Chapter 121: Just Call It the Stella Club
“The Magician, do you have any interest in joining a club?”
After bringing up the Rolling Stones Club, Kool Kenny added another question.
Derek Su thought it over. The Rolling Stones Club would soon be his anyway—so why not take this opportunity to promote his own club? That way, drivers and Mecha Girls might join purely because of his reputation, which would also help the club pass approval more quickly.
He answered seriously, “I don’t plan on joining any club. On the contrary, I’m planning to establish one myself.”
Kool Kenny’s eyes widened. “Start one yourself? I never expected that, The Magician. You’re young, but you’ve got real ambition and nerve!”
Starting a club wasn’t just a matter of money.
You needed both capital and connections.
Training a single driver was one thing; training an entire group was another altogether. The cost of bidding on Mecha Girls at auction alone was enough to make ordinary people despair.
So either the club owner had to be a successful entrepreneur—wealthy, with a steady and reliable cash flow—or they had to secure their own funding pipeline, in other words, sponsors and naming rights.
That way, most of the money would come from the funding partners.
In return, the club would advertise and promote those partners while training drivers and Mecha Girls.
Did Derek Su have a funding pipeline?
The answer was no.
Maybe Mr. “Golden Sponsor” could be pulled in as a backer.
But even then, Mr. Golden Sponsor’s assets might not be enough to compete with established tycoons.
A club without funding was much like Kyle Zhang’s—nice words would call it a club, but put bluntly, it was just a small racing team wearing a club’s name.
“So if any of you are interested in my club, you can come find me on Haitang Street in Tianyuan City. Drivers, Mecha Girls, and coaches are all welcome to join!”
Although Kool Kenny wasn’t optimistic about Derek Su starting a club—in his view, a genius driver like Derek Su should join a large club and use its resources to grow stronger—he still offered his blessings for Derek Su’s courage and resolve.
“The Magician, may I ask what your club is called?”
Derek Su glanced at the girl beside him who was tugging on the hem of his clothes and smiled. “I’m terrible at naming things. I wouldn’t be where I am today without my Mecha Girl, so I’ll name the club after her. Let’s call it the Stella Club.”
Stella froze for a moment, then looked up at Derek Su in a daze. Her deep blue eyes shimmered with light.
Master… he actually named the club after her?
Derek Su lowered his head to meet her gaze, smiling as he gently patted her hair.
The photographer, as if guided by instinct, captured that moment.
Many years later, that photo still hung on the promotional wall of the Silverstone Advanced Race.
In the picture, the young man smiled with unmistakable affection, while the girl’s eyes shone brightly.
Some say the Silverstone Advanced Race is the advanced circuit that tests the bond between driver and Mecha Girl the most.
Danger lurks everywhere on that track. If the driver and Mecha Girl aren’t truly in sync, it’s nearly impossible to finish the race.
So what does being in sync really mean?
When drivers and Mecha Girls wrestled with that question, someone would lead them to the promotional wall and point at the photo.
“Look at their eyes.”
...
...
Crown Club—
“Useless! You can’t even handle something this simple!”
“What are you good for, huh? Do you have any idea how many resources the club spent raising you?”
“I even equipped you with Snowpeak, a top-tier Mecha Girl!”
“Do you know how much the club paid to win Snowpeak at auction? 170 million! That’s money you couldn’t earn even if you raced your entire life!”
Ethan Yang jabbed a finger at Leon Li’s nose, unleashing a furious tirade.
Snowpeak stood beside Leon Li, her head lowered along with his. Her small hands were clasped behind her back, fingers hooking tightly around Leon Li’s large hand.
As if that could give her master a bit of comfort.
Leon Li lifted his eyes and looked at Ethan Yang. His lips moved, as though he wanted to say something, but in the end, he said nothing.
He only let out a quiet, “Sorry.”
Crown Club’s so-called resources were basically Mecha Girls and Modules.
His skills were entirely his own. Even the coach wasn’t as good as him. Ethan Yang would occasionally deign to guide other drivers in the club, but in Leon Li’s view, once Ethan Yang shed his Techmaster shell, his driving skill was nothing special.
It was said that Ethan Yang had once been a genius driver himself.
Perhaps years of relying on Techmaster abilities—or indulgence in excess—had dulled his edge.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been stuck at the national-level advanced circuit for so many years, unable to move forward, only to be overtaken by latecomers like Caio Yang and Comet.
Right now, Ethan Yang was in a terrible mood.
That had a lot to do with losing to Caio Yang and Comet on the Grivin Desert Circuit.
“Sorry? What good is sorry?!” Ethan Yang dumped all the anger from that loss onto Leon Li.
“Boss… Master really did his best.” Snowpeak couldn’t stand it anymore and suddenly spoke up, staring with her silver-gray eyes wide open. “You can watch the Silverstone Advanced Race footage. Derek Su and Stella really aren’t easy to deal with.”
Ethan Yang had already watched the footage.
He knew Leon Li had done his best—but couldn’t he at least vent a little?
Facing Snowpeak, his expression softened slightly.
He might be the club’s owner, but the one who funded Snowpeak was the corporation behind the club.
Snowpeak was a walking gold mine. He could keep her off the track, but he couldn’t treat her with the same life-and-death authority he wielded over Leon Li.
“I’ve seen the footage,” Ethan Yang said, forcing his anger down. His cold eyes fixed on Leon Li. “You fought hard, but you weren’t ruthless enough. When Snowpeak went into overclocking, you should’ve rammed Derek Su and Stella off the track immediately. What were you doing then? All you had in your head were your racing principles!”
“But if Snowpeak crashed into Stella, Snowpeak would get hurt too. It would really hurt…” Leon Li replied flatly.
Ethan Yang was already used to Leon Li’s deadpan expression and didn’t take it as defiance.
“What race doesn’t hurt? Go haul bricks on a construction site for a day and your back will ache too!” He frowned, trying to lecture him. “Whatever Snowpeak suffers on the track, once she’s off it we’ll have a medical team ready. She’ll get the best maintenance plan. Same for you—as long as you complete your task, even if you lose an arm or a leg, I’ll get it reattached.”
Leon Li pressed his lips together and said nothing.
Ethan Yang treated Snowpeak like a tool, but Leon Li couldn’t.
Even Derek Su and Stella knew to give him and Snowpeak room in the corners.
With Derek Su’s skill, did he really have no chance to fight for position?
Of course he did. He just didn’t want Stella to get hurt.
In Leon Li’s eyes, someone like Derek Su was a true driver.
At the same time, Ethan Yang—having finished berating Leon Li—was also thinking through his options.
The Silverstone Advanced Race had been the best chance to deal with Derek Su and Stella. The upcoming Xiangshan and Mermaid Bay Advanced Races were more balanced—one tested overall capability, the other endurance. Then there was the Brana Ruins, a race meant for impact-resistant Mecha Girls. Derek Su probably wouldn’t bring Stella there, and Snowpeak wouldn’t gain much either. That left only the provincial circuit as the final opportunity.
All he needed was to force Derek Su and Stella out of the top ten.
Once he reached that conclusion, he warned Leon Li:
“I’ll give you one more chance. At the Panlong Mountain Circuit, push Derek Su and Stella out of the top ten. If you mess this up again, I’ll reclaim Snowpeak on behalf of the club—and fire you.”
Leon Li didn’t respond. Snowpeak pressed her lips together and silently moved closer to him.
The two stood tightly together.
Behind them, her fingers, which had been hooked around Leon Li’s hand, tightened into a firm grip.
Ethan Yang was still fuming and didn’t notice their small movements.
After scolding Leon Li, he dismissed both Leon Li and Snowpeak, then sat alone on the sofa, sinking back into thought.
You couldn’t put all your eggs in one basket.
At first, his attitude toward Derek Su had been nothing more than playful manipulation.
But now that Derek Su and Stella had shown real talent and strength, he was taking things seriously.
Putting aside Derek Su’s relationship with Mr. Liang, Caio Yang and Comet alone had already left a shadow over him.
A lot of media outlets were now stepping on him just to praise Caio Yang, simply because Caio Yang was a young rising star.
If Derek Su and Stella stepped on his head as well—
Where would he even show his face?
“Oh right—doesn’t that kid want to start a club?”
Leaning back with his legs crossed, Ethan Yang narrowed his eyes and pulled out his phone, beginning to send mass messages.
He couldn’t stop Derek Su and Stella from wanting to form a club.
But he could make sure Derek Su wouldn’t be able to buy any club—or recruit a single person.
Author's Note
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