Chapter 232
Chapter 232
Chapter 232
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 232 – Lan Qi and the Great Poet’s Collaboration Once Again
The magic barrier of the card-making workshop this time even shut Cat Boss out from entering.
But recently it seemed to enjoy watching Lan Qi making cards, so it just squatted outside the workshop door, quietly staring inside.
“Just a peek, just a peek, meow…”
Cat Boss felt that every time it heard Lan Qi’s card explosions, it was oddly relieving. What it really wanted was to see what he could actually make if it didn’t blow up.
Earlier, from chatting with Talia and Huperion, it realized it had underestimated this boy!
Who would’ve thought he was actually a genius with a registered Gold-rank Cardmaker’s License from the Cardmaker Association of the Southern Continent.
It was hard to imagine that a Gold-rank cardmaker could blow up dozens of cards in a row without producing a single finished product, so much that Cat Boss even suspected this kid was deliberately researching how to maximize the power of explosions.
Lan Qi glanced at the little black cat at the doorway. Sometimes it came to play at his home, and he thought it suited him — he could feel the joy of “cloud-cat ownership.”
Then Lan Qi stopped paying attention to Cat Boss and turned back to his work.
Inside his dorm’s card-making workshop, all the equipment had already been replaced by the highest-grade models provided by the Ikerite Branch of the Southern Continent’s Cardmaker Association. This had been arranged by Vice Chairman Lawrence, who had overseen his platinum-level exam. It came together with the temporary Gold-rank license he’d been issued before his official platinum assessment.
Lan Qi first placed a deep violet cube-shaped stone device, which contained a recording program, on the side cabinet.
This device could record the entire card-making process, serving as proof of a card’s creator. Within the Association’s system of patents and promotions, if one crafted cards outside official supervision, such records were crucial to recognition.
Vice Chairman Lawrence had warned Lan Qi that some high-level officials in the Association headquarters — hostile to either the Hedon Kingdom or Duke Migaya — might try to challenge Lan Qi’s ability and stability in future evaluations. So, whenever Lan Qi had the chance to make a high-quality card, he had to record it, to serve as a trump card during the final review.
Though detailed production steps and the card’s attributes could be hidden, the record would ensure that the finished card’s quality and grade were indisputable.
After clearing enough space on his workbench, Lan Qi brought over three trays filled with assorted materials from a nearby cart. He double-checked the proportions he had already worked out.
With the Great Poet’s assistance, he began the final processing of the materials, channeling the half year of relentless training he had devoted to perfecting his craft. His gaze was calm, his hands practiced and steady.
For this card, centered around the core material [Proud Heart of the Wolf King], Lan Qi had nearly emptied all his savings — the money he’d saved up, the Saint of Destruction’s bounty, and his share of Professor Boral’s compensation.
Even with Vice Chairman Lawrence negotiating the lowest possible prices and importing rare sealing materials from abroad, the cost was staggering.
Just the final refinement of the auxiliary materials, done with the Great Poet’s help, was enough to make most cardmakers’ hands tremble.
But even Talia had once praised Lan Qi, saying he was born with a strong heart — never flinching, not even when walking a tightrope.
That was a state most cardmakers couldn’t achieve in a lifetime of practice.
For Lan Qi, it came naturally.
…
The dorm’s clock ticked away.Unknowingly, dozens of minutes had already passed.
“Great Poet, can we start now?”
Lan Qi put down the last prepared material, ready for use, and turned to the Great Poet, who was mixing magic ink.
To use demonic script without backlash in a human body, the Great Poet was indispensable as an intermediary. Having her as both assistant and collaborator was part of why Lan Qi dared to aim for high-quality cards.
Her talent in magical engineering seemed to echo that of the ancient craftsman who left behind the [Merciful Verses], almost as if she were his reincarnation.
What’s more, inside the Great Poet resided a portion of [Merciful Verses] that even Talia hadn’t fully understood when she’d used it — a hybrid of curse and sealing spells that locked onto targets by race, gender, and true name. Even with Lan Qi’s current mastery of sealing techniques, he could not grasp its depth. It only showed how terrifyingly advanced that ancient craftsman’s magic was.
The Great Poet’s expression turned cold, golden eyes devoid of emotion.
“You just start. I’ll assist you.”
Not only did she look serious, she fully imitated Talia’s demeanor — acting like a stern overseer so Lan Qi would feel pressure and slip into deep focus.
“Alright.”
That familiar cold gaze instantly put Lan Qi under pressure. He didn’t hesitate further. Entering the right state, he took the vial of magic ink she had mixed from powdered fire-elemental crystal and a sealing-specialized magic core solution.
The moment his hand touched the vial, his own magic began resonating in sync with it. The ink seemed to welcome his power.
Without even testing it, Lan Qi knew the Great Poet had prepared the optimal ratio for him.
He loaded the ink into his magic pen and felt the current of energy flowing. Then, he unsealed the [Proud Heart of the Wolf King]. The hard silver shell cracked, crumbled away, and revealed a translucent, gem-like heart glowing with entwined blue and violet veins — pulsing with life.
This was the crucial step of the entire summoning card’s creation: modifying and enchanting the core material, embedding magical circuits into it, and expanding outward to form the structure.
The process demanded total focus from both makers, achieving near-perfect synchronization.
As Lan Qi’s pen and carving tool danced with precision, the Great Poet etched runes of human and demonic script into the prepared circuits, translating and rewriting them into writhing, interwoven characters.
Together they poured everything into the inscription, as if nothing outside the workshop mattered.
Gradually, even time seemed to vanish.
The dorm clock’s hands circled again and again. Cat Boss had left at noon to fetch Lan Qi a meal, placed it on the table, and returned — only to see no sign of the workshop slowing down.