"Buzz, buzz——"
Just as Chronicle was deep in thought, his phone on the table suddenly vibrated.
He had no choice but to pick up the phone and check the message.
It was a group chat named "Third High School Level 22 Card Craftsman", and the group owner, nicknamed "Teacher Li", had just posted a message:
"Students, the new school year is approaching, and here is an announcement:
According to the latest announcement from the Card Craftsman Association, starting from 2022, the training of senior high school card craftsmen will adopt a 'class division system', that is, students will be divided into classes based on the quality of the first battle card crafted by the card craftsman.
Grey and white quality corresponds to parallel classes, green quality corresponds to key classes, and blue quality corresponds to elite classes. Different classes have different treatments and resources.
Given the recent unrest in the city, and everyone's inability to move around freely, it's best to stay at home and craft cards. If there's any situation, feel free to contact the teacher. @All members"
Looking at the message on the screen, Chronicle felt as if his dead memories were attacking him.
"Parallel classes, key classes… It's been a long time since I heard these words…"
After shaking his head, Chronicle fell into thought:
As everyone knows, except for some very special circumstances, the spiritual power level of high school card craftsmen is at the entry-level "Bronze Level".
Under this level, the quality of the cards crafted by the card craftsmen is divided into four levels: grey, white, green, and blue.
"That is to say, a blue card basically represents the upper limit of a high school student's card crafting."
Chronicle leaned back in his chair and thought to himself, "Even if the first card crafted is of such quality, even with the 'special status' boost, its value cannot be underestimated. The alliance and the school are not brainless, they will definitely invest heavily in these exceptional players. So… I must get into the elite class."
Chronicle lightly tapped the table, then opened the drawer, took out the card drawing pen, spirit liquid, and blank cards that his predecessor had prepared.
It is said that "crafting a card is like cooking a delicate dish", and these are the "kitchen utensils".
And he has the knowledge of Chinese mythology in his mind, which is like a "state banquet-level recipe", and the solid basic skills honed by his predecessor. All he needs to do is to purchase some card crafting materials as "ingredients", and he can cook a very impressive dish.
"But this recipe is too thick, and the chef doesn't know which dish to make."
After thinking hard for a while, he still had no idea.
With the thought of "since I don't know what dish to make, let's go to the market and see, maybe I'll get some inspiration", Chef Chronicle decisively opened his favorites, found a website called "Land of Peach Card Craftsman Online Material Library", and clicked on it.
Accompanied by a heavy and oppressive background music, the page slowly switched to a dark, simply designed website.
Its layout style looks a bit like shopping platforms like Taobao and Pinduoduo, and its actual function is the same, but the things sold are all incredibly "underworld":
Summoning materials: "Headless Warrior" (Blue), "Beam Ghost" (Blue), "Rotten Intestine Yamen Runner" (Blue), "Corpse Demon" (Green), "Vase Girl" (White), "Village 'Human' Guardian" (Grey)……
Item materials: "Ghostly Shackles" (Blue), "White Silk Pole" (Blue), "Evil-Repelling Copper Coin" (Green), "Evil-Slaying Cleaver" (Green), "Jade Cicada" (White), "Blood-Stained Costume" (Grey)……
Looking at the eerie and strange product images on the page, Chronicle suddenly remembered: the city he lives in is known as the "Ghost City" because it is adjacent to the Land of Peach, one of the four major ghost nests in the Nine Provinces region.
Local powerful card craftsmen adhere to the principle of "living off the land", and they often go inside to wander around. The ghost cards and materials they collect are so numerous that they can't use them all, and they often have to sell them online.
So, it's not surprising that the local material library is full of "underworld" stuff.
This also reminded Chronicle: living in such a place, the cards he crafts in the early stage should be able to restrain those "dirty things".
After ruling out targets like "Mother Earth", "Emperor of the Underworld", and "King of Hell" that are set to be powerful and impossible to craft with his current spiritual power, the range of choices is further narrowed.
"It's nothing more than underworld judges, ghost slayers, and the like…"
Looking at the images on the webpage, Chronicle pondered for a long time, and suddenly his eyes lit up. He selected the "Beam Ghost", "Rotten Intestine Yamen Runner", "White Silk Pole", and "Ghostly Shackles" materials, and an image of a deity gradually unfolded in his mind:
Dressed in white with a high hat, he wears a bitter smile.
Holding a Mourning Staff, Fortune at First Sight.
Osiris, an underworld ghost official, a hellish commander.
His real name is Xie Bi'an, also known as Seven Brothers, who, along with his sworn brother, Black Osiris, is in charge of capturing souls and hunting down fierce ghosts. He is a famous ghost god in Chinese folklore.
Whether it's his power positioning or skill specialization, they are all very suitable for him at this stage.
If he could invite this deity, he would not only have a certain level of security in this city, but he could also enter the secret realm at any time to catch ghosts and make money. It would be a win-win situation.
"Buy it!"
Chronicle waved his hand and dragged the four selected materials into the shopping cart. Watching the checkout column jump from zero to 350,000, he couldn't help but take a deep breath:
Unlike the capriciousness of those powerful card craftsmen, the ordinary residents and lower-middle class card craftsmen living in this city do not live a wealthy life, and some even live a miserable life.
In his memory, his predecessor's parents, who worked at the local Card Craftsman Association, were killed in a secret realm control failure incident two years ago, leaving only this house and less than 300,000 in savings.
Although the association sent a compensation of 500,000 afterwards, even this total of more than 700,000 "huge sum", in the face of card crafting, a money-consuming subject, is really not enough.
After more than two years of study, even if his predecessor was frugal, he only had 380,000 left. Buying these materials would basically leave him with nothing.
But thinking about the importance of the "Osiris" card, and the various benefits and subsidies he will receive after successfully crafting the card and removing the "apprentice" hat, Chronicle still clicked "confirm" without hesitation.
"It turns out that to get into the elite class, you not only need talent, but also wealth… Indeed, no matter which world, class mobility is not easy."
Chronicle sighed, flipped through the webpage for a while, and then prepared to get up and stretch his legs."But if the material quality is good, the initial quality and level of the card created will also be higher. Spending money early means enjoying benefits early, and in the end, it's not a loss…"
"Bang! Bang!"
The sudden knocking sound interrupted Chronicle's thoughts.
He looked towards the sound, only to see a bird with a mail bag slung diagonally, eagerly flapping its wings against the glass.
"So soon?"
Seeing this, Chronicle hurriedly opened the window, and the cold, fine rain rushed into the room.
The bird tilted its head and looked at him twice, seemingly confirming whether the person in front of it was indeed the buyer. Then, it quickly took out a tightly wrapped envelope from the mail bag with its beak, opened it in front of Chronicle, and displayed the four material cards inside.
After Chronicle confirmed it was correct and signed the delivery note, the bird dashed into the wind and rain as if escaping.