Miracle Card Shop: All My Cards Can Be Actualize

— London - Hightower HQ —

Inside an opulent, vintage-decorated office on the top floor of a towered building, the newly built office for one of the Hightower Grand Councilors and the head of the Magic Harmony Faction stood vacant due to Envy's departure from the Hightower after the Betrayal.

Within the office, three people stood: Golden Scale, Henri Montmorency, the leader of the Montmorency family in France, and Harry Pembroke, Envy's former butler.

"Why have you called us here, Lord Golden Scale?" Henri Montmorency inquired.

"How long will it take for you to assume the position of Grand Councilor?" asked Golden Scale.

"A few months, at most... Why?" Montmorency asked, trying to gauge what Golden Scale was getting at.

He had already garnered support from many mage families in Europe to ascend to the position of Grand Councilor. Golden Scale had promised him that if he, Henri Montmorency, could defeat Daniel Emberweave and erase the shame Daniel had brought upon the Hightower, he would immediately ascend to the seat.

However, Henri had enough connections with the Sanguinis Clan to secure a favor-for-favor contract between the two families. Through this, Montmorency learned in advance that Daniel was powerful enough to overwhelm Satan in a one-on-one battle, forcing Satan to flee to Russia and ultimately resort to self-destruction and retreat to his own hell realm to escape Daniel's pursuit.

Therefore, Montmorency opted for a cautious and methodical approach, lobbying the mage families in Europe to support him and compete against their fellow Hightower mages. This was the safest course of action, even though it was the most troublesome.

"You should have gone to Sector Alpha City to fight Daniel Emberweave for it," uttered Golden Scale, his voice tinged with disappointment.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Grand Councilor Golden Scale, but I believe self-preservation is something everyone should prioritize. If you wish to humble Daniel Emberweave so much, do it yourself," Henri retorted.

Hearing this, Golden Scale turned toward Henri.

"It's not about humbling Daniel Emberweave, it's about our opportunities. Now, we've lost the initiative in this game because of your cowardice. It's too late for us to recoup our lost influence in a short time," said Golden Scale.

"What are you trying to say, Lord Golden Scale?" asked Henri.

"Watch the news," Golden Scale used the TV remote to turn on the large TV screen in the room.

The TV turned on, and the news channel reported about the upcoming UN Assembly.

"And now to the hot topic of today, the UN Assembly that is to be held in Stockholm has finally released the list of participating countries, with the change in the geopolitical landscape in North America..." the news announcer continued.

The three watched the news together, their interest piqued by the discussion of accepting the newly founded corporate-owned territory as a UN member state in the upcoming assembly.

The changing geopolitical landscape of North America, now that the Confederation had been absorbed by the USA, was also a major topic of discussion.

"Right now, Daniel Emberweave has the support of both Russia and the USA, two of the remaining four major countries in the UN. Also, from my sources, he seems to be securing support from Germany, Romania, and several other countries.

I don't have the full picture, but I'm sure his agenda to become a recognized UN state will pass... unless the Qing Empire vetoes it. And from what I know, Daniel Emberweave hasn't had any conflict with the Qing Empire," said Golden Scale.

Hearing this, Henri's mind raced. He noticed the crucial point in all of this.

"You mean Daniel Emberweave seems to have some ambitious plan?" asked Henri Montmorency.

"It's not 'seems.' He definitely has an ambitious plan, and he's working towards it right now. That's why your rise to the position of Grand Councilor is too slow, and now it's too late to stop Daniel Emberweave's rise," said Golden Scale.

"What does this have to do with me?" asked Henri.

"Daniel seems to be trying to create a mage organization similar to ours, and his progress seems smoother than it should be," said Golden Scale.

"Isn't that what you wanted all along? You said you planned to let Envy and Daniel take responsibility for the areas where we withdrew our influence," said Montmorency.

"Yes, I planned for that, but what wasn't in my plan was the vastness of the areas he had to take responsibility for: North America, Southeast Asia, South Africa, Japan, India, the Arabian Peninsula, and the areas of conflict with the Qing Empire like Korea and the Ming Federation.

It should be impossible for him, lacking experience, manpower, and know-how, to manage all these territories. The lack of authority should have caused a collapse of order and brought chaos. What should have happened is various mage families causing trouble for Daniel Emberweave, leaving him no choice but to come to us!" said Golden Scale.

"Lord Golden Scale, isn't Lady Envy with him? That should be the reason why Daniel Emberweave's influence hasn't collapsed," Henry Pembroke interjected.

Golden Scale shifted his attention towards Henry Pembroke.

"Even so, Envy is just one person. Even if she's great and knowledgeable, it's impossible for her to manage all these vast territories. You know as well as I do how unruly the mage families are. They will not bow to anyone if they think they have a chance against them," said Golden Scale.

Hearing this, Henry Pembroke nodded in understanding.

Indeed, Golden Scale wasn't entirely sincere in withdrawing their influence in the first place. He had hoped that order would collapse, forcing Daniel Emberweave and Envy to seek his guidance or supervision.

At that point, he would have more negotiating power to demand something substantial from Daniel Emberweave, while also maintaining his prestige as the leading figure among the Hightower's triuNovelFireirate leaders. He would become the uncrowned king of the Hightower.

Moreover, his existence, tied to the organization known as the Hightower, would become more solidified, and he wouldn't have to worry about his existence slipping out of reality due to his Origin Element problem.

Now that the chance was lost, he lacked a plan B. That's why he called Henri and Harry here, hoping they could come up with a solution.

"Speaking of Lady Envy, Her Majesty, the Queen, was not pleased to hear about Lady Envy abandoning her position. Of course, I didn't tell her the real reason, only that Lady Envy seems to have taken a liking to the rising star Daniel Emberweave," said Henry Pembroke.

"That's to be expected. Envy was both her mentor and friend. It's natural for her to have a certain fondness for Envy," said Golden Scale. "Will she come here? Or will she come to inspect us?" he asked.

"I don't think so. The Queen is a mage, but she prefers to stay in the background and let the younger generation of her family do the work. It's very difficult for her to intervene in our matters," said Henry Pembroke.

"That's good, Mr. Pembroke. Keep an eye on her. If she seems to have any thoughts about intervening, let me know," Golden Scale instructed.

Then, he shifted his attention to Henri Montmorency.

"Do you have any ideas on how to stop the solidification of Daniel Emberweave's influence?" asked Golden Scale.

"Right now... no. But there must be someone or something helping him manage this vast territory. I refuse to believe he did all of this alone. He's already a genius artificer and alchemist; these two professions alone should occupy most of his time. There's no way he could manage everything himself," said Henri Montmorency.

"I agree. There must be a strategist, an administrator, and even someone working behind the scenes to swiftly deal with any dissent not afraid to have their hand dirty—maybe even someone who enjoys it. Otherwise, it's impossible to bring all those mage families into line, let alone maintain order and control the rogue mages who awaken naturally each month," said Golden Scale, then continued:

"Can you investigate this for me, Mr. Montmorency? My faction's expertise does not lie in infiltration. Do this for me, and I'll support your bid for the Grand Councilor position," Golden Scale requested.

He was unaware that Daniel had actually enlisted both Guajia and Albert to assist him. Daniel himself wasn't well-versed in administrative work, and most of it was handled by Envy.

With the Whispering Hall operational for nearly a month, it was highly unlikely any dissent would go unnoticed. Initially, Albert would attempt to negotiate and threaten those mages into compliance. If they refused, a small squad of Shadow Morphs would visit, making the dissenters vanish.

For those mage families with significant power or backing for their arrogance, Jack the Ripper would personally pay a visit, removing them from existence.

It wasn't that Golden Scale lacked skilled spies, but none were capable enough to survive when they began prying where they shouldn't.

The combined efforts of the Whispering Hall and the Reaper Gate ensured that the Hightower's spies and infiltrators were no match. They either disappeared or returned empty-handed.

"I'll try my best… but no promises" Said Henri Montmorency.