Catastrophe Card King
Chapter 1829: Original text - 554 Gifts, Burying Lines, 9th Tier Return_3

Chapter 1829: Original text: Chapter 554 Gifts, Burying Lines, 9th Tier Return_3

"I..."

Ray had not yet reacted when he felt a heavy rod fall into his hand. It felt like it was glued to his hand, and neither his gaze nor his body could resist that nearly dreamlike treasure.

Leonard Churchill saw this scene, and a slight flash of surprise crossed his eyes: indeed.

A Divine Artifact is not something just anyone can wield. The Artifact Spirit will recognize its master, and without extremely high Elemental Affinity and potential, it can’t even be held.

Leonard had tried before; even he was barely able to hold it. It wasn’t that his Thunder Series Affinity wasn’t high enough, but rather his compatibility with the Thunderbolt scepter wasn’t sufficient.

Another reason was that he had killed the previous owner of the scepter, so there was always some gap.

When he fought Ray earlier, Leonard had already been contemplating that this kid might be able to handle it.

Now, it seemed he indeed could.

....

Divine Artifact?

The members of the Herlands Family looked at Leonard directly handing over the [Divine Artifact: Zeus’s Thunderbolt]

They were King’s Knights who had followed the Augustus Imperial Clan for generations, not ignorant commoners. They knew better than anyone else what a Divine Artifact meant.

If they were to compare value without considering subsequent impacts, this Divine Artifact scepter was absolutely far more valuable than the half-finished Titan battle armor and its production line!

After all, this was a Supreme Treasure capable of invoking Universe Rules, the ultimate weapon any card master dreamed of.

Merely this treasure alone was enough to outshine the Herlands Family’s hoard of countless years!

This was even a crucial Big Chance to restore their family’s former glory.

Yet such a Supreme Treasure... was given away just like that?

Could there be some sort of conspiracy?

The expressions of the Herlands Family members varied. They couldn’t gauge Leonard’s motives, but all their eyes couldn’t tear away from the lightning-streaked scepter.

Ray stammered: "I... I... I didn’t win against you, I can’t accept this scepter."

For the first time, he felt so lacking in confidence in his own words.

Countless voices in his heart refused to return the treasure, and even the scepter’s Artifact Spirit expressed intimacy. Nevertheless, his reason made him clearly realize this thing should not be his.

Leonard said indifferently: "Take it. In the duel earlier, I used a Super Tier weapon, which wasn’t an honorable win. Since I’ve promised, it’s rightfully yours. Consider it compensation for your family."

In the match just now, forcing him to use the Curse God Card actually meant Ray had won.

He had the advantage of Law Understanding and used an Emperor’s Relic like the Curse God Card, which was indeed a bit like "bullying the young."

Although Leonard used the Curse God Card to prevent an ambush, a match is a match, and using Super Tier means losing.

Leonard would never go back on his word.

A treasure only has value in the hands of someone who can use it, not sitting and gathering dust in a warehouse; since neither he nor his companions could use it, it was better to give it to someone who could.

Moreover, the significance of this [Zeus’s Thunderbolt] was not just a gambling exchange.

If they truly accepted it, many subsequent repercussions would be significant.

"But..."

Ray felt he still shouldn’t accept it. If they were to fight again, he was even less confident in winning against this opponent who had already earned his admiration.

But to reject it, he ultimately couldn’t utter a single "no."

He could only cast a pleading glance at his grandmother.

The scene fell into a brief atmosphere of silence.

The younger members of the Herlands Family didn’t understand the depth of Leonard’s actions.

But the Clan Leader Elsa and other senior figures certainly did.

Leonard represented not just himself, but also his "friends."

If they didn’t accept this favor, it was best to return it on the spot.

However, this was something they couldn’t refuse.

Leonard’s earlier mention of "compensation" even provided them a dignified excuse.

The Herlands Family were just worrying about being punished for failing the mission. Now the situation was already beyond change, and they gained a Divine Artifact; it felt more like a balanced exchange, subtly easing the tension.

Silent for a long while, Clan Leader Elsa glanced at Leonard, then at Camilla and Tracy Garcia, both cloaked, and sank into deep thought.

In these brief moments, it felt like years had passed, and her already aged face looked even older.

She knew that her current decision might influence the future fate of the entire family.

But she could also see more clearly that the current situation in the East Wilderness had the Silver Moon Faith overpowering Kingship.

From the moment Queen Betty appeared earlier, Clan Leader Elsa was already fully aware.

The King they had loyally served had lost trust in the Four Guardian Knight Families.

Whether he had changed due to [Tyrant] contamination or had been misled by the Queen’s slander, it didn’t matter.

The fact was, this distrust had placed the Herlands Family in an extremely perilous position.

If this mission failed and they couldn’t bring back the machinery equipment, their Forbidden Curse Family would surely face punishment, and the Silver Moon Queen would seize the opportunity to marginalize them.

But even if they weren’t defeated,

what about next time?

Their Four Knight Families had sworn to die in loyalty to Kingship and would never want to see it overshadowed by divine authority. Such a conflict would inevitably persist.

There would surely be more exclusion until the Moon God completely controlled Kingship.

And once suspicion formed, it would be like a broken cup; no matter how well it was mended, it would never be as good as new.