The Card Apprentice

The news of Chen Mu being cured of his “disease” quickly spread throughout the base. Even Jiao Si found out about it from start to finish. After the deliberate embellishments of Xi Ping and the others, his close relations with Sue Lochiro were vividly spread.

Jiao Si, who hadn’t been very clear about it all, was stunned scared. He rushed to constrain the card artisans under him. To steal the woman of the boss on someone else’s site wouldn’t be tolerated, no matter who did it.

Maybe the base didn’t amount to much in Jiao Si’s eyes, but the demonstrated potential of that bunch, and especially its number-one, Chen Mu, was unfathomable in his eyes. The potential represented by someone who could break through the Van Sant System was something no one could doubt. Jiao Si had already warned the scholars under him with any information that they absolutely couldn’t let the news out.

Perhaps Chen Mu didn’t even realize his own value. Jiao Si believed once the news got out, his collaborators would certainly never come to the Origins Academy. That was why he was so determined to stand on the side of Chen Mu.

Beyond that, he was rather afraid of the power of the base—especially the glimpse he’d gotten of that indifferent man. That murderous aura, as though it were tangible, had surprised even Jiao Si, who had experienced hundreds of battles.

Up until then, the two sides had cooperated happily, which was what Jiao Si was most satisfied about. Ru Qiu had already learned how to make the folding Yanbo card, and the Origins Academy only needed to explore its technological system to get another true legacy from it.

He’d already notified the Origins Academy to go through various channels to collect the materials needed to make the folding Yanbo card. He was completely immersed those days in the world of that card. The more he explored it, the more he was stunned by the delicacy of its energy composition. It had an extremely resilient energy body composition, which included quite a few transformations.

For someone with Jiao Si’s power, he would have already started to form some understanding of the origins of the energy composition. That was also the thing he was most confident about in his belief that he could explore the technological system of the folding Yanbo card.

But that card had brought him too many surprises. He had astonishingly found that the energy rules the card followed were completely different from any cards he had ever come in contact with before. The Origins Academy hadn’t been established very long, but they had already accumulated quite a few kinds of legacies. That was especially true after he became its president, when he had to make contact with all sorts of cards in order to impart knowledge of them to the students.

But the principles he had previously accumulated were completely inapplicable to that card. Instead, the energy bodies he had altered according to his own interest had surprisingly strong power. He had already determined the card wasn’t following the Van Sant System. If he was guessing correctly, it must have been a still more ancient system. That made him excited!

He had a deeper understanding of the history of the time of Heiner Van Sant than ordinary card artisans did. Heiner Van Sant was a great card master, but in Jiao Si’s point of view, he was also the greatest thief, destroyer, and dictator in history!

He had set up the Van Sant System by himself, and in order to promote it, he destroyed all the other systems. Or, maybe they couldn’t yet be called systems since they weren’t as rigorous as the Van Sant System.

The most laughable part was that Heiner Van Sant established the Van Sant System and was then himself excluded from it. He was the last one who was a card artisan and a card master combined. In the ancient language, he was just a master of cards.

That conjecture made Jiao Si indescribably surprised. Although it increased the difficulty of his explorations, that was something he could overcome. A card artisan who could get to his ability level would have to be in a class with outstanding wisdom. By then, however, what everyone else mostly saw was him sitting dazed and alone in the training room.

Chen Mu’s had returned to his track of being both nervous and bored. But he felt that his whole body was powerful after he returned to his original look, so he selflessly trained every day. He trained his perception, sparred with Wei-ah, and delved into tactics…

* * *

A card artisan suddenly appeared in front of the base and drew the attention of the card artisans standing guard. The situation was immediately transmitted to Bogner, who was responsible for security.

Bogner could clearly see his counterpart on the glowing screen. The visitor was wearing a mask, and his entire body was enshrouded in a large robe, which made him look perfectly mysterious.

“May I ask what brings the good sir?” Bogner asked with a careful expression. The person was alone in front of the base’s gate and didn’t seem to harbor any ill intentions. Near every passageway were card appliances like communications cards, so one could communicate without having to open the gate.

The visitor smiled lightly, which Bogner could still detect even through the mask.

“I, Tang Hanpei, have taken the liberty to pay a visit, hoping to see your honored boss!” The clear voice seemed to carry a lot of weight, which intimidated everyone.

Chen Mu was quite surprised. He didn’t know what Tang Hanpei was doing suddenly visiting him. Compared to Chen Mu’s surprise, Bogner and Xi Ping were utterly dumbfounded.

Tang Hanpei was the most celebrated card artisan at the time; he was thought to be number-one in the federation by quite a few people. How could they not be stunned for such a storied person to unexpectedly pay a visit?

While Jiao Si’s power might not have been far from Tang Hanpei’s, the two were quite far apart where fame was concerned. But Tang Hanpei was simply paying a visit, and he had stipulated that the one he wanted to see was Chen Mu and not Jiao Si.

By the time Chen Mu came out of the training room, Tang Hanpei was already drinking tea with Jiao Si. That was Chen Mu’s first time seeing him. No one would feel ill intent toward such a person as Tang Hanpei. He was very tall, at about 1.8 meters, and rose elegantly above the dust of the world in his gray cloak. His gaze was as mild as a breeze, and the slight smile on his face gave out a feeling of lightness, as though nothing in the world was worth worrying about. No matter where such a person was, no one could ignore his existence.

When he saw Chen Mu, his mild gaze flashed something strange, but it was just a flash. He then naturally stood and smiled to say, “Seeing Mr. Cao makes us all feel helplessly jealous.”

Jiao Si laughed hard. “The first time I saw Mr. Cao, I felt the same way! Us old guys have gotten really old. I’m worse off than you are, having been red in the eyes with jealousy for quite a few days already.”

“How are you, Mr. Jiao?” Chen Mu did know the basics of etiquette, and he immediately nodded to Jiao Si, though their relationship hadn’t required such courtesy. Jiao Si was obviously pleased to be so familiarly recognized by Chen Mu.

Seeing that Chen Mu had arrived, Bogner and Xi Ping naturally stood behind him. That move caused Tang Hanpei’s gaze to linger for a moment.

“I’ve been quite busy with trivia these days and only found out today from Wang Ze that there was someone so outstanding as Mr. Cao around here. It just so happens Jiao Si and I have known one another for a long time, so please forgive that I just took the liberty to come ahead and disturb you.” Tang Hanpei’s ingratiating posture immediately earned good feelings from those sitting around.

“Mr. Tang is too polite. For us to be able to have such a person as yourself pay a visit is an honor.” Chen Mu responded with the same courtesy.

Everyone then started chatting happily. Tang Hanpei was doubtlessly a charming person. He had a friendly, easy-going nature and was broadly knowledgeable. After chatting for fully half an hour, the topic of conversation turned to Pomelo. By that time, everyone knew the main play was about to begin.

Sure enough, before long, Tang Hanpei smiled and said, “Hanpei has come with something in mind this time.”

Everyone’s attention became immediately focused, and even Jiao Si’s expression turned serious. He had vaguely surmised why Tang Hanpei had come.

“I wonder what Mr. Tang has in mind?” Chen Mu demonstrated his consistent calm.

“I would like to get Mr. Cao’s assistance.” Tang Hanpei put down his teacup and spoke, all smiles.

“What sort of assistance?” Chen Mu’s expression didn’t change.

“I believe with Mr. Cao’s assistance, the difficulty of taking the Central Repository of the Classics encampment would be reduced quite a bit. Hanpei understands what he is asking would cause a lot of trouble. However, the situation has become compelling, so I ventured to come. Of course, Hanpei would never waste Mr. Cao’s time. If Mr. Cao requires anything, just mention it, and I believe Hanpei could take care of it, no matter what it is.” Tang Hanpei’s manner was calm. He was understated, as though it were some small thing that might be spoken of over tea.

Behind Chen Mu, Bogner and Xi Ping looked at one another, each seeing the shock in the other’s eyes. Although they had already surmised something, when it came straight from Tang Hanpei’s own mouth, their shock was extreme.

Chen Mu remained incomparably calm, having been influenced a lot less by Tang Hanpei’s fame. If it hadn’t been for the matter of the Central Island Firm during that time, he wouldn’t even have known who Tang Hanpei was.

He really wanted to bring up the gold-mottled liquid-soft fungus, but he knew that wasn’t something he could talk about with him! In front of such a sensitive person as Tang Hanpei, to show the slightest flaw would lead to a tragic ending.

If Tang Hanpei were to find out he was the assassin who’d killed Zu Ning and that the Cross-Section of Styles was still in his hands, then the road to death would be waiting for him. Chen Mu also knew if he were to agree, however, Tang Hanpei could pay them a satisfactory price. Whether it was money, precious materials, or something else, none of that would be an issue for the Federation Comprehensive Academy.

Should he agree or not?