Card Apprentice Daily Log

Chapter 2349  Abominable Snowdemons, Time-Space Isolation Array

Date: Unspecified Time: Unspecified Location: Myriad Realms, Lil. Red Storm, Seed World, Trophy Section, Duel Realm, Crafting Sector, Venue: Chaos Dwarven Forge. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Even Wyatt was surprised by the choice made by the female Frosling. His brow furrowed slightly as he considered her motives. 'Does she hold a grudge against her own race?' he wondered, tilting his head in confusion. He couldn't think of a better explanation. However, he also knew the tragic history of the Frosling race—they had been enslaved and their realm destroyed by the abominable Snowdemon race.

This only deepened the mystery for Wyatt. 'Why would she ask us to craft corpse puppets using the bodies of her own people?' he thought, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the edge of his workshop table. 'If anything, shouldn't she be demanding we use the corpses of the Snowdemon race instead?' The contradiction gnawed at him briefly, but he soon dismissed it with a shrug. It wasn't worth dwelling on. It was just an afterthought, after all. He refocused his attention on the Judges, waiting patiently for them to announce the time limit and the list of ingredients for the crafting section of the duel.

Meanwhile, the Judges, still visibly irked by the female Frosling's rudeness, quickly glanced at the contestants. Their tail flicked slightly, betraying their irritation. Seeking to shake off their bad mood, they raised their tail high, signaling for the crowd to quiet down. The noise gradually subsided into an expectant hush. The Judges, regaining composure, cleared their throat and announced, "The time limit for the crafting will be three days. As for the ingredients, contestants may use their resources to purchase what they need from our lord and savior, the Devil Merchant Code. This arrangement is intended to balance the tight time limit."

They paused, their gaze sweeping over the contestants before continuing with a stern tone, "Contestants, please do not abuse your access to buy ingredients from the Lord to cheat. The list of ingredients you purchase will be shared with the spectators and broadcast on the Duel-Realm Network stream. Should any viewer raise a legitimate concern about irregularities, we will step in immediately. Using the privilege granted to us by the Lord, we will judge if you have cheated and, if found guilty, sentence you appropriately. This could include—but is not limited to—automatic disqualification by default."

The Judge's tail swished sharply for emphasis as their eyes locked on the two contestants. "Have we made ourselves clear?"

Both Bigold and Wyatt nodded solemnly, their expressions grave as they agreed to the Judges' conditions. Wyatt, his mind already spinning with strategies, adjusted his stance, his fingers brushing lightly against the edge of his crafting tools as he mentally listed the igredinents he needed to craft three demon emperor rank Frosling corpse puppet. Bigold, on the other hand, crossed his arms tightly over his chest, his jaw clenched with grievance. His furrowed brow and slight shake of his head revealed his sense of injustice. Feeling wronged by the Judges, he finally broke his silence.

"Judges, this is unfair," Bigold protested, his voice tinged with frustration. He gestured toward the Judges with one hand while the other remained curled into a fist at his side. "I am the one covering the cost of the duel. Following your rules, my opponent can order any number of rare ingredients for the duel, create better corpse puppets, or even just pocket the ingredients. Please, I beg you, reconsider this arrangement." His tone softened toward the end, a desperate edge creeping into his voice.

The Judges glanced at Wyatt who was lost in contemplation, their frowns deepening as they considered Bigold's argument. Their tail wagged with the wind rhythmically, as if weighing the options. Finally, they spoke with an air of finality, "Fine. All the ingredients bought but unused in the crafting will be sold back to our Lord, the Devil Merchant Code. Additionally, if the total cost of the ingredients purchased by both contestants exceeds the income the contestants stand to earn from this duel, the contestants will equally share the difference."

Their sharp gaze shifted to Bigold. "Is this fair enough?" the Judge added, their tone firm, as though challenging him to argue further.

"Yes, Judges," Bigold replied through gritted teeth. He wanted to refute further, but he noticed the slight flicker of irritation in the Judges' eyes. 'There's a limit to their patience,' he thought, swallowing his words. While not ideal, he reasoned that this arrangement was better than nothing. He exhaled sharply through his nose, nodding curtly in reluctant acceptance.

"Good," the Judges replied, their tone regaining its usual neutrality. "If the contestants are ready, we will activate the time-space isolation array formation and commence the duel." With a sharp snap of their fingers, a shimmering barrier began to materialize around the arena. It pulsed with energy, growing brighter as the formation completed.

The Judges waited, their eyes scanning the contestants, their tail still. Once both Wyatt and Bigold signaled their readiness, they began the timer and the array, and the duel officially commenced.

The time-space isolation array formation separated the arena's time and space from the rest of the colosseum. A shimmering barrier encapsulated the arena, its surface rippling faintly with an otherworldly glow. Within the arena, where Bigold and Wyatt were crafting, time flowed 24 times slower than in the rest of the colosseum. That meant if Bigold and Wyatt spent three days inside, only three hours would pass for the spectators outside.

Thanks to the intricate recording arrays embedded throughout the colosseum, the spectators had complete control over their viewing experience. They could individually watch the crafting duel at a speed convenient for them, whether in real time or by rewinding, changing the angle of view, or even fast-forwarding to skip to catch up with the progressing duel. The arrays allowed them to focus on specific moments with just a thought. The same functionality extended to viewers streaming the duel on the Duel Realm's realm network via their demon or devil codex. The colosseum buzzed with excitement as the eager audience eyes glued to the display.

Inside the arena, Wyatt stood unfazed by the Judges, the spectators, or even Bigold. His focus was razor-sharp, his expression calm yet determined. Without sparing a glance at his opponent, he began purchasing the ingredients he needed through his demon codex. No stray thoughts or distractions lingered in his mind—he did not even consider indulging in the argument Bigold had raised to force the Judges to amend the ingredient procurement rules. Wyatt had already moved past that, immersing himself entirely in the task at hand.

Bigold, in contrast, cast a sidelong glance at Wyatt before turning his attention back to his own preparations. His expression betrayed lingering irritation, his jaw tightening slightly as he begrudgingly accepted the situation. Yet, he too began to focus, purchasing his own set of ingredients with his demon codex.