Location: Myriad Realms, Card World, Southern Way Beyond, SSS-rank Titan Forest Field Dungeon.
"Kiren, is it? I don’t think you don’t understand what’s happening here. We’re not negotiating with you, we’re ordering you to choose between the two choices. You better hurry and choose, or we will assume you have chosen the second choice," Lois aggressively clarified to Kiren and her group mates, seeing that they were underestimating her master because of his age and realm. Treating him like some second-generation rich, pampered card apprentice.
Listening to Lois’s tone, Kiren wasn’t offended. She was used to handling aggressive people, especially with her husband’s special condition. Therefore, she remained patient and with a gentle smile she introduced herself, "Yes, I am Kiren John. And you are?"
"I am Calamity Eye, the dagger of Southern Hope," Lois proudly announced, causing Kiren and her group to look at her oddly. But they had met enough quirky and flamboyant demigods to ignore what they just heard.
"I am Ogry Ollie, the side piece of Kiren John," Ollie proudly announced, ignoring the disgusted look of everyone in his group but Cam eyed his wife’s self-proclaimed side piece head to toe before nodding in agreement, "You know what? Now that you pointed it out, I get why you look like an elderly, malnourished, perverted loon with multiple STDs despite being a demigod. I have to say, orgy life-style hasn’t been kind to you."
"Don’t worry, I am clean now. If you have any doubts, I suggest you get yourself tested," Ollie didn’t argue or deny, just built on what his friend said.
"Why should I get tested if you have — Motherfucker, I am going to kill you," Cam asked in confusion but midway through his sentence, having figured out what Ollie was implying, the Cannibal Cam surfaced.
"Cannibal Cam, in the dungeon, people!" Christina Chase called out aloud, as if she were a crazy fangirl of his. But to my surprise, I saw Cannibal Cam, who was about to attack Ollie, stop and begin to build his rage. I couldn’t help but wonder if this was an ability of the Western princess, some kind of control-type skill card.
"Damn girl! That was loud," Kiren complained, and the princess apologized, "Sorry, I got excited."
"Enough of this, Celestial Blood—" Having had enough of the Western princess and her group of misfits, I prepared to recruit them into my criminal rehabilitation and reintegration program only to feel the overwhelming gaze I felt back in the Fine Gold’s Southern Capital branch.
It was the Card World’s Will, Card Celestial, reminding me of its boon: the string of rule power that melted into mine, Calamity Eyes, and Clown Mask’s souls. I called it a boon, but it was more like a mandate. But I stuck with boon because it could have been a lot worse considering I was completely exposed and totally helpless against the Card Celestial’s means.
I have seen the Deviant Devil Mamas fight a Blood Rule Slave Celestial and even defeat it, but having experienced the means of the Card Celestial firsthand, I felt like Devil Prince Mamas was a joke compared to the Card Celestial.
However, what shocked me the most was the means of the Librarian. DreDre was asleep in my hair, yet the Card Celestial who could strip my soul out of the calamity gem made from the world calamity seed, also known as nemesis of celestials, like it was nothing, didn’t seem to notice the Pixie atop of my head.
I don’t know what Librarian had done to the Pixies, but it appeared as if the Card Celestial was oblivious of DreDre’s existence in its own Domain. DreDre was a Pixie, the sole obsession of the celestials, yet Card Celestial failed to notice one right in front of it. This was just crazy. I wasn’t able to fathom the extent of Librarian’s power.
Realizing this, I now knew why Librarian Jr confidently gave away DreDre to me as a personal guide. I got a headache thinking of the favor I owed him. Hopefully, he won’t cash it anytime soon.
Back to the matter at hand, the Card Celestial’s boon.
Card Celestial’s boon to Clown Mask: She received an enlightenment on how to hide her ’Eye of Fortune’ from the tracking & peeking of the ’Eye of Prosperity’ and, if she ever managed to get it back, how to fuse ’Eye of Prosperity’ and ’Eye of Fortune’ to create flawless Tao Eyes.
Card Celestial’s boon to Calamity Eyes: Her physique ’Right Eye of the Card World’ was upgraded to Deliberation Eyes, enhancing its ability to communicate with the Card Celestial and help annual contracts made with Card World’s Will as witness. Now she could judge all the contracts made with the Card World’s Will as witness without involving the Card Celestial.
Lois could now actively force the parties involved to uphold their side of the contract or hold them in contempt for not upholding it, or even annul the contracts herself as long as the reason behind her verdict was justifiable. Basically, she was the judge, jury, and executioner on everything related to contracts made with the Card World’s Will as witness. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵✦𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮✦𝓷𝓮𝓽
Card Celestial’s boon to me: It offered me two of its eyes, the Tao Eye and the Deliberation Eye, basically Clown Mask and Lois, with two options to help me go further in my celestial hood,
I could use the two eyes to step further in my celestial hood by becoming the ’True Son of the Card World,’ a vassal celestial of the Card Celestial. Then, rule over the Card World as its representative.
I could borrow the two eyes for inspiration and create my own Tao Eyes and Deliberation Eyes to step further in my celestial hood on my own and return the two eyes when I no longer need them. But this came with conditions: I ally with the Card Celestial if I ever manage to become a true celestial. And I stop stealing its favored ones, like I did with Lois and Clown Mask. I could kill them but not take them.
It was because of such generosity and consideration shown by the Card Celestial I didn’t call it the celestial mandate but the celestial boon. It also made one thing clear to me: the Card Celestial had no malice against me. It had chosen mutual growth over any of the stupid options out there.
The situation was a classic corporate dilemma. When a company’s star employee outgrows his role, they don’t resort to devious plots like in a TV show. Instead, they make a pragmatic choice: either offer him more shares and a higher salary to retain him, or invest with good faith in his next venture to profit from his success.
The Card Celestial was doing exactly the same thing, protecting its interest from all angles.