Chapter 122: 0122 The interview for the competition is about to start_1
Yan Moling was somewhat moved by these words.
"You truly are General Jimo Xiao’s daughter, possessing his unyielding spirit."
Wen Jiang was speechless.
She just felt it was no big deal, not that she possessed such noble character.
Naturally, Yan Moling had not come merely for this matter. She said, "You’ve just returned to the Jimo Family and might need some help. I have a business proposal, and I wonder if Miss Wen might be interested?"
Wen Jiang lifted her chin slightly. "What do you have in mind?"
Yan Moling explained, "It’s a collaboration with our Card Department on card-related merchandise. We’ll handle all the quality control. To demonstrate our utmost sincerity, we can offer Miss Wen a 60/40 split in profits: you get 60 percent, and the Empire gets 40 percent. What do you think?"
These words piqued Wen Jiang’s interest.
Card-related merchandise constituted a massive profit industry in this world. Even ordinary people who didn’t play cards would buy some when idle. They weren’t for use, but the cards’ exquisite designs made them highly collectible.
Nevertheless, there were many manufacturers of card-related merchandise on the market, most of which were produced by the major Card Associations themselves.
Zero Egg had mentioned before that someone wanted to contact Wen Jiang about creating merchandise for the Moon Palace Card Set, but she had never gotten around to discussing it.
Each card design on the market varied, as did the quality. Cards produced by large Card Associations were definitely superior.
The Empire also had its own card-related merchandise for sale. However, most were publicly available card sets with nothing novel or exciting. Consequently, the Empire’s dominance in this market was far less than that of other renowned Card Associations.
They considered partnering with Wen Jiang because of the unique nature of the Moon Palace Card Set. Since it couldn’t fall into others’ hands, it was best kept within the Empire’s control.
A 60/40 split was a very generous offer.
Wen Jiang chuckled lightly. "Now that I’ve returned to the Jimo Family, I can completely take on the business of card-related merchandise myself."
Yan Moling smiled confidently. "If Miss Wen had that intention, you wouldn’t have kept your Card Maker identity a secret until now. Besides, we understand the Jimo Family’s current situation. I believe Lady Hua hasn’t yet managed to properly settle the issue with your uncle. Your uncle controls the Jimo Family’s card industry. Are you planning to release these cards and thus contribute to your uncle’s business?"
This also involved the Qiao Family. As long as their ties weren’t severed, if Wen Jiang were to sell these cards, it was uncertain whether the Qiao Family might interfere. Moreover, doing so would clearly reveal that Wen Jiang herself was the Card Maker of these cards.
Wen Jiang tilted her head, saying nonchalantly, "You make a good point. Let’s do as you say, then."
Yan Moling raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Miss Wen, you are refreshingly decisive in certain respects."
It seemed that for any matter, she would either decisively refuse or decisively agree, without a moment’s hesitation.
Wen Jiang said, "I’m taking a sixty percent share. What’s there to be dissatisfied about?"
After discussing with Yan Moling, who then left to draft the contract, Zero Egg spoke up, "Are you really going to cooperate with the Empire? If you do, you’ll be effectively tied to them."
Such an arrangement would reassure the Empire, but Zero Egg felt it was quite restrictive.
Wen Jiang nodded. "I don’t like Nobility."
It was a reason as simple and blunt as that. Having grown up under the influence of socialism, disliking Nobility came naturally to me. The Yunxia of today might not compare to the spirit of my era, but I always feel that this empire has been unwavering in its adherence to certain principles. Sometimes I recall that Yunxia had to sacrifice a lot to save this world; it’s just that so much time has passed, it seems many people have already forgotten this.
Zero Egg was somewhat puzzled. "Does that mean the Yunxia Empire is actually likable?"
Wen Jiang replied earnestly, "You wouldn’t understand."
It was an obsession shared by all Yunxia People.
「Over the following period, Wen Jiang meticulously crafted the Su Daji Card.」
Having made many cards by now, she was missing just one for absolute field control.
If Su Daji was, as legend said, possessed by a Nine-Tailed Fox, then it would be possible to continue with the concept of the Dual-variant Card.
The Jimo Family had a large, open-air card creation pool. It was originally built for General Jimo Xiao, but since he was stationed at the border year-round, the place wasn’t used much. Now, it had become Wen Jiang’s domain.
Wen Jiang instructed the household servants not to disturb her and began to conceptualize everything about Su Daji.
In her memory, Su Daji was a woman of much controversy. However, history is often said to be like a little girl, dressed up by anyone as they please—and these were mythical stories, to begin with. For such a dazzlingly beautiful woman, her very existence was defined by one thing: the power to topple nations and captivate hearts with a smile.
She had crafted the Flower Demon card before, which embodied ultimate allure. Su Daji was different. Her inherent beauty could topple nations, and after becoming a Nine-Tailed Fox, she gained an even more potent power to enchant people’s hearts. It was nearly impossible for anyone who saw her, regardless of gender, to escape her influence.
If one were to speak of soul-snaring captivation, the existence of such a woman was capable of driving many to madness.
Su Daji could maintain two forms. In her human form, she was stunning and nation-toppling, capturing hearts with a mere smile and causing Card Spirits to fall for her invincible charm, unaware they were under her spell.
Su Daji could continuously release an intangible, enchanting poison gas, filling the entire battleground. Depending on the duration of exposure, the most deeply poisoned Card Spirits would be beguiled first. The gas would then solidify into tangible threads controlled by Su Daji. For as long as the opposing Spirit Card Master could endure, their Card Spirits would automatically attack their own teammates.
This state was the ultimate version of enchantment; truly skilled Spirit Card Masters could potentially control all five opposing Card Spirits at once.
Transformed into her fox demon form, Su Daji could run swiftly across the battlefield and create illusions. These illusions could not be dispelled. Unless Su Daji’s true location could be pinpointed, her fox demon form could maintain the illusion indefinitely.
The skills seemed quite simple, not as complex as those of the Four Heavenly Kings. This became apparent when benchmarked against Hou Yi.
Su Daji was an absolute field-control card, capable of dominating the entire field. Without sufficient power to directly interrupt her, her existence was a nightmare for many other cards.
Even if Hou Yi was strong, what if Su Daji found an opportunity to use her enchantment? If his arrows were turned against his own teammates’ Card Spirits, how horrifying would that scene be? Indeed, the cards she created still required her to devise their counters.
However, she encountered some problems when creating the fox demon form. She originally wanted to create the legendary Nine-Tailed Fox state, but struggled to manifest nine tails, ultimately only managing a seven-tailed fox demon form.
This time, it had taken her nearly twenty days.
Perhaps this was related to the legend of the Nine-Tailed Fox once being a Divine Beast? Since it was a Divine Beast, maybe it didn’t fall within the scope of A-Rank Cards, so she couldn’t create it for the time being.
The moment the Su Daji Card was completed, Wen Jiang was extremely satisfied and immediately sent the data to Tang Qian.
She also saw Tang Qian’s message: "Wen Jiang, the interview is about to start. Have you come out yet?" The message was from late last night.