After the red-robed middle-aged Lore Cardian fled with Li Xie, the low-level Lore Cardians present continued cleaning up the bodies of the Onefold Doctrine members scattered across the battlefield.
Azrael rubbed his chin thoughtfully, lost in contemplation as he watched the systematic disposal of evidence.
"Or is it that Li Xie isn't as clueless as he appears?" he mused quietly to himself.
Godfrey, standing beside him with his arms crossed, suddenly spoke up. "Has the Vice President also noticed?"
Azrael looked up at the director with sharp eyes. "Do you also think Li Xie is just a pawn being manipulated?"
Diesel initially appeared puzzled by Godfrey's cryptic statement, but after Azrael finished speaking, realization dawned across his features. "Indeed, cards cannot defy the will of a Lore Cardian."
"Judging from that kid's behavior, he doesn't seem like someone who would proactively issue a retreat order," Diesel continued, his expression growing more serious.
Normally, cards with various abilities were more likely to make accurate tactical decisions during battles than their Lore Cardian masters. Their supernatural abilities often granted them superior battlefield awareness and strategic thinking.
Of course, this principle didn't apply to close-quarters Lore Cardians like Tempest, whose fighting experience surpassed most summoned entities.
Facing the overwhelming threat posed by Misaka's enhanced railgun technique, retreat had indeed been the most tactically sound decision. The electromagnetic cannon possessed devastating power that could have obliterated the entire area.
But if Li Xie had been blinded by rage and insisted on fighting Azrael to the death, then his summoned card could not have gone against his will. The bond between Lore Cardian and card was absolute, cards existed as extensions of their master's consciousness.
"So either he was acting the entire time, or the card doesn't belong to him," Azrael stated the conclusion in a calm, analytical tone.
Godfrey and Diesel both nodded silently after hearing this assessment. They had reached the same troubling conclusion.
Setting aside the matter of the Onefold Doctrine for the moment, Azrael glanced sideways at the director of the Public Security Office. The man's attitude had been increasingly strange since the mission began, and his behavior was setting off alarm bells in Azrael's mind.
"Speaking of which, I have a piece of intelligence here. I'm not certain whether I should share it," Godfrey said, his face showing rare hesitation that seemed completely out of character.
Diesel looked genuinely surprised. "That's not your usual style at all. Just speak directly if you have information."
"I heard from my people that there's been word circulating in the city lately suggesting that the leader of the Onefold Doctrine in Donglai is from the Goryeo Li clan," Godfrey sighed deeply. "That Li Xie we just encountered has the surname Li."
Upon hearing Godfrey's words, Azrael was momentarily stunned. This was information he already possessed from his Crimson Oath Society contacts, but as a supposed newcomer to the association, he couldn't reasonably reveal such insider knowledge.
Diesel looked absolutely incredulous. "Where did you obtain this rumor?"
Godfrey caught his expression, a flicker of calculated doubt appearing in his eyes. "It was reported by my people. I believe it originated from the Crimson Oath Society."
Diesel suddenly thought of the man before him, the director of the Public Security Office with his extensive network of informants, and a sense of understanding washed over him. "It doesn't seem impossible, given the circumstances."
Then, recalling Li Xie's distinctive attire and bearing, his expression grew increasingly serious. "Rather, it seems highly probable."
Azrael had already learned this news during his clandestine meeting with the Crimson Oath Society members. However, as a newcomer to the association who seemingly lacked access to sensitive information, he couldn't reasonably disclose such intelligence without raising suspicions.
"That's quite clever of you," Azrael said to Godfrey with genuine admiration.
The director had clearly only learned of this information the night the Crimson Oaths gathered, and given everything that had just transpired, his revelation was surprisingly convincing and well-timed.
Furthermore, Godfrey's words were a masterful mixture of truth and misdirection, except for the fabricated source, everything else was accurate. It was the mark of an experienced intelligence operative.
However, compared to appreciating Godfrey's tactical acumen, Azrael felt considerably more concerned about a different matter. "Did you guess my true identity?"
"Are you testing me?" he wondered silently.
He suspected that Godfrey might have connected him to the Crimson Oath Society's new member, the Sixth Master. After all, both Azrael's arrival in Donglai and the Sixth Master's emergence had occurred around the same time, a coincidence that wouldn't escape a professional investigator's notice.
This possibility would also explain the dramatic change in Godfrey's attitude, despite his usual practiced indifference toward newcomers.
"I hope I'm overthinking this situation," Azrael mused internally.
"But I need to accelerate the production of the Crimson Oath Society identity cards. I'll need to use Lu Xi's face and the new card to appear before Godfrey at least once to maintain the deception."
He mentally reviewed his options. "[Spider Demon] or [Grand Mage]?"
Even if his true identity was revealed to Godfrey, it wouldn't necessarily pose a catastrophic threat. All Crimson Oath Society members were essentially in the same precarious boat, and a member of Godfrey's stature would never expose him without compelling reason. Their mutual dependence created a form of insurance.
"Vice President, we've finished cleaning up," a Silver-level Lore Cardian approached Azrael swiftly and whispered respectfully.
Azrael nodded with professional authority. "Let's pack up and return to headquarters. You've all worked exceptionally hard today."
Behind him, Diesel's eyes flickered as he observed this interaction. Despite the discussion about Li Xie's incident, he hadn't forgotten his original purpose for visiting Azrael today. "I miscalculated his influence. He still has considerable sway over the association members."
But by now, the immediate matter was settled, and Diesel decided against taking any further action. The political maneuvering would have to wait for a more opportune moment.
On his first official day in Donglai, Azrael had encountered the bizarre incident of the Crimson Oath Society reporting the Onefold Doctrine to the authorities, even though he had been the one orchestrating it from behind the scenes.
"So, in the end, it was all my responsibility," he thought with resigned amusement as he returned to his residence that evening.
However, upon seeing the 5,000 points awarded by the association for his participation in the mission, Azrael's spirits instantly revived. Even as Vice President, he still needed to complete missions to earn points for materials and equipment.
Today's Onefold Doctrine operation had instantly filled his previously empty wallet with substantial resources.
"But it seems you can only redeem one purple-gold grade material with this amount," he calculated mentally.
Actually, being Vice President did come with significant perks, including a twenty percent discount on materials redeemed with points. Additionally, there was a monthly point income of up to 10,000 points, enough to redeem one gold-quality material each month.
Besides the official benefits, lower-level Lore Cardians would also offer him gifts as tokens of respect and political positioning. However, he generally had no use for most materials he received. He returned anything he could find proper recipients for, and left the rest to gather dust in his Shadow Kingdom storage.
"Come to think of it, I remember the national team championship winner gets a chance to choose a bonus realm of their own," he recalled from his research.
"That way, I'd have access to all the materials I need."
Azrael silently decided to investigate Donglai for any suitable bonus realms that might serve his purposes.
If the local options proved insufficient, he would have to return to Pixar, which maintained information on nearly every bonus realm in the Empire of Aetherlight.
Meanwhile, in a different part of the city, important discussions were taking place.
"You should have seen his performance today, correct?" The study remained brightly lit despite the late hour.
Diesel and Kavach were both present, but this time, Kavach wasn't displaying his usual nonchalant demeanor.
The computer screen before him played back the brown-haired girl's performance frame by frame, showing Misaka's devastating electromagnetic attacks in slow motion.
After a long period of analysis, he sighed heavily with obvious frustration. "What a significant miscalculation!"
Seeing his reaction, Diesel was actually somewhat amused by the situation. "Didn't you claim last time that he only possessed gold-quality, gold-level cards at best?"
He gestured toward the computer screen. "Is your theoretical gold card this overwhelmingly powerful?"
Kavach responded with clear irritation, "It's not just me, it's all of us who misjudged the situation."
"Don't act like you weren't equally convinced."
Diesel paused, finding himself momentarily speechless at the accurate assessment.
After a moment of uncomfortable silence, he whispered hesitantly, "How about we just call it a day and abandon this course of action?"
"After all, we haven't really taken any concrete steps against him yet."
Hearing this suggestion, Kavach turned his calculating gaze from the screen to the square-faced man at the desk. "Are you developing cold feet already?"
"Don't you realize that if it weren't for Azrael's unexpected arrival, the position of Vice President would rightfully be yours?"
Diesel suddenly remembered his original motivation for following Kavach's lead in targeting Azrael. The promise of advancement and recognition had initially driven his participation in this scheme.
But he remained hesitant. Given the overwhelming strength Azrael had demonstrated today, it would be extremely difficult and potentially dangerous to undermine him successfully.
"Even if it's not for your own career advancement, you should at least consider your son's future prospects," Kavach pressed ruthlessly.
"Besides, Autumn has already made all the necessary arrangements. She won't listen to any attempts to back out now."
Diesel remained silent for a long moment, clearly wrestling with the decision. Finally, he said softly, "I understand. The plan will proceed as originally designed."
Kavach sneered inwardly. He had only one assessment of the middle-aged man before him: He cherishes his life when pursuing great things, but forgets his life when he sees small gains.
Unaware of Kavach's contemptuous thoughts, Diesel seemed to be trying to change the subject to something less politically charged. "Speaking of which, the number of Onefold Doctrine members discovered in the city seems rather suspicious."
"Do you know how many limb-jointing demons we captured today in this single stronghold alone?"
"Thirty-eight confirmed members."
Kavach simply waved his hand dismissively at this concern. "Thirty-eight is manageable, three hundred and eighty would still be manageable."
"Just ensure nothing disrupts my plans before I complete my transfer."
His term as association president was almost concluded, and he had originally been destined for a promotion to director of a major coastal city. However, someone had recently made him an offer he couldn't resist, a possibility for much greater advancement.
If he could find something compromising to hold against Azrael, no matter how minor the transgression, he could potentially be transferred to either Pixar or Beijing. Perhaps one day he could even become one of the high-ranking officials of the imperial court.
He had grown thoroughly tired of positions in associations located in coastal defense areas. They were exhausting, unprofitable, and offered little opportunity for meaningful advancement.
With no realistic hope of a significant breakthrough in his current position, his passion for the work had long since faded completely.
Let whoever wanted to defend the coastal defenses take on that burden, he was determined to escape to something better.
But Kavach wouldn't share these self-serving thoughts with Diesel. The man was useful as a tool, but hardly someone to confide in.
Looking at the president of the Donglai Cardian Master Association before him, Diesel couldn't help but feel deeply disappointed by what he saw.
Ultimately, he said nothing more and quietly left Kavach's residence, his mind heavy with troubling thoughts about the path they were choosing.
Meanwhile, Misaka's Thunder Giant technique had created quite a significant commotion throughout the area. Although the district was sparsely populated, the electromagnetic construct's enormous size had been impossible for local residents to ignore.
Consequently, someone had filmed the entire incident and posted the footage on a local Donglai forum, sparking widespread discussion and speculation.
While news of Azrael's appointment as Vice President had spread within certain small circles of association members, most ordinary citizens remained unaware of the leadership change.
For most people, daily concerns about work, family, and basic necessities took precedence over administrative changes in the Cardian Master Association.
However, after today's dramatic incident, many residents were actively discussing which high-level Lore Cardian had created such an impressive card. Most Donglai citizens had only witnessed cards of this caliber in video footage from major cities or national competitions.
"What happened earlier? What's everyone making such a fuss about?"
"My second uncle's grandson's cousin works for the Cardian Master Association. According to him, the Association received a report today about an illegal organization operating in the city. It must have been a high-level Lore Cardian from the Association taking decisive action."
"Indeed, it was the new Vice President, Azrael. That's all I can reveal, posting anonymously for obvious reasons."
"The Azrael from the national competition? The same one?"
"Did he actually win Gold in the tournament?"
"Should I visit the Association headquarters to pay my respects? My little brat's grades aren't very promising. I hope being near such talent might bring back some good luck."
"Young Abin's academic performance isn't exactly stellar, is it?"
"Hey, at twenty years old, he's Vice President of the Cardian Master Association, and when I was twenty, I was screwing bolts together in a factory. The gap between people is sometimes even greater than between people and dogs."
"Natural talent can't be forced, but having a genius like this around should make Donglai considerably safer from now on, right?"
"One man protecting one city. I'm team Azrael all the way!"
Azrael's fourth day in Donglai passed without any notable incidents. With Fubuki efficiently handling his official administrative duties, he simply sat in his office, drinking tea and reading both physical newspapers and online forums.
"Hey, this is like experiencing the retirement lifestyle I never got to enjoy in my previous life," he mused with satisfaction.
Day five brought a familiar refrain.
"Why do people have to go to work every single day?"
"This is incredibly boring."
Day six introduced some interesting developments.
"I heard today that the Onefold Doctrine targeted a Crimson Oath Society base in retaliation."
"They're quite fast learners, adapting their tactics already."
"Yeah, Godfrey led people to investigate. I heard the Crimson Oath Society members had almost completely vanished by the time the authorities arrived at the scene."
Day seven brought a moment of self-reflection.
"Azrael, Azrael, how could you have fallen into such complacency? You can't continue like this indefinitely. Have you forgotten your ultimate goals? Set a small objective and actually handle a full day's work personally."
"My head hurts just thinking about it. Let Fubuki continue managing things."
Azrael took another leisurely sip of his tea while watching the tall, dark-haired woman toiling away at the administrative tasks that kept the association functioning smoothly.
Actually, it wasn't entirely accurate to say he did nothing productive. Fubuki handled the daytime operations efficiently, and at night he focused on different priorities, researching materials, planning card creations, and maintaining his network of contacts.
Well, everyone possessed different strengths and operated most effectively in their preferred areas.
Finally, after five days of what could charitably be called "light work," Azrael enjoyed his first weekend off since arriving in Donglai.
Generally, to prevent administrative emergencies, association regulations only allowed one of the president and vice president to be absent at any given time. This system ensured continuous leadership coverage.
Azrael hadn't been entirely idle during these days. He had thoroughly researched information about the secret realms controlled by Donglai's jurisdiction.
As expected from a relatively small city, there were only a handful of gold-level welfare secret realms available for exploitation.
Unfortunately, none of them contained the specific materials Azrael needed for his next card creation project.
"I can only return to Pixar for what I need," he concluded with mild disappointment.
With his identity potentially exposed and his life at stake in various political machinations, he naturally didn't mind the inconvenience of travel.
"It's actually perfect timing to go back and visit my senior sister," he realized with growing enthusiasm.
Speaking of Alice, Azrael couldn't help but think about the mysterious "Autumn" who had been attempting to contact him.
She had approached the association building several times over the past few days, but had consistently been turned away by the vigilant security guards.
What a ridiculous situation! The Vice President of the Donglai Cardian Master Association wasn't someone you could simply request a meeting with on a whim.
Furthermore, when security had called to confirm her claimed acquaintance with him, they had received a cold, definitive response, "I don't know this person."
As for the possibility of her going directly to Azrael's residence to confront him personally, he didn't particularly mind letting "Autumn" experience the unpredictability of life in a dangerous city.
After all, Azrael's residence was located in a somewhat remote area, and what might happen if she encountered Crimson Oath Society members on her way back late at night? It wouldn't be unusual for a young single woman returning home alone to be detained, imprisoned, and thoroughly interrogated by the organization, would it?
"Do they think I'd be concerned because of her attractive appearance?" he wondered with amusement.
What a ridiculous assumption. Even though the girl cards he created were all incredibly beautiful, was he really such a superficial person?
Actually, yes, he was. Azrael was indeed quite shallow when it came to physical appearance, and he readily admitted this character flaw.
"But Alice and Gabi aren't deceased, are they?" he reflected.
"I genuinely enjoy pursuing relationships with them, don't I?"
Azrael found himself momentarily confused by his own motivations and priorities.
"Unless there's something fundamentally wrong with Autumn's true nature."
"...Could she be a dangerous woman like Makima was?"
While he wouldn't necessarily mind experiencing the thrill of a relationship with a dangerous woman, if she wanted to dominate and control him completely, that was still absolutely unacceptable.
Just as Azrael was losing himself in these idle thoughts and romantic speculation, it came time to leave the office.
He immediately stored away his materials and informed Kavach in the adjacent office that he would be traveling back to Pixar for personal business.
Of course, the reason he provided was to visit Alice, which was technically accurate.
Kavach expressed his understanding and approval for the personal leave request.
Just like that, Azrael rushed back to Pixar overnight, eager to reconnect with his old life and acquire the materials he needed.
After visiting the lonely but imperious senior sister Alice, he proceeded to the Pixar Cardian Master Association to search for the welfare secret realm that would provide his required materials.
By entering his specific screening conditions into the association's database, Azrael quickly identified the perfect location for his needs.
[Mutual Cannibalism Wilderness] - a secret realm known for its dangerous but valuable inhabitants.
Primary output material: Gold-level [Greedy Beast] components.
The location was in his hometown region of Velkairos, which would make the journey convenient and familiar.