Miracle Card Shop: All My Cards Can Be Actualize-Chapter 500: Epilogue
The two started a new round of bickering for a few more minutes, and in the end, Daniel conceded to Christopher's shamelessness. He could only say that he would consider it before Christopher finally shut up about it.
He then quickly called Maria to escort the group to the accommodations the company had prepared for them.
--- Evening - Daniel's House ---
In the tranquility of his study, Daniel began to map out a plan for his new organization. He didn't want it to become another Hightower, where most mages viewed normal humans as mere resources.
He knew that magical ingredients and materials, such as magical plants and creatures, were in high demand, while their populations were not sustainable enough to keep up with mage consumption.
As long as he couldn't solve this problem, Daniel couldn't outright ban human experimentation or the use of ordinary people as resources.
Yes, humans were the most abundant resource mages could use, their blood, organs, and souls serving as substitutes for many magical ingredients. There were even methods, magic, and rituals specifically designed to exploit this resource to its fullest.
But at the end of the day, humans were still humans. Even with their many uses in magical research and experiments, their natural mana, resilience, and magical properties couldn't compare to those of true magical creatures like unicorns or dragons.
These rare ingredients were incredibly hard to find and only appeared in auction houses because Envy strictly limited their use to preserve magical creatures from extinction.
Daniel didn't know how many were left in the reservoir Envy had been caring for back at the Hightower. But judging by her quitting from the Hightower, the number of rare creatures under Hightower management was likely not very high.
Daniel knew all of this because of the crash course he had with Envy during his studies with her. Apart from a few times at school when Envy had teased him, she usually taught him about the Curtained World, mages, their values, and the Curtained World's history—knowledge most people in the Curtained World should have.
Yes, he had learned some common knowledge before, but it was superficial. He hadn't even known how to differentiate a mandragora from a carrot.
Well, he wouldn't be fooled anymore. Envy had made sure of that, cramming knowledge into him and even forcing him to do extensive homework and assignments about the Curtained World.
"Hm... the problem of mana depletion already has a solution. That's one of my organization's selling points... but how do I address the magical ingredient shortage?" Daniel muttered, jotting down the question, "How to deal with the magical ingredient shortage?" to prompt further thought.
Daniel's mind raced, considering various solutions that seemed viable in theory but impractical in reality. They either required too much time to implement or depended on cooperation from the Hightower, which wasn't realistic.
After some reflection, Daniel's mind wandered to his cards, recalling something that might help him address the shortage: the "Clockwork Enclosure." He couldn't remember the exact details, but within the Rule of the Backstreet set, this card represented a vast zoo housing a diverse array of magical creatures.
If he recalled correctly, the enclosure was the size of Australia, with varied biomes and a complete ecology capable of accommodating any magical creature, regardless of its nature—carnivore, herbivore, even sinister or demonic.
However, Daniel also remembered that this card was a Legendary Rare, quite difficult to obtain. He would need at least 30,000 points to ensure getting it from a box set, no small sum.
Daniel took the tablet given to him by the Keeper, which connected directly to the mysterious shop. He noticed his accumulated points totaled only 457, not nearly enough to guarantee the card.
Daniel then remembered that significant actions affecting many lives could earn him more points. He recalled the achievement board within the shop, offering various point rewards, one of which seemed relatively easy: getting married.
Daniel pondered this for a moment before sighing.
Yes, he needed points, but more importantly, he wanted to do right by his women. Marrying them solely for points felt cheap. They would only marry him once in their lives, and he wanted to do right by them, not use them for personal gain.
But what kind of action would impact many people and result in earning more points?
As he thought, Daniel's eyes wandered to a newspaper on his desk with a headline about the UN. He knew those "stupid pigs" would undoubtedly try to obstruct his moon base project...
[Hm… I've decided! I'll go to the UN, lobby some folks, get a seat, and have them formally recognize Sector Alpha City as a country!] Daniel thought to himself, picking up the newspaper. The headline read, "UN Assembly Next Month."
With a goal in mind, he went to sleep with Greed, whose turn it was for cuddling that night.
He didn't know how it happened, but Envy seemed to have become the manager of this little harem, and he no longer had a say in the matter. He had to follow the schedule the four of them came up with—yes, four, because Penthesilea had officially joined, and little Sylvana already recognized her as one of her "mamas."
With another tired sigh, he drifted off to sleep, awaiting a new day to proceed with his plan.
— ??? —
In a room filled with arcane symbols and diagrams etched into the walls, glass vials lined shelves, their contents bubbling in hues of blood red, green, blue, and even black. A large, rectangular stone bed dominated the center of this mysterious chamber, upon which rested the incomplete skeletal remains of a corpse.
The corpse's torso had been severed, its spine and rib cage shattered, as if cleaved in half by an immense force. Two figures in white gowns and face masks, protecting themselves from infection, worked diligently on the remains, attempting to uncover its secrets with various spells and tools.
On the other side of a transparent glass wall, three men observed the ongoing experiment. The first, wearing an owl mask, watched coldly. The second, a well-groomed gentleman in his early forties, maintained a suave demeanor as he examined the scene. His expensive suit was a striking half-green, half-black design.
The last observer, a man with a thick black beard, sat in a wheelchair, his legs incapacitated. However, his muscular chest and arms, bulging beneath his black suit, showcased his strength.
"What do you think, Lord Loki? Do you think he's a god impersonating the real one?" The man in the owl mask inquired of the suave gentleman beside him.
"I don't think so; I know many gods, even those orgy-loving Olympians. None would have the time for this. Besides, the mana depletion issue remains unresolved," Loki replied.
"Hmph!" The bearded man in the wheelchair scoffed. "As if a horse mother like you could judge us Olympian gods." The bearded man glared at Loki with contempt.
"This is the first and last time I'll explain this to you, Slepnir was born from my experimentation, not my loins! Odin wanted a fast horse to carry him anywhere, and I, the smartest of the Aesir, had to create it. Somehow, Balder spun a sick joke about it at a feast, and it's haunted me ever since!" Loki explained, a vein throbbing on his forehead.
"So... that's why you killed Balder?" The man in the owl mask inquired.
"Yes, but it's only one of many reasons. It was in the top three, but not the sole reason at the time," Loki clarified.
The man in the owl mask nodded, then turned to the bearded man. "What about you, Lord Hephaestus? What do you think?"
"Hmm... The possibility of Daniel Emberweave being an imposter can be ruled out. He knows things only the real Daniel Blake would. But a homunculus body with a sophisticated soul transfer ritual? That's very likely. And the body must be perfectly synchronized with nature, something only Hermes could achieve," Hephaestus concluded.
"Are you suggesting that Lord Hermes is behind Daniel's resurrection and is teaching him magic, alchemy, and artifact creation?" The man in the owl mask asked, surprised.
"In theory, yes... but as far as I know, Hermes should have died in the Great War between the Olympian gods and humans. I didn't participate in that war, so I don't know the details, but perhaps he was severely injured and faked his death," Hephaestus analyzed.
"Besides, if I were in his position and knew of a human with such talent, I would also want to take him as an apprentice! It's not surprising if Hermes recognized Daniel's potential and wanted him as his student," Hephaestus continued.
The reason the three men gathered was the corpse before them: the body of Daniel Blake, or rather, Daniel Emberweave, who supposedly died ten years ago. DNA tests confirmed a 100% match with hospital records from when Daniel was just an ordinary person. They are judging on how to utilize this key information.
