Hearing Master Tempest's words, Azrael froze mid-step.
First came surprise. A master-level Lore Cardian was unaware of the World Devourer? Then, genuine shock registered as another thought crystallized:
Master Tempest already knows who was on the other end of that bargain.
Master Tempest and Master Fujimaru exchanged uncomfortable glances, their expressions darkening, before the older man slowly spoke. "Since you've already been exposed to this knowledge, Azrael, there's no point in hiding the truth any longer.
I only ask that you keep what you hear today to yourself."
Azrael's heart sank. The moment of confirmation had arrived.
Master Tempest fell silent for a moment, then asked with unexpected seriousness, "Azrael, what do you think the mysterious space is? Does it possess consciousness?"
The questions triggered a mental search through Azrael's memories. He already knew the answer to the second question, but the first...
After sifting through everything he had learned, he could only recall one unremarkable sentence from his introductory Lore Cardian textbook.
"With the discovery of the first material by Oren, the Empire of Aetherlight's pioneering Lore Cardian, the era of card creation began. From that moment forward, anyone could enter the mysterious space and forge cards."
Nothing more. Even that bare statement failed to explain the mysterious space's origins.
Master Tempest didn't wait for an answer, continuing instead: "Azrael, you've been a Lore Cardian for some time now. You've encountered the original histories of numerous secret realms, especially during your mission in Great Britain. You know those so-called 'secret realms' were once complete worlds, just like ours."
But have you considered that those worlds might have attempted their own self-rescue, only to fail?"
Of course Azrael had. The two materials dropped by Gulan revealed the true nature of the secret realms: [Holy Sword of Destiny] and [Blade of Salvation]. Combined with Gulan's supposed Sovereign-level strength, the implication was clear: He'd been that dying world's last, desperate gambit for survival.
Obviously, it had failed.
Azrael nodded. "So you're saying the mysterious space is our world's attempt at self-rescue?"
"Indeed," Master Tempest confirmed. "And judging by results alone, it's been successful."
Yet the gray-haired middle-aged man showed no joy, only bitter resignation.
Success was relative, after all, compared only to those worlds that had become secret realms. They still hadn't escaped the World Devourer's threat.
Master Tempest continued, "Azrael, since you only became a Lore Cardian in the past two years, you lack personal experience with how things used to be. For veterans like us, though..."
Card creation has become dramatically easier these past two years. Previously, even the slightest ambiguity or imperfection could trigger failure. Now it's different. The judgment criteria have relaxed considerably for those with talent."
Recalling his early days as a Lore Cardian, Master Tempest's expression grew distant. Back then, every card creation felt like gambling; countless inexplicable errors could doom an attempt.
Talented Lore Cardians learned from their mistakes and avoided repeating them. Those without talent...
It was like reading badly written novels; some authors improved with age and experience, while others never learned.
Azrael's eyes widened as he understood. "Master Tempest, can you actually determine the upper limits of your card creations now?"
He thought of his own experiences in the mysterious space. This revelation explained the recent surge of talented young Lore Cardians.
During the national competition, countless gifted individuals his age had competed. Even his victory in the finals against Victor hadn't come easily.
Apparently, the mysterious space had relaxed its card creation rules.
However, Master Tempest's expression turned strange. He gave Azrael a penetrating look. "We've experienced some relaxation in the rules, Azrael, but we don't know the precise upper limits for individual cards.
"Don't say such things casually."
Master Fujimaru added gently from beside him, "If outsiders overheard, they'd think all the Empire's geniuses had lost their minds."
Azrael wasn't foolish. He immediately realized that his situation differed from that of the two Master Lore Cardians before him. Their words served as a warning: spreading such claims would attract unwanted attention from those with ulterior motives.
He laughed it off quickly. "Just joking, Masters. Don't take it seriously."
Seeing that Azrael understood their meaning, Master Tempest shook his head and pressed on. "You probably think the relaxed rules are beneficial, Azrael. But have you considered the price?"
"Why didn't 'He' establish more lenient conditions from the beginning?"
There's no such thing as a free lunch. All gifts carried hidden price tags. If no payment was forthcoming, either the bill hadn't arrived yet or someone else had already paid.
Azrael understood this principle but couldn't grasp the exact price the world was extracting.
Sensing the young man's tension, Master Fujimaru offered him some comfort. "Don't worry, Azrael. We're not the ones paying."
As her words faded, Master Tempest's voice rang out. "According to our theory, the price is drawn from cleared secret realms. He absorbs their remaining power."
"Haven't you noticed, Azrael? Those realms eventually vanish without external interference once they're cleared."
Shock rippled through Azrael. He'd assumed the disappearance of the cleared secret realms was natural, never imagining the mysterious space was draining them.
Doubt clouded his mind. Everything Master Tempest had revealed so far seemed like good news, despite his grim expression.
Then, the next words exploded in Azrael's consciousness like thunder from a clear sky.
"The world has consciousness."
"The mysterious space represents the world's self-preservation mechanism."
Every Lore Cardian who reaches the master level can vaguely sense this truth.
Even master-level Lore Cardians like us can feel the existence of world consciousness."
In that moment, Azrael's long-standing questions finally found answers. He now knew who the "Superior" referred to in his [Administrator's Observation] trait.
Before he could respond, Master Tempest continued. "But that's not the crucial part.
"The crucial part is that, initially, the world consciousness's state remained consistently stable from a master's perspective."
"Until two years ago, when it suddenly became active."
"Even..." Master Tempest paused, then spoke with deliberate emphasis: "Sometimes it intervenes personally."
Understanding crystallized. Azrael finally grasped what the two Master Lore Cardians were trying to communicate.
For a human, daily activity represented vigorous vitality. But for a world facing extinction?
This was clearly not a positive sign.
It was like a hibernating bear; only two things could wake it prematurely. Either hunger would drive it from its slumber, or an uninvited guest would enter its territory and force it to emerge and drive the intruder away.
Hesitation gnawed at Azrael's thoughts. After all, his boss had already taken direct action, while the opposing mastermind hadn't shown any signs of movement.
Fortunately, Master Tempest finally offered some encouraging news. "But if you're right, Azrael, things should improve."
Though he didn't know specifics about the orb the young man had mentioned, Master Tempest felt certain that any item capable of drawing the personal attention of the world consciousness must be critically important.
Azrael also thought of the item Gulan had given his boss, though its exact nature remained unknown.
Silence settled over the room like a heavy blanket.
After a long pause, Master Tempest's composure returned, accompanied by a faint smile. "Well, that's primarily why I called you here today.
"However, what transpires in this room, from my mouth to your ears, is best kept confidential. Share it sparingly, if at all."
Azrael nodded firmly. Such secrets demanded discretion. He wouldn't even tell Jin. Though the old man was a master Lore Cardian himself, he likely already understood their world's predicament.
Speaking of Jin, Azrael now had a clearer picture of the old man's plans.
When a ship was sinking, there were three options: repair it, abandon it for another vessel, or rebuild it entirely.
Obviously, Jin was planning to escape the mysterious space's influence. After all, he had built his entire strength to date on the Lore Cardian system. Outside of it, he'd have no means of creating new cards.
There were no secret realms elsewhere. Nor were there any materials.
This explained Jin's research into demonization—or, more accurately, secret realm transformation.
After bidding farewell to Masters Tempest and Fujimaru, Azrael followed the sullen Jacob out of the cottage.
Jacob hadn't expected to hear such earth-shattering secrets today. "You're amazing, Junior Brother," he muttered, believing that his seniority was the only reason he hadn't been sent away.
Azrael's lips curled slightly. "Senior Brother, don't let Third Senior Brother lead you astray. Having one person like him in our sect is already a headache."
Jacob knew Third Senior Brother Corey better than Azrael did. He gave an awkward smile before smoothly changing the subject. "What are your plans now, Junior Brother?"
"Do you need to rest?"
I can authorize a few days of leave."
He felt that the young man had endured too much: barely returning to the Empire of Aetherlight before immediately reporting to the two masters, all after the intense missions that had preceded his disappearance. Even someone with an iron constitution couldn't withstand such relentless pressure.
Gaza Town hadn't experienced any major incidents recently. It would be better to grant him time to recover.
Azrael didn't hesitate to answer Jacob's question. "Then I'll trouble you, Senior Brother."
After bidding farewell, Azrael returned to his residence alone.
He opened the door and found that Alice and Amina were gone. Now truly alone, Azrael sighed and closed the door with faint resignation.
He sat on the sofa in contemplative silence, processing the day's revelations, before finally standing up again.
Morning light filtered through the curtains as he carefully extracted his arm from the white silk sheets.
Honestly, mana replenishment was exhausting work. But remembering Artoria's serious expression dissolving into a vulnerable one made it all worthwhile.
Adorable. Absolutely adorable.
Opening his bedroom door, Azrael spotted Amina peeking out from the adjacent room. At the sight of him, the little girl retreated like a frightened rabbit.
European girls mature early. Naturally, Amina knew what had happened in the next room last night.
Azrael coughed solemnly. "Ahem. Remember to come down for breakfast."
He fled the awkward scene immediately.
Azrael currently lived in Pixar instead of Gaza Town. After meeting Master Tempest and the others that day, he returned to Pixar. He wasn't foolish enough to spend his entire leave in Gaza Town pretending to be an elderly widower.
"The vacation's almost over," Azrael sighed as he sat at the dining table. Only one day remained before he had to leave for Gaza Town the next day.
After finishing breakfast, Azrael prepared to visit Alice. Before he could leave, however, a tall figure appeared on his doorstep.
"Senior Sister." Azrael nodded in acknowledgment.
After a moment of silence, he quietly asked, "Are you going back tomorrow?"
"Yes." Azrael's voice trailed off as an uncomfortable silence descended.
After a prolonged pause, Alice tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Can't you not go?"
To lighten the awkward atmosphere, Azrael joked, "I need money to eat, Senior Sister. Unless you're offering to support me."
But Alice's expression turned deadly serious. "I'll support you."
"?!"
If this were before his transmigration, Azrael would have accepted instantly if a beautiful, kindhearted, wealthy woman offered to support him.
But the situation in this world was precarious. He felt that his Emerald-level strength wasn't nearly enough.
Perhaps Alice could support him with Emerald-level materials, but what about Diamond-level? Master-level? Or Sovereign-level?
Azrael sighed, thinking this. "Senior Sister, I'll be careful this time."
But Alice's next words froze him in his tracks.
"Did someone force you?"