Chapter 157: This year, I’ve invested all my salary into it_1
Tang Qian’s eyes widened. "You’ve had another burst of inspiration? What new card?"
Wen Jiang shrugged. "I have inspiration, but I can’t possibly control the entire factory’s operations by myself. I plan to release some stories for the Spirit Card Masters at the factory to work on."
She had already determined that, for instance, among the four great classical novels, aside from Journey to the West, Spirit Card Masters were basically incapable of creating the other three because they couldn’t mold the spiritual essence. Only she could do that.
But other famous folk picture books or minor tales involving the mysteries of gods and ghosts could certainly be handed over to the Spirit Card Masters.
How much they could produce would depend on their aptitude.
She couldn’t possibly take on the responsibility of Mount Flower by herself, nor did she have that much time.
Besides, the style of paper cards could vary greatly. Those Spirit Card Masters could also act as graphic artists, changing the cards into different styles—commonly known as reskinning.
Wouldn’t that allow them to continue to swindle—I mean, make money?
Tang Qian was somewhat skeptical. "Can ordinary Spirit Card Masters really do it?"
Wen Jiang estimated, "It shouldn’t be a problem."
When making R-Rank Cards, the Card Spirits’ styles resembled tangible objects, making them appear realistic. Whether their abilities were strong or not didn’t matter, as long as the Spirit Card Masters could successfully shape them. These weren’t cards for competition; looking good was enough. What more could one ask for?
However, tasks like changing a card’s skin had to be delegated to others.
Of course, since she provided the story inspirations, she would definitely need to find reliable Spirit Card Masters.
She had Zero Egg gather statistics on the current Spirit Card Masters in the factory and select a reliable group.
After Zero Egg compiled the summary, she could screen them again herself.
"So the gift pack is to give away new cards? But people might not necessarily like new cards."
Wen Jiang said earnestly, "It’s not just new cards. They can also choose their favorite card skins."
The concept of skin cards had always existed: changing the style of paper cards. The major associations were generally more conscientious, completely revamping the image from head to toe. In contrast, less scrupulous ones would merely alter some patterns to call it a skin card.
Mainly, as cards grew popular in this world, the status of graphic designers soared. Consequently, prices for card-related professions became very expensive, leading to reluctance in hiring them.
Tang Qian didn’t quite understand all these details, but she knew Wen Jiang had her own plans, so she didn’t ask any further.
After flying to Card City for more than ten hours, Shi Qi and the others were barely hanging on, sleeping most of the way. Wen Jiang had her eyes closed, feigning rest, but she had been using Zero Egg to compile those folk stories and the third Chapter of the comic.
With the second Chapter concluded, it was about time for the third Chapter to officially begin.
In the third Chapter, Wen Jiang left a tail feather in the clouds—indeed, a Phoenix feather.
The terms Feng and Huang actually refer to two distinct birds: ’Feng’ for the male and ’Huang’ for the female. But here, for convenience, Wen Jiang combined them into one entity, the Phoenix, which was born alongside the Dragon Clan.
Although the Phoenix resembled a chicken, its colossal size and magnificent, five-colored feathers made it arguably the most noble bird between Heaven and Earth. The Phoenix possessed an immortal body; even if grievously wounded, it could be reborn from a Phoenix egg amidst blazing flames.
But considering certain factors, Wen Jiang did not showcase the specific abilities of these Divine Beasts.
The Dragon and the Phoenix were the chiefs of all creatures.
Since the birth of this world, nature’s spiritual energy was abundant. As time evolved, more and more spiritual beings began to appear. These included the Chaotic Beast, Qiong Qi, Taotie, and Taowu, as well as Divine Beasts widely known in Yunxia culture like the Kylin, Pixiu, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, and White Tiger.
Beings such as Bai Ze, Bi Fang, and Kun, along with the Nine-Tailed Fox that Wen Jiang wished to create, actually appeared relatively later, and an implicit ranking system for them was already emerging.
In the process of painting, Wen Jiang found some creative passion. She simply drew an image for each Divine Beast and provided a basic introduction to their characteristics.
However, as spiritual beings became more numerous, the spiritual energy between heaven and earth was no longer sufficient for everyone. Conflict inevitably arose among the intelligent races. Moreover, the god-like humans, who had once coexisted peacefully with the Divine Beasts, began to harbor different ideas.
Furthermore, with Nvwa withdrawing from the world, both humans and Divine Beasts began to break free from control.
The scarcity of spiritual energy also triggered calamities. Wen Jiang depicted a great deal in the third Chapter, concluding it with the sudden appearance of a black hole in the vast land.
In the clear expanse between heaven and earth, this black hole emerged like a flaw upon a once-perfect mirror. As this imperfection grew, numerous spiritual beings and god-like humans were sucked into the hole, their fates unknown.
The next Chapter could connect to Nvwa mending the heavens. This event could indirectly mark the end of the Dharma Era, leading to the establishment of the Celestial Court system, Nvwa’s departure from Blue Star, and the emergence of the six paths: Gods, Humans, Demons, Devils, Ghosts, and Buddhas. Yes, that was perfectly reasonable.
The amount of information she provided this time was vast enough to make the cultural research department agonize for days and nights. Previously, the Dragon was merely a superficial concept. However, the appearance of Bai Ze and Bi Fang now served as evidence for the authenticity of these mythological tales.
This time she drew dozens of Divine Beasts, hoping they would have good luck and manage to create another one.
Zero Egg watched in awe. "I now believe you are someone chosen by the gods. These drawings depict forms that even System data couldn’t extrapolate."
The crucial part was, some Divine Beasts looked truly bizarre... Could a human even imagine such things?
Zero Egg commented, "Looking at it this way, the disappearance of Yunxia’s culture might involve some conspiracy. Otherwise, if these armies of Divine Beasts were made into cards, not even the Western Empire could withstand them."
And these creatures were on the same level as Bai Ze and Bi Fang. Given there were so many of them, overwhelming the Western card decks would be a complete massacre.
It was a pity they hadn’t been created yet.
Wen Jiang did not make a sound.
By the time the plane arrived after more than ten hours of flight, Wen Jiang had just finished her drawing and submitted it.
Tang Qian and the others had also woken up. Yawning, Tang Qian looked surprised to see Wen Jiang with her eyes open. "Didn’t you rest at all during the trip?"
Wen Jiang casually replied, "Just woke up."
Tang Qian nodded, stretched, and then said with a smile, "Card City is quite fun. Besides our competition, it has everything, especially gambling. You know, the drive for each nation’s association to win the championship is what makes them go wild. Every year, people strike it rich or go bankrupt in Card City. It’s a place that drives people mad."
Wen Jiang understood from her few words what kind of place this was—a den of profligacy, a city of vice that lured countless people to their ruin through hedonism.
She glanced down, and the grand, bustling city leaped into view. Unlike Imperial City, currently blanketed in Yunxia’s snow, Card City enjoyed perpetual spring, situated on the world’s largest oceanic island.
She casually asked, "So, do you gamble?"
Tang Qian nodded. "I usually bet a little on the associations most likely to win the championship."
Wen Jiang said, "This year, bet on us. Trust me, we will definitely win."
Tang Qian looked at Wen Jiang and smiled brightly. "Alright, I’ll bet my entire salary for the year on you. You’d better not let me down!"