Summoning the Dragon Turtle

Kyle and Howard both had minds of their own and firm ideas, decisive men of action.

Sometimes, a simple promise or choice could outweigh all the countless things and priceless riches in the world.

After this frank conversation, Howard had effectively tied himself to Kyle’s ship—if Kyle sank, he would not escape disaster; if Kyle rose, he would soar into the skies with him.

Stark Industries, a future corporate empire worth billions that spanned military weapons, cutting-edge technology, biomedical care, and a host of other industries, had been handed over just like that.

And Kyle did not care about Stark Industries at all. The only thing he valued was Howard, this top-tier talent.

Still, he was pleased to use this opportunity to free Howard from his public identity as a corporate owner and formally turn him into a dedicated scientific research and logistics specialist.

"Stark Industries will secretly become property of the Karl family. Publicly, you can find someone trustworthy to manage it in your stead. Whenever you grow tired of being a researcher, you can return to being the boss at any time." Kyle looked Howard straight in the eye and said sincerely, "I’ll give you a stage and resources large enough for you to display your talents and glimpse the truth of science."

"Then it’s settled!" Howard nodded solemnly, knowing that he was stepping through the door of opportunity and choosing a path that departed from his original life trajectory.

"Since that’s the case, let’s raise a toast to our deeper cooperation!" Kyle smiled freely and raised his wineglass, still more than half full of red wine. Howard hurriedly picked up the bottle and filled his own glass before clinking it against Kyle’s.

"Boss, I should be the one to toast you." Howard shrugged and tilted his head back, draining the red wine in his glass first.

The last time they had held their initial discussion about cooperation had been at a ballroom bar in Europe, where they negotiated a deal involving forty percent of Stark Industries’ shares.

This time, their second discussion took place aboard a speedboat moored somewhere in the Atlantic. What they were discussing was the ownership of all Stark Industries and Howard’s own future.

"Didn’t you just say there wasn’t an island here on the map?" After finishing his wine, Kyle set down his glass, blinked, and spoke to Howard.

"From now on, if you have anything that overturns reality, just reveal it all at once. Don’t keep hiding things—it’s terrifying." Howard said with a bitter smile, "Your existence is already the greatest miracle. Even if you directly turned into an island right now, I could accept it."

"You said it, so as you wish…" As Kyle spoke, he walked to the edge of the speedboat’s deck and gazed out over the glittering expanse of sea.

His thoughts sank into Card Space, where he drew out the Purple Creature Card that had long been stored at the highest point of the creature section—the only purple-quality card he possessed.

Giant Ancient Dragon Turtle

Current status: This area meets the summoning conditions. Summon?

Confirm summon! Kyle thought.

The next instant, Howard aboard the speedboat and Kyle himself both widened their eyes in unison.

Ahead of the speedboat, an enormous beast suddenly appeared in the low sky. Its length, width, and height stretched beyond what the eye could see. The moment it was summoned, its shadow blanketed several miles of sea before them.

The beast resembled a snapping turtle and was brown all over. Its greatest feature was that it was huge—far too huge! Even the giant whales known on Earth could barely compare to half one of its limbs.

Its shell was completely covered in solidified reefs and vegetation, piled upward into forests and mountain peaks, as though it were carrying a gigantic island on its back.

"My God!" Howard gaped in horror at the colossal beast Kyle had summoned. He sucked in a sharp breath, his entire body trembling.

Before such a creature, humans were so tiny that they did not even count as ants!

Kyle was equally stunned. In truth, this was his first time summoning the Ancient Dragon Turtle, and the physical creature was far more shocking and terrifying than the card’s description had suggested.

As expected of a Purple Creature Card! It really had presence!

But Kyle quickly lost the mood to marvel, because as the giant turtle’s body was completely summoned into the low sky, it let out a cry and its mountain-like body heavily descended toward the sea below…

"Kyle, tell me this isn’t real." Howard was still standing there in a daze when Kyle grabbed his arm and swiftly used Aerial Sprint, bursting into the sky amid a surge of energy.

Immediately afterward, the ancient giant turtle plunged into the ocean. Under its weight of tens of thousands of tons, the surrounding sea was violently struck, sending waves dozens of meters high crashing outward in every direction.

The modern speedboat that had remained on the original stretch of water rolled and rose in the churning sea like a leaf. Before long, even its wreckage had vanished without a trace.

Kyle held Howard by the arm and hovered in the air with his wings spread in a glide. The splashing water drenched them both.

Once the waves subsided, the lower half of the ancient giant turtle’s body had sunk beneath the sea, leaving only its shell exposed above the surface. It truly looked like a Turtle Island.

Howard’s gentleman’s suit was soaked through. He spat out the salty seawater in his mouth and stammered, "This is the turtle-shaped deserted island you were talking about?"

This was clearly the largest giant turtle monster in history! If it were exposed, it would probably attract the frenzied investigation of scientists across the globe!

"More or less. To me, it isn’t much different from a normal island, except that it can move freely across the sea." Kyle spoke as he glided down, bringing Howard into the island’s interior.

"You’re saying you tamed this giant turtle?" Howard asked uncertainly.

"Yes. It only obeys my commands." Kyle nodded. The greatest advantage of a Creature Card was the summoned creature’s compulsory obedience.

"If it can be controlled, then it truly can be treated as a ‘movable island.’" Howard mulled it over aloud and began making his way into the island’s forest.

The purpose of his trip out to sea with Kyle today had been to conduct a preliminary survey of the island and then begin planning and designing the base.

The vast area on the Dragon Turtle’s back contained mountain ranges, forests, lakes, and streams. If he had not already known what lay beneath it, Howard would undoubtedly have mistaken it for an ordinary island.

Kyle and Howard wandered around the island before finally reaching the summit of its mountain range. Looking down, they could clearly see the outline of the entire island on its back.

"With this as the foundation for the base, you can make it as large as you want." After his amazement, Howard voiced one concern from his heart. "But won’t its existence be too conspicuous? Satellites or passing ships might spot it someday."

"I’ve considered that too. There’s no rush. Once the base is finished, I’ll deal with it," Kyle replied.

He knew that Wakanda possessed technology capable of concealing its future city-state.

The creation of new elements and breaking through the technological limitations of this era likewise could not avoid that primitive yet advanced place.