บท 12: Chapter 9 Lanci Begins to Make Cards_1
Donning his coat, Lanci picked up the Code he had borrowed from the border library and left his room.
As dawn gradually became brighter, the outside world became more visible.
As always, after enjoying his breakfast, exchanging pleasantries with his butler Hans and bidding farewell to the maid Francine, Lanci straightaway left the house and marched in the direction of the familiar street corner.
Soon, he saw Talia standing against the wall.
"Good morning, Tata."
Lanci greeted Talia, who had been waiting early.
Previously, when Lanci asked for Talia's name, she didn't reveal her actual name.
Instead, she told him to call her "Tata".
Although Lanci had known her real name for quite a while now, he had to pretend not to.
If he were to inadvertently address her as "Talia", it would certainly cause big trouble.
There's no reason why an ordinary person like him should know the real identity of the Princess of the Demon Clan.
Thus, Lanci naturally referred to her as "Tata".
"Hmm."
Talia just nodded, ignoring Lanci.
Once Lanci started his day, she followed him, maintaining a not too close, not too far distance.
...
About half an hour later, Lanci and Talia arrived at the Cardmaker's Association—the local branch at the Nanwantian Border of the Hutton Kingdom.
Before Lanci could even touch the heavily built gate, a wave of mysterious energy began permeating the gate of the Cardmaker's Association.
Before his eyes, driven by this power, ancient emblems on the wrought iron like metal door began to flicker with a faint blue light, as if it had its own life, throbbing with magical energy.
With a slight shaking sound, the door of the Cardmaker's Association gradually widened its gap.
The sight that met his eyes seemed completely different from the outside world—
The interior of the association was antique and elegant, besides the well-organized counter areas, there weren't much intricate decorations, yet the whole layout gave a feeling of orderliness.
Although it was only morning at present, there were already busy staff members all around the association. Many visitors were waiting in front of the counter, discussing topics related to the Magic Card and the Shadow World.
As Lanci set foot, stepped into this majestic and spectacular building, he suddenly halted again.
"Tata, I can't be sure when I might finish today. Do you want to come in with me?"
He turned back to Talia and asked.
From the day they made the deal, Lanci would always tell Talia his schedule in advance, including when he would leave in the morning and when he would return home at night.
And Talia, as a bodyguard, was extremely professional.
Before, whether Lanci went to the border library or the Cardmaker's Association, Talia would wait outside until he came out.
The defensive strength in the key areas wasn't weak. Lanci informed her that there were some places where she didn't need to accompany him.
Like in Lanci's house, once she sent Lanci back to the mansion, she wouldn't need to protect him anymore.
Furthermore, Lanci was well-aware that Talia didn't have the credentials to enter these places.
Currently, she was an undocumented immigrant in the Hutton Kingdom.
If her identity were investigated because she entered these large corporate branches, it would likely cause big trouble.
"No need."
Talia's tone was devoid of any emotion.
But her voice was just as distant as always.
Lanci sighed, hands on his hips as he looked at her:
"I'll probably have to spend a long time here every day, and if you're going to wait outside for me every day... this surveillance-like feeling might become more noticeable, right?"
"..."
His words left Talia silent, seemingly contemplating.
"Don't you think it would be more convenient for your job if you could come and go from the Cardmaker's Association freely?"
Lanci asked again,
"Here's the thing, next, I'll be renting the card-making workshop inside the association. Aside from me, there's no one else inside the card-making room. You can just spend your time inside the card-making room. If anyone inside the association asks, I'll just say you're my bodyguard."
As Lanci spoke, he pulled out his savings crystal card.
Apparently, it was the highest-level one.
The Cardmaker's Association in the border city-state would not dare to offend such an esteemed guest indiscriminately.
"Alright."
Talia hesitated for a moment before following, a faint nod acknowledging Lanci's decision.
Compared to waiting outside, she had long wished to see what the human Cardmaker's Association was like from the inside.
Unfortunately, she had always been hindered by her lack of a legal identity.
This human... always seemed to unintentionally cater to her liking.
...
Not long after Lanci led Talia into the association, a steward came forward to greet him.
Even though he isn't a registered card maker in the association, the association staff knew that Lanci had come as a "merchant".
After all, Lanci's family is the famous Wilford Chamber of Commerce in the Nanwantina Border.
"I'd like to rent a high-class single card-making workshop, and I also need some materials,"
Lanci expressed his intentions to the steward in a concise and clear manner, handing him a list.
The steward then bowed respectfully, gesturing for the two of them to follow him.
Guided by the steward, they traveled halfway around the ground floor of the association before stepping onto a floating staircase that led to the third floor.
The hallway looked as if it had decades of history but wasn't overly renovated so as to preserve some of its artistic appeal.
At the end of the hallway, a room with a purple sign hanging on the door came into Lanci and Talia's sight.
The steward opened the door for them and then stepped aside, indicating that they could enter.
"Mr. Lanci Wilford, the rental fee is 1 pound per hour. You can settle the rent bill when you leave, and I'll bring the materials later,"
The steward processed something on a small magic device in his hand before returning a Crystal Card engraved with Lanci's identity.
"Alright, thank you."
Lanci spoke with the steward at the door.
Talia silently stood near Lanci, examining the surroundings.
She immediately noticed that the spacious card-making workshop was equipped with a complete set of card-making facilities, all of which were high-end.
For a border city-state, this was really impressive.
Talia could not remember when she last touched these familiar tools.
But right now, she did not feel like touching them at all.
The magic cards she created, inscribed with demonic text, could not be traded freely in the human kingdom.
If any slips were traced by the Kingdom Alliance Parliament of humans, it would bring about deadly trouble...
...
Before long, the staff, as promised, had prepared and brought the materials Lanci had listed to purchase.
In addition to the blank cards, Energy Crystals, Stamp Magic Stones, and Magic Core Liquid, there were also a bunch of scrolls.
The main materials needed to create the three types of magic cards varied.
Equipment Cards required equipment prototypes and enchantment, Encapsulation tools, and the like.
Summon Cards required materials like Monster Crystal Cores or Soul Crystals.
And to create Spell Cards, Magic Scrolls were needed as materials for processing and rewriting.
For practice purposes, no doubt, Spell Cards were the best choice.
Because the materials and techniques needed for Spell Cards had largely been integrated into Magic Scrolls.
Compared to creating from scratch, making a Spell Card felt more like "re-processing"!
"Aside from staying here, you're free to leave whenever you want. Just find the steward from earlier and he'll escort you in,"
Lanci moved a chair a short distance away from the workbench and motioned for it to be Talia's seat.
Talia nodded.
She didn't fancy the idea of standing around for an entire day either.
Hence, she moved over to the chair and sat down gently. Her back straight, hands lightly placed over her knees – she sat like a noble queen.
Her gaze was nonchalant, as if she was oblivious to her surroundings.
However, once settled in, she realized,
It seemed like she would have to pass time by watching this lad make cards.
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