When their surroundings brightened once more, an expanse of verdant mountains stretched to the distant horizon, where lush emerald meadows met a winding, ribbon-like stream.
The water flowed crystal clear in an unending current, its rippling green waves reflecting the swaying silhouettes of trees. Viewed from afar, it seemed like a pristine canopy of heaven, casting a dreamlike, illusory aura over the entire landscape.
Lanqi stood upon elevated ground. Irregular tiers of white stone walls linked into a continuous perimeter, culminating in a solemn temple. Lush vines twined around towering stone pillars, dotted with blossoms that trembled gently in the breeze.
Flawless, lofty pillars firmly supported an intricately sculpted ceiling of pure white, its carved reliefs radiating an aura of solemn divinity.
The mirror-smooth floor reflected the sunlight filtering through high chandelier skylights. From the heart of the temple, a single downward glance offered a panoramic vista of the refreshing green fields stretching far beyond.
"To think such a picturesque paradise could exist," Lanqi murmured as he gazed at the primitive, mysterious domain.
"..."
Karen glanced at him, speechless.
He truly was an outsider, seeing only the surface.
Though this domain appeared vast and boundless, in reality, it was merely a projection produced by a supreme barrier spell. Its underlying mechanism was somewhat similar to an artificial Shadow World.
Yet this space differed from a true Shadow World; it fell far short of the genuine article.
One could say it was an entity suspended somewhere between an artificial Shadow World and a real one.
Because of its inherent imperfections, one could not venture far at all. Moving just a certain distance from this temple made every step nearly impossible.
What sustained the entire domain was a colossal mural at the temple's center.
The mural appeared incomplete, making it easy to recognize as the prototype for the stone relief of the [Original Slate - Wind]. It bore unmistakable traces of modification by magic artificers and was densely inscribed with complex barrier formulas. Yet the base material itself was something no human magic engineering technique could have ever produced.
"Lanqi, we didn't come here to sightsee. If you want to gain any insights, you should be focusing on the mural," Karen reminded him.
She could not yet gauge Lanqi's true caliber, but Loren's remark about Lanqi's formidable card-making prowess still lingered in her mind.
A brief exchange would make it easy to tell.
Lanqi turned his gaze toward the mural, gradually becoming captivated.
Only after a long moment did he finally speak.
"They say that if all thirty-two Original Slate murals were pieced together, they would depict a grand war from the divine era—one that lasted until the gods perished, giving rise to the subsequent eras belonging to all living beings. Seeing it in person is truly breathtaking."
"Do you really not care at all about the magic formulas on the mural?"
Karen was utterly disappointed. She could not comprehend how Lanqi could earnestly marvel over facts found in any standard textbook.
"I think the mural itself is much more interesting," Lanqi replied with a smile.
"You can see that sort of thing in any academy text."
Especially the [Original Slate - Wind], which had been thoroughly analyzed by various societies and academies in recent years.
"Seeing it with your own eyes is different from looking at illustrations."
The two wandered through the temple, conversing as they walked.
Within this space, one could feel an ever-mounting mental pressure. Regardless of one's cultivation or rank, after about two hours, the domain would expel them, barring them from ever entering it again. In this respect, it closely resembled a real Shadow World, presenting a non-repeatable challenge.
It did not take long to understand as much of the barrier formulas on the mural as one was capable of discerning.
Often, once a visitor had gleaned enough and no longer wished to endure the crushing mental strain, they could simply exit. There were indeed precedents of magic artificers concluding their observations very quickly.
Typically, only card makers lingered for extended periods. Because the domain possessed a structure similar to a Shadow World, card makers could bring portable card-crafting kits inside in the form of magic cards, use the unique materials within the Original Slate's domain to forge magic cards, bind them to their souls, and carry them outside.
This was the very principle that allowed battlefield card makers to maximize their gains from Shadow Worlds. When entering and exiting a Shadow World, only magic cards bound to the soul could pass through. Thus, only by crafting magic cards inside a Shadow World was there a slight chance of bringing out precious materials gathered during the conquest under a different form.
In less than half an hour, both had observed roughly all they could.
"Lanqi, what do you think?" Karen asked with evident intrigue.
The only thing that piqued her curiosity now was the true skill level of this card maker whom Loren held in such high regard.
"I don't really understand the formulas related to wind-attribute magic. This trip was just to broaden my horizons," Lanqi admitted candidly.
After looking at it, he genuinely only thought the scenery was lovely and the mural visually stunning—a style he had never encountered even as a former art director.
As for the wind magic formulas inscribed upon it, he felt as though six of his seven apertures were open—which was to say, one remained completely blocked, leaving him utterly clueless.
Just as ordinary people could not comprehend sealing magic, he could not make sense of wind magic.
Unless he were asked to critique the mural as a piece of art, in which case he could share plenty of insights.
"You really are adorable, Lanqi," Karen said with a tilted head and a smile. "Do you still plan to craft a card later, then?"
The materials in the temple were not exceptionally high-grade—just leftover scraps from the Original Slate.
If one could not comprehend the barrier formulas of the Original Slate itself, using materials sharing the same origin would never produce any magic card of value.
"I could, or I could not. I'd rather look at the mural a bit more," Lanqi answered with a completely laid-back attitude.
"Then I won't wait for you. I'm going to craft a card here. You can watch from the side, though how much you understand will depend on your own comprehension."
Karen spoke to Lanqi like a kindly senior student.
On the surface, her demeanor was exceedingly warm and friendly, but inwardly, she still harbored a grudge against Lanqi and longed for an opportunity to thoroughly humiliate him.
A card maker's gains from observation were judged by the most direct metric: whatever card they produced.
Right now, scholars and journalists were waiting outside; the stake had already been set for Lanqi.
Besides, based on Lanqi's magic-engineering illiteracy in their conversation just now, how could Loren have the nerve to claim he was formidable?
Karen found it laughable.
Once she crafted an exceptional card, she would see what pathetic excuse of a card Lanqi managed to make, and then she could rub it right in his face.
"All right."
Lanqi crossed his arms and sat down on the box-like stone steps not far away, watching Karen.
He was in no rush to craft a card, as he was genuinely in the dark regarding the principles of magic engineering on the Original Slate.
Furthermore, he had never made a wind-attribute magic card before and possessed abysmal affinity for it; using the slate materials here without the card exploding would already be a stroke of good fortune.
Yet observing Karen craft her card was meaningful.
In the southeastern region of the Southern Continent, Platinum-rank card makers were few and far between.
A Platinum-rank card maker examination typically required three card makers of Platinum rank or above to serve as examiners.
The Aloran Kingdom and the Hutton Kingdom belonged to the same examination district. When the Southern Continent Card Makers Association assigned examiners for Platinum-rank card maker trials according to proximity, Lanqi was very likely to fill Duke Mikhail's vacancy and participate as an examiner.
Karen would certainly take the Platinum-rank card maker exam in the future, making her a fitting sample candidate.
Lanqi simply treated this as an advance rehearsal for his proctor duties.
Chapter 215