Card Apprentice Daily Log

Chapter 3030: Snow Goblin Empyrean

Date: Unspecified

Time: Unspecified

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

“Kid, survival has brought together even natural predators and prey, let alone races like ours,” the old goblin said with a weary shake of his head. “Why don’t you surrender, return the Froslings, and make things easier on yourself?”

Before I could respond, Hive Spirit relayed Sansa’s report. The old goblin before me wasn’t just any Ruler-class Snow Goblin. He was the Snow Goblin Empyrean.

He was the reason why the Snow Elven Crown Prince had never launched a full-scale invasion of the Snow Goblin territory despite the millennia of hostility between their races. Instead, he had devoted his attention to Winter Valley and the Froslings. That was to say the old goblin was on par with the Snow Elven Crown Prince.

Also, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to say that, if not for the existence of the Crown Prince, the Snow Elves would have become the Snow Goblins’ slaves for the first time in the Dark Realm’s history. Had that happened, the Snow Elven race would have inevitably gone extinct. After all, no matter who they bred with, Snow Goblins always gave birth to Snow Goblins, never hybrids, and certainly never members of another race. In time, the new generation will be completely Snow Goblins.

However, to compensate for their high breeding capability, they had a low life span, even lower than humans. Therefore, even though the Snow Goblin Empyrean appeared older and earning death, actually he was way younger than the snow elven Crown Prince.

Sansa’s report continued.

Since the Outlander Mercenary Group hadn’t reported the deaths of its leaders, the Snow Elves had naturally concluded that both the mercenaries and I had survived the Crown Prince’s ambush and were making our way back.

Driven into a corner, the Crown Prince had sought assistance from the Snow Goblins.

Or rather…

The Snow Goblin Empyrean, who had been secretly observing the entire battle from afar, had seized the opportunity and approached the Crown Prince first. His asking price was steep. Twenty percent ownership of the entire Frosling population and a Will Fragment of the Frosell Realm.

The Crown Prince had agreed without hesitation. Of course, that agreement was little more than an empty promise. I already knew he no longer possessed a single Will Fragment of the Frosell Realm. One had been given to the Snow Elven Elder. The other had been entrusted to his clone… The very clone I had already killed.

In other words, unless the Crown Prince somehow intended to obtain another fragment… He had just sold something he no longer possessed.

Also, the Froslings were also exceptionally valuable breeding partners for the Snow Goblins. While every union between a Snow Goblin and a Frosling would still produce a pure Snow Goblin, there was roughly a one percent chance that the child would inherit the Frosell Blessing.

One percent sounded insignificant. To the Snow Goblins, however, it was more than enough. Given their immense population, even a one percent success rate would steadily introduce another high-level blessing into their bloodline over successive generations. That alone made the Froslings worth fighting over.

As I’d already observed, the Snow Goblin Empyrean was nearing the end of his lifespan. His aura remained imposing, but it carried the unmistakable decay of old age. The real problem wasn’t his impending death. It was what came after. The Snow Goblins currently lacked a worthy heir to be the next Empyrean, or even enough Ruler-class powerhouses, to deter the Snow Elven Crown Prince. That was why the old goblin had come personally.

He wasn’t merely bargaining for the Froslings. He was gathering every possible resource to cultivate a worthy successor before his time finally ran out. Otherwise… History would repeat itself.

Once again, the Snow Goblins would fall beneath Snow Elven rule, just as they had several times throughout their long history. Ironically, despite those repeated wars and centuries of mutual hatred, the Snow Elves had never sought to exterminate the Snow Goblins entirely.

It wasn’t out of mercy. Nor had they failed to recognize the potential threat posed by the Goblins’ astonishing reproductive ability. Rather, the Snow Elves had come to view the Snow Goblins as an indispensable part of the Gelid Alps’ ecosystem. A dangerous neighbor, a perpetual rival, but one whose existence ultimately benefited the balance of the region more than its complete extinction ever could.

“You do realize the Crown Prince doesn’t have a single Frosell Realm Will Fragment left to give you, don’t you?” I said calmly. “The Snow Elves possessed only three fragments in total. One was entrusted to the Crown Prince. One was given to the Elder standing beside you. And the last was handed to his clone, the very one he used to deceive his own people by posing as the real Crown Prince.”

Before I could finish speaking… Boom!

An overwhelming surge of soul force erupted from the Snow Goblin Empyrean. It crashed into the leading Crown Prince clone before anyone could react. Hairline fractures instantly spread across the clone’s body as the crushing pressure threatened to tear it apart.

“Wait…” the clone struggled to speak.

“Don’t you dare lie to me again!” the old goblin roared, his fury shaking the battlefield. “One more lie and I won’t hesitate to join forces with the Curse Master to hunt you down. Believe me, that will be far easier than cultivating another worthy heir from scratch.”

The clone grit his teeth under the crushing pressure before finally forcing out an explanation. “I… intended… to replace the Will Fragment… with a block of Tarnished Glacier of the Black Sea…”

As those words left his mouth, the disguise concealing his body unraveled. The flawless Snow Elven flesh dissolved like melting frost, revealing the dark, crystalline body beneath. The Crown Prince clone standing before everyone wasn’t flesh and blood at all. He was a clone sculpted from a Tarnished Glacier of the Black Sea.

“I want two blocks, one for the will fragment and another as punishment for lying to me. As compensation, I also want another five percent of the Forsling population,” the old goblin said. Upon noticing the clone node, he withdrew his soul energy.

Then, turning to me, he added, “Thank you. Ever since I met you, you’ve brought me joy and one opportunity after another. That’s why I feel guilty for doing this, Frost Domain, The End!”