The Card Apprentice

Given Andre’s advice, Chen Mu gathered up everything that was eye-catching from his body. Since Zara didn’t want to remove her weaponry, she just put on a large fighting cape to hide her body. That way, they wouldn’t be bothered along the way as they had been.

The population of the House of a Hundred Depths was far lower than the Federation, and its level of technology was similarly lacking. In terms of comprehensive strength, the House of a Hundred Depths many times weaker than the Federation. However, living in such a brutal environment, inhabitants from House of a Hundred Depths were much more ruthless and fiercer than those from the Federation. Battles were the most common thing there, and they would often encounter great struggles along their way.

The result of defeat was death in the House of a Hundred Depths. It was a lot more ruthless than the Federation, where people had more encounters where they wouldn’t be so easily wounded.

Given the two utterly different mechanisms, the soldiers cultivated were also completely different. The card artisans of the Federation were quite a bit more advanced in their skills and equipment, while they were far less willful and determined than the flexsters of the House of a Hundred Depths. Being curled up in a dark place without moving, eating, or drinking for several days was routine for those flexsters. Most card artisans in the Federation were pampered gentlemen playing with dazzling gizmos. They never went through hardships like that. Even among the Wood Brigade and the Snow Silkworm Card Artisan Firm, which had been honed under Chen Mu’s training, there was only a handful who could do that.

Chen Mu assumed that was why even though the Federation had discovered transit windows, to get through to the House of a Hundred Depths, they still had no success in infiltrating the House of a Hundred Depths.

The food in the House of a Hundred Depths was awful, mostly dry and flavorless fruits. Those fruits were starchy, and bland even after baking. But after a while, it was no longer noticeable. This was just the sort of food Zara and Andre would slowly chew and devour. It was a huge sin to waste food in the House of a Hundred Depths.

“That’s Aguda City up ahead. We can recuperate there.” Andre was pointing to the brilliantly lit city off in the distance, with a somewhat complicated expression.

It was dark everywhere in the House of a Hundred Depths, with lights only visible where people were living. Following where Andre was pointing, Chen Mu and Zara’s gaze was directed to the city in front of them. Compared to Fort Mendelssohn, that city was a lot more magnificent with its steep geography and only one road winding down from it. There were sentry stations at intervals along the path, where flexster archers could watch the flow of people coming and going from on high. Their steady expressions adequately showed how elite those flexsters were.

“It’s a really large city.” Chen Mu made his simple evaluation.

Andre had gotten used to their temperaments during those past few days. Between the two of them, Chen Mu’s was a little better and more willing to communicate. Zara really shouldn’t be provoked, and it was better when she wasn’t around.

“Mmmm, Aguda is the biggest city in this region, with about five million residents. The mayor, Mo Sang, is a competent and imposing figure, with countless elites under him. If Hedrat hadn’t appeared out of the blue some years earlier, Mo Sang would be recognized by everyone as the most qualified to contend with the West Mountain King Tribe. He never thought that Hedrat would bring along people from the Dark Tribe to completely wipe out the Western Mountain King Tribe.” Andre couldn’t help a sigh after saying that.

Chen Mu could sense that Zara was lagging a little.

“What sort of battle record has Hedrat had these last couple of years? And the Dark Tribe? Are they likely to be honest residents?” Chen Mu acted curious, knowing that Zara was listening.

“I don’t know. Hedrat remained shut-in after that battle with the West Mountain King Tribe. Some people say that he was wounded. The special strength of the ancients is unfathomable in the end. Moreover, there are clouds of aces in the West Mountain King Tribe, and no matter how capable the Dark Tribe was, I imagine it took a blow. In any case, it’s been a long time since there’s been any movement from Hedrat or the Dark Tribe,” Andre said as though he were indifferent.

Chen Mu and Zara gave each other a look.

They didn’t encounter any trouble as they entered the city where the gate was streaming with people. Once there, Chen Mu sensed that everything was a sheet of dark red. Dark red roads and houses were all over.

“Aguda was established in a huge area of red shale, and this is that sort of red stone. All of the buildings are made of that red shale, and so some people call it the red city. There are an awful lot of flexsters here who are rather powerful, along with some very powerful teams. But given the ruthlessness of Mo Sang, and his people who are mostly the same, no one would dare to stir up trouble here.”

After Andre finished what he had to say, he suddenly felt that something wasn’t quite right. Was there truly no one who dared to stir up trouble there? Weren’t the two characters beside him stirring up trouble? And they weren’t any ordinary troublemakers! Thinking of that, he felt a chill sweat flowing down. He inwardly prayed that he hadn’t provoked those two, who were unafraid of anything, with what he had said.

It was a good thing that Chen Mu found nothing wrong with what he said. He was sizing up the surrounding shops with interest. It would be very hard to see such primitive shops in the Federation.

Then just at that time, someone gave out a cold laugh. “Yo, isn’t that Andre? What’s up? You’ve come charging back from that Fort Mendelssohn where the birds don’t shit? Come and let your big brother take a look at how you’ve advanced these past two years.”

Andre slowed his pace as his face darkened. “Do you dare to be so arrogant in front of me, Kunya?” A shield half the height of a man appeared in his hands as he stared his adversary down.

There was a similarly tough brute in front of him looking at him mockingly. Kunya’s two triangular eyes, and his smashed nose and thin lips gave out a sense of lurking danger. “Yeah, could it be that our little Andre has advanced a bit these past two years to be speaking out like that?” A shield similarly appeared in Kunya’s hands.

Chen Mu was looking at the two in some surprise. Nearly the same sort of shields and the same kind of attack posture. Were the two “cut from the same cloth”? A family feud?

The five-sided shields with sharp edges looked a lot like his lotus leaf shield, though the materials weren’t nearly as good. Having wandered the House of a Hundred Depths these past two years, he had come to know even more materials than Zara. His accomplishment with card mastery and knowledge gave him a deep understanding of materials, and his research into the local materials during those two years had provided him with quite a few surprising discoveries.

That sort of lotus leaf was something he’d discovered by himself. The unnamed lotus leaf had terrifying power and shocking defensive capabilities. He’d spent a lot of thought to process it into his current lotus leaf shield. His attention was quickly drawn by the two of them facing off.

“You’ll find out when you try me,” Andre said in a deep voice.

Kunya squinted as some hesitancy floated into his contracted eyes. The unflinching Andre in front of him was entirely different from the cowardly Andre of his impression. Could he have had some fortuitous encounters those past two years? His gaze fell involuntarily onto the two beside him.

There didn’t look to be anything special about Chen Mu apart from there being a few overly large arrows on his back. Zara’s whole body was shrunken beneath a broad battle cape, and he wasn’t able to see her face, though her entire being exuded a breath of danger, which made him flinch.

“What has gotten into you to be so bold today when you depend on aces to help you?” Kunya laughed as he turned to salute Chen Mu. “Let me introduce myself. I am Kunya from the Sword and Shield Sect. You two are?”

“Um, you don’t need to know who I am,” Chen Mu said blandly. He did not have any good feelings toward such overly arrogant people. Zara was looking at Kunya without seeming to.

By identifying himself, Kunya was trying to probe the mettle of the people in front of him. Whereas the Sword and Shield Sect wasn’t the biggest in the House of a Hundred Depths, it was the most well-known sect in Aguda. The topmost flexsters in the House of a Hundred Depths came from the Sword and Shield Sect, and since the influx and outflow of those coming to learn the art was endless, they had become powerful across a few hundred years of build-up.

Chen Mu’s response made Kunya immediately realize that his adversary was not someone who held the Sword and Shield Sect in his sights. There had never been someone so bold toward the Sect in Aguda. As the most prominent sect in the area, quite a few of the Sword and Shield sect flexsters were tightly tied to the mayor of Agoda, Mo Sang, and quite a few of them worked for him. That had given them shocking local influence.

Kunya’s expression returned to normal as he smiled coldly to himself. As a snake not moved by a dragon—a local gangster above the law. What should he do as a strong man? The power of the Sword and shield Sect had long since permeated every corner of Aguda, and they could even mobilize the army in all kinds of ways. Even the strongest are toast when facing the army!

The more an adversary has contempt for the Sword and Shield Sect, the more advantageous for him, as far as he was concerned. No matter how one might talk about it, he was in an invincible spot just then. Andre’s collusion with others and pushing around the followers of the sect has always been the worst sin among the ever-defended Sword and Shield Sect.

With his thoughts spinning like lightning he turned around and spoke provocatively to Andre to his face, “It’s been so long since I’ve seen you, little Andre, why don’t we catch up a little. My young disciple has been wandering afar, and I don’t know if you’ve forgotten the sect’s teachings.”

Even though Andre’s temperament had steadied quite a bit these last few years, in the face of that sort of provocation, he couldn’t help but glower. Suddenly, a voice intruded, “If you can win, Andre, I’ll give you a Lotus Leaf Shield.”

The ever-silent Zara had suddenly opened her mouth. There was a look of joy in Andre’s eyes, and he didn’t say anything, only turning his gaze toward Chen Mu.

Chen Mu smiled and said, “She’s saying what I would say.” He looked quite mild and harmless. By that time, he had found out what kind of booming name his own Lotus Leaf Shield had gotten, though he was still more surprised that Zara had opened her mouth. It looks like Zara detests that Kunya, Chen Mu thought to himself with some evil delight.

The Lotus Leaf Shield!

Kunya was utterly shocked! That name wouldn’t feel even a little strange for any flexster of the Sword and Shield Sect! It was the ultimate weapon of the Sect. For the Sword and Shield sect, the ultimate weapon was its sacred weapon which only the lord had the right to use! Those two could actually use the sacred weapon of the Sect? Impossible! But when his gaze connected with the look of joy in Andre’s gaze. Could it be that it was true…?

He was in something of a trance.

“Let’s go to the trials arena, Kunya.” Andre hadn’t gotten carried away and had remained calm. “Ah, I can’t take the responsibility of disturbing the peace.”