Card Apprentice Daily Log

Date- 13 April 2321

Time- 09:30

Location- Southern Region, Southern Capital, Prestige Four Seasons

“Brave citizens of the Southern capital, I am the Keeper of the Golden Gate… Please, do not panic and cooperate.” 

The voice of the Keeper of the Golden Gate resounded throughout the Southern capital City as he repeatedly announced the activation of the Golden Gate three times. 

While asking the citizens to maintain order and cooperate with the Golden Gate effect since the city will soon be under the attack of dark forces. 

…

“Prof Orian, the Southern Emperor is activating the Golden Gate Custer array formation of the Southern capital city fifteen minutes before our interview with the boy. This could only mean one thing, that they are onto us. I don’t know how but my instincts are telling me that the Southern Royal family knows that the interview is only a guise used by us to seduce the boy out of the royal palace grounds,” Prof Hadley informed his speculations to Sansa who was looking towards the Royal Palace grounds through the penthouse window. 

“So,” Sansa asked Prof Hadley nonchalantly, intently staring at the Royal palace grounds unable to decide whether to kill the boy or make use of his genius to build her empire. 

Sansa could care less what Prof Hadley’s instinct told him. In her mind, she had already won. No matter what the Southern Royal family or the Central government do, today she was taking the boy with her dead or brainwashed. 

Sansa’s hate for Ellen and her bloodline had proven to be her undoing so far but she doesn’t seem to realize that. But for the first time, Sansa had a thought with regard to Ellen’s progeny that did not stem from hate but from acknowledgment. 

Sansa had acknowledged the boy and believed he might be her key to world domination. Despite understanding this, Sansa’s hate for Ellen was making it difficult for her to make the obvious choice and lean toward the choice which could only be described as self-sabotage. 

“So?” receiving such a casual reply from Sansa Prof Hadley was dumbfounded. 

Having read the history of the Southern region, Prof Hadley understood the seriousness of the Southern Royal family activating the Golden Gate. He knew that it was considered the best defense of the Southern Capital and the classified documents in the Morningstar University had the accurate information of what Golden Gate was capable of. 

So Prof Hadley knew that once the Golden Gate was fully activated it would be too late for them to retreat. The Southern Capital would become their prison and they would completely be under the mercy of the Southern Royal family. 

“Prof Orian, we need to leave the city right now. Once the Golden Gate activates completely we will be trapped in the city,” Prof Hadley explained the seriousness of the situation to Sansa. 

Prof Hadley was a researcher, not a warrior. He operated on data not bravery, for someone like him the current situation was where they should be retreating instead of proceeding with the plan. 

“No, proceed with the plan as we decided earlier, this changes nothing,” Sansa ordered Prof Hadley to continue with their plan without any deviation, not bothering to give him any further explanation.

‘Fuck!’ Prof Hadley cussed in his mind hearing Sansa ask him to continue with the plan as they previously decided despite a variable like the Golden Gate coming to light. 

“Yes, I will inform our teams and our contact person in the central government’s teams,” Prof Hadley had no choice but to obediently follow Sansa’s orders as she was in charge of this mission. 

Morningstar University had invested a lot in this mission, so going back empty-handed was not an option. However, Prof Hadley felt that as long as he got to keep his life it was all good. 

“No, don’t, I will inform them. You go and make sure that the Exlor hall is prepared for the interview,” Sansa said, having decided what to do with the boy once she captures him. 

A few minutes later, watching the buildings and the streets of the city come to life and make a straight path connecting Prestige Four Seasons and the Royal Palace grounds while two hundred and fifty 120-meter tall turrets erect on the city grounds, Prof Hadley sighed as now it was too late for them to retreat now they were at the mercy of the Southern royal family. 

Prof Hadley had decided to do whatever it takes to survive, even betray Morningstar University and defect to the enemy side, the Heatsend royal family. 

As a researcher at one of the top ten universities Prof Hadley was aware of his value and knew that the Southern region would not only welcome him with open arms to join them but also give him land in the Southern Academic city along with sufficient funds to start his university or a research facility. 

Prof Hadley was so sure that the Southern Royal family would welcome him to their side after he just betrayed his previous employer because he had a gift prepared for the Southern Royal family. 

Sansa watched as the entire Southern Capital came to life and the 250 turrets rose from the ground, this did not come as a surprise to her, as someone who was planning for world domination knowing her enemy was the basic step and something like this was just another regular Friday for her. 

While Sansa watched the city alter to create an unhindered path between the Prestige Four Seasons and the royal palace ground, besides her an empty beast was hiding in the empty space and watching the fascinating scene unfold. This empty beast was none other than code name Flower Thief, a new member of the infamous paw clan. 

…

Date- 13 April 2321

Time- 09:40

Location- Southern Region, Southern Capital, Outskirts

“Captain, things are not looking good. The Southern Emperor didn’t just use the Golden Gate to evacuate the citizens but also erect 250 turrets. And I have sensed about three teams of demigods searching the city for spies. At this rate, we can only assume there are more teams of demigods in hiding. It seems that the Heatsend royal family has not only seen through the Morningstar universities trap but they seem to be aware of our involvement. It seems over plans to ambush them is a no-go,” a demigod in Arnas Johns’ team reported. 

“It’s okay, it does matter how many demigods and turrets the Southern Royal family has at their disposal the result of today’s missions has already been decided. Just make sure we get to the boy before Morningstar University. If they think that the central government would just hand them the knowledge to create another VR-Universe then they have another thing coming,” Arnas said, hearing the report of her demigod subordinate. Her master had informed her of Jill’s betrayal already.

From her words, it was clear that Arnas was not considering the Southern royal family’s demigod teams and its Golden Gate cluster array formation as a threat to their mission.

Rather Arnas seemed to be more concerned about the forces of Morningstar University taking advantage of the situation when they were fighting the forces of the Southern Royal family. 

Arnas’s words had made it clear that the central government never once considered upholding their end of the deal with Morningstar University. 

“What’s the situation around the dual gate dungeons’ end?” Arnas asked her demigod subordinate. 

“It’s the same, there is no change at that end. Field Marshal Headsend is guarding the gate connecting the dual gate dungeon to the Southern region,” the Arnas’s subordinate answered with a frown. 

Arnas’s team seemed to be more worried about Field Marshal Heatsend than the demigods and 250 turrets in the Southern capital. 

“Fuck, that woman hasn’t moved an inch since I last saw her,” another demigod teammate cussed. 

“This is not good, we have to think of a way to get her away from the gate of the dual gate dungeon so Aba can enter the dungeon and destroy it from within,” Arnas ordered her teammates. 

“Captain, we can try baiting her away from the gate of the dual gate dungeon by leaking our soul energy, hopefully, she will take the bait. As per her current actions, she doesn’t leave her post and just mercilessly destroys everything and anything that enters her attack range. So I don’t think there are high chances to this method succeeding,” another demigod in the team pitched a plan to use himself as bait to lure Field Marshal Heatsend away from the gate of dual gate dungeon but he wasn’t confident about his plan working.

“Um… we can give it a try, as long as we distract her for a second we will be able to achieve our goal here,” Arnas decided to go with the plan pitched by her demigod teammate.