Mythical Card Maker: Starting with the Mountain Spirit

Chapter 52 Imperial Capital

The four universities, to be precise

It is the collective name for the four most prestigious card-making academies in the entire Kyushu region.

The four academies are Yudu Tianfu, Zhongnan Bieyuan, Wanxiang Tiangong, and Shigu Academy.

Among them, Yudu Tianfu has the longest history, which can be traced back to the time when the sky was torn apart.

It was founded by the first group of card makers.

The first dean was none other than Yang Cangjie, the first card maker in Kyushu.

It has a history of more than 500 years.

It is the first card-making academy officially certified by Kyushu and is known as the "cradle of Kyushu card makers".

Of course, the Imperial Capital City that Lin Mo and his companion went to this time...

It is its branch office located in the ninth district.

The true main residence is located in Tianyong City, the capital city of the first district, and does not accept students from outside the district.

Trainees are selected from the best among the other branch prefectures.

The same applies to the other three universities.

A dozen minutes later, Lin Mo and his companion arrived at the foot of the enormous suspended building that symbolized the Imperial Capital.

It is about 400 meters above the ground and is shaped like an inverted pyramid, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom.

The entire piece is made of stacked white marble, adorned with gilded decorations, making it both magnificent and dignified.

It radiates a soft golden light in the sunlight.

Only by standing beneath it can one truly appreciate its immense size and grandeur.

The shadows cast alone covered an area spanning thousands of feet.

Lin Mo glanced around a few times, then got out of the car.

At this moment, a number of card makers had already gathered in the white jade square below the Imperial Capital.

Looking around, there were probably several hundred people.

There are both men and women, with a male-to-female ratio of approximately 1.5 to 1.

It's clear that Yudu Tianfu is quite popular among female card makers.

While Lin Mo was observing, Fang Chuchu had already put away the vehicle card.

I was just about to talk to Lin Mo about the district exam.

Just then, a person who looked a few years younger than Lin Mo,

A chubby little boy with a round head and a round face, who looked rather auspicious, walked over.

His two round little eyes darted around.

Then he turned to Lin Mo and the other man, and said furtively, "Do you two know what type of rift this time is?"

"Do you perhaps know?"

Lin Mo's heart stirred, and he immediately asked.

"Of course!"

The chubby boy smiled mysteriously and said to the two of them, "I'm known as the 'Know-It-All' in the martial arts world. There's nothing in Yunhai City that I don't know."

"I'm quite the gossipmonger!"

Lin Mo couldn't help but complain, but still replied, "Then tell me."

Fang Chuchu also looked at the chubby little boy with curiosity.

Her father spent a lot of money but still couldn't find out anything about the cracks in this district exam.

How did this chubby kid know?

Seeing the curiosity on their faces, the chubby boy's smile grew even wider.

He stopped beating around the bush and said directly, "As far as I know, the rift we're going to this time is completely different from the ones we've been to before; it's a vast ocean inside."

Therefore, it also has another name: the Lost Sea.

"The Lost Sea?"

Lin Mo and Fang Chuchu repeated it in unison, then looked at each other and saw the confusion on each other's faces.

Clearly, they had no recollection of this lost sea.

Upon seeing this, the chubby boy immediately explained, "The so-called Lost Sea, as the name suggests, is a sea where one can get lost."

It is shrouded in a gray-blue mist all day long, with visibility not exceeding twenty feet.

The mist will slowly erode the card maker's mental power; if one stays in the mist for too long,

They will irreversibly lose their sense of direction and eventually be "assimilated" by the mist, becoming part of the secret realm.

Therefore, it is known as the Lost Sea.

After hearing the chubby boy's explanation, Lin Mo and the other person's expressions instantly turned serious.

Just from this description, you can tell that this fissure is no ordinary one.

Just as Lin Mo was carefully considering how to deal with the situation, the chubby boy suddenly changed the subject: "So, to safely get through this Rift Trial,

Dispel cards are essential for those venturing out on adventures.

I have a kind of dispelling card here that can instantly disperse objects within a three-meter radius.

How about it? Want to consider it?

After all that talk, it's all for this last sentence!

Lin Mo was speechless.

So they were selling goods; no wonder they were so enthusiastic in explaining.

Without even thinking, he immediately refused, saying, "Forget it, we don't need it. You can keep it for yourself!"

"Don't rush to refuse. I'm not interested in dispel cards, but I have other cards here."

The chubby boy seemed to have anticipated Lin Mo's refusal, and immediately flipped his wrist, revealing more than a dozen cards of different colors in his palm.

"There's bound to be one that suits your needs, like speed-up cards, dust removal cards, combustion cards, water-repelling cards, breath-concealing cards, sonar cards, and more!"

Goodness, are you sure you're here to take the district exam?

I'm really not considering going into sales; it seems like it offers better earning potential!

Lin Mo inwardly grumbled, initially intending to turn around and leave.

But considering that the chubby boy had revealed quite a bit of information, after hesitating for a while, he ultimately declined:

"I can make those prop cards too. You should try selling them somewhere else; you might make a profit there."

"You think I didn't go? The thing is, they're not stupid!"

Of course, the chubby boy only dared to say this in his heart.

Seeing that Lin Mo was unmoved by reason, he immediately cleared his throat and said in a deliberately deep voice:

"In that case, I have no choice but to bring out my trump card!"

Having said that, he pulled out several crumpled pieces of parchment from his pocket and said mysteriously:

"I also have a map of the Lost Sea here; you can consider it."

"map?"

Lin Mo was stunned.

This rift has only been open for a few days, and this guy already got a map?

What exactly is its origin?

He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Where did you get this map?"

The chubby boy smiled slightly, not answering directly: "Didn't I already say? I'm a know-it-all in the martial arts world; I have my own channels."

"So, what do you say, do you want it or not?"

"How do we know if your map is real or fake? What if you've lied to us?"

Fang Chuchu, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up.

"The truth will out, and falsehood will become truth. Once you enter the rift, you'll know whether the map is real or fake!"

Besides, if you don't believe me, you can go to Yunhai City and ask around for my reputation as the All-Knowing Scholar of the Martial World.

A man of his word, honest and reliable, young man of his word!

Seeing how confidently the chubby boy spoke,

Lin Mo's doubts subsided somewhat. After hesitating for a moment, he immediately asked, "How much is this map?"

The chubby boy didn't speak, but slowly extended one finger.

"One hundred star coins, that's pretty cheap."

Lin Mo looked surprised, immediately took out his phone, and opened the payment interface: "Give me two!"

"You're dreaming! Go buy it for me for 100 star coins!"

However, the chubby boy immediately broke down upon hearing this.

Spit flew everywhere; if Lin Mo hadn't been far away, he would have been hit.

Lin Mo chuckled awkwardly, also realizing that his price was somewhat outrageous.

He immediately said, "Alright, a thousand star coins it is, give me two."

"It's ten thousand star coins!"

The chubby boy was feeling a bit tired.

"You're robbing me! You're selling a worthless map for ten thousand!"

"Why is it not worth it?"

It clearly marked all the areas, even the areas where the test takers were active.

The above also includes information on possible variants, making it excellent value for money, right?

"No, that's too expensive, six thousand!"

"Ten thousand!"

"Nine thousand!"

"Eight thousand!"

"make a deal!"

After haggling for a long time, Lin Mo finally bought two tickets for 8,000 star coins each.

The two then left their previous spot.