"This..."
"What are you looking at me for? Keep playing your turns."
The three monsters played their smallest cards in sequence, but Gris didn't take any of them, leaving them at a loss for what to do.
The agonizing time slowly passed until the game ended; Gris kept his eyes closed the entire time.
Seeing this, a nearby Dragon Vein Gnoll hesitated but still asked.
"Lord Gris, you..."
Gris gave a cold snort, immediately stood up, and stomped away in a huff.
These monsters, ranging from 1.7 to over 2 meters tall, all made way for the little beanstalk Gris. Once he was far away, the Dragon Vein Gnoll finally couldn't help but flip over the card Gris had been holding down.
There, it sat quietly: a '3'.
Seeing this, the monsters' mouths twitched uncontrollably. Big brother, who keeps a three for the last card... Gris walked out of the Board Game Room, planning to get some fresh air and fill his stomach before returning for another battle.
But just as he was about to leave, he suddenly caught sight of a strange figure.
Gris turned to look and saw a human with red hair scratching his head and looking around.
The moment he saw him, Gris felt as if facing a great enemy and instantly shifted into his dragon-man form. His intuition told him that this 'human' was definitely not as simple as he appeared on the surface. He was very strong!
Emi didn't hide his aura, but he didn't spread out his perception either. After all, he heard from the Dependents that everyone had their own privacy in White Crystal City. Spreading perception randomly would be disrespectful to others, and one might even be arrested and questioned by the White Crystal Knights on charges of 'peeping into others' privacy.'
Emi figured that since he was on someone else's turf, it was better to be law-abiding.
However, what he didn't expect was that he was actually a lost cause when it came to directions—a severe case of it.
Because he didn't use his perception, he couldn't find his way at all. Moreover, since White Crystal City had a no-fly rule at night, Emi didn't use flight magic and just wandered around aimlessly.
But he had a good attitude, constantly comforting himself, 'It's fine, it's fine, just consider it a tour. Maybe I'll get familiar with the place as I wander?'
Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly froze. His intuition told him that someone was staring at him warily.
Emi looked around and soon saw Gris in his half-dragon form, which made him narrow his eyes.
"A Black Dragon? Does White Crystal City have other experts?"
Having experienced the battle with Jona Velli, he subconsciously imagined Gris to be in the same combat tier as Friel and the others.
Just then, a wary warning came.
"Hey, who are you? Why is your aura so unfamiliar?"
..."Let me introduce everyone, this is my new friend, Emi."
Gris smiled as he walked up to a card table, pushing aside the monsters.
The monsters weren't annoyed; they curiously sized up this 1.8-meter-tall red-haired human.
"Hello."
"First time meeting you, a pleasure, a pleasure."
Soon, the monsters accepted Emi. After all, with Gris as the introducer, no one dared to not give him face.
Gris smiled and pulled Emi, who was still looking around, to the table. After having a nearby monster vacate a seat, he asked with a smile,
"Emi, do you know how to play cards?"
Emi asked, full of confusion,
"Cards? What's that? Why would I play them?"
The three consecutive questions made Gris's grin widen even further. He wanted exactly this kind of pure newbie so that he could finally win.
Then, acting like a good friend, he said patiently,
"It's fine, I'll teach you."
...Gris stared blankly at Emi's empty hands and then at the few cards in his own hand, his mouth twitching.
Finally, unable to hold back any longer, he looked at Emi very seriously.
"You really don't know how to play?"
Emi shrugged with an innocent look.
"What do you think?"
His expression was clear, and his skills and techniques were completely those of a beginner, but it was precisely because of this that Gris felt even more like breaking down.
His face turned flushed red. Seeing this, Emi blinked.
"Are you okay?"
Gris held it in for a long time. Just as Emi was wondering if he would suffocate, Gris finally stammered out,
"No... nothing. You... you... you're amazing."
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