Miracle Card Shop: All My Cards Can Be Actualize

— Astral Building —

In the exclusive Intelligence Department floor, Albert sat in his private office, listening intently to a report from the shadow morph he had dispatched to gather information on Juan Carlos and his associates. He focused on the swirling mist orb before him, the source of the shadow morph's voice.

A cunning smirk spread across Albert's face as he absorbed the report's details, particularly the conversation between Mr. Li, the Qing Empire diplomat, and Juan Carlos de Almeida, the Supreme Ruler of the Seraphine Isles. The smirk grew into a wide grin as he listened, resembling a child hearing increasingly impressive specifications about a coveted toy. This was right up his alley.

"Very interesting, very interesting indeed," Albert remarked, "Good work. Now return to your station until further notice."

"Yes, my lord," the shadow morph's distorted voice replied. The swirling mist orb then dispersed, vanishing into thin air.

After hearing the report, Albert contemplated how to best use this information to benefit both his lord and himself. Knowing his lord preferred a life of leisure with his wives over dealing with the troubles others people caused for him. Thinking of this, Albert resolved to handle those troublemakers in the most advantageous and profitable way possible.

"Hmm... two can play this game… Mr. diplomat, two can play this game." Albert uttered as he has a rough plan in mind to deal with this, the problem is that how to maximize the profit, but first he must give his lord a notice about what happened and see if his lord will let him deal with this or not.

While Albert contemplated his next move, his phone rang. He quickly answered, recognizing his lord's number.

"Yes, my lord?" Albert answered.

"Come meet me at my house," Daniel's voice commanded from the other end. "I need your advice on something."

"Yes, my lord. I'll be there shortly," Albert replied with his heavy British accent before ending the call.

After hanging up, Albert placed his phone on the table, his face etched with reluctance. He fell silent, his expression shifting between hesitation and solemn acceptance, like a condemned man facing his fate.

*Sigh* Albert released a long, resigned sigh, accepting his fate. He stood, pocketed his phone, and left his office.

— Daniel House —

At Daniel's house atop the Astral Corp building, his new home was designed with warmth and coziness in mind rather than luxurious decorations or noble airs adorned with gold and bronze. It was the home he had dreamt of—a modest, cozy space—despite his wealth being enough to disrupt the entire world economy.

Daniel was in the kitchen with Envy, preparing a beef and barley stew. Koyuki was still absent, having gone to greet her mother and great-grandfather at the teleportation gate. Michaela was occupied tutoring little Sylvana with her homework.

The doorbell rang, prompting Envy to answer it, as Daniel was still busy with the stew.

Upon opening the door and seeing the visitor, Envy's eyes sharpened, and her mana pathways surged to life. She instantly transformed into her war form, demonic leather dress and blood tattoos materializing on her body.

This was the form she reserved for formidable foes, preparing for the possibility of close combat. Simultaneously, the house's protective shield activated, safeguarding those inside and muffling external sounds to avoid disturbing little Sylvana.

The visitor was none other than Albert, standing politely with his cane, dressed in a neat, luxurious suit.

"Good evening, Lady Envy," Albert greeted politely in his strong British accent. "May I inquire if Lord Emberweave is in the house?" he asked, his smile unwavering.

"Why do you want to meet him?" Envy inquired, still wary of Albert.

"Lady Envy, Lord Emberweave called me here. You may not be aware, but I serve him as a subordinate. I don't expect you to forget or forgive my past offenses against the Hightower, but please tolerate me enough to allow me to work for his lordship," Albert explained.

"Did he resurrect you?" Envy questioned.

"Yes, Lady Envy, he did," Albert confirmed.

"Impossible," Envy retorted. "When you died, I sealed your soul and hid the seal box. I'm the only one who knows its location."

"Then, Lady Envy," Albert replied with a hint of pride, "you didn't do a good enough job to prevent his lordship from resurrecting me."

"You seem proud... Why is that?" Envy pressed. "Don't tell me you've resolved to redeem yourself by working for Danny? Have you truly forgotten your ambition?"

Albert chuckled. "Ufufufu, Lady Envy. I'm sorry to break it to you, but Lord Emberweave is far more powerful than you think. I don't remember much about my resurrection, but I'm certain Lord Emberweave never touched your seal. He simply has his methods, and some power is strong enough to break your seal without even touching it. He wasn't even aware of its existence, Lady Envy.

So, faced with such immense power as Lord Emberweave's, serving him wholeheartedly is the best way for me to have a chance to reach and witness the Record. My pride is insignificant in the face of his lordship's power. I can easily swallow it and serve him," Albert concluded.

"Are you suggesting that Danny is powerful enough to potentially reach the Record?" Envy asked, appearing slightly shaken by Albert's statement.

"Absolutely," Albert replied with certainty.

Envy fell silent. From what she knew of Albert, he was a proud man who wouldn't serve anyone, even at the cost of his own life. He was only content at the very top.

That was why Albert had founded the Guilds, an alliance of mage guilds intended to balance power against the Hightower. He had established them during the Renaissance era, and their conflicts had filled many a history book.

Their feud ended only after World War I, where Envy had killed Albert for instigating the war and sowing the seeds for World War II by exploiting the greed of mages and ordinary humans.

That seed was the prototype Oracle artifact Albert had commissioned the Beaumonts to create. Fortunately, Albert died before making the final payment, leaving the unfinished artifact to gather dust in an art school, where it was later discovered by Hitler.

World War II began years later, with Germany initially seeming nearly invincible.

After reminiscing about Albert's past, Envy studied him for a few moments before dismissing her war form and returning to her casual attire. She dispelled the shield and returned to the kitchen.

Upon entering, she saw Daniel armed with a gun, a golem stirring the stew in his place. The moment Envy's mana flared, Daniel had sensed it and immediately materialized a utility golem to take over cooking while he prepared a weapon.

The encounter with Albert and their conversation had taken less than a minute, and Daniel had detected no hostility from the otherside. Trusting Envy's strength, he had prepared himself to investigate but was relieved to see her return.

"Mr. Worseley has arrived," she informed her beloved.

"Oh! He's here? Thank you, Envy," Daniel replied, tucking his gun into his coat. He was about to greet Albert but was stopped by Envy.

"Don't trust that guy too much, alright?" Envy cautioned, her voice filled with worry, but she ultimately chose to trust Daniel's judgment.

"Huh? Why? Is something wrong?" Daniel asked, confused by her demeanor.

"It's nothing... Just be careful, that's all I ask," Envy reassured him with a smile, giving him a peck on the cheek before shooing the golem aside. She took over the ladle and continued stirring and tasting the stew.

Daniel shrugged and went to greet Albert. Unbeknownst to him, Envy had placed a tracking spell on him with her touch, along with a protective spell on his cheek where she had kissed him. These were her precautions, without which she would not have allowed Daniel to meet Albert alone.

At the front door, Daniel met Albert and inquired curiously, "Did you have a problem with her?" He gestured towards the house, referring to Envy.

"Ah... Before I died... there was a bit of a conflict between Lady Envy and myself, my lord," Albert replied, bowing subserviently. "But you needn't worry. It's all in the past."

Daniel studied Albert for a moment, then filed the incident away in the back of his mind.

"Mr. Worseley," he began, "if you were to build your Whispering Hall headquarters on this island, where would you choose?"

Albert thought for a moment before answering, "Ideally, it would be within a large slum, where the houses and infrastructure would completely conceal the Whispering Hall. However, given that you don't want slums in your city, it would be best to find a location with numerous alleys or a maze-like entrance."

"Alright… let's head to the old Colonial House district then," Daniel said with a teasing smile. "That place is the most maze-like area in the city, built and expanded haphazardly without any regard for city planning or basic infrastructure. Only some elderly folks still live there, and I've even heard rumors of haunted houses." Even with the tease, what Daniel said is the truth.

"Perfect, my lord," Albert replied.