Miracle Card Shop: All My Cards Can Be Actualize

After that, Loki brings his son back to rest at the Syndicate Union, then tries to get Daniel to have a drink with him as Loki is in a mood to celebrate. This is the first time that Loki wanted to party hard like this after the war of Ragnarok.

On the other hand, Hephaestus had prepared the contract for Daniel and Loki to sign; this contract is soul-bound.

"Here are the contracts for the agreement between you and Loki, Lord Emberweave," Hephaestus said with a kind smile as he gave the contract to both Loki and Daniel. The contract has three copies, which Daniel and Loki have and will be kept by Hephaestus as a witness.

Daniel and Loki took the contract and read it; Daniel didn't find anything out of place there; he also used his mindscape to observe the contract and found nothing strange or foul play within it. Until… He read the conditions for confirming the contract.

The contract needs his blood to confirm it, not signing. Daniel looks at Loki but seeing that Loki doesn't seem concerned about it. Daniel then glances at Hephaestus and quickly averted his gaze before Hephaestus catches on.

From his knowledge, using blood to bind the contract is something few would do; the contract using blood is often the contract that needs to be forced on, and it is usually vital. For example, in a contract that maintains peace between mage families, blood is a currency and a very sacred one. On the other hand, blood represents the gateway to open beings, such as the soul and the identity of the blood owner.

By using blood, the contract and the connection to the contract become stronger than the usual contract using only a name sign. The enforcing effect can not be easily removed… no it will be nearly impossible to remove. That's why very few choose to use this method in enforcing the contract, as most don't know about the future or whether something will change.

With all of this in mind, coupling with Hephaestus was a stranger to Daniel until just a few hours ago. He wasn't willing to take the risk. Daniel took the contract and burned it, then smiled at Loki. "It's okay; I don't think we need the contract. I trust you, Mr. Loki."

Loki tilted his head in amusement. "This is new. You… trusting… a god of deceit… like me? This must be a new joke around here," he said, chuckling at Daniel's remark.

"To be specific," Daniel emphasized, "I trust the integrity of the leader of the Syndicate Union, not the god of deceit. I trust that, as the leader of the Syndicate Union, you wouldn't go back on your word regarding all the promises you've made."

"Then… What if I do go back on my word? What are you going to do?" Loki asked, testing the waters.

Hearing this, Daniel chuckled. "Nothing, Mr. Loki. I can do nothing if you choose not to honor your promise. I just need to be stricter with myself in trusting someone. It will also show me how much you're really worth… including the credibility of the Syndicate Union as a whole."

Loki scoffed at this. "Are you trying to gaslight me, Mr. Emberweave?"

"Why would I need to do that, Mr. Loki? You asked me, and I simply gave you a fact." Daniel replied, unconcerned. If Loki wanted to seek trouble with him, he was ready to respond in kind. It is also nice to have a real god for a field test of his God Slayer Cannon.

Loki gazed at Daniel for a moment before letting it go. This arrangement was also beneficial for him, as he didn't particularly enjoy being bound by contracts. If Daniel chose to trust him, Loki would honor his promise. This commitment was mainly because Daniel had helped his son, something that others had been unable to do.

"Sigh…" Loki let out a deep breath. "That's fine as well. Thank you for your trust, Lord Emberweave. From now on, you can count on the support of the Syndicate Union. We'll assist you with anything we can," Loki promised.

Daniel nodded. "Then I need to excuse myself. I have to head back before dinner; I don't want to get scolded for being late." Daniel smiled, excused himself, and walked out of the room. However, before leaving, he cast a glance at Hephaestus.

He felt suspicious of this god of the forge and didn't trust him… at all. Something about this god struck Daniel as an old, sly fox. He quickly averted his gaze and made his way to the helipad on the rooftop of the Syndicate Union.

Hephaestus noticed the suspicious gaze that Daniel directed at him, but he didn't care.

"Loki, since your son has already recovered, I'll take my leave first," Hephaestus said with a smile as he excused himself from Loki's Syndicate Union.

— A few days later - ??? —

At a certain secret location, within an opulent meeting room, several people gathered: Golden Scale, the Man in the Owl Mask, Garret Vance, Tianhao Zhisheng (the crown prince of the Qing Empire), and Hephaestus.

"Lord Hephaestus, isn't Lord Loki going to join us?" Golden Scale asked, turning to the god of the forge.

"No, he seems to have completely changed sides. He isn't interested in the Akashic Record anymore," Hephaestus replied.

At this, the entire room fell silent, and the expressions of those present grew solemn.

"Does this mean Fenrir has fully recovered?" Golden Scale inquired, his voice firm and steady, as if he were seeking confirmation of something he had already anticipated.

Hephaestus nodded in response.

"Impossible," uttered the Man in the Owl Mask. "How!? We all examined Fenrir's body; that curse has grown stronger with each passing year! It has been more than a thousand years! And that kind of curse can even affect Godkin! There's no way…" The Man in the Owl Mask said in disbelief, struggling to reconcile this information with everything he knew.

If this were true, it would mean that even if the combined mana of the entire world were used to dispel the curse, it would still be insufficient. Yet they all sensed that the mana levels in the world remained steady and had not dropped below their expectations. What could this mean?

"I have a theory as to why this is happening. But I need your confirmation… you were there, weren't you? What happened?" Golden Scale asked.

"As you have guessed, Golden Scale, Daniel seems to have full access to the Akashic Record. He has a complete connection with no drawbacks and can even draw immense power from that place. I've seen it with my own eyes," said Hephaestus.

Upon hearing this, all the individuals in the room… except for Golden Scale and Tianhao Zhisheng, appeared disturbed by the revelation. Golden Scale seemed to have anticipated this answer, while Tianhao Zhisheng was merely confused.

Finally, someone broke down. "How… how can we fight against a man who has full access to the Akashic Record? That place contains all the knowledge in the universe, both past and future! How can we possibly win against him?" the man in the owl mask roared in frustration and envy, feeling a deep jealousy toward Daniel.

Having full access to the Akashic Record is a mage's ultimate goal; even gods desire access to that realm!

"You seem unfazed, Golden Scale. Did you foresee this? Do you know something we don't?" the man in the owl mask asked. Golden Scale remained silent, unwilling to share any information.

This made the man in the owl mask furious; he roared angrily, "You are bound by the contract! Everyone here must share vital information regarding our operation!" Enjoy exclusive content from empire

"Sigh…" Golden Scale let out a deep breath. "I do know something; I had a feeling this would be the case for a long time." He paused before continuing.

"Gentlemen, you should all know that Daniel Emberweave is not the first person to have full access to the Akashic Record." Everyone in the room nodded, except for Tianhao Zhisheng, who seemed a bit lost.

"Yes, the first one was Merlin himself," the man in the owl mask replied with a nod. "But what does that have to do with Daniel Emberweave?" he asked.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"It has everything to do with Daniel Emberweave. Do you remember a secret forbidden project that was destroyed by Envy a long time ago?" Golden Scale asked the man in the owl mask.

"That harlot ruined many mages' hard work. Which project?" Then, as if recalling something, he added, "Wait… do you mean that project? Project Merlin? That's impossible!" The man in the owl mask exclaimed in disbelief.

"This is what I uncovered from the old data in the Hightower before Envy destroyed it. There appear to be two surviving experimental subjects from that project. The first one is missing, with no one knowing its whereabouts. The second one… is the man named Daniel Blake, or the current Daniel Emberweave." At this point, the man in the owl mask wanted to interject but hesitated, waiting for Golden Scale to finish.

"Yes, I know that we already exhumed Daniel Blake's corpse from his grave, but I assure you, they are one and the same; they share the same memories and, most importantly… the same soul," said Golden Scale.