Chapter 253: 253 Do you lack cards?_1
In the following days, Wen Jiang strolled around outside but indeed didn’t come across any discussions about the Celestial Maiden.
Did Karin inadvertently let something slip? Probably not. She’s also an interesting woman.
Wen Jiang also gained a general understanding of why the supervision of Card Makers was so lax. They were free, but they also couldn’t access the core. Apart from belonging to Fiend’s Sixth Division, Spirit Card Masters couldn’t go to any core areas, and Karin wouldn’t divulge any unnecessary information. Even as an undercover agent, this information wasn’t valuable enough to leak.
It seems the Fiends kept Spirit Card Masters at arm’s length because they are valuable yet difficult to control.
Looking at it this way, her move to become a Card Maker couldn’t be said to be entirely correct, but at least she had found a long-term position in Ceylon City that wouldn’t arouse suspicion.
The information about the ’Blood Emperor’ dangled before her, but to get an audience with him, one had to climb to the top spot among Card Makers—a prospect Wen Jiang lacked interest in.
Currently, the cards released by Mount Flower were selling smoothly. Wen Jiang even saw tourists and locals in Ceylon City purchasing her card-related merchandise.
See? Card quality is the ultimate truth; they can sell all over the world.
Just then, Wen Jiang ran into Dejie again. She waved him over.
Dejie’s expression soured, but he didn’t dare defy a Spirit Card Master. If a local without connections displeased a Spirit Card Master, they could be beaten up and wouldn’t dare utter a word of protest. And Wen Jiang was a rather unscrupulous one at that.
He shuffled over reluctantly, a fawning smile on his face. "Miss Helena, do you need something from me?"
Wen Jiang was straightforward. "Last time I asked if you knew about the Sixth Division, you said you didn’t. This time, I’m asking about another place: where is the Underground Arena?"
Every city had its shady dealings, and Ceylon City took them to an extreme. Card battles elsewhere were just PK matches, but here, they were fights to the death. The Underground Arena beneath Ceylon Cemetery was particularly infamous for its life-or-death duels. Losers were lucky to survive; whether they’d be missing limbs or suffer a mental collapse and become imbeciles was unpredictable.
But this arena isn’t for the average tourist. While Wen Jiang has ways to sneak in, she must use conventional means—someone has to show her the way. She is currently visiting various places in Ceylon City, scouting the map, planning where she might direct her Thunder Tribulation without being intercepted. As for other parts of Ceylon Cemetery, it’s too vast—better to find a precise target for a strike first.
According to her information, her brother George had disappeared near the Underground Arena years ago.
This was a very vague lead. He might have been a tourist, or perhaps he was harmed near the arena specifically to make the Fiends’ investigation inconclusive. After all, there were plenty of similar incidents, making it difficult for the Fiends to pinpoint where people died, which naturally prevented them from discovering George was a fabrication.
The Underground Arena was well-known, so finding access shouldn’t be too difficult. Yet Dejie looked puzzled. "Miss Helena, you’re now a Card Maker for the Sixth Division. If you want to go there, just ask Miss Karin for a letter of introduction."
Hearing this, Wen Jiang tossed a 200-unit tip on the table. "This is for you."
Dejie’s face lit up with joy.
Wen Jiang went to Karin for an introduction letter.
To her surprise, Karin looked at her with an enigmatic smile. "I was just about to suggest you go take a look."
Wen Jiang, feigning curiosity, asked, "Look at what?"
"What do you want to see?" Karin replied. "For Card Makers like you, the quickest way to make a fortune is to provide the cards you’ve created to the Spirit Card Masters fighting in the Underground Arena. If your cards are powerful enough, they’ll win the audience’s favor, and you’ll naturally have no trouble with sales.
"Moreover, those Spirit Card Masters excel only in combat. While they might win a lot of prize money, most of it is allocated for other purposes, so they can’t afford particularly good cards. As a Spirit Card Master yourself, you can choose to sponsor someone. As long as they win, you’ll get a share of the profits."
There were two types of arenas: A-Level, which was streamed live, and B-Level, for which tickets were sold on-site. This setup was common worldwide, but Ceylon Cemetery’s version was especially bloody. If the on-site referee didn’t intervene in time, a ruthless victor might even let their Card Spirit kill the defeated Spirit Card Master after the match. Such brutal contests were usually the most effective at stirring the crowd’s excitement.
If one wanted to make a name for their cards, there was no better venue. After all, isn’t this what a normal Card Maker should pursue?
In Karin’s eyes, Wen Jiang searching for her brother was one thing, but her primary role as a Card Maker was to make money for the Sixth Division.
Wen Jiang indeed understood Karin’s underlying message. She didn’t refuse and, after receiving the letter of introduction from Karin, headed to the Underground Arena.
The arena building was magnificent. Wen Jiang entered the B-Level venue and, noticing many people wearing masks, put one on as well. The stands were packed with ticket-holding spectators from all over the world. They screamed wildly, cheering for the competitors.
Wen Jiang arrived just in time to see a match between a young Spirit Card Master and a burly man. Compared to his opponent, the boy was indeed as thin as a kitten. The match was nearing its end. The boy’s forehead was drenched in cold sweat, his spiritual power utterly depleted. He controlled an eagle that had barely managed to drag the opposing Card Spirit to its demise, now struggling to hold on by a thread, not yet collapsing.
Amidst the bloodthirsty cries from the crowd shouting, "Kill him! Kill him!" the boy made no move. He tried to make the eagle budge, but he had no strength left. His opponent had already fainted from spiritual power exhaustion.
This kind of match had no honor; there was no such thing as a fair 1v1 battle. One could start strong with two cards or immediately summon another if one was lost. It was a fight to the death. Until the very end, Spirit Card Masters desperately tried to prevent their own minds from collapsing.
The boy’s eyelids drooped. As if confirming he was out of strength, the referee reluctantly blew the whistle. A chorus of boos erupted from the crowd.
Someone quickly dragged his opponent from the arena. The boy, meanwhile, shakily stood up and walked out, even spitting out a mouthful of blood as he went.
A giant display board hung above the venue, his name engraved on it:
[Sa Ang Won.]
Zero Egg hesitantly remarked, "This match is really uncomfortable to watch."
Of course, it’s uncomfortable. A bloody spectacle, a place that lures people into depravity—every world has such places. In her mind, the dark glow of that card intensified, and it seemed the man within might awaken at any moment. This place was like a breeding ground, feeding him energy.
Wen Jiang glanced at Sa Ang’s retreating figure. With Karin’s letter of introduction, she could access the backstage area of the arena.
Sa Ang was resting there with his eyes closed. Wen Jiang approached and spoke directly in the local Ceylon City dialect.
"Do you need cards?"