Chapter 217
Chapter 217
Chapter 217
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 217 Lan Qi Mainly Plays at Being Optimistic
Inside the temple under the corona, the moist air carried the fragrance of grass and trees that surrounded the shrine.
Lan Qi sat on the stone steps, feeling the breeze over the green cliffs and meadows, enjoying this dreamlike leisure with a relaxed expression.
Although the principal rarely invigilated exams personally, if he did, he would always make sure the examinees felt no pressure.
He gazed from a distance at Karen, who was working on card-making.
The soft light that fell illuminated her workbench like a sacred altar. Karen, like a saint guarding the temple, moved with clean and serene precision.
In the shadow world, making cards usually meant first dismantling a card one had brought in, then reworking it into something new.
This was why many useless purple rare cards, often called “blanks,” could still sell for a decent price.
Of course, in this temple, strange plants and scraps of the stone slabs also served as fine materials, as long as one could understand how to use and mix them correctly.
On Karen’s worktable, her kit box was lined with several kinds of natural green plants and petals.
She placed the box before her, gently touching each leaf as if communing with them through magic. She then took a green plant shaped like a feather, placed it into a special grinder, and carefully ground it with a jade handle.
As she ground, fine green powder drifted into the air, each grain carrying a trace of magical aura. She next lifted a small vial of clear magical ink, mixed it with the powder, added a little lime, and stirred. Magical fluctuations swirled like a whirlwind as the powder danced inside the ink.
When that step was complete, Karen softly blew over it, flattened the worktable, and waited for the ink and powder to fuse more perfectly. Then, she laid a high-quality dismantled blank card at the center of the table.
Next, she dipped a fine portable quill into the ink. The moment the tip touched the card surface, magical structures began rapidly forming beneath her precise strokes. Every line, every rune was tied intricately to the wind.
The card-making process was long and demanded great patience and focus. Karen’s gaze was as sharp as a hawk’s, her quill moving lightly yet with absolute certainty, sketching out magical structures.
Time passed both quickly and slowly. Before the temple’s slab, only Karen and her card remained, and the card she worked on now emitted a soft magical glow like morning light on green fields.
“Really amazing.”
Lan Qi rarely watched others make cards.
Now, witnessing a true gold-ranked card-maker like Karen crafting a card from start to finish, he couldn’t help but sigh in admiration.
Her insight into the [Original Tablet – Wind] must have been very deep to be so steady in every step.
As for Lan Qi, although he had brought a few wind-attribute purple rare cards to dismantle, he still hadn’t figured out how to craft a wind card based on what little he had understood from the [Original Tablet – Wind].
By comparison, he was even more convinced: unless it was the [Original Tablet – Seal], [Original Tablet – Healing], [Original Tablet – Spirit], or at least somewhat compatible [Original Tablet – Light], looking at them would not help him much.
Even if he gained insight into wind-based magical engineering, he would rarely have the chance to make wind cards in the future.
But the mural itself was beautiful—so beautiful that Lan Qi couldn’t help but admire it again. As for the barrier spell structures on it, he had lost all interest.
“Lan Qi, lend me an eye.”
A crisp thought-voice entered Lan Qi’s heart.
It was the Great Love Poet, speaking to him on her own initiative.
Once Lan Qi had lifted her summoning restrictions, she could emerge freely and sense what was happening nearby.
“All right, all right, don’t rush.”
Feeling the Poet’s restlessness in his soul-space, Lan Qi allowed her to draw on his mana as she wished. Gradually, his green left eye was covered in a deep blue radiance.
Though he hadn’t understood much from the Original Tablet, perhaps the Great Love Poet could see more than him.
Thus time passed.
Lan Qi sat on the stone steps, half watching Karen work and half idly carving a block of stone with a chisel and brush from his portable toolset.
“Lan Qi, let me make the card later—you’ll be my assistant.”
The Great Love Poet’s voice rang out again, arrogantly ordering him.
“Then I’ll leave it mainly to you this time.”
Lan Qi didn’t mind. If the Great Love Poet was willing to do the work, he was more than happy.
He stood, rolled up his sleeves, and prepared to move farther away so that even if he summoned the Great Love Poet, he wouldn’t disturb Karen.
The invigilating job was done.
…
Sage Academy’s Ancient Tower Library.
Over an hour had passed since Karen and Lan Qi had entered the Original Tablet domain. Countless students had come and gone on the upper floors.
Only a few curious students still leaned over the balcony railings, while the rest were just scholars recording events out of routine.
On the sixth floor, at a round low table by the stone railing, two chairs had been set. Huperion and Sophia sat there, sipping afternoon tea.
“Observing the tablet, if it goes well, you might make a card. But time is limited. Fail a few times and you’ll run out of materials and won’t have time to finish.”
Sophia chatted with Huperion about possible outcomes for craftspeople watching the tablet.
After speaking, she glanced at the library clock. If all went well, the observation should end soon.
“No worries. Lan Qi stands out for his optimistic mindset. Whether he makes a card or not, he doesn’t really care.”
Huperion sipped her tea with a smile.
She recalled how Talia once told her: when Lan Qi made cards, nine out of ten would explode. But unlike others, who felt shame or despair, Lan Qi would laugh afterward.
“If only I had Principal Lan’s mindset.”
Sophia touched her cheek and sighed.
Maybe being more carefree was the only way to control her Enol.
“…Sophia, promise me, don’t copy him.”
At this, Huperion set down her teacup and looked at her seriously.
She felt Sophia might already be showing early symptoms of Lan Qi’s “condition.”
As the two spoke, noise arose from the lower level, making them lean over the railing to look.
Karen had already returned from the Original Tablet domain.
In the main hall, many scholars had left their seats to question her about her observations.
She stood at the center like a star surrounded by admirers, a content smile on her face.
From the upper floors, students also leaned over to see. Gasps of surprise spread.
Karen was holding a card, faint pink mist drifting from it. She hadn’t hidden it but openly displayed the card’s attributes for scholars to judge.
[Phantom of the Wind]
Type: Spell Card
Grade: Pink – Sacred
Attribute: Wind
Rank: 4
Passive Effect: If evasion is possible, gain one “Extreme Evasion” chance every 20 seconds. Consumes mana upon triggering.
Note:Don’t bully me, I’m weak, pitiful, and helpless.
Because cards in the slab domain had to be crafted by dismantling others with portable kits, it was much harder than normal crafting, with materials often only at rare purple level.
That Karen managed to craft a pink Sacred card on her first attempt spoke both to her exceptional performance and her solid foundation, as well as the real insights she had gained from the tablet.
“Damn it, she actually made a Sacred Pink.”
Sophia slammed the railing in frustration.
Even from the sixth floor, she could hear the students’ praises below.
As far as Sophia knew, Karen had never made more than two Sacred Pink cards before—this was clearly a major harvest. And a survival-type spell card like this was perfect for battlefield card-makers fighting in the shadow world.
“Unless Lan Qi makes an Epic card, or an even stronger Sacred, she’s got the upper hand.”
Sophia, somewhat anxious, looked at Huperion.
She knew Lan Qi’s crafting style was all about high ceiling and low floor—exactly why he’d reached platinum rank.
“Unlikely. His wind affinity is poor. If he makes a card at all, that’s already lucky.”
Huperion shook her head.
“Then isn’t she going to show him up?”
Seeing Huperion so calm only made Sophia more frantic.
“Lan Qi probably won’t care. He’s never been one to compete seriously.”
Huperion spread her hands helplessly. She had never once seen Lan Qi earnestly fight to prove himself.
She figured he’d just make a card “as fate wills.”
As they spoke, a ripple formed at the void gate below.
Lan Qi stepped out. Behind him, the void gate of the [Original Tablet – Wind] twisted, spun, and vanished—returning to the form of the card in Dean Loren’s hand.