Card Chapter 10: I Choose You! (Patreon)

Song Qian’s words were like dropping a bomb into still water.

Lin Yue was the first who could not hold back: “Teacher, can all of us go?”

Song Qian smiled and nodded. “Yes. Every student in our honors class can enter this secret‑realm training.”

“Of course, this secret realm is the most basic kind.”

The honors‑class students present looked a little disappointed when they heard that.

Russell quietly shook his head. Being allowed into any secret realm at all was already a great privilege. Plenty of seniors dreamed of going but never got the chance—this was practically a windfall.

Song Qian continued, “It will be in half a month. The secret realm is of the mountain‑forest type, so please prepare accordingly.”

Standing beside Russell, Jiang Nanxi whispered, “What Ms. Song means is that, if you have the means, it’s best to craft either a vehicle‑type item card or a rideable creature card.”

Her father was a gold‑rank Card Crafter, so she naturally knew the drill.

Although the terrain in a mountain‑forest realm is not especially complex, having a mount saves a lot of trouble.

Out of the corner of his eye, Russell glanced at Du Heng, who had stayed silent and gloomy ever since the rankings were announced; clearly Du Heng knew all this as well.

Ignoring him, Russell nodded to Jiang Nanxi. “Thanks for the tip.”

She curved her lips into a smile. “Don’t mention it.”

With the ranking test over, the group returned to the classroom for the afternoon lessons.

In the honors class the curriculum was basically card‑making technique and meditation, with the occasional wilderness‑survival session—after all, anything could happen in a secret realm.

The association didn’t want hothouse flowers who could only duel; they wanted Card Crafters who could fight on a real battlefield.

This afternoon’s lesson was meditation.

Calling it a lesson was really just self‑study: everyone practiced the same Deep‑Blue Meditation Method, and the teacher had little to add.

Eyes closed, Russell savored the slow growth of his mental power and let out a long breath.

Since transmigrating, he had found his cultivation speed far faster than the original body’s in memory—whether because this body had once held two souls or because he was naturally gifted, he didn’t know. He wasn’t inclined to investigate; good news is good news, and it meant he was unlikely to be blocked by a mental‑power cap.

Time flew while meditating, and in the blink of an eye school was over.

“See you tomorrow, Russell,” Jiang Nanxi said with a grin.

Russell nodded slightly. “See you.”

Watching her figure recede, he set off for home.

Not long after he got back, there was a knock at the window.

Thud, thud, thud.

He turned: it was a Coocoo Chicken.

“I don’t remember buying anything,” he muttered, opening the window.

The Coocoo Chicken pecked a button on the pouch it carried, and a crisp female voice sounded: “Seller, please ship the goods promptly.”

At once Russell remembered the materials he had listed on the trading site; if the chicken hadn’t come, he would have forgotten the seven green‑quality [Corpse Ghoul] cards he’d put up.

He hurried inside, fetched the materials, handed them over, and the Coocoo Chicken stuffed them into its pouch and flew off.

Watching it shrink to a tiny white dot in the sky, Russell began to think about his own mount.

Take good advice and you’ll eat your fill—since Jiang Nanxi had gone out of her way to remind him, he planned to craft a riding card.

Even counting the sale proceeds, he had just over 300 000 Great‑Ming notes, so he would settle for a green‑quality card purely for transportation.

Opening the trading site, he browsed what he could afford. Technically, a Black‑Iron rank could buy Bronze materials, but he had no intention of anything that fancy: his mental‑power level wasn’t high enough—and he was broke.

Soon he found what he wanted:

[Chirp‑Chirp Sparrow] (white)

[Bald Eagle] (green)

One blank card

Total cost: 30 000 yuan.

A Coocoo Chicken soon delivered the package.

Seated at his desk, Russell picked up his card‑pen and began drawing on the blank. Gradually a large yellow raptor took shape.

When the art was done, he placed the three materials together and wrapped them in mental power. In the next instant he was back in that mysterious story‑weaving space.

Please begin composing your story.

…

“Pidgeot is large, with a broad wingspan; its three pink‑toed talons are short… Its plumage is mostly brown, eyes edged in black. The feathers on its head are red on both sides and yellow in the middle; its fan‑shaped tail is red…

*At first, Ash and Pikachu met this Pidgeot’s earlier form, Pidgeotto, in Viridian Forest. After a hard fight, Ash captured it…

*Together they beat Team Rocket, cleared Gyms, and went through many trials, eventually returning to Viridian Forest…

*There they found a flock of Spearow driving out the Pidgeotto. Ash’s Pidgeotto was badly injured protecting its kin, evolved into Pidgeot at the brink, and defeated the Spearow…

Afterward, Ash released Pidgeot back into the forest, promising to return for it someday.”

…

Story complete, Russell waited silently for judgment.

The next moment he was back in his room, a card depicting a brown giant bird floating before him.

“Success.” He absorbed it into his mind.

Pidgeot

Rank: Black‑Iron

Quality: Green

Type: Creature

Skills: None

Traits: None

Introduction: “A reunion after twenty‑four years—let’s travel together once more.”

Since the story was simple and the material grade low, Russell wasn’t surprised it had no special abilities; he only needed a ride.

He summoned Pidgeot and examined it carefully. About 1.5 m tall—plenty to carry him aloft. Still, he didn’t dare hop on right away; he wasn’t some super rookie.

And if he wanted to ride Pidgeot inside the city, he had to register it with the Card Crafter Association. He planned to do so: the bird wasn’t a combat card, and he was sick of hearing the bus announcement’s endless “benefit‑card” ads—pure torture.

Patting Pidgeot’s head, he returned it to his mind, put on a coat, and headed out for the association to register.