Chapter 2124: Chapter 2124
In the elf's rather uncomplicated view, being under the World Tree's protection meant that no disaster was worth a second thought.
"It's difficult for me, as the male king, to call upon the power of the World Tree," Jenkins said, sounding troubled. "I don't think I'll get an opportunity to use it."
Jenkins lamented. In his entire deck, he didn't have a single card with the [World Tree] tag. Unless the red surprise deck added a [Nature]-related side deck to the game, his identity as the World Tree Seedling would be useless in this Mysterious Realm.
It was also painfully obvious that the Difference Engine was using the living statue to influence the red surprise deck; otherwise, there was no reason for [Steam] cards to appear with such high frequency.
In the third year, under the continuing influence of the [Steam Revolution] event, they once again received shared cards: three [Steam Power] and two [Infrastructure Upgrade: Steam].
If the [Steam] tag weren't such an obvious trap, the [Steam Revolution] would have been the most beneficial event for their game.
By now, they had more or less figured out the rules of this Mysterious Realm. It was a rather traditional realm that tested one's intellect and courage. A player's personal deck was fixed upon entry, so the key to victory lay in playing the right cards at the right time, and deciding whether or not to ask the wax statue for help.
Jenkins, for his own unique reasons, had an unusually large number of cards. His companion, Miss Silf, being an ancient elf, possessed even more esoteric and rare cards that provided significant help. Under normal circumstances, this trial would have been all but over. But with the Difference Engine's interference, merely understanding the rules meant the adventure had only just begun.
"Speaking of which, the person we should be most grateful to in this Mysterious Realm is the princess from the northern kingdom."
"Ever since the first year of the game, she's been a constant source of help, even sending us new cards every year. The number isn't huge, but at least they're all safe and harmless."
Jenkins agreed that Dolores's assistance had been invaluable, and he resolved to thank her properly once this was all over. The thought strengthened his determination. He had to make it out of here.
By the fourth year, the game was roughly a third of the way through. In the first season of that year, Miss Silf made a clever move. While responding to the [Succession Crisis] event, she played the platinum card [Elven Bloodline]. This gave the kingdom a fourth influence in addition to [Steam], [Steam Revolution], and [Marriage Alliance]: [High Nobility - Elf].
The event of the first season contained no supernatural elements. It concerned the two monarchs' prolonged lack of an heir, which sparked disputes among the nobility that eventually escalated into a rebellion. The single [Elven Bloodline] card resolved the crisis entirely. After all, with the long lifespan of pure-blooded elves, there was no immediate need to name a successor.
Of course, resolving the crisis this way wasn't without its drawbacks. While it added no immediate hidden threats, it did increase the probability of negative [Race]-related events occurring in the future. It was by no means a harmless solution.
The other three events of that year allowed Jenkins to confirm a pattern: four event cards were drawn each year. Looking back at the previous three years, he deduced the structure. Each year was guaranteed to have one 'natural disaster' event, one 'political event' with no supernatural elements but affecting the kingdom's stability, and one 'covert supernatural event' with potential long-term consequences. The fourth event was always random.
The order in which these categories appeared each year varied, but all three were guaranteed. For example, in the past three years, the natural disasters had been [Harsh Winter], [Summer Plague], and [Drought]. The political events were [Court Coup], [The Ruby Murder], and [Pirate Invasion]. The supernatural events were [Golden Autumn], [Dark Cult Rumors], and [Ruins of an Underground Kingdom].
This pattern might seem trivial, but it was invaluable, allowing Jenkins and Miss Silf to effectively plan their card usage for the entire year.
The remaining three events of the fourth year confirmed Jenkins's theory. They were [Season of Storms], [The Ghost Circus], and [Birth of a Genius].
[Season of Storms] was a purely natural disaster. Since it occurred in summer, failing to resolve it would almost certainly affect the autumn harvest and trigger a cascade of other disasters. Jenkins had no way to counter such a large-scale meteorological event; on a smaller scale, he could have used [Personal Might] to summon wind and rain. Fortunately, the elf had five copies of the [Elven Disaster Planning] card.
"It was a required course; you couldn't graduate without it. Back when I lived in the material world, disasters were still quite common."
[The Ghost Circus] was the most dangerous event they had faced yet. According to the card's description, a "wondrous" circus had entered the kingdom, and all its members were undead. Failure to resolve the event would guarantee the appearance of an [Undead Plague] event within three turns.
Jenkins and the elf initially thought they could resolve it by simply playing a few [Personal Might] cards. But after they had used a total of seven, the living statue announced something entirely unexpected:
"You have successfully defeated every member of the troupe. The Ghost Circus has collapsed. Its collapse, however, has released something it was suppressing. Each of you must now play one card of your choice. I will then judge whether the released entity will have an effect."
Jenkins asked, his brow furrowed.
"You will find out only after the event has concluded."
"If I use [Basic Arcane Knowledge] right now, can I find out what it is?" Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs Novᴇl_Fire(.)net
Miss Silf, now familiar with the rules, asked, adding a clarification:
"I don't mean using the card to fight it, but just to identify it before we act."
"Apologies. [Basic Arcane Knowledge] is insufficient to identify this entity."
The living statue's refusal was swift.
Forced to act without any information, the two had to play their cards. With their hands nearly empty, they had few options. Ultimately, on Jenkins's suggestion, Miss Silf played another [Explorer] card, while Jenkins played his [Basic Arcane Knowledge].
"Even if the cards have the same description, our individual knowledge bases are different. I recently reviewed information on some extremely dangerous creatures. That knowledge might not be reflected on the card, but I possess it. If our opponent dares to pull any tricks at this stage, I'll make sure it learns the true weight of knowledge."
He delivered the words with an almost threatening tone.
The living statue nodded.
"Years of adventuring have broadened the female king's horizons. She does not know what was released and thus cannot stop it, but she recognizes it is neither a physical nor a spiritual entity. It seems to be pure malevolence. A chance encounter with lore has made the male king aware of certain terrifying creatures. Lacking detailed information, however, he cannot immediately identify it and is also unable to stop its release. He will be able to identify it on the next turn by playing another [Basic Arcane Knowledge] card."
Jenkins ignored the living statue, turning to his companion.
"The malevolence of humanity. The sin lurking in the depths of the heart. It's the festering pus formed from the very essence of human evil. It's utterly vile. I believe it's the [Pus of Man]."
He voiced his suspicion while glancing at the living statue, which remained completely motionless.
The event for the fourth season of the fourth year, [Birth of a Genius], was a direct consequence of the entity's release. It was an unsolvable event—at least, not in a single turn. It manifested as a sudden emergence of numerous geniuses from all walks of life within the kingdom over the course of a single season.
On the surface, this seemed beneficial to the kingdom's development, but they both knew it was a trap.
"By playing a second [Basic Arcane Knowledge] card, the male king has recalled what this is. It is the pus of human evil, the most despicable aspect of intelligent life. Its release will cause more souls to fester and more of this pus to flow. However, it will also increase the wisdom of the kingdom's populace, inspiring new lines of thought."
Combined with this year's surprise events—two [Steam] and one [Peasant Uprising]—brand-new kingdom influences and threats were formed. Thus, the fourth year's summary was rather interesting:
"The year-end summary for year four begins now. Influence Lost: [Faith - Church of the Earth]. Influence Gained: [Steam], [Steam], [High Nobility], [Kingdom of Wisdom]. Threats Gained: [Pus of Man], [Flower of Evil].
Evaluation: Though you could prevent nothing, you are still competent monarchs.
Through the marriage alliance, the male king has learned more about statecraft under the tutelage of the neighboring princess. Due to the [Kingdom of Wisdom], the female king has received a mysterious enlightenment."
The lost platinum card influence, [Faith - Church of the Earth], was a result of the [Pus of Man]'s appearance, which prompted the church to abandon the central kingdom. Both [Kingdom of Wisdom] and [Pus of Man] were consequences of the year's events. The former increased the kingdom's creativity and stability, while the latter was an unexplained time bomb.
The [Flower of Evil] threat emerged from the [Peasant Uprising] that followed the second season's [Season of Storms]. That event, combined with a third-season [Doomsday Theory] and whatever else the monarchs failed to identify, coalesced into this new menace.
Simply put, the incident had catalyzed the creation of a brand-new species in the central kingdom. This flower was impossible to eradicate and had a long-term, continuous influence on the populace, causing malevolent thoughts to fester among the common people and further feeding the [Pus of Man].