The Card Apprentice

Chapter 78: News So Astonishing

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Chen Mu had been waiting for the demonic woman all along and hadn’t had any news. He had passed the weekend in dread and waiting, but just then might as well return to Eastern Wei Academy.

As soon as he got to the school, he heard some astonishing news.

“The Star Academy exchange program has ended? They’re preparing to return?” Chen Mu wondered if he had heard wrong during some momentary daze.

Lin Jiu smirked, “Tough move by Star Academy! Retreating to take advantage like a granny. It was really awesome for anyone who had been paying attention! Such a gang of people came over with them, and they now plan to leave because of a pat on the butt. What’s up with that?”

Calming himself, Chen Mu felt as though he couldn’t keep up, and asked dumbly, “Where did the news come from?”

“News? Everyone in the school knows by now. They’re leaving this afternoon, all of them scattering with not one left behind.” You could wring the bitter water out of Lin Jiu’s face, “But we’re the unlucky ones, since we can’t stay and we can’t leave. Have they just been toying with us?

His brain having calmed from its howling, Chen Mu had to admit that the move on Star Academy’s part was beautiful. With all of them leaving, then would those people stay or would they go? It seemed as though those like Lin Jiu were caught in a dilemma.

Chen Mu didn’t know what their objective was. He guessed that since Star Academy was holding all the threads, they weren’t afraid of others finding out what it had been. Although Eastern Shang-Wei City wasn’t flourishing, its proximity to the outer reaches meant that many card artisans would come and go. Countless card artisan explorers had been up and down the region.

But now with Star Academy abruptly pulling back all its people, all those who had been staring anxiously after their power had their own objectives pulled out from under them. The only thing that they could do would be to wait until Star Academy might come again. The unluckiest were those like Lin Jiu, who would have to waste their time there, if they didn’t get orders to withdraw.

Chen Mu felt flushed by a river of bitterness.

Sneaking into Eastern Wei Academy, having his heart in his mouth being so careful every day, training every day and night. It was like a soldier who had trained and prepared for years to be suddenly told that the world had become peaceful, and the troops would be disbanded. You could imagine the bitter frustration.

What about him, now that Star Academy was about to leave? Up until then, there had been no sign of the demonic woman, and Chen Mu had to wonder if she had been killed by that girl called Qing Qing. That would be the worst result for him without a doubt! No matter if it was the demonic woman or Qing Qing who remained, both were top aces that he couldn’t begin to approach. Even such inferior greenhorns as Yin Chenjiu sat higher than he could climb, in his eyes.

He would sometimes speculate about what the situation would really have been like when the demonic woman and Qing Qing engaged in combat. He kept having the feeling that Star Academy’s sudden departure had something to do with the demonic woman.

The sudden departure of the Star Academy exchange students also sank Eastern Wei Academy into some disorder. And the city had filled with rumors that the honeymoon between the Eastern Wei Academy and Star Academy was over. . .

Many were speculating willy-nilly why the Star Academy had decided so suddenly to call back all the exchange students. But both Eastern Wei Academy and Star Academy kept silent on the subject. And the removal of the exchange students didn’t only impact Eastern Wei Academy; it was a huge blow to all of Eastern Shang-Wei City.

In the aftermath, there was a high tide of students quitting Eastern Wei Academy, for which the administration had been unprepared. Lin Jiu was one among those, and he made a special farewell to Chen Mu on the point of leaving. When he heard that Chen Mu still wanted to remain, he gave a sympathetic look. That other sullen fellow had also left, such that now only three fifths of the students remained in the sponsorship class section that Chen Mu was in.

But Chen Mu couldn’t leave. No. He didn’t dare to leave.

He didn’t want to fool around with his life while waiting for the demonic woman to return. He could only remain, having nowhere else to go.

It was a good thing that there was a large quantity of money cards in the villa, which meant that he didn’t have to worry about money for quite a while. He began the life of an ordinary student, with ordinary exercises, which would have been a pretty happy life if it weren’t for the thorn in his heart.

He didn’t abandon his daily training, not knowing what kinds of situations he might run into later. He would already be dead from the last time in the jungle, if it hadn’t been for his training. That had directly impacted his attitude toward training.

As the blow from Star Academy’s departure dissipated, Eastern Wei Academy started to return to being peaceful. Chen Mu didn’t have to wear that ridiculous parvenu outfit every day, And the school gate which had been sealed off opened back up. He went right back to living at the villa, though there had still been no word from the demonic woman.

Aside from her, Chen Mu was also concerned about something else, which was Copper.

Chen Mu was walking on the street in the evening. Since there had been no sign of the demonic woman, he had no way to get rid of the body disguise. He wondered if he would look that way forever if the demonic woman never appeared.

Oh, but if the demonic woman never appeared, the most likely result for him would be to kiss his life goodbye, which made the issue not worth thinking about.

It seemed as though the flourishing night life in Eastern Shang-Wei City had gotten a lot bleaker since the departure of the Star Academy exchange students. Chen Mu took a leisurely walk to the Victoria firm where, just as he was arriving, a crowd was gathering. It was quite evident that the interest that Victoria had been gathering those last few years had gotten very solid.

The Victoria firm had built an open-air T-shaped platform in front of their entrance.

Among the crowd, Chen Mu was having a rush of thoughts, and he heaved a sigh in his heart for no reason. His gaze was fixed on the platform, wanting to see how that day’s opening would start. That would enable him to know if Copper was still OK. He hadn’t dared to return to the town of Burlington, since even though he’d changed his appearance, he couldn’t be sure that he would fool everyone.

The lights suddenly dimmed, and the people gathered hushed to silence.

Smoke billowed on the T-platform, entirely enshrouding it in an instant. Indistinct rays of light were coming out from the smoke. The sound of a piano wafted in and out of hearing. The crowd below the platform knew that it was about to begin, and all held their breath, to catch the sound of the piano.

The piano become more distinct, faintly mixed with the sound of water flowing. The piano rang out while the water burbled, becoming more and more clear to the audience, while the smoke also started to clear.

After the smoke dispersed, the scenery was clearly revealed, and the whole event erupted in stunning sound.

What unfolded in front of the crowd was a lush green mountain ravine, surrounded by ancient trees which were draped with verdant vines. Right in the middle of the ravine was a brook, clear to the bottom, gurgling away.

The beautiful scenery lit up in front of the people. Many had become enchanted with it, even though they knew it was illusory. At that moment, several graceful women came slowly out along the flowing stream. They were all wearing differently styled clothes, most of which had a turquoise and plain-white theme, elegant and lovely in a way that harmonized with the scenery without overwhelming it.

Whether they were picking flowers or playing in the water; just leaning against a rock, or walking barefoot; they gave rise to all sorts of amorous feelings, and set off the elegant clothes in stunning detail.

Having never seen such a chic fashion opening, the crowd below the platform burst into applause, so excited that they stood up in profusion.

Chen Mu was smiling. The scene in front of him was all too familiar. The fantasy cards used in the opening were all made by him alone. Some of the content of the dream-like fantasy background groups had even been borrowed from the interpretive star chamber of the low grade fantasy card club, in the form of a set of diamond-studded suits.

Once he knew that Copper was still alright, he dropped the stone from his heart. He knew that that evening’s opening for Victoria would cause a sensation across Eastern Shang-Wei City. As its head producer, Copper would surely gain a huge reputation because of it.

Chen Mu was sincerely happy for Copper.

Behind the scenes of the opening, hearing the applause from in front of the platform, Copper felt uncommonly sad. It was Lan Feng whose hand was on his shoulder. She’d long been thoroughly conquered by Copper’s talent, and the relation between the two of them had solidified. Seeing him so sad, she couldn’t help going over to Copper.

“It’s nothing.” Copper forced out a smile.

The two of them had already planned to leave Eastern Shang-Wei City. He didn’t have to come that evening, since on-the-spot direction was not his strong suit, and there were others to take care of that. And the Victoria group had long since paid him his compensation.

He also rebuffed president Bai Zheyuan’s urging him to stay at the low grade fantasy card club. He was disappointed in the president to the point of indignation. He hadn’t considered that the president wouldn’t want to know anything about what had happened with Chen Mu. He even discovered that there were several unidentified people in the vicinity of where he lived.

It was very clear to Copper that they would absolutely never have been so unscrupulous if their activities hadn’t been approved by the president.

So, he pushed off the president’s invitation.

He spent a lot less than Chen Mu did, and when you put the compensation from Victoria on top, he had plenty of money on hand. His only regret was that he couldn’t finish the “Legend of Master Shi” card play together with Chen Mu. Although his biggest regret was that he had ever encouraged Chen Mu to join the low grade fantasy card club.

If Chen Mu had never joined the club, those things that came after would never have developed, and Blockhead wouldn’t be as he was then, not known to be dead or alive.

“Let’s go.” He gave Lan Feng a smile.

“Mmmm.” Lan Feng tightly clasped Copper’s hand. Their things had been gotten ready earlier, and they could leave the city at their leisure. Lan Feng fully understood Copper’s mood. She couldn’t understand how the usually wise president could have done such a cold thing that time. The kind of outstanding ace who could sweep hundreds of points in a day should be the object of protection no matter what.

When Chen Mu was half gone from the scene, he felt his enthusiasm wane. Then, just as he was getting ready to leave, he saw a familiar form out of the corner of his eye.

It was Copper! Chen Mu had nearly called out to him unwittingly, and it was a good thing he realized it and shut his mouth.

It was certainly Copper, leading along Lan Feng. Copper looked quite beat, no longer showing his former impulsiveness, and he looked older. He was holding Lan Feng’s hand, while carrying a suitcase in his other hand.

Could they be planning to leave?

But that was OK. Even though it made Chen Mu melancholy, he still felt that it was a good choice.

Chen Mu’s gaze was sharpened abruptly. He had noticed two people sneaking up behind Copper and Lan Feng. Both had apparatuses on their wrists, and Chen Mu recognized them as battle-card readers. Those two were card artisans!

Without making a sound, he had already dropped behind the two.

In his heightened state, he was extraordinarily nimble in his moves. He took cover in the shadows to the side of the road and was quick like a rabbit and agile like a diving falcon, as he followed closely behind the two. Chen Mu’s silhouette melted into the shadows, and his movements were quick, though they had a weird-looking feel. It really was messed up to be following in the tracks of those two, with their bodies almost completely exposed in the glow from the streetlights.

Sweeping the environment, Chen Mu ducked within an enclosure wall, bending his body like a cat, while silently passing through a room in a residence. The elastic shoes enabled him to go fully four or five meters in a hop. These were originally made ready for the Star Academy people, and he hadn’t imagined that they could be so useful there.

Very quickly, Chen Mu picked a good location for an ambush on the rooftop of a residential building, between two water tanks. Pulling out a ghost face flower fruit from his chest, Chen Mu bit it and felt the squirm up his face, while the predatory intentions in his heart kept mounting.

Copper and Lan Feng first appeared in his field of vision. The two behind them didn’t dare come too close and waited until they crossed an alleyway to come out.

Chen Mu had already prepared the tailless shuttle on his index finger. His manipulation of it was quite a bit nimbler ever since his perception had transformed.

He was carefully controlling the speed of the tailless shuttle to where the whirring sound had become inaudible.

Copper and Lan Feng turned the corner, and the two men behind them immediately followed along the alleyway. Their bearing was extremely cautious, not wanting to startle their targets.

Zing! A strange shrill shriek tore through the air.

“Ambush!”

One of the card artisans immediately activated the apparatus on his wrist, not having been able to revive his partner, having seen a finger-sized small bloody hole through the bridge of his partner’s nose!

His color changed, as he swung his hand up to fire off the “fiery rain gravel” which he had just prepared toward the site of the ambush.

Peng! The bright red “fiery rain gravel” hit the two water tanks, which were turned into sieves immediately, being thickly covered in small holes, with water pouring out of them like a fountain.

The fiery rain gravel was composed of countless very fine high-temperature, high-power pellets, which formed a canopy every time they were fired, like raining fire, and very difficult to defend against. Although it was a mid-grade battle card, it had a high firing frequency, and a lot of power, so it was very popular with card artisans.

That card artisan had a very quick reaction time, and there was nothing better than the fiery rain gravel for range and accuracy. Its strength was in short-range attacks, so that right after he had fired off the cloud of fiery rain gravel, he threw his whole body in the direction of the ambush.

As the distance between the two sides shrank, his fiery rain gravel card’s power would really show itself. He was fast, having deep accomplishment with the jet-stream card.

The roof was already shambles, with water from the tanks spewed all over.

Copper suddenly stopped, and asked Lan Feng a little uncertainly, “Did you just hear something?”

Lan Feng shook her head, “No, did you hear something?”

“Oh, I might have been hearing things. Let’s go.” Shaking his head, Copper felt like he was just too tired lately.

The two of them kept walking ahead, and none of the wrangling in Eastern Shang-Wei City had anything to do with them anymore as they walked away.

Looking all around while standing on the rooftop, he didn’t see anyone. Could his adversary have jumped? He looked warily in the nearby environs, assuming that he couldn’t have run far in such a short time.

His load of fiery rain gravel was in vain, then looking like a cloud of fine bright red glowing pellets composed of fire, pulsating ten centimeters from his hand.

He had been vainly holding the fiery rain gravel as he was approaching his big enemy, prepared to handle any ambush which might appear. But the apparatus on his wrist had turned from dark red into a dim white glow.

He then activated the probe card in his apparatus.

That sort of card was extremely sensitive to perception. Within a radius of fifty meters, it could expose his exact position as soon as the enemy deployed perception. Once the probe card got a response, the cloud of fiery rain gravel in his hand would make a shot face-on, leaving his adversary no place to hide.

It surprised him that the probe card had not detected any activity.

How could that be? This card artisan changed color.

His adversary really couldn’t have run very far in such a short period of time. He must be hiding. The probe card was originally for detecting perception. If the adversary had reined in his perception, the card would have no way to find his position.

But for a card artisan to rein in his perception, would be to throw away his attack power and his defensive power. Releasing perception and activating the apparatus to form an attack all takes time. If you were to be attacked while your perception was reined in, you would die without question.

Unless there was an extreme mismatch in power, or one party wanted to hide, it was very seldom that anyone would completely rein in their perception during battle.

The image of his partner with that bloody hole in his forehead appeared to him, chilling his heart. He quickly remembered the wound on their boss Yu Xin’s corpse. It was very similar to the hole in his partner’s forehead that day.

Could it be the same youth that they had been searching for then? The fiery rain gravel in his hand abruptly scattered, making a little whoosh, as it immediately transformed into countless red sparks annihilated into thin air.

That didn’t mean that he had relaxed his guard. Once his probe card had been activated, it would immediately launch an attack as soon as his adversary made any strange move

He activated his communications card and was preparing to report to his superior.

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