What Does a Female Lead Power Fantasy Look Like?

Many days had passed since the tragedy in Shanghai City.

Perhaps Ye Zhou had truly hurt them badly, because during this time, neither the two Master Grade Secret Realms along the coast nor the card master faction led by Jin Ping in the City within a City had made any moves.

Of course, another possibility was that they were all waiting for an opportunity to strike Great Ming with something even bigger.

At the very least, Lu Su was more inclined toward the latter possibility.

Why?

Naturally, because—

"Xiao Luo, the latest news from Europa is that Jin Ping has absorbed most of the Fallen Cult’s members."

At that moment, Bai Yueming stood with a grim expression, gazing out at the Shanghai City coast, which was still nothing but ruins.

Since there were no plans to rebuild Shanghai City anytime soon, the Association had naturally not dispatched any Civil Engineering Card Masters to clear the area.

For now, they had merely erected a simple defensive installation atop the ruins.

However, those fortifications would be useless against a possible battle between Master grade existences. Their main purpose was to provide an early warning, giving the cities behind them more time to respond.

Lu Su was not particularly surprised by what his teacher had said.

He merely said helplessly, "It can’t be helped. Chris is dead."

Even if Jin Ping had not absorbed them, there would have been no chance of repairing the Fallen Cult’s relationship with Great Ming afterward.

During this time, Lu Su had deliberately looked into information about the Fallen Cult. All he could say was that they were the complete opposite of other evil forces that constantly deceived and schemed against one another.

Their harmonious atmosphere made them seem nothing like a terrorist organization.

That said, without a Master Card Master to lead them, the Fallen Cult posed almost no threat to Great Ming.

But it could not be helped. Jin Ping’s ability was simply too suited to taking people in and making them his dogs.

Bai Yueming silently sighed and did not continue the subject.

The old man turned to look at his disciple, who had become far more mature than when they had first met. After weighing his words, he softly said, "Xiao Luo, Little Ye and I have discussed this. For the coming period, you won’t hold a fixed position. Wherever Great Ming needs support, that’s where you’ll go."

Now that Shanghai City was gone, Lu Su’s position as Vice President of the Shanghai City Card Master Association existed in name only.

He had no objections to being a Firefighter. With his current strength, unless a Hall of Fame Grade existence appeared, defeat was basically impossible.

As long as he did not die, it did not count as defeat.

"I understand."

Seeing Lu Su agree, Bai Yueming could not help patting his arm.

The old man had wanted to pat his shoulder, but with his hunched body, he could no longer quite reach it.

"You’ll have to work hard from here on, Xiao Luo."

Lu Su slightly shook his head, telling his teacher not to take it to heart.

Great Ming had given him so many resources. It was only right for him to do more, not to mention that he now had his own Bonds on this land.

Bai Yueming stood there in silence for a moment, looking at the two Master Grade Secret Realms in the distance, before turning and leading Lu Su back into the defensive installation.

As they walked, he said, "Xiao Luo, get ready over the next couple of days, then go to the Shuběi Army and find Master Fang and Master Ji."

"The Demon Army problem can’t be delayed any longer."

Whenever disturbances had occurred in Shanghai City before, the Demon Army had cooperated closely with Jin Ping’s actions. It was obvious that the human and demon factions had already become entangled.

Lu Su was not surprised that Great Ming was now preparing to make a move against them.

It was just that—

"Will Ye Diantang be taking action?"

It was no wonder Lu Su asked. The Demon Army was a thorn in Great Ming’s side. If Great Ming could have eliminated them, it would have done so long ago. Why wait until now?

Because they had been unable to do anything about them.

Since they were now preparing to launch a thunderous strike, there had to be some new development.

Lu Su knew that his current strength was enough to stir things up, but exterminating the Demon Army was definitely unrealistic.

However, Bai Yueming slightly shook his head upon hearing his words. "No. It’s the Tsardom of Russia. Their emperor has broken through to Hall of Fame Grade."

"So they want to reclaim the land they lost before."

Lu Su froze. He had never expected the reason to be on the Tsardom of Russia’s side.

But he quickly understood. After all, Great Ming was not the only country in the world facing the Demon Army’s threat.

Clearly, the Slavs who had been forced to abandon their territory also hated those demons to the bone.

But a new question immediately arose in Lu Su’s mind. "Since the Tsar has already advanced to Hall of Fame Grade, couldn’t they just do it themselves?"

"Why bring us in?"

"Or are they looking for someone to share the risk?"

If Lu Su remembered correctly, the Demon Army had no Hall of Fame Grade existences. Therefore, the Tsardom of Russia, which possessed a Hall of Fame Grade Card Master, clearly held an overwhelming advantage.

There was no need whatsoever to let Great Ming have a share.

Upon hearing that, a somewhat strange expression appeared on Bai Yueming’s face.

He organized the information he had received before speaking. "On one hand, there is indeed the reason you mentioned, Xiao Luo."

"On the other hand—"

"Although the Tsar has advanced to Hall of Fame Grade, she doesn’t have suitable materials to make cards, so her combat power…"

At that point, the old man shot Lu Su a look that said, You understand.

Lu Su immediately understood and curled his lip. "I was wondering why they were being so kind."

Without a doubt, the Tsar, lacking suitable cards, could currently only be treated as an oversized Master Card Master.

She was still not quite qualified to compare herself with veteran Hall of Fame Grade figures like Ye Zhou and Adley.

As if seeing through Lu Su’s thoughts, Bai Yueming casually offered a few words in the Tsar’s defense. "Her system’s upper limit is only Master grade, so there’s nothing she can do about it."

"I imagine she’s currently troubled over what cards to create for Hall of Fame Grade as well."

Because he had fought Sheng Hanzu, Lu Su knew that Slavic Mythology’s upper limit was probably around Master grade. After all, cards like the Black God and White God were only Diamond Grade.

And not everyone could casually switch systems like Lu Su. The vast majority of card masters spent their entire lives struggling within a single system.

Unaware of Lu Su’s thoughts, Bai Yueming ended the day’s discussion. "All right, enough of that. Xiao Luo, go back and make your preparations first."

"Then go to Hami Guard and find Master Fang and the others."

Lu Su slightly nodded. "All right."

With that, he turned and left the defensive installation.

The location for the joint operation meeting against the Demon Army had been set at Hami Guard in Great Ming.

It was also the Tsardom of Russia’s way of showing sincerity, since they had been the first to propose it.

"Your Majesty, the people below report that all the Great Ming representatives have arrived."

In a luxurious study, a man dressed in red court attire softly reported to the dignified woman before him.

Catherine III, who had been resting with her eyes closed, slightly opened them. "Understood. Inform them that the meeting will be held tomorrow."

"Yes." The man answered quietly, then hesitated before adding, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, Great Ming may not wish to cooperate with the Empire."

"According to the reports from below, they are merely waiting for a Diamond Grade Card Master."

Catherine gave a disdainful snort and lazily propped her right hand against the chair’s armrest. "Do you really think they’re waiting for that Diamond Grade Card Master?"

"They’re merely using it as a cover."

"Such a major incident happened in Shanghai City. They have to clean up the aftermath there first."

The man was momentarily stunned, then immediately flattered her. "So that’s how it is. As expected of Your Majesty."

Catherine could not be bothered to expose the thoughts of the close minister before her. She did not believe that such a socially adept subordinate could fail to see something so obvious.

It was all merely to please her.

Thinking that, she yawned in boredom. "I’m tired. You may leave first."

"Oh, and tell Petrovna to be ready. She must not embarrass the Empire tomorrow."

The man bowed slightly. "Yes. I will inform Her Highness to make preparations."

With that, he quietly withdrew from the study, leaving Catherine alone to stare fixedly at the falling snow outside the window.

After a long while, she rubbed her brow tiredly. "Ye Zhou, Adley."

"Hall of Fame Grade, and yet…"

Catherine paused, then let out a heavy sigh. Hall of Fame Grade card construction was far more difficult than she had imagined.

The next day.

Hami Guard Card Master Association Headquarters, Conference Center.

Lu Su sat at the conference table together with Fang Wenlong and Ji Weirui.

"Master Fang, Master Ji."

"Have either of you dealt with that Tsar before?"

While the people from the Tsardom of Russia had yet to arrive, Lu Su quietly asked the two Master Card Masters beside him.

Fang Wenlong slightly nodded at Lu Su’s question. "I’ve had some dealings with her before. That Tsar is not someone easy to deal with."

"Otherwise, how could she control such a vast Empire as a mere woman?"

He did not mean to discriminate against women. Catherine III’s experiences were simply too legendary.

As far as Fang Wenlong knew, Catherine had not even been a card master until she was in her twenties.

The reason naturally had to do with the Tsardom of Russia’s political system.

As the saying went, the sky could not have two suns, and a country could not have two rulers. The Tsardom of Russia’s emperor had originally been Catherine’s husband, Peter V. Peter V was a Master Card Master, so Catherine had not been permitted to become a card master.

Logically, no matter what happened, Peter V should have lived longer than Catherine. But the unpredictable happened, and he died midway through life.

Under normal circumstances, the next step should have been to find the highest-ranked card master from a collateral branch of the Tsardom of Russia’s royal family to inherit the throne.

Yet strangely enough, Catherine had ultimately inherited the throne.

At the time, she had still been an ordinary person.

Because of that, rumors had long circulated that the entire upper echelon of the Tsardom of Russia were all beneath the Empress’s skirt.

But Fang Wenlong had dealt with her before, so he knew it was merely a rumor.

What happened afterward was even more fantastical, because no one had expected Catherine to be a card master genius.

It had taken her only a little over a decade to advance from an ordinary person to Master grade.

As the Empress grew stronger and stronger, fewer and fewer people in the Tsardom of Russia dared defy her, until eventually she could mold them however she pleased.

After hearing about Catherine’s glorious exploits, Lu Su opened his mouth but did not know what to say for a moment.

His only thought now was that the "female lead power fantasies" from his previous life ought to learn from her instead of arranging political marriages with princes and giving their enemies legitimate claims.

Then again, the Catherine II from his original history had already been remarkable enough, at least far more impressive than someone with a blank stele.

Just as the three of them were talking, the conference room doors were pushed open, and three extravagantly dressed Caucasians entered.

Seeing this, Lu Su and the other two immediately stood.

As the only person present from Great Ming who had dealt with the Tsardom of Russia, Fang Wenlong greeted the leading woman. "Your Majesty Catherine, it has been a long time."

He then began introducing her to Lu Su and Ji Weirui.

"Xiao Luo, Xiao Ji, this is Her Majesty Catherine."

Lu Su greeted her neither humbly nor arrogantly, then began examining the Tsardom of Russia’s newly advanced Hall of Fame Grade Card Master.

At that moment, Catherine also noticed Lu Su, who seemed utterly out of place beside the two Master Card Masters, Fang and Ji.

She could not help frowning slightly as she silently thought, What does Great Ming mean by this? Why have they sent a Diamond Grade Card Master to sit in on the meeting?

Observing was not the problem. The key was that Lu Su sat at the conference table, looking as though he were on equal footing with the two Master Card Masters beside him.

Of course, Catherine was not foolish enough to mock the young man opposite her. They bore no grudge against each other, and at most, she merely thought Great Ming was being somewhat improper.

Never mind the truth. What if the young man had ties to Great Ming’s Hall of Fame Grade Card Master?

The Empress had no intention of offending people for no reason.

After some brief pleasantries, the three from the Tsardom of Russia took their seats.

What puzzled Lu Su was that the young woman among the three did not sit at the conference table. Instead, she found a chair and quietly sat behind Catherine.

He was not the only one. Fang Wenlong and Ji Weirui also found it strange.

As if sensing Great Ming’s confusion, Catherine spoke. "Petrovna is my disciple. I only brought her here to broaden her horizons today. She will not participate in the meeting."

She paused, then turned her gaze toward Lu Su. "I mean no offense to you, sir. Please do not misunderstand."

Lu Su could not help twitching his mouth.

He could naturally sense that the girl was, like him, a Diamond Grade Card Master, and he could also tell that the Empress was telling the truth.

Upon hearing Catherine’s words, Fang Wenlong instantly understood the reason and burst into laughter. "Your Majesty misunderstands. Xiao Luo is a pillar of Great Ming."

"Mm."

"You may regard him as a somewhat weaker Master Card Master."

The three from the Tsardom of Russia were stunned upon hearing this, then looked at Lu Su in surprise.

Catherine and the other Master Card Master were all right. They could control their emotions and expressions.

But Petrovna clearly lacked the same depth as her two elders. Her curiosity was practically written all over her face.

With sapphire-like eyes, she continuously looked Lu Su up and down, clearly observing what made this young man, who was also a Diamond Grade Card Master, different from herself.