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( Bonus Chapter)
Harrison caught Victor's look and felt his blood pressure spike.
This scheming bastard. He made the promise, and now he's pushing the bill onto .
"Harrison." Victor's voice was silk. "Luke is a mber of the Ashenvale Card Master Association. YOUR branch. When a mber faces difficulties, isn't it the Association's duty to provide support?"
"Absolutely," Harlow chid in helpfully. "We're all on the sa team here. And Luke's strength directly benefits the entire city."
Harrison glared at both of them. He knew exactly what was happening. Victor had painted himself into a corner with the compensation promise and was now using social pressure and institutional guilt to make the Association foot the bill.
"The Association does have a Dragon Eye in storage," Harrison said through gritted teeth. "One pair. The last one. And as branch president, I can't just hand out high-value materials as personal favors. There are rules."
"Na a price," Victor said imdiately. "The City Lord's Mansion will cover it."
The speed of that offer told Harrison everything. Victor had planned this from the mont he realized his own stockpile was empty. The old fox.
Harrison exhaled slowly. He was annoyed, but he wasn't stupid. Luke's potential was real. Investing in him now was a bet that paid dividends for decades.
"Fine. I'll have it prepared and delivered within two days." Harrison turned to Luke. "But I want you to understand sothing. Even Card Masters at my level fail crafting attempts. Materials this rare don't grow on trees. Once it's gone, it's gone. Wait until you're confident before you use it."
"Understood, President Cole." Luke nodded with appropriate gravity. "I won't waste it."
Simulated Crafting ans one hundred percent success rate as long as I put in the prep ti. The Dragon Eye is safe.
But he couldn't say that. So he just looked sincere.
The eting wrapped up. Luke, Harrison, and Harlow left together. Victor stayed behind.
Alone in his office, Victor sealed the door and activated a long-range communication array. The light screen that materialized showed a face that most people in the Eastern Region would recognize instantly: Aldric Ashford, Governor of Ashenre, and one of the most powerful Card Masters in the Ancient Kingdom.
He was also Victor's grandfather.
Immortal Realm. The tier above Sovereign, above Emperor, above everything Victor had achieved in his career. At Immortal Realm, a Card Master's lifespan was effectively unbounded. Ti stopped being a relevant factor. Aldric Ashford looked like a man in his mid-fifties, but his true age was sothing you asured in centuries, not decades.
If he wanted, he could revert to the appearance of his twenties. He didn't bother. Vanity was for people who still cared about first impressions.
"Victor." Aldric's tone was warm but laced with the particular brand of amusent that grandfathers deployed when they already knew the call wasn't social. "How nice. You never call unless sothing's gone sideways. What did you break this ti?"
"Grandfather, I'm a City Lord. I don't break things."
"You broke three ceremonial pillars during your investiture. Your father's still bringing it up at dinners."
Victor closed his eyes briefly. "That was twelve years ago."
"morable things stick. Now, what's the real reason you're calling?"
The teasing was deliberate. Aldric had spent enough decades raising this family to know that Victor only bypassed official channels when the matter was sensitive enough to justify the informality. Which ant whatever was coming was either very good or very bad.
Victor took a breath and began explaining. Luke rcer. The unified exam. The Original Card. The exchange match. The dragon-type card. Fae Spirit Hollow. The Black Gate. The Abyss Predator. True Red Soul. Red-Eyes Black Dragon.
He reported it thodically, start to finish, leaving nothing out.
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