Miracle Card Shop: All My Cards Can Be Actualize-Chapter 426: A Deep Talk with Envy
At the scene, the police had already cleared all civilians from the vicinity, leaving only officers who were hiding behind their cars to shield themselves from the barrage of ice spears and magic unleashed by the rogue mage. Several police officers lay injured, their limbs pierced by shards of ice, with one of them suffering a stomach wound from an ice spear and clearly in critical condition.
"Surrender! You're surrounded!" The police shouted through their speaker at the rogue mage.
The rogue mage's face contorted in anger at the audacity of the officers shouting at him. His hand swiftly waved towards the police, summoning a barrage of ice lances that flew towards them.
The officers quickly ducked down and hid behind their cars, but the vehicles were pierced by the onslaught of ice, causing the rogue mage to laugh in satisfaction.
Before awakening as a mage, the rogue mage was just an ordinary worker who toiled day and night, oppressed by his employer—a tale too common to count. What turned him into a deranged rogue mage after awakening was his deep-seated resentment.
Years of oppression at work and in society fueled his resentment towards the world. However, he felt powerless to change his situation; he needed money, and unskilled labor in his forties wasn't in demand. So, he endured and hoped for better days.
Then, the magic controversy began, and like many others, he naturally awakened his mana. He gained the power he had dreamt of, trained to control it, and excelled in ice magic due to his common Origin Element. With this advantage, he self-trained without needing insignias or teachings from other mages.
His proficiency in ice magic rivaled that of a Sorcerer bloodline specializing in ice, as Sorcerers often don't need insignias or extensive magic knowledge to cast spells.
This awakening turned him into a rogue mage, unhinged and determined to show the world his capabilities.
Envy, who had just arrived at the scene, walked forward towards the rogue mage, who also noticed her. His lust took over as he spoke to Envy.
"Hello, cutie. How about becoming my woman? You see, I have powers like no other," he said, using his magic to manipulate ice in his palm into a flower petal before blowing it towards Envy.
Envy smiled, but it wasn't a flirtatious smile. It resembled that of an adult observing a talented child who had strayed from the right path and needed guidance.
"Your skill in handling ice magic is quite impressive. I bet your Origin Element is Ice, one of the most common among mages," Envy remarked.
"Me? Common? Heh…" The rogue mage chuckled, but his laughter was filled with derision and rejection of Envy's words.
"What would a wealthy bitch like you know!" The rogue mage cast his ice magic aiming to create an ice cage to imprison Envy, but Envy's shadow at her feet came to life and destroyed the ice cage in one fell swoop.
Then Envy raised her hand, turning ice into water that immediately encroached on the rogue mage's head, forming a bubble-like helmet that made him unable to breathe.
"Ugh… argh… ughhhhh," the rogue mage frantically resisted, trying to swipe out the water, but it was no use. He attempted to shake and move his head quickly in hopes of escaping the water bubble, also to no avail. The more he struggled, the more he coughed up water. Not even a minute passed before he drowned, losing consciousness and falling to the ground.
Envy nodded to the police, and they quickly came to arrest the rogue mage. The handcuffs they used were special artifacts designed to interfere with the mana of those they touched.
Seeing that the rogue mage had been subdued, Envy canceled her magic, and the water bubble on the rogue mage's head immediately returned to normal water. The police quickly administered first aid to help him cough out the water.
After a minute, the rogue mage was rescued from the drowning stage and taken by the police to a special prison designed to detain mages.
"This group of police seems to know you," said Daniel after he had helped the injured police by injecting stabilization nanobots into their bodies to prevent them from dying before the ambulance arrived.
"Yes, they are a special department in the police after all. Most of them are normal people, but they are deeply entrenched in the Curtained World, so they are not affected by the memory alteration spell.
Normally, they are employed under Hightower management, but after the Hightower pulled out all of their forces and influence from North America, this department came under Greed's management," Envy explained.
"So… Do incidents like this happen often?" asked Daniel. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
"Yes," Envy nodded, the two watching the police work on the scene and the medics put the injured police into the ambulance.
"Usually," Envy continued, "incidents like this wouldn't escalate into violence or cause injuries. Each special department in the local police station will always have at least one Hightower Enforcer stationed at all times. These Enforcers usually subdue the rogue mage before anything escalates.
Then, the Enforcers will judge the rogue mage according to the gravity of their actions, and they will apply for the rogue mage's ID," said Envy.
"But from my experience, I don't think Hightower Enforcers were that nice," Daniel said as he remembered the unsavory incident he had with an Enforcer in the Tessia Kingdom.
"That was because that Enforcer was under the Path of Knowledge faction, and you are part of the population under the rule of a twisted regime like the Tessia Kingdom Royal Family, which happens to be an important piece of the Hell Gate plan by Cyrus Ashborn, who is one of the Grand Councilors and the head of the Path of Knowledge Faction," Envy quickly explained the crux of the problem Daniel faced.
"You mean… I'm just very unlucky," Daniel said with a mocking smile, his mock aimed at the Hightower and the strange truth that Envy explained. It's not that he didn't believe her, but what he heard was a bit absurd—it was as if everything was out to get him.
"Yes," Envy nodded with a smile, then turned toward him. She gently held him as she looked into his eyes with a gentle smile. "But isn't it worth it? Because of your stroke of bad luck, you became who you are, and I became one of your women," Envy smiled, kissing her beloved cheek.
"Heh, how narcissistic of you," Daniel teased as he lightly tapped her perky butt, which made Envy fake a playful yelp and release him from her arm.
The playful banter between the two made the police working nearby want to shout at them to get a room, but they knew better than to do that. Both Daniel and Envy were powerful mages, so the police could do nothing but resentfully glance at Daniel and silently hope that he would step on dog feces somewhere.
"But… seriously, Danny," Envy's voice turned solemn as she locked eyes with Daniel. "Technically, other than Europe, you have already dismantled the Hightower's global influence. And even though the Hightower may not have done a good job managing the mage global community and the Curtained World, they did play a role in maintaining order."
Envy glanced at the scene where the police were working as she spoke. "Without the Hightower, incidents like this will happen more frequently from now on, and mage families will start vying for power, their conflicts eventually spilling over to affect ordinary people. We can't always do charity work and clean up their mess like we did when they tried to attack us."
Now she focused on Daniel with a serious expression. "Daniel, the first thing rebels do after abolishing the old system is create a new one and enforce control to prevent anarchy. You can curse and mock the old regime all you want, but you also have a responsibility to create a newer, better system to maintain order." She paused, then continued.
"I hate to say this, but if you only destroy the old system and do nothing afterward, you're just a destroyer, like the Visigoths who brought down the Roman Empire, leading to the dark ages," Envy said with a heavy heart.
She didn't want to say this, fearing Daniel might hate her for it, but of all Daniel's women, she was the only one who had experienced the fall of an empire and the ensuing anarchy.
"If you do nothing, sooner or later anarchy will come, Danny. Anarchy from infighting among mage families vying for control. Trust me, these fights will affect global stability, and many lives will be lost.
Since none of the families in North America have enough power to dominate the others, the conflicts will be long battles of attrition, and prolonged attrition means more chaos," Envy concluded, her tone filled with concern.
"Are you suggesting creating a new organization to maintain order, like Princess Anastasia suggests?" Daniel asked.
