Date: Unspecified
Ti: Unspecified
Location: Myriad Realms, Card World, Southern Capital, Fine Gold Capital Branch Headquarters.
"I’m back," I said, breathing in a lungful of air, standing on the teleportation platform in the Card World.
Breathing the air out, I couldn’t help but agree that our predecessors were right about one thing: ’There is no place like ho.’
"Welco back, boss," Cindy greeted us on our arrival.
She was overseeing the developnt of the Fine Gold’s branches both in the Southern Capital and Southern Academic City. Diana had her hands full back in the Sky Blossom City while others were busy or not skilled or didn’t have enough experience to oversee any of these projects. The burden then fell on Cindy alone.
Not that she was complaining, she saw this as an opportunity to climb up the ladder. It wasn’t news that their organization had now grown to the point of doing business with demigods and across the Myriad realms. Yet, still far from reaching its ceiling.
So, Cindy planned to make up for the lack in her realm with her skills and loyalty. Becoming the core of their organization, such that she can keep up with the organization’s fast growth, if not just grow with it. As now, her single focus was to beco a crucial part of its identity and future.
"How’s work?" I asked with an amiable smile, pleased that I had successfully managed to poach Cindy from Diana. Though they both now worked for , Cindy’s loyalty belonged to , not Diana.
"Can’t complain, boss. But people are calling you nas I’d rather not say as a lady in the Grimoire Network," Cindy said, reminding of my ultimatum to Morningstar University.
"Hahaha, we both know you never were a lady," I teased Cindy, ignoring the noise in the Grimoire Network.
Sohow, I had gone from being praised as the Southern Hero and for my generosity to one of the most hated people in the Card World. My loyal Southern fans tried to defend , but their posts were buried under a pile of insults: arrogant, cheat, fraud, coward, and more.
"You’re one to talk, Boss. They’re calling you the Southern Emperor’s Pretty gigolo," Cindy snapped back playfully, noting that Dredre was sleeping, nuzzled in their Boss’s hair.
"Ah, I wish I were the Southern Emperor’s pretty gigolo," I joked. But before I could get back to business, I suddenly felt an unfathomable presence watching . It wasn’t just ; Lois felt it too. She rushed to my side, ready to use her body as a shield if it cos to it. When we searched our surroundings, we couldn’t find the presence whose gaze we could still feel on us.
"What’s wrong?" Cindy asked, seeing her boss and Lois literally go on guard.
Only then did I notice that it was just and Lois who felt this overwhelmingly powerful gaze; everyone else, including Demigod Redfall, didn’t seem to feel a thing. Before I could inquire about it, I felt a sudden tug on my soul, pulling it out of my Primordial Calamity Soul Gem, through the physical plane, and into the spiritual plane. I found myself in a place I was very familiar with: the womb of the Card World’s will.
Helplessly floating before myriad colorful streams of rule power that flowed in the darkness, joining and interconnecting like a huge loom, I noticed I wasn’t alone. Lois and Clown Mask’s souls were on either side of . Just as they noticed my presence, I had a dreadful realization: Lois and Clown Mask’s souls were out of their primordial calamity daughter gems.
The calamity daughter gems were what made the souls imprisoned within them subservient to . Now that Lois and Clown Mask’s souls were free, I wondered if they were no longer under my influence. However, my racing heart settled as I felt my Cursed Bloodline connecting the three of us.
Only then did I begin to wonder what I was doing here in the womb of the World’s will. Suddenly, three strings of rule power, thinner than a card apprentice’s eye could see, split from their respective rule streams and headed our way at an incredible pace, like a snake striking at its prey. Before I could react, the strings of rule power had entered our souls. The next thing I knew, my soul was back in my primordial calamity soul gem, and I was in the teleportation hub of the Southern Capital.
"What the heck just happened?" I muttered, searching my soul for the foreign string of rule power that had entered it.
"It was the Card Celestial," Lois answered as I finally found the foreign string of rule power in my soul, but I was too late. It had already lted and mixed with my essence. I soon entered a state of trance, achieving enlightennt.
...
"Congratulations on your enlightennt, Boss." I woke to the sound of Cindy’s voice.
"Thank you," I said, turning to look at Lois. She had also awakened. Feeling my gaze, she nodded in a reassuring manner. Then, I made up an excuse to leave. "Cindy, we’ll have to catch up later. I need to digest this enlightennt asap."
"Oh, yes, boss. You do. I’ll share the progress on both projects directly to your grimoire," Cindy nodded, making sure I knew the back-breaking work she was putting in to keep our organization operational.
Watching the three figures vanish, Cindy sighed, realizing the imnse gap between her and these so called geniuses. She didn’t dare to compare herself to her boss, but his female aid—she had also gained enlightennt, and simultaneously with him. What was that about? It was as if the world was reminding her not to slack off, or she would be left behind.
Honestly, she didn’t mind being left behind, but she had already invested too much. The one thing she hated more than anything was taking a loss. She would rather die trying to get her share than just accept it. She hadn’t clawed her way out of the slums of Sky Blossom City to the top of its underground to give up now.
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