The Card Apprentice

They didn’t stay long at Bartleman Village, only doing a little resupplying before heading north. That was a decision Chen Mu made only after he’d gotten a general idea of the distribution of power in the Heavenly Drum Village District. He had previously thought the entire district was within the scope of Moon Frost Island’s power, only to find out how far off he was.

Moon Frost Island was surely the biggest power in the Heavenly Drum Village District, but if you were to think they could take the dominant position there, that would be a big mistake. Most of what was in the Heavenly Drum Village District were small, scattered forts in the icy and snowy regions. It was said that the small forts in the icy and snowy regions numbered about 200,000, and those within the scope of Moon Frost Island’s power only constituted 30 percent.

The rest of the forts were either free-standing or formed small alliances. Among them were some with an older history than Moon Frost Island. Each small fort had a small-scale village, though there weren’t many “small villages” like Bartleman Village.

One important reason urging Chen Mu to decide to head toward the icy and snowy regions was that Moon Frost Island’s control of the other regions was a lot stronger than in the icy and snowy regions. Although Chen Mu hadn’t had any dealings with Moon Frost Island, the Big Six overall had made a poor impression on him. Of course, he couldn’t dispose of that batch of cards he had on him from the Federation Comprehensive Academy in a place like Bartleman Village. That would be the same as submitting himself to someone else’s realm.

The icy and snowy regions were a vast stretch of icy plains and snowy mountains, and more than 200,000 small forts were scattered among them. The forts were actually somewhat larger versions of bases in the Outer Reaches. In general, the resident population would be only a few tens of thousands.

The control of even Moon Frost Island wasn’t very powerful in the icy and snowy regions, not to mention the other organizations. That was just the sort of environment Chen Mu wanted.

There were seven times more residents in the icy and snowy regions than there were in the warmer regions. That was far from what Chen Mu and the rest had expected.

He had been enlightened later by what their guide had explained. In such a cold and cruel environment, card artisans’ perception would grow a lot faster than in the places where it wasn’t cold. That had led a lot of card artisans to swarm to the icy and snowy regions, while the more pleasant regions instead had lower populations.

That was a special characteristic of the Heavenly Drum Village District, though it wasn’t the only one among the five flourishing districts. There was also Desert Camp in the Northern Reaches District, where it was blisteringly hot and arid all year. The environment was just as harsh, and the growth of a card artisan’s perception was no less than in the Heavenly Drum Village District.

What surprised Chen Mu still more, however, was the way the card artisans in the flourishing districts looked. Compared to the strange temperaments of aces in the ordinary residential districts, the card artisan profession conducted itself a lot better. They were always extraordinarily busy, rushing around all day.

Brenton was that way. He was the guide Chen Mu had hired. He had level-five perceptual strength, and Chen Mu had only had to pay 2 million Oudi for him to be their guide. If they were in Pomelo or Eastern Shang-Wei City, that rate would probably only hire a guide at that level for one day. There, 2 million Oudi could hire him for two months, which was a far lower price than anyone had expected.

But Chen Mu quickly detected the difference. Although Brenton’s perceptual strength had reached the fifth level, his fighting strength fell far short of Xiaobo’s. The two of them were at completely different levels. That was when Xiaobo wasn’t using the Wheel. If he were to use that, any fight would be over in a very short time.

That was something Chen Mu, Bogner, and the rest really couldn’t figure out. But after Brenton explained it, everyone was quickly enlightened.

“This is my first time to see such an awesome battle card artisan as Mr. Xiaobo. Your control of energy has reached a simply superb place! You must certainly have gone through the tempering of countless life-and-death contests to be able to achieve such heights, right?” Brenton asked in admiration. He was just under two meters tall with a head of golden blond hair that was quite eye-catching in the sun. He was a sunny and handsome big fellow.

He wasn’t wrong about that. Xiaobo had hunted alone in the jungle for several years, where he had experienced countless battles.

“How can card artisans grow without battle experience?” Xiaobo asked with a look of incomprehension. He thought it was common knowledge that card artisans would be no use without battle experience.

“Really? That’s what being a combat card artisan means?” Brenton scratched his head with a puzzled look. “Our training is in a training base. That’s why combat card artisans are so awesome!”

“Are card artisans here divided between combat card artisans and the rest?” The puzzled look on Xiaobo’s face deepened, and it wasn’t just him; everyone else’s expressions looked the same. Although they did have construction card artisans on their team, that sort of card artisan from a different profession wasn’t seen very often. They were considered special talents in the ordinary residential districts.

“A card artisan is a card artisan, and a battle card artisan is a battle card artisan!” Brenton was in deadly earnest as he looked at Xiaobo, puzzled. He then asked, “Do you mean to say that the capital isn’t like that? That would be really strange. From birth, everyone in the Heavenly Drum Village District has to learn how to become a card artisan. By the time they are older, they choose their area of expertise. Very few become battle card artisans, but those who do are extremely strong.”

“Everyone is a card artisan?” Xiaobo was taken aback. Only a few in the ordinary residential districts could become card artisans.

“Right!” Brenton spoke as though it were a matter of course. “How can you find work if you’re not a card artisan? The social welfare money I have to pay each month is 700,000 Oudi. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to maintain my two-star residential benefits.”

“What are two-star residential benefits?” Xi Ping asked out of curiosity. That was the first time anyone had heard that strange term.

Brenton didn’t find that strange. “I guess the standards for implementation in the capital and the Heavenly Drum Village District aren’t the same. For a local like me, the benefits I receive are directly linked to my contributions. According to the differences in the benefit payments you hand over every month, the benefits you enjoy also differ. For example, I turn over 700,000 Oudi each month for the whole year to be able to get the two-star residential benefits. If I continue that for three years, I can rise into three-star residential benefits. The higher my star level, the better my benefits. That would especially include some of the professional courses. There would be no way to study them without benefits. Without studying those skills, you wouldn’t be able find good work, which could then become a vicious circle.”

“What do you specialize in, Brenton?” Xiaobo asked in curiosity.

“Perception of smell,” Brenton said.

Everyone looked at one another, and Xiaobo asked, “What is that? The name sounds strange.”

“It would be common not to have heard of it! It is a pretty obscure profession that uses perception to distinguish the different molecules among smells to determine their composition. But my current level is too low. If it were higher, I could be an aromatic card artisan. The salary of an aromatic card artisan is quite high,” Brenton said with a look of longing.

“That’s awesome.” Xiaobo was startled. He had never heard of using perception to analyze the molecules in a smell. “What level of perceptual refinement does that require?”

“Pretty much the normal level. I still don’t have enough perceptual acuity to do an accurate analysis. I can do a simple one, but if it gets more complicated than that, like with natural fragrances, I would be uncertain. Their composition is too complex.” Brenton was a little embarrassed when he responded.

The more he heard Brenton speak, the more surprised Chen Mu and the rest felt. The level of development in the Heavenly Drum Village District had left the ordinary residential districts way behind. That wasn’t embodied in any particular technology but was an overall lead in all directions.

The way they used their systematically formed perception was to extend it into all areas of life. By comparison, the ordinary residential districts were who knew how many years behind.

Having been born in the ordinary residential districts, Chen Mu and the rest had more of a sense of belonging there. None of this sat too well with them.

Brenton was quite talkative and never stopped introducing the local customs of the Heavenly Drum Village District, which greatly expanded everyone’s horizons.

“Don’t assume the icy and snowy regions are uninhabited. You might find that it’s a lot more bustling there than in Bartleman Village. Quite a few of the cities there are established on top of ice that has never melted. They are truly cities on top of water. Ha ha, you would never imagine what a sight it is where over 1 million people live on the ice. To tell the truth, I was surprised myself the first time I saw it. Moreover, if you have enough power, you can go to underwater communities. The Heavenly Drum Village District is the only one of the five flourishing districts that has underwater communities. They are a lot of fun, although the cost of living is unfortunately way too high, along with the demands on power!” Brenton looked full of regret.

Those days, everyone had been hearing all sorts of new terms. They would remember hearing about the underwater communities.

Brenton’s expression suddenly changed. “On no! We’ve run into a flock of dingbirds! Run!”

Everyone was scared and rushed to keep up.

“What kind of bird is a dingbird? Where? Why didn’t I discover it?” Xiaobo was looking around in curiosity and couldn’t find anything.

Brenton didn’t look so good as he smiled bitterly. “The dingbird is really fierce and fast. We can’t fall behind. I found their scent in the air with my perception!”

The card artisan responsible for scanning then discovered the situation. “Something is coming toward us at a very high speed!”

Without Bogner having to give any commands, all the small teams immediately prepared for battle. The non-combatant personnel and the shuttle cars were surrounded in the middle, and five small teams plus the elite team of card artisans were stationed on the perimeter. Lu Xiaoru and the others were in the second line.

Brenton was curious to assess that team. Although they weren’t high-level, they were well-trained, and none of them looked flustered. Even the non-combatant personnel in the middle looked unruffled.

What a strange team! Some real curiosity arose in him, but he was quickly enshrouded in terror. His luck had turned bad running into the dingbirds, which were such unpleasant creatures!

It was his first time to encounter such a thing while guiding, and he couldn’t help his regret. His bitter smiled deepened as he looked over that team. Apart from Xiaobo, who had some fighting strength, the rest of the card artisans had a perceptual level of about four. He didn’t expect much from that sort of team. Although Mr. Xiaobo was awesome, he alone couldn’t guarantee the safety of the entire team.

The clear squawks coming from far away and the dark spots in the distance were approaching at a shocking speed. Everyone could finally see clearly what kind of bird the dingbird was!