The Mysterious Card Maker: Starting with Zhang Jiao's Deification

In the dimly lit rented room.

On the computer screen, news pop-ups scrolled one after another:

[Local Weather Forecast: Jiang City will gradually...]

[Shocking! Genius card maker exposed for plagiarism: Is it driven by money or a distortion of human nature?]

The Card Masters Association has successfully sealed the "Purple Domain" level anomaly; let's give them a thumbs up!

[Jiang City's hidden area is out of control again; please minimize going out...]

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle".

The phone vibrated beside my pillow.

Lin Fan closed his eyes and groped his way over, then groped for the answer button in a daze.

"Feed?"

"Brother Fan, where are you? The card production department is short one person. The supervisor said that being late twice means you won't be hired. You've already been late once. Where are you...?"

"What card-making department? Who are you?" Lin Fan said, frowning.

Are scam calls this dedicated so early in the morning?

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, then the voice became cautious: "Brother Fan, I just paid for your card yesterday, and now you're turning your back on me?"

"It's only just after the New Year, and your fraud ring is already trying to boost its performance?" Lin Fan rolled over, his fingers resting on the hang-up button.

The person on the other end panicked: "Brother, my dear brother! How much did you drink yesterday? These days, being a card maker is a secure job. If you don't come soon, you'll end up not getting a permanent position because of being late. You'll be..."

Before the person on the other end of the phone could finish speaking, a shout came from the other end: "No making or receiving phone calls during work hours!" and the call was immediately disconnected.

Lin Fan tossed his phone aside, intending to go back to sleep, but then felt a sharp pain in his head, as if he had been hit with a stick.

He covered his head, got up, and opened his eyes.

He instantly perked up!

This... is not his room.

In the small single room of about ten square meters, there were several books on the computer desk:

A Basic Introductory Guide for Card Makers

Formulas for Material Synthesis and Card Making

The Rise of a Card-Making Genius

The Encyclopedia of the Bizarre

The walls were covered with small notes.

It was covered with dense writing.

......

Lin Fan was staring blankly at the wall full of notes when a bunch of things suddenly flooded his mind.

Card maker, eeriness, card world, crafting, secret realm...

He crossed!

"..."

It took him a while to come to his senses and his gaze fell on the news on the computer screen that "the secret realm is out of control again".

"Writing too many online articles will definitely bring retribution!"

After sitting for a while until the headache subsided, I got up and read through the notes on the wall from beginning to end.

Human skin lantern + carnivorous vine + executioner's chest guard + hanged ghost's shoes = failure

Mourning woman + tongue-stitcher + guide banner + shroud = failure

An old woman's foot-binding cloth + a soul-summoning bell + a hair-binding comb + a white bone hairpin = ?

All the records were failures, and the last one had a question mark on it, so it looked like it hadn't even been tried yet.

These things are a mess, completely unrelated, no wonder they can't possibly succeed.

As he was thinking, some more information flooded into his mind.

This world has been plagued by the bizarre for many years, resulting in historical gaps and the loss of myths.

Most of the cards nowadays drop from the supernatural, while a small portion are created by the card makers themselves.

He was stunned for a moment. He was a web novelist, and his mind was full of all kinds of gods, monsters, and strange tales.

If only those things could be made into cards...

He imagined the scene: a strange attack came, he summoned a deity to block it, and the deity said calmly, "It's alright, I'll handle it."

The scene was so beautiful that he almost burst out laughing.

However, reality soon slapped him in the face.

In order to make cards, the original owner sold the house left by his ancestors for a low price of 500,000 and invested it all.

I still owe 80,000 yuan in debt. My internship salary is 2300 yuan, rent is 300 yuan, and I have to pay at least 2000 yuan in debt every month, leaving me with 0 yuan. This does not include utilities and daily expenses.

He was even a little curious about what kind of life the original owner had led.

Looking at the notes on the wall, Lin Fan couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache. Each of those failed "recipes" cost money!

He suddenly didn't feel like laughing anymore, and then he glanced at the time on his phone.

8:55, 5 minutes to go.

"I'm going to be late for work!" Lin Fan's pupils contracted slightly. The company provides lunch, and if he was late and got fired, he really wouldn't get to eat.

When Lin Fan arrived at his workstation, it was already 9:15. A tall, thin young man approached him.

"Brother Fan, you're late again. Your chances of getting a permanent position are slim this time."

Zhou Chen, the original owner of this body, was also an intern in this term, and was the one who called him in the morning to urge him.

"Firing someone for being late is completely unreasonable."

"Who told the company to make such a rule?" Zhou Chen lowered his voice, with a hint of pity: "Brother Fan, it's okay. Maybe it's just a rule to scare people. If all else fails, I know someone who can do a job carrying heavy loads. I'm sure I won't starve."

"What are you trying to say after all this build-up?" Lin Fan glanced at him.

Zhou Chen chuckled awkwardly, "Um, Brother Fan, when you get paid, could you pay me back my money first?"

"..." Lin Fan thought of what he had mentioned early in the morning, and after going through his memories, he realized that he had indeed asked him to pay for the cards yesterday.

How insane must the original owner have been? He couldn't even afford to eat, yet he was still thinking about making cards.

"As soon as I get paid, I'll..."

"Slap slap slap"

Just as the two were talking, the bald manager appeared in the office, and all attention was immediately drawn to him.

"There's a chance to get a permanent position. If you can deliver this to the 'Garden Community' property management office within half an hour, you'll be promoted immediately. Who's going?"

The scene was completely silent!

What's going on? Aren't all the trainee card makers here looking to get a permanent position? Why don't they take this great opportunity? Or do they know I've been late twice and are creating this opportunity for me?

With merits and demerits canceling each other out, I shouldn't be fired no matter what!

"Wow!"

Lin Fanteng stood up abruptly.

Zhou Chen, standing to the side, was desperately pulling at the bald supervisor. He wanted to say something, but when he saw the supervisor's chilling gaze, he ultimately didn't dare to speak.

"Good, Lin Fan, commendable courage. I'll make you a full-time employee as soon as you come back!" The bald supervisor gave him an approving look, then called Lin Fan over and handed him the box.

"Lin Fan, be quick, it must be delivered within half an hour." The bald manager patted his arm and took out a card.

Card Name: [Lightning Summoning]

Type: Spell/One-time use

Quality: Green Domain 3 stars

Effect: Summons a lightning strike that deals functional damage to a single target, with power far exceeding that of a regular lightning spell of the same level.

"Take this card; it's a token of my appreciation. Have a safe journey!"

Looking at the card that the bald manager inexplicably shoved into his hand, he felt no excitement whatsoever; instead, his attention was drawn to the last few words the manager had written.

"Have a safe journey!" sounds awkward no matter how you look at it.

I grabbed the box and hurried to the door, where a deliveryman was walking towards me.

"Lin Fan's cards, please have him come out and sign for them," the deliveryman shouted.

"That's me!"

The deliveryman shoved the package into his hand and turned to leave; anyone who didn't know better would think his house was on fire.

He glanced down at the package; the cards he'd asked Zhou Chen to pay for yesterday had arrived.

He casually put the package down and rode his bicycle towards the garden community.

"bite"

When Lin Fan was still two or three kilometers away from the Garden Community, a message came into his phone.

[Strange Tide Alert] Your area has been covered by a strange tide! Please activate your defense cards immediately and wait for rescue at home! According to frontline detection, fire/light cards are ineffective, while lightning cards are effective against this strange tide. If any card players are in the area, please call upon them immediately!

Lin Fan, who was riding his bicycle at that moment, was completely unaware that danger was quietly approaching.