the card apprentice
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Fifteen thousand Oudi! Looking at that strange, strange card, Chen Mu couldn’t make up his mind. No longer having the constraint of his long-term desire to make a one-star fantasy card, an intense curiosity had taken hold of him. The scales in his heart were rapidly beginning to tilt toward that card.
It happened! Chen Mu was fiercely resolved. At the worst he will have wasted several more months’ time to earn it back.
Chen Mu firmly resolved never to hesitate again, and he went out to buy the three-star power-card. Chen Mu’s state of mind was already completely different from the last time, when he went out to bask in the sun.
There were shuttles everywhere in the sky, and you could faintly hear the jet stream shooting from their tails. The price of a shuttle wasn’t cheap, so they were naturally not something that someone like Chen Mu would be able to buy. The core component of a shuttle was a card that could produce a high-velocity jet stream. The high-velocity jet stream that it produced would pass through a special structure inside the shuttle, thereby creating a tremendous thrust. Those card artisans having superlative powers fundamentally didn’t need shuttles, since they could nimbly manipulate those sorts of jet stream cards to achieve their goal of flight, but with more speed and maneuverability.
Not being able to buy a shuttle, and having no way to manipulate a jet-stream card, Chen Mu could only stride along on his two legs to go forward, as always.
One needed to go to a relatively high-class shop to buy a three-star power-card, since after all they weren’t bargain items. This was Chen Mu’s first time entering such a high-class shop, with floors so bright and shiny that they reflected your image, and with a rejuvenating fragrance throughout the shop.
Inside a glass case, every sort of high-grade card was arrayed on red felt. Below each card were detailed specifications for the card.
Dressed in neat uniforms, the beautiful and elegant card-salesgirls smiled with artful elegance, gentle and charming.
“Good day. May I ask what it is that you require?” The card salesgirl didn’t have the slightest contempt for Chen Mu because of any sloppiness, since they all maintained exceedingly refined professional cultivation. They had grown used to seeing all aspects of society. So many people who didn’t look like much were likely there to put thousands on a single play. Not all the rich people care so much about what they wear. People who don’t pay attention to their appearance – people of learning enthralled by research – were more and more common.
“Three-star power-card.” Chen Ming didn’t waste any words.
A sure-enough rich person! The card salesgirl rejoiced internally. A three-star power-card was 15,000 Oudi. She’d reached her sales-quota for the day!
Chen Mu was never sloppy in his work. Once he’d decided to buy, he wouldn’t have any other thought, and was very forthright in paying, which made that card-salesgirl more certain that the man in front of her was a rich individual.
“Would the gentleman require anything further? As the city’s most comprehensive card shop, we have anything you might need here. If we don’t have the card that you need, we can help you to place an order, and deliver it to the high-grade card-masters with whom we have a professional relationship, for them to custom make one for you.” The card salesgirl was lit up in her enthusiasm, and spared nothing in the pitch.
The dazzling array of every sort of high-grade card almost blinded Chen Mu. He swallowed inwardly. He shook his head, “No need. You don’t have the card I need here.”
Walking out of the card shop, the cold air outside made Chen Mu’s brain sober up. He stood stupidly for a long time, and then burst out laughing despite himself. Evidently, his resistance fell short. Those cards dazzled him. But he threw the unrealistic thoughts to the back of his head, and thought about that mysterious card that was still in his house. His mind warmed right up, and his intense curiosity impelled him to break into a run.
Chen Mu ran madly the whole way, opened the door panting, and entered the room.
Questions about the mysterious card swirled around in his mind. It had undergone extremely realistic camouflaging processes. What sort of card would need to camouflage itself like that? What was the point of its camouflage? But those two camouflage films had the compositional style of a grand master, and so who could the grand master with such a such a fine hand be, after all?
Without exception those matters would provoke anyone’s curiosity, but they weren’t the most peculiar thing. The most peculiar thing about the card was that it had undergone a complete transformation in its composition, turning earth into sky on its face, all during the course of one night!
Chen Mu had never heard about any sort of card that could change its composition like that. Once a card’s composition took shape, it became exceptionally set. The alliance among the materials was irreversible. The power of that kind of conjunction was extremely strong, and although there were times when there might be irresistible force, the only thing it would do would be to wear it down little by little. There was never any way to make it take on a different appearance.
If that card was really someone’s work, then he must have had shocking artistry.
That enigma made his mind itch intolerably, like a swarm of little insects messing with his head.
The time had finally come to break open the enigma! Chen Mu was a little excited.
He picked up the mysterious card on the table, smoothed it gently, and with nimble fingers, put it into the card-slot of the apparatus, immediately putting the three-star power-card into the apparatus’ other card slot.
He pressed the activation button without any hesitation.
His surroundings suddenly darkened, as though Chen Mu had arrived at a completely unfamiliar void. What an amazing card! Chen Mu was already stunned beyond words! He had never imagined that a fantasy card could take him to a liminal realm like that. That really was “the real feeling like an illusion!” What a high-grade fantasy card! He’d never imagined that he could come across such a high-grade fantasy card. Although he knew that everything that he was seeing was illusory, Chen Mu’s expression still transformed. The card had utterly detached him from any connection to his actual surroundings.
In all directions, there was only boundless darkness, as though he were floating alone in an endless void.
“The first step is to please complete the eighteen actions.” Chen Mu suddenly heard an ancient voice at his ear. It was as though it was spoken right into his ear. It wasn’t loud, but it was utterly distinct. Chen Mu couldn’t help turning his head around to look. There was nothing there at all, apart from the same black and empty void.
Just after the voice, there suddenly appeared eighteen immortal figures, each doing a different action. The figures were somewhat indistinct, but their bodies were perfect. One after the other without stopping, each repeated their own activity. Each one of the eighteen figures did a different activity, with some of them incredibly strange. Suppressing his terror, Chen Mu started carefully to examine the people’s activities, and turned his gaze on one of the images, where there suddenly appeared a large pile of written characters to the side of the body. Chen Mu carefully read the characters at once. These characters were basically a detailed description of the action, along with a few things to pay attention to.
After he finished reading, Chen Mu attempted to do the activities along with the figures.