The Card Apprentice

Bogner’s response was quick. “We’ll look into which company was running that snow shuttle vessel. Maybe we can find some clues.”

Looking at the two of them so worried, Chen Mu said to reassure them, “Don’t worry; I have some ability to defend myself in the forest.”

Xi Ping and Bogner could only helplessly worry from a distance about the predicament Chen Mu was in.

Chen Mu then called Wei-ah, whose reaction was just as indifferent as Chen Mu thought it would be. Wei-ah acted as though it was no big deal to him.

After the call, Bogner and Xi Ping immediately initiated an investigation into the whole matter. They quickly found out the snow shuttle vessel Chen Mu had ridden on belonged to a transportation company called Chum Salmon Passenger Company. That didn’t provide any clues in itself.

The two of them looked at one another with tacit understanding. The way things looked, they would have to really investigate the background of that Chum Salmon Passenger Company and what power the firm belonged to. But, compared to the scant information about that company, there was a lot of material about Constellation. It was easy to find on every fantasy card viewing platform.

Although most of it was only hearsay, they still got a lot of insight into Constellation and the Black-Line Star Listing. No matter which platform it was, the power of Constellation was always embellished as mysterious and powerful. There were seven small teams and seven captains who were perfectly awesome aces under its leader, Wen. Constellation only had a few hundred people, but it was still ranked as the seventh in the Heavenly Drum Village District, which could be called impressively notorious.

Unlike the other underground organizations, Constellation had always remained low-key in its undertakings. Most of what was on the viewing platforms was the nonsense of the rumor mill, which only added to the mystery surrounding Constellation.

The more Bogner and Xi Ping looked into things, the more frightened they became. They weren’t only afraid of Constellation; they were also shocked at the Black-Line Star Listing. They had previously been like Chen Mu, not having much of a feeling about the Black-Line Star Listing. When they came across more information about it, however, they immediately took it more seriously.

To be able to get on that list, card artisans had to be first-rate aces in the Heavenly Drum Village District. Those in the top 100 were all well-established aces. To be listed among the top ten aces would put you into the realm of legend.

The ninth-ranked Yangshan Fei had gotten the favor of Moon Frost Island, which had plied him with money and position, hoping to attract such an ace. They were surprisingly refused.

It was said that the two sides came into conflict over that. Yangshan Fei had easily departed after seriously wounding six card artisans from Moon Frost Island, among whom was the 56th on the Heavenly Drum Rolls, Han Cen. That showed how powerful Yangshan Fei’s strength was!

The most surprising thing was that afterward, Moon Frost Island didn’t actually send anyone looking for trouble with Yangshan Fei but kept the peace instead. After that battle, Yangshan Fei became still more famous.

His listing on the Black-Line Star Listing didn’t change because of that, however; he remained in the ninth spot. Many people guessed the few ahead of him must have been still more terrifyingly powerful.

The Black-Line Star Listing seemed to be the authority in people’s minds, which was pretty ironic. Those cutthroats, who would stop at nothing, were still worshipped by countless souls. The Heavenly Drum Rolls got the well-established families and had considerable clout among academy graduates, but it still couldn’t approach the evident strength of the Black-Line Star Listing.

Among the top ten on the Heavenly Drum Rolls, there were five from Moon Frost Island. The current number-one was the 57-year-old Jia Yingxia, who was a previous president of the academy. She had occupied the top spot on the Heavenly Drum Rolls for the past 15 years.

Among the five from Moon Frost Island, the one attracting the most attention wasn’t Jia Yingxia; rather, it was her disciple. She once fought alone and won against one of the Gemini Twins from Desert Camp, Bai Yue. To have been able to be listed among the top ten on the Heavenly Drum Rolls just as she turned 20 was something no one had ever done before. She had long been the dazzling star in the Heavenly Drum Village District, or even in the entire federation. As the idol of countless teenage female card artisans, she was also the lover in the dreams of in nearly every teenage boy in the entire federation.

She was hard to get close enough to for love. She had been with Jia Yingxia ever since she was little and loved her like her mother. As the scion of the senior gal of the same school, few people knew her closely. That was right up until that battle with the Gemini Twins, when she entered everyone’s field of view. That very battle had settled the eighth position in the Heavenly Drum Rolls.

Those days were a period when geniuses emerged. When the Star Academy had nearly fallen out from the Big Six after almost 50 years that the inner academy was shut down, that mysterious, genius girl finally graduated, and the inner academy reopened.

The storm was raging, and the times were changing. How could they be the only two outstanding women in the Heavenly Federation by that time?

* * *

Looking at the dark red reagent bottle in Qing Qing’s hands, Mobley’s eyes flashed fanatically. With strongly repressed excitement, he asked, “Did you succeed, Miss Qing Qing?”

Qing Qing showed her never-changing, easygoing calm and nodded in response. “I did.”

It was finally hard for Mobley to hide his ecstasy.

Qing Qing wasn’t looking at Mobley. Her gaze was far off as she gave a leisurely sigh. “This secret recipe was invented 300 years ago by a card master. With limited qualifications, this predecessor didn’t accomplish much with his life. The only thing he left behind was this formula.”

She then turned around and showed her smile to Mobley. “Qing Qing is worried about letting Captain Mobley see her smile. This formula has no name, but I call it stimulant liquid for the time being. When it’s diluted in warm water, and a card artisan soaks in it while training his perception, his perception will significantly advance after only a few times.”

The look of pleasure on Mobley’s face deepened.

“It’s just that, in this world, there are always both gains and losses. Although the results of the stimulant liquid are pretty good, there are also side effects.”

Mobley felt a chill, and he quickly asked, “Side effects? What side effects?”

“The first time using the stimulant liquid is the best, but as the number of uses increases, the efficacy gradually drops. It’s most suited for use by card artisans facing a bottleneck, when it can often help them to break through it. It’s best not to use it more than three times. In addition, card artisans who aren’t older than 20 shouldn’t really use it at all since it can impact their future development. Card artisans older than 40 don’t have to be so scrupulous and don’t have the three-time limit.”

Mobley responded respectfully. “I appreciate Miss Qing Qing’s advice, and my entire team is grateful.”

Qing Qing’s expression was tranquil. “Captain Mobley needn’t thank me. Qing Qing also has a request to make of the team. We hope when the time comes, Captain Mobley can come to our mutual aid.”

Mobley said in awe, “Miss Qing Qing needn’t worry. Mobley is not any kind of untrustworthy person! Right. I’ve never asked Miss Qing Qing what she is really up to.”

Qing Qing, who had nothing of the dust of the world on her face, flashed a look of desolation. “It won’t be too late to tell by the time the stimulant liquid has taken effect. Qing Qing is tired now and will have to rest.”

Watching Qing Qing’s lonely, desolate back, Mobley felt as though he had been stabbed in the heart by a needle. He determined to himself that no matter what Qing Qing was up to, he would certainly see it through with her.

Just at that time, the unfortunate events of the Federation Comprehensive Academy were getting the attention of the entire federation.

After Tang Hanpei’s long silence, he had once again appeared out of the blue. Like a clap of thunder that left no time to cover one’s ears, he grabbed all the power in the Federation Comprehensive Academy. He immediately appointed Song Chengyan as the front-line commander of the troops drafted from each of the trustee’s clans. They formed a veritable motley set of troops.

Everyone looked at the motley troops as a joke, wondering how long it would be before they were all killed. The elite of the Federation Comprehensive Academy had long since been depleted. What they now needed to face were Faya, which was at the peak of its power, and the Central Repository of the Classics, which they were so eager to avenge.

One against two put them at a disadvantage, still more so as a motley private army formed from all over the place.

Tang Hanpei then gave a presentation in the Federation Comprehensive Academy, where he appealed to scholars of all ages to throw themselves into the struggle to defend the school. It was a successful presentation. Not only scholars from all classes, but quite a few of the professors, who didn’t pay much attention to the affairs of the world, came out of their labs and libraries to rush to the front lines.

Tang Hanpei then made an announcement on the field, depriving the trustees who had left the capital of all their wealth and assets. All the scholars and professors hated those cowardly and greedy trustees. The decision could be said to have made everyone happy, and it got unanimous support.

The determination for the common survival of the Federation Comprehensive Academy that Tang Hanpei presented once again pushed his personal prestige to an apex. With the stimulus of survival, the Federation Comprehensive Academy showed vitality such as it never had. Powerful older scholars rushed to the front lines, and the younger ones were full of energy as they immediately filled the entire Federation Comprehensive Academy with an ethos of hard work.

Tang Hanpei suddenly announced that he would open all the legacies of the Federation Comprehensive Academy, so any scholar could learn and draw on them.

Once that came out, there were outcries all over. The other schools maintained their prudent attitudes. By the second day after the announcement, however, the gates of the Federation Comprehensive Academy were full of card artisans. Not only that, but the card artisans in all the five flourishing districts—especially the young ones—spontaneously got moving like a tidal wave rushing to the capital.

The Federation Comprehensive Academy was the first academy in the federation—the head of the Big Six! Any legacy from its libraries that was put on the market would be first-rate. How could that not rile up those young card artisans, who were suffering from no place to study?

Tang Hanpei’s actions left the other schools at a disadvantage. It wasn’t in their interests. The reason the Big Six could become such behemoths looked up to by everyone depended on those precious legacies. That’s what made them superior and allowed them to grasp the greatest power. The order announced by Tang Hanpei would possibly pull them down from their lofty altar, which frightened them.

But those crafty old fellows took no substantive measures apart from expressing their dissatisfaction.

Like a dog in a rush, the current Federation Comprehensive Academy was a red-eyed gambler. While the rabbits were clenching their teeth with anxiety, and even though they had been hit hard, the behemoth Federation Comprehensive Academy had a comeback on the verge of death, which made them utterly relentless.

By that time, those who had become entangled with the Federation Comprehensive Academy were now suddenly taking advantage of the rest. They hadn’t believed the Federation Comprehensive Academy could survive the two-pronged attack of Faya and the Central Repository of the Classics.

While everyone was waiting and seeing, no one noticed Tang Hanpei quietly disappearing.