Chapter 109: Searching for the Blue Card

“Why did Feng Xue regress?”
“No choice, my data isn’t enough.” Feng Xue replied lazily to Liu Ji. His data volume was still some distance from the minimum required for the perfect form. Although the Blue Card instantly boosted his data, for some reason, this data was unstable. Once the battle ended, the data supplied by the Blue Card would vanish. Generally, Digimon don’t distinguish between Blue Card data and their own, so after using the Blue Card, they would fall back into the growth phase due to the sharp drop in data.

Feng Xue, however, was one of the few who could differentiate the data. By consistently using the data from the card during battle, he managed to remain in the mature phase after evolving.

Still… Feng Xue had gained a lot—he had acquired data from Sandiramon.

Although he hadn’t obtained the “Treasure Mace,” the holy factor contained in the Emperor Demon’s data was a feast for Feng Xue.

As an ancient Digimon serving the Four Sacred Beasts, the data they accumulated was enormous. Even after being defeated, some of their data was taken back to the Digital World by “Divine Artifacts” (these artifacts were only lent to the Emperor Demons; ownership did not lie with them. When an Emperor Demon dies, the artifact returns some data to the Four Sacred Beasts. By handing this to a Digimon in the growth phase, a new Emperor Demon can be quickly cultivated). The remaining data still brought Feng Xue significantly closer to the perfect form.

According to Feng Xue’s calculations, consuming data from two more Emperor Demons would allow him to reach the peak of the mature phase. Then, with the right opportunity, he could permanently stabilize into the perfect form.

After defeating one Emperor Demon, life seemed to return to calm. The difference was that since the Emperor Demons appeared in the real world, no new Digimon had shown up. Feng Xue knew many Digimon were still hidden in this steel jungle, but if they didn’t show themselves, the Arc Machine would struggle to find their traces—such as the little Devilmon.

“So boring. There were supposed to be twelve Emperor Demons, right? Why have only two appeared and then nothing? Maybe they found out their comrades died and are too scared to come out?” Feng Xue leaned against a park bench, watching Liu Ji chatting.

“Actually, there are three. When Qiren and I went on an outing, we encountered one called Zhandaromon. You said there are twelve? Do you know the detailed info about these so-called Emperor Demons?” Jianliang, noticing Feng Xue’s complaints, asked immediately.

“Yeah, twelve Emperor Demons, also called the Twelve Divine Generals, servants of the Four Sacred Beasts. Their forms correspond to the twelve Earthly Branches, and each one is bestowed with a ‘Divine Artifact’ by the gods. You can think of them as perfect forms rivaling the Ultimate forms in certain aspects. By the way, tell me how you defeated Zhandaromon. They say it has the ‘strongest defense’—without Ultimate-level attacks, it’s almost impossible to break through its defense made of digital alloy.” Feng Xue stood up, maintaining a polite demeanor. The knowledge infused into his body from the Digital World was akin to the core essence of any Digimon. Even Feng Xue struggled to abandon this “nature.” Even if he wanted to sprawl on the bench, these near-instinctual traits compelled him to remain elegant and dignified.

However, after hearing how Jianliang and the others defeated Zhandaromon, Feng Xue’s graceful smile nearly cracked. This was a classic case of the protagonist’s aura, wasn’t it? A Digimon being electrocuted to death? That was ridiculous! After all, the “oxygen” Digimon rely on in the Digital World is electrical signals—weak electricity. Even after manifesting physically in the real world, Zhandaromon possessed the “Treasure Mace” capable of controlling electricity. That it could be electrocuted to death was laughable.

Still, Zhandaromon was careless, never retreating into its shell and barely using the “Treasure Mace.” (The Twelve Emperor Demons were truly wronged—most were defeated without fully using their divine artifacts.)

After finishing the discussion about the Emperor Demons, Jianliang finally revealed the reason for the gathering.

“You mean the Blue Card? The one we got when we acquired the Tyrannomon (the Tamers didn’t know the official name was Arc Machine)?” Qiren asked in surprise. But on the other hand, with this card, could they create another Tamer?

“Probably… It seems to have passed through multiple exchanges before ending up with me. It’s hard to trace its exact origin.” Jianliang pulled out the Blue Card. Feng Xue silently mourned for the child who traded the card away, missing a chance to become a Tamer. But then again, although the protagonists’ Digimon returned at the end, what about other Tamers in the world? The Blue Card wasn’t only given out by Se Guozi; digital spirits also bestowed them on children with Tamer potential. Were their Digimon still in the real world? Or had they vanished somewhere unknown?

None of this mattered much. Without the strength brought by the Four Sacred Beasts or the Light of Evolution, these children’s Digimon would struggle to surpass the mature phase throughout their lives, causing no major issues.

“Feng Xue, what are you waiting for? Let’s go!” Liu Ji’s voice interrupted Feng Xue’s daze. He realized the three were ready to set off to the last card holder’s location.

…

“I say, we’ve already taken the streetcar three times. Where do you guys get all this money for streetcars?” Feng Xue sat on the tram, exuding elegance, but his words were anything but refined.

“Is it okay for you to talk like that? Also, why does it seem like no one around can see you?” Qiren was curious about Feng Xue’s current state. Although sitting together, no one seemed to notice the guy with two horns on his head.

“Come on, I’m a Demonmon. A little illusion is nothing. Also, speak quietly when talking to me. To others, you’ll seem like someone who only has ‘friends only they can see.’” Qiren blushed at this, but Feng Xue just shrugged. He didn’t bother casting any illusions for Qiren—let him be seen as talking to himself.

The search for the Blue Card was not smooth. In fact, the trade of Digimon cards among players was so frequent in this world that it took the three and two Digimon three whole days, moving between cities to find the “original holder.” Finally, yesterday afternoon, they traced the card back to Akihabara.

However…

“You’re a Digimon, right?”