Chapter 2123: Chapter 2123

As an elven ranger, she had seen far more of the world than Jenkins, who had spent nearly his entire life in Nolan.

This event had consumed more cards than any other so far. In fact, if not for the chain reaction triggered by the platinum influence card, "Faith - Earth Church," they would have had to play even more. At least they'd left no loose ends. Better yet, resolving such a difficult crisis had significantly boosted the kingdom's stability.

The three red "unexpected event" cards they drew in the second year were, unsurprisingly, all "Steam." The five "Steam" cards floated together, merging into a brand-new influence: "Steam Revolution."

"Now beginning the second year-end summary: Lost influence 'Steam,' gained influence 'Steam Revolution.' No 'Latent Threat' acquired.

Evaluation: Though you could not save the innocents sacrificed to the invaders, you are still worthy kings.

The male king, through the marriage alliance, has gained knowledge under the tutelage of the neighboring princess and acquired mystic knowledge through the exploration of ruins. The female king has acquired mystic knowledge through the exploration of ruins. Thanks to the Steam Revolution, the kingdom has gained a new source of power."

As a result, Jenkins gained three "Basic Mystic Knowledge" cards, two "Diplomacy" cards, and one "Maintain Stability" card. Miss Silf received two "Basic Mystic Knowledge" cards and one "Antique Appraisal" card. Additionally, they jointly held three "Steam Modification Plan" cards and two "Promoter of Steam" cards. In the end, Jenkins took custody of all five, tasked with deciding the right moment to play them.

"But it's best we don't use them. If the kingdom's development continues to favor steam, something terrible is bound to happen."

Having learned from Jenkins about the crisis facing the 18th Epoch, Miss Silf was deeply worried about this.

At the end of the second year, as they received their new cards, the table once again released a plume of black smoke into the wax museum.

"If we choose to let the wax figures help us, that's when the effects of this black smoke will manifest, right? If we don't use their power, the smoke naturally won't touch us."

The elf theorized. Jenkins didn't refute her, but it was clear he wasn't entirely convinced by her logic.

The four events of the third year of the unknown epoch were "Southern Kingdom Spy," "Summer Plague," "Ruby Murder Case," and "Black Cult Rumors." The first two were simple enough; Jenkins handled the spy with his personal combat skills, while Miss Silf's fundamental elven knowledge saw them through the plague. The "Ruby Murder Case," however, was more complex. It was another court intrigue, and if Jenkins hadn't intervened in time, the northern princess—the object of their marriage alliance—would have been killed.

Had the princess died, the "Marriage Alliance" influence would have vanished, potentially even triggering a "Northern Kingdom Invasion" event. For that reason, despite involving no supernatural elements, the "Ruby Murder Case" was among the most dangerous crises they had faced.

The final event, "Black Cult Rumors," was, in a sense, never fully resolved.

The event involved the emergence of a doomsday cult within the kingdom, calling itself the "Black Cult." It was another one of those problems that could be ignored for the time being, but would undoubtedly detonate like a ticking steam-bomb down the line.

Jenkins and Miss Silf both attempted to resolve it in one fell swoop, but after playing a total of eight cards with no signs of progress, they gave up. The game was forty rounds long, and they were only in the twelfth. If they wasted any more cards, they would likely face the awkward predicament of having nothing left to play by the ninth or tenth year.

In fact, without the cards awarded at each year-end summary, they might have run out by the eighth year. Therefore, after weighing the options of "leaving a huge latent threat" versus "being forced to rely on the power of the wax figures," they both chose the former.

Only two red "unexpected event" cards appeared in the third year. One, predictably, was "Steam." This card didn't merge with "Steam Revolution" but instead floated alongside it and "Marriage Alliance," as if waiting for new influences to emerge.

The second unexpected event was, finally, not "Steam." The bad news was that this time it was a negative one: "Doomsday Theory."

"Doomsday Theory" appeared in the third quarter of the third year. The appearance of this card also increased the probability of drawing certain other cards, which directly led to the "Black Cult Rumors" event in the fourth quarter.

Jenkins managed to suppress "Doomsday Theory" by using "Maintain Stability" and the "Faith - Earth Church" influence. However, because the "Black Cult Rumors" were never fully dealt with, the "Black Cult" itself didn't become a fixed threat. Instead, it was "Doomsday Theory" that solidified into a permanent "Latent Threat."

There was also a small interlude during the third year. After discovering the unusual platinum card, "Faith - Earth Church," Jenkins had been wondering why neither his nor Miss Silf's starting hands had contained any special platinum cards. Even after the "Steam" sub-deck was added, he hadn't received a platinum card like "King of All Machines."

On one hand, it could have been a deliberate restriction by the living statues. On the other, it was more likely that he simply hadn't fully grasped the game's hidden rules.

So, to test his theory, Jenkins asked Miss Silf to deliberately mention that she was a pure-blooded elf multiple times while resolving that year's events, and to use cards with the "Elf" tag whenever possible. Sure enough, his hypothesis was confirmed at the year-end summary.

"Now beginning the third year-end summary: Gained influence 'Steam,' gained 'Latent Threat: Doomsday Theory.'

Evaluation: Though you could not quell the terrible rumors, you are still worthy kings.

The male king, through the marriage alliance, has gained knowledge under the tutelage of the neighboring princess and acquired mystic knowledge through frequent visits to the Earth Church. The female king has awakened the power of her bloodline, discovering her true nature. Thanks to the ongoing influence of the Steam Revolution, the kingdom has gained a new source of power."

Consequently, Jenkins received a "Noble Tradition" card and another "Basic Mystic Knowledge" card. Miss Silf gained a "Nature's Faith" card, as well as a platinum card: "Elven Bloodline."

"So that's how it works. The game starts by drawing only on the powers a normal 'King' might possess, converting them into cards. If we want to transcend the game's realistic limitations, we have to find ways to logically demonstrate the unique powers we hold during gameplay." Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on Novᴇl_Fire(.)net

Jenkins spoke with satisfaction to the elven lady, who grew just as excited:

"Does that mean if you demonstrate the power of the World Tree, you could make our kingdom a 'Nation Blessed by the World Tree'?"