Card Apprentice Daily Log

Chapter 2977: Gelid Alps, Snow Elven Region, Forsell District, Frosnow City

Date: Unspecified

Time: Unspecified

Location: Myriad Realms, Dark Realm, Gelid Alps, Snow Elven Region, Forsell District, Frosnow City

“Welcome to Frosnow City, Master Crafter,” Moon Fright greeted warmly, bowing her head as she and her elders received Sansa, Karl, and me at the city hall.

We had teleported straight to the Dark Realm after completing our preparation for the upcoming task back in the Lil’ Red Storm Realm.

Dalie had desperately wanted to tag along using a substitute body, but I had strictly forbidden it. The Celestial Will of the Dark Realm would have flagged her the microsecond she crossed over. It was one thing for a few powerful non-natives and non-merchants like Sansa and Karl to slip in with help of devil merchant code, but a literal, full-fledged Celestial? That would have tripped every single alarm of the dark realm. Not planning to become public enemy number one of the entire Dark Realm the moment we stepped foot inside, I had to firmly insist she stay behind.

Because I had officially bought the rights to the Lil’ Red Storm Realm, I was able to exploit the Devil Merchant Code’s premium teleportation function. It allowed me to bypass standard restrictions and pull both Sansa and Karl directly into the Frosnow city hall with me, even though neither of them were registered Devil Merchants.

It was a massive privilege that came with owning the rights to a realm, the very same mechanic Dark Factions utilized to drop entire armies into a target realm to conquer it, plunder it, and destroy it overnight.

Moon Fright stepped aside, gesturing toward a heavily reinforced, private meeting chamber. The tension in the air among the Frosling elders was growing with every passing second. They knew the risks when they arranged for this meeting.

“Everything is prepared as you requested, Master Crafter,” Moon Fright whispered, her eyes shifting warily to the towering, imposing figures of Karl and Sansa standing guard behind me.

Seeing how Moon Fright didn’t even bother to introduce the Frosling elders receiving us alongside her, I guessed they weren’t the true decision-makers tonight. Still, their presence alone proved they were highly influential figures within the community. They were the background weight needed to ensure whatever happened here tonight would carry over to the rest of the population.

The moment we crossed the threshold into the main meeting hall, the atmosphere shifted drastically. A massive oval table dominated the center of the room. Seated tightly around it were the heads of every single tribe within the Frosling race, with their chieftain positioned formidably at the head.

With the cold, unblinking stares they threw our way, it didn’t feel like we were attending a standard diplomatic negotiation. It felt like we were being put on trial.

However, the second the heavy, reinforced doors thudded shut behind us, the illusion shattered.

The Froslings seated around the oval table immediately scrambled off their asses, dropping their hostile posturing in an instant. They bowed in perfect, sweeping unison.

“Welcome, Master Crafter.”

“Master Crafter, please forgive the theater from earlier. It was entirely for the masses,” the Chieftain explained, abandoning his seat at the head of the table to hurry over to my side. He repeatedly bowed to me in deep apology, his previous stoic demeanor from earlier was completely replaced by anxious deference.

I gave him a brief hand signal to stop, letting him off the hook. I understood exactly what was going on here. In a city crawling with Snow Elf eyes and ears, maintaining a public facade of trial-like hostility toward outsiders was the only way to keep suspicion at bay until the trap was ready to spring.

Also, all of this was happening too fast. They couldn’t exactly explain to their people why their leaders were bowing to an outsider. Were they really earning their freedom, or were they just switching masters?

This was a nuanced, terrifying reality to explain to an entire population while simultaneously keeping their mortal enemies from overhearing a single word. And quite frankly, we simply had no time for public debates.

“Don’t worry, I get it,” I said, calming the anxious Chieftain.

I understood the dynamic perfectly. Only the high-ranking leaders in this room knew the true weight of what they were signing up for. Their tribesmen on the outside only knew that their leaders were planning something massive, and that true freedom was finally within their grasp.

In reality, it was more like they were switching to a new master. Only, this new master was willing to treat them like actual citizens rather than expendable cattle. The Forsilk method—the noble-class title demon core forging technique I had personally tailored for them—was living proof of that better future.

There simply was no alternative for them. In a brutal realm where the strong preyed on the weak, true absolute freedom was a myth until you became one of the strongest entities on the board. Until then, you bought your survival by seeking out a powerful backer. The leaders around this table understood that harsh law, and their people would too but can’t help but dream better for their future, their children.

“Let’s bypass the pleasantries,” I announced, taking off the mask I was wearing and walking toward the table as Karl and Sansa flanked the entryway behind me.

“Moon Fright has already informed me why you guys are in such a massive hurry. However, before we proceed, I need to know you fully understand my terms. I am just as vengeful as I am generous. If you don’t believe me, you can ask those two,” I said, casually taking the seat at the head of the oval table, pointing at Sansa and Karl.

None of the tribal heads or the Chieftain dared to voice a single objection. They didn’t even try to stop me from taking the seat of honor; instead, they all just nodded their heads vigorously to my words, their faces tight with a mix of awe and anxiety.

I was confident that if I chose to squeeze them and make a few more heavy demands right now, they would agree without hesitation. Why? Because every single Frosling present in this room was currently emitting a dense, radiating noble-class energy signature. It was starkly apparent that they had all eagerly used the Frosilk method I had tailored for them. Utilizing the massive backlog of their accumulated potential, they had easily broken through the bottleneck into the noble-class, with some already ascending multiple minor realms within it.

The most critical part of this dynamic, however, was what I had left out. They all knew, deep down, that the Frosilk method could easily be upgraded into a full, Ruler-class titled demon core forging method—if I hadn’t intentionally limited it.

It was the perfect, golden bait I had thrown out for them. It was also the exact reason I was absolutely confident that there would be no negotiations, they would follow my master plan tonight without a single argument. They needed that missing piece of the puzzle to secure their race’s long-term future, and I was the only one who knew what the piece of the puzzle was. This was their golden opportunity, they didn’t dare to screw it for themselves or their people.