Did You Make This [Heart Change]?

Yin City.

"Uncle Chen, I'd like an order of [Blue-Ringed Octopus Venom]."

"Alright, [Blue-Ringed Octopus Venom] this time, huh? Gu Xin, you've been buying venom quite frequently lately. What are you up to? Doing more research?"

Old Chen signaled for an employee to fetch the goods from the warehouse and asked the young man in front of him with curiosity.

It was no wonder he was curious; this was the sixth time Gu Xin had come to him for venom this month.

The first time it was Desert Cobra Venom, the second was Human-Faced Spider Venom, the third was Datura Flower Venom, and the rest were hardly worth mentioning.

These materials were getting more toxic by the day, and Old Chen specifically remembered that this young man had also purchased an [Eye of Darkness] from him just last month.

[Eye of Darkness] was a dark-element material, and when combined with all this venom...

Gu Xin looked clean-cut and rather refined on the outside, so why was he so obsessed with buying such materials?

"Just researching something new," Gu Xin replied casually.

"I get it, but Gu Xin, I've got a few years on you, so don't take this the wrong way." Old Chen lit a cigarette, took a drag, and pondered for a moment.

"I know card creators need to be bold and experimental, and powerful cards always come with risks. Young people might be tempted to take shortcuts..."

"I understand what you mean, Uncle Chen," Gu Xin tilted his head.

"Uncle Chen, I'm a decent guy. I'm not about to go down the path of a dark card creator."

"Hahaha, that's good to hear! I'm getting old and tend to ramble, don't take it to heart. Here, your [Blue-Ringed Octopus Venom]."

"Thanks, Uncle Chen." Gu Xin scanned the QR code to transfer the payment.

"Don't mention it, we're all in business. By the way, I just got my hands on some Holy Griffin feathers yesterday. Top-tier quality! Interested?"

"Holy Griffin feathers?" Gu Xin's eyes brightened slightly.

The Holy Griffin was a Tier 4 light-element magical beast. If preserved intact, its feathers were excellent light-element magic materials.

Since Uncle Chen called them top-tier, they were surely flawless.

If paired with the right materials, he might just be able to create the summon card he had in mind.

Gu Xin wanted them badly, but... his wallet was a bit light.

"If I find a need for them, I'll be sure to contact you, Uncle Chen."

"Sure thing."

Gu Xin walked out of the grocery store, looking at the sealed [Blue-Ringed Octopus Venom] in his hand. This tiny bottle had cost him 30,000 credits.

Being a card creator was truly not easy.

"I need to sell some cards." Gu Xin frowned slightly, but his little shop didn't get many customers.

Forget it, let's go back and see if it works this time!

Thinking about the upcoming card creation, Gu Xin felt invigorated. He felt that this time, the success rate was as high as 90%!

Returning to his small shop, Gu Xin dove straight into his laboratory.

"[Land Turtle] + [Water Elemental] + [Blue-Ringed Octopus Venom], it has to work this time!"

Gu Xin muttered to himself while placing the synthesis materials into the Alchemy Furnace.

Don't ask why he used an Alchemy Furnace to create cards; according to a certain master card creator, the Alchemy Furnace could effectively increase the success rate of card creation.

Of course, in reality, it was mostly out of fear that the card would explode during the process—and having a card explode on a creator was no laughing matter.

Therefore, using an Alchemy Furnace was safe and efficient.

Gu Xin closed his eyes and focused, pressing his hand onto the Alchemy Furnace as his mana surged.

Beep, beep, beep!

The card-making furnace activated, emitting a low vibration.

"This should be the place."

Yin Xue looked at the hand-drawn map that looked like a mess of scribbles, then glanced at the small shop in front of her, confirming there was no mistake.

"Blue Star Card Shop? Does that name have any special meaning?"

Yin Xue walked up curiously. The shop door was half-open.

Inside the laboratory.

About half an hour later, a card slid out of the slot.

"Whew, finally done."

Gu Xin picked up the card and let out a sigh of relief. At least it wasn't just scrap metal sliding out this time, but...

Looking at the effects on the card, Gu Xin couldn't help but frown. It was different from what he had imagined.

"Strange, I clearly added the [Blue-Ringed Octopus Venom], so why doesn't it have a poison effect? What the hell? Did I just waste that bottle of [Blue-Ringed Octopus Venom] for nothing?"

Gu Xin cursed under his breath. A single [Blue-Ringed Octopus Venom] was incredibly expensive, not to mention the losses from the other toxins he had bought previously—that was all money down the drain.

He just wanted to make a card with poison effects; why did it have to be so difficult?

"Forget it, at least it's finished, right? It should be sellable."

"Sigh, materials are getting more and more expensive. I really have to sell some cards."

Gu Xin muttered helplessly. A card creator's success rate wasn't one hundred percent; once a card exploded, the materials were naturally wasted.

Gu Xin had his own defense, though—he just happened to have a higher-than-average rate of exploding cards.

He had heard of card creators who even managed to blow up their furnaces. It was said that one particular master was still lying in the hospital, paralyzed from the waist down, with no hope of ever getting out of bed for the rest of his life.

He really didn't know how that master had managed it—blowing up a furnace just by making a card.

"Let me think. Since you're a water-attribute little turtle, I'll just call you Squirtle."

Gu Xin pondered for a moment. After all, when he was crafting the card, his mind had indeed been drifting toward that water-spitting turtle.

After tidying up a bit, Gu Xin walked out of his laboratory. He was momentarily stunned to see a young woman sitting in his shop.

He hadn't ordered any takeout, had he?

"Beautiful, who are you?"

"Hello, I was referred here by a friend. I called out several times, but no one answered."

Yin Xue stood up and explained, feeling a bit embarrassed, while secretly sizing up the man in front of her.

He looked quite young, probably around twenty, dressed in a white tank top and black trousers.

He had short black hair and a fair, delicate face. What stood out most were his half-lidded eyes, which gave him a listless and lazy air.

"Um, I was introduced by a friend. I heard you sell cards here?"

Yin Xue asked tentatively. She wasn't someone who judged people by their appearance, but the man before her looked exactly like a homebody shut-in.

"Oh, I was busy in the back. The soundproofing is pretty good."

Gu Xin realized what had happened, his eyes brightening instantly as his demeanor became much more enthusiastic.

"Come, have a seat. Would you like a Coke or a Sprite?"

"Um... plain water is fine."

"I haven't boiled any water, so you'll have to wait a bit."

Gu Xin cracked open a can of Coca-Cola. Glug, glug~

He downed half the can in one go. Refreshing!

Every time he came out of the laboratory, he had to have a drink.

Yin Xue watched the man sitting across from her, acting so unreserved, and tilted her head in confusion. Was that carbonated soda really that good?

"It's alright. May I ask, did this card come from your shop?"

Yin Xue was well-mannered. After Gu Xin set his Coke down, she took a card out of her bag, placed it on the table, and asked him.

"Let me see. Oh, Heart Change."

Gu Xin took one look and recognized it immediately. The card depicted a beautiful blonde angel with one black wing and one white wing; it was a special effect card.

[Heart Change]

[Type: Magic Card]

[Rank: Two-Star Blue Card]

[Effect: Gains control of one of the opponent's summon-type cards for a limited duration.]

[(Note: Loyalty? A beautiful lie.)]

"I remember this card. I sold it to a female student, didn't I? That girl was quite pretty and very insightful—Coke is the only way to go!"

Gu Xin recalled the event; it had happened half a month ago.

"Yes! That's my good friend Tang Yueyue. Do you have any other [Heart Change] cards?"

Yin Xue asked, quite excited. Heaven knows how green with envy she had been when she heard the origin of this card from her friend!

Being able to snatch control of an opponent's summon card out of thin air—the effect was simple, brutal, and powerful.

Even if it was temporary, so what?

This wasn't even a matter of being strong or not.

Just imagine: you finally manage to summon a powerful beast, and then the opponent uses Heart Change. Your beast becomes theirs, and it even starts hissing at you.

Who the hell could handle that?

Recently, Tang Yueyue, who had mastered [Heart Change], had been unstoppable at school, cutting down anyone who stood in her way!

"I don't have any other [Heart Change] cards," Gu Xin said quite honestly.

Yin Xue felt a wave of disappointment. She had really wanted to use Heart Change to give Tang Yueyue a taste of her own medicine.

"The main material for the [Heart Change] card requires an [Eye of Darkness]. I only managed to get one of those by pure coincidence back then, and honestly, the [Heart Change] I crafted didn't even meet my expectations."

Gu Xin didn't consider [Heart Change] to be a particularly powerful card; if anything, he was quite dissatisfied with it.

Not only did it waste his precious [Eye of Darkness], but this [Heart Change] could only control an opponent's summoned beast for a short duration.

What kind of NTR only works for a little while?

Furthermore, because [Heart Change] was only a two-star blue-tier card, it could only affect cards of two stars or lower.

Simply put, it not only had a time limit but also a tier restriction. In Gu Xin's view, it could be summed up in three words.

Total garbage.

"Then do you have any other cards similar to [Heart Change]?"

Yin Xue asked with anticipation upon hearing this.

Seriously, sister, can you at least broaden your horizons? Why are you so obsessed with an NTR card?

Gu Xin looked at Yin Xue, speechless. She was a pretty student, so why was she so fond of that sort of thing?

"I do, sister, I do. I have cards even more impressive than [Heart Change], so take a good look."