After opening the box, Huai Shi saw a neatly folded gray Trench Coat inside.

He picked it up. When he spread it out, it looked like those trench coats that often appeared in movies, the hem reaching just above the knees.

But upon closer inspection, he couldn't discern whether it was made of fabric, leather, or synthetic material, yet the sheen of the color somewhat resembled plastic.

It was like a thickened raincoat, complete with a hood; there was also an interface on the inside that allowed for a gas mask from the box's accessories to be attached.

And above the left sleeve cuff, there was another interface that seemed like it could connect to the Enchanted Gloves he already had... They even thought of that?

The moment he handled it, Huai Shi realized that the coat's surface was woven from threads of metal so fine they were virtually indistinguishable to the naked eye.

An iron coat?

Yet, to his surprise, it was incredibly light, even more so than standard clothing, lacking any real sense of weight.

With his limited knowledge of Metallography, Huai Shi couldn't analyze how this light and tough metal was forged. Besides its inherent traits, it was highly resistant to the spread of Source Substance after formation. That meant it didn't just provide defense against physical attacks but also possessed considerable resistance to Source Matter Attacks.

The internal structure was unexpectedly complex. He tried to analyze it and found that beneath the lightweight alloy shell were several layers filled with even more intricate Source Substance structures.

The Source Substance that had undergone a qualitative change formed tiny, thin buckles, riveted together seamlessly—a triumph of craftsmanship without any flaws.

The innermost layer of the coat was a breathable leather lining. In addition to replaceable Ceramic Armor over vital areas, numerous pockets and clasps were reserved.

Any quick-response vest or ammunition belt produced by Cavendish Workshop could be connected to it if Huai Shi chose to equip such accessories.

He slashed at it with the Sacrificial Knife at eighty percent strength and managed only to leave a light scratch on the surface.

Upon seeing Huai Shi's attempt, the goose-shaped creature cheerfully explained, "According to a message from Cavendish Workshop, this armor custom-made for you utilizes the latest in Source Substance buffering technology. The internal buffering layer can resist most conventional small arms fire, and it can self-repair when infused with Source Substance. However, the outer metal shell doesn't have this feature, and that will require your hands-on maintenance. This is what they've asked me to pass on to you. During the warranty period of the armor, you'll have partial usage rights, but it cannot be transferred, sold, or the methods taught to others."

Brimming with joy, Huai Shi immediately tucked away the metal sheet handed to him. This is a metal formula, likely the method to refine the metal used for the armor's outer shell!

The Cavendish Workshop had really outdone themselves this time, even considering maintenance methods from Huai Shi's perspective. Truly, high-end custom work was remarkably distinct.

After trying it on, Huai Shi moved around a bit and found that his movements were unhindered. The coat fit his combat style perfectly; even the clasps for storing his utility knife inside the sleeve cuffs were already prepared.

"This design was made especially for you after watching your footage from the rookie competition," the goose-shaped creature said. "Your style isn't suited for overly heavy armor. After ensuring necessary protection, Cavendish Workshop significantly reduced the weight, opting for this design that perfectly supports your versatile combat approach. Furthermore, there are rune slots inside reserved for future upgrades. I believe it will serve as your valuable aid all the way to the Fourth Stage. And if you wish to keep it after reaching the Fourth Stage, Cavendish Workshop promises to charge only a basic service fee to provide you with the latest upgrades and modifications."

Once Huai Shi finished inspecting the merchandise and expressed satisfaction with the prize, the goose-shaped creature continued.

"Lastly, apart from the trophy, the advancement gift pack, and Cavendish Workshop's custom service, here is a prize specially prepared by Tomorrow's News for the 'Third Place,' and it's the only one of its kind in the entire world."

Under Huai Shi's expectant gaze, the goose-shaped being slowly opened the box, revealing its contents layer by layer like a Russian nesting doll. It meticulously took out another box and placed it before Huai Shi.

The iron box opened.

Lying against the red velvet fabric was a shimmering silver card portraying Huai Shi in the moment he was crowned a prince.

Below it was its title:

[Paradise Prince · Huai Shi (Sublimator)]

The black box in the lower half was filled with dense script, resembling a card description.

Mountain Ghost: During a match, when a Forest field card is in play, Huai Shi's health is multiplied by two for each Forest card, and with each attack, he regains health equal to the number of Forest field cards in play.

Prince: All enemy female characters' attack and defense stats decrease by one, while all allied female characters' attack and defense stats increase by one...

What's this?

Huai Shi stared in astonishment.

"...As you can see, this is a card," the goose-shaped creature, not expecting Huai Shi to be so uninformed, pondered for a moment before explaining again, "This is from 'Super World Ambition,' a game operated by Tomorrow News's gaming company, for their game "Card of Ten Thousand Ages". Haven't you played it before?"

"..." Huai Shi shook his head blankly.

The goose-shaped creature's expression grew even more bewildered. After a long pause, it finally exclaimed in amazement, "You really are... quite focused. I thought you came here especially for this; after all, you mentioned it..."

What on earth did I say?

Huai Shi became increasingly perplexed.

He felt he was about to be persecuted again.

Since "Card of Ten Thousand Ages", based on Sublimators as its main characters, had been launched by Super World Ambition in the 1940s, this card game had become all the rage across the Current Circumstances, the Border, and Hell. Even many Abyssal Creatures liked to play a few rounds when they had nothing better to do.

Besides its easy-to-learn but hard-to-master rules and various ongoing updates, the most famous aspect of "Card of Ten Thousand Ages" was the continual release of diverse cards following current events. Some characters would make it into the basic pack, circulating throughout the Borders and Hell, while others would be released as limited commemorative cards following certain events.

Thanks to excellent copyright control and technical protection, these cards infused with Source Substance hardly had any forgeries. Many cards were avidly sought after by collectors due to their scarcity.

Four years ago, a misprinted limited Flash Gold Card 'Preacher · Yegor' was unexpectedly auctioned off at the Magic Gold Bank for a record-breaking price of 1.6 billion, creating a miracle in the history of "Card of Ten Thousand Ages".

Ironically, due to the extreme conservatism and exceedingly strict card-making conditions of the Transworld Editorial Department, which was backed by Tomorrow News, it somehow became a benchmark for many to measure a Sublimator's achievements by whether they could be featured in "Card of Ten Thousand Ages", and what kind of border and card front they could get.

Moreover, the same Sublimator could have multiple card fronts due to their achievements in different Domains.

Take the stateless Natural Enemy, Tier, for example. Besides the diamond card [Natural Enemy - Tear] that represents the rank of Natural Enemy, he also has [Creator · Tier] representing his identity as a Creator. Additionally, there's the limited edition Flash Gold Card [Savior · Tier] symbolizing his solitary annihilation of one of the Remaining Evils of the World, and the dark gold card [Guardian · Tier] depicting his role as a mercenary in the Abyssal War between the Rome Genealogy and the Russian Federation Genealogy.

The kind of card back an inductee receives, the type of border, and the title they are granted are all determined by the Transworld Editorial Department. This department, backed by Tomorrow News, evaluates and issues the cards. The full proceeds are then transferred to the Sublimator featured on the card front.

By now, the type of card front one possessed, along with the border and evaluations received, had seemingly become a judgment of the Sublimator's worth.

Apart from the diamond card back for Natural Enemies and the Originate Tin Card-back for The Crowned Ones, the usual card types came in just four materials – gold, silver, bronze, and iron – to differentiate the Rank and impact of the person on the card front.

If one wished to earn a card front based on their Rank, there was an unwritten rule: nothing Below the Fourth Level. That is to say, Sublimators below the Fourth Stage were not eligible for such an honor based on their own strength, no matter what.

Only powerhouses with a Correction Value or a distortion degree of over 0.5% were qualified to have Golden Level Card-backs. To be more specific, there were further distinctions such as flash gold, dark gold, and colorful gold based on different achievements.

Besides that, there were also commemorative cards released annually in sync with current events and news, such as this one representing Huai Shi's third-place finish in the Asia Rookie Season and his flawless performance, with a limited global release of a thousand copies:

[Paradise Prince · Huai Shi].

Reportedly, it sold out instantly upon release due to fervent female fans. Four hours later, the asking price for a second-hand copy on the Group of Thousands of Evils had soared to tens of times its original price.

In comparison, the sales volume of [Heavenly White Fox] and [Magic Dragon Princess] was utterly defeated.

This was the difference in popularity! —so said Madam Hela, a renowned but nameless collector. Meanwhile, some jealous male players retorted that the card's name shouldn't be Prince of Paradise, but Cowherd of Paradise.

As a special reward created just for Huai Shi, this was the only such card in the world. This card's status had been elevated to flash silver level, and if Huai Shi decided to sell it, it would undoubtedly fetch a high price.

After listening to all the explanations and information from the goose-shaped creature, Huai Shi had given up expecting any normalcy from this fantastical world.

The goose-shaped creature, its expression joyful as if all of humanity had been saved, then held up the box and said in a cheery tone, "Congratulations, Mr. Huai Shi!"

"—You've now been included in the "Card of Ten Thousand Ages" pool, fulfilling that dream of yours from back then!"

Huh?

Huai Shi stared blankly at the card in front of him. This damn thing can happen too?

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