Chapter 108: 108 System-provided Props_1
The reason Wen Jiang asked this was simple.
The card style of Guiqing being similar to Zero Egg’s world suggested that the woman brought by the Heaven’s Mandate System might have briefly stayed in Guiqing.
"Guiqing?"
Perhaps because of the match today, Tang Qian wasn’t suspicious of why Wen Jiang was interested in Guiqing.
She thought for a moment and then replied, "It’s about cards. Guiqing once had a particularly famous Card Maker. She was very strong and well-known for making cards. She started with R-Rank cards and later upgraded to A-Level. I heard something happened, and then..."
As she spoke, a hint of hesitation and bewilderment appeared on Tang Qian’s face.
"I’m not very clear about what happened afterward, just heard she had a conflict with Guiqing, and then that Card Maker disappeared. Many Card Makers in Guiqing now are influenced by her style."
Tang Qian said, "It’s been a long time since then, and I hadn’t even started working at the Card Association, so I’m not very knowledgeable about it. If you’re interested, I can help you find out more."
"That’s not necessary." Wen Jiang shook his head and continued to ask, "Are there any particularly famous card sets in Guiqing at the S Rank?"
Tang Qian thought for a moment and said, "There are, but they align with their association’s style, the SSR cards, which aren’t widely applicable."
SSR cards were not A-Rank cards, much less common items.
Among hundreds of associations, some didn’t even have a representative SSR-level card.
Basically, they would create two unique cards and then buy SSR cards available on the market via various channels.
Currently, many associations in the Yunxia Empire were restricted by foreign influences. Only the major associations had the means to develop independent SSR card sets.
Even the Mount Flower Association only had four unique SSR cards. The S-grade rule still required a team to submit 20 cards for a match, so where would so many SSR cards come from?
Of course, by attending various auctions and purchasing them from foreign Nobility.
Some cards weren’t exclusive offerings; they required an annual ’patent fee’ for use, making expenses for A-level and below seem insignificant compared to the expenses of an S-Rank Spirit Card Master.
Some Nobility would cooperate with associations for greater profits, allowing only those who joined their associations the right to use their cards. The Nobility often controlled more than one association, increasing stakes and authorizing Spirit Card Makers within those associations to use their cards.
Many Spirit Card Makers would instinctively choose these associations to gain the right to use those SSR cards.
In the Imperial City, many associations were either controlled by domestic Nobility or foreign Nobility.
The rumors about Mount Flower being in trouble recently stemmed from the fact that the card sets used by the Jimo Family were public with the military and Mount Flower. The SSR cards used by Mount Flower were all made by Jimo Xiao. With Jimo Xiao’s demise, the collapse of the original Card Makers affected the cards. Once used excessively, repair difficulties would increase, leading to the eventual disappearance of Mount Flower’s SSR cards.
Without the core SSR cards, this association was indeed not far from collapse.
However, Mount Flower had acquired dozens of SSR cards in recent years, so there was no immediate worry about matches. The concern was losing core cards and distinctive styles, gradually being replaced by other associations.
"Now the number of SSR cards released each year by the country has also decreased." Tang Qian sighed, "The world’s cards are all declining, but our Empire’s situation is especially severe."
Hearing this from Tang Qian, Wen Jiang tapped his finger on the chair, lost in thought.
Cards would disappear.
As mentioned, it was becoming increasingly difficult to create cards. After all, inspiration would eventually run dry. Wouldn’t the world see a decline in Spirit Card Masters when that happened?
Wen Jiang asked a question he had pondered before, "The National Treasure Cards like Bi Fang and Bai Ze, including the recent Kun I’ve heard about, aren’t these cards released for matches?"
Tang Qian shook her head, "There’s no use releasing those cards. Although SSR cards appear to be a single rank, the differences are significant. Cards like Bai Ze and Bi Fang can’t be used by ordinary S-Rank Cards aside from UR Rank Spirit Card Masters. The World Card Association had previously discussed whether SSR cards should be categorized by ranks, but the Sanctuary Empire and the Frost Moon Empire opposed it."
Tang Qian suddenly sneered, "Do you know why they oppose? Some SSR cards can be used by certain S-Rank Spirit Card Masters, but some cannot. Their opposition was to blur the rank of these Spirit Card Masters. This way, they could gain a significant advantage in competitions. There was speculation that the Seven Archangels Card in the Western Angel Card Set should belong to the level of Bai Ze and Bi Fang but could appear in matches, while we had no way."
"Ultimately, it’s because we have too few cards, and the Empire can’t help it. Our card copying seems more difficult than theirs. It’s not that the Empire doesn’t want to enter competitions; the cards are just too hard to duplicate."
Hearing this, Wen Jiang keenly captured the crucial issue.
SSR cards should also have a tiered classification, but due to opposition from the other two Empires, the concept was blurred.
Bai Ze and Bi Fang cards were more challenging to replicate than their Angel Cards, making widespread replication difficult and unfeasible for matches.
This shouldn’t be related to the Spirit Card Master’s strength, as they could create them, so why couldn’t they be copied?
Wen Jiang wondered if this had anything to do with the civilization Yunxia was missing?
Tang Qian exhaled lightly, "But in the end, the world of S Rank is still far from us; it’s not something we should worry about right now."
Wen Jiang advanced from B-level to A-level quickly, but crossing into S Rank remained challenging, let alone owning SSR cards, which were certainly not commonplace.
It seemed Tang Qian wasn’t well-informed about Guiqing Association’s matters, and Zero Egg found little information online: "It’s strange that no one mentions this Card Maker from Guiqing Association, even though she wasn’t S Rank. She influenced an entire association’s style, her fame should be significant, yet I haven’t seen any discussions meeting that criteria."
Just like Wen Jiang creating famous cards now, even if intentionally hiding something, there were many online eager to learn about Wen Jiang’s information.
This Card Maker from Guiqing published her cards, yet no one discussed her—it’s outrageous in itself.
Wen Jiang thought about the woman he had seen and suddenly remembered something. He asked, "Does your system provide only card exchange items?"
Zero Egg thought for a moment and said, "My authority isn’t high. Before coming, I heard the Major System would unlock permissions for other items, like Dimensional High-tech Blueprints, but they require a lot of Points. I only have card-drawing tools. Why do you ask?"