Miracle Card Shop: All My Cards Can Be Actualize

676  Battle in the Imperial Palace - 01

Daniel considered for a few seconds before deciding to take the call. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Put him through."

A moment later, Loki's voice came through the speaker in the command room.

"Hello? Mr. Emberweave?" Loki said.

"Mr. Loki, I'm very busy right now, so please keep it brief," Daniel replied, his eyes fixed on the screen displaying the current situation at Hell's Gate and the countdown until the God Slayer Cannon reached its target.

"I've found some information that you'll find very interesting. I've sent it to you via email. Take a look. Good luck, Mr. Emberweave," Loki said before abruptly hanging up.

Almost immediately, Daniel's tablet pinged, notifying him of a new email. He opened it and began reviewing the contents on his personal console.

"What is this?" Daniel muttered as his gaze locked onto the data displayed on the screen.

The information detailed the Qing Empire's movements and its plan in the dark, including the most likely location of the magic ritual responsible for controlling the Mind Suggestion spell that's affecting the Qing Empire soldiers right now.

The location stated in the information was none other than the Qing Empire Imperial Palace.

Additionally, the files identified several key players involved in the operation. These included Crown Prince Tianhao Zhisheng, General Wang Dahui, the enigmatic man in the Owl Mask, and even Golden Scale. The forces protecting the palace were said to include mages from the Hightower and their enforcers.

Daniel shared this information with Envy, seeking her magical expertise to determine the authenticity of the details.

Envy checked the information Daniel sent her and fell silent for a moment.

"This information appears to be true. I suspect the Qing Empire might be using some sort of sacrificial ritual to fuel the spell," she said. "It could also be powering the magic used to open the Hell's Gate. I've received reports about a large movement of prisoners—over a million—being transferred to the palace."

"How many people in the Hightower know how to open the Hell's Gate?" Daniel asked.

Envy thought for a moment before replying. "Not many. No… it should be only three people, and two of them are already dead. I am The only one who knows how to open the Hell's Gate."

"Who were the other two?" Daniel inquired.

"The first was Lucian Blackscar. The second was Cyrus Ashborn... particularly the latter. He knows a lot of forbidden knowledge and is highly proficient in dark magic," Envy said with a frown, her expression darkening as she considered the possibility that one or two of them might still be alive.

"No… Lucian shouldn't be alive. He should be dead for good… but Cyrus?" she muttered under her breath. "Come to think of it… could Cyrus have survived as a homunculus? But a homunculus body shouldn't possess enough magical pathways to perform a forbidden ritual, especially one as complex as opening a Hell's Gate."

Daniel patiently waited for Envy to finish her monologue. She finally turned to him, her expression serious.

"Danny, I don't know why, but I have a hunch that Cyrus might still be alive… or he might have become a homunculus… a high-quality one capable of performing a forbidden ritual."

Hearing this, Daniel gave it some thought. "Then… there's no point in sitting here speculating. We'll find out the truth once we arrive at the Qing Imperial Palace and destroy the ritual," he said, standing up from his seat.

"I'll go with you," Envy offered, but Daniel stopped her.

"It's okay. You stay here and take command. I'll bring Vlad, Guan Yu, and a couple of strong people with me. Don't worry," Daniel assured her.

"Vlad?" Envy repeated, recalling the bloodthirsty vampire notorious for committing mass murder. But as she thought about it further, she realized Vlad might actually be a good choice for this mission.

"Oh… since you want me here to take a command. At least Bring Pride and Koyuki with you." Envy instruct.

"Ok… Pride and Koyuki, right? Got it." Dnaiel nodded. He wondered why Pride and Koyuki were necessary, but he didn't think about it further since he trusted Envy. The two were also strong in combat. He only hoped that their rivalry wouldn't make this trip more difficult for him.

The moment they touched the ground, Daniel noticed a long, blood-red line stretching outward from inside the Qing Empire Imperial Palace. It glowed ominously, pulsating as if it were alive.

"This…" Pride frowned as she crouched down, examining the crimson line on the ground. Her gaze followed its path back toward its origin.

"Is something wrong?" Daniel asked. Pride had grown noticeably quiet upon seeing the glowing line.

"Someone is using a large-scale soul conversion ritual," Pride explained.

"Conversion to what?"

"Mana," Pride replied, her tone grim. She stared at the blood-red line again before standing up. "Let's move. I can't undo the ritual from here."

The group quickly moved toward the Qing Empire Imperial palace.

As they moved along the deserted road, there were no signs of life. Not a single bird or insect could be found.

"Where are the people?" Guan Yu muttered, bewildered. This was the capital city, home to millions, yet no one was in sight. No… not even animals or insects could be seen.

"I'm afraid they've all already been turned into mana," Pride replied grimly. "These lines on the ground are part of a blood magic ritual. Blood magic has the characteristic of converting anything eligible into its materials—whether it's their bodies, blood, or souls... all of it can be transformed into mana."

The group pressed on toward the Imperial Palace, their pace quickening.

At that moment, Vlad's nose twitched as if he had caught a scent. "I think you're right… I just picked up a strong scent of blood from that direction," Vlad said, pointing toward the palace looming on the horizon.

"But this is strange… If those people were reduced to blood and soul essence, I should've smelled it even inside the carryall. We're talking about millions of people here," Vlad added, puzzled. He wondered if he had somehow developed a strange ailment that dulled his sense of smell.

"This only means one thing," Pride said gravely. "The ritual has already progressed to the point where it's begun converting all the materials into mana. That's why the blood and souls are likely being stored in some sort of container beneath the palace." She gestured toward the imposing structure ahead.

The group passed through the desolate palace gates, noticing that no guards were present. However, as soon as they stepped beyond the gate, a warning spell was triggered.

Moments later, several figures emerged from the palace, leading a group of metal golems and flesh golems. At the forefront of the group were Garret Vance, Achilles, and a fierce, muscular man clad in Han armor, wielding a spear shaped like a crescent moon.

"Lu Bu? Impossible!" Guan Yu exclaimed, recognizing the last figure.

"Long time no see, Guan Yu," Lu Bu said with a mocking sneer. "I hear you're serving Cao Cao now. Is that true?" Lu Bu said as he walked to the side, as did Guan Yu and prepared their battle stance. It was clear the two had already chosen each other as their targets.

"Emberweave… we meet again. This time, I'll kill you!" Garret's voice dripped with vengeance, his hatred for Daniel unmistakable. He had never forgotten the humiliation Daniel inflicted on him and his family.

"Huh?" Daniel looked genuinely puzzled. He frowned and closed his eyes as if trying to recall something.

"Err… Excuse me… Have we met before? I'm sorry, but I'm not very good at remembering faces. Maybe you've had surgery? Could you reintroduce yourself?" Daniel asked politely, feeling slightly embarrassed about his poor memory of unimportant people.

After all, who would remember every bystander, shopkeeper, or person they deemed idiots, Right? That was Daniel's impression of Garret the first time they met… just another insignificant idiot.

"You! I'm Garret Vance! The Heir of the Vance Armory! The company that you drove them to bankruptcy!" Garret roared, pointing at Daniel in anger.

Daniel tilted his head and tried to think. Then… it dawned on him: Garret Vance, isn't that second-generation rich man idiot who has a problem remembering his father?

"Oh! Are you the guy with a problem remembering your father because your mom is too carefree? Ah, I remembered you!" Daniel said with a smile as if he had remembered an acquaintance who hadn't met for a long time.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! Have trouble remembering his father HAHAHAHA!!" Pride burst out laughing.

Koyuki playfully hit Daniel's shoulder. "You're terrible, Danny." She playfully admonished.

"Y… You!" Garret pointed at Daniel; he wanted to tear this jerk to pieces.

At this moment, Achilles walked forward.

"Where's Penthesilea? Tell her to come meet me." He said with a threatening tone.

Hearing a guy call his wife like that, Daniel suddenly has a little bit of a temper. Moreover, he remembers this guy from the report. He's Achilles. The one who desecrated Penthesilea's corpse after he killed her.

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