Time flowed like water through an hourglass, and gradually, Kevaugn and his companions' cards recovered from their cooling periods.
"Since you're all recovered, I'll take my leave first," Azrael announced, observing their steady condition with satisfaction.
Seeing this, Kevaugn and the others made no attempt to detain him. They simply watched as Azrael prepared to depart, understanding that their brief alliance had reached its natural conclusion.
"Let's go. We should complete our final objectives as well," one of them murmured.
The black and crimson figure streaked across the sky, leaving a flowing trail as it made its way toward the secret realm's entrance. Unlike their arrival, only Azrael emerged from the mystical gateway this time.
After exiting the secret realm, Azrael finally allowed himself to revert from his imposing Pride symbiote form. Throughout most of this expedition, he had maintained his monstrous appearance, except during his covert infiltration of the underground chambers. There was no alternative; out of respect for the secret realm's inherent dangers, Azrael refused to risk an unnecessary death.
Personnel maintained constant vigil outside the secret realm's entrance. Upon detecting a creature emerging from the gateway, the duty officer immediately heightened his alertness. However, sensing the familiar aura of a Lore Cardian Master, his tension eased considerably.
"Student, has your mission been completed?" the officer inquired professionally. "Please register with me."
Azrael approached and, following the officer's guidance, submitted documentation for the area he had been responsible for clearing.
"Very well, registration complete," the officer confirmed with practiced efficiency. "After we verify that you've successfully cleared your designated zone, the points will be deposited into your account."
Expecting dismissal, Azrael hesitated when the officer offered no further instructions. The ancient tome remained concealed within his belongings, a discovery so carefully hidden that it surely contained extraordinary secrets he had yet to uncover.
Since no search procedures were implemented, Azrael saw no reason to volunteer information about his find. If the text revealed crucial intelligence, he would inform Master Lucian at the appropriate time. Whether to surrender it to the Crimson Oath Society would depend entirely on what secrets the translation revealed.
With this decision made, Azrael offered his thanks and turned to leave. However, storage cards had officially risen to the top of his priority list. If he possessed something equivalent to a spatial ring, such concerns would become irrelevant.
After maintaining constant vigilance for so many days, even someone with his enhanced constitution felt the weight of exhaustion. Azrael craved nothing more than returning home for restorative sleep, followed by an energetic Pokémon battle. His sweet and gentle companion card demanded proper attention.
Onix versus Cloyster, what an excellent matchup!
Noon sunlight blazed through inadequate curtains, painting harsh lines across the room.
"The light-blocking properties of these curtains are absolutely terrible," Azrael muttered with obvious displeasure as he rose from bed.
Standing slowly, he scratched at his disheveled hair with characteristic morning irritation. Last night's vigorous battle had left him feeling sticky and thoroughly spent.
"My back is covered in red scratches, good thing my Bronze-level physique recovers quickly," he observed with wry amusement, recalling his rather pathetic appearance from the previous evening. "But the custom outfit was definitely worth the investment. Too bad Artoria can't wear the same style."
The specialized garment had been custom-tailored by Pixar's most renowned seamstress, famous for creating elegant attire for the city's dignitaries. Her craftsmanship was undeniably exceptional.
After a quick wash, Azrael began cataloguing his recent acquisitions. Bronze and Black Iron materials aside, he planned to sell the majority through Mr. Wolfgang in exchange for cash to purchase property in Pixar. While a manor like Alice's would be impressive, Azrael felt uncertain about settling permanently in this city. A comfortable villa would suffice for his needs.
Regarding Silver-tier materials, including those obtained while assisting Kevaugn's group, his inventory consisted of twenty-three Silver-level blue-green quality components and one golden [Immortal Demon Fox] material.
Five blue-quality materials would serve as processing fees, while Azrael hoped to exchange the remainder for association points. Materials of this caliber served little purpose for his current advancement needs.
Opening the dedicated point exchange website, his balance displayed 2,020 points. Twenty points represented rewards from the Cardian Master Association for his heroic actions at Dabie Mountain, a modest sum for merely rescuing two civilians.
The remaining 2,000 points came from his practical training class completion. Azrael browsed available rewards, discovering he could exchange his points for one or two Silver-level purple materials.
Then he examined the material buyback prices.
"Isn't this highway robbery!?" Azrael exclaimed in disbelief.
The buyback rate displayed on his screen offered only half the market value. Moreover, the recycling program refused Black Iron and Bronze materials entirely, accepting exclusively Silver-tier and above components.
"No wonder Mr. Wolfgang's business thrives," Azrael mused with newfound understanding.
Previously, when Kevaugn mentioned the point system, Azrael had wondered how Mr. Wolfgang's intermediary services remained profitable. Surely Lore Cardian Masters could simply recycle excess materials through the official platform.
Now the truth became crystal clear. Unless someone was completely desperate, rational individuals would never choose the recycling option.
"I wonder if this disparity is intentional or accidental," Azrael pondered.
The answer was undoubtedly intentional. Azrael suspected the association and imperial court had reached a beneficial agreement. The court agreed to cooperate with the association in establishing this platform, but in return, profits from material trading intermediaries belonged exclusively to court interests.
This explained why the point platform offered only reward exchanges without material trading functionality. Want to trade unwanted materials? Find someone to negotiate with personally.
But how many contacts could an ordinary Lore Cardian Master maintain? Eventually, everyone required intermediary services, ensuring Mr. Wolfgang and his associates earned substantial profits.
"No wonder Mr. Wolfgang holds court membership," Azrael muttered with sardonic appreciation.
Setting aside these political observations, Azrael began reviewing materials available for point exchange. He had specific ideas for his next card project.
Before entering the secret realm, he had wanted an improved transportation card. After this exploration, he craved something capable of storing items. Fortunately, he knew of one multifunctional card that could address both needs perfectly.
Inspired by his senior sister's Golden Strength abilities, Azrael recalled the [Shadowkhan Army]. These shadow warriors could transport their master directly through dimensional shadows while storing items within their Shadow Kingdom. In the original source material, they had even carried furniture and other substantial objects.
"And with plans to upgrade to a larger residence, they'd be perfect for household management," Azrael reflected with growing enthusiasm.
Perhaps the Shadowkhan weren't overwhelmingly powerful in direct combat, but as functional support cards, they were absolutely perfect. The fact that collecting nine masks could theoretically unleash ultimate darkness capable of consuming entire planets suggested their combat potential might be far greater than initially apparent.
He immediately began searching the point exchange catalog for suitable materials.
Silver-level [Shadow Ninja] (purple quality), 800 points required.
Silver-level [Mind-Controlling Mask] (purple quality), 1,100 points required.
Azrael quickly located two appropriate materials. After spending all his accumulated points, he decisively purchased both components. However, he still needed one additional material to meet the three-component minimum for card creation.
After brief consideration, Azrael composed a message to his senior sister. Beyond materials, he had other matters requiring discussion, specifically, issues related to the ancient tome and learning the mysterious script discovered within the secret realm.
The path forward was becoming clearer. Soon, he would possess cards capable of transportation, storage, and household management all in one elegant solution. The Shadow Kingdom awaited his command.