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That evening, Marcus showed up at Russell's house, punctual as always. By now, Russell was indifferent to these surprise visits. Ignoring Marcus's presence, he walked past the living room and into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water.
"You have a ruthless streak," Marcus's surprised voice followed him from the living room. He hadn't expected Russell to be so bold as to annihilate Victor Drake and his entire gang. As the president of the Evergrove District Cardmakers Association branch, he had naturally been briefed on the aftermath at the abandoned factory once the woman reported the case.
After taking a long sip of water, Russell returned, a faint smirk on his lips. "He didn't agree to the terms. Why keep him around? Besides, everyone at the scene heard me offer to recruit him. It was cleaner to kill them all."
Marcus gave Russell a meaningful look. He knew perfectly well that the story only got out because Russell had deliberately let the woman go, but it was a minor detail he could overlook. After all, Russell had not revealed his own identity. In fact, this public incident could even be useful in creating a clear separation between the two identities of "Russell the high school student" and his ruthless alter-ego. The boy was remarkably cautious, even when doing bad things.
"I take it you've already used the materials that Five gave you?" Marcus asked curiously, his mind connecting the dots to the woman's report about silver armor.
"I have," Russell admitted straightforwardly, though he had no intention of summoning the armor for a demonstration. Marcus didn't press the issue, but he was once again struck by the sheer scale of Russell's talent. Well, at least he's on our side now, he thought with a sense of grim satisfaction.
"By the way," Marcus said suddenly, recalling the strangest detail from the witness report. "What is an 'Aim Alman'?"
"'Aim Alman'?" Russell froze for a moment before the sound registered. He let out a helpless sigh. "It's 'Iron Man'. I couldn't exactly give them my real name, could I?" He needed a codename for his Society work, and since he possessed the [Mark 3], "Iron Man" had just popped into his head. Unfortunately, with no Tony Stark in this world, the reference was lost on everyone. The irony, however, was not lost on him. Stark had also been persecuted by a nefarious organization and had escaped by secretly building the Mark 1 armor from materials they provided. The parallel was almost poetic.
Marcus had no time to dwell on such a meaningless question. He reached into his pocket and produced a piece of material. "This is the reward for your mission."
It was a [Ghost] core, bronze-level, with a brilliant gold-quality sheen.
Russell took the material, his face a mask of neutrality, but inside, a spark of grim satisfaction ignited. Was there anything more enjoyable than being paid by the enemy to acquire the very tools you would one day use against them?
Seeing Russell accept the material, Marcus smiled, laying on the flattery. "You did an excellent job this time. Keep up the good work, and there will be more rewards from the Society." He then stood. "Alright, I have other business to attend to, so I'll be leaving."
Russell ignored him, his attention already on the [Ghost] material in his hand. Just what I needed, he thought. He now had a key component to try out his new evolutionary idea for Yoriichi. He was just short a few more pieces.
The next day, Russell immediately requested several days' leave from school. For a star student like him, attendance was a formality, and the administration certainly wasn't going to stand in his way. He went straight to the Evergrove District branch of the Cardmakers Association and walked right into Marcus's office. When President Jennings had granted him entry into a secret realm, he had been told to simply contact the local branch. And now, since Marcus and he were supposedly in the same "boat," why not make the best use of the man's resources? The branch president would know far more about the local secret realms than any ordinary staff member.
"What are you doing here?" Marcus asked without looking up from the documents he was reviewing. "We're meeting so frequently. If everyone didn't know my wife is in bad health, they'd probably start thinking you're my illegitimate son."
Russell rolled his eyes. "You were the one who kept showing up at my house. If you don't want to see me, I can leave."
Hearing this, Marcus looked up and laughed, a genuine, tired laugh. He wished he had a son as talented as Russell. Unfortunately, his wife's health had been bad for years due to an old card-making injury, and he couldn't bear to let her go through the strain of childbirth. His expression sobered. "Alright, tell me what you need. I know you wouldn't come here unless it was important."
"The Prodigy Cup reward," Russell said, pulling a stool over and sitting down without ceremony. "The Association granted me one entry into a bronze-level secret realm. I'm here to cash it in."
Marcus was stunned. "So soon? I thought you had already made three bronze cards. There's no need to rush into another realm."
"I'm broke, Marcus," Russell stated, a trace of helplessness touching his brow. He only had about 600,000 cold, hard credits left in his account.
Marcus hadn't expected that to be the reason, but he gave a wry smile. "I wanted to give you cash for the last mission, you know. But it's difficult for a student to explain the source of a large, untraceable deposit. In the end, I chose to give you the material instead."
Russell understood. And being "broke" was just a convenient excuse. He couldn't exactly say that he was desperate to increase his power so he could dismantle the Spirit Begging Society as soon as possible. Taking advantage of them was fun, but it wasn't a long-term solution. "I know," he nodded. "That's why I came to you."
Seeing that Russell understood, Marcus said no more and got straight to business. "What kind of secret realm are you looking for? I'll help you find it."
"It would be best to find one with a high output of sword-related materials."
At this, Marcus began to search on his computer. Russell reflected that in all the secret realms he had entered so far, he had never once found a raw item material. They were generally perceived by a cardmaker when they approached certain special items or locations within a realm, then extracted directly onto a blank card. He would need sword-type materials for Yoriichi's advancement.
After a few moments, Marcus found several secret realms that met the criteria. He turned the computer screen slightly to face Russell, gesturing for him to take a look.
Holding the mouse, Russell began to scroll through the information.
Bronze-level Secret Realm: [Sword-Forge Villa]
Primary Material Output: Bronze-level [Dynasty-Forged Steel]
Bronze-level Secret Realm: [Sword Lake]
Primary Material Output: Bronze-level [Heart of Reflection]
Bronze-level Secret Realm: [The Demon Sword's Haunt]
Primary Material Output: Bronze-level [Sword of Rebellion]
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