Yi Lian the Deer Demon and that Clockwork Man, in fact, their appearance immediately piqued Brand’s curiosity. After the battle in the underground tomb, he finally realized that summoned creatures from cards could also use cards.
Although Yi Lian had said that she and the Clockwork Man were merely using Lord Tracyman’s deck in a simulated environment, it at least proved that the great Travel Mage had definitely conceived a similar idea during his lifetime.
And indeed, that was the case.
Lord Tracyman left some fragmented records. He had this thought in his later years: establishing a new law above creature cards—since Travel Mages can summon all creatures, why can’t Travel Mages summon Travel Mages?
This was undoubtedly an idea so bold it bordered on genius, and it’s not excessive to praise this concept with words brimming with supreme reverence, like "free-spirited." What’s most insane is that Lord Tracyman succeeded, or rather, succeeded in a certain sense.
He first reorganized two of his strongest cards, the Deer Demon and the Clockwork Man, which he felt most deeply about. One could say Yi Lian and the Clockwork Man were his first test subjects. This experiment wasn’t perfect, but it led Lord Tracyman to find a direction.
Unfortunately, this great genius—or more accurately, lunatic—was ultimately unable to complete his vision. Before he could create a perfect summon, an unknown crisis erupted from the underground depths of Tonyger, and he chose to use his life alongside the Witch Queen to seal the entire tomb.
He also sealed his life’s blood within.
Yi Lian eventually handed over this record to Brand. In truth, what Brand received wasn’t the complete embodiment of this idea, because even Lord Tracyman didn’t have time to experiment further and perfect it; what was left to him was merely a flawed record.
But it was enough.
Just like Brand’s own thinking, perfection isn’t necessary, as long as one can push it to the limit. With his past life experience, creating the strongest deck that belongs solely to him doesn’t seem impossible.
"You want to summon Travel Mage creatures?" Tu Men looked at him, asking somewhat nervously.
Brand nodded.
Tu Men immediately showed a serious expression and countered, "But do you know that Lord Tracyman’s method isn’t perfect? Travel Mage, after all, has special authority, and he surpasses all the power systems you mentioned. His method of summoning Travel Mage creatures is actually a near-compromise."
"I know," Brand replied, "Lord Tracyman essentially distributed his Travel Mage authority downward, allowing his summoned creatures to possess similar law power to himself."
"Thus, there are two issues to face: first, the distribution of authority inherently reduces the library limit of the Travel Mage himself. Second, because the summoned creatures hold authority equivalent to the Travel Mage, they might at any time revolt against the Travel Mage."
Brand was, in fact, someone passionate about winning through risk; he was completely different from those who would only act after thoroughly cautious and comprehensive planning. Thus, in the past while in Amber Sword, his Senior Sister was always most focused on him. One can imagine the consequences when personal heroism and adventurism are concentrated on one person.
But after lengthy adventures and gaming experiences, he was no longer the reckless youth he once was. Now, he understood that even in adventure, risk must first be calculated. The most crucial point is knowing oneself and the opposition.
Thus, he didn’t need Tu Men to speak; he had already thoroughly investigated all related consequences. Additionally, he continued, "Moreover, the Travel Mage’s authority isn’t infinitely divisible. Even with Lord Tracyman’s power, he could only divide into four extra authorities at most, and with my ability, just two at best."
"So you also understand," Tu Men fell silent. What Brand mentioned about deck capacity is a matter an Official Travel Mage must face. Unlike an apprentice using someone else’s deck without worry, every card in an Official Travel Mage’s hand manifests his own law and world construction; therefore, he must reserve a certain strength to maintain each card.
This relationship is generally proportional to Element Pool size, typically ten to one, though there are cases of smaller or larger ratios.
Tu Men considered for a moment, and said, "Lord Tracyman has almost reached the peak of Travel Mage; his strength is practically equal to mine. Beyond that is the level of Lord Odin, only two or three people throughout history have reached it. This means, even if you consider taking this path, you could only have four or five Travel Mage creatures at most. You have to consider clearly that these Travel Mage creatures themselves also have significant flaws—"