Miracle Card Shop: All My Cards Can Be Actualize

Chapter 607: Zhuge Liang's stumble

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That true projection had been created using his 'Reality' Origin Element, allowing him to manipulate reality more easily by forcing it to accept a copy of himself as real and project it anywhere on Earth. As a result, the projection's power matched that of his true body, with the added advantage of being shielded from real harm. However, its destruction after his defeat by Albert had significantly weakened his strength.

The clone he now used was a form of regular projection magic. While more advanced than the typical projections employed by average mages, his version of projection appears indistinguishable from his true body to anyone observing. It lacked the magical potency ro cast the spell compared to the 'True Projection' he had used before.

Golden Scale looked at his gloved hand and slowly removed the glove, revealing a hand covered in surgical scars. The skin appeared to have been forcibly sewn with another type of skin, seemingly non-human in nature as the texture of the skin clearly different with its fiery red color, yet it held his hand in place as it shifted between reality, existing on the boundary of existence and non-existence.

He grunted and clenched his fist, using his magic to stabilize his form before putting the glove back on. Once he had finished, the engravings on the back of the glove began to glow, quickly stabilizing his hand. Only then did Golden Scale allow himself to heave a sigh of relief.

"It's getting worse. I need to secure the Blood of Merlin soon, or I may not be able to endure it much longer," Golden Scale muttered as he walked toward the old file on his desk. The file, which he had obtained from Hightower's intelligence network and analysis services, indicated that the most likely candidate with the Blood of Merlin in this era was Daniel Emberweave.

— Qing Empire —

At the strategist's residence, Zhuge Liang sat listlessly on the couch. Scattered around him were crumpled papers, discarded drafts of new plans that proved unusable. Files piled high on his desk, some containing information about Daniel Emberweave and his family. Zhuge Liang had compiled a significant amount of intelligence on Daniel's weaknesses, sourced from various reliable contacts.

For the first time, Zhuge Liang felt truly stumped—more pressure weighed on him now than when he faced Sima Yi. Exploiting Sima Yi's weaknesses had been simpler; his psychological traits, mindset, and thought patterns could be manipulated.

But with Daniel? All Zhuge knew for sure was that Daniel was highly paranoid, going to extreme lengths to quell his paranoia. Unlike Cao Cao, whose paranoia stemmed from a deep distrust of people, Daniel trusted his people completely. His paranoia was born from always anticipating the worst-case scenario.

For example, Daniel had devised extensive measures to protect his daughter from potential threats, such as powerful individuals or mages attempting to abduct her. He arranged for a group of bodyguards to protect her around the clock, from the moment she stepped out of the house. Additionally, thousands of troops were stationed in nearby buildings along her route to school, ready to don power armor in case of any emergency.

In plain sight, there were also two powerful men guarding his daughter: one was Heracles, the legendary figure from Greek mythology, and the other was suspected to be a nearly indestructible robot, driven by unstoppable determination once locked onto a mission.

Zhuge Liang had even taken a gamble by sending two teams to scout the area, hoping to find an opening that would allow him to send in more significant forces later on. The result? He lost all contact with the first team. When he sent a second team to investigate what had happened, only one member returned—severely injured, missing an arm, and carrying a message from Veneziale: "Watch the news on the New Atlantis channel at the designated time."

When he tuned in, there was a small news segment mentioning that the police had discovered five Qing Empire Triad corpses, each hidden in a barrel filled with concrete. These barrels were accidentally fished out by an unfortunate salvage team, who normally recovered sunken ships for a living.

Upon seeing the news, Zhuge Liang knew immediately that the five corpses were his men. It was a clear warning not to interfere.

Now feeling defeated, he couldn't help but think that all his efforts were in vain. It wasn't a matter of his own competence—he was highly capable, and his plan, if executed, would have a high chance of success.

The problem was that his opponent was simply too powerful, leaving no openings. The island was guarded by hundreds of defense and counterintelligence operatives. Everyone who entered, legally or illegally, was subjected to a full-body scan the moment they set foot on New Atlantis.

Illegal entrants faced a stricter process. If they were ordinary immigrants, they would be spending their days in a detainment center, interviewed, and checked for any useful skills. Those with skills were legally accepted into New Atlantis, along with their families… if they had one. Unskilled individuals were checked for available labor positions. If none existed, they were deported to their home countries.

The agents Zhuge Liang sent to infiltrate and gather intelligence all failed. They were scanned by patrol drones, then captured by law enforcement, and killed if they resisted.

The most valuable information they managed to acquire was that the authorities knew they had illegally crossed the border due to a small microchip. This microchip had been introduced shortly after New Atlantis declared independence.

Every citizen of New Atlantis had the chip implanted, serving as both identification and access to numerous benefits, including a generous social security program and free medical care provided by medical bots. The allure of these benefits prompted many to willingly accept the implant despite concerns about privacy. The chip also functioned as an insurance policy—if a crime occurred, the owner could send a signal through the chip, and the nearest law enforcement drone would arrive to investigate.

This advanced system made Zhuge Liang's attempts to abduct people from New Atlantis, including children of high-ranking officials, impossible. He had already lost count of the operatives he had sent, only to lose contact with them.

"Sigh..." Zhuge Liang exhaled deeply, deciding to watch the news and clear his head before making another attempt.

He watched the news, keeping an eye on global events and the world's current situation. It had become his favorite pastime in this era. Since his resurrection, he had found many things unfamiliar. Even now, he struggled to adjust his mindset, and many of his plans had to be altered to fit the modern world, reducing their effectiveness.

Zhuge Liang continued watching until one segment caught his attention—it was about the outbreak in the Ottoman Levant and the possible existence of magic. The footage from victims of the outbreak, as well as videos from amateur photographers and content creators flooding the internet, had sparked global debate. Many were questioning whether magic was truly involved.

The news provided Zhuge Liang with a piece of information he might be able to use: New Atlantis had intervened, cooperating with the Sultanate of Aqaba to contain and eliminate the outbreak, preventing it from spreading worldwide.

While some praised New Atlantis for their actions, others denounced them, claiming they were responsible for the outbreak in the first place. There were also critics who opposed New Atlantis' involvement in helping the royal family end the decades-long civil war in the Sultanate of Aqaba, viewing it as foreign intervention—a stance frowned upon by those in the UN.

But Zhuge Liang knew the real reason behind these criticisms. The parties affected by New Atlantis' actions were primarily those who had lost access to cheap oil sources when the civil war ended.

Then, an idea came to Zhuge Liang's mind. If he couldn't infiltrate New Atlantis or operate within its borders, luring Daniel out would be an effective approach. He just needed to refine the plan to make it actionable. This strategy would be known only to his trusted confidants and some top rank allies, and no one else.

— New Atlantis —

On the busy streets of New Atlantis, people moved back and forth, attending to their daily affairs. Among the towering structures stood a newly constructed building, erected shortly after New Atlantis declared its independence. With its sleek, white exterior and futuristic yet elegant design, the building resembled something out of a fantasy novel that has a race of space elves-like.

Luxury and sports cars frequently utilized the building's state-of-the-art underground parking system. Owners would park their vehicles in designated slots, receive a token from the dispenser, and the system would automatically store the cars in a vast, secure underground facility. This ensured both safety and peace of mind, eliminating any worries about theft.

These car owners were then escorted into the building by attendants. Officially, the structure was designated as the residence and governmental hub for handling supernatural and extraordinary individuals and events.

Despite its significance, the building bore a somewhat bland and unimaginative name—the "Emberweave Building," named after the founder of New Atlantis. However, many locals and visitors had come to call it "The Ivory Tower."

Inside the Ivory Tower, officials had been receiving numerous leaders of mage families, all eager to join the Order of Ember. Some even sought to arrange marriages, hoping to betroth their daughters to Daniel, knowing that he still did not have a legal wife.

This sentiment was widely shared among mage families in the Curtained World, as they saw the Order of Ember as the path to the future.

The Ivory Tower is the headquarters of the Order of Ember, the future of the Curtained World.