Chapter 24: Sasaki’s Astonishment

In the morning, Dragon Silver gazed at the more than ten six-star energy cards spread across the table. He blinked his sleepy eyes, swept the cards into his storage space, and thought he could use a bit more sleep.

He was slowly getting used to the headaches—he wasn't sure if that counted as progress. With a touch of self-mockery, Dragon Silver reflected that he could now handle six-star energy cards, and even better than he'd expected. He wondered if he could touch the threshold of the Hall rank before he turned fifteen. Although he'd reached such heights in his previous life, this time, experience alone wouldn't suffice; he'd have to carve out each step on his own.

"Little Hammer, let's go to the shop," Dragon Silver said.

"You sleep, I'll wake you when we arrive," Little Hammer replied, seeing how exhausted Dragon Silver looked. Gently pressing Dragon Silver's head onto himself, Little Hammer let him drift off, and soon Dragon Silver was fast asleep, half-reclined against him.

When they reached Dezhou Street, Little Hammer chose to enter through the back door, careful not to draw attention. He figured Dragon Silver would appreciate such caution.

Inside, Sasaki put down his wine bottle, crossed his legs on the table, and sat back in his chair, arms folded, eyeing Little Hammer and the still peacefully sleeping Dragon Silver with an inscrutable expression.

"He trusts you a lot," Sasaki suddenly remarked, tossing a silver card to Little Hammer. "The day you left, all those rare high-grade energy cards on the market were scooped up by members of the Wanderers' Union. With the Wanderers' Union advertising, this shop specializing in high-grade energy cards has made a name for itself here on Dezhou Street. Many people are now eyeing this place. You'd best not come here again. If possible, send someone trustworthy to deal with me. I doubt that little boss of yours, now awake, is only interested in selling energy cards, is he?"

"Uncle, you're annoyingly clever," Dragon Silver said with a yawn, sitting up straight on Little Hammer's shoulder, removing his mask, and gazing curiously at Sasaki. "Why the Wanderers' Union?"

"Because they're the best entry point. Around a hundred thousand four-star energy cards and fifty thousand five-star cards—only the Wanderers' Union can safely absorb that much without trouble," Sasaki replied, growing more interested in this almost too-pretty-to-be-a-boy little boss. In truth, this move was a test on his part. He wanted to see if the boy was as he suspected. He didn't believe so many high-level cards were released just to flood the market. Frankly, that would be a thankless task; even giving the cards away would yield more profit.

Dragon Silver suddenly smiled adorably, tilting his head at Sasaki. "Does the prospect of controlling Dezhou Street for ten years excite you, Uncle?"

Sasaki was taken aback, his eyes flashing with a strange light. "Exciting," he replied. How could he not be stunned? If that was the little boss's aim, then he was playing a dangerous game. The Federation was as deep as the sea, and so was Dezhou. Seizing control of Dezhou Street, with all its tangled interests, was like snatching food from a tiger's jaws—one wrong move and you'd be torn to pieces.

Toying with his mask, Dragon Silver locked eyes with Sasaki. "I want to play," he said. From the moment Sasaki spoke, Dragon Silver knew they were both testing each other. Both were clever, and Dragon Silver figured that being blunt might earn him unexpected advantages. He waited for Sasaki to reveal his terms.

Sasaki had already guessed as much, but hearing it confirmed left him shaken. He'd mingled in Dezhou for centuries, seen big names fall to unseen blades. Dezhou Street was the exclusive domain of the powerful. Now, a child who looked no more than seven was saying he wanted to take it. It was almost laughable. Sasaki wanted to mock him, but seeing the confidence in those dark eyes, he hesitated.

Seeing that Sasaki didn't immediately object, Dragon Silver dropped another bombshell. "Five years. I'll claim the crown prince position of Dexin."

Sasaki drew a sharp breath. Dexin's crown prince? His gaze toward Dragon Silver changed. How could he have not heard of the Dexin crown prince? Whoever claimed that seat could, with a word, turn the fortunes of any family in Dezhou. The power of the Dexin prince was immense—he was an invisible force within Dezhou itself. Even the Federation's great families had tried to intervene, but couldn't overpower the local elite. The Dexin prince was always chosen from among Dezhou's most formidable, and yet stood above them. The organization behind Dexin held enormous sway, even at the federal level. After centuries in Dezhou, just hearing the title made Sasaki wary.

"And what will you use to fight the current crown prince? An orphan from Lizhou, with no power or influence?" Sasaki tried to dampen his spirits.

"So, Uncle, you’ve investigated me. What do you think of the Dragon family?" Dragon Silver asked, propping his chin on his hand with a grin.

At the mention of the Dragon family, Sasaki flinched. He instantly swept his arm, casting an energy field over the three of them. Still uneasy, he took out a small box, slotted in a seven-star energy card, and only relaxed when the device began to hum. Wiping sweat from his brow, he glared at Dragon Silver. "You're from the Dragon family?"

Dragon Silver smiled back as if to ask, "Didn't you find that out?"

"You give me too much credit. There's no way I could uncover that. Damn it, you're actually from the Dragon family!" Sasaki began to pace, clearly agitated, then stopped in front of Dragon Silver, repeating, "You're really from the Dragon family!"

"So the Dragon family is famous enough that even a washed-up drunk like you knows them? What do you think, Little Hammer?"

"Very impressive," Little Hammer replied.

"You two need to be serious. Do you realize the entire Federation is hunting for members of the Dragon family? If it weren't for a mysterious spell card, Senior Cassano could never have escaped from thirteen Saints of equal rank. Even so, he was reportedly seriously wounded. Though he hasn't been captured, news of his injuries has spread. Now, the Card Maker’s Guild and the Card Cultivators’ Guild are joining forces—determined to catch him. What's your connection to the Senior?"

Hearing news of his grandfather, Dragon Silver was momentarily stunned. Upon learning he was wounded, he was shocked and deeply unsettled. Seeing Sasaki’s anxious face, Dragon Silver reached out a small hand to comfortingly pat his head. The gesture nearly made him slide off Little Hammer's shoulder, but Sasaki caught him just in time.

"What's your relationship with the Senior?" Sasaki pressed. A century ago, Cassano had done Sasaki a great favor. For the bear beast clans, debts must be repaid—whether gratitude or vengeance.

Sitting upright, Dragon Silver declared with determination, "Grandfather will be fine! He will." He was reassuring both Sasaki and himself.

"You're his grandson?" Sasaki asked in astonishment.

"Senior, I swear on the honor of the Mountain Hammer Bear royal line—Silver is indeed Lord Cassano's grandson," Little Hammer stated solemnly.

With that oath, all doubts vanished for Sasaki.

"Heh… Good, very good. My life, which your grandfather saved, is at your disposal. Whether you succeed or fail, I'll accept it. So, how do you want to play?"

Dragon Silver calmed himself, gazing quietly at Sasaki, as if searching for something in his eyes. After a long moment, he smiled faintly. "You won't regret this."

"There's no such word as 'regret' in my dictionary. Little boss, if you want to read my emotions from my eyes, you're still too young. Hmph!"

Seeing Sasaki suddenly strike a proud pose, Dragon Silver shrugged. Card beasts always had a certain charm humans lacked.

"Here are twelve six-star energy cards," Dragon Silver announced, emptying the cards from his storage. He handed back the silver card Sasaki had given them at the start. "Initial funding for the crazy plan."

"That contains three billion Xuan Crystals," Sasaki said, glaring at Dragon Silver. The Wanderers' Union could absorb the high-grade cards, but pulling together so much liquid capital at once had hurt. Yet the boy handed it over without blinking, without a hint of pain.

A four-star card was worth a mere thousand Xuan Crystals. But a five-star card leapt to five million, not just because of the cost of materials, but because each level up required a thousandfold layering of techniques from the lower rank. That's a thousandfold! Even five-star card makers with little patience wouldn't bother. And those with patience lacked the S-rank mental strength to make high-grade cards. The reason energy cards formed their own system among card types was this disparity. For stars one through four, it was manageable. But five-star energy cards required not just a five-star maker but S-level mental strength as well. The absurd requirements meant many six-star card makers couldn't even produce a single five-star energy card.

That's what made high-grade energy cards so precious. So when Sasaki realized the boy could produce fifty thousand five-star cards, he was convinced there was more to it.

"One hundred billion Xuan Crystals in pure profit over three years—it's not even enough to eat my uncle's dust. So stop staring. From now on, I'll only supply six-star or higher energy cards. I don't care if you use money, cards, or the promise of improving card makers' skills as bait. I want you to gather all the freelance card makers on Dezhou Street for me within a year."

"A six-star energy card is worth about eighty million Xuan Crystals. Twelve cards are less than a billion, but using them to pave the way multiplies their value a hundredfold. I know what to do. And the fifty thousand five-star cards sold to the Wanderers' Union won't be wasted. But tell me, how many high-level card makers are really backing you?" Sasaki asked, intrigued.

"At the moment, only one Hall-level card maker. Is that flag high enough for you?" Dragon Silver replied, leaning lazily on Little Hammer.

Sasaki's jaw dropped. A Hall-level card maker—every one was a legendary name. Now he racked his brains, wondering which great figure stood behind the little boss.

Seeing this, Dragon Silver smirked and patted Little Hammer, signaling it was time to go.

"Senior, we're leaving," Little Hammer said.

Sasaki nodded, watching them disappear from sight. Every member of the Dragon family had mysterious abilities. What, he wondered, was this little boss's gift? Putting away the small device, Sasaki chuckled. Life was about to get interesting. Maybe, he thought, it was time to quit drinking.