Chapter 217: Lance is Devoted to His Job Responsibilities

As their surroundings brightened once more, they saw a vast expanse of emerald mountains. They stretched toward the horizon, where lush green meadows met a stream that wound its way through the landscape like a ribbon.

The stream's water was crystal clear, and it flowed ceaselessly. The rippling aqua waves reflected the swaying forms of nearby trees, creating a vista that, from a distance, resembled a pure, ethereal canopy. It gave the environment a dreamlike, enchanting quality.

Lance stood upon a swell in the terrain that was surrounded by irregular tiers of white stone walls that converged to form a majestic temple.

Towering stone pillars were entwined with lush vines and dotted with blossoms that trembled gently in the breeze. These soaring, flawless pillars firmly supported an exquisitely carved, pure-white ceiling. The reliefs adorning it radiated an aura of profound sanctity and solemnity.

The mirror-smooth floor reflected the light filtering down from the chandelier hanging high above. From the center of the temple, he could gaze outward and take in the breathtaking, verdant landscape.

As he gazed at this pristine yet mysterious alternate dimension, Lance murmured, "I never imagined such a fairyland-like place could exist."

Karen cast a speechless glance at him. Lance was a layman, through and through, seeing only the surface. While this dimension appeared to be an incredibly vast space, it was actually a projection generated by a supreme barrier spell. This was a mechanism somewhat akin to an artificial Shadow Realm.

Of course, it differed from a genuine Shadow Realm dungeon. Ultimately, it fell far short of the real thing. It could only be described as something existing somewhere between an artificial Shadow Realm and a true one.

Due to its inherent flaws, a person could not venture very far. Moving even a short distance away from the temple made further progress nearly impossible.

The entire dimension was sustained by a massive mural located at the very center of the temple. The mural appeared incomplete, yet it was easily recognizable as the prototype for the Wind Primal Tablet relief carvings. It bore clear traces of modification by magical artisans and was etched with complex barrier arcane inscriptions, though the material itself was something beyond the current capabilities of human magical engineering technology.

Karen reminded him, "Lance, we didn't come here to sightsee. If you want to gain some insight, you really ought to focus on the mural itself."

She couldn't yet gauge his true level of ability, though she remained intrigued by what Dean Lawrence had said about his exceptional card making skills.

A brief exchange was all it took to get a sense of the situation. Lance turned his attention toward the mural, becoming gradually captivated.

After a moment, he said, "It is said that when the murals from all thirty-two Primal Tablets are pieced together, they depict a magnificent war from the Age of the Gods. It was only after the gods perished that the subsequent eras belonging to the myriad living beings came to pass. Seeing it with my own eyes is truly awe-inspiring."

"Do you really not care at all about the arcane inscriptions on the mural?" Karen was deeply disappointed. She couldn't fathom how Lance could so earnestly marvel at facts that were already written in textbooks.

Lance said with a smile, "I find the mural itself more interesting,"

Karen said dismissively, "You can see those kinds of things in the academic texts."

This was especially true regarding Primal Tablets like the Wind Primal Tablet, which various academic societies had thoroughly researched in recent years.

Lance shrugged. "Seeing it in person is different from just looking at an image reproduction."

The two continued to chat idly as they strolled and wandered through the temple.

Lance could feel the mental pressure mounting within this space. Regardless of a person's strength, a visitor would be expelled after roughly two hours and barred from ever re-entering this specific area. In this regard, it closely resembled a genuine Shadow Realm dungeon where a challenge could not be repeated.

Of note, it didn't take long for a person to figure out how much of the mural's arcane inscriptions they could interpret.

Sometimes, once a person had seen enough and no longer wished to endure the heavy mental strain, they would simply leave. Consequently, there were instances where a magical artisan spent very little time actually observing a Primal Tablet.

Generally, only card makers would spend extended periods here. Because this alternate dimension shared a structure similar to the Shadow Realm, card makers could bring in portable card making kits in the form of enchanted cards. They could then utilize the unique materials found within the Primal Tablet dimension to craft new enchanted cards, soulbind them, and carry them out.

This was precisely how battlefield card makers could boost their gains from the Shadow Realm. Since only soulbound cards could be transported in and out, making cards on-site offered a rare chance to extract, in a different form, the precious materials acquired during the expedition.

In less than half an hour, the two of them had more or less finished their observation. Karen asked with keen interest, "So, Lance, what do you think?"

She was simply curious to see the true caliber of the card maker whom Dean Lawrence held in such high regard.

Lance answered honestly, "I don't really understand the arcane inscriptions related to wind attributed magic. I'm just here to broaden my horizons."

After looking it over, he truly felt the scenery was beautiful and the mural to be stunning. It was a style that he, even as a lead artist in his previous life, had never encountered before.

However, regarding the wind arcane inscriptions depicted there, he was completely clueless. He didn't understand a thing. It was much like how an ordinary person failed to grasp sealing magic. Wind magic was equally beyond his comprehension.

Of course, if he was asked to critique the mural itself, then in that case he could offer plenty of insight.

"You're really cute, Lance." Karen tilted her head and smiled at him. "So, do you plan on making any cards later?"

The materials in the temple weren't exactly high-grade, as they were merely scraps and offcuts from the Primal Tablet itself. Without understanding the arcane inscriptions here, a person couldn't make any truly valuable enchanted cards, even when using materials that shared a similar origin.

Lance replied with a laid-back attitude, "I might or I might not. I think I'd like to look at the mural a bit more."

Karen said to Lance with the friendly air of a senior student, "In that case, I won't wait for you. I'm going to start making a card now. You're welcome to watch from the sidelines, though how much you actually understand will depend on your own aptitude."

On the surface, her attitude was incredibly friendly, but in reality, she still held a grudge against Lance and was itching for a chance to humiliate him thoroughly.

The most direct way to gauge a card maker's proficiency was simply to look at the cards they produced. Scholars and reporters were waiting outside right now. The metaphorical stake for Lance's public execution was already set up.

And considering Lance had displayed the magical engineering knowledge of an illiterate novice during their recent conversation, how could Dean Lawrence possibly claim he was impressive? Karen found the whole idea laughable.

Once she finished making a high grade card, she could compare it to whatever Lance produced and then gloat to her heart's content.

"Mm."

Lance crossed his arms and sat on a nearby stack of stone blocks that were piled up like crates to observe Karen. He was in no rush to start crafting, as the magical engineering principles inscribed on the Primal Tablet had left him completely baffled.

Furthermore, he had never crafted a wind attributed enchanted card before. His affinity for the element was quite abysmal. Given the raw materials available here, simply avoiding a card explosion would be a stroke of luck.

However, observing Karen's card making process still made his trip worthwhile.

Of note, there were very few Platinum Certified card makers in the southeastern region of the Southern Continent. The Platinum Certification exam typically required a panel of three examiners who were themselves Platinum Certified or higher.

Since the Kingdom of Yaloran and the Kingdom of Hutton shared the same examination zone, and the Southern Continent Card Maker's Association assigned examiners based on proximity, there was a strong possibility that Lance would step in to fill the vacancy left by Duke Michael and serve as an examiner for future exams.

Karen would undoubtedly take the Platinum Certification card maker exam in the future, making her a perfect case study for a candidate. Lance viewed this as a chance to practice the role of an examiner in advance.