The Card Apprentice

If you were to say everyone previously had some doubts, no one was doubting the tender-looking youth’s outstanding skills now. With the praise of the Faya representative and his evidently not-shallow relationship with Madam Sue Lochiro, if anyone were to call him ordinary, no one in the room would have believed it.

People were already guessing what his relationship with Sue Lochiro really was.

One of the servants suddenly rushed forward with a nervous expression, covered in sweat. He was jogging toward Ren Wenzhou by the time he got close and whispered something in his ear.

Ren Wenzhou was stirred and said brightly, “If you’ll excuse me, everyone.” He then turned around and walked out the door while everyone watched. Could yet another terrific figure have arrived?

Chen Mu breathed a sigh of relief. It creeped him out to have so many people looking at him. By then, everyone had finally diverted their attention, which made him feel a lot more relaxed. He found another corner and was just about to sit when there was some commotion at the door to the great hall.

Ren Wenzhou could be seen accompanying a young man walking into the hall. Ren Wenzhou’s face was glowing, while those around the youth were smiling in a reserved and courteous manner.

Ren Wenzhou clapped his hands loudly and was pleased when he saw he had gotten everyone’s attention. He immediately said in a booming voice, “Everyone, I would like to grandly introduce you to the young lord at my side. I believe everyone must be trying to guess who he is, ha ha. But please, allow me to reveal the riddle.”

Ren Wenzhou looked all around. Seeing everyone holding their breath in anticipation of what he would say next, he smiled lightly and dropped his bombshell in a buoyant fashion.

“The young lord at my side is the among the outstanding aces of the Federation Comprehensive Academy’s new generation—Zu Ning!”

The entire great hall exploded. Girls shrieked excitedly here and there as everyone desperately pressed forward, wanting to get a look at the ace’s style. His most distinguishing feature was probably his hair, every strand of which stood neatly erect like a steel needle. He had a beautiful face, which might have been rather effeminate, but it was even more extraordinarily martial, being set off by that hair style.

Adding to that the elegance and modesty of a wealthy clan, he had all the elements of a popular lover. But, he wasn’t depending on his looks. In fact, he was truly famous because of his extraordinary power.

His body wasn’t contaminated by the slightest bit of the arrogance normal to citizens of the capital. On the contrary, he was an extremely diligent student. He had extraordinary talent and had been selected at the Federation Comprehensive Academy when he was 13, and he had made his name by 15.

At that time, during his first experience in the Outer Reaches, he rescued seven people from the jaws of a congregation of the ferocious saw-tooth alligator. That started his rise to fame. His unusual appearance, elegant bearing and proud strength immediately made him into one of the most popular aces of his generation.

He didn’t lose his way because of that but became still more diligent. Finally, when he was 16, he was allowed to take the famous Federation Comprehensive Academy course in the training of perception, the Sectional Training Method. Afterward, his strength became unstoppable, and he progressed rapidly. When he was 22, he undertook the Federation Comprehensive Academy card bestowal exam, because of which he was granted the Sectional Succession five-star card.

Hearing someone nearby, who seemed to be one of Zu Ning’s hardcore supporters and was going on and on about Zu Ning’s accomplishments, Chen Mu finally gained a pretty good understanding of him.

Unfortunately, Chen Mu wasn’t very familiar with the Big Six and didn’t understand the implications. But, from hearing the proud pronouncements of that person nearby, he knew Zu Ning must be someone pretty awesome.

Chen Mu wasn’t interested in Zu Ning’s identity, but he was wondering whether the Federation Comprehensive Academy wanted to intervene in the Central Island Firm’s affairs. Chen Mu smiled coldly to himself in the corner as things were becoming more and more interesting. But, it didn’t have a lot to do with him. He neither wanted to nor had the ability to join in as he sat calmly in the corner.

Things had become a little chaotic. Who knew the servant would come in, with still more sweat on his face and running very fast this time, to whisper into Ren Wenzhou’s ear again?

An almost imperceptible smile flashed by the corner of Ren Wenzhou’s mouth, and he immediately pretended to be pleasantly surprised. “Oh my, what a great day. Who would have thought in addition to being honored by the presence of young Zu, the Central Repository of the Classics has also sent someone? How about we welcome him as we did young Zu?”

What Ren Wenzhou said was neither understated or overstated. However, when it fell onto everyone’s ears, it didn’t create quite the same explosion. Those already struck dumb could smell the unusual flavor of the evening, and everyone calmed down.

A smile appeared on Zu Ning’s gorgeous face as Ren Wenzhou dimly revealed his close relations, maintaining his discretion for sure. Zu Ning gave a slight bow in deference. “After you. It’s my pleasure.”

After a moment, there was more commotion in the hall. The one from the Central Repository of the Classics, Jie Yanbai, was indeed the same sort of weighty personage. He was also a famous young ace. He had made a name for himself when he was young, just like Zu Ning, though Jie Yanbai didn’t make his name until he was 15. Interestingly, while Zu Ning had made his name as soon as he had a successful battle, Jie Yanbai made his name when he failed in battle.

No one would belittle him for failure since his adversary in that battle was President Pavchek of the Federation Comprehensive Academy, who had made his name three years before. No one knew why Pavchek would have accepted a challenge from such a young unknown. On that point, never mind bystanders; even the scholars at the Federation Comprehensive Academy didn’t understand it.

Even though he lost the battle, Jie Yanbai earned glory in defeat. Pavchek afterward praised him as the leader of the younger generation. All of the presidents of the Big Six were at the top in the federation; to be able to earn their praises, Jie Yanbai’s worth abruptly multiplied.

Once Zu Ning saw who it was, his handsome face darkened. Among those he hated most among the students at the Federation Comprehensive Academy, Jie Yanbai was probably the worst. That would be indistinguishable from the way students of Moon Frost Island detested the Gemini from Desert Camp, though there was only one of the Gemini remaining from there.

Very interesting! There was the Central Repository of the Classics, the Federation Comprehensive Academy, and the Faya Foundation. What a hoot! Sitting in the corner, Chen Mu was not only glad he had resisted temptation; clearly he couldn’t survive in such turbid water.

The mood and the feeling had changed as he pleasantly drank his juice. The taste of the sweets was incredible. For a poor fellow like Chen Mu, who hadn’t ever tasted such fine things, he just opened the floodgates and gorged himself.

A fat man, dripping with sweat, squeezed beside Chen Mu and plopped down. As soon as the fatso sat down, he smiled at Chen Mu. “The last time I came, there weren’t half as many people here. Good grief, was he trying to embarrass this fatso with so many people here this time?”

He laughed and put out his plump right hand. “Yang An, businessman.”

Chen Mu took a look at him and put out his right hand, saying, “Cao Dong.”

It dawned on the fat man. “I ask who it is, and it’s Cao Dong from Heaven’s Wings! I’ve heard all about you!” Although the boss of Heaven’s Wings was secretive, a boss like Yang An certainly would have heard of him.

“Is Mr. Cao is interested in making high-grade cards?” The fatty showed a harmless smiling face, on which the fat was layered, as he pulled out a name card. “I manage an auction house, where we’ve just taken in some pretty good materials. Among them are a few five-star card blanks. It’s really hard to distinguish the real from the fake, and I wonder if Mr. Cao could help us feel them out.”

The fatty was pretty apprehensive; if this Cao Dong had refused even the person from Faya, how would he be able to do any better?

Five-star card blanks! Chen Mu was very excited!

He was mostly making three-star cards then, and he could barely make a few kinds of four-star cards. He couldn’t even think about five-star cards. But, when he heard five-star card blanks, he couldn’t help his surprise.

Unlike commonly used three- or four-star cards, the scarcity of five-star and above cards made each of them sky-high in price! Even among the Big Six, five-star cards were seldom seen. People like Zu Ning could only be granted a five-star card after passing the Federation Comprehensive Academy’s card bestowal exam.

The difficulty of the card bestowal exam was hard for even the students from the Federation Comprehensive Academy to imagine.

Most of the five-star cards in the federation were in the hands of the Big Six or other big powers, like Faya. They really couldn’t be bought on the market. They would only occasionally be found at auction, where they were extremely expensive! Among the records of the largest and most famous auction houses, most of the genuine cards were left behind. That left most of the sparse five-star cards to be snapped up by the rich and overbearing powers like the Big Six.

However, those who could make five-star cards weren’t actually as rare as people thought. The reason so few five-star cards were made was the materials. The materials required by a five-star card were all extremely rare and expensive. The five-star card blanks were an important part among those.

Altogether, there were 27 kinds of materials from which it was known to be able to make five-star card blanks. Some of those had already gone extinct, and some had never been seen; the remainder were all extremely rare. That was also why five-star card blanks were so rare and expensive.

The price of one five-star card blank went far beyond the cost of 50 four-star cards or 40 high-performance four-star cards! They faced the same problem of being priced out of the market.

That was one critical reason five-star cards were so rarely seen on the market. Just as with other cards, there was a problem with the success rate in making the cards. You wouldn’t succeed every time, even if you were able to make five-star cards. Five-star cards made stringent demands on the fine control of perception, and the complexity of the compositions was several levels higher than for four-star cards.

The scarcity and cost of the materials together with the low success rate could roughly explain why so few five-star cards were ever on the market. Quite a few well-versed card masters might never have the chance to successfully make a five-star card for their entire lives. Most of the card artisans powerful enough to use a five-star card would only be able to use a four-star card their whole lives.

There was a lot of weight in the several five-star card blanks the fatso tossed out! Chen Mu was excited, but he still had the lesson from last time firmly on his mind; he didn’t immediately respond. Instead, he considered it coolly for a while before saying, “What sort of cooperation is Mr. Yang An considering?”

A look of appreciation flashed through Yang An’s eyes. To present such calm in the face of temptation would be nothing for an “old oil stick” like him. But, it was certainly commendable for an 18- or 19-year-old. When he thought about the rebirth of his counterpart’s Heaven’s Wings, which now sat firmly in the top spot in Pomelo’s fantasy card advertising world, Yang An would never scorn him in the least.

The fatty said refreshingly, “I’ll provide the materials, and Mr. Cao makes the cards. As far as what kinds of cards, that would be up to Mr. Cao. The cards produced would be auctioned at my humble auction house, where if sold, we would split the profits 60-40, minus the materials. Forty for me and 60 for Mr. Cao. How would that be?”

Chen Mu had gotten the main outline in a moment. As far as he was concerned, it was a pretty good idea. What he needed to provide was labor—he would make the cards, and the benefits for him would be to get some income and a good deal of practice and experience. He was particularly interested in the latter. The materials the fatty would provide would certainly be three-star or four-star card materials. Although such materials weren’t as rare as five-star cards, they still weren’t cheap. It would certainly be tedious for him to acquire materials himself.

Moreover, the fatty wouldn’t take a loss. The division with Chen Mu already deducted the cost of materials, which weren’t deducted from the profits. He would only have to provide the materials to be able to earn 40 percent of the income. So, for him it would naturally be a simple matter. Besides, he would get another stable supply point. An abundance of products to auction would be a great help in increasing the reputation of his auction house.

Everything was based on Chen Mu’s truly unusual card making strength. Although he didn’t quite understand his counterpart’s certainty in that regard, he rather admired the fatty’s thinking.

Seeing Chen Mu’s seemingly moved expression, the fatty added more fuel to the fire. “As partners, if the auction house has the materials required by Mr. Cao, then Mr. Cao would have the right to buy them out at 1.2 times our purchase price. Of course, if Mr. Cao sells the cards, our auction house would get priority. The Heaven’s Wings fantasy card advertisements would be no exception. Our cooperation would be reviewed twice a year. How about it?”

Without any further hesitation, Chen Mu nodded. “Ok!”

The fatty held out his palm, and Chen Mu gave him a high-five to indicate agreement. The further details of the verbal agreement would be put into a signed contract.

To be able to woo a card master who had won the admiration of a representative of Faya put the fatty into a good mood. The two of them high-fiving their agreement would immediately change their relationship.

The fatty’s speech became a lot more relaxed. He looked around the great hall and laughed. “Central Island has scored some big shots this time. But, the three sides aren’t such good shakes, and I’m afraid Pomelo could get a little chaotic. Oh, but I don’t know if we’ll be able to watch Zu Ning and Jie Yanbai crossing swords, which would be a golden opportunity! Gosh, and Faya would still be looking on hungrily from the side. I am really curious about what kinds of aces they might send. Interesting! Very interesting!”

Aces? The image of that man wearing the silvery half mask flashed through Chen Mu’s mind as he said nonchalantly, “What does all that have to do with us?”

The fatty clearly liked Chen Mu saying the word “us” very much; he gulped a mouthful of juice and laughed. “It certainly has nothing to do with us. We’ll just pay attention to making money!”

The fatty still found it a little strange that Cao Dong wasn’t really as hard to get to as he’d imagined. He didn’t know what sort of grudge he had against Faya to turn down Faya’s business.

How could he have known how arrogant Butchie had been? If she’d tossed out a few million Oudi, then maybe Chen Mu would have taken the business.

The powerful had always enjoyed using a tough attitude toward the weak. When they discovered the other party wasn’t so weak, they would immediately adjust to a smiley face to conciliate the cooperation. Perhaps the powerful weren’t intentionally like that until they became accustomed to power.

The habit created a scary kind of power.

But, Chen Mu obviously wasn’t about to give them a second chance. Whether it was Butchie or something up with Faya, he’d put them all on his blacklist.

The fatty was an interesting guy, sometimes talking about insider information in witty ways, so even Chen Mu couldn’t help but smile.

They weren’t paying attention to the crowd gathered in the middle of the hall, where it looked like a group of people were intimately scheming and plotting. According to what the fatty was saying, they still didn’t have enough clout.

The fatty’s power wasn’t as low-key as he acted. Those who had come over excitedly to look for Chen Mu had a hard time hiding their disappointment when they saw the fatty. While the fatty looked as though nothing were happening, he couldn’t prevent a look of satisfaction from flashing across his eyes. Those who had left disappointed all remembered to give fatty Yang a salute before leaving. With his calm look, it did look as though he had long become accustomed to that.

It looked like the fatty had a pretty high position in those circles and wasn’t any simple character.

“Mr. Yang An, Mr. Cao!” A young man wearing a tuxedo arrived in front of them with a flattering and pleasing expression on his face.