The Card Apprentice

Sue Lochiro looked no different than normal. She walked over to the therapeutic apparatus and examined several screens of data at a glance. She then said with a mild expression, “All right, you can come out.”

“Oh.” Only then was Chen Mu comfortable pulling all the probes off his body, feeling a sudden strength in his limbs. He felt as though he’d never been wounded at all, which brought him great joy. He easily crawled out of the therapeutic instrument and stood in front of Sue Lochiro, sopping wet. “Are there any clothes?”

“First, dry yourself.” Sue Lochiro had her usual calm expression, though what she said was full of concern. Chen Mu broke into a grin, knowing from what she said that she wasn’t really angry. Taking the towel Sue Lochiro handed him, he straightforwardly wiped all the water dry on his body. She then gave Chen Mu some clothes.

Neither of them said anything during the whole process, as though there were some new kind of serenity between them. They didn’t want to disturb such a rare feeling. Chen Mu realized that if they could always remain so serenely relaxed, their lives would be quite happy.

His motions were slow, quite different from his ordinarily swift and decisive style. He was rather hoping time could slow just then. The cool look on Sue Lochiro’s face had long disappeared, and her gaze was mild.

After fastening the final button, Chen Mu sighed to himself as he said, “Let’s go.” Sue Lochiro remained silent and left with him.

In the first moment after leaving the room, Chen Mu’s face resumed its normal, cool expression. That change in his look made Sue Lochiro inwardly shudder, and her own gaze became a little complex.

Chen Mu had changed a lot since they had first gotten to know one another. Although he still wore a cool expression, it was now mixed with some aggressiveness and even dignity. Both of those were quite mild, however, and would be hard to detect without looking carefully. While other similarly aged youths were still under the wings of their parents, he had already experienced a lot of suffering. Looking at his face, which had nothing left of youth, Sue Lochiro felt an inexplicable pain in her heart.

Chen Mu didn’t have the leisure to feel aggrieved. Too many things had piled up, some of which he needed to take care of himself.

That battle had incurred heavy damage. Only five of the more than 20 Starfish Forts could still be used, and those all needed heavy restoration. The peaks that were the scene of the battle were half collapsed, leaving the integrity of the mountainous structure weakened. Borna’s recommendation was to give up on restoring the Starfish Forts on those mountain tops.

The losses among the card artisans were still more disastrous with fewer than 30 surviving, which was barely enough to form ten fighting units. To have even 30 left alive under that fierce bombardment was all because of the strength of the Starfish Forts’ defensive capability.

Chen Mu had already determined that those 30 would certainly be well-cultivated going forward. Card artisans who had experienced such bitter fighting couldn’t compare to those who had no battle experience. The perverse lesson from the Downstream Alliance could be called quite vivid for the powerful things it taught them.

Any troops without discipline would always be a mob. Card artisans without actual battle experience would be nothing more than rookies.

Even with such huge losses, the gains were still higher. Every room in the Valley Nest was piled full of mountains of materials. Half of the materials from the Downstream Alliance had fallen into Chen Mu’s hands. In fact, Chen Mu rather honored Qiao Fei to have taken the initiative to hand over half of them. If she had kept all the fruits to herself, there was nothing Chen Mu could have done about it. Although Qiao Fei looked careless, she had some admirable qualities in her attitude and ability to get things done.

The materials were worth 150 billion. Chen Mu took in a breath of cold air when he saw the number.

“That much?” He looked like he couldn’t quite believe it.

Xi Ping laughed and said, “The Downstream Alliance had 35 forts, Boss, with a population of 2.5 million. They were the biggest power in the Pascal Region. That was the patrimony they accumulated across seven or eight years. If they didn’t have that much, it would be a little unusual. Too bad they used up almost all of their cash. Furthermore, these materials are all over the place, and many of them have no value for us.”

Chen Mu nodded. It did look like a lot of materials, but there were too many different kinds. They would be too difficult to bring current.

“Take a look, Boss.” There was some news on the screen in the meeting room, and Jiang Liang said, “This is some intelligence we only just gathered. Our current position is remote, and the intelligence we get is very limited. We got this news two days late.”

Chen Mu browsed through the news in some detail. The more he read, the more surprised he got. On the same day Wen Zuofu made his move, alliances everywhere burst out in hundreds of battles, and the situation kept spreading in the days after. The battles were all over the place.

The ones who started them were all small, local powers. Another thing they had in common was that they all had a certain style of battle shuttle car. Those powers spread like crazy, swallowing all the small forts around them. With the help of the battle shuttle cars, they were virtually able to go wherever they wanted, and their power abruptly surged.

Closely following that, the small powers formed themselves quickly into an organization called the Ant Alliance. They all echoed one another; once any one of them made an enemy, the alliance members nearby would rescue them. Within only a few days, the five flourishing districts erupted, and the Ant Alliance’s power suddenly swelled to an inconceivable level.

Clear-eyed people knew the so-called Ant Alliance was none other than one of Faya’s banners. How long had Faya been playing such a ruthless game of chess?

Judging from when the Downstream Alliance and Faya first made contact, it would have been at least seven or eight years prior when Faya made its first move in the game. The disturbances involved upward of several hundred small powers, and Jiang Liang reckoned Faya must have started to set them up 15 years ago.

If the situation had actually been going for 15 years, then the ones who made the plan were truly awe-inspiring.

Faya’s chess game was no different than starting a fire in the backyard of the Big Six. The Ant Alliance was everywhere, which must have been giving the Big Six quite a headache.

Chen Mu actually didn’t feel so bad facing that kind of situation. The more chaotic things got for the Big Six, at least he could be safer. He was most afraid of Tang Hanpei. Chen Mu was hoping Tang Hanpei had forgotten about his existence.

The chaotic state of the world would inevitably spill over onto them, however, with the Downstream Alliance being a good example. To tell the truth, if you wanted to survive in a chaotic world, you needed power more than luck.

“What do you think about Qiao Fei saying she wants to split the forts with us?” Chen Mu was thinking of a different issue. He probably hadn’t realized that both the way he was talking and his tone had become inadvertently more serious and more in the manner of a leader.

After thinking about it, Xi Ping said, “From the point of view of investment, for us to have such a foundation is of course a complete gain. Too bad no one among us is good at that sort of thing.”

Jiang Liang was looking at it from the military point of view. “We are too weak right now; we don’t have the power to defend even ten small forts.”

Each of their assessments was perfectly true and not much different from what Chen Mu was thinking. Thinking about it more carefully, he felt they weren’t leaving anything out, so Chen Mu called up Qiao Fei’s number.

“Is Boss Chen all better? That would be wonderful! I’ve been over there in the ravine looking for you lots of times. I didn’t even have a way to split things with you before you got better, which has been making my heart itch unbearably.” Qiao Fei then showed her sharp tiger’s teeth as she laughingly said, “You take 18, and I’ll take 17 of the 35 forts of the Downstream Alliance. What do you think?”

Chen Mu said ponderously, “No problem, but I’m not really interested in the forts. If everyone at the House of Qiao is interested, then I’d like to sell them back to you. If you’re not interested, I’ll look for a different buyer.”

Qiao Fei looked surprised. “Boss Chen isn’t interested in the small forts?” Staring closely at Chen Mu for a long time and seeing that he was being completely honest, she knew he wasn’t joking.

Eighteen small forts made her heart pound. She had 27 forts of her own. With the addition of those 17, there would be 44. If she could buy Chen Mu’s 18 on top of those, she would have 62 small forts. At that scale, no one in the Pascal Region could oppose her.

Five or six organizations had more than ten small forts in the Pascal Region. If any one of them were to buy Chen Mu’s 18 forts, they would be at the scale of 30 or 40 small forts, which would mean there would be one more level of potential enemy. Her mind moved like lightning, and in a moment, she had already decided how she would gobble up Chen Mu’s 18 small forts.

“Ok, but don’t make your starting price too outrageous, Boss Chen, or we won’t be able to bear it.” Qiao Fei looked at him demurely with nothing of her normal bandit’s aura to be seen.

Too bad that play had no use on Chen Mu. He took a look at Xi Ping, who was holding up two fingers.

“Two hundred billion Oudi,” Chen Mu said. “That’s not such a high price, so you won’t have to bargain.”

Qiao Fei had an awkward expression. “I don’t have any opinion about the price. It’s just that 200 billion in ready cash would take a long time to prepare.”

“That’s fine; you can deduct some materials from the price. We need a lot of materials right now. As far as the 200 billion, the great House of Qiao could start paying on it today.” Chen Mu didn’t want to cause Qiao Fei too many difficulties on that point.

Qiao Fei quickly breathed a sigh of relief. “Great, no problem.” It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought about taking all the spoils, but she was perfectly appalled by the power Chen Mu had in his hands.

When she had arrived on the battlefield, she was really surprised. He had completely compromised the Downstream Alliance, and she was able to take Wen Zuofu with just a puff, not expending any power.

To be able to destroy the Downstream Alliance and its hundreds of battle shuttle cars and more than 1,000 card artisans by his own strength alone, how could such a power not awe her? Furthermore, Chen Mu still had the extraction technology for the purple fluorescent ore. Of course, Qiao Fei wasn’t going to do anything rash, having wondered all along what great power he came from.

How could she have known the battle had basically played out all the power Chen Mu had? He truly was weaker than ever just then, afraid any old team could wipe him out.

Chen Mu then sold Qiao Fei all of the materials he didn’t need. There was probably about 100 billion worth, and Qiao Fei only needed to spend 80 million to get them. Those things weren’t useful Chen Mu, but Qiao Fei, who had just gotten 35 more forts, urgently needed all sorts of construction materials. Thus, she took them all without hesitating.

Within a few dozen minutes, Qiao Fei owed Chen Mu 280 billion. But she still looked overjoyed, not the least bit bitter about what she owed. Having gone through that battle together, the two organizations’ relations turned into a true alliance.

Qiao Fei quickly sent over 20 billion Oudi personally. While 20 billion was certainly a small number up against 280 billion, Chen Mu and the rest were still a little dumbfounded that she could so easily pull out that much ready cash.

Regardless, 20 billion was a huge chunk of change for him. Getting that plug of money, Chen Mu immediately decided to expand his forces. He had used up nearly all his power in that battle, and he urgently needed reinforcements. Without power, even having lots of wealth wasn’t enough to make him lucky. It could actually be a disaster.

Chen Mu really kicked into gear after making his decision. That was their time of greatest weakness, and it was the most dangerous time.

The card artisan service center in Chilei was busier than ever that day. Quite a few card artisans had gotten the news that the Snow Silkworm Card Artisan Firm was recruiting. They had run over specifically to apply.

If it had been just a few days earlier, no one would have heard of the Snow Silkworm Card Artisan Firm. But no one in the Pascal Region could have missed their resounding reputation during that time.

The battle between the Downstream Alliance and the Snow Silkworm Card Artisan Firm had created quite a stir. For the unknown Snow Silkworm Card Artisan Firm to have beaten the Downstream Alliance—which was the biggest power in the Pascal Region—was an explosive piece of news. Everyone wondered if they had heard wrong at first.

Given the thousands of outstanding card artisans in the Downstream Alliance, plus the dedicated battle card artisans, apart from the House of Qiao, which could only barely contend with them, no group in the district had the scale to compare with them. When the details later came out, people found it still harder to believe. The Downstream Alliance had just purchased 300 battle shuttle cars, which were all completely wiped out during the battle!

What kind of divinity was the Snow Silkworm Card Artisan Firm? How could they be that strong? Having just experienced the tempest of mass warfare, who among those powers using the battle shuttle cars wasn’t on a rampage? It was only the Downstream Alliance whose entire army was overshadowed. Were they just too weak? Or, was the Snow Silkworm Card Artisan Firm too strong?

The card artisans of the Downstream Alliance were perfectly experienced and could be described as knowledgeable. Of course it wasn’t weak. Otherwise, it could never have become the biggest power of the Pascal Region. Therefore, there was only one explanation—the Snow Silkworm Card Artisan Firm was stronger!

Apart from each of the powers, ordinary card artisans didn’t really care what kind of power the Snow Silkworm Card Artisan Firm was. They only knew it was a very powerful card artisan firm, and that was enough. How could it not be considered a first-rate card artisan firm? It could defeat the Downstream Alliance, and it still wasn’t considered a first-rate card artisan firm?

So, when they found out the Snow Silkworm Card Artisan Firm was recruiting, countless card artisans swarmed, scrambling to join. They all knew how hard it was to be admitted to a first-rank card artisan firm.

Once they joined one, it would mean a high salary and benefits along with the high standard of their training mechanisms. Many of the offspring of the members of such card artisan firms could enjoy the professional education of the firm, which would be a lot of help in making something of themselves.

The most widespread pieces of news in the market grapevine were related to the Snow Silkworm Card Artisan Firm. It was said that the firm could extract the liquids from the purple fluorescent ore. That news made it hard for the card artisans to restrain themselves. Good lord, if it were true, that would mean the card artisan firm’s finances would be extremely robust! A firm that was both strong and wealthy would be the destination of any card artisan’s dreams.

Sanchez was one among them. He was 30 that year, and he looked like an honest person from the countryside. He was nothing more than an ordinary card artisan. His perception had gotten to the middle of the fifth level, but he wasn’t actually a battle card artisan. He had only a little experience hunting in the Outer Reaches. The One Word Law he practiced was pretty much ordinary stuff, and he had only ordinary talent.

To have level-five perception at age 30 wasn’t more than an ordinary result. He had gotten there with great difficulty, expending a lot more effort to do so than other card artisans. He wasn’t holding out much hope for being recruited by the Snow Silkworm Card Artisan Firm, but he just thought he’d give it a try. He detested the Downstream Alliance, but he also knew how powerful it was. To be able to defeat the Downstream Alliance, there was no need to doubt the power of the Snow Silkworm Card Artisan Firm.

If he hadn’t just happened to be at the card artisan service center that day, he wouldn’t have even had the chance to give it a try. He had previously been in several card artisan firms, but he hadn’t stayed at any of them very long before he was cut for not having enough strength.

The one who received him was a young man with a chilly expression who wasn’t more than 24 or 25. His body was ramrod-straight, and he looked at attention. He had a sharp gaze that looked like it could penetrate to the bottom of someone’s heart.

Sanchez unconsciously lowered his head, inwardly horrified. That Snow Silkworm Card Artisan Firm was impressive, after all! For just any youth among them to have such a bearing was beyond awesome!

“Sanchez, perception at the middle of the fifth level, good at the Celadon.” The young man lifted his head. “What is the Celadon?”

Sanchez hurried to reply, “It’s a kind of energy cloak.” Paying attention to the young man, who looked like he was listening intently, he felt a little embarrassed. “It’s just an ordinary energy cloak card.”

The young man nodded and turned his eyes back to the resume, continuing to scan it. Then, his gaze stopped. “You’re 30 years old?”

Sanchez knew by then that he had no more hope. He said calmly, “Yes. I’ll be 31 in a couple of months.” His age was his biggest weakness.

The young man was about to erase his resume from the screen when his gaze suddenly stopped, and he asked in a strange tone, “Oh, you have a nursing license?”

In any sense, a nursing license made one like a quasi-medical card artisan. Most of them had chosen to be a nurse because they didn’t have the ability to become a medical card artisan. Nurses were basically 95 percent women; male nurses were seldom seen. Apart from some perverts who were chasing after pretty nurses, few other men would choose to practice nursing, let alone get a nursing license.

Seeing Sanchez’s earnest aspect, he didn’t seem to have any connection with being a pervert. Maybe you couldn’t tell a person by his appearance.

Sanchez was wearing a bitter smile, which made it obvious that it wasn’t the first time he had been misunderstood because of that issue.

“I’m pretty slow, and I can only keep up with others by greatly increasing my training. It’s really easy to get injured that way. With all my money spent on the training, I didn’t have any left to treat the injuries. So, I simply chose to practice nursing. That way, I could treat some of the smaller injuries myself.” Sanchez seemed bland when he said that. He had no sense of complaining about his fate, and he said it with no indignation, as though he were explaining something ordinary.

The young man’s look took on a hint of strangeness. “Mmmm, wait for some news when you get back.”

Sanchez left feeling calm. He’d heard that phrase countless times. Each time, it was nothing more than a way to end things, which meant he had been dropped. That was no surprise, and he’d find work over time. There was always something. He was at peace.

He didn’t even think anything of the little episode when he left the card artisan service center, and no one paid him any mind, of course.

The number of people in the card artisan service center had set a record across the last five years, and they had all come because of the reputation of the Snow Silkworm Card Artisan Firm.

* * *

“The Snow Silkworm Card Artisan Firm? Have you heard of them, Ah Zhe?” The one talking was a middle-aged man wearing a purple high-class battle suit. He had a superb gaze and an intimidating manner.

If Chen Mu had seen him, he would certainly have recognized him as the leader of the Snowflake Card Artisan Team, Mobley, who he had encountered before. He had several card artisans guarding him, each showing an alert expression.

A tall youth of about 27 or 28 said with a thoughtful look, “The Snow Silkworm Card Artisan Firm? Yikes, I do seem to have some impression of them. It seems the card artisan firm escorting Miss Wei Wei was called the Snow Silkworm Card Artisan Firm. I don’t know if it’s a big name or not.”

“Miss Wei Wei?” Mobley was rather moved. “Has she returned to Thousand Lakes?”