Chen Mu shook his head. "I haven't touched them for a while." Lately, he had been working hard to digest the basic theory of Planning Cards.
"Then what have you been busy with all this time?" Lei Zi sat up and looked at Chen Mu, as though he had just heard something utterly unbelievable. He knew this friend of his very well. Chen Mu wasn't fond of playing around-or perhaps the very concept of having fun didn't exist in his mind. To Lei Zi, Chen Mu was a diligent young man who never knew fatigue or boredom, who devoted himself to learning about Illusion Cards and strove to improve despite his poor foundations.
Yet today, he had actually heard Chen Mu say that he hadn't touched Illusion Cards for a while. How could he not be shocked?
Chen Mu remained silent. He didn't know how to explain it.
Lei Zi knew that this expression meant Chen Mu didn't want to talk. And if Chen Mu didn't want to talk, Lei Zi believed there wasn't anyone in the world who could pry a single word out of his mouth.
"All right, stop making that sour face. If you don't want to tell me, don't. Who cares? Do you have any you made before? Let me see." Lei Zi deliberately kept his tone light.
That was how their friendship worked. When they were indignant, they couldn't help venting, but once the other was upset, no matter how unhappy they themselves were, they would never heap snow on top of frost by pulling a long face.
Chen Mu casually tossed Lei Zi an Illusion Card. "Here. This one."
"Heh, let a true heavyweight in the Card Film world appraise your Illusion Card. I'm warning you, I've got a viciously sharp eye. Don't get upset if I tear it apart." Lei Zi boasted as he fumbled to catch the Illusion Card Chen Mu had tossed him.
"Ha, the historic moment has finally arrived..." Lei Zi muttered as he clumsily inserted the Illusion Card into his Wrist Device's card slot.
Chen Mu could barely stand watching his awkward movements. He wondered to himself, Wasn't this guy pretty nimble before?
He didn't realize that his physical coordination, agility, strength, and eyesight had changed so much that he was practically a different person. That was why Lei Zi's movements suddenly seemed so clumsy and inefficient to him. Lei Zi hadn't become clumsier; Chen Mu had improved. For now, however, he hadn't realized that.
Lei Zi pressed the activation button.
Suddenly, a colossal creature appeared out of thin air, almost filling the entire room. It was a dragon! A fire dragon! Its long body coiled and wheeled, its deep crimson eyes staring intently at him as though they could see into the deepest recesses of his heart. A shivering chill crawled up Lei Zi's spine.
"Mommy!" Lei Zi's eyes rolled back, and he toppled backward in a dead faint.
Chen Mu stared speechlessly at the unconscious Lei Zi. He hadn't expected a One-Star Illusion Card to actually frighten someone into fainting.
He walked over to Lei Zi and switched off the Wrist Device on his wrist. Whoosh! The terrifying Flame Dragon instantly vanished into thin air.
Rather than wake Lei Zi, Chen Mu sat down beside him. It was a shame he had no Clear Cloud Flow; he felt a little regretful about that. He simply sat there quietly, letting his thoughts wander. Peaceful and free of sorrow, Chen Mu looked no different from a block of wood.
More than ten minutes passed before Lei Zi slowly came around.
The moment he woke, he scrambled upright and looked all around, traces of fear still lingering on his face. "Blockhead, did you see that just now? What was that thing?"
"Yeah, I saw it." Chen Mu's expression didn't change in the slightest. "That was a Flame Dragon. It belongs to the three-star combat Illusion Card category."
"Huh? A three-star combat card?" Lei Zi's face went blank. Ten seconds later, he suddenly turned his head and asked stupidly, "When did you switch to being a Card Adept?"
"I didn't. That was a One-Star Illusion Card. The Flame Dragon was just an illusion. It can't hurt anyone," Chen Mu explained. Still, he felt a flicker of pride that an illusion he had created could actually scare someone unconscious.
"An illusion?" Lei Zi froze, then shook his head frantically. "Impossible! What illusion looks that real? Stop messing with me, Blockhead. What do I do for a living? I make Card Films! I deal with illusions every day. I can tell at a glance whether something's an illusion. That couldn't possibly have been one!" Lei Zi delivered his verdict with absolute certainty.
"When did you become a Card Adept? And you've even got a Three-Star Illusion Card? Those things aren't cheap, are they?" Lei Zi's face was full of suspicion.
Too lazy to explain, Chen Mu walked over and switched Lei Zi's Wrist Device back on.
"Touch it and you'll know," Chen Mu said simply.
The lifelike fire dragon appeared once again.
Lei Zi still jumped, but he was much calmer than before, with only a slight trembling in his calves. He glanced at Chen Mu and, seeing that he didn't seem to be joking, timidly reached out to touch the enormous dragon.
His hand met nothing but empty air.
"Huh." The empty sensation beneath his hand startled Lei Zi. It really was an illusion. With that, his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled back into place. Once he relaxed, he began taking a keen interest in the Flame Dragon illusion. He walked around it, clicking his tongue in wonder from time to time.
"Heavens, it looks so real! It's absolutely identical to the real thing! Blockhead, I never imagined your skills had reached this level. You really gave me a fright!" Lei Zi was so excited that he couldn't stop talking.
Chen Mu didn't pay much attention to Lei Zi's praise. He answered with a grunt and lay down on the bed.
Lei Zi spent a full ten minutes examining it before reluctantly putting the Illusion Card away. When he turned back, his face was unusually joyful.
"Blockhead, I've got an idea!" To Chen Mu, Lei Zi seemed utterly worked up.
"What idea?" Chen Mu drawled.
"Why don't we make Card Films together?" Lei Zi leaned closer, looking at Chen Mu expectantly.
Chen Mu studied Lei Zi carefully. Seeing that he looked serious and didn't seem to be joking, he thought for a moment before speaking. "Lei Zi, I don't know the first
"thing about Card Films. I can't do it."
Lei Zi wasn't discouraged. "Blockhead, if you can make a One-Star Illusion Card this good, Card Films will be a piece of cake for you. I'm sure you can learn to make them in no time. They're much simpler than the illusion in your One-Star Illusion Card, this Flame Dragon. I'll write the script and handle the sales. All you have to do is make the Card Film. I've been in this business for quite a while, and I know all the ins and outs. Blockhead, you've got what it takes! So do I! We're the perfect team!" His words brimmed with confidence.
Chen Mu lowered his head in thought. Ever since Uncle Hua had died, he hadn't found a source of income. Perhaps making Card Films would be a good choice, too...
(End of chapter)