Chapter 2826 - 1339: Fresh Blood (1/2)

"Are you sure you want me to reconsider?"

Motan looked at the dumbfounded girl in front of him with a smile that felt like a breath of spring, and said with a chuckle, "It’s not impossible, after all, whether it’s Foster or Lian, they’re both against your application to join the organization. Personally, I don’t really want to offend those two, so..."

"No! It’s not that!"

Finally reacting, Teresa hurriedly interrupted Motan, who was deliberately speaking with a long drawl, flustered and waving her hands. "I... I didn’t mean that! I just didn’t expect you... you would agree to this willful request so easily."

Motan blinked and answered in a light tone, "Just as any academy in this city wouldn’t refuse any remarkable student whose character is also passable, as the head of the organization, I wouldn’t mind a talented individual like Lady Teresa joining us. However..."

"However?"

Teresa, who initially thought she had things under control, became anxious again upon hearing this.

"However, the words just now were sincere thoughts from my position as the ’organization’s leader,’ but if I think from your perspective, Lady Teresa, to be honest, I’m not sure whether this is a good idea."

Motan calmly observed the silver-haired girl before him, looking like a cute little animal without any air of authority, and spoke in a measured tone, "I’ve gathered information about your situation from Foster and Lian. To be honest, perhaps for those two, the organization I created is indeed an ’ideal workplace,’ but for you, Lady Teresa Tarosa...it may not be the same."

The girl, unusually with her hair down, disguised with glasses and a hat, pressed her lips together and remained silent for a while before softly speaking, "I...am serious, Mr. Tan Mo."

"I know you’re serious, but ’serious’ doesn’t equate to ’correct,’ nor does it conflict with the word ’impulsive.’"

Motan laughed in a light-hearted tone, though a cold and ruthless glint flashed in his eyes, enough to make Teresa, who had grown up sheltered by Richard and others, feel as if her soul was being frozen, experiencing an oppressive sensation for the first time.

Under this suffocating pressure, Teresa Tarosa realized the person before her wasn’t the caring mentors like Foster Ward or Lian Yuan Rui, but the leader and founder of a grey organization, a monster capable of handling those two.

What made her feel even more uneasy was that outside of Academy City, outside of Dan Slave Military Academy, outside of the warm, cozy circles many people had built for her, such monsters were almost everywhere.

Teresa was smart. She knew that for her, this man named Tan Mo was very unique, an intimidating presence, but she also knew that in the outside world, such people were indeed numerous!

"So, have you really made up your mind, or do you just think you have?"

Motan laughed, the coldness in his eyes that almost paralyzed his opponent gradually dissipated, and his lips relaxed into a gentle curve, softly saying, "Indeed, our organizational structure is quite loose, but once you join, you will inevitably learn some secrets, many of which are not meant to be exposed. In other words, this is not a game you can easily withdraw from."

Teresa instinctively hugged her shoulders, nodding gently, and muttered under her breath, "I...I know..."

"You better truly understand, Lady Teresa, because life isn’t a simulation you can restart or retry at will. Some choices, once truly made, require you to bear all that they entail, whether it’s the responsibility...or the cost."

Motan took a sip of the coffee he had just ordered at the counter, brought over by the waiter, and said blandly, "After meeting you, my conclusion was no different from Foster’s. Honestly, Lady Teresa, in my opinion, the best fit for you is perhaps to graduate carefree from the academy and become a teacher at your alma mater. I believe Dean Richard would take great care of you, and given your abilities, you might even succeed him one day — the dream life for many people."

Teresa nodded silently, waiting for a while before raising her face, her gaze fixed intently on Motan, softly saying, "Perhaps that’s so, Mr. Tan Mo, but that is not the life I dream of."

"Very naïve words, but I don’t dislike them."

Motan chuckled, tapping the rim of the cup lightly twice with a spoon, "So, what kind of life do you want?"

"I don’t know."

Teresa replied frankly, her initially trembling voice gradually calmed, saying earnestly, "But I understand well, for people like me, choosing our future is rather difficult. To be precise, people like me...Mr. Richard, Mr. Andre, the Chief Priest Ramollok of Dream Teaching Country, and the Black Vatican Priest."