The Card Apprentice

The long-distance shuttle cars were already waiting in the transit tunnel. Everyone knew how precious time was and how they would certainly suffocate if something were to happen during that critical juncture.

Those under Chen Mu were in high spirits; to be able to leave a place where you could die at any moment had already caused them to rejoice. And, good lord—to be able to enter the flourishing districts was something countless people dreamed of, and the chance had actually been dropped right onto their heads.

None of them had ever imagined they would be able to get a pass to enter the flourishing districts one day. It was out of reach given their meager talents. They were overjoyed to have it now dangled in front of them.

The results of their harsh training were reflected in their ability to control their emotions no matter how much joy they felt. Their faces remained impassive, and no one was even talking in low voices. They all understood that the reason they could get the passes for the flourishing districts was because of that awesome boss of theirs.

If they wanted to go with the boss, they would need to be sufficiently strong to meet the demands of him and his supervisors. Quite a few of them couldn’t help but feel that it was no wonder he was the boss; he was so awesome at such a young age.

Under Bogner’s command, the card artisans moved the materials without the slightest confusion. They weren’t taking many things with them apart from all kinds of cards and some food. Most of what they did take was comparatively precious material.

Both sides were well-trained, and they worked fast. They finished loading the cars within 15 minutes. Bogner then pulled out a card and gave it to Chen Mu, saying something in a low voice. Chen Mu nodded to show he’d understood.

Chen Mu walked over to Tang Hanpei and gave him the card. “This is the plan of the base, along with some of its tactical layout. I hope it can be of some assistance to you.”

“Thank you!” Tang Hanpei solemnly accepted the card. They could more quickly master the base by having it, so it was a big help. Their counterpart hadn’t needed to give that to them; it had doubtlessly been a favor.

After some thought, Tang Hanpei took out a dark, gold-colored card and presented it to Chen Mu. “This is the internal communications card for the Federation Comprehensive Academy. If you are in the flourishing districts and use this card, you can easily find our school’s support structure. If you run into any trouble, you can look for them to resolve it.”

“Thank you.” Chen Mu accepted the communications card, which would be very useful for him. None of them had been to the flourishing districts, and who knew what they might run into? It would be a lot more convenient to have the card.

But the premise was that the Federation Comprehensive Academy didn’t know who had killed Zu Ning. Chen Mu had made up his mind that unless they encountered something they really couldn’t resolve, they would absolutely never deploy that card. Otherwise, they would be throwing themselves into a trap.

Tang Hanpei suddenly said, “It has been quite pleasant working with Mr. Cao. I hope we might be able to reach another deal.”

“What kind of deal?”

“I’m hoping we might be able to have priority rights to purchase the numbered series of cards that Mr. Cao makes. Of course, we would certainly satisfy Mr. Cao with regard to the price. We would like to pay 500 million Oudi for each four-star fantasy card.”

Jiao Si was immediately unhappy with that. “That’s not what you should stress, Hanpei. If you wish to speak of cooperation, we’ve had a longer-term cooperation with Mr. Cao, and always a pleasant one. If anyone is going to be given priority purchase rights, it would only be proper that they be given to our Origins Academy!”

Chen Mu shook his head. “Please forgive me, Mr. Tang, but there’s no way I could abide by that.” If it hadn’t been for the awesome cards driving the numbered series of cards, such as 007 or 013, it would have been impossible to imagine getting such prices. It looked as though he’d made a lot on such cards, but in fact, the overall income was quite a bit lower. Having been with Xi Ping and the others for a while, Chen Mu had started to understand something about the principles of business.

Tang Hanpei probably also knew it was a little inconsiderate to propose such a deal, and he smiled with some relief. “Not important. It was ill-considered on my part.”

Seeing Jiao Si, Ru Qiu rushed over. She became somewhat formal upon seeing a stranger and stood quietly at his side.

Seeing how affectionate Ru Qiu and Jiao Si were with one another, Tang Hanpei was surprised. “Is this your daughter, Old Jiao?”

Jiao Si gave Tang Hanpei a derisive look. “What kind of question is that? She is Ru Qiu, the next dean of the card making division at my school.”

“Oh!” Tang Hanpei couldn’t help but take a closer look at Ru Qiu, who lowered her head shyly upon seeing that.

Jiao Si casually introduced him to Ru Qiu. “This guy wearing a mask and looking down on everyone is Tang Hanpei. You can call him Uncle Tang.”

“Ah!” Ru Qiu covered her mouth in shock, looking at Tang Hanpei in disbelief.

Tang Hanpei sneered to say, “You don’t need to be so sarcastic with me, Old Jiao. I’m no more than a dozen or so years older than her. Uncle Tang, indeed!” Then, he pulled a gray card out from his card wallet and gave it to Ru Qiu. “This is a fantasy card I got unexpectedly while traveling, in which is recorded how to make a kind of card. It would be useless for me to keep it, so I present it to you to mark our meeting.”

Ru Qiu was overjoyed to take the gray card. The card wasn’t very well-preserved; you could tell how old it was at a glance. It wasn’t important what was recorded on it. What was important was that it had been presented personally by Tang Hanpei.

Xi Ping was holding little Yang Bo in his arms, and Wei-ah had the fleshy dog in his hands.

Tang Hanpei’s gaze fell onto Wei-ah, and he flushed suddenly before quickly returning to normal. “Those under you are quite talented, after all!” Tang Hanpei said suddenly.

Jiao Si nodded. “This man of Mr. Cao’s is really extraordinary. He has a pervasive murderous aura, which has been tickling my mind for a long time. Unfortunately, I haven’t had a chance to compare notes with him, which would have been the pleasure of my life.”

Seeing Jiao Si’s expression, Tang Hanpei couldn’t help but laugh. Jiao Si looked like an old drunkard whose mouth was watering upon seeing a bottle of the world’s best wine and being told he couldn’t drink it. His friendship with Jiao Si had come from a fight, and he knew how addicted Jiao Si was to that sort of thing.

“Very well, everyone. I wish you a smooth trip.”

The shuttle train started to move slowly and gradually picked up speed. Chen Mu let out a long sigh of relief as all of his muscles relaxed. He sank his whole body into the soft seat. Bogner and Xi Ping also let out sighs of relief as they relaxed.

The pressure they faced when dealing with such a person as Tang Hanpei wasn’t something they had ever felt from personal experience. They hadn’t had a way to know. Moreover, the three of them were all hiding something, which had increased the pressure.

“Tell me, why do you think Tang Hanpei wanted to buy our base?” After a long while, Chen Mu had suddenly opened his mouth.

Bogner and Xi Ping looked at one another, both sitting up straight and showing a contemplative expression.

“I can’t quite figure it out myself. Could he feel that our very existence might have some kind of impact on them?” Bogner was puzzled.

Xi Ping muttered, “Is Tang Hanpei worried about Jiao Si, so he made us leave like this?”

“I don’t really know. Perhaps he has some way to assure his victory. If that were the case, he would hope to reduce any unknown factors. But if he were to have some way to assure winning, he would have made his move earlier.” Bogner furrowed his brow.

Listening to their analysis, Chen Mu started to get a headache. Thinking it over, he decided to put the matter aside for the time being. “No matter what, it would be a good thing to leave Pomelo. We now have passed to the flourishing districts, so it will be nice no matter where we go. Where would you prefer to go?”

That question made the two of them immediately excited, never having been to the flourishing districts. For people from the ordinary residential districts, the bustling richness of the flourishing districts held an unrivaled attraction. The five flourishing districts were a synonym for heaven in their minds.

Bogner gave his opinion. “We certainly won’t go to the capital, which is where the Federation Comprehensive Academy is. Even though we have this set of relationships with Tang Hanpei, we would receive close scrutiny from his school there. That would do us no good. I’ve also heard the capital is where power struggles are the most intense, and there’s no reason for us to put ourselves in danger like that.”

Xi Ping continued on. “We should also avoid the Upper Gan District, which is the arena for the power of the Central Repository of the Classics. Having sold our base to Tang Hanpei will certainly mean they won’t have any nice feelings toward us.

“Adding it up, there is only the Northern Reaches District, the Heterodox Brilliance District, the Fanasi District, and the Heavenly Drum Village District. The Northern Reaches District is the domain of Desert Camp, and it’s said to have the hardiest customs and the most fighting. Our power is limited and not so suited to our developing there. However, the Heterodox Brilliance District is the Star Academy…”

Chen Mu cut Xi Ping off. “We aren’t going to the Heterodox Brilliance District.”

Xi Ping and Bogner looked at one another with tacit understanding, more certain than ever of their conjecture that the boss had some goings-on with the Star Academy.

“So, that leaves only the Fanasi District and the Heavenly Drum Village District. The Fanasi District is where the Bitter Solitude Temple holds sway and where religions are prevalent. The Heavenly Drum Village District is the domain of Moon Frost Island, where the climate is frigid, and living conditions are rather harsh.” Xi Ping put out the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Chen Mu’s gaze fell onto Bogner. “What do you think?”

Pondering for a moment, Bogner said, “I’m rather inclined toward the Heavenly Drum Village District. It has unique climatic conditions. There are said to be quite a few icy valleys in the outer reaches beyond the cities there. Those would be quite suitable for building a base. Moreover, they conduct themselves rather reasonably at Moon Frost Island. Although conditions are better in the Fanasi District, it would be comparatively troublesome whenever something involved religion, given its prevalence there.”

Chen Mu’s gaze returned to Xi Ping, who nodded. “I am in complete agreement with Bogner.”

“Then, we’re going to the Heavenly Drum Village District.” Chen Mu made the final decision, warning, “Stay on alert, everyone, to prevent anything happening along the way.”

Bogner nodded knowingly. “Mmmm, I’ve already ordered everyone to take precautions while resting.”

Once their itinerary had been decided, everyone immediately felt some peace of mind. Jiao Si then walked out from the next car behind them, seeing that they seemed to have finished talking.