The Card Apprentice

Most every city had a card artisan training arena, which was one of the most important installations of the public infrastructure. Card artisan training could be pretty dangerous, and if precautions weren’t taken, it could involve people gathered around, causing unnecessary casualties. The training arena was a very strictly and carefully segregated area to make it convenient for card artisans to undertake every kind of specialized training.

Apart from the drilling grounds and the specialized training grounds which were strictly limited to the card artisan classification, other areas were open to anyone.

Even the small town of Burlington had a small-scale training arena, which naturally had only the most basic training conditions.

Chen Mu just then was in the basic training area. Those so-called basic training grounds were actually just an empty building, with nothing inside it. Apart from the walls which were made of pretty good material, there was no other equipment, with even the floor being rough and full of potholes.

It was indeed a “basic” training space, but even that run-down place was 50 Oudi an hour, which wasn’t any different from robbery. Chen Mu couldn’t help cursing to himself over and over about the training arena.

But he hadn’t found a better place by that time, and he didn’t dare go out to the outer areas. In those days, there still wasn’t any free lunch. Chen Mu grudgingly handed over 150 Oudi to reserve three hours, and he had already determined to use those three hours thoroughly.

He wasn’t used to wasting money.

He could carry out all sorts of training there without concern, and didn’t have to worry about breaking anything or hurting other people. Activating his apparatus, the crystalline tailless shuttle appeared again on his index finger. Having a little bit more experience that time, he could internalize more things.

The tailless shuttle on his finger spun faster and faster, with enough speed to make a person’s heart race, even making Chen Mu’s heart speed up. He knew that if he was slightly careless, there was an excellent probability of blowing away his right hand.

Chen Mu couldn’t help feeling frightened and worried about the tailless shuttle shooting out from the virtual tip of his index finger like a bolt of electricity and leaving a little hole in the ground.

Hu. Letting out a long breath, Chen mu couldn’t help mocking himself that he was actually still a coward. He hadn’t yet quite clearly realized by that time that being a card artisan was a profession which carried a high degree of risk, wondering how it was that wave after wave of so many people still wanted to dive into it.

Still, this thought only rolled around in his mind for a little before it disappeared. He didn’t want to waste any time thinking about that issue, since he’d had to spend 150 Oudi to get those three hours.

Chen Mu’s life had always been quite regular. Even now that he had the tailless shuttle card, his life hadn’t changed that much. Apart from spending some time each week at the training arena, the rest of his time hadn’t changed at all from before.

According to the requirements from that mysterious card, he would have to be able freely to control the speed of the tailless shuttle card’s spinning before he would be deemed to have passed the first qualification. This wasn’t a simple matter, as far as he was concerned.

There was one other place that he would go to, which was the low-grade fantasy card club, where Lan Feng would accompany him every time. Chen Mu had become the most welcome and respected person in the entire club. Most of them had witnessed that crazy point sweep with their own eyes that day, with An Xiaoyou the most fanatical among them.

Although it was fine to have Lan Feng by his side, An Xiaoyou wouldn’t dare to become too familiar. In any case, Chen Mu would never be together with An Xiaoyou by himself. That would really be too scary! If a woman was too familiar with you, you could still feel comfortable, but if a man looks at you with bright eyes, then . . .

Lan Feng was carrying out the wishes of the president, deliberately drawing Chen Mu in, and naturally providing him with many conveniences, such as allowing him to bring a friend along to participate in the high-level interactive meetings, where he would often bring Copper along. Later on, the others would become much more familiar with Copper than they were with Chen Mu.

Copper was very commercially minded, which made Lan Feng treat him with increasing respect. There were always a lot of delegates at the interactive meetings, and as for picking, or whom to pick, Chen Mu handed it all off to Copper. After a while he would basically no longer participate in the interactive meetings, simply delegating everything to Copper, such that Copper wasn’t any less powerful than he was.

A very peculiar tacit understanding took shape in the club, that as long as Chen Mu had delegated something, no one else could steal it. And that any time he finished a work they could all use any and all means possible and come at the work from any direction to learn from it. Acting as his spokesperson every time, Copper would get a pile of delegated requests.

Chen Mu was a person who didn’t ever want to cause any trouble, and gradually everyone slowly started to understand his temperament, and tried very deliberately not to bother him.

“What are you doing? Do you want to go today? You’ll just have to go yourself.” Chen Mu gave Copper a strange look. Copper was insisting on dragging him along to the club that day, which was really not like Copper at all. It had already been a while since Chen Mu had gone to the club.

Copper laughed, “Today is a super huge interactive meeting, the biggest one ever in history!”

“Not interested! Just go!” Chen Mu shook his head, and was about to leave.

“Don’t!” Copper grabbed Chen Mu’s arm, and fawningly smiled, “Come on, go, go, just this one time!”

Chen Mu looked suspiciously at Copper with both eyes, and directly said, “What do you mean by trying to persuade me?” He had the deep sense that there was some reason that Copper was being that way.

Copper immediately became a little bit embarrassed, and stammered for a while.

“You’re having an affair!” Copper said with complete certainty, staring at Copper with an electric gaze.

Not being able to take Chen Mu’s gaze any more, he became candid, “I promised Lan Feng that you would be there tonight. You’re basically the headliner of the club, and it’s not like you’re going anywhere!” and he continued to push, “Those coming tonight are all heavy weights, like the Aminia Company of the Zuo family, and its old rival, the Victoria Group from the Pei household.

“Are the two of you together?” Chen Mu cut Cooper off.

“Mmm.” Copper grunted almost too lightly to hear, and then went on to explain loudly, “You wouldn’t say we are together, it’s just that . . .”

“How long?” Chen Mu cut Copper off again.

“What the heck is that look in your eyes tonight, guy?” Copper muttered to himself, and then responded, “The past couple of months.”

“After ‘The Legend of Master Shi’ is finished, do you intend to go to the club?” Chen Mu asked.

“You are getting more and more astute, guy!” Copper looked overly surprised, “you even guessed this on the nose!”

Chen Mu gave Copper a disdainful look, “Who is more clear than me about your character?” He was very happy with Copper from the bottom of his heart, having always thought that Copper was smarter than him, just missing opportunities is all! If he had only had the chance, he could certainly have done things better than anyone!

“Sure!” Copper said in a cheeky way. “But I should be able to go to the commercial department, then President Bai comes looking for me, and I say yes.” Copper was representing Chen Mu just then, having been selected as his delegate. The commercial talents which emerged made everyone take another look. Bai Zheyuan, who had originally only been interested in Chen Mu, didn’t realize that there would be additional benefits, and was overjoyed to throw in this olive branch.

It pleased him to the bottom of his heart to hear what Chen Mu had said, and he was very moved.

Seeing that Chen Mu seemed to want to say something, Copper quickly offered up, “What are your instructions?”

Chen Mu flicked his hand downward, and both heroically and bravely and very resolutely and decisively said, “Take her!”