The Card Apprentice

Chapter 566: The Cave

Just as Chen Mu and the gang were getting prepared to enter the House of a Hundred Depths, the situation at the Heavenly Federation went through changes at alarming speeds.

The military had begun to intervene with the federal affairs, and in the eyes of professionals, this marked the beginning of chaos to the Tianyou Federation.

However, the military that Moon Frost Island had high hopes for could not provide the help that was anticipated. Su Heiming was a cunning man; he had foreseen that the two major military forces with connections to Moon Frost Island would get involved and had managed to persuade the two military forces that were close to the Desert Camp beforehand, cutting off every mean his opponent had to call for support.

On the other hand, Star Academy had also been defeated repeatedly under the extreme pressure of Tang Hanpei. It seemed as though the oldest academy in the entire Heavenly Federation was about to go down and disappear without a trace. Finally, Rossiji, with his title as the first tactical genius of the Heavenly Federation, offered a helping hand. Nick and himself would officially enter the Academy.

Following Fatty’s entry to the academy, the situation had instantly calmed down. He had brought together the Central Repository of the Classics and Bitter Solitude Temple, immediately forming an alliance amid three parties, forcing Tang Hanpei to put a halt to forward-moving plans.

At this point, the Heavenly Federation welcomed a brand new era.

Among the Big Six, apart from Bitter Solitude Temple and Moon Frost Island which were still led by the older generation, the other four, namely the Comprehensive Federation Academy in the Heavenly Federation, the Desert Camp, the Central Repository of the Classics and the Star Academy had younger people in charge.

In the meantime, besides preparing for the journey to the House of a Hundred Depths, Chen Mu had also ordered the members of the Snow Silkworm Card Artisan Team and the Wood Battalion to have their families brought over to Eastern Shang-Wei City. Despite the endless wars and the turmoil that followed, the family members did not encounter any difficulties en route because they had banners of the Wood Battalion and Snow Silkworm Card Artisan Team in view. In fact, they received the protection of influential bodies, making their journey a smooth and unimpeded one.

Chen Mu was already known as a person of importance throughout the Heavenly Federation. The power that he possessed had everyone deeply impressed. At this sensitive time, not a single soul was willing to get on his bad side. Every single camp and team under his wing held brilliant war records and great reputations, and these all had come from actual, true battles.

The scoundrels of Eastern Shang-Wei City had also finally found out about the origin of these people in the city, but that simply caused them to stay low out of fear. To the commoners, however, this was terrific news. With Chen Mu by their sides, Eastern Shang-Wei City would become one of the safest places in the entire Heavenly Federation.

Although anxious, Bai Zheyuan and his people, who previously had grievances with Chen Mu, upon realizing Chen Mu had no plans of taking revenge, quickly put on their best behavior. Copper and Lan Feng, as best partners, also took this chance to show off their superb skills.

The alliance with the Elemental Fantasy Card Club granted them access to the latest news and the outside world. The Elemental Fantasy Platform had numerous sources in the entire Heavenly Federation, and the large-scale viewing platform was second only to the Heavenly Federation Official Platform.

Chen Mu had decided to establish his own base amid the Eastern Shang-Wei City and “Lower City”. The families of all members were expected to move into this place named Eastern Wei Base.

This decision was unanimously supported by everyone, and morale was high. Given the situation, it was not surprising. Things were getting more and more chaotic without an improvement in sight, the members had long worried about the safety of their families. Now that they had a solution to this problem, how could they not rejoice?

Bogner, Xi Ping, and the others agreed as well. They never had their very own base previously, but merely roaming around, ergo facing a lot of ordeals. Eastern Shang-Wei City was considered a common residential district and was far away from both the Five flourishing districts and the capital, and so was far from the war zone. Here, they would be able to develop with peace of mind, without worrying about opening the door to angry people who were ready to kill.

Furthermore, there was even a transit window here! The presence of the transit window implicated that they had unlimited space for development.

Once this order was put into place, the Snow Silkworm Card Artisan Team and the Wood Battalion used their utmost effort and strength to plow the land. Every single unfriendly force, big and small alike, was completely removed overnight. Following this, the lives of the people were not affected in any way. On the contrary, due to the presence of the Snow Silkworm Card Artisan Team and the Wood Battalion and their strict discipline, the law and order had shown so much advancement that it was surprising.

After the cleanup, came the construction. Borna, the chief Architecture Card Artisan, personally led the project, building all sorts of fortifications and setting off a wave of an overhaul. These strange projects tickled the people’s curiosity, nonetheless still brought upon them a stronger sense of security.

Along with the continuous moving in of the families, Xi Ping’s workload encountered a sharp increase.

The Moqi Clan of the “Lower City” also took part in the construction work. The use of the Card Appliances by the Moqi Clan was unique, and the integration of both parties had incredibly aided the progress on the technical strength of the base. The Eastern Wei Academy had also become the most important academy in the base. Similarly, its research level on Card Appliances grew to be the highest throughout the Heavenly Federation.

“Chen Mu,” Qing Qing called out.

Confusion was clearly displayed in Chen Mu’s features. In recent days, Qing Qing had been very quiet and today she seemed to be acting weird. He stopped in his tracks and asked, “Is there anything I can help you with, Miss Qing Qing?”

“I am here to bid farewell,” Qing Qing said in a calm voice, a slight indifference laced in her tone.

“Farewell?” Chen Mu felt a tinge of joy. To Chen Mu, Qing Qing had always been a handful. She was always around and had a thorough understanding of many matters. On top of that, her personal strength was not to be trifled with. Regardless, he asked, “Miss Qing Qing is leaving?”

“Star Academy has been handed down to Rossiji, it’s time for me to return and help, although I may not be exactly welcomed,” she said nonchalantly.

“Oh,” Chen Mu replied with a nod. He had a strong impression of Rossiji, “With Rossiji’s skills, he’s sure to be a man of success,” he added, but not out of courtesy. Despite not meeting Rossiji before, he rather admired Rossiji’s ability.

Qing Qing looked away, the emotion in her face was hard to read, “In a blink of an eye, the Eastern Shang-Wei City has turned over a new leaf, with its condition much better than before. Qing Qing truly admires Brother Chen’s ability. However, does Brother Chen have a plan for later?”

Chen Mu stared intensely at Qing Qing, tongue-tied. This woman’s eyes are sharp indeed.

It was difficult to tell whether they would end up dead or alive by the end of the expedition to the House of a Hundred Depths and he had been considerably prepared for it. The reason behind the establishment of the base was simple. He did not have plans to overtake the world or anything of the sort. Instead, he merely wanted to provide the most basic insurance for his long-time partners. In these troubled times, to have a peaceful land was not an easy task.

Faintly, Qing Qing said, “This place is distant from gossip. With Brother Chen’s ability, you’ll have no match. Besides, Brother Chen has access to the transit window and technology on Card Appliances. With you having rich resources, the future is unpredictable.”

Chen Mu shook his head, “Miss Qing Qing is overanalyzing.”

Intensely, Qing Qing looked Chen Mu in his eyes. She continued to speak in an indifferent tone, “There’s no need for Brother Chen to be humble.” She lifted her head and gazed into the distant sky, suddenly adding, “Even with all the heroes coming forth as of today, my hunch tells me that the sole person who is capable of stopping Tang Hanpei is most probably Brother Chen!”

Nonchalantly, Chen Mu replied, “Miss Qing Qing must be joking.”

“I hope that when we meet again, we are no longer enemies,” Qing Qing’s voice echoed down from the heavens as her figure disappeared into the horizon.

Qing Qing’s words did not move Chen Mu at all. He was a busy man with plenty on his plate still.

Even though the news of Eastern Wei Base being built was not shared explicitly, it was not long before the influential forces were informed. Although they did not understand why Chen Mu chose such a remote place to build his base, they nonetheless expressed their felicitations.

The Origins Academy, which previously had been in contact with Chen Mu, promptly sent people to discuss the terms for cooperation.

However, one thing that did not cross Chen Mu’s mind was that, although the base was built to be simplistic and humble, there were still large numbers of card artisans and card masters who came forward to invest. Given the chaotic state of the world, a safe haven was something everyone longed for. Be it the Snow Silkworm Card Artisan Team or the Wood Battalion, they were the cream of the crop in terms of discipline.

The inception of the Eastern Wei Base had also resolved Chen Mu’s last worry.

He handpicked a group of people from the Snow Silkworm Card Artisan Team and the Wood Battalion to join him on his expedition, not forgetting to leave a few card artisans behind to guard the base.

Xi Ping was among the people left behind due to his old age, which made him less suitable for adventures. With his many years of experience, he was fit to take care of the affairs at the base. Jiang Liang was also stationed at the base. Alongside Li Duhong, he would be in charge of the military affairs. Jiang Liang would also be held responsible for the training of the newly recruited card artisans and get them familiarized with the new card sets that Chen Mu had created. Professionals in card appliance were all transferred to Alfonso, taking charge of all sorts of research and development projects. Lei Zi and Lan Feng were also left behind. They did not possess any battle powers and were assigned to communicate with the outside world.

Chen Mu had originally planned to position Sue Lochiro back at the base as well, but she had expressed an unprecedented stubbornness. After further consideration, he acknowledged the irreplaceable roles that medical card artisans played and so agreed to let her tag along.

After he had arranged everything accordingly, Chen Mu and his people finally embarked on their trip to the House of a Hundred Depths.

Deep inside the vast jungle, laid a pitch-black hole.

Li Duhong pointed into the emptiness before the gang, and said with a hint of sadness in his voice, “Sir, it’s inside.” He was forced by Chen Mu to stay as a guard while some of his clan fellows were allowed to enter. Therefore, he felt rather upset.

Outside the cave, weeds were rampant, dotting the entrance to the cave like a welcoming gesture. It took an awful lot of effort for the Moqi Clan people to completely uproot them. The opening of the cave was fairly wide and would allow no more than five people to enter together in a row. However, vines had grown around it, concealing the cave and making it hard to be discovered. That was why the Star Academy did not manage to find it although having heard the news of it.

“Once I was chasing after a wild beast and the fella ran into the cave. That was how I discovered it,” Li Duhong explained.

After the cleanup, Chen Mu did actually find some markings by the cave. These markings were the exact ones used in the “Lower City”, except they were rusty. They were probably left behind by Rosenberg’s apprentice who built the “Lower City”.

At this point, nervousness began to show on the demonic woman’s face. Even the usually stoic Wei-ah started to seem bothered. The fat dog that was trotting along by his feet appeared ferocious, with its hair standing on its end as if it was ready to attack at any moment.

The tension in the atmosphere immediately began to disperse throughout the team. Everyone could not help but tread lightly. The metering device in the hands of the card artisans lit up one after another, and the Power Gloves worn by the Moqi people glowed with its unique blue light.

Transit windows were a thing that one would only be able to see in books. Every single discovery involving the transit window was a big deal to everyone in the Heavenly Federation. However, the authorities in the Heavenly Federation had always been stringent on all the information regarding the transit windows. Due to this, although anyone would be familiar with the idea of a transit window, there was not a single soul who had witnessed the real deal.

What exactly does it look like? Is it a source of danger? And what does the ash stratum look like…

A series of questions clouded the crowd’s minds and hearts, roaming. With their hearts in their throats, the team silently marched toward the dark unknown.