The Card Apprentice

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Mei Da looked about sixty-some years old, with a face full of wrinkles and his hair and beard all white. He had somewhat cloudy glasses, but was still very amiable looking. He wore loose casual clothes, rather far from the formal dress of Zuo Tingyi’s kind.

“It’s Tingyi, how have you been lately?” Mei Da laughingly said toward Zuo Tingyi, “Your father really wanted me to come here for a while, so how could I refuse.” Mei Da and Zuo Tianlin had known one another for over twenty years, and their relationship had gone far beyond ordinary friendship. Mei Da was very fond of Zuo Tingyi, and had emptied his pockets to teach him, and never kept anything from him.

“Wonderful! Then I can once again hear your expansive instruction!” His joy was palpable in his words.

Mei Da smiled brightly, and then asked with concern, “How have your studies been lately? Have you run into any difficulties?”

“There hasn’t been any trouble with my school work.” Then Zuo Tingyi remembered that so called ‘apparatus killer’ card play, “Chance Encounter,” and quickly added, “But I did recently acquire some strange cards. I used all my equipment wanting to analyze them. The strange thing was that no matter which piece of analytical equipment, it would turn to scrap as soon as it analyzed the card.”

“Oh, that’s still going on?” Mei Da asked with a lot of interest, “Are those cards still around? Let me have a look.”

Zuo Tingyi took Mei Da to his lab at once.

Mei Da closely examined some of the one-star fantasy cards from the “Chance Encounter” card play, and his face turned gradually grave. Zuo Tingyi didn’t dare ask him anything until he had put the card down, “Teacher, were you able to find any clues?”

“These one-star fantasy cards have a very special composition inside, and I have no way just now to make any precise determination.” Mei Da was speaking very circumspectly. Zuo Tingyi knew his teacher very well, and usually when the teacher used that tone, it was clear that the teacher wasn’t sure either.

“What about your damaged equipment?” Mei Da suddenly asked.

Zuo Tingyi pointed to the corner, “Over there.”

“Ha ha, by their look, these one-star fantasy cards have a lot of destructive power!” Mei Da said laughingly while he was smoothing his beard.

Zuo Tingyi also laughed, “Some classmates in our school also suffered a disaster.” And then he told him a little about how they had wanted to crack those fantasy cards at the beginning, and then afterward the matter of the two million apiece restitution. Then he talked about how he’d destroyed his little sister’s card play and the fuss he had caused.

Mei Da got a kick out of it all.

“I’ll first look at what basically happened to these machines.” Seeing Zuo Tingyi’s look of not understanding, Mei Da explained, “since we have no way to use the equipment to analyze them now, we can analyze the machines, to find out why they were actually destroyed, and we can then infer what kind of damage this kind of fantasy card is actually capable of.”

Zuo Tingyi immediately understood what the teacher was talking about, and thought with admiration at once; why hadn’t he thought of that himself?

Of course, this sort of ‘coolie’ work was going to have to be done by Zuo Tingyi himself. Mei Da pointed out those things that Zuo Tingyi should be paying attention to, as well as explaining to him the function of each part within the apparatus, which benefitted Zuo Tingyi greatly.

The huge analytic machine was dismembered piece by piece like that, until the most core component, the probe card, was in Mei Da’s hand.

This probe card had been half fried, which changed its appearance beyond recognition. Mei Da put this probe card in front of his eyes, on the one hand examining it closely while on the other explaining to his beloved disciple, “The body of this probe card uses white wen mineral powder and set-cliff powder, which after mixing is added into the high-strength fibers from a red-star snake-skin and then press-formed with cold moon gum. A characteristic of this card is that it is very hard, with good adhesion, and having another particular quality of being able to sustain high temperatures.”

“So how could it be burned up like this?” Zuo Tingyi said with incomprehension.

Mei Da laughed, “So-called ‘withstand high temperatures’ is a relative concept. If the temperature exceeds its limits, it will burn just the same.”

“So, what you mean is that it produced temperatures beyond its own critical point?”

“Correct!” Mei Da continued, “Although I’m not so clear about how to make this probe card, I know a thing or two about its principles. It can put out a lot of subtle energy to penetrate into the card being analyzed, and can determine its composition from the feedback energy. This is the principle of most analytical equipment.”

Seeing Zuo Tingyi’s adoring look, Mei Da laughed involuntarily, “Ha ha, these are not such abstruse principles, just broaden your reading a little and it will be easy to find out. But you’re still young now, and not yet suited for such messy things”

Zuo Tingyi looked a little crestfallen.

Mei Da’s gaze returned to the burnt probe card, and he muttered, “The reason for this card burning was certainly that it had exceeded its critical point. But under what conditions would the temperature go up?”

Seeing his teacher’s look of ponderous concentration, Zuo Tingyi didn’t dare to interrupt him.

After a whole half hour, Mei Da finally emerged from his pondering, and his two eyes gradually regained their clarity. Seeing Zuo Tingyi’s concerned look, Mei Da shook his head, and said diffidently, “I’m old, and my spirit won’t carry me. I can’t see clearly what’s going on here. I’ll have to consider it carefully and tell you as soon as I have come up with something.”

Zuo Tingyi felt some regret. He shouldn’t have given his teacher that problem. He couldn’t help but to tactfully advise, “Teacher, put this problem aside, and consider it again when you have the time.”

“Ha ha, don’t worry so much. Although I’m old, it’s still way too early to die. You shouldn’t worry so much.” Mei Da laughed.

Zuo Tingyi pondered it after he had sent Professor Mei Da back home. Professor Mei Da wasn’t only a high-grade card master, but his knowledge and experience far exceeded that of most high-grade card masters. Even he had no way to come to any conclusion about the card. What could leave him without any ideas? 𝑓𝓇𝑒𝑒𝚠e𝘣𝓷𝘰ѵe𝑙.com

Could it be a new sect? Or someone who’d come up with something new?

He thought for half a day and came up with nothing. Then Zuo Tingyi was suddenly slapping himself on the skull. Why hadn’t he been thinking of looking into the card master who’d made the card play? If he could find the person, wouldn’t that resolve all the questions? Since he’d been able to buy the card play, and with the Zuo family purchasing power, he was absolutely certain that he could dig up the card master.

He immediately found the house manager and gave him the problem. Specialized matters should be managed by specialists.

He was full of curiosity about the guy who could make such an awesome card.𝑓𝗿𝐞𝘦𝘄ｅ𝘣n𝘰𝘷eƖ.c𝘰𝗺