Chen Mu woke feeling refreshed and clearheaded. He had slept for two whole days, a testament to how much physical and mental energy he had exhausted the day before that.
He had gained a great deal this time. Not only had he earned Fatty's recognition, but he had also made a new breakthrough in card crafting. Many ideas he had come up with before had been impossible to put into practice for lack of materials. This time, with Fatty's supplies, he had tested most of them. Some had succeeded and others had failed, but success or failure, Chen Mu had benefited enormously from them all.
He was beginning to understand why so many card crafters were willing to join institutions and organizations. There, they did not have to worry about materials, funding, or equipment. Whatever wild inspirations struck them, they could draw on the formidable resources of those institutions and organizations to put their ideas to the test.
Ordinary card crafters were not so fortunate. They had to think about making a living, buy and collect their own materials, and purchase all sorts of advanced instruments themselves. Rare materials, however, were not something one could simply buy at will. They were often only available through special channels, and a card crafter working alone would find them difficult to obtain.
Chen Mu could not help marveling at his good fortune. Had he not met Fatty, this breakthrough might have remained beyond his reach indefinitely.
He thought back to what Fatty had told him. Fatty's experience in dealing with people and the ways of the world was vastly greater than his own, and Chen Mu took his advice particularly seriously.
Join the Six Great Academies? He had no interest in that. In his mind, the Six Great Academies had already been branded