Three-Star Spiritual Apprentice

The Black Beetle Car arrived at Snakehead Town, and Duke returned to Little Sam's Card Shop.

As for the Pioneer War, whose arrival was already certain, he had no thoughts about it for the time being. Even if he did, it would be useless. Once the Pioneer War began, it would be like a raging flood—the influence any individual could exert would be far too small.

"Boss, raw material prices have gone up. Should we raise our prices too?" Lisa asked.

"Keep an eye on Best's Card Repair Shop... Forget it, don't bother with Best's Card Repair Shop. Starting next month, we'll raise our prices according to the increase in material costs," Duke said.

"All right, boss."

When lunchtime came, Card Master Dilanke suddenly found Duke. "Little Boss Duke, Sane asked me to ask you whether he can return to Little Sam's Card Shop."

"Sane?"

He was the Card Master previously hired from outside by Little Sam's Card Shop, but Best had already poached him.

Dilanke said with a smile, "Yes, Sane. He can barely stay on at Best's Card Repair Shop. He has no work at all and can't even earn commissions."

"But with the Pioneer War coming, Best's Card Repair Shop shouldn't be short of business, right?"

"They say it's coming, but it hasn't arrived yet. Sane probably doesn't want to keep suffering through the wait." At this point, Dilanke looked to be in excellent spirits. "Who would have thought that Little Sam's Card Shop would have better business after you took over than it did in Old Sam's time?"

"Just luck, just luck." Duke laughed along. "Then, Teacher Dilanke, go tell Teacher Sane that he's welcome to come back. Workstation Four is empty most of the time anyway."

"You're a benevolent boss, Little Duke."

"But I also hope Teacher Dilanke makes one thing clear. I can give Teacher Sane one chance, but if there's a next time, I hope he won't come bother me again."

"Haha, I think that if there is a next time, he'll be too embarrassed to come himself."

And so, Card Master Sane returned to Little Sam's Card Shop and became its fourth externally hired Card Master. Recently, quite a few mercenary groups had entered Snakehead Town, and the number of cards needing repairs had been steadily increasing. With Sane joining them, the shortage of manpower could be eased just in time.

"Did Best try to stop you?" Duke asked.

Sane shook his head. "No. Actually, another Card Master and I told Best together that we were leaving. Best didn't stop us. From what I can tell, he may plan to turn Best's Card Repair Shop into a small shop where he repairs cards independently."

Dilanke commented, "That's not a bad idea. Best only has a few acquaintances on the street. If he opens his own shop and repairs cards himself, the income should be enough to cover his family's expenses."

Duke paid it no further attention.

Best was already a figure of the past and not worth wasting more energy on.

After waiting until the shop closed for the night, he returned to Workstation Four, which he habitually used, and took out the 2-Ring Spirit Card—Constant Temperature Card—that he had scavenged from the Scrap Card Station the day before.

The Constant Temperature Card could create an area with a constant temperature.

Paired with a box, it became an otherworldly version of a refrigerator. Of course, the Constant Temperature Card's effect was not limited to cooling; it could heat things as well.

Families with the means could use a Constant Temperature Card to create an ideal living environment.

In reality, Constant Temperature Cards were mostly used in spirit-plant agriculture, providing spirit plants with an ideal growing environment. Only something as valuable as spirit plants could make people willing to spend so lavishly on a Constant Temperature Card.

He peeled away the damaged seal.

After placing it on the spirit-card testing machine, he quickly detected the 2nd Ring spell model inside. It was a pair of closed energy circuits nested together. They were entangled like hempen ropes, intricate and complex, making it difficult to distinguish which circuit was which with the naked eye.

At least to Duke, the 2nd Ring spell model before him was simply a tangled ball of hemp.

"Xiao Yi, my eyes are starting to blur."

"Master, please rest assured. Xiao Yi has already analyzed the two circuits of the Constant Temperature Card and formulated a complete and feasible repair plan."

Duke took a deep breath and picked up the Constant Temperature Card. "Then let's begin."

Repairing spirit cards was a task that required patience. The ring-pulling instrument drew the intricate 2nd Ring from the card core. Following Xiao Yi's instructions, Duke began using the pen to mend the energy circuits.

The Spirit Channeling Pen fused them together, while the Spirit Cutting Knife polished them.

What looked like a tangled mess of repairs proceeded in orderly fashion under Xiao Yi's organization. Duke served as a mere tool while constantly asking about the principles behind each step.

He was working, but he was also learning.

As the repairs continued, countless breaks along the energy circuits were successfully fused together. Spiritual Power raced back and forth through the restored energy circuits.

Duke's spirit sea also began changing without him realizing it.

The energy line that had originally been perfectly straight seemed to begin trembling. It kept extending toward both ends, while at the same time seeming to want to bend.

The bend did not form immediately.

But as time passed, and as Duke's understanding of the energy circuits, Spiritual Arcana, and Rings deepened during the repairs, a qualitative change was finally triggered.

After trembling countless times, the energy line finally bent into a tiny arc.

With the birth of that tiny arc, Duke seemed to enter an abstruse, wondrous state. He lost all awareness of his surroundings and devoted himself entirely to the 2nd Ring spell model of the Constant Temperature Card.

He did not notice it.

While wielding the Spirit Channeling Pen to cast, his control of Spiritual Power had become even more effortless.

Previously, he had needed to adjust the posture of the pen tip before he could fuse broken ends of energy circuits. Now, through minute control of Spiritual Power, he could draw from beginning to end in a single stroke, completing the entire fusion without changing his movement. In his hand, the Spirit Cutting Knife also danced like a work of art.

He was like a seasoned master who had immersed himself in the art of card repair for decades, completing the process as though polishing a precious work of art.

Meanwhile, the bent energy line in his spirit sea followed his actions as he repaired the spirit card, bending from time to time, lengthening from time to time, and shortening from time to time.

This energy line, which represented his understanding of Spiritual Arcana, was like a nimble little snake.

No one knew how much time had passed.

The repair in his hands was complete. The 2nd Ring spell model drawn out by the ring-pulling instrument was like an exquisite piece of porcelain, its lustrous glow flowing across its surface.

"Ah!" Duke came back to himself.

Xiao Yi promptly sent feedback. "Congratulations, Master. Your energy line has reached the stage of Twisting and Winding. You have officially advanced to a Three-star Spiritual Apprentice."

One-star: Gathering Qi into Liquid. Two-star: Condensing Liquid into Line. Three-star: Twisting and Winding.

Originally, Xiao Yi's progress chart had shown that he was still more than two hundred days away from advancing. Yet after suddenly attaining enlightenment while repairing a 2-Ring Spirit Card, he had advanced directly.

"A Three-star Spiritual Apprentice... So my aptitude isn't that poor after all. The cultivation speed of a genius arcane mage is probably no better than this."

Duke smiled faintly, looking forward to the future even more.

He controlled the ring-pulling instrument and compressed the repaired 2nd Ring spell model back into the card core. Then he repaired the card material and wrapped it in a seal.

And just like that, a refurbished 2-Ring civilian Spirit Card—the Constant Temperature Card—had been successfully repaired.

"Two joys at once!"