Card Apprentice Daily LogCard Apprentice Daily Log
Date: Unspecified
Time: Unspecified
Location: Lil Red Storm Planet, Unspecified
"I'm a fucking moron, that's what I mean," Wyatt answered the Field Marshal, enraged at himself for not thoroughly checking the realm before deciding to spend all his fortune to register it with the Devil Merchant Code and buy all the rights associated with it.
Yes, his rage wasn't about trespassing and daring to steal from a ruler-class entity but the fact that he had spent his entire fortune acquiring a realm with such a origin. He wanted to appeal to the Devil Merchant Code for not informing him that the realm was dead when he registered it. Though he felt it would be a futile attempt-knowing the Devil Merchant Code, it would likely blame him for not being thorough in his purchase-he still chose to file an appeal in hopes of recovering at least part of his investment.
"Wyatt, I can't agree with you without knowing the details," the Field Marshal said, prompting Wyatt to explain further before she judged whether he was truly a moron. Wyatt stared at the Field Marshal, momentarily lost for words. He hadn't expected such a response. He wanted her to console him and had been anticipating something along the lines of, "No, Wyatt, you're not a moron; you're a genius." This made it clear that, somewhere in the Field Marshal's mind or heart, she might actually agree with him but needed a little more reason to say it out loud.
Shaking his head, Wyatt began to show the Field Marshal what he had discovered in the womb of the Lil Red Storm realm, using his soul energy display to project his memory into the air as he explained. Learning the full truth about the Lil Red Storm realm, the Field Marshal finally agreed with him: "You are indeed a moron. Why didn't you check the realm's womb before spending a fortune to gain monopoly over it?"
"I didn't because I didn't want to face the realm's will. After all, we are uninvited guests here. But since it didn't react to our presence or our mining activities, I got a bit brave, and, well, you know the rest," Wyatt explained. It felt more like he was reassuring himself that he hadn't done anything wrong-it was just his luck. Sometimes, things just happen.
"Now, what do we do? Do we put things back the way they were and leave, or do we continue mining?" the Field Marshal asked, moving on from blaming Wyatt to strategizing their next move.
"You still plan to stay and continue mining for resources?" Wyatt stared at the Field Marshal in amazement. He thought she would drag him back to the Card World after learning the truth, but it appeared he had underestimated her resolve.
"Yes, I do. After all, you've spent a fortune acquiring this realm in accordance with the Devil Merchant Code. Not to mention, it's possible that the entity who created this celestial array formation has abandoned it, or died long ago, or is asleep, or isn't aware of what's happening here. It could be waiting to return and collect the resources a decade from now, or a century, or even a millennium from now. There are many possibilities. We shouldn't stop because of our fear. And even if we get caught, we can pretend to be ignorant and apologize, promising not to repeat it. I'm sure someone so powerful wouldn't bother making things difficult for two ants," the Field Marshal reasoned, listing various possibilities for why they should continue instead of fleeing with their tails between their legs.
Posted on the Way Beyond, apart from defending the border from the supreme beings and their forces, the Field Marshal's other important task was to collect rare resources for the Southern Royal Family and the Southern region. This meant that she and her army, when possible, wouldn't hesitate to ignore their treaty with the supreme beings and invade their territory to steal rare resources. She had participated in many such covert missions.
For the Southern Region, she and her army were loyal soldiers, but for the supreme beings, they were nothing more than a band of thieves who would steal and run back to their secret base. Given the Southern Region's declining economy, these incursions were becoming more frequent. Therefore, the Field Marshal suggested they approach the Lil Red Storm realm the same way. The fact that she was willing to risk offending one of the strongest ruler-class beings in the myriad realms explained just how daring she was.
"What if the entity responsible for this array formation decides to punish the Card World for our actions?" Wyatt asked, feeling that the Field Marshal was a lost cause.
"Why would an entity so powerful bother to care about two ants enough to search for their ant hole and destroy it?" The Field Marshal found Wyatt's scenario highly unlikely.
"Why? For the same reason a rapist owl-ape hybrid would spend centuries raping and murdering an entire race of sleep dragons searching for a perticular sleep dragon of the same sex! The myriad realms are messed up like that," Wyatt argued, trying to snap the Field Marshal out of her delusion.
"I don't understand," the Field Marshal said, genuinely confused by Wyatt's analogy. But she didn't hesitate to confront him: "But let me tell you why you're against continuing-it's because you're a coward. It's an innate trait of you scholars. Lorenze is the same. I thought you were different, but it turns out you're just like him." "What the fuck? Leave your marital problems at home; don't project that on me. I'm just being cautious because my conscience can't handle innocent people paying for the consequences of our rash actions. It's not death I fear; it's being responsible for the deaths of countless innocent lives. You should be, too. Or are you telling me you're not afraid of dragging the entire Card World to their deaths along with you?" Wyatt snapped, irritated at being called a coward by the Field Marshal. He understood where she was coming from, which is why he went easy on her.