“Chapter 47: Selling Cards”

Chapter 47: Selling Cards

If there was one demon who was the angriest, it had to be Huiguo. Wen Ying's act of selling cards made it clear that he didn't intend to hide the fact that the cards in human hands came from him!

Upon hearing the news, Huiguo nearly lost control of his demonic appearance. The grotesque symbol of a demon in a frenzied state began to emerge on his body, only to fade away after a while.

He had promised not to touch demons, but Lai Yehua had told him that this didn't include humans. As a result, Wen Ying gave those humans cards so they could use magic. It didn't need to be powerful magic; as long as it allowed them to fend off an attack for a few seconds, Huiguo couldn't risk capturing them forcefully with the possibility of other demons finding out.

In his home, Huiguo had smashed countless items in frustration.

Wen Ying sneezed and pulled aside the defeated demon, whispering, "That demon's innate magic caught you off guard just now. Do you want to practice more?"

The demon looked puzzled. "How do I practice?"

Wen Ying smiled. "I can replicate that demon's innate magic. You can have another demon assist you. Buying a card is like practicing once. You'll surely get used to that demon's innate magic."

The demon's eyes lit up. Afraid of being discovered by other demons, he lowered his voice and spoke furtively, "Give me ten times!"

"R cards cost a hundred, SR cards cost a thousand."

The demon asked, "Why is there such a big difference in price?"

Wen Ying produced two cards, holding them between his index fingers as he swiped them apart, one in front of the other. "An R Card only contains roughly three to four tenths of the magic he can cast, while an SR Card has half. Which one do you want?"

The demon pondered for a moment before gritting his teeth. "Give me ten R Cards and one SR Card."

Wen Ying held out his hand. "Half the deposit first. Come find me at Class One tomorrow."

"Don't look at me like that," Wen Ying said, noticing the demon's suspicious expression. He waved a finger. "I have my integrity, and I won't run away."

Wen Ying was quite famous in the academy. After some thought, the demon gave him half the deposit.

Wen Ying wrote a note for him to keep and went back to watch the next ranking match.

At first, these transactions were conducted furtively by the demons. As they became more frequent, word spread around the academy, and some demons would rush straight to Wen Ying after their matches, frantically asking him to make cards for the tricky magic their opponents had used.

Most of the customers sought cards for the unique demonic talents, spells they themselves couldn't wield. The demons cursed Wen Ying's shamelessness even as they eagerly forked over the money, afraid that their opponents might surpass them if they practiced more, buying even more magic cards to hone their skills.

For a time, competition among the demons intensified. All the training grounds in the academy were rented out, and business as a card-selling demon flourished for Wen Ying.

After his magic power inexplicably skyrocketed, creating R and SR cards became effortless tasks for him. Apart from occasional bad luck, he could even produce SR cards. Therefore, Wen Ying priced them reasonably, banking on volume sales to earn money through the exchange of magic.

His only worry now was that he couldn't produce SSR cards no matter what. At best, he could create pseudo-SSRs. The heavy damage he inflicted on the Butterfly Mermaid that day was due to two factors: first, the battlefield was favorable with numerous ice blocks around, and some were even floating near the Butterfly Mermaid, which facilitated severe electrocution; second, the Butterfly Mermaid was completely unprepared. It didn't expect Wen Ying to possess such destructive magic, hence it ended up as grilled fish.

If the Butterfly Mermaid had been more vigilant that day and dispersed the defensive ice crystals around it before casting a simple protective spell when Wen Ying unleashed his lightning magic, Phileas wouldn't have ended up as grilled fish.

Wen Ying also asked Aruda about the demons' hundredth birthday marking adulthood and their ability to drink at ninety years old after returning home. His current predicament with not being able to draw SSR cards was due to the demons' hundredth birthday issue.

Demons were physically considered adults at ninety years old, but their magic power hadn't caught up yet. Upon reaching the hundred-year milestone, their bloodline would be fully activated, causing a significant surge in their magic power. Their physical strength would also double, or even multiply by a two-digit number. Adult demons were incomparable to underage ones, capable of instantly casting low to intermediate level spells with ease.

After learning this from Aruda, Wen Ying realized that he had been overthinking things. Perseus wasn't romantically interested in him at all; he just wanted to kill him. Perseus was already incredibly strong, and he would become even more terrifying when he reached adulthood!

Wen Ying was already an adult! He was currently ranked first in terms of magic power, but once those underage demons became adults, his top spot would be in jeopardy. Adding to that, he had offended many demons, such as Huiguo. The thought of these demons reaching adulthood one after another made Wen Ying shudder.

He had initially thought he could roam the Demon Realm with impunity, but now, he realized that his end was looming, with less than a year left on the countdown.

Feeling frustrated, Wen Ying concluded that the Demon Realm was indeed as he had previously sensed. Just when he thought he understood it, it would throw surprises, mostly unpleasant ones.

With a sense of impending doom and a diminishing time to be arrogant, Wen Ying spent the entire night on his bed contemplating. He decided to enjoy his time suppressing these favored prodigies, teaching them the depths of human wickedness. As the morning sun illuminated his room through the window, Wen Ying laughed like a madman on his bed, causing White Egg to tremble.

Wen Ying held in his hands a long spoon, calmly stirring the magical plant extract in the large cauldron before him. Aruda was hovering above it, using her magic to separate the essences of various magical plants from the scorching flames, allowing them to fall into the pot below.

The scent of the magical potion resembled agarwood, soothing the mind while causing any creature that smelled it to feel drowsy.

”Great-Grandmother, what kind of potion is this? The quantity is so huge,” Wen Ying asked in puzzlement.

This cauldron was big enough for him to take a bath in. Through the semi-transparent extract, he could see numerous animal bones and some metals and minerals he couldn't identify. As the essence of the magical plants above was added, the liquid in the pot gradually turned opaque, its color deepening into a vivid green, and bubbles continuously rising to the surface.

”Didn’t I say it earlier?” Aruda seemed to have just remembered, “It’s for your bathwater.”

Just as Wen Ying had been marveling at how large the pot was, his face turned green, “…Great-Grandmother, are you joking?”

”I’m not one for jokes,” Arida shook her head, “What’s in this pot will be very beneficial to you.”

Wen Ying was well aware that Aruda wouldn't harm him, but the sight of the cauldron still gave him quite a scare. He felt like he was part of the magical potion himself.

"You've been here for almost a month now," Aruda said.

"Huh? Yeah."

Landing, Aruda stretched his arms and massaged his shoulders. "After a month of study, there's a practical combat exercise. I made a bet with a few old-timers that you'd make it into the top three."

"Grandma, betting is never a good idea," Wen Ying commented. "What's this practical combat exercise?"

"It's similar to the third part of the entrance exam. The school sets up an arena and seals it off. This time, though, it's not an individual points competition. His Majesty the Devil recently picked up some new ideas in the Human Realm and wants to hold a team battle – a tower push."

Wen Ying remarked, "...It seems His Majesty the Devil went to the Human Realm to play games."

Aruda didn't seem too concerned about what the Devil had done in the Human Realm. Recalling something, he chuckled. "When the Devil returned, he brought back some souvenirs. Feng Luo, that young punk, was furious."

"Why?" Wen Ying couldn't picture Feng Luo hopping mad, so he asked eagerly.

"Because the Devil played that tower-pushing game during a meeting." Aruda covered his mouth, laughing.

Wen Ying seized the crucial point, his voice rising in excitement, "The Demon Realm can connect to the Human Realm's network?"

"It's possible, but it consumes a great deal of magical power, and you need to apply for permission."

Lost in thought, Wen Ying seemed to hear Aruda's voice as if from afar. Could he contact the Human Realm? Would that mean he could get in touch with his family?

The teleportation parchment given to him by his great-grandfather was limited to one use. Unless it was an emergency, Wen Ying wouldn't dare return to the Human Realm. His current identity there posed too great a danger.

"Grandma, why didn't you tell me earlier..." Wen Ying's voice was low and hoarse, barely audible, as if he feared this was just a dream that would vanish if he got too excited. He was so happy he felt like crying.

Aruda patted his head, "Your magical power isn't sufficient yet. It would harm your body's essence. That's why I didn't tell you."

After those comforting words, Aruda pointed at the boiling cauldron, "So hurry up and get in. After soaking in the magic potion inside, you'll undergo a complete transformation. Your body can't keep up with your magical power growth; it's too weak."

Wen Ying, still touched, responded, "Grandma, I feel like you deliberately told me about this to get me to soak in there quickly."

Aruda smiled but said nothing. With a seemingly frail old hand, she effortlessly lifted Wen Ying and threw him directly into the boiling pot. Before he could react, she sealed the lid on top.

Wen Ying: "???"

Scorching and dark, Wen Ying's mind was filled with the endless loop of "save me, save me." If he didn't know that Aruda wouldn't harm him, he would've suspected that Aruda intended to use him as a material for a magic potion.

Demons could endure high temperatures, but this heat exceeded what Wen Ying's body could withstand. His skin turned completely red, and the pain continuously transmitted into his brain. The steam was even hotter, making him feel as if he was being boiled alive.

"Sleep, and it'll be fine," Aruda's voice echoed from outside.

How could he possibly sleep? Unconsciously, Wen Ying raised his hand to push against the lid, but it felt as if a heavy weight was pressing down on it, leaving it immovable.

He could almost smell the scent of roasted meat. The agony was unbearable, causing him to cry out in pain. His face twisted, and he pounded on the pot, yet nothing happened.

As the pain reached its peak, his consciousness began to blur. Images of connecting to the human world flashed through Wen Ying's mind, providing the only solace in the darkness.

Occasionally, Aruda's voice would drift in from outside, chatting casually with an amiable expression and gentle tone. The contrast between his demeanor and the terrifying situation sent shivers down Wen Ying's spine.

"Try to hold on a bit longer. After this, your strength won't be at the bottom anymore."

"You seemed to like that Perseus doll, right? In my younger days, I enjoyed abducting demons I liked the most."

"In fact, His Majesty the Devil King also investigated the acceptance level of exorcists towards demons in the human world. Your wish to return there openly won't be in vain."

"Judging by the timeline, the Devil King's eldest son should be nearing the end of his seclusion. He should be able to participate in the combat drill."

"..."

...

On Monday, Wen Ying's seat was empty.

Muershi raised his hand and asked indolently, "Teacher Feng Luo, why isn't Wen Ying here today? Could he have been ambushed by some devil along the way?"

Feng Luo continued his lesson unperturbed, finishing what he had intended to say before he said, "Aluda gave him permission to be absent."

"Permission to be absent?" Muershi was taken aback, a hint of contemplation flickering in his eyes.

Scarlet mumbled, "What could that guy possibly need time off for?"

He had been worried about how other devils would view Wen Ying after he sold those cards. However, Wen Ying only sold the regular magic cards and not the... 'trickster' cards that Scarlet had made. Scarlet referred to the water cards as trickster cards.

As long as Wen Ying didn't sell them, Scarlet was on edge. He even wished that Wen Ying would start selling them sooner so that he could face the consequences earlier. He had planned to talk to Wen Ying about this matter today, but Wen Ying wasn't at school.

Boros glanced sideways, feeling somewhat disoriented by the empty seat in the aisle on his left. Previously, Wen Ying had never been absent from his surroundings. Today, when he expected to see the Mirror Devil, his absence left Boros feeling distinctly uneasy.