Chapter 30: The Red Heart Society Relocates
After a moment of contemplation, you instructed Lin Xue to negotiate with the school leadership of Cloud City University No. 2, using the promise of improving the graduation tier of their students as leverage. In previous years, graduates from Cloud City University No. 2 typically plateaued at the first-turn professional threshold, with level 12 professionals considered elite graduates. Currently, your Red Heart Battle Team has two hundred members. With a few more years of development, even more individuals would pass the trials to join. Therefore, by raising the levels of the internal members of the Red Heart Battle Team, the average graduation tier of the university would naturally rise in three years. Since graduation tiers and employment statistics are closely monitored by the Federal Bureau, you were confident that the school leadership would agree once they weighed the pros and cons.
As expected, the leadership of Cloud City University No. 2 agreed. They would not force the dissolution of the Red Heart Society and might even leverage school policies to support its growth. However, this was conditional: they needed to see hope immediately. They felt that waiting three years for improved graduation statistics was too long; they demanded that two hundred members of the Red Heart Society complete their first-turn promotion within one year. Only then would they actively cooperate with the vision Lin Xue had presented. You had no objections. It was clear that the number "two hundred" was a calculated figure. They did not care about the peripheral members of the Red Heart Society, as those individuals were unlikely to achieve much, but they insisted that you must properly cultivate the students within your battle team. If you could not even nurture your own team members, the Red Heart Society would have no reason to exist.
Shortly after Lin Xue reached this agreement, the President of Cloud City University No. 1 summoned you to his office. He looked at you and asked, "Lin Xia, I believe I have treated you quite well, haven't I?" You nodded; since arriving at Cloud City University No. 1, the President had been very attentive to you. From gifting you jewelry to instructing your counselors to look after you, and even allowing you to visit his office to enjoy spirit tea reserved for high-level professionals, he was the only genuinely kind and supportive school leader you had encountered. Seeing your acknowledgment, his expression turned serious. "Since you agree I have treated you well, don't you think it’s a bit inappropriate that you’ve been investing all your earnings into Cloud City University No. 2 while neglecting your own alma mater?"
"What kind of policy subsidies did Cloud City University No. 2 offer you to warrant such support?" he continued. "From what I understand, they have been trying to suppress the Red Heart Society you founded. How about this? Have you ever considered moving the Red Heart Society to Cloud City University No. 1? Rest assured, I am broad-minded, unlike those fools at the second university. As long as your society benefits the students and enlivens the campus atmosphere, I can suppress any opposition! I even promise that if you move the society here, I will authorize the transfer of that girl, Lin Xue, to our university. What do you say?"
Lin Xia was momentarily stunned. *University students can transfer?* It seemed the President of Cloud City University No. 1 had been observing the Red Heart Society for a long time and even held Lin Xue, the nominal president, in high regard. Overall, this was a positive development. With the protection of the President of Cloud City University No. 1, the Red Heart Society—still in its nascent stages—would be in a much better position.
You agreed to the proposal but immediately began negotiating for necessary conditions, policies, and subsidies. After all, as the only first-tier professional university in Cloud City, Cloud City University No. 1 enjoyed dual financial subsidies from both the city and the federal government, making it incredibly wealthy. The President’s lip twitched slightly as you seamlessly entered negotiation mode, yet this was exactly why he trusted you. If he could replicate the Red Heart Society within his own institution, it would surely create a significant stir. School funds and policies had to go somewhere; why not to his own people? Through your interactions, he recognized that you were a person who valued gratitude. Most importantly, you possessed a remarkable talent for stocks and futures, and you currently held substantial wealth. Having such a person as a student—someone who was, in a sense, his protégé—meant that helping you build your own foundation was a logical move.
Furthermore, student employment during graduation season was a major concern for the university. Not every graduate could join top-tier battle groups or consortia to secure high-paying jobs. Top institutions usually produced one or two battle groups each graduation cycle. If Cloud City University No. 1 could produce one, he could use it as justification to demand more money and resources from the federal government, potentially elevating the university to new heights. In short, this was an opportunity.
In July of the 126th Year of the Transcendental Era, the headquarters of the Red Heart Society was officially established at Cloud City University No. 1. To demonstrate his support, the President accepted the position of Honorary President. This sent shockwaves through the campus. Riding this momentum, you began transferring Red Heart Society members from the second university to the first. This transition caused no ripples within the team; to them, you were the mentor who shaped their ideals and guided them when they were lost. Moreover, you provided them with vast resources to ensure their growth. With such a mentor and leader, no sane person would harbor resentment.
By September of the 126th Year of the Transcendental Era, Cloud City University No. 1 provided three funding support policies to the society, which then began an official recruitment drive. Using the model of winning transcendental resources through speeches and bolstered by the new philosophy centered on the "hand-raising salute," the Red Heart Society spread like a virus throughout the university. That same month, Lin Xue successfully transferred to Cloud City University No. 1. This left the leadership of Cloud City University No. 2 utterly bewildered. They had debated dozens of times just to pass a motion to stop suppressing the Red Heart Society, only to have the organization move to their rival university overnight.