Watching Angel furrow his brow in silence, Four-Zero-Eight said somewhat sheepishly, "See? I told you this card doesn't work."
Angel did not respond. Instead, he turned and asked, "How long does it usually take you to make a character card like this?"
Four-Zero-Eight froze for a moment, not expecting Angel to suddenly ask that question.
After thinking for a while, she said, "There's no fixed time limit. It all depends on how well I understand the character, as well as my own performance..."
"Your own performance?"
Four-Zero-Eight nodded. "Yes. This ability of mine came from how I usually enjoy observing all sorts of customers, then simulating their behavioral logic in my mind, imagining the course of their lives and all the major and minor events within them. It is like writing a biography in my consciousness for each different character, one that represents their life."
"At first, it is merely an empty skeleton. As my understanding of the character deepens and I imagine their life, flesh and blood slowly begin to grow upon that skeleton."
"Once the skeleton has completely become a living, breathing person, I can use my ability to transform it into the corresponding character card."
In other words, whether Four-Zero-Eight could create a character card depended entirely on her ability to understand the character and imagine their life. If she already had a clear picture in mind, she could even form the card in an instant.
But if she did not understand the character very well, or if she suddenly got stuck as though writing a novel and could no longer imagine the character's life, then she would remain stalled at the half-finished stage.
"This 'Traveler of Drifting Star' is like that. Since I do not know much about the Kaka people, the card-making progress has been