Chapter Eight: Dilemma
1140 Words
Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind, and his fingers deftly inserted the card into the slot of the wrist gauge on his hand.
"Drip." The image projected on the card remained the same as before.
What had happened to this card? Chen Mu's curiosity suddenly became overwhelming, and he wished he could rush out to buy a Three-Star Energy Card immediately.
Impulse is the devil! Impulse is the devil! Chen Mu muttered to himself, reminding himself that it was not a small amount of money. It took great effort for him to finally restrain himself. Most people would probably have succumbed and bought a Three-Star Energy Card long ago. But Chen Mu stubbornly held back; he never lacked self-control.
As he gradually calmed down, he quickly realized his priority. For now, the primary task was to learn how to make illusion cards, which was a qualitative leap for him. Although it was a simple and seemingly insignificant wish, for Chen Mu, who had been struggling alone for so long, this day had been eagerly anticipated for a long time.
He didn't have time to be distracted by other things. The reason he didn't want to touch his savings was for this wish. He didn't know how long it would take or how much material it would consume, so he had been enduring, refraining from buying a Three-Star Energy Card. Although this card was mysterious, making illusion cards had been Chen Mu's wish for years. When he was a wandering child, he often became fascinated by the ever-changing lights forming illusion card advertisements outside shops. At that time, he would often forget about the cold that his thin clothes couldn't withstand.
The issue of sustenance was already completely satisfying for him now. If not for this wish, he wouldn't have studied card theory so seriously. Just making energy cards alone would sustain his current life, and to be honest, he was quite content with his current life.
He wasn't an ambitious person; his childhood wishes were mostly simple and ordinary, just to have enough to eat, clothes to wear, and a place to live. These were all fulfilled. The only thing remaining was the colorful illusion card advertisements that lingered in his memory on winter nights.
Exhaling forcefully, Chen Mu gently placed the mysterious card in his drawer. Until he learned how to make illusion cards, he would not attempt to decipher the mystery of this card.
Looking at the pile of waste cards on the table, Chen Mu said nothing, sitting back down. He had long been accustomed to failure. All along, he had been exploring alone, and failure was commonplace for him. If he had been discouraged by failure, he would not have come this far.
Keep trying! Chen Mu clenched his fists silently.
Seven days passed.
Chen Mu's face was worn with fatigue, his eyes bloodshot. In front of him lay countless cards, none with intact patterns on their surfaces, all waste cards. For seven days, he had continuously attempted to make illusion cards, yet not once had he succeeded.
He couldn't figure out how to control the pen with his perception. He could clearly feel the strong properties contained in the ink flowing from the pen tip, but he couldn't use his perception to control these liquids and make them merge with the card. The ink on the pen tip behaved like wild horses, refusing to obey.
Chen Mu's perception was originally low, and after several attempts, he had to rest and wait for his perception to recover. For seven days, he had been drawing illusion cards day and night, yet not a single success. This blow to his confidence was far more exhausting than the fatigue of his mind and body combined.
Where had he gone wrong?
Chen Mu painfully pulled at his disheveled hair.
Sitting despondently on the chair, staring at the pile of waste cards on the table, Chen Mu was lost in thought. These days, the consumption wasn't just his energy but also a large amount of money. The main expense was the cost of materials. Although it was only a One-Star Illusion Card, it had already cost nearly ten thousand Odi.
His meager savings couldn't withstand several more attempts like this! Chen Mu chuckled bitterly.
Standing up, he pushed open the window, and the bright sunshine fell on his face, warming him as he closed his eyes contentedly. Whatever the case, it was time to take a break.
Walking on the sun-drenched street, Chen Mu, whose mood had become extremely bad due to the failure of making a One-Star Illusion Card, gradually relaxed. A sunny and sunny day was also one of the favorite things for a wandering child because he didn't have to worry about the cold or silently lose his life in the cold wind.
Humming a tune, hands clasped behind his head, Chen Mu strolled casually.
Unknowingly, he walked to the gate of East Guard Academy.
He hadn't been inside East Guard Academy yet. Without thinking, Chen Mu, whose mood had become cheerful, walked straight toward East Guard Academy.
East Guard Academy did not restrict the entry of non-academy personnel because of its beautiful scenery and numerous historical sites, attracting many tourists. The profit generated by these tourists to East Guard Academy every year was not a small amount. Therefore, every session of the school council vigorously rectified the environment of the academy, which had also become one of the features of East Guard Academy. Although East Guard Academy couldn't compete in strength among the top one hundred federations, it entered the top ten in the "Most Beautiful Federal Academy" selection every year, which was also the pride of everyone in East Commerce Guard City.
Entering East Guard Academy, groups of three or five tourists could be seen everywhere. It was easy to distinguish between tourists and students; students always wore neat school uniforms. However, no matter where he went, Chen Mu stood out like a sore thumb.
With his tousled hair, wrinkled and dirty clothes, wearing a pair of sandals, and a face that hadn't been washed for several days, he looked like a beggar.
Ignoring the disdainful glances of the people around him, Chen Mu lay down on the grass, seemingly at ease. Having been a wandering child since childhood, he was accustomed to the vicissitudes of life, immune to these eyes of disdain and aversion.
The action of sitting on the ground was so natural that the people around him became even more certain that he was a beggar, and they all walked around him.
Ignoring all this, Chen Mu lay on the grass, basking lazily in the sun. The warmth of the sun on his body was so comfortable that he didn't want to move at all.
At this moment, voices speaking caught his ears.
- Writer
