“You’re really brave enough to take this on, handsome?”
Tang Yueyue was incredibly surprised.
Even though she genuinely felt that this handsome young shop manager was far from ordinary…
…for someone his age to actually dare accept a custom order for a Tier 3 card was simply too…
arrogant?
“I already told you, I can’t guarantee the success rate.” Gu Xin spread his hands, his gesture looking rather innocent.
“For a wealthy lady like you, Miss Tang, to offer me free Tier 3 materials to practice with—there’s no way I could refuse such a good deal.”
“Alright then.”
Hearing Gu Xin’s teasing tone, Tang Yueyue rolled her eyes.
“I’ll gather all these materials and bring them over to you, handsome.
If I’m fast, I should be able to buy them all by this afternoon.”
Tang Yueyue tucked the list into her pocket.
They were mostly Tier 2 materials; as long as one had the money, they were relatively easy to purchase.
“And as for the crafting fee…”
“You can pay the rest once the card is finished.
Though, of course, you’ll need to pay a portion upfront as a deposit.”
Gu Xin replied.
If the final product turned out to be a Tier 2 card, the price would naturally be different from a Tier 1 card.
As for the deposit, that was a necessity.
Even though he had a pretty good impression of this cheerful and pretty girl, Tang Yueyue, and didn’t think she would bail on the bill, business was business.
“No problem.” Tang Yueyue agreed readily.
“By the way, I won’t be at the shop tomorrow.
I made plans with a friend to visit a Secret Realm,” Gu Xin reminded her after receiving Tang Yueyue’s 200,000-yuan deposit.
“Mhm, got it.” Tang Yueyue blinked her large eyes.
“Oh, right, handsome.”
“?”
“Are you interested in becoming a dedicated Card Crafter for our Tang family?
The monthly salary will definitely leave you satisfied~”
Tang Yueyue flashed an incredibly energetic smile.
Although Gu Xin was currently only a Tier 2 Card Crafter, this was Tang Yueyue’s first time meeting a crafter who could bestow ‘Traits’ upon Summon Cards.
Gu Xin chuckled softly.
This was the first time a faction had extended an olive branch to him.
The Tang family was one of the major local families in Yin City, and the Tang Group was quite famous.
Judging by Tang Yueyue’s tone, she was likely the young miss of the Tang family.
“Sorry, I’m still a student right now, so I’m not considering things like that for the time being.”
Gu Xin declined tactfully, even though joining a faction actually came with quite a few benefits.
As long as that faction was willing to invest in and support him, Gu Xin would never have to worry about resources and materials again.
But every pro had its con.
Joining a faction would inevitably compromise his own desires and freedom.
Gu Xin loved crafting cards.
He enjoyed the satisfying pleasure of a successful craft, and he enjoyed the praise and awe others showered upon the cards he made.
But simply being reduced to a card-crafting tool was absolutely not what Gu Xin wanted.
Besides, frankly speaking, he was completely capable of being self-sufficient right now.
Money was indeed necessary, but Gu Xin could earn it himself.
Why should he rely on others?
As long as he could continuously produce excellent cards, sooner or later, Gu Xin’s network would grow wider and wider, and he would establish his own social circle.
There was a very good saying: an excellent Card Crafter will never lack friends.
That was exactly how it was.
After all, magical items like Magic Cards were simply too universally useful.
“Uh-huh, then I’ll be waiting for the card you make, handsome.” Tang Yueyue wasn’t disappointed at all, maintaining her grinning demeanor.
After chatting for a little while longer, Yin Xue and Tang Yueyue said their goodbyes.
They had snuck out during their lunch break.
They still had to head back to school for classes.
High school was different from university; their schedules were very tight.
“I told you so, but you didn’t believe me and just had to try.”
On the way back to school, Yin Xue cast a sidelong glance at Tang Yueyue, teasing her without any attempt to hide it.
“So what?” Tang Yueyue curled her lips.
“I just asked in passing anyway.
It’s not like I lost anything.”
“The boss isn’t an ordinary person.
Stop thinking about those pointless things.”
Yin Xue thought of [Magic Cylinder] and [Wither], then glanced at the [Squirtle] waddling by her feet.
If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn’t have dared to believe that these cards were made by a student who was only a year older than her.
“Hehe, I’m already looking forward to my Summon Card.
Hmph hmph hmph, I’ll definitely slaughter the competition at the Academy Tournament!
I’ll seize the number one spot in our grade!”
A look of longing and anticipation appeared on Tang Yueyue’s pretty, fair face.
She already had the powerful card [Change of Heart].
Once she got the custom Summon Card from Gu Xin, she would definitely be able to massacre everyone!
At the thought of this, Tang Yueyue couldn’t help but start humming a light tune.
“That’s not necessarily true.”
Yin Xue’s smile held a profound meaning.
Yes, she hadn’t told Tang Yueyue about the existence of [Wither].
She was planning to give her good sister a massive surprise when the tournament came around!
Back in the Blue Star Card Shop, after Yin Xue and Tang Yueyue left, Gu Xin leaned back on his beanbag chair and took out his phone.
He had no intention of returning to school; instead, he started browsing the internet for some information.
“Why is it all porn bots?
Give me a break.”
After quite a while, Gu Xin cursed under his breath and exited the group chat he had just joined.
This was already the sixth one.
He had been searching for how to access the Dark Web, but the moment he clicked in, it was all just damn porn spam.
What era was this?
Why was there still so much of this stuff around?
Sure enough, people on the internet were still too repressed.
“I should go out to eat.
What rotten luck.”
At five in the afternoon, Gu Xin rubbed his stomach.
After a moment of thought, he decided to treat himself to a good meal today instead of ordering takeout.
He had heard that pre-packaged meals were becoming more common lately, and since he only knew how to make egg fried rice himself, it was safer to just go out and eat at a restaurant.
*I definitely need to make a Summon Card with good cooking skills in the future to handle my three meals a day.
Or maybe hiring a shop assistant would work too?*
Gu Xin threw on a simple jacket, pondering the idea.
Even though his shop was a bit small and business was currently quite average, that didn’t stop him from hiring an employee.
Hiring someone wouldn’t cost much anyway, and they could help him entertain customers as well as cook.
Acting on the thought immediately, Gu Xin wrote a hiring notice on a piece of paper and stuck it next to the shop door.
“Not bad.
I’ll post a job listing online later,” Gu Xin praised himself.
After fiercely devouring a hotpot meal, Gu Xin prepared to head home, completely satisfied.
It was now approaching seven o’clock, and the sky had grown dark.
Gu Xin deliberately took a shortcut.
“Speaking of which, I wonder if that demi-human has been caught yet.
The Yin City officials haven’t released any news.”
Looking at the quiet alleyway, Gu Xin couldn’t help but think of that demi-human.
If possible, Gu Xin actually really wanted to have a romantic encounter with that demi-human.
Well, on the premise that the demi-human wasn’t too strong.
Though, it couldn’t possibly be strong.
If it were truly a Tier 4 demi-human powerhouse, Yin City would have been turned upside down long ago.
“Hm?
This smell…”
Abruptly, Gu Xin paused his steps.
He smelled a strange odor—a very pungent odor.
Turning his head slightly, Gu Xin looked toward a short man in a black cloak slowly walking out from the alleyway beside him.
“Excuse me, sir, could I take up a little of your time?
I would like to tell you all about our Savior and…”
“?”
Gu Xin’s expression turned weird.
Just what kind of freak had he run into?