Chapter 11

Chapter 11

After opening the delivery box, the first thing she saw was an A4-sized envelope. Even the envelope itself was custom-made. Its style looked similar to an ordinary courier bag, but the colors were different.

The left side of the envelope was dark red, while the right side was deep blue. A spiral structure pattern stretched from left to right, running through the entire envelope.

The pattern looked somewhat like a DNA double helix, but upon closer inspection, it was actually a “sequence” formed by countless cards connected together.

“Is this the ‘Aries’ sequence and the ‘Libra’ sequence?” Ning Zhu had been educated by Bai Ze these past few days, so she could roughly recognize it.

Bai Ze snorted lightly and said, “It used to be two double helices. Now there’s only one left… Spirit Card Academy is getting worse and worse!”

With its adorable kitten face saying such old-fashioned words, it only made people think it was cute.

Ning Zhu scratched under its chin and continued opening the envelope.

Inside was her admission notice. It still used the red-and-blue color scheme, and the four large characters “Spirit Card Academy” were written with vigorous, forceful strokes.

Ning Zhu eagerly opened the admission notice.

With a rustling sound, something flew out.

Ning Zhu was startled at first, then blinked before being amused by the adorable scene.

A whole bunch of chibi snow-white lambs happily leaped out from the paper. They all wore short dark-red capes that only covered half their bodies, and delicate bow ties were tied around their necks.

The white lambs radiated enthusiasm, circling around Ning Zhu several times like adorable little spirits. Then they landed on the left side of the admission notice, forming lines of clear handwriting:

Huaxia Continent Spirit Card Academy

Student Ning Zhu:

Our school warmly welcomes you to enroll in the Aries Department of Spirit Card Academy. Please report to the school on September 1, 2024, with this admission notice. For specific requirements, please refer to the “New Student Enrollment Checklist.”

Spirit Card Academy

August 27, 2024

“The Aries Department?”

Ning Zhu quite liked little lambs, but she was deeply impressed by the Libra Card Master.

Bai Ze lazily said, “The other side.”

Ning Zhu looked toward the other side. The moment her gaze landed there, it was as though some tiny mechanism had been triggered. Just like the previous chibi lambs, golden scales proudly leaped out from the paper.

Compared to the lively cuteness of the little lambs, the chibi scales still maintained a strict and aloof attitude. After elegantly displaying themselves for a moment, they merged back into the paper, and similar writing appeared on the page.

Huaxia Continent Spirit Card Academy

Student Ning Zhu:

You are hereby admitted to the Libra Department of Spirit Card Academy. Please report to the school on time on September 1, 2024, with this admission notice. For specific requirements, please refer to the “New Student Enrollment Checklist.”

Spirit Card Academy

August 27, 2024

The content was the same, but the wording had subtle differences.

The Aries side no longer had the word “warmly.”

The Libra side added the words “on time.”

Just from a single admission notice, Ning Zhu could already sense the difference between the two departments.

Bai Ze said, “Don’t rush to decide. Go to the academy first.”

Ning Zhu happily closed the notice and said, “Mm! That’s what I was thinking too!”

Below the admission notice was the “New Student Enrollment Checklist.” The contents were extremely detailed, listing everything from documents and daily necessities to study supplies…

What Ning Zhu was most curious about were the study supplies. She read aloud:

“First-year students are requested to purchase the following textbooks and exercise books in advance:

‘Introduction to Spirit Cards’ and its companion handbook, ‘Spirit Card Drawing and Crafting Techniques (Beginner),’ ‘Usage Standards for Character Cards,’ ‘Basic Applications of Equipment Cards (Beginner),’ ‘Combined Applications of Skill Cards (Beginner),’ ‘Spirit Card Energetics,’ ‘The History and Legends of Spirit Cards,’ ‘Introduction to Materials Science,’ ‘Reject Forbidden Cards Starting From First Year’…”

The long list of books made Ning Zhu dizzy. She suddenly realized that Spirit Card Academy truly was a strict and serious academy.

Poor-student Ning felt enormous pressure!

“There’s so much stuff to buy…” Ning Zhu continued reading. “Ah, I also need to buy a card ring!”

Bai Ze said, “Of course you need a card ring. What kind of Card Master doesn’t have one?”

Ning Zhu continued reading downward. “I even need a card pouch… Well, that makes sense. So many cards need somewhere to be stored…”

Bai Ze said, “Not just that. Card pouches are extremely important. A good card pouch allows a Card Master to activate it with mental intent and instantly connect to the card ring to release cards.”

Ning Zhu thought of the battle in the underground parking garage and nodded. “If you’re not fast enough, you’d already be dead several times over.”

Bai Ze said, “Anyway, these are all very important things. Prepare carefully.”

Aside from the card ring and card pouch, she also needed special pens and carving knives… apparently for making cards.

Then there were also some card-making materials recommended by the academy.

These weren’t mandatory. Students didn’t have to prepare them, since some materials would be provided during class. But if they wanted to practice privately, they would need to use their own materials.

The material names also greatly broadened Ning Zhu’s horizons: “Spirit Pattern Paper, Star Mark Paper, Demon Bird Saliva, Moonlight Ink, Silver Silk Thread, Golden Silk Thread, Diamond Fragments, Sticky Monster Secretions…”

Ning Zhu asked Bai Ze, “Real gold, silver, and diamonds?”

Bai Ze replied, “These are the cheapest materials, okay?”

Ning Zhu: “…”

She had a bad feeling. Being a Spirit Card Master was probably an extremely money-burning profession!

There was also the greeting gift Principal Yang had given her inside the package box.

Ning Zhu curiously took it out and discovered it was a red waist cincher.

The style of the waist cincher looked similar to Li Jin’s, except the size was smaller and the color was different.

“This is…”

“Oh ho, a pretty high-quality card pouch.”

“A card pouch?!”

“Of course. There are many styles of card pouches—backpacks, waist bags, shoulder bags. Those are relatively low-grade and easily stolen.

“The more advanced ones are waist cinchers and trench coats. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. The advantage of waist cinchers is convenient card retrieval and the lowest chance of theft. The advantage of trench coats is that people can’t figure out where the cards are stored, and they can hold the most cards. The downside is… if you’re poor and don’t have many cards, you still have to suffer wearing a trench coat in the summer heat!”

Ning Zhu fell silent for a moment and said, “No wonder they all wear trench coats.”

She had thought Spirit Card Masters simply weren’t afraid of heat and wore trench coats to look cool. So they were actually card pouches!

The sense of style instantly vanished, and it even became kind of funny.

Suppressing her laughter, Ning Zhu said, “Mm, the waist cincher is pretty nice.”

She carefully examined the dark-red waist cincher and discovered hidden intricacies inside.

From the outside, the wide waist cincher looked ordinary, but inside there were rows upon rows of card slots. The sizes of the slots also differed, probably corresponding to different types of cards.

Ning Zhu only had a few trash cards in her possession, so there was no real need for a card pouch.

Ning Quanren called out, “Little Zhu, dinner’s ready.”

Ning Zhu jumped down from the bed, carrying the cardboard box into the living room. “Dad! Mom! I received my admission notice from Spirit Card Academy!”

The whole family stopped caring about dinner and gathered together to look at the things Ning Zhu laid out.

Ning Zhu excitedly explained everything to them.

Ning Quanren was obviously very interested, but because of his wife’s worried expression, he didn’t dare ask questions too enthusiastically.

Although Miao Yun had accepted the reality that her daughter was going to attend Spirit Card Academy, she still felt deeply uneasy inside.

That was a mysterious world.

A world that did not belong to ordinary people.

And she herself was just an ordinary person. She had a growing sense of panic that her daughter was drifting farther and farther away from her.

—

The next day, Ning Zhu woke up very early.

Bai Ze yawned and said, “It’s only six.”

Ning Zhu was full of energy. “It’s already morning!”

Bai Ze: “…”

Too lazy to bother with her, it rolled over and continued sleeping.

Ning Zhu was very excited to go buy the necessities for enrollment.

Where would they buy them?

Could they buy them in Z City?

Was it a place like Diagon Alley from Harry Potter?

Ning Zhu was so excited she simply couldn’t sleep anymore… but Bai Ze was right. Senior Li Jin definitely wouldn’t come over this early.

What should she do?

Run!

Ning Zhu had always been the kind of student who wasn’t very good academically but excelled in sports.

During the middle school sports meet in her third year, her hundred-meter sprint speed completely crushed the boys, shocking the PE teacher so much that he kept visiting her house asking whether she was interested in specialized training.

However, the moment he visited, the PE teacher gave up.

The Ning family were obvious nouveau riche.

And Ning Zhu was their only precious daughter.

Judging from Ning Quanren’s doting attitude toward his daughter, there was no way he would let her endure the hardship of athletic training.

Ning Zhu didn’t go outside to run. Instead, she sweated it out on the treadmill at home.

In the past, she simply liked sports, but now she felt physical training was absolutely necessary.

That battle in the underground parking garage hadn’t only been about comparing cards.

Physical fitness was important too!

After running five kilometers, she went to take a shower.

After eating dinner, she paced around the room again.

Bai Ze said, “Why are you in such a hurry?”

Ning Zhu said, “I’m about to go to ‘Diagon Alley’! Anyone would be excited about that!”

Seven o’clock…

Eight o’clock…

Before she knew it, it was already nine…

Ning Zhu muttered in confusion, “This isn’t exactly ‘morning’ anymore…”

Bai Ze suddenly said, “Oh, it’s a Confusion Card!”

Ning Zhu immediately tensed up. “What do you mean? Is there danger again? Did those people come back?”

Bai Ze explained, “That little principal placed a Confusion Card outside your door… I didn’t notice it earlier. I only saw it when I looked at the door just now… This thing only affects Card Masters. That Libra Card Master probably can’t find your front door.”

Ning Zhu first felt relieved inside, deeply feeling that Little— ahem, Principal Yang was very reliable, but then she became troubled again. “I don’t have Senior Li Jin’s contact information either, and I don’t know which building he lives in…”

A thought suddenly occurred to Ning Zhu. She quickly ran to the balcony and looked downstairs.

Outside was a lush green lawn, with small pavilions and a lake decorating the modern residential complex, adding a touch of tranquil elegance. There stood a young man with a straight posture.

As expected, he was waiting for her!

Ning Zhu felt deeply guilty. After hurriedly tidying herself up and informing her parents, she rushed downstairs.

“Senior Li Jin.” Although she had run all the way over, she wasn’t out of breath, but her tone was full of apology. “I’m late!”

Li Jin looked no different from a few days ago.

White shirt, neatly arranged buttons, and beneath the deep-blue waist cincher were long straight legs.

The nine-thirty sun was already blazing. He must have been standing there for a long time, yet there wasn’t the slightest trace of sweat on his porcelain-like face. His expression remained calm, without any impatience, and his voice carried a steadiness and composure that didn’t match his age. “Presumably the principal didn’t tell you there was a Confusion Card at your door.”

“Mm, he didn’t…”

“In that case, you’re not late.”

Before Ning Zhu could say anything else, Li Jin had already stepped forward. “Let’s go.”

Ning Zhu said, “Mm! Okay!”

She couldn’t see through this Senior Li Jin, and because of his distant demeanor, she felt inexplicably nervous around him.

But she had a very good impression of him.

Li Jin looked cold and indifferent, yet he had risked his life to save complete strangers like Ning Zhu and Miao Yun.

That alone was enough to prove he was a good person.

Just cold on the outside and warm on the inside.

Thinking that way, Ning Zhu’s nervousness faded considerably.

Li Jin led her out of the residential complex. Ning Zhu was curious the entire way and really wanted to know where they were going to buy the enrollment necessities.

But Li Jin was taciturn, and Ning Zhu didn’t feel comfortable asking.

The two got into a taxi. The transportation method was so ordinary that it instead made Ning Zhu suspicious.

She remembered Principal Yang’s Flying Carpet Card and had assumed there would be some kind of special transportation.

The taxi route turned out to be one Ning Zhu knew extremely well.

She often accompanied Sister Miao shopping, and Sister Miao’s favorite place to go was undoubtedly MixC Mall, less than five kilometers from Blue City Mansion.

This direction… this route…

Eh…

Ning Zhu couldn’t help asking Li Jin, “Are we going to MixC Mall?”

Li Jin replied, “Yes.”

Ning Zhu: “……”

She almost blurted something out, but seeing the auntie driver in front, she forcefully held it back.

There were cards in MixC Mall…?

Well, there were definitely plenty of My Little Pony and Ultraman cards, but where would there be spirit cards and all those strange textbooks and materials?

Ning Zhu went to MixC Mall at least twice a month. She was extremely familiar with the place and could state with absolute certainty that there were no card rings, card pouches, Demon Bird Saliva, or Sticky Monster Secretions there!

The taxi stopped. Looking at the familiar MixC Mall before her, Ning Zhu only felt everything was surreal.

Li Jin walked straight ahead, and she could only jog to keep up.

This really was MixC Mall.

Could there be a hidden world inside MixC Mall?

Ning Zhu patiently followed closely behind Li Jin. It was as though she were visiting MixC Mall for the first time, carefully observing everything.

School was about to start, making MixC Mall even livelier.

Many people came and went. Some parents were shopping with their children, while some young people were there for the full package of movies, meals, and dates.

Li Jin was far too eye-catching. Walking beside him, Ning Zhu received plenty of attention.

They passed through Area A and headed directly toward Area C, which should mainly sell electronic products.

Ning Zhu still couldn’t understand how those bright, open shops could possibly contain places related to spirit cards.

After walking for about ten minutes, Li Jin led her into a VR experience center.

Ning Zhu: “?”

The Diagon Alley of the spirit card world was actually inside a VR experience center?

The employee at the experience center was a pretty young woman. She warmly greeted them. “What experience would you like today? Would you like me to recommend something?”

Li Jin said, “Land of Spirit Resonance.”

The employee continued smiling sweetly. “Okay. There’s no line right now, so you two can experience it directly.”

Ning Zhu curiously followed Li Jin inside.

They sat in seats similar to a roller coaster, facing a tightly closed door ahead.

Ning Zhu had already experienced these kinds of things before. Once the employee pressed start, they would enter a so-called 7D theater. There was no need to wear glasses to experience the 3D effects. One attraction called “Polar Crossing” had been played by Ning Zhu and her classmates three or four times.

As for “Land of Spirit Resonance,” she had indeed seen it on the attraction list before.

With a click, the tightly shut door ahead opened.

Ning Zhu couldn’t help holding her breath as she stared straight ahead.

The seats moved, entering a dark room.

The screen ahead suddenly lit up. Ning Zhu felt a strong push against her back, and then…

Li Jin said, “Get down. We’ve arrived.”

Ning Zhu widened her eyes and sharply inhaled. “Th-this…”

This was completely different from what she had imagined. Where was the medieval-style Diagon Alley?

This was clearly a cyber-futuristic district overflowing with technology!