super minion.
As for magic, Tata only excelled at Mental Interference and curse-damage reflection. She had high stats but simple mechanics, making her easy to counter hard.
She was the exact opposite of the Poet of Great Love, who had absurdly broken mechanics but zero stats.
Lanqi, on the other hand, had both mechanics and stats—a veritable Trisolaran.
"So, do you want to wear this bracelet?" Talia looked him up and down, asking.
The beauty of magic-card equipment jewelry lay in the fact that it could usually stay concealed within the soul space, meaning one didn't have to keep it on constantly and let everyone notice.
"Setting aside whether I want to or not, you definitely wouldn't want to in the first place. This card is purely a net negative for you."
Lanqi shook his head and spread his hands, walking toward the exit of the prize center.
"..."
Boss Cat felt that neither of the two would say a word about whether they personally wanted to wear it.
Instead, they kept probing each other's willingness.
"You only need to tell me whether this bracelet is useful to you."
Talia's voice turned half a degree colder.
Though she sensed Lanqi had been thinking disrespectful thoughts again, she didn't care much at this level anymore; so long as he didn't blurt them out to her face, she couldn't even be bothered to arrest him.
"It's definitely useful. It can boost my Spirit attribute by ten-odd to twenty percent."
Lanqi felt Talia's intimidating aura and answered her honestly.
"The attributes I lend you must be returned later. I'm only lending them because I know you bear heavy responsibilities; otherwise, there's no way I'd ever agree to wear a matching set of jewelry with you," Talia muttered, putting the bracelet away.
This left Lanqi momentarily stunned.
He hadn't expected Talia to actually agree to a deal like this.
Soon, a sly smile returned to his face.
"Ho ho ho, once my Spirit attribute surpasses yours, I'll unbind it immediately," Lanqi said to Talia, squinting with a grin.
"You're not allowed to unbind it! Keep it bound till death—you have to pay me my interest!" Talia glared at him, poking a finger at his forehead.
And so they walked, bickering all the way.
Embedded in the colossal stone archway of Golden Bee Amusement Park were countless shimmering gems, glowing faintly in the night like mysterious fairy lights guiding visitors forward.
Festival fireworks continued to burst above them from time to time.
Together, they bought syrup-drizzled candied apples as a snack.
Until suddenly, a massive boom sliced through the quiet night sky, followed by a continuous cascade of explosions. Half the horizon seemed ignited by multicolored flames, which then rained down like a meteor shower, melting into the starry veil until the darkness settled once more.
As if suddenly remembering something, Lanqi stopped in his tracks, extended a closed fist toward Talia, and turned his palm upward.
"Oh, right. This is for you," he said.
Talia looked puzzled at his slowly opening palm, only to find nothing inside.
"Are you messing with me?" she asked with a furrowed brow.
Lanqi nodded.
Just as Talia was about to lose her temper, the moment Lanqi turned his palm downward, he plucked a translucent white card out of thin air as if performing magic. By the time he displayed it to Talia again, it had transformed into a doll cradled in his hands.
It was an adorable, chibi version of a gray-haired little demoness doll. But unlike the Poet of Great Love, this one had golden eyes.
[Tata Doll]
[Category: Summon Card]
[Grade: White Common]
[Tier: 3]
[Effect: Aside from looking cute, it serves no other purpose; lifts the spirit slightly.]
[Note: Happy birthday to you.]
"I originally planned to give it to you tomorrow, but since we happened to run into each other here, I might as well give it to you now."
Lanqi's figure was once again illuminated by the fireworks reflecting from the sky, a warm smile on his face.
"..."
Talia looked at Lanqi with touched, complicated emotions.
So the kid really had remembered her birthday.
She wanted to tell him that she hadn't particularly wanted a gift from him, since she wouldn't know how to settle the balance, yet right now, she found the present exceptionally delightful.
"Thank you."
Talia took the small doll from Lanqi's hands and offered a slight curtsy of thanks.
"Uh..."
Lanqi gazed at her, seemingly unable to find words.
So Tata truly could look like a princess.
"I was a princess to begin with."
Talia lifted her gaze to meet Lanqi's eyes.
Lanqi immediately took half a step back by pure reflex.
"What does this doll even do?"
Talia paid him no further mind, turning the doll front and back with a puzzled look.
She remembered that during the registered card maker exam, Lanqi had made a Tier 3 white card called [Little Love Doll].
Its effect was to faintly seal and weaken a target's emotions through singing to calm their mind—which, at the very least, had some utility.
Yet this card didn't even have a functional effect.
"What does it do? I'm searching for the answer myself."
As if recalling something hilarious, Lanqi covered his mouth, his shoulders trembling with laughter.
"Are you implying something?"
Talia peered at Lanqi, leaning in a fraction closer and fixing him with her bright golden eyes.
"Nope."
Lanqi blinked innocently.
He even tilted his head fifteen degrees.
"Pfft—"
Talia was amused to the point of anger by this insolent brat.
However, she had learned a thing or two about dealing with Lanqi by now.
She leaned in slightly and, mimicking the Poet of Great Love's cadence, whispered by Lanqi's ear:
"Thank you so much, big brother Lanqi~"
She spoke in an incomparably soft and cloying tone.
"..."
Lanqi froze on the spot, as if turned to stone, utterly speechless.
Then a violent chill swept over him; he wrapped his arms around himself, goosebumps erupting across his skin.
"Aaaargh, just kill me!"
He felt his brain trembling.
Even Boss Cat sensed that its mount had suddenly become unstable and leaped to the ground.
"Meow."
This was the first time Boss Cat had ever seen Lanqi lose his composure like this.
He genuinely seemed revolted by Talia, as if bugs were crawling all over his skin.
Or perhaps "revolted" wasn't quite the right word—it was hard to describe the sheer horror and visceral discomfort churning inside him.
"Just try provoking me next time," Talia said.
Recalling what she had just uttered, her cheeks flushed slightly, but seeing how significantly it damaged Lanqi made it well worth the embarrassment.
"Aaaargh!"
Clutching his head, Lanqi felt as though Tata's whisper wouldn't fade no matter what, looping in his mind like a demonic curse.
***
After who knew how long, the two finally seemed exhausted from the commotion. Keeping a modest distance from each other, they walked down the broad avenue leading toward the exit of Golden Bee Amusement Park.
"Speaking of which, are you two planning to just head back like this?" Boss Cat asked, glancing at the projected map of the park before looking up.
"What else?" the two turned to it and countered in unison.
"Since you're already here, why not have some fun in Golden Bee Amusement Park together? Otherwise, wouldn't buying those admission tickets be a total waste?"
The little black cat cast a meaningful glance toward the stage of the Love-Hurdle Corridors Academy event.
"Besides, weren't you two looking forward to hanging out together anyway? It's rare to see you both this happy, meow."
"Who was looking forward to that?!"
Both of them glared at Boss Cat and snapped back.
"Not at all, hmm—?"
This time, the little black cat didn't back down an inch. Drawing out its tone, it stepped closer to the two, its shadow stretching long across the ground like a towering black tiger.
"Tata, I won't be making you a late-night snack tonight," Boss Cat told Tata, then turned to Lanqi. "And you too, Lanqi. There's nothing left to eat at your place, and you rushed through just two bites of a sandwich this evening before diving straight into work. Tata, could I trouble you to take Lanqi out for a bite?"
"Uh..."
Talia hesitated.
"Alright, that settles it! I'm off, meow!"
Boss Cat trotted away on brisk, cheerful paws, turning and disappearing into the night.
The two stood on the path in utter silence, neither seeming to know what to say to the other.
It wasn't until Boss Cat's silhouette vanished entirely that they became acutely aware: only the two of them were left.
Remaining silent any longer was becoming awkward.
"These Golden Bee coins seem like enough for us to spend," Lanqi murmured, producing the points card he had just received from the event administrator.
From just that one event, the two of them had earned a hundred and ninety-six Golden Bee coins.
"If it's not enough, you'll have to play games and win with me until I'm full," Talia said without looking at him.
"Then let's go," Lanqi replied with an easy, relieved smile.
As though casting ripples across the quiet night sky, fireworks blossomed once again.
The firmament transformed into an endless canvas, starlight gleaming like countless brilliant gems set within the deep expanse of the night.
On such a midsummer night, walking down the path, all worries seemed to drift away with the cool night breeze.
Chapter 638