The Card Apprentice

“What a crowd.” Gallup was marveled at the crowd. Kathleen, who was beside him, replied to him disapprovingly. “Apparently someone recently found a Spikeless Black Bamboo here. Everyone was insane when the news came out. I heard that many people are heading over, even from faraway places.”

“Spikeless Black Bamboo! That guy is so lucky!” Gallup said enviously. Spikeless Black Bamboo was a very rare plant. It was usually about three meters tall, slightly thicker than a baby’s wrist and had no branches. The durability of Spikeless Black Bamboo wasn’t very high, but it had excellent flexibility. A long gun made from Spikeless Black Bamboo was the weapon that all flexsters using Technical Flow Gun were longing for. It was priceless in the market.

Kathleen pouted her lips. “Most of them were just trying their luck.” There was some jealousy in her words. She was a gun-using flexster, but she never had a satisfying weapon. The soft gun she used now was made of Tangled Wood; it was sufficiently soft but lacked that bit of flexibility.

Gallup was worse off than her, and he didn’t even own a fixed weapon. Over the years, Hundred Depths’ outer rim had been plowed by numerous people over time. Those useful plants were swept away long ago. It took great luck to be able to find good materials such as Spikeless Black Bamboo.

The importance of weapons was unquestionable for flexsters, which explained why so many people rushed over to Hundred Depths. House of a Hundred Depths wasn’t the only place in Hundred Depths which produced materials, but the best materials could be found in Hundred Depths.

However, they could merely linger around the outer rim of Hundred Depths. If they were to go in a little deeper, it would be full of danger. Gallup and Kathleen didn’t dare to risk it, so they stayed outside. But they were cautious and careful on the lookout for any precious materials. On the other hand, they needed to be vigilant against the evil things lurking in the dark.

Suddenly, there was a burst of fighting noise in front of them. Gallup looked at Kathleen, who was the decision-maker between them. Kathleen hesitated a little. They had reached the furthest part they had ever been, and it was dangerous for them to move on. She paused for a moment but nodded her head to signal for their continuation.

Once they had decided, the indecisive expression disappeared on both faces. The two bent over and quietly snuck over to where the fight was. When they saw the fight, both were greatly surprised at once. Those who were encircled by the opponents were holding a pale stick in their hands.

Elder Flower! They didn’t expect someone to be so lucky! Elder Flower was rarer than Spikeless Black Bamboo and was the first-rate material for making long guns. Kathleen stared at the pale stick in that person’s hand, and the desire in her eyes couldn’t be concealed. Gallup was surprised too, but he was more worried.

Both parties were silently engaged in a fierce battle. Among those who were encircled was a man holding a blowdart in his hand; always ready to attack. Blowgunner was extremely rare, and the black blowdart in his hand was an extraordinary one.

None saw how the black blowdart appeared beside his mouth, but three continuous screams were heard almost at the same time. Gallup, who was hiding in the dark, suddenly had chills down his spine. He clearly saw the man shot out black blowdarts. These black blowdarts were so fast that escape was impossible. With a single move, he killed three people. They were hit in their throat or heart; absolutely no possibility of survival.

The morale of those encircled was increased, but the opposing party was in a flurry. “Don’t panic, there are only five blowdarts in Spiritual Blow darts. He has two blowdarts left!” the leader of the opposing party reassured.

Before his voice died away, there was a flash of black light, the leader of the opposing party covered his throat with his hand, and he couldn’t utter a word. Under his fingertips were black blood gushing out, a few seconds later, he fell on his back, dead. The opposing party was in chaos and escaped in all directions. The winning party didn’t pursue, everyone was catching their breaths.

“Be careful. There are ambushes nearby.” The man holding onto his Spiritual Blowdarts was pale, and his tiredness was hard to hide, but his hand was still stable.

Gallup and Kathleen dared not make a single noise. They weren’t silly; any slightest movement attracting unwanted attention would cost their lives. That was the first time that they had seen a blowdart flexster. Their hearts were shaken at its atrocious power.

The man who was holding Spiritual Blowdarts was afraid to move. He felt that there was more than one ambush in the vicinity. Those people all coveted the Elder Flower in their hands. He was very unwilling to hand over the Elder Flower to anyone.

The situation was deadlocked. The ones lurking in the dark were all experienced flexsters. They were calm but fearful of the powerful blowdart; nobody dared to make the first move. As time went by, the blowdart flexster was increasingly worried. The longer this continued on, the more unfavorable it would be for him. The Elder Flower on their hands was too attractive; attracting more and more vultures.

Suddenly, there was a tiny sound behind him. Without hesitation, he turned sharply and fired the last blowdart towards the source. A black ray flashed in front of everyone in a speed of light; like a bolt of black lightning. “What!” A man appeared in front of everyone. He lifted his left arm gently. On his arm, there was a gray round shield.

The blow gunner smiled coldly. In his eyes, the opponent was a piece of dead meat. From the first time he got his Spiritual Blowdarts, he found that nothing could resist the black arrow-bolt launched by his blowdart; it could easily penetrate rocks several meters thick. In his opinion, his opponent’s behavior was a ridiculous response to death.

Those ambushed nearby were elated; the last arrow was fired through the Spiritual Blowdarts, and the threat hanging over their heads disappeared. They didn’t care who died under the blowdart. Just as they were about to launch an attack, an astounding scene happened.

“Snap!” They heard a soft sound. Under everyone’s witness, the black arrow-bolt that symbolized death hit the man’s shield accurately and got blown into numerous pieces. The ugly shield, however, hadn’t changed at all.

“How…how is that possible…” Gallup and Kathleen, who were dashing out, immediately put their brakes on. They looked at the man in awe as they almost bit off their tongues in shock.

That man, who was under attack, turned around to face them. It was a strange and ugly face; like a clown in a circus. Ghost-faced flower! Those with more experience couldn’t help exclaimed in their hearts. The seeds of the ghost-faced flower were an extremely expensive natural mask. It could automatically generate all kinds of weird faces without any discomfort to users, and could also protect the face to a certain extent.

However, when their attention focused on the man, they discovered even more surprises! Holding a dark blue spear in his hand, the unique pattern of Golden Ring Wood aroused a cry of surprise. Although no one knew how the black gold-lined Golden Ring Wood became all-blue, as a top-grade material, many people could identify the Golden Ring Wood. The rings of delicate golden circles were salient on the all-blue spear.

Such a spear placed in any city could definitely become the treasure of the city. But that alone wasn’t enough to create confusion. The gray round shield in his hand had sharp edges that were as flat as lotus leaves. One couldn’t help but exclaim. “Lotus Leaf Shield!”

Lotus Leaf Shield, the legendary weapon, was now the traditional weapon of Sword and Shield Sect. It is said to be the weapon used by the pioneer of Sword and Shield Sect. He founded Sword and Shield Sect using the Lotus Leaf Shield. That weapon was made from Lotus Leaf, and it had one of the strongest defenses. Of course, flexsters from Sword and Shield Sect thought it was one of the strongest weapons. Its inherently sharp edges were lethal.

However, when they saw not only the Lotus Leaf Shield tied to his left arm, but also miniature versions of Lotus Leaf Shield tied onto his left and right leg; they were dumbfounded.They wondered if the flexsters from Sword and Shield Sect would go crazy if they saw that…

The purse he wore on his waist seemed to be sewn from a whole piece of Thorny Rhino’s skin, but the craft was somewhat horrible. The most striking thing was the three armbands on his right arm. Each armband had six triangular black woodblocks hanging on it. In the middle of each triangle, a bright red line divided the black woodblocks into two parts. It looks like a bloody red eye, which was terrifying.

“Blood Eyed Dart!” Their expressions became ashen! If the Lotus Leaf Shield was shocking, then the Blood Eyed Dart made everyone terror-stricken. That notorious weapon also appeared in history. Once there was a cold-blooded and powerful flexster. He and his Blood Eyed Dart were unstoppable in House of a Hundred Depths, and countless flexsters died in his hands.

But… Why did he have 18 darts… Flexsters who were present felt dazzled by what he had. He wore a peculiar crown in rare jade green color, giving out a strange fragrance.

“Serenity Incense!” spoke a flexster who was slightly older; he was in a state of listlessness. A small piece of Serenity Incense was hard to find. It could calm the mind and deter mosquitoes and insects. When worn for a long time, it had an excellent effect on the body. Those nobles, who bought a small piece at a high price, regarded it as a treasure. No one had ever heard that there was such a big crown made from Serenity Incense in this world.

Flexsters who could see the man’s back view were startled as well. Five ivory-white javelins were randomly carried on his back. With their capabilities, it would only take a little effort to throw over 100 meters. That was made from the third most dangerous animal, White Midges, in the “Bestiary!” That White Midges Bone was a natural top-grade javelin, also known as “white lightning.” After all the chaos, the field quieted down.