Card Apprentice Daily Log

Chapter 2695: The Nepo-Babies Of Card Celestial

Date: Unspecified

Time: Unspecified

Location: Myriad Realms, Card World, Southern Region, Blossom District, Sky Blossom City, TSR Guild Headquarters

Bloodette’s blood rule rock vein was vast. In both length and width, it could easily fill an SSS-rank dungeon, with a depth equally deep. Less than a tenth of it would be more than sufficient for me to establish a holy ground to cultivate blood rule power through a pseudo-natural array formation. If properly maintained and left unmined, with help of the array the vein could regenerate to its original scale within a few centuries, even without Bloodette’s presence.

However, if I used half of it, I could mine blood rule rocks while simultaneously nurturing the vein’s growth through a pseudo-natural array formation. With the entire vein, I could mine thrice as aggressively, but I chose not to place everything on a single bet. Diversification mattered, especially because I wanted to provide my employees with more options. After all, not everyone would possess an affinity for the Blood rule.

That was why I offered Petra half of the blood rule rock vein in exchange for a stone rule ore vein of equivalent size. With a properly configured pseudo-natural array formation, I could extract enough resources for my own use and for sale, while still allowing the vein to regenerate at a stable and sustainable pace.

However, Petra, who had become a thorn preventing me from swallowing Bloodette’s blood rule rock vein outright, would never hand over one of her precious stone rule ore veins, especially of that size, if I asked her nicely. Therefore, I turned the situation into a negotiation game, maneuvering Petra into trading away a massive stone rule ore vein on her own terms, without ever realizing I had no right to decide what to do with Bloodette’s blood rule rock vein.

As far as I knew, Bloodette did care about the blood rule rock vein. Once she finished weeping, the first thing she would likely do was go to the orphanage to meet her friends. I would not be surprised if she chose to make it her new home. After all, it was Cortney’s home, as well as the home of her other friends. And after being sealed inside a dungeon for who knew how long, the question of deciding on a home would probably be the last thing on her mind.

”Um, how about I give you a stone rule ore vein larger than Bloodette’s blood rule rock vein in exchange for it?” Petra did not bargain as I expected. Instead, she made an offer that forced me to reconsider my entire script.

I had been to Petra’s home. I had seen what lay beneath it: a massive deposit of stone rule ore composed of several veins. Because of that, I was never worried about whether she could deliver on her promise. What truly caught me off guard was her willingness to part with one of those veins at all. I had assumed she would fight tooth and nail, haggling every step of the way. Instead, she proved that I had seriously underestimated her, the nepo-baby of the Card Celestial.

”No, not happening,” I refused outright as my plans had already shifted along with the developing situation. Petra had made me realize just how narrow my vision had been. Quite simply, I wanted more.

”Not enough. I can give you two stone rule ore veins,” Petra almost immediately upped her offer without even blinking, as if it were mere chump change. Honestly, in that moment, I half-considered moving to the way beyond and robbing the Supreme Beings outright. But I was no thief.

Neither were the Five Regions, at least not by nature. Yet they still looted the Supreme Beings, largely because the Supreme Beings refused to trade with card apprentices. I never knew whether it was outright disdain for card apprentices, or simply a lack of interest in what they offered. Either way, the result was the same. The Supreme Beings would not trade, and card apprentices, being human, inevitably resorted to killing and looting to obtain what they needed when negotiation failed.

The Supreme Beings were often likened to children who wouldn’t share their toys with anyone, even if they were no longer playing with them. I used to think the same. But just moments ago, I realized how wrong that assumption was. The Supreme Beings weren’t stubborn and immature, the card apprentices had never been able to offer them anything they truly wanted. And really, who in their right mind would trade valuable resources for something they had no desire or need for?

I had found what Petra wanted at any cost. I could see it in her eyes: she wanted Bloodette to come with her so badly that she would have handed over her entire stone rule ore deposit underneath her home if that was what it took.

”No, this is not right,” I rejected Petra’s offer again, my tone edged with guilt and irritation. ”It is not up to us to decide what happens to the blood rule rock vein. Let Bloodette decide once she is ready.”

I came clean not out of guilt, but because I recognized an opportunity to gain far more with only a few empty promises. Petra was that desperate.

”Of all times, you choose now to grow a conscience? Damn it, Anti-Petruth,” Petra cursed. She had believed she would be returning home with her friend, and my refusal clearly stirred rage within her. She was genuinely glad that Bloodette had managed to surround herself with good card apprentices this time around. But what Petra wanted was not a good person. She wanted someone greedy and selfish enough to sell out their friends for the right price. That way she could take Bloodette with her as she planned.

”Fine, you win,” she said through clenched teeth. ”I’ll give you three stone rule ore veins, each one larger than Bloodette’s vein. I’ll even throw in a pound of liquid stone rule power.”