Miracle Card Shop: All My Cards Can Be Actualize

Chapter 601: I was aiming for your leg, but you wanted to end my family line?

"You know his name. Is he an acquaintance of yours?" Daniel asked the Sultan.

"Yes, Lord Emberweave. If possible, I would like to speak with him. It would be a shame for the Sultanate of Aqaba to lose his brilliance," the Sultan replied with a sense of nostalgia.

"You mean, you don't want to lose a man who could push our forces, despite their advanced technology and weaponry, to the point where they have no choice but to request support—while he's using outdated weapons and sheer willpower to resist. Right, Your Majesty?" Gua Jia said with a knowing smile.

"Mr. Gua, please don't misunderstand me. While that's part of it, I truly have no ill will or malicious intent toward New Atlantis," the Sultan explained. Yes, it would be a pity to lose such a brilliant general who could stand against the advanced forces of New Atlantis using only outdated equipment, but that wasn't the sole reason, and he certainly didn't plan to betray them, as Gua Jia seemed to suggest.

The Sultan had witnessed power beyond imagination—the kind of power that belonged in fiction, fantasy, and mythology. He would be foolish to oppose the man who wielded such power, especially when it went against his own interests.

"Gua Jia, let it go," Daniel said, sighing in mild exasperation. "I apologize, Your Majesty. Gua Jia is my strategist, and he's just doing his job, preparing for any scenario. Sometimes, he can get carried away," Daniel added with an apologetic smile.

"I apologize for my behavior, Your Majesty," Gua Jia said, bowing slightly toward the Sultan.

"Apologies accepted, You just did what loyal subordinate should do. Mr. Gua." Said teh sultan.

The Sultan understood that Gua Jia was just warning him not to exploit his lord's benevolence. It was a classic case of the "bad cop, good cop" routine—where the ruler sends a subordinate to play the bad cop, only to step in as the good cop and gracefully resolve the conflict. It's an old tactic that works, even when everyone knows it's just a performance. Discover exclusive tales at M V L

Even when such plays escalate to the point of innocent lives being lost, without solid evidence, the tactic remains effective. For example, a ruler who wants to appear benevolent and just might intentionally allow banditry to grow by reducing patrols in certain areas. When the bandits strike, the ruler can blame a scapegoat for negligence and then swoop in to solve the problem, emerging as the hero.

The Sultan was no stranger to this strategy—he had used it many times himself. However, he always ensured it was done within reason, and no lives were unnecessarily lost.

In Daniel's case, Maliq Al-Nasir, the Sultan, knew that Daniel wasn't a politician—he was a leader and inventor, but clearly not a tactician like himself. Gua Jia had spontaneously orchestrated the situation, prompting Daniel to step in and stop him. Gua Jia understood his lord's personality and chose to support it in the way a loyal confidante should.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. So…" Daniel shifted the subject. "I'll give you two hours to talk with Mr. Azis. How do you plan to approach him?" Daniel asked.

"I'll go in and speak with him personally," the Sultan replied.

Hearing this, Daniel looked at the Sultan curiously before nodding. "Alright, then take this with you, just in case." Daniel handed the Sultan a bangle, which was actually a personal shield generator that Daniel had designed to look like a simple piece of jewelry. "It's just a personal shield generator, nothing too fancy," Daniel added.

Yeah… nothing too fancy for you, the Sultan thought, suppressing a twitch at the corner of his mouth.

Soon after, the Sultan traveled to the Aqaba mountain range by jeep. He got out and walked toward the entrance of the tunnel. Azis's men didn't intercept him, allowing him to enter, since the Sultan had come alone.

What they didn't know, however, was that Daniel was tracking the Sultan's movements using satellite data and the echolocation feature built into the bangle. While it couldn't map out the entire tunnel, it provided valuable information about the surrounding area.

"This is brilliant. You're very clever, my lord," Gua Jia said with admiration.

"Nah, it's nothing special. Just a handy little function I've been working on in my free time. In case someone gets kidnapped and blindfolded, this device will help map the kidnapper's location. It's still a prototype and needs more testing," Daniel said casually, as if it were no big deal.

This was simply another one of Daniel's paranoid inventions, developed under the pretense of "just in case XXX happens."

Hearing this, Gua Jia didn't comment further, other than smile wryly. Now, he couldn't decide whether his old lord, Cao Cao, or his new lord, Daniel, was more paranoid. No wonder these two got along so well. Daniel even shared some of the same worldviews as Cao Cao.

At the tunnel, Sultan Maliq Al-Nasir had already been thoroughly checked to ensure he wasn't carrying any weapons. Now, he stood face-to-face with Azis, the warlord he was reluctant to eliminate, even with overwhelming support from powerful allies like New Atlantis.

"Your Majesty... are you out of your mind? You've walked into your enemy's lair with nothing but yourself, without any protection," Azis remarked. His first words to the Sultan, who should be his enemy, were more of an admonishment, like scolding a younger brother.

"If I had brought a weapon or bodyguards, would you have let me meet with you, brother-in-law?" the Sultan replied.

Yes, Azis was the brother of one of the Sultan's wives. And not a concubine—a legitimate wife. This meant that if the Sultan were to die without an heir, Azis would have a claim to the throne.

"How stupid can you be? Your Majesty, I don't remember teaching you to be this naïve," Azis retorted.

The Sultan chuckled. "Naïve, perhaps. But a fool? I think that title suits you better, brother-in-law."

Azis's eyes sharpened in response, clearly displeased by the comment. "If you have something to say, say it plainly. Don't play mind games with me; you know I hate that. I may not be able to kill you because of that promise, but that doesn't mean I can't give you a beating… Your Majesty," the warlord said with a threatening tone.

"That's what I like about you, brother-in-law. You always keep your promises, even when it's to your detriment, knowing full well that there would be no consequences if you broke them," the Sultan said, pausing before continuing.

"Enough sentimentality, brother-in-law. I'm here to ask you to join me. I'm ready to offer a full pardon to both you and your men. Come back to me and serve our cause, just as you did before, like your father, grandfather, and great-grandfather did before you," the Sultan said, getting straight to the point, just as Azis preferred.

"This again? How many times must I tell you that relying on external help isn't the way you should rule? You should gather your strength, become powerful, and take matters into your own hands! You are too weak! Too compromising, Your Majesty! Ugh... you may leave now," Azis sighed, unimpressed, waving his hand to dismiss the Sultan.

"That's why I say you're a fool. Can't you see, brother? The world has changed completely. Things are no longer within our control. We are powerless against this new reality we've just discovered! Didn't you witness last night's fight between the legendary Vampire King, Vlad Dracula, and that lich we only knew from old folklore? We always thought those stories were just fantasy.

Without proper allies and the right tools, we are powerless, brother. And to brave this twisted world we've uncovered, I need you. You're the only one I can trust!" the Sultan pleaded, his tone sincere.

"What about Shahid?" Azis asked.

"Shahid is a diplomat and a politician, like me. He's not a general. I can't leave this matter to him," the Sultan replied.

Azis remained silent, sitting on his stone seat, covered with fur and soft cushions. Then, suddenly, he pulled out a gun and aimed it at the Sultan's head.

"What are you doing, brother?!" the Sultan's eyes narrowed sharply.

"Teaching you a lesson—not to trust people too easily, no matter who they are!" Azis said coldly, adjusting his aim at the last second and firing at the Sultan's leg.

Bang!

The gunshot echoed, but the bullet didn't hit the Sultan's leg. Instead, it struck Azis' stone seat—just centimeters from a rather sensitive area between his legs.

Azis swallowed hard, staring at the spot where the bullet landed. A few centimeters higher, and he would've been turned into an eunuch. He looked up at the Sultan and noticed a faint, transparent blue shield protecting him.

"What the hell, Maliq!? I was aiming for your leg, but you wanted to end my family line! I didn't even know you were this vicious!" Azis yelled, pointing an accusing finger at the Sultan.

"Hey! Don't slander me! I was just protecting myself. Who told you to shoot me in the first place? I'm no technology expert—how would I know the shield would deflect the bullet like that? Besides, even if it had hit your damn family jewels, you have no right to complain! You shot at me first!" the Sultan retorted.

In that moment, they both dropped their masks of social hierarchy and political roles, bickering like two close friends instead of powerful figures.