Slipping on his coat, Lanqi picked up the law code borrowed from the Frontier Library off the desk and stepped out of his room.
As the morning light brightened, the world outside came into clearer view.
After finishing breakfast as usual, exchanging a few pleasantries with the butler Hans, and bidding farewell to the maid Francine, Lanqi walked straight out of the manor and headed toward the familiar street corner.
Before long, he spotted Talia standing by the wall.
"Good morning, Tata."
Lanqi greeted Talia, who had been waiting there since early morning.
Earlier, when Lanqi asked for her name, Talia had not told him her real one.
Instead, she claimed to be called "Tata."
Even though Lanqi had known her true name all along, he had to pretend otherwise.
If he accidentally let slip the name "Talia," it would surely cause tremendous trouble.
An ordinary commoner like him had no possible reason to know the real identity of the demon princess.
And so, Lanqi naturally addressed her by the alias "Tata."
"Mm."
Talia merely nodded, paying him no further heed.
Once Lanqi set out on his itinerary for the day, she followed him, keeping an even, measured distance.
***
About half an hour later, Lanqi and Talia arrived at the Card Makers Association—Hutton Kingdom, South Vantina Frontier Territory Branch.
Before Lanqi could even touch the heavy entrance doors, a mysterious energy began to drift across them.
Driven by this force, the ancient emblem etched into the dark, iron-like metal began to pulse with an eerie blue glow, brimming with magical power as if it had come alive.
With a faint hum of vibration, the seam between the heavy doors slowly widened.
What greeted their eyes was a scene entirely different from the world outside.
The association's interior was dignified and elegant. Aside from a neatly arranged counter area, there was little excessive ornamentation, giving the whole layout a distinct sense of orderly purpose.
Even though it was only morning, busy staff members were already bustling all about. Many visitors waited before the counters, discussing topics concerning magic cards and the Shadow World.
Lanqi had just stepped foot into the grand and magnificent building when he suddenly paused.
"Tata, I'm not sure when I'll finish today. Why don't you come inside with me?"
He turned back to Talia and asked.
Ever since striking their deal, Lanqi had made a point over the past several days of informing Talia of his schedule in advance, including what time he left in the morning and when he returned home at night.
As a bodyguard, Talia was exceptionally dedicated.
Whether Lanqi went to the Frontier Library or the Card Makers Association, she had previously waited outside the entrance until he emerged.
Such important establishments were far from poorly guarded, so Lanqi had explained to her that she did not need to accompany him everywhere.
For instance, once she saw Lanqi safely back to the manor, her duty was done for the day.
Furthermore, Lanqi knew full well that Talia possessed no credentials to enter such premises.
In the Hutton Kingdom, she was currently nothing more than an undocumented stowaway.
If trespassing into the branch of such a major association led to an identity check, it might invite serious trouble.
"No."
Talia's voice was devoid of emotion.
Yet her tone carried its usual distant chill.
Lanqi let out a soft sigh and planted his hands on his hips, looking at her.
"I might have to spend long hours here every day from now on. If you wait outside for me day in and day out... won't staking out the place look even more conspicuous?"
"..."
His words rendered Talia silent as she seemed to weigh the thought.
"Don't you think being able to freely enter and leave the Card Makers Association would make your job much easier?" Lanqi pressed. "Here's the plan: I'm going to rent a private workshop inside. There won't be anyone else in the room besides me, so you can just pass the time in there. If anyone asks, I'll say you're my bodyguard."
As Lanqi spoke, he produced his crystal bank card.
Evidently, it was of the highest tier.
The Card Makers Association in a frontier city-state would never lightly offend an esteemed guest of his standing.
"Fine."
After a moment's hesitation, Talia gave a slight nod and followed him in.
Truth be told, rather than waiting outside, she had long wanted to take a look inside a human Card Makers Association.
Unfortunately, she had lacked a legal identity for years.
This human... somehow always managed, by hook or by crook, to give her exactly what she wanted.
***
Shortly after Lanqi entered the association with Talia, an attendant stepped forward to receive him.
Though Lanqi was not a registered card maker with the association, the staff knew he came under the identity of a merchant.
After all, his family ran the renowned Wilfort Chamber of Commerce in the South Vantina frontier territory.
"I'd like to rent a high-grade private workshop. I also need some materials."
Lanqi stated his request clearly and concisely to the attendant, handing over a list.
The attendant nodded with polite deference and raised a hand, gesturing for the two to follow.
Led by the attendant past half of the ground floor's expansive interior, they rode a levitating stairway up to the third floor.
The corridor on this level looked decades old, yet it had been spared aggressive renovations to preserve its artistic heritage.
At the far end of the passageway, a room bearing a purple plaque came into view.
The attendant unlocked the door and stepped aside, gesturing for them to enter.
"Mr. Lanqi Wilfort, the rental fee is one pound per hour. You may settle the account upon your departure. I will have the materials delivered shortly."
After tapping away at a compact magical device in his hands, the attendant returned the crystal card inscribed with Lanqi's identity.
"Alright, thank you."
Lanqi chatted briefly with the attendant by the doorway.
Talia stood quietly nearby, inspecting the surroundings.
A single glance told her that this spacious workshop contained a complete set of card-crafting facilities, all of fairly high quality.
For a frontier city-state to possess such equipment was quite impressive.
Talia could not even recall how long it had been since she last touched such familiar tools.
Yet she had no desire to touch them now.
The magic cards she crafted, inscribed in demonic script, could not be traded openly in the human realms.
If any trace slipped through and the Kingdom Alliance Council caught scent of it, it would bring lethal trouble...
***
Before long, the staff prepared and delivered the materials Lanqi had ordered according to his list.
Aside from standard supplies such as blank cards, energy crystals, transcription magic stones, and monster core fluid, there was also a stack of scrolls.
The core ingredients required for crafting the three major categories of magic cards differed.
Equipment cards required a prototype of the equipment along with enchanting and sealing implements.
Summon cards required materials such as monster cores or soul crystals.
Spell cards, on the other hand, required magic scrolls as raw material to be processed and rewritten.
For practice, spell cards were undoubtedly the best choice.
A large portion of the materials and craftsmanship required for a spell card was already integrated within the magic scroll.
Rather than creating something from scratch, crafting a spell card was closer to a process of "re-engineering"!
"You don't have to stay here the whole time. If you want to step out, you can leave whenever you like—just find that attendant from earlier, and he'll bring you back in."
Lanqi pulled up a chair and placed it not far from the workbench, indicating it was for Talia.
Talia nodded slightly.
She had no desire to stand waiting all day either.
Walking over to the chair, Talia sat down gracefully, her back straight and her hands lightly folded over her knees like a noble empress.
She gazed ahead with a calm, aloof expression, seemingly paying no attention to the things around her.
Yet after settling into her seat, she realized something.
It seemed that for the rest of the day, her only way to pass the time would be watching this kid make cards.
Chapter 9