CHAPTER 17: CHAPTER 17: ALICE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!

Shen Sui, as expected, moved in right after the duel exam.

The dormitory at Tianyi Academy in Modu was even more luxurious than Shen Sui had imagined, even better equipped than some single apartments.

Being the first student to pass the duel exam that day and the first one welcomed by Tianyi Academy, Shen Sui naturally had the privilege to freely choose his dorm.

To say it was a free choice really just meant choosing between a single room and a double room.

Of course, Shen Sui chose a single room; he wasn’t in the habit of competing in swordsmanship with anyone else.

An assistant coach at the academy took charge of receiving him.

In Huaxia, many duel academies are more like youth training clubs. Besides the necessary cultural courses, most of the time, students operate in the Soul Card World to obtain more new cards on their own.

Tianyi Academy is the standard youth training club. Besides cultural courses, all other teachers at the academy are professional players from the Tianyi Club.

"Excuse me, how do I get to the Life Card Store in the academy?" Shen Sui asked.

"Life Card Store? Are you planning to buy a Life Card?" This friendly assistant coach, named Wang Ming, was quite renowned for defeating a Fifth Rank Life Card Master during a live stream. He’s a destined rising star, "Indeed, to meet the forty-card deck requirement for the points competition, it’s tough relying solely on your own Soul Card World."

"No, I’m going to sell cards," Shen Sui said.

"Ah?" Wang Ming looked at Shen Sui in surprise.

It’s very unusual for new students to sell cards, even in other well-established duel academies. During the initial period of becoming a Life Card Master, card count is usually low. After painstakingly collecting twenty cards to pass the duel exam, was he really going to sell them right after the exam?

"I’m short on money," Shen Sui explained, seeing the puzzled look from Wang Ming.

Wang Ming immediately understood.

"Your family has restricted your living expenses, huh? I get it, I get it."

"No, I’m just plain broke." Shen Sui found it strange how Wang Ming concluded he had family. — Well, normally, everyone should have family, right?

"Then your 15-star Life Card..."

"Oh, I got lucky and picked it up on the roadside," Shen Sui casually lied.

Wang Ming’s eyes suddenly twinkled, "If you’re planning to sell cards, you don’t necessarily have to list them on the Life Card Store’s online platform. We can go through the offline channels at the Life Card Store."

"Offline channels?"

"Yes, it’s meant for Life Card Masters who wish to trade or exchange specific cards, to buy or swap, ensuring your desired Life Card doesn’t get snatched by someone’s quick hands," Wang Ming explained.

"What card do you want to sell? May I take a look?" Wang Ming finally revealed his main intention after speaking so much, "I’m actually looking to acquire some Life Cards to attempt advancing to Second Rank Life Card Master."

Wang Ming planned to advance by the end of the year, currently trying every method to enhance his deck.

Judging by Shen Sui’s performance in the duel exam, the cards he was selling shouldn’t be weak.

Shen Sui took out the [Great Healing Technique].

This was a card that restored Life Value. For Shen Sui, it was usable but unnecessary, a waste of Soul Points. He might as well swap it for something valuable, like money.

"A 7-star Spell Card that restores 3500 Life Value?" Wang Ming’s eyes lit up when he saw the card in Shen Sui’s hand.

It’s known that in Life Card Duels, values related to Life Value typically correspond to 400 points per star, theoretically restoring up to 2800 Life Value for a 7-star Spell Card.

Even Follower Cards’ Spirit Value follows this standard; a 5-star blank Follower Card should have a standard Spirit Value of 2000.

However, you do find overpowered cards, and the [Great Healing Technique] in Shen Sui’s hand was undoubtedly one, surpassing conventional knowledge.

In fact, the first card Shen Sui offered, [Fireball Technique], was also considered overpowered, dealing 500 points of damage as a 1-star card, hence it was instantly bought.

"12,000! I’ll give 12,000 for this card, a gesture of friendship," Wang Ming grasped Shen Sui’s hand tightly, as if afraid he would leave the next moment.

The price of 12,000 for a 7-star card was absolutely over the top exuberant.

The recommended price for a 7-star card is 7000, and 12,000 is already the price for a 12-star card.

Of course, the suggested price is merely a suggestion. In reality, a card’s price relates to its strength, rarity, and appearance, further influenced by national price limits causing domestic Life Card prices to generally remain low.

If strictly priced by recommendations, a 15-star Life Card would be merely 15,000; do you think you could buy a 15-star Life Card for 15,000? Even 150,000 might not secure one.

Typically, stronger cards sell much higher than recommended prices, and visually striking or beautifully designed Follower Cards also fetch high prices.

However, if a Follower Card is too ugly, it won’t command a good price, even if it’s strong.

Admittedly, the premium from Wang Ming was not just for the [Great Healing Technique] being an overpowered card, but partly an excess for forming a friendship with Shen Sui.

Shen Sui loved making friends who were wealthy and straightforward like this.

The Life Card Store at Tianyi Academy was huge; so large that Shen Sui thought he entered a shopping mall.

Unlike the small, internet café-like store in high school, the spaciousness of the lobby provided a sense of comfort from the roomy environment.

One Life Card Store occupied an entire floor; bright and warm lighting made the atmosphere exceptionally comfortable, and the clean, tidy decor gave off a high-class club’s vibe.

"This is the biggest Life Card Store in Modu," Wang Ming introduced, "Not only is it the academy’s Life Card Store, but it’s also open to the public."

"Are there discounts for purchasing cards here?" Shen Sui asked, "What’s different from regular Life Card Stores?"

"There’s no difference." Wang Ming lifted his head, proudly stating, "But it appears more prestigious."

Shen Sui stumbled, nearly falling.

No difference, yet you’re so proud!

"Actually, large Life Card Stores do have some unique features," Wang Ming explained, "You can upgrade your Dueling Device there, adding some paid applications."

"Paid applications? Like notification services when acquiring cards?"

"Not just that, there’s also the Time Flow Speed Regulator," Wang Ming mentioned, "It lets you adjust time flow speeds between the real world and Soul Card World. When you have important matters in reality, like attending a duel, you can use it to avoid your Soul Card detaching from control. You can also speed up to rapidly acquire more Life Cards. However, since the Soul Card World has multiple Soul Cards, the regulator will only adjust time around your Soul Card, creating a phenomenon similar to a Space-Time Secret Realm."

"That sounds great," Shen Sui’s eyes sparkled; he needed something like this, "How much does it cost?"

"499."

"Per day?"

"Per hour."

"Damn! Now I understand why Life Card Stores are so rich," Shen Sui commented.

"What did you think? But these paid projects are what widen the gap between commoners and the rich," Wang Ming shrugged, even he, who bought a 7-star card for 12,000, couldn’t afford to use the regulator for long.

"By the way, if your Soul Card has something important outside the regulating range, it’s best not to misuse the regulator. There’s a case where a Life Card Master slowed the flow when his Soul Card was rescuing a lover, leading to the Soul Card’s lover’s death, and the Soul Card eventually died in sorrow.

Their conversation continued, and they had reached the trading area.

Offline channels just saved the steps of uploading to the online store.

Shen Sui and Wang Ming found a machine, and after data transfer, the [Great Healing Technique] appeared on Wang Ming’s Blank Card, while the card in Shen Sui’s hand with [Great Healing Technique] became a Blank Card. In this world, direct card exchange is not possible, as Life Cards obtained from the Soul Card World by Life Card Masters have corresponding encryption. Only their own Dueling Device can decode and use the card; direct card transfer wouldn’t allow the recipient to use it.

The trade process involves decoding the card then transferring data to be written onto a Blank Card that the recipient can use.

Therefore, erasing, transferring, and rewriting are steps that cannot be skipped, whether online or offline.

"Pleasure doing business! If you have similar cards in the future, feel free to sell them to me," Wang Ming said with a smile, "My deck loves these types of cards."

Liking recovery-type cards, you’re either an underworld figure or a tormentor.

The two shared a knowing smile, understanding each other’s thoughts.

A single transaction of 12,000, Shen Sui finally felt like his financial woes had temporarily eased.

As a student of Tianyi Academy, accommodation was free, and utilities were included. Dining in the cafeteria even cut out meal expenses, so at least during his years at Tianyi Academy, income from selling cards was purely savings for Shen Sui.

Feeling cheerful, Shen Sui returned to the dorm and lay on the soft bed.

Thinking about it, Alice was quite resourceful, relentlessly generating cards for him, effectively making him money.

Nice, let’s see what Alice is up to now?

Though only a day had passed in reality, several days had gone by on Dawn Continent.

Considering Alice’s knack for causing trouble, Shen Sui was somewhat worried she might cause some issues for him.

Upon opening the Dueling Device, going to the homepage, the last sentence of the text description made Shen Sui feel a rush to his head:

[Alice has become the leader of villains.]

[She will participate as one of the High Priests in the Sinful Festival.]

[Alice is leading the villains towards City of Sin, Modena.]

What the heck!

Alice!

What have you done?!