Chapter 114: Lanchi's Ordinary Sealing Card
Chapter 114: Lanchi's Ordinary Sealing Card
In the negotiation area on the third floor of the Ekrites Card Maker Association, the sound of the clock tower in Hutton Walking Square could be heard even indoors, with its chimes ringing out a melodious twelve o'clock noon.
The deep brown wooden floor reflected the dazzling sunlight, and the soaring dome, with its exposed timber beams, exuded a natural and primitive atmosphere unique to the Kingdom of Hutton.
On a leather sofa and coffee table set a distance away from the circular wall that separated the negotiation area, the ongoing Registered Card Maker examination was being projected.
Two and a half hours had passed since the exam began.
Some examinees had already used up their five attempts and left disappointed.
Others had completed two or three cards and were still striving to create higher-quality magic cards to improve their scores.
Next to the coffee table, Sophia, the young lady of the Earl's family, remained seated next to Prince Enor, the two of them as close as ever, perhaps even a little closer than before.
On the other hand, Hiberlian sat comfortably in a single sofa on the other side, exuding a sense of ease.
The three of them had been observing the Registered Card Maker examination from here.
Since the footage was being broadcast in rotation, they only caught glimpses of Lanchi from time to time.
The backstage staff of the Card Maker Association would switch the feed to focus on examinees who were about to complete their card crafting or were at other critical moments.
After all, the most exciting parts were the moments when a card was successfully crafted or exploded into failure.
"If you're aiming for a high success rate, you could aim for three cards out of five attempts, all in the ordinary white quality. That's a safe bet," Sophia remarked, shaking her head as she watched a card explode into failure on the screen.
"Yes, even though it will eventually be graded down to the starting Iron level, it's still enough to pass the exam," Hiberlian agreed.
Soon, the scene changed, and the director cut to a Saintly Research Society examinee who was about to finalize the sealing of his magic card.
He was in the process of creating a composite-type magic card that blended light and holy attributes and was nearing the completion of the second-to-last step.
Under the watchful eyes of the audience, the young card maker, dressed as an apprentice cleric, had already meticulously inscribed a magic carrier on the smooth card base and imprinted it with luminous stone powder to activate the light attribute magic. The resulting framework resembled a shackle, firmly locking the magic within the card.
Next, he began the last and most critical step—final tuning and processing.
His eyes narrowed in concentration as his fingers deftly linked several magic engravings together, forming a complete magic energy loop. This design would allow the magic card to recharge and be used again after expending its magic energy.
During this process, he had to ensure that each magic structure functioned correctly upon activation and also avoid conflicts with other structures. Any mistake would cause the card to collapse, and in some cases of improper operation, it might even lead to a violent explosion.
His brow furrowed with intense focus during this pressure-filled moment.
Finally, amidst the shining light, a magic card stabilized, and everyone could clearly see the deep blue aura circulating on the card.
A round of praises filled the already bustling floor.
The blue aura emanating from the card served as proof of the examinee's exceptional skill.
Crafting cards during the exam was different from doing so in a usual setting.
Normally, card makers had ample time to select and prepare materials, and they didn't have to worry as much about success rates.
The willingness to forgo the safest option of aiming for ordinary white quality and instead strive for higher-quality cards demonstrated great confidence in one's craftsmanship.
"That guy's got skills. If he manages to make three blue-grade rares or a combination like one purple, one blue, and one white, he'll be graded up to the copper level," Enor commented.
Although his area of study at the Magic Engineering Institute wasn't card making, he was a frequent visitor to the Card Maker Association and had a good understanding of the grading system.
The better the quality of the cards crafted during the exam, the higher the excess promotion points awarded, even if they were graded at the same level.
At the same time, the details of the completed card from earlier were displayed on the screen:
[Holy Light Sanction]
[Type: Spell Card]
[Grade: Blue Rare]
[Attribute: Light]
[Rank: 3]
[Effect: Inflicts light attribute group damage. Attacks against evil divine beings deal an additional 100% Holy Judgment damage. Cooldown time: 30 seconds.]
[Note: The holy light shall purify your soul!]
Through this display, examinees could quickly sell the cards they crafted during the exam but didn't need themselves. Outstanding performers might even receive orders and commissions on the spot.
"If one were to equip a full set of these magic cards and target fallen Resurrectionists, it would be extremely effective. It could also be used against most demons and blood races, with direct effectiveness," someone commented.
"It's effective against demons, but not so much against the blood race. You can't really kill them, just seal them. But we rarely encounter them anyway," came another voice from the hallway, as pedestrians passed by.
There were few demons in the Southern Continent. The demon nations had originally been in the Northern Continent, and the blood race tended to be mysterious and reclusive individuals.
The only weakness of the blood race was that they were weakened during the day, but they could only be sealed, not killed.
At night, they ruled supreme, unmatched by any.
"So, Hiberlian understood why the introductory remarks at the Inferno Corridor Academy mentioned the backdrop of the era, alluding to how humans become servants of the blood race during the night, as even demons dare not confront them after dark."
"The blood race, at their peak, was untouchable by any other race."
"Ah, it's not bad, but it's not very useful for those of us who live in Hutton all year round," Enor said, referring to the card. He occasionally bought cards, but this one didn't particularly interest him.
He had no encounters with the blood race, nor did he intend to fight demons or cultists, who wouldn't dare cause trouble in the royal capital of Hutton, protected by the high priest, Loran.
"Then you can ignore his cards altogether. The other two in the same series, ['Holy War Hammer'] and ['Holy Apostle'], have similar effects."
Sophia had discerned the examinee's card-making purpose. He was likely aiming to create a set of three cards of the same series, optimizing his handfeel and stability while pushing his specialties to the limit, ensuring a direct jump to the copper grade.
"I still prefer Lanchi's cards, though," Enor added, his admiration for Lanchi evident.
Just as he finished speaking, the footage cut back to Lanchi, the focus of the trio's attention today.
It seemed that the director prioritized card quality, as most of the previous footage had been dedicated to the examinee who crafted the blue-grade magic card. Now, the feed turned to Lanchi, who had already crafted his magic card.
The screen displayed its appraisal results:
[Cartoon Mask]
[Type: Equipment Card]
[Grade: Ordinary White]
[Attribute: Seal]
[Rank: 3]
[Effect: Equip to a summon, transforming its fierce appearance into something adorable.]
[Note: The illustration has been adjusted for you.]
"What a strange card," Enor remarked.
"Never seen anything like it," Hiberlian agreed. "The Association will probably record it as his patent."
Often, examinees in the Registered Card Maker examination would create new, unrecorded magic cards.
While Lanchi's card had a low grade, its peculiar effect always sparked some discussion.
"It's a captivating card, indeed!" Prince Enor exclaimed, seemingly eager to buy one to test on his own summons and those of his friends.
Sophia and Hiberlian exchanged bewildered glances, unsure how to respond to the prince's peculiar taste.
How could the prince be so enamored with Lanchi's ordinary white cards when others crafted rare blue ones?
They feared that if the prince ever became king, he might favor the 'Iron-Blooded Protect Lanchi' faction.
Nevertheless, the card Lanchi had made was indeed a bit ambiguous in purpose.
Perhaps it was intended more for entertainment or everyday magic use.
Of course, it could be quite unnerving to turn a formidable, majestic dragon into a cutesy baby dragon with this card.
And with that, Lanchi had successfully crafted three out of three.
Although he had made ordinary white-grade sealing cards, there was an element of luck involved.
Nonetheless, it was evident that he had an uncanny level of proficiency in seal techniques.
One of the two cards he made earlier was particularly appealing to Enor:
[Little Love Doll]
[Type: Summon Card]
[Grade: Ordinary White]
[Attribute: Mental/Seal]
[Rank: 3]
[Effect: Weakly seals and dampens the target's emotions through song, calming their mind.]
[Note: Little Love will heal you.]
A cute, miniature version of the Great Love Poet's doll.
It was simply adorable and made one want to buy it and listen to its songs at home.
Even Hiberlian contemplated asking Lanchi to sell her one.
Ironically, the spell card that was Lanchi's specialty was rather underwhelming, as if he had only intended to meet the basic requirements for a pass.
[Are You Praying?]
[Type: Spell Card]
[Grade: Ordinary White]
[Attribute: Seal]
[Rank: 3]
[Effect: Seals the target's eyeball for 1 second. Cooldown time: 30 seconds.]
[Note: Guess who, dear.]
Aside from the odd name and note, it was a common sealing spell found on the market.
However, it seemed to have a slight variation, as it could potentially seal another's bloodline ability related to their eyes.
Many examinees would opt to end the exam after successfully crafting three cards.
After all, crafting cards in an exam environment was less ideal than taking the time to prepare and craft them in a familiar setting.
However, from the fleeting footage, it seemed that Lanchi had no intention of quitting.
Lanchi was determined to continue card-making.
"Do you think he plans to make three ordinary white cards as a safe start and then attempt higher-quality ones to boost his score?" Sophia asked, puzzled by Lanchi's strategy.
This approach was rarely used, as card makers with a high success rate, capable of crafting four or five out of five cards, wouldn't need such a safety net.
Their natural skill would allow them to create superior magic cards.
"I'm not sure," Hiberlian replied, shaking her head.
Initially, Lanchi had mentioned to her that he intended to play it safe with white-grade equipment cards and then aim for higher-grade summon and spell cards.
But Lanchi had apparently changed his strategy, and Hiberlian couldn't fathom his reasoning.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
