Card Apprentice Daily Log

Chapter 3028: Outlander Mercenary Group

Date: Unspecified

Time: Unspecified

Location: Myriad Realms, Void

“Outlander Mercenary Group? How many of you are there?” I asked.

I trusted information coming directly from them far more than anything I could dig up on the inter-realm network. After all, whatever was posted there was, more often than not, little more than carefully disguised advertising.

The jackfruit-skinned devil scratched the back of his head awkwardly before answering.

“We’re still a little short of being recognized as a true Ruler-class mercenary group. However, we’ve brought multiple Semi-Ruler-class mercenary groups and factions under the Outlander banner. In terms of scale, we’re already there. What we’re lacking is high-end manpower capable of earning us recognition as a genuine Ruler-class force.”

His tone carried an unmistakable hint of embarrassment. Like the Snow Elves, he believed I belonged to an ancient Ruler-class force. Compared to such a behemoth, even established Ruler-class organizations would feel inadequate, let alone a loose coalition of Semi-Ruler-class mercenary groups.

Still, I didn’t question their numbers. A mercenary coalition wasn’t like an empire.

Its size naturally fluctuated with contracts, profits, and circumstances. Groups joined when opportunities were plentiful and left when better prospects appeared elsewhere. Their membership could swell or shrink from one season to the next.

That was the inherent weakness of a coalition. Unlike the Snow Elves, they weren’t bound together by a common bloodline, shared history, or racial identity.

If a genuine crisis befell the Outlander Mercenary Group, many of its allies and subordinate factions would likely abandon ship to preserve themselves.

The Snow Elves were different. Faced with extinction, countless Snow Elves would willingly lay down their lives for the survival of their race.

In the end, no collection of wandering vagabonds could truly compare to a well-established empire whose foundations had been forged over countless millennia.

‘Have any of you heard of the Seven Princes of Hell faction?’ I asked, already planning to send Belphegor an early present.

The five mercenaries exchanged puzzled looks. One after another, they slowly shook their heads. Only the Phantom Haze devil nodded.

‘I have, your highness,’ He glanced at his companions in surprise. ‘You should’ve heard of them too. They’re the faction that the devil who killed that kid, Corey Park, belonged to.’

A trace of regret surfaced in his voice as he added, ‘Such a tragedy… and such a waste of talent. If only she’d accepted our offer.’

The mention of her name immediately jogged the Four-Eyed devil’s memory.

‘That’s right!’ he exclaimed. ‘The girl whose entire group was willing to sacrifice themselves so we spare her.’

A nostalgic smile crept across his face as he unconsciously drifted into old memories.

‘Haha… it’s been a long time since I’ve met someone like that. She had all the makings of becoming the next Mercenary legend.’

Only after the words left his mouth did he realize where he was. The smile instantly vanished. He stiffened before hurriedly lowering his head. ‘Forgive my outburst, Your Highness.’

I shook my head before gesturing for the Phantom Haze devil to continue.

Internally, however, I was genuinely surprised. I never expected a group of Ruler-class devils to not only remember Corey Park, a Demon Emperor, but to hold her in such high regard.

Judging from their reactions, the two sides had once stood on opposite sides of the battlefield. At some point, they had even been prepared to kill her. Yet they ultimately chose not to. Not because Park herself had convinced them… But because her subordinates and their collective resolve had.

Their unwavering loyalty and willingness to die for her had earned the Outlanders’ respect. That was the kind of scene normally reserved for a story’s protagonist. It was a shame she had died so early and been replaced by Corey Bright.

Then again, Park had spent nearly a century building the reputation these devils still remembered today. Bright had inherited her mantle only recently. She still had plenty of time to grow into those impossibly large shoes.

With my signal, the Phantom Haze devil continued, ‘The Seven Princes of Hell are a newly established Semi-Ruler-class faction. They only achieved that status recently. I’ve heard that at least two of their seven leaders are Ruler-class devils. Some rumors even claim there are more, but no one has been able to verify them.’

‘They’re an ambitious bunch. They’ve been aggressively expanding throughout the Dark Realm, Inter-Realm City, and even into the Myriad Realms.’

‘Some of our affiliated groups proposed inviting them into the Outlander coalition. However, the proposal was rejected by a majority vote as their prospects took a sharp downturn after they purchased the rights to the realm that was partially responsible for the destruction of the Ten Commandments faction.’

‘That investment drained a tremendous amount of their resources, and their financial situation deteriorated soon afterward as they began to gather manpower to invade that realm. Most of our leaders concluded they no longer met the standards we’d expect from a possible ally.’

Listening to Phantom Haze’s explanation, I inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. At least Belphegor hadn’t managed to ally with the Outlander Mercenary Group. I was certain his faction had approached the allies to apply for them. of course for hefty price. Their intentions couldn’t be more obvious, they trying to find a suitable partner to help share their financial and man power burden as cheaply as possible. A large and powerful mercenary group seemed like a great choice.

At the same time, it became clear to me that Phantom Haze currently handled much of the coalition’s day-to-day affairs.

It made sense. Most Dark Realm factions weren’t led by a single individual. Instead, they had multiple leaders who rotated responsibilities between governance and cultivation.

While one oversaw recruitment, diplomacy, finances, logistics, and resource allocation, the others secluded themselves to cultivate or pursue opportunities that could strengthen the faction. Once their retreat ended, other leaders would take over the administrative burden, allowing the cycle to continue uninterrupted.

It was an efficient system. The faction’s flow of resources never stopped, while none of its leaders permanently sacrificed their own cultivation. Of course… Such a structure only worked when the leadership trusted one another completely.

Otherwise, the moment one leader entered seclusion, another could easily seize control of the faction, embezzle its resources, or quietly remove political rivals. Without absolute trust, a rotating leadership wasn’t a strength. It was an invitation to collapse.