The Card Apprentice Chapter 361

"The Tai-shus of Dongrui are certainly an ancient clan . About 80 years ago, however, they started a substantial decline in all regards, which reached its bottom about 30 years ago . The current master, Tai-shu Yong, took over ten years ago . At that point, the decline of the House of Tai-shu stopped and showed signs of a looming recovery . But restoring its former glory wasn't something they could achieve in a short time for such a large clan as the Tai-shus . No matter what they might do, the House of Tai-shu had been reduced to a second-tier organization . That is just plain fact . So, I feel like we might just have an opportunity . " Smiling, Xi Ping said, "If it were a big monster like Moon Frost Island, we wouldn't have even have half a chance . "

"Ha ha!" Bogner was rubbing his hands excitedly, though he maintained a certain amount of caution . "We shouldn't be careless, however . As the saying goes, a skinny camel is still bigger than a horse . With its hundreds of years as foundation, this House of Tai-shu shouldn't be looked down upon despite its decline . "

"Mmmm," Xi Ping said in agreement . "The House of Tai-shu has a long history, and it has pretty good relations with all the other old houses and even with Moon Frost Island . It's still deeply rooted in the Dongrui District . The transformation of the House of Tai-shu is principally reflected in its economics . Most of their card artisans are now unknown except for one pretty famous one called Kang Nali .

Chen Mu and Bogner were listening closely . Xi Ping had clearly expended a lot of energy investigating the House of Tai-shu .

"Kang Nali has achieved level seven with his perceptual strength . He has a hot temper and a frank nature . He formed an enmity with a large power when he was young . Tai-shu Yong succeeded in helping him to defuse the enmity, and he then subdued the ace under himself . "

Seventh-level perceptual strength! Chen Mu was stunned . No wonder he was called an ace . Not even Mobley had gotten to level seven as that Kang Nali had . He would have immense power . Chen Mu had never sparred with a card artisan with level-seven perception, but he knew the further behind one fell with perception, the harder it would be . The time required to move from the sixth level to the seventh was far beyond that required to move between the fifth and sixth .

People in the federation with perception at the seventh level were easily listed . But he didn't really know how powerful Tang Hanpei's, Jiao Si's, and such top aces' perceptual level was in the end . He then suddenly thought of Qing Qing from the Star Academy . He wondered what kind of powerful gal she must have been to scare even the demonic woman .

Of course, perceptual strength didn't count for everything . For example, Xiaobo's perceptual strength had only just broken through level six, but if he were to encounter an ordinary card artisan with level-six perception, that card artisan would almost certainly be defeated . Oddly enough, his weakest link was the strength of his perception .

Xiaobo's precise control of perception was so refined that it made chills go down one's spine . His outstanding battle awareness and his incomparably rich experience—not to mention the Wheel from the hands of Chen Mu himself—were all things that made him powerful .

"The Dongrui District is too far away from us, and I haven't been able to find out that much . Moreover, the House of Tai-shu has been very low-key these past few years, and there hasn't been much news of them in any regard . But we don't seem to have any other choice," Xi Ping said with a smile .

No matter how many mysteries there were in the House of Tai-shu, they still represented a lot more opportunity than Moon Frost Island . The Big Six could only render a person hopeless by their very existence .

Xi Ping's expression turned straight as he continued his analysis . "The finances of the House of Tai-shu have been recovering these past few years . Anyhow, a family like that with such deep heritage and hundreds of years of legacy isn't something an ordinary family could compare with . Things have gotten so chaotic and the situation so precarious these days; regardless of whether the House of Tai-shu would be acting to protect themselves or for any other reason, they will still need to increase their battle power . "

"Right . " Bogner was rubbing his stubble as though he had realized something .

"That's our opportunity . " Xi Ping was really looking like a wily old fox now, squinting his eyes . "We can't use force . Even though the House of Tai-shu is now only a second-rate organization, they're still a lot more powerful than we are . They are looking for ways to recruit card artisans right about now, so we might as well take advantage of that to infiltrate the House of Tai-shu . "

"Heh heh . " Bogner sneered and said, "I like that . We'd only have to infiltrate to pull it off . We might as well just take the stuff or kidnap someone . I'm good at both of those!"

Chen Mu broke into a sweat .

As though he hadn't been listening to anything Bogner said, Xi Ping continued talking . "Ransoming would be the best way . The Snowflake Card Artisan Team already knows we have the notion to get the gold-mottled liquid-soft fungus . Once that leaks out, we should expect the ire of the House of Tai-shu . That would mean we would have to abandon our base at this ravine again . "

Bogner immediately shut his mouth . It was the result of everyone's hard work that the ravine had been developed to where it then was . No one would be willing to just abandon it like that .

"We don't need many to go this time . Numbers wouldn't do us any good . The boss and Wei-ah should go together, with the boss out in the open and Wei-ah staying hidden . So long as Wei-ah is there, we won't have to worry about your safety, Boss . After the boss finds some way to infiltrate the House of Tai-shu and earns their trust, he could find out some specifics about the gold-mottled liquid-soft fungus . Then, we'd discuss what he should do," Xi Ping said thoughtfully .

They had too little useful information just then . Even with such shrewd old hands as Xi Ping and Bogner, they still didn't have too many options and would just have to figure things out as they went along .

"Mmmm . " Chen Mu nodded to show he understood . Having heard what Xi Ping had to say, he also understood it was his only chance . He considered whether he should ask Bogner for some advice after a while, given his knowledge of stealing and kidnapping .

"Boss!" Bogner's gaze was burning into Chen Mu . Chen Mu had been keeping up his ever-calm look, as though what they were talking about had nothing to do with him .

"What?" Chen Mu was waiting for what Bogner had to say .

After pondering, Bogner finally said, "You're too low-key, Boss . You're going to have to change your style this time . "

"Too low-key?" Chen Mu didn't quite understand .

"Right . Too low-key!" Xi Ping added . "Of course, nothing need be said about the boss's power, but with no fame, it's not good for this plan of ours . The better known you are, the more importance people will place on you, and the easier it will be to impress people . Think about it, Boss . If president Jiao Si were to show up in Dongrui, the whole region would probably be stirred up . If you had the fame of Tang Hanpei, then once you opened your mouth, the House of Tai-shu would immediately be groveling to put the gold-mottled liquid-soft fungus into your hands!"

"What Xi Ping is saying is so right!" Bogner spoke from his heart . "Being famous is a lot different from being unknown . Everyone is common, and you and I are no exception . If you break out with a little fame, you won't even have to open your mouth before the House of Tai-shu will take the initiative to solicit you . If you remain unknown, nobody's going to pay attention to you . "

It wasn't as though Chen Mu knew nothing about the ways of the world, but he didn't normally think about such things . With the two of them now pushing the same point, he finally got it .

"So, how am I going to get famous?" Chen Mu asked directly .

"Oh, that's a good question . " Bogner was tapping his fingers, looking very expert . Putting on a serious act, he said, "For any other person, getting famous would be a pretty difficult thing . But for someone as stunning as you, Boss, it really would be nothing but simple . If you just show your hand, I guarantee people will be crowing your name right away…"

"I need specifics!" Chen Mu cut Bogner off .

Bogner sneered, and his gaze flickered like a wolf staring at its prey . "Very simple . The boss only has to defeat a few so-called famous card artisans . That would be enough . You have to be arrogant, for sure! If anyone dares to provoke you, you just have to take him down . Heh heh, to be so young with such power, it would be normal to have something of a hot temper . "

Chen Mu's gaze turned to Xi Ping, who nodded . "This would certainly be the simplest way . "

Chen Mu suddenly thought of an issue . "What if we attract the attention of Tang Hanpei and those guys?"

That name was certainly a dark cloud over everyone's head, with his fiery methods and decisive killings such that no one could ever know what he was thinking . How could anyone not be afraid of such a person?

"It would be better if you could change your appearance, Boss . Ask Sue Lochiro if she can do something about it," Xi Ping muttered .

They kept up the discussion for a while and resolved a lot of details . It was a large-scale plan, and Chen Mu would have to master it as the situation developed . Even though he had no experience with such things, he would have to harden himself since it was his only chance .

After making the decision, Chen Mu took himself back into the lab, where he needed to do a great deal of preparation .

Only a few people knew about it when Chen Mu and Wei-ah left the base . The two of them had both entirely changed their appearances . No one knew what Sue Lochiro was thinking when she made Chen Mu into an ugly-looking youth . Wei-ah, on the other hand, looked unusually handsome, which went along with his chill-to-the-bone temperament that could entrance who knew how many women . It all left Bogner and Xi Ping endlessly laughing .

It was a long way from the Pascal District to the Dongrui District, requiring three months' travel . Chen Mu knew how urgent the action was, but he wasn't in any hurry . Apart from their travel time each day, he spent all of his time doing resistance training with Wei-ah .

According to the plan Xi Ping and Bogner had devised, he would have to quickly familiarize himself with the Hundred Changes . If he didn't become completely familiar with that card, the challenges to come would be meaningless .

A series of snow shuttle vessels 15 meters off the ground whistled along . Unlike other districts, since the Heavenly Drum Village District was basically covered in ice, long-distance flights were dependent on the snow shuttle vessels instead of long-distance shuttle trains .

Sitting in the soft seat, Chen Mu fell into something of a daze . The training with Wei-ah the night before had worn him out, making the time along the road his chance to rest .

The vessel suddenly stopped, and the dazed Chen Mu opened his sleepy eyes .

Chapter end