Team (Part 3)

A pink Snow Orchid hovercar parked in front of the workshop.

A tall, graceful woman stepped out, wearing a magnificent Samberdian blue fox fur coat, diamond-studded boots, and carrying a Monton Company striped handbag. She walked into the workshop with a cat-like stride.

"Excuse me, is Imogen Garde here?" the woman stopped and asked.

Her magnetic voice wasn't loud, but it filled the factory, and everyone who was still busy looked up in surprise at the visitor.

She didn't look too young, but exuded a captivating aura, full of charm in her eyes and gestures.

"You're looking for Garde? He's in the back room," Sveffield, the bald guy nearby, pointed inside.

"Thank you," the woman nodded to Sveffield and swayed her way in.

"Wow, she's a beauty," Sveffield whistled, watching her swaying hips, "Look at that booty, so perky. I'd like to grab a handful."

"It's a pity she's a bit older," Little One chimed in.

"No problem, I like them mature," Sveffield replied.

They all chuckled together.

After a while, Imogen Garde and the woman came out.

"Reno, come here," Garde said.

Reno, who was with Old Bel modifying the Silver Wing Angel's system, walked over.

Garde pointed at Reno and said to the woman beside him, "This is him. What do you think?"

The woman's gaze lingered on Reno, her face blossoming with a charming smile. "You're Jonny Reno? You're quite a handsome young man. It's a pity you're not planning to expose this face to the public. Do you know how many fans you would lose?"

Reno glanced at Garde, then back at the woman. "May I ask who you are?"

"I'm Annette Beyard. You can call me Countess. Imogen invited me to come and do styling design for you, to help you become a public idol."

So this woman was the friend Imogen Garde invited to package him?

Seeing Reno's confusion, Garde smiled and said, "Don't doubt it. If there were a top ten list of central star stylists, Annette would definitely be on it."

The Countess had come to Reno's side and circled him.

She patted his shoulder and then gave his waist a squeeze, behaving like a rogue flirting with a big boy, before smiling and saying, "Your figure is a bit thin. When the public can't see your face, your body is the only thing they can focus on... You need to undergo bodybuilding training."

The Countess's actions made Reno a little flustered. "I'm sorry, but I don't intend to go the idol route. I just hope to achieve a good ranking in the mecha competition."

"But that won't earn you a million, will it?" The Countess leaned in with a mischievous smile, "To get enough money, you need investment, and only with enough attention can you get enough investment. To gain attention, you have to listen to me. Trust me, darling, I'll make you a momentary star!"

As she spoke, the Countess touched Reno's face.

She turned back to Garde and said, "Six hours of physical training every day, strictly follow the diet I provide, wear the clothes I design..."

Garde hurriedly said, "The diet and clothes are fine, but he also needs mecha training. You have to leave enough time for mech training, or he might be eliminated before he even enters the finals."

"...Then four hours, no less," the Countess insisted.

"No, I can only give you a maximum of two hours," Old Bel intervened.

"That won't do," the Countess's voice sharpened, "I need to package him, not just for physical training but also for etiquette, fashion, eloquence, and other aspects of education. He must appear in the public eye before he formally enters the mecha competition. I've even designed his image already. Use the Shadow Armor, paint black void textures on his arms, and give him a specially made scythe!"

"Shadow Blade?" Old Bel exclaimed in surprise.

The Shadow Blade, one of the powerful warriors of the Godling race.

As humans and Godlings went to war, humans gradually learned about the Godling race, and the Shadow Blade was one of the most powerful Godling warriors they encountered. They were wanderers in the dark, possessing powerful invisibility in the darkness, appearing and disappearing without a trace. They were assassins on the battlefield, often killing invisibly, and were nightmares for human armies!

And now, the Countess had designed Reno to look like one of these dark warriors.

"They'll love it," the Countess said, "But only if you give me enough time. Having a look isn't enough; he also needs appropriate behavior and demeanor, and knows how to deal with the public."

"No, that won't do. That will delay his training. I can only give you three hours at most," Old Bel walked over and said.

"Forget it," the Countess snapped angrily, "If you do as you say, he might get nothing. Don't think I don't understand, Old Bel. Do you really believe this kid can beat countless good players in the combat competition and win the championship for a lot of money? Who are you trying to fool? He's just a student, a student of the fleet command

 department! Even if he's a genius, he's only studied for three years. Why should he compete with those who have been playing mecha for decades? Give me time, even if he can't get a good ranking, I can still make him a darling of the public, make people boil with excitement for him! He simply doesn't have the strength to win the competition; going the idol route is his best choice!"

"Shut up!" Old Bel shouted.

He looked back and saw Reno staring at him intently.

Old Bel felt a shock in his heart.

Reno already said, "Is what she said true? Mr. Bel, am I really incapable of getting a good ranking?"

"Uh... well..." Old Bel scratched his head, "You know, things are what you make of them. Some things aren't so absolute..."

Looking at his embarrassed look, Reno understood a bit.

He didn't say anything and quietly walked away.

"Hey, Jonny!" Seeing him like this, Old Bel hurriedly chased after him, grabbing his shoulder.

Reno shook off Bel's hand and took a few steps back.

He looked at Bel and said, "You never really believed I could win, did you?"

"Hey, Jonny!" Bel called out, "You have to understand, you're still a kid!"

The old man, helpless yet full of sympathy, said, "I know you're a good kid. Holding onto that instructor's house is a beautiful dream, and you can fight for it. I'm not stopping you. But you have to understand, not everything in this world works out just because you fight for it, especially not with good results. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you might end up with nothing, or you might achieve something but not meet your goals. We call that failure, and it's something everyone must experience on their journey of growth."

Reno looked at him quietly, not saying a word.

Everyone stopped their work and looked over.

The old man continued, "I don't want to deceive you. I promise you that I will do everything I can to help you strive for victory. But you have to understand, some things aren't just about determination and effort. Sometimes we have to acknowledge reality. As long as we do our best, even if we fail, we have no regrets, right?"

Reno lowered his head and thought for a moment.

Then he said, "You're right, Mr. Bel. We can't determine victory or defeat. All we can decide is how hard we try. The only thing we can do is give it our all... As long as we give our best effort, victory or defeat doesn't really matter."

Hearing him say this, the old man finally smiled with satisfaction.

He patted Reno's face. "I knew you would understand."

Turning back to the Countess, he gave her a stern look before saying, "You have four hours, but don't cause any more trouble for me."

"Hmph!" The woman shot him a disdainful look.