Lanchi Was About to Start Making Cards

Putting on his coat, Lanchi picked up the tome he had borrowed from the Border Library from the table and left his room.

As the dawn gradually brightened, the world outside became clearer.

After breakfast as usual, he exchanged a few pleasantries with Butler Hans, bid Maid Francine farewell, then walked straight out of the estate toward the street corner he remembered.

Before long, he spotted Talia standing beside the wall.

"Good morning, Tata."

Lanchi greeted Talia, who had been waiting there since early morning.

Previously, when Lanchi had asked Talia for her name, she had not told him her real one.

Instead, she had said her name was "Tata."

Although Lanchi already knew her real name, he had to pretend he did not.

Otherwise, if he accidentally called her "Talia," it would surely cause a huge problem.

There was no possible reason for an ordinary commoner like him to know the true identity of the Demon Race Princess.

So Lanchi naturally began calling her by the alias "Tata."

"Mm."

Talia merely nodded and paid no further attention to Lanchi.

Once Lanchi began his plans for the day, she followed him while maintaining a neither too close nor too distant gap.

About half an hour later, Lanchi and Talia arrived at the Card Maker Association's branch in the South Wantina Border Territory of the Hutton Kingdom.

Before Lanchi could touch the heavy door, a mysterious energy began spreading across the entrance of the Card Maker Association.

Before his eyes, driven by that power, the ancient crest on the black-iron metal door gradually glowed with a dim blue light, as though it had come alive and pulsed with magical energy.

With a faint trembling sound, the gap between the Card Maker Association's doors gradually widened.

What came into view was a scene entirely different from the outside world—

The association's interior was antique and elegant. Apart from its orderly divided counter areas, there was no excessive ornamentation, and the entire layout was impeccably organized.

Though it was only morning, busy staff members could already be seen everywhere in the association. Many visiting guests waited before the counters, discussing Magic Cards and matters related to the Shadow World.

Lanchi had just stepped into the grand, magnificent building when he suddenly stopped.

"Tata, I'm not sure when I'll be done today. Why don't you come inside with me?"

He turned back and asked Talia.

Ever since making a deal with Talia, he had almost always told her his schedule in advance, including what time he would leave in the morning and return home at night.

And Talia, as his bodyguard, had been extremely professional.

Whether Lanchi had gone to the Border Library or the Card Maker Association, Talia had previously waited Outside the Door until he came out.

Security at such important places was far from weak, and Lanchi had explained to her that there were places where she did not need to accompany him.

For example, at the Lanqi Family estate, once she had escorted Lanchi back to the mansion, she no longer needed to protect him.

Besides, Lanchi himself knew perfectly well that Talia did not have an identity that allowed her to enter such places.

In the Hutton Kingdom, she was merely an illegal immigrant of unknown identity.

If her identity were investigated for trespassing into the branch of a major association, it might instead lead to considerable trouble.

"No."

There was no emotion to be heard in Talia's tone.

Still, her voice remained as distant as ever.

Lanchi sighed, put his hands on his hips, and looked at her.

"I might have to come here every day and stay for a long time. If you wait outside every day... wouldn't that kind of stakeout make you stand out even more?"

"..."

Lanchi's words made Talia fall silent, as though she were weighing them.

"Don't you think it would be much more convenient for work if you could freely enter and leave the Card Maker Association too?"

Lanchi asked again.

"It's like this: I'm going to rent a Card Making Workshop in the association. There won't be anyone in the card-making room besides me, so you can just pass the time there. If anyone in the association asks later, I'll say you're my bodyguard."

As he spoke, Lanchi took out his savings Crystal Card.

It was clearly the highest-grade kind.

The Card Maker Association in a Border City-State would not casually offend an esteemed guest like him.

"Fine."

After hesitating for a moment, Talia gave a slight nod and followed him.

Compared to waiting outside, she had actually wanted to take a look inside a human Card Maker Association for a long time.

Unfortunately, she had long suffered from a lack of legal identification.

This human... always managed to please her by accident.

Not long after Lanchi brought Talia into the association, an attendant approached him to receive them.

Although he was not a registered Card Maker of the association, the staff knew that Lanchi had come as a "merchant."

After all, the Lanqi Family was the renowned Wilford Merchant Guild of this South Wantina Border Territory.

"I'd like to rent an advanced private Card Making Workshop. I also need some materials."

Lanchi succinctly stated his request to the attendant and handed him a list.

The attendant then nodded politely and gestured for the two of them to follow him.

Led by the attendant, they crossed half the first-floor interior of the association and took a floating staircase to the third floor.

The corridor on this floor appeared to have several decades of history, but to preserve a certain artistic charm, it had not been excessively renovated.

At the end of the corridor, a room with a purple plaque hanging by its door came into Lanchi and Talia's view.

The attendant opened the door for them, then stepped aside and indicated that the two of them could enter.

"Mr. Lanchi Wilford, the rental fee is one pound per hour. You may settle the rental bill when you leave. I will deliver the materials shortly."

The attendant operated a small magical device in his hand for a while, then returned the Crystal Card inscribed with Lanchi's identity to him.

"All right, thank you."

Lanchi spoke with the attendant at the doorway.

Talia stood silently near Lanchi, surveying the surroundings.

At a glance, she could tell that this spacious Card Making Workshop contained a complete set of card-making facilities, all of them relatively high-end equipment.

Having such things in a Border City-State was already quite good.

Talia could not remember how long it had been since she last touched these familiar tools.

But right now, she did not want to touch them at all.

The Magic Cards she made, inscribed in Demon Script, could not be casually traded in human lands.

If she left behind any traces and was investigated by the Kingdom Alliance Council, it would only bring fatal trouble...

Before long, the staff prepared and delivered the materials Lanchi had purchased according to his list.

Besides common materials such as Blank Cards, Energy Crystals, Rubbing Magic Stones, and Magic Core Liquid, there was also a stack of scrolls.

The primary materials required to make the three main types of Magic Cards differed.

Equipment Cards required equipment prototypes, as well as items for enchantment, sealing, and the like.

Summoning Cards required materials such as monster cores or soul crystals.

Spell Cards, meanwhile, required Magic Scrolls as materials, which were then processed and rewritten.

For practice, Spell Cards were undoubtedly the best choice.

That was because much of the materials and processes required for Spell Cards had already been integrated into Magic Scrolls.

Compared with creating something from scratch, making Spell Cards was more like "reprocessing"!

"Besides staying here, you can leave at any time if you need to. Just find that attendant from earlier, and he'll bring you back in."

Lanchi carried over a chair and placed it not far from the workbench, indicating that it was for Talia.

Talia nodded.

She did not like standing around and waiting all day either.

So Talia walked over to the chair and sat down lightly, her back perfectly straight and her hands gently folded over her knees like a noble empress.

Her calm gaze rested ahead, as though she had not allowed the things around her to enter her attention.

But after sitting down, she realized something.

It seemed that the only way for her to pass the time now was to watch this boy make cards.