Aftermath

The repercussions of an invasion by a Hall of Fame Grade Demon could not possibly be calmed so easily, especially since Great Ming had lost Ye Zhou because of it.

Thus, not only Great Ming itself, but other nations across Blue Star were also secretly watching the situation’s further development.

Of course, they had long since learned the specifics of that day through various means.

It was just that there had been far too many Great Ming Card Masters present, so naturally there were all sorts of accounts.

For example, some claimed Lu Su had fought two Hall of Fame Grade beings until even the Great Dao was ground away, while others said Adley had retreated because Ye Zhou’s self-destruction had wounded him.

True and false information was mixed together, making it difficult for powers from other nations to piece together the truth.

There were also more exaggerated versions, such as the Four Calamity Gods and Adley exhausting every ounce of strength yet still failing to defeat Lu Su, or Adley immediately bowing in submission the moment Lu Su flexed his might.

But those were far too absurd, so most people did not believe them.

Tsardom of Russia.

Catherine and Nikolai were looking down at the latest intelligence gathered from Great Ming, while behind them, Petrovna’s small mouth hung open in an "O."

The Tsardom’s Empress did not correct her daughter’s lack of composure, because she herself was deeply shocked at that moment.

After barely steadying her emotions, she turned to Nikolai beside her. "Nikolai, is this intelligence accurate?"

Nikolai snapped back to his senses at once. He nodded slightly and said sternly, "Your Majesty, this intelligence was compiled from reports gathered by our people within Great Ming."

"It should be a version fairly close to the truth."

Of course Catherine knew the intelligence in her hands was reliable.

She was simply…

A little dazed.

She looked at the photograph in the report of a rift that seemed capable of tearing the entire world apart and fell silent for a time.

The photographs had been taken by civilians evacuating from Great Ming’s rear. There were several of them, showing the rift from its initially ominous blood-red state all the way until it had been dyed blue by the Soul King.

Catherine could tell at a glance that this was definitely not Ye Zhou’s work. After all, she knew what the signature cards of that late Hall of Fame Card Master of Great Ming were like.

Without a doubt, this had been done by the youth who had shone so brilliantly in the joint operation.

Fortunately, the Empire had already invested in him beforehand. No matter what, their relationship was not bad.

At that thought, the Empress let out a soft breath and said solemnly, "Send word. Raise his classification to the highest level."

"Yes."

Nikolai did not hesitate upon hearing this and immediately agreed. Naturally, he knew who his Empress meant by "him."

With the Tsardom of Russia and Great Ming so close together, the two sides would inevitably have plenty of dealings after the Demon Army’s destruction.

It was naturally necessary for everyone, from the upper echelons to low-ranking officials, to become familiar with the appearances of the other side’s higher-ups, lest they cause unnecessary friction.

This was reality, not a television drama. There were not so many schemes of pretending to be weak only to crush the arrogant.

Even if nations only had interests between them, there was no need to offend the other side over trivial matters.

And Great Ming would do the same in their place.

After a moment of silence, Catherine casually asked, "By the way, is there any information on the specific abilities of the new card he made?"

Nikolai hesitated slightly before carefully answering, "Based on the intelligence gathered in Great Ming, it should possess abilities related to separation, healing, and transformation?"

As he spoke, even this Master Card Master became somewhat uncertain, because those abilities did not seem especially connected.

After a pause, he continued, "As for Lord Adley…"

"After returning to the Indo-American Federation and placing the Skin Peeler under guard, he vanished. He should have returned to Antarctica to suppress those secret realms."

"So there has been no news from that side."

After saying this, Nikolai fell silent and quietly awaited Catherine’s judgment.

After hearing his description, Catherine could not help but furrow her brows slightly.

Based solely on this intelligence, it seemed Lu Su’s newest card was a functional support-type card.

Of course, such a few simple words definitely could not encompass a Master Grade card.

But without more detailed intelligence, even as a Hall of Fame Card Master, she could not discern any more useful information.

Catherine never considered the possibility of "omniscience and omnipotence," because such traits generally only appeared on The Church’s most powerful cards.

And Great Ming clearly had nothing to do with The Church.

It was not that the highest gods in Great Ming’s mythological system were incapable of it; rather, they rarely emphasized such things.

Unable to make sense of it for the moment, Catherine could only suppress her doubts and wait until she saw that card with her own eyes before making a judgment.

At that moment, Nikolai asked, "Your Majesty, Great Ming has asked whether the Empire intends to attend Lord Ye Zhou’s funeral."

"What do you think?"

The Tsardom’s Empress was stunned upon hearing this.

Although Great Ming and the Tsardom of Russia were on fairly good terms at present, under normal circumstances, when a nation’s Hall of Fame Card Master died, other countries would not be invited to observe the funeral.

It should have been kept as low-key as possible.

With that in mind, Catherine could not help murmuring inwardly, It seems Great Ming is not as weak as I imagined.

Or could it be…

Great Ming actually had such confidence in Lu Su?

Of course, it was also possible that Great Ming was merely putting on a show of strength.

After thinking for a moment, she turned to her daughter. "Petrovna, you will represent the Empire in Great Ming and offer condolences this time."

This was the most reasonable choice. As the Tsardom’s highest authority, Catherine naturally could not easily leave the country.

Moreover, she and Ye Zhou had both been Hall of Fame Card Masters. If she personally attended, it would inevitably seem as though she were stealing the spotlight.

Under such circumstances, Petrovna, as the Tsardom’s heir apparent, was the perfect choice. She would neither make Great Ming feel that the Empire was overly domineering nor fail to demonstrate their respect.

Hearing her name, the girl immediately came back to her senses and pointed at herself blankly. "Huh?"

"Me?"

Yet upon seeing her like this, Catherine began to doubt whether her decision was correct.

But in the end, the Empress said nothing more. After all, no one was born knowing how to navigate social relations. One could only grow gradually through experience.

Some were faster, and some were slower.

Her daughter was probably just a little slower… right?

Naturally, Ye Zhou’s funeral invitation had not only been sent to the Tsardom of Russia. Virtually every nation on Blue Star had received one.

The Mughal Empire south of Great Ming was no exception.

At that moment, within a vast domed palace, a fair-skinned and handsome man soaked in a pool emitting white steam, enjoying the service of beautiful attendants at his side.

Before the pool, a fair-skinned middle-aged man with a red dot on his forehead lay prostrate on the ground, recounting something with utmost reverence. "…Lord Motiān, that is what happened."

Perhaps even the low-caste people of the Mughal Empire would never have imagined that the Brahmins they regarded as gods would wag their tails before others like dogs.

After listening to the account, the young man named Motiān pushed himself up slightly, emerging from the water and leaning against the edge of the pool.

The attendants tactfully moved behind him and began massaging his shoulders.

Motiān yawned slowly, then said listlessly, "Ye Zhou is dead…"

"I was wondering why he went mad that day."

"But Adley really is something. He actually stood by and watched Jin Ping’s group make such a mess."

"Heh."

As he spoke, he could not help sneering, though it was unclear whether he was mocking Ye Zhou or Adley.

After remaining silent for a while, a playful smile suddenly appeared on his face. "Tell Great Ming that I will personally attend Ye Zhou’s funeral."

Upon hearing this, the prostrate middle-aged man abruptly raised his head. But after seeing the two naked beauties behind Motiān, he quickly lowered it again.

He said with some difficulty, "My lord…"

"I’m afraid that would be somewhat inappropriate."

Motiān curled his lips disdainfully. "If Ye Zhou were still alive, I might have been somewhat wary."

"But now Great Ming only has a bunch of old, weak, sick, and crippled people left. I would like to see whether they still dare bare their fangs at me."

"I am not someone like Adley."

With things having been said to this point, the middle-aged man had neither reason nor courage left to dissuade him.

He could only reply respectfully, "Yes. I will convey Your Lordship’s will to Great Ming."

With that, he turned around while still crawling, then rose to his feet and prepared to leave the palace.

Just then, Motiān suddenly said lazily, "You saw it just now, didn’t you?"

"Leave your eyes behind."

The middle-aged man instantly began trembling like a sieve. Yet he still forced down his fear and replied in a quavering voice, "Y-Yes."

As he spoke, he actually reached out and forcibly gouged out both of his eyeballs. Blood immediately trickled down his cheeks and dripped onto the marble floor.

Then he turned around, carefully placed his eyeballs on the ground, kowtowed to Motiān once more, and staggered out of the palace.

Seeing this, the two beauties murmured sweetly into Motiān’s ears, "Our Lord is truly merciful. You only took one pair of his eyes."

Hearing that, Motiān grinned and reached both hands behind him as he said,

"Ha, I think so too."

Meanwhile, Great Britain on the other side of Blue Star had naturally also learned of Ye Zhou’s death.

After receiving the news, George VII, as king, could not help sighing inwardly. Sigh…

Troubled times indeed.

Lyon, who had once dealt with Lu Su, was currently kneeling on one knee beneath the throne in complete confusion. He had no idea why the king had summoned him.

On his way here, he had even tried bribing a palace attendant, but the damn attendant had taken the money and claimed he did not know.

Still, Lyon was not without guesses about this strange attitude.

Could His Majesty be naming me heir apparent?!

At the thought, his heart began pounding wildly.

But George VII’s next words caused Lyon’s mind to crash on the spot. "Mr. Ye Zhou, Great Ming’s Hall of Fame Card Master, has passed away. His funeral will be held shortly."

"When the time comes, Lyon, you will go in my stead."

Lyon raised his head blankly, scarcely daring to believe his ears.

But when George VII’s extremely solemn face entered his view, he knew His Majesty was not joking.

"M-Me!?"

Lyon opened his mouth, not knowing what to say for a moment.

Seeing his expression, a shadow passed through George VII’s eyes as he explained, "You know Great Britain’s current situation. I certainly cannot spare the time."

"You have also recently broken through to Diamond Grade, and you have prior ties with Lu Su of Great Ming. Therefore, you are the most suitable candidate for this."

At first, Lyon had no reaction upon hearing the first part, since he knew His Majesty was telling the truth.

But something felt wrong when he heard the latter half.

"L-Lu Su?!"

Lyon blankly repeated the name that should not have appeared.

Seeing his expression, George VII casually handed him a report.

Taking it, Lyon instinctively began reading.

But the further he read, the more animated his expression became.

Slaying several Master Grade Demons, successfully resisting the invasion of a Hall of Fame Grade Demon…

No, brother, was this really the Lu Su he had met before?

Had there been some mistake?

How had the other man become this absurd after just a few years apart?

The last time they had met, they had both only been Jade Grade Card Masters!

Lyon could not help swallowing. The secret delight he had felt at reaching Diamond Grade instantly vanished without a trace.

After a long while, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said with feigned calm, "Yes, Your Majesty."

"I absolutely will not disgrace Great Britain."

With that, Lyon bowed to George VII and withdrew.

Outside the hall, he looked at the clouds in the sky, still feeling as though he were dreaming.

Great Ming.

Lu Su had no idea that undercurrents were surging across the world because of Ye Zhou’s funeral, because he was preparing to make his first Master Grade card.

Looking at the Calamity Fox Spirit, Immortal Path Origin, and Destiny Savior on the table, Lu Su took a deep breath and wrapped them with his spiritual power.

Then, after a moment of dizziness, he arrived in the Card Making Space?

Looking at the vast blank white space before him, Lu Su frowned slightly. "Where is this?"

Just as he was wondering and preparing to investigate his surroundings, a voice suddenly caught his attention.

"You’re here."

Lu Su turned his head and saw a white figure with indistinct features sitting on the ground and quietly watching him.

"Truth?"

"This is behind the Gate of Truth?"

He recognized the source of the figure’s appearance, because it looked far too familiar.

But Lu Su quickly determined the white figure’s true identity. He tugged at the corner of his mouth. "You’re the World Consciousness, aren’t you?"

Hearing that, the white figure shrugged indifferently. "Truth, World Consciousness, call me whatever you like."

"If you do not like this appearance, I can become something else."

As it spoke, the white figure transformed into two little girls before Lu Su’s eyes. Then two childish voices overlapped as they spoke. "Or do you prefer this appearance?"

Lu Su fell silent for a moment before saying expressionlessly, "Change back."

"I’m not ready to go to Valhalla yet."