Chapter 2121: Chapter 2121

"This is very true to life."

Jenkins remarked to the elf.

"Aside from the Event cards that appear each quarter, every card played by either of you has a chance to trigger an Accident card."

A new stack of cards appeared to the living statue's right. This deck was red, with just as many cards as the black one.

"The fixed quarterly 'Event' is always something bad, but an 'Accident' can be either good or bad. Regardless of its nature, an 'Accident's' effects will persist for the entire quarter and cannot be influenced by the cards you play. It can only be affected during the following turn."

Jenkins arched an eyebrow.

"What if an 'Accident' is the arrival of a Calamity Beast? If we can't do anything about it for an entire quarter, the kingdom would be completely wiped out."

"Which is why this game also relies on luck."

The living statue stated methodically, then gestured toward the surrounding wax figures.

"That's a surprisingly helpful option."

"But for each wax figure you choose, the probability of encountering accidents and disasters increases until the game is over. In that respect, the game is perfectly fair."

The victory condition for "Kingdom Cards" was simple. If the kingdom still existed after forty turns—ten in-game years—then Jenkins and Miss Silf would be victorious. Conversely, if the kingdom was destroyed within those forty turns, they would lose. Destruction was defined as, but not limited to, the collapse of the government, the loss of all territory, or the eradication of the entire population.

After each quarter's plays, the events unfolding in the kingdom would be narrated by the living statue. This meant that if the statue intended to make things difficult for them, it could steer the game toward a worse outcome without ever breaking the rules.

This was something neither Jenkins nor the elven lady could change; they could only look for opportunities within the game itself. And yet, even before the game began, Jenkins already knew what the trap of this Mysterious Realm was.

Having navigated the previous four Mysterious Realms, he had a rough grasp of the Difference Engine's methods. They had reached the fifth level of the nine-story tower, meaning their journey was halfway complete. The end was no longer so far away.

"Year One of the Unknown Epoch. Civilization emerges from the disasters of the past and continues to advance. As the new monarchs of the central human kingdom, you have formally received the scepter and crown from your predecessors. Countless challenges and opportunities await you."

The living statue delivered this opening monologue, then turned over the top card from the black deck. Both Jenkins and Silf kept their eyes fixed on the red deck, but fortunately, their luck wasn't so poor as to trigger an "Accident" on the very first turn.

"Unknown Epoch, Year One, First Quarter. Event: 'Palace Coup.' Ill-intentioned members of the royal family have launched a coup, attempting to assassinate you and seize the throne."

Though the edges of the table were cluttered, the center was clear. The living statue tossed the card into the middle. Jenkins and the elf could see the text description and the illustration—a classic oil painting depicting a palace coup.

Jenkins said to Silf, selecting a card from his deck.

"'Persuasion and Influence.' I have the ability to make my opponents support me."

He slapped the card onto the table. It was one born from his experience giving numerous public speeches over the past year.

"No, a single card isn't powerful enough. You have failed to convince the conspirators."

So Jenkins played another card: "Personal Might."

"Then I'll beat them into submission first and persuade them later."

he declared. The moment he played his second card, the top card of the red deck slid into the living statue's hand. The statue glanced at it before tossing out a card of its own: "Steam Breakthrough."

"Through a combination of force and persuasion, the palace coup has been resolved with relative peace. For the next two years, the probability of another 'Palace Coup' event is minimized. Simultaneously, during this peaceful first quarter of the first year of the Unknown Epoch, the Royal Academy of Sciences has achieved a major breakthrough in the development of the steam engine. For the remainder of this game, cards related to 'Steam' will now appear. The probability of negative cards like 'Labor Shortage' is now lower, while the probability of cards like 'Air Pollution' and 'Invention' is higher. 'Steam' has become one of the Kingdom's Influences."

As soon as the statue finished speaking, its red and black decks, as well as the white decks belonging to Jenkins and the elven lady, all grew thicker. The elf's deck gained the fewest new cards, as she knew nothing about steam technology. Meanwhile, the "Steam Breakthrough" card began to float above the table, emitting a red glow.

"What is a 'Kingdom Influence'?"

"It can create chain reactions with other cards. Unless it's negated by another card, its effect will last until the game ends."

"How could it be such a coincidence? The starting point of 'Steam' technology appears in the very first of forty turns?"

Especially since "Steam" came from the Accident deck, meaning he and Silf couldn't even play a card to block this seemingly beneficial event.

The living statue ignored Jenkins's commentary and drew the second black card to continue the game.

"Unknown Epoch, Year One, Second Quarter. Event: 'Border Unrest.' A small-scale military conflict has erupted on the northern border with the Northern Kingdom. They may be plotting a conspiracy."

It was obvious that if they didn't handle this properly, it would certainly affect the next thirty-eight turns. It might even lead to new Influences like "Unstable Borders" or "State of War."

"Well then..." Thıs text ıs hosted at N0veI.Fiɾe.net

Jenkins frowned. He didn't have any cards related to deploying troops. He glanced at Miss Silf, but unfortunately she was just an ordinary elven ranger, not a high-ranking figure like a ranger commander.

Using "Personal Might" again might solve the problem, but Jenkins only had a dozen or so of those cards, and Silf had only seven. They couldn't afford to waste too many of what was essentially a universal solution.

"Something isn't right," Jenkins challenged. "If we're the monarchs, we should naturally have cards that let us command armies. Did you forget to give us our basic decks?"

He immediately directed his question at the living statue. This time, it responded.

"'Basic decks? No, there's no such thing. I'm simply playing a game of cards with you. If you can't find a solution, you can always ask the wax figures for help.'"