"To us." Eva raised her porcelain cup, its rim gleaming with a soft jade luster amid the interwoven red and blue glow of the Icefire Yin Yang Well.
Ge Duo lifted her teacup, its base making a faint, crisp clink against the stone table.
She looked at the clear emerald tea in her cup. Tiny flecks of Moonlight Grass powder slowly swirled through it, much like the thoughts churning endlessly in her heart.
Resentment, irritation, and a trace of wavering that Eva's sharp tongue had pried out of her by force—something even she refused to acknowledge.
"To reputation points," she said.
Eva raised an eyebrow slightly.
"To the divine examination," Eva added.
"To those blind gods who refuse to come knocking."
Their words faded, and the two exchanged smiles. Those smiles held a measure of mutual appreciation, a measure of unspoken understanding, and a measure of rapport that had settled over their long contest without either of them noticing.
Ge Duo tilted her head back and drained the remaining tea in her cup. She looked less like she was savoring tea than drinking wine before marching into battle.
Eva also raised her cup, leisurely finished her last sip, and set it down.
Standing nearby, Rapunzel quietly stepped forward and collected the two empty porcelain cups onto her tray.
She looked at the two women. One reclined lazily in a wicker chair, yet radiated the oppressive presence of a Titled Douluo. The other sat on a stone stool with her legs crossed, yet looked more like someone holding the reins of power than any emperor.
For a moment, Rapunzel felt a little dazed.
She had always thought the relationship between Ge Duo and Eva was strange.
Calling them friends did not seem right. Every meeting was needlepoint against wheat awn, neither