Card Apprentice Daily Log

Chapter 2562: Wyatt’s Heralds

Date: Unspecified

Time: Unspecified

Location: Myriad Realms, Card World, Central Region, Central Academic City, Morningstar University District, Morningstar University Campus, Garden of Beginning, Time Vestige, Morningstar University 2nd Campus

"I did exaggerate the time frame a bit, but I didn’t lie," Lucine said in her defense before quickly steering the conversation my way. "How was your seclusion? How far did you get with the space-rule?"

"I was lucky enough to grasp space-rule and raise the level of my first space-rule meaning to ultimate master," I replied honestly. I didn’t care whether Lucine believed me or thought I was boasting. "I was planning to come out to apply it and to upgrade the space-rule rune I created from that meaning. So, it’s good we’re already back in our present."

I didn’t blame Lucine for anything. Everyone has their own thoughts and plans. As long as they weren’t harming me or getting in the way of mine, there was no reason to clash over every minor disagreement. Otherwise, I’d end up fighting the entire myriad realms.

"I see you’re thinking ahead and not rushing to upgrade your rune to ultimate-tier the moment you reach ultimate mastery in the rule-meaning used to forge it. I’m guessing you’re planning to use that rune as the base to forge a hybrid rune?" Lucine asked, taking an interest in my practice like an elder guiding their junior.

She pretended to ignore the fact that I had not only begun comprehending the space rule, but had also reached super ‌rare mastery in it by raising my first space-rule meaning to ultimate mastery in just about thirty-six hours. Even though she kept her voice calm, the storm that revelation caused in her was clear in her eyes.

"Yes, I am," I said with a nod. "I want to apply it first and see which direction feels right for developing it further. Hopefully, in the future i’ll be able to forge a rune that’s compatible with this one and successfully create a hybrid rune." I explained my plans as the two of us walked out of the time vestige together.

"Good luck, but don’t rush it. Take your time. It will come naturally sooner or later," Lucine said, wishing me luck. She knew better than most that not every card apprentice was lucky enough to comprehend compatible rule meanings to create hybrid runes. We could make all the plans we wanted, but nature always had its own plans. And the worst thing anyone could do at a time like that was try to fight the storm. That would just be foolish.

But in my case, I was the storm. Unlike other card apprentices who had no choice but to gamble at the rule bifurcation point inside the realm’s womb, I wasn’t bound by that uncertainty. By comprehending rules directly from the rule source, I didn’t need to wager my future on chance. I could simply choose from the rule meanings I had already uncovered. So I wasn’t worried—in fact, I was certain that I would eventually succeed in forging a hybrid rune.

I already had a set of compatible rule meanings among the rule meanings I had comprehended to forge hybrid runes: Blood Fate Plunder, Blood Curse, and Blood Plague. With my ultimate mastery over each of them, I had learned that they were naturally compatible with each other in their own way. I was confident I could forge at least three different hybrid runes using those meanings. If I did, it would give me a massive advantage when it came time to fuse those three blood-rule meanings and form a blood-rule stream.

I just needed to make the time for it.

*Sigh*

I couldn’t help but let out a long sigh, struck by the irony of my situation. I was standing inside the Time Vestige, a place overflowing with time—yet somehow, I still didn’t have enough of it. I couldn’t fully take advantage of the Vestige’s abilities because I had too many matters waiting for me in the Card World, Lil’ Red Storm, and the Dark Realm.

Sure, a day in here barely amounted to an hour outside, but staying inside meant cutting myself off from the outside world entirely. And that was a problem. I didn’t want another incident like the one with the Freedom Fighters. They had reached out to me for help, and I could have taken them under me for free. But I was too busy to respond, and the Southern Princess seized the opportunity—handing them over to me as compensation for meddling in my relationship with Anna.

In the end, I dragged myself into a fight for a seat on the Time Vestige council with the Southern Princess, when I could have given that seat to Anna, a friend, or even a bloodkin if things had unfolded properly.

I had too much going on across three realms. If I was absent for long, everything I’d planned and worked for could fall apart. The root of all these problems was simple: I was trying to handle everything myself, when what I should be doing was focusing on what I need and want to do. And to do that, I had to offload some of the work.

I’d already done it before—handing inter-realm commerce over to Susan, Clown Mask, and their team; Fine Gold to Diana, Cindy, and theirs; the Freedom Fighters to Dalia, Joy, and the others. I needed to push more of the workload outward. But the issue was that there was no one left who was both capable and trustworthy enough to take on the rest of my responsibilities.

I had more than a thousand perfect clones, yet not a single one of them was suited to shoulder even a fraction of what remained. For now, they were only good for learning and combat, not the responsibilities I needed handled. And speaking of that, what I truly needed at this moment were capable, trustworthy people who could serve as my representatives in the Card World and the Dark Realm.