Card Chapter 18: Rich (Patreon)

Standing in front of the Card Crafter Association’s headquarters in Shanghai, Russell could not help sighing. “Looks like I’ll have to craft a new card after all.”

The pressure on him was mounting. Few people knew what had really happened inside the secret realm, but he still feared that someone from the Begging-for-mercy Society would come looking for him. After all, the details of their field exercise had obviously been leaked by a mole in the association—and who could say whether there were more traitors still hidden?

Russell tallied up his assets. Counting the five green centipede materials he had yet to sell, he now possessed 370 000 yuan in cash, plus one [Elite Ghoul] (Purple), one [Centipede] (Purple), and one [Flesh Demon] (Gold).

Originally he had planned to craft Kokushibō, so that he could pair it with Yoriichi Tsugikuni to activate a set bonus. But the materials at hand made him rethink the idea—he sensed there was a better option.

The immediate priority, however, was to trade that [Flesh Demon] (Gold) for a different ingredient that would be a perfect fit for the card he intended to make. If the trading site did not have a suitable item, he would have no choice but to experiment with the current material.

Riding home on his Pidgeot, Russell hurried to his computer and began searching for the right component. He filtered the listings: Black-Iron-tier, Gold rarity. Only a handful of items appeared.

When he read the name of one particular material, his heart skipped a beat. He had not expected there to be a perfect match:

Item: Black-Iron-tier Material [Type‑I Bio‑Armor] (Gold)
Price: 660 000 yuan

The price made Russell’s vision darken—he could not afford it even if he sold himself.

Just as he was about to add the item to his cart and buy it later, the website popped up a notice:

This item has been sold and cannot be added to your cart.

“So many rich people out there, huh?” Russell’s face turned even darker. He had not thought the item he wanted would be snapped up so quickly. For now he could only hold off listing his [Flesh Demon] (Gold) for sale.

The next morning Russell arrived in class yawning—he had spent the whole night thinking about that [Type‑I Bio‑Armor] (Gold).

Well, good fortune is luck; losing it is fate, he consoled himself.

The class was buzzing about yesterday’s training in the secret realm.

“How’d you guys do? I only managed to kill three centipede fiends—still a long way from the money I need for my next card.”

“Yeah, and the exercise ended so abruptly just when I was about to strike it rich.”

“Russell, how about you? What did you get?”

Feeling everyone’s curious eyes, Russell scratched his head. Naturally he would not mention that he had struck it rich; he waved it off. “Me? Nothing special, about the same as you all.”

Just then, Jiang Nanxi came over. “Thanks for yesterday, Russell. If not for you, I might not have made it out alive.”

Russell shook his head. “Anyone in our class would’ve done the same. You stayed behind to protect Lin Yue, didn’t you?”

Jiang Nanxi could certainly have escaped—Lin Yue and Du Heng were both shielding her—but she had chosen to stand and fight the unknown monster head‑on. Her Three‑Tailed Fox had shattered after a single exchange.

Speaking of Du Heng, Russell was about to ask what happened to him when Jiang Nanxi gave a frosty laugh. “Not necessarily. Didn’t Du Heng try to use me as monster bait?”

Just thinking of Du Heng made her grind her teeth.

She continued, “Du Heng has withdrawn from school, and no other academy will take him.”

Because they were still students and Jiang Nanxi ended up unharmed, expulsion was the severest punishment possible.

Russell had no reason to doubt her; he simply shrugged. “At least we don’t have to watch the class clown every day anymore.”

After a moment’s silence Jiang Nanxi pulled an envelope from her pocket and handed it to him. “My dad asked me to give you this as a thank‑you gift. He wanted to invite you over for dinner, but he’s busy right now, so this will have to do.”

Russell opened the envelope. The refusal that was already on his lips died instantly.

Inside was the very [Type‑I Bio‑Armor] (Gold).

So the rich benefactor was you all along! he thought, silently labeling Jiang Nanxi a little heiress. He tucked the envelope away. “Then I won’t stand on ceremony—this material is exactly what I need. Thank you.”

With that, Russell now had every ingredient required for his new card. He felt confident he could craft a Gold, perhaps even a Red, Black-Iron-tier card this time.

Seeing him accept the gift, Jiang Nanxi smiled. “Do you have a target for your next card? When Dad gave me that material he suggested you’d get the most out of making an Item card—good for equipping a creature or for yourself.”

Russell shook his head. His target had long been chosen and he would not change it lightly. “I’m planning to—”

Before he could finish, a figure rushed up and knelt before them with a thud.

“Brother Luo, Sister Jiang! Thank you for saving my life yesterday. From now on, if you tell me to go west I’ll never go east, and if you tell me to go east I’ll never go west!”

It was Lin Yue. Though badly injured the day before, hospital Card Crafters had treated him, and he had come to school wrapped in bandages.

Russell ignored the vows of loyalty, asking instead, “So what if I tell you to go west and Jiang Nanxi tells you to go east?”

Lin Yue looked up in confusion.

Russell laughed, hauling him to his feet. “Just kidding, just kidding.”

Ding‑ling‑ling— The class bell rang right on cue, and the students of the honors class obediently returned to their seats.

Teacher Song Qian walked in, sweeping her gaze over the room. “I trust everyone now understands how dangerous the secret realm truly is.”

“I’d like to commend Russell and Jiang Nanxi in particular. Holding fast to the principle of leaving no one behind, they succeeded in getting Lin Yue out of danger.”

Listening from below, Russell nodded to himself. This neatly defined the incident, sparing the students from wild speculation.

Whispers filled the room:

“No wonder Lin Yue acted like that just now.”

“Yeah. Good thing he met Russell and Jiang Nanxi instead of Du Heng…”

“Speaking of Du Heng, why isn’t he in class today?”

Hearing Du Heng’s name, Song Qian frowned. “Because of family circumstances, Du Heng will no longer be attending First High.”

Mindful of the negative influence of his actions, she did not reveal his true fate. Russell and Jiang Nanxi, of course, kept silent as well.

With the matter settled, the lesson began. “All right, please take out High‑School Cardcraft, v2.3—Shanghai University Revised Edition.”

…

“Phew—finally, the day’s over.” That evening Russell stretched in his seat. Ever since receiving Jiang Nanxi’s father’s gift, his mind had already flown home.

He raced home and spread out all the materials on his table. A slow smile spread across his face.

With this card, he thought, I’m confident I can make every opponent in the upcoming Ning’an District Four‑School Tournament kneel and beg!