Chapter 218: Lance is a Perpetual Optimist

Inside the temple beneath the glowing light, the mild air was infused with the fresh scent of greenery from the surrounding landscape. Lance sat upon the stone steps, feeling the breeze sweep across the verdant cliffside and enjoying this dreamlike moment of leisure with a relaxed, contented air.

Although a headmaster rarely personally supervised exams, whenever he did, he made sure the students taking the test felt no undue pressure. From a distance, he watched Karen as she made a card.

Soft light bathed the workbench, making it resemble a sacred altar. Karen, looking like a shrine maiden guarding the temple, moved with quiet, clean, and precise efficiency.

When making cards within the Shadow Realm, the primary materials often came from breaking down enchanted cards brought in from the outside, then processing and remaking them. This was precisely why many useless Rare enchanted cards, which were often referred to as "blanks," could still fetch a decent price.

Of course, within this temple, exotic plants and Primal Tablet fragments could also serve as excellent materials, provided the person using them understood their properties and could determine the right mixing ratios.

Arranged in the tool kit on Karen's table were various natural green plants and flower petals. She placed the kit before her workbench and gently stroked each plant, as if communicating with them through her magic. She selected a feather-shaped green plant, placed it into a specialized grinder, and gently worked the jade handle.

As she ground the material, green powder drifted from the device with each speck carrying a unique magical aura. Next, Karen took a small vial of specially formulated transparent magical ink and mixed it with the green powder, adding a pinch of lime mineral. As she blended the mixture, magical fluctuations swirled like a vortex, causing the green powder to dance within the ink.

After completing this step, Karen blew gently on the mixture and smoothed out the surface of the workbench, waiting for the ink and powder to meld perfectly. She then focused her gaze on the table and placed a high-quality blank card obtained from a previous breakdown process in the center.

She dipped an exquisite, portable quill into the freshly mixed ink. The moment the nib touched the card's surface, a magical structure began to rapidly take shape under her meticulous strokes. Every line and every rune drawn was inextricably linked to the element of wind.

Her card making process was a lengthy one, demanding immense patience and focus. Karen's gaze was as sharp as a hawk's. Her quill danced in sync with her wrist, tracing the magical structures with a touch that was gentle yet utterly decisive.

Time seemed to flow at an irregular pace. Before the temple's stone tablet, only Karen and her card remained. The card she was inscribing radiated a soft, magical aura, reminiscent of the morning sun shining upon a verdant meadow.

Lance commented to himself, "Truly impressive."

He had rarely watched others make cards. Witnessing the entire process performed by Karen, who was a genuine Gold Certified card maker, he couldn't help but marvel at the sight. She had to possess a profound understanding of the Wind Primal Tablet to execute every step with such unwavering confidence.

As for Lance, although he had brought along some Rare Wind attributed enchanted cards to dismantle, he had yet to decide how to craft a Wind attributed card based on the insights he had gleaned from the Wind Primal Tablet.

This comparison further convinced him that unless it was the Sealing Primal Tablet, Healing Primal Tablet, Mental Primal Tablet, or perhaps the Light Primal Tablet, with which he had at least a decent affinity, studying the other Primal Tablets wouldn't be of much use to him.

Even if he were to gain genuine insight into the Wind attribute, he was unlikely to have many opportunities to craft Wind attributed cards in the future.

The mural itself, however, was magnificent, so Lance couldn't help but admire it a while longer. He had completely lost interest in the barrier arcane inscriptions depicted upon it.

A clear, melodious mental voice suddenly echoed in his mind, "Lance, lend me an eye."

The Poet of Boundless Love had initiated contact. Once Lance had lifted the summoning restrictions on her, she was able to emerge at will and perceive events occurring in his vicinity.

"Alright, alright. Don't rush."

Sensing the Poet’s restlessness within his soul space, Lance yielded to her need to channel mana and allowed her to draw upon his own reserves. Gradually, his left emerald-green eye became suffused with a brilliant azure glow.

Although he hadn't gained much insight from the Primal Tablet himself, the Poet might well be able to decipher far more than he could.

A long period of time passed in this manner.

Lance sat on the stone steps, idly watching Karen make her card while he picked up a decent piece of raw stone material. Using the engraving tool and brush from his portable card making kit, he busied himself with shaping and polishing it to pass the time.

The Poet finally sent another mental message, imperiously bossing him around. "Lance, let me handle the card making later. You can be my assistant."

"Then I'll leave the main task to you this time." Lance didn't mind at all. In fact, he was more than happy to have the Poet assist him with the work.

He stood up from the stone steps and rolled up his sleeves, preparing to move to a spot a bit further away, somewhere where summoning the Poet wouldn't disturb Karen.

His proctoring duties had come to an end.

***

More than an hour had passed since Karen and Lance entered the Primal Tablet's alternate dimension. Countless students in the ancient Tower Library had cycled through the library's upper floors in the interim.

Aside from a handful of curious students occasionally glancing down at the center of the ground floor from the upper railings, only the scholars and reporters, there to record the proceedings, remained waiting.

On the sixth floor, by a stone railing, a small round table sat flanked by two armchairs. It was a spot designed for students to read in leisurely comfort. Hyperion and Sophia were seated there, sipping afternoon tea.

Sophia and Hyperion were discussing the scenarios that a card maker might face while observing the Primal Tablet.

"When observing the tablet, a good performance can lead to the creation of an enchanted card. However, time is limited. If you fail a few times, you'll run out of materials and simply won't have enough time left to finish the crafting process."

Sophia then glanced at the library's large clock. If things went smoothly, the observation session should be concluding soon.

Hyperion smiled as she sipped her black tea. "It's fine. Lance is the definition of a cheerful optimist. He really doesn't care whether he successfully makes a card there or not."

Miss Tali had told her stories about Lance's card making habits: nine out of ten attempts ended in an explosion. While others would feel ashamed, disappointed, or frustrated by such failures, her friend would simply laugh.

Sophia sighed, touching her cheek. "I wish I had Headmaster Lance's mindset of steel."

Perhaps a more composed attitude was exactly what she needed to master her Ainor.

Hyperion immediately set down her teacup and looked earnestly at Sophia, offering a word of caution. "Sophia, promise me you won't copy him."

She felt as though her friend was already showing early symptoms of some concerning traits.

Just then, a stir of commotion rose from the ground floor, prompting both women to stand up from their armchairs and lean over the railing to look down.

They saw that Karen had returned from the Primal Tablet to the ancient Tower Library. Down in the main hall, numerous scholars were leaving their seats to approach the young card maker, eager to ask questions about her observation session. At this moment, she was the center of attention, and a contented smile played on her lips.

From the terraces of the higher levels, many students gazed down curiously, and soon, exclamations of surprise began to ripple through the crowd.

In her hand, Karen held a translucent card wreathed in a faint, pinkish mist. She made no attempt to conceal it, openly displaying the card's magical properties for the scholars to appraise.

[Wind Phantom]

Category: Spell Card

Grade: Pink (Divine)

Attribute: Wind

Tier: 4

If evasion is possible, gain a chance for a Perfect Dodge every 20 seconds. Triggering a Perfect Dodge consumes mana.

Don't bully someone as weak, pitiful, and helpless as me~

Creating enchanted cards within the Primal Tablet alternate dimension required using a portable kit that relied on breaking down existing cards to make new ones. This was far more difficult than standard card making in the real world, and the materials available were usually limited to the Rare grade.

The fact that Karen managed to craft a Pink Divine card on her first attempt was due to a combination of an exceptional performance, her own solid foundational skills, and the significant insights she had gained within the Wind Primal Tablet dimension.

Sophia pounded the stone railing in frustration. "Damn it, she actually pulled off making a Pink card."

Even from the sixth floor, she could hear the students below and in the distance singing Karen's praises.

As far as Sophia knew, this was the second Pink card Karen had made thus far in her career. Clearly, she had gained a great deal from this observation session. Moreover, a survival-oriented enchanted card like that was a godsend for battlefield card makers looking to boost their rank in the Shadow Realm.

"Unless Lance crafts an Epic card or an even higher tier Divine one than Karen did, he won't be able to outdo her."

Sophia looked at Hyperion with a hint of anxiety. She knew that Lance's crafting style was characterized by a high ceiling but a low floor, which was precisely why he had managed to reach Platinum Certification.

Hyperion shook her head. "That's unlikely. Lance has poor Wind affinity. Just managing to make an enchanted card at all would be a success."

Seeing Hyperion so unbothered, Sophia felt even more anxious on Lance's behalf. "So that jinx is really going to get the last laugh?"

Hyperion spread her hands helplessly. She had never seen Lance seriously try to outdo anyone. "Lance probably won't care all that much. He's never really been the competitive type."

She figured Lance was just crafting casually this time.

As they chatted, Lance finally appeared, teleported out from in front of the Void Gate below. At the same moment, the Void Gate that was manifested from the Wind Primal Tablet twisted and swirled until it vanished instantly, reverting to the enchanted card held in Dean Lawrence's hand.