Card Chapter 11: Driver's License! (Patreon)

At the entrance of the association, Russell stared blankly at the pilot’s license for flying mounts in his hand.

The Card Crafter Association worked faster than he had expected; he thought he would have to fuss with paperwork for a while, but they handed him the license as soon as the registration was complete.

Heading to the tack shop next door, Russell planned to buy a saddle.

Because Card Crafter often kept all sorts of unusual mounts, the shop carried every kind of saddle imaginable.

When the shopkeeper saw Russell summon a Pidgeot, he sized the bird up and fetched a saddle meant for avians.

“Give this a try—see if it fits.”

Russell slipped the saddle onto Pidgeot; it fit perfectly.

“Great. I’ll take it,” Russell said with a satisfied nod.

“Thank you for your patronage—five thousand yuan,” the shopkeeper replied, holding up five fingers.

That much?

Russell was startled but had no intention of haggling.

If a shop right beside the association dares charge that price, either it has connections or its goods really are good.

He swiped his card without fuss and was about to leave with the saddle.

“Hey, young man.” The shopkeeper hurriedly called him back. “What’s the rush?”

He pressed a hand to the saddle, and it slowly transformed into a card.

Only then did Russell understand the steep price: it was an item card.

From the original owner’s memories, he knew item cards could be gifted; creature cards could not.

Accepting the card, Russell absorbed it into his mind.

[Bird Saddle]
Rank: Black‑Iron
Quality: Common

The description could not have been simpler. Outside, Russell patted Pidgeot’s head. “Let’s see what flying feels like.”

With that, he mounted the bird.

Under the curious gazes of passers‑by, Pidgeot shot skyward.

The cold wind whipped across Russell’s face. Flying without a windshield really isn’t ideal, he thought.

Still, despite the less‑than‑comfortable ride, Pidgeot’s speed pleased him—over sixty kilometres an hour in normal flight, more than enough for daily travel.

For a Black‑Iron card, you couldn’t ask for much more—though riding in a thunderstorm might be unpleasant.

…

Late that night, in a damp, shadowy sea‑cave.

“Is the Shanghai City Card Crafter Association planning any secret‑realm explorations soon?” A hawk‑nosed, gloomy‑faced elder toyed with a balance scale.

Before him stood a middle‑aged man in a black robe.

At the elder’s question, the man answered quickly, “My lord, because of the recent Demon Nest riot, the association has suspended all exploration plans.”

He hesitated, then added, “However, my lord, I’ve heard several high schools in Shanghai City intend to send students for field training in secret realms.”

The hawk‑nosed elder gave a hoarse laugh. “Bai Yueming… let’s see if you can protect them this time.”

“Plant a few pawns among them.”

“Yes, my lord,” the middle‑aged man replied at once.

Amid the shrill, deranged laughter, one side of the elder’s scale shimmered into piles of treasure, while the other revealed a blood‑red card.

When the two sides balanced, a disembodied voice echoed through the void:

“Transaction complete.”

…

Student days fly by. Soon it was the day Russell’s class would leave for secret‑realm training.

In front of the coach bus, Ms Song Qian gave her final remarks.

“This chance was hard‑won by Principal Xie—cherish it, everyone.”

Ignoring the long speech, Russell asked Jiang Nanxi quietly, “Isn’t it dangerous to throw students straight into a secret realm like this?”

To him, the advanced‑class students of Shanghai City No. 1 High were hothouse flowers with no real combat experience. Wouldn’t tough conditions spell trouble?

Still watching Ms Song, Jiang Nanxi replied softly, “Any secret realm open to high‑schoolers is under full association control. The monsters inside are all Black‑Iron level.”

Russell nodded—reasonable enough. A card‑maker of the same rank could handle several monsters of equal rank—provided they didn’t meet an elite one.

She added, “Almost every realm is covered by surveillance. If real danger pops up, association Card Crafters will intervene right away.”

While they spoke, Ms Song wrapped up: “All right, everyone—onto the bus.”

One by one, the students boarded.

As the coach pulled out, skyscrapers faded behind them, replaced by dense forest.

It was Russell’s first trip beyond Shanghai City. In his predecessor’s memories, the outskirts were essentially all woodland now.

In recent years the Ming court had tried expanding urban borders, but progress was poor—roving demons haunted the mountains, and new secret realms could appear at any time.

Strangely, the emptier a place was, the more likely a secret realm would form.

The great oceans now held countless realms of every size. Apart from a few powerful individuals able to brave the seas, old long‑distance trade had vanished.

The bus eventually stopped at a steel‑walled base.

An armed sentry halted them. “Restricted facility ahead—state your business.”

Ms Song stepped down with association paperwork. Only after the sentry confirmed everything radioed he back:

“All clear—let them through.”

The bus rolled inside. Base officials were waiting.

“You must be the Shanghai City No. 1 students Chairman Ma arranged,” a leader greeted with a smile.

Ms Song returned the smile. “Yes—sorry to trouble you today.”

“Not at all,” the leader said, waving it off. “We all serve the dynasty.”

He told a staffer, “Take these students to the secret realm.”

Ms Song turned to her class for one last caution. “Go on, everyone—stay safe.”

Russell followed the group onto a vast plaza. In its centre stood a portal glowing silver‑white.

The escorting staffer beamed. “First time seeing a secret‑realm gate, right? Enter in order, please—we have Card Crafters waiting inside.”

Hearing this, the students filed through.

Russell stepped through with them; his vision blurred, and he found himself at the foot of a towering mountain.

Two black‑uniformed Card Crafters stood ahead.

The leader smiled. “Welcome, students, to the secret realm Thousand Legs.

“Perhaps you’ve never heard of it. It’s named for a formidable centipede demon that once lived here. Rest easy: anything above Black‑Iron has already been cleared by the association.

“Once you’ve collected your comm gear, you’re free to move about.”