Dongshang Guard City lay on the edge of the Dongxing District, with wilderness just beyond its walls. Every so often, East Guard Academy organized trips into the wild for its students to gain practical combat experience. To ensure their safety, however, a large number of teachers accompanied them. Although they never ventured deep into the wilderness, the academy imposed strict protective measures to avoid unnecessary danger.
This time, several students from Star Academy wanted to join the combat training, but there were not enough teachers to accompany them, since no preparations had been made in advance. Those Star Academy students were adamant, putting East Guard Academy in a difficult position. If anything happened to them at East Guard Academy, the consequences would be unimaginable. Zuo Tingyi had therefore hurried over to discuss the matter with Wang Ze, hoping he could rein in the students.
Wang Ze immediately understood what Zuo Tingyi meant. He smiled faintly and said calmly, "You needn't worry about them, junior. Before we set out, our principal made it clear that if anything happened to them, our academy would bear full responsibility. Our students have a few ways of protecting themselves, so there's no need to worry on that score."
His tone was mild, but his words carried unmistakable confidence. Zuo Tingyi paused, then felt reassured. They were students of Star Academy, after all. How could they not have a few tricks up their sleeves?
Nodding, Zuo Tingyi took his leave of Wang Ze and went to coordinate matters between the two sides.
Watching Zuo Tingyi's retreating figure, Wang Ze grew a little distracted. He was responsible for the entire exchange delegation this time, and the burden on his shoulders was heavy. As he looked around, a complicated expression crossed his face, but a moment later, he regained his composure.
Whenever he thought of his alma mater's former glory and its present decline, Wang Ze felt the blood boiling in his veins. He silently resolved to make certain everything went well this time.
Chen Mu woke feeling refreshed. After eating a little, he began sorting through the drafts on the table.
Before long, Lei Zi slowly woke as well.
"You're up." Chen Mu did not lift his head, his hands still sorting the drafts.
Lei Zi grunted in response, stood, and stretched. Only after letting out a couple of lazy groans did he turn to Chen Mu. "Blockhead, are we going to buy materials today?"
"Yes. I was just going to talk to you about that."
Outside the shop, Lei Zi's face was ashen, his facial muscles twitching. He forced a few words through clenched teeth. "This is daylight robbery!" He stared in anguish at the paltry amount of Odi he had left.
Chen Mu ignored Lei Zi. He was completely immersed in satisfaction. The bags in his hands were filled with card stock and ingredients for mixing card ink. He had never owned so many materials before.
Once they got home, Chen Mu chased Lei Zi out. He needed quiet when making cards, and getting Lei Zi to be quiet was about as difficult as getting a mute to speak.
Looking at the mountain of materials before him, Chen Mu felt an unprecedented surge of bold ambition well up from deep within him. Although all he had were basic ingredients, that did nothing to dampen his enthusiasm for card making.
Chen Mu did not begin immediately. Although every detail of the story was deeply branded into his mind, he needed to translate those details into every detail on the cards. Besides, his supply of materials was limited. Every mistake he avoided would save a considerable amount of money.
Chen Mu had never considered himself more talented at making cards than anyone else, but there was one thing he felt he did better than others.
He was diligent enough! To save money, he had no choice but to work furiously at deducing the cards' structures in his mind. This not only saved a great deal of money, but also gave a card maker greater familiarity with a card's structure.
That was only the preparation.
Starfleck stone and heartvine juice, combined with an equal dose of indigo pulp, were simmered over a low flame for ten minutes, until the starfleck stone dissolved completely. The resulting card ink was slightly viscous. When stirred with a stirring rod, it shimmered with ring after ring of bright blue ripples, giving off a pungent, spicy odor that stung the nose. At that moment, Chen Mu looked less like a card maker than a sorcerer from a novel.
Chen Mu already knew the story called "Encounter" by heart.
Without waiting for the card ink to cool, he swiftly picked up a blank card, took a slant-nib pen in his right hand, and lightly dipped it in the ink. Without the slightest hesitation, the pen touched the blank card.
The pen swept like a dragon and serpent, flowing like drifting clouds and running water, without even a second's pause. The still-warm card ink flowed down the nib onto the blank card, glowing faintly white under the control of Chen Mu's perception.
Chen Mu's gaze was focused, his expression utterly meticulous.
He had learned this from the illusion within the mysterious card. When making an Illusion Card, beginning to draw while the card ink was still warm made the strokes exceptionally smooth and fluid. The ink also bonded more closely with the card's surface, producing an Illusion Card with superb effects.
However, the card ink took only about two minutes to cool after it was prepared. In other words, Chen Mu had to finish making the entire card within two minutes. That was why he had calculated the structure of the whole card over and over again.
He had long since committed every structural detail of this card to memory. And the hand that had drawn countless One-Star Energy Cards was as steady as the most precise instrument, without the slightest error.
Compared with his hand, tempered through a thousand trials, Chen Mu's command of perception was far inferior.
Fortunately, however, no mistakes had occurred so far.
A pattern resembling a rose grew increasingly intricate as the nib advanced little by little. Every line making up the pattern glimmered, flickering as though it were breathing.
Chen Mu's expression remained just as focused and meticulous, but the beads of sweat seeping from his forehead showed that this was no easy task.
Despite all his preparations, he had overlooked one potentially fatal problem: the use of perception! He had devoted all his attention to familiarizing himself with the structure, only to neglect this issue.
His breathing began to grow uneven. Using perception was mentally exhausting, especially for someone like him, whose perception was weak and who seldom used it. Now, he was finding it increasingly difficult. Although the sensation from the nib was still just as fluid, and every part of the structure rose easily and clearly in his mind, he could already feel his strength failing to keep pace with his intentions.
The light from the pattern on the card's surface began to dim, little by little.
If the pattern's light vanished before the card was completed, the entire card would be ruined.
Veins bulged on his forehead, his heavy breaths burned through his nostrils, and the tiny dewdrops of sweat had become streams. The only thing that remained unchanged was the pen in Chen Mu's hand.
His utterly depleted perception made Chen Mu extremely uncomfortable, but he no longer had a choice.
(End of chapter)