Chapter 213: Face Matters
by 夜阑妖歌Chapter 213: Face Matters
Wen Ying took the opportunity to create his own Weibo account, and within a few days, his follower count soared to an astonishing number.
After all, out of the thirty demons, only Wen Ying had opened an account, and he even assisted Mu City in slaying magical beasts. This significantly boosted the humans' favorable impression of him.
With a sufficient number of followers, Wen Ying composed a promotional post.
"Thank you, dear human friends, for your attention. In the next three days, I will randomly select ten lucky winners to receive a complete set of Magic Cards from the Realm of Demons."
"Image One.jpg" "Image Two.jpg" "Image Three.jpg" "Image... "
"This set of Magic Cards is also available for sale. Click on the link below for the release date and more details."
The pictures featured incredibly handsome characters against highly detailed backgrounds. As soon as they were posted, the audience was captivated. The ten cards depicted various types of demons—elegant, aloof, arrogant, cute, enchanting, and so on. Even the most discerning person would find at least one design appealing.
Moreover, these were not ordinary cards; they were Magic Cards! According to the product description, activating the magic within the card merely required a tiny bit of magical power! Anyone with any level of magical power, no matter how small, could activate them!
Each card came with a different magic spell. Among them, there was a hidden card whose image was not revealed; it contained the magic of soothing the mind.
The demonic mirror kindly explained the concept of spirit soothing in terms that the average person could understand — it primarily alleviated conditions such as nervous exhaustion, splitting headaches, and intense irritability, calming a variety of negative emotions (albeit temporarily in some severe cases).
Many people regarded this hidden magical item as a sort of psychiatrist.
In today's society, many young people grapple with mental health issues. Some can work through them on their own and return to normal, whereas others find it impossible to release their burdens, which accumulate into serious problems, causing immense discomfort.
Even if it were considered a tax on gullibility, people were still willing to give it a try, mainly because it was a product from the Realm of Demons, and thus incredibly novel.
Previously, the demonic mirror had distributed a batch of cards. Many recipients were reluctant to use them since they only had one, but a few did, reporting an exceptionally pleasing experience. The tangible form of the nine-tailed fox that emerged left them utterly enchanted.
With everyone actively sharing the news, within just two days, even the internet-averse elderly knew about Wen Ying's distribution and sale of magic cards, and the news had even spread overseas.
The magic cards that the Magic Mirror Demon was selling had become the most sought-after commodity, outshining any trendy products on the market.
The Calamity Department also caught wind of it. Upon learning this, they immediately contacted the Demon Realm's Court of Judgment. Didn't they promise last time that they wouldn't propagate such cards in the Human Realm for the next thirty years?
The one who picked up the call was none other than Wen Ying himself, the very demon selling the magic cards. He was currently in Mu City, in his true form.
Wen Ying had anticipated their call. For the past few days, he had been visiting the third-floor gym of the building where the Court of Judgment was headquartered, under the pretense of working out, but in reality, he was simply waiting for their call.
This smartphone, crafted by Wen Ying, had an IP location blocking function specifically for internet usage. There was still a chance of being traced through phone calls, so Wen Ying didn't want this device to lead anyone back to his home.
The moment an unknown number rang, Wen Ying briskly walked from the treadmill to a familiar spot – the gym's restroom.
Closing the stall door, he cast a soundproofing spell and answered the call. He lowered his voice, altering its timbre to be unrecognizable.
"Who's calling?"
"I'm from the Special Biological Disaster Response Unit," the voice on the other end sounded polite yet dignified, "I apologize for the disturbance. Today, I'm calling about the Magic Mirror Demon's sale of magic cards."
As expected, Wen Ying's eyes curved in delight. He kept his voice low and enunciated with a hint of curiosity, "Is there an issue?"
The caller continued, "Well, we previously negotiated with your Court of Judgment that novels and cards written by demons shouldn't be circulated in the human world for the next thirty years..."
As the person spoke, their tone started off assertive, as if they held all the cards. However, halfway through, they seemed to realize something amiss, their voice faltering and trailing off with uncertainty.
Something seemed off.
Wen Ying suppressed the urge to burst into gleeful laughter, telling them, "You've fallen into my linguistic trap! Surprised? Shocked?" Instead, he maintained a formal and diplomatic tone, "Yes, for the next three decades, we won't disseminate novels written by us or ordinary cards in the human realm."
Despite the silence on the other end of the line, Wen Ying felt that it was deafening. The corners of his lips curved up even more, and he continued in a polite yet lively tone reminiscent of a customer service representative, "The magic mirror demon's merchandise is a magic card, not an ordinary one, sir."
Wen Ying faintly heard a cacophony of startled cries from the other side, voices asking, "Are you alright?! Let me help you," "Have some water, have some water," and "What are they saying?"
With his hand covering his lips, Wen Ying chuckled silently, wickedly yet radiantly.
Although it was a bit unethical, Wen Ying was genuinely pleased.
After a while, the person on the other end composed themselves quickly. It was still the same male voice, gritting his teeth as he forced out a formal and unyielding tone, "Did you plan this all along?"
"Not exactly," Wen Ying replied, "It's just an harmless magic card that allows buyers to experience a diluted version of an upper-class demon's aura. Can't you let people face challenges? It can be considered stress training."
"Wizards can appear anywhere at any time. Ordinary ones might be manageable, but stronger ones exert a magical pressure that can paralyze many ordinary folks, preventing them from escaping due to excessive danger. Their bodies simply can't react."
Just like a spider's web, weaker creatures get stuck and can't break free, while larger ones have a higher chance of escape.
What utter nonsense! But... it seemed to make sense. The person on the other end blushed, wishing he could crawl through his phone to punch the annoyingly condescending demon, even though he knew he couldn't win.
Wen Ying sold the cards with a clear conscience and hung up. He immediately set the stock for the item, even though there were numerous online cries for purchase. However, Wen Ying wasn't sure how many would actually buy, so he temporarily set the inventory to 66,000.
Now, he no longer produced and sold magic cards on his own. He merely condensed the card forms and delivered them to the Magic Mirror Demons' factory, where they would manufacture them. Then, the finished magic cards were sent to Muershi's packaging plant before being distributed for sale across various regions.
The Magic Mirror Demons might have been too afraid of poverty. Though Wen Ying didn't comment on their actions, they worked tirelessly, even overtime at night, not wanting to miss out on a single penny.
With a group of profit-driven Magic Mirror Demons, the supply of magic cards was substantial. Since there were no new releases, the sales in the Realm of Devils were gradually declining. Wen Ying planned to shift the focus of selling the old cards to the Human Realm.
He had already contacted Muershi's factory to change the packaging. In the Human Realm, the cards would be sold in packs of ten, each containing a selection of cards previously sold in the Devil Realm that Wen Ying believed would be more appealing to humans.
As the launch time approached, Wen Ying felt a bit anxious, worried about mediocre sales. When the pre-set release time arrived, he found the system backend frozen. After refreshing it, he was stunned.
"Are you kidding me? A stock of sixty-six thousand gone in seconds?!"
"Did scalpers use bots to snatch up the cards?!"
"I just checked Taobao, and several are reselling them at ten times the original price."
"The Magic Mirror Demon should have set a purchase limit."
Wen Ying checked the backend and found someone had purchased over a thousand tickets in one go. He scratched his cheek upon seeing the scalpers' prices on the resale market and released another batch. Despite limiting purchases to ten per account, they were snapped up in seconds.
"Damn, how fast are your single-life-trained hands? They vanished despite the limit!"
"Have you seen how many people are fighting for them? Even foreigners are joining in. Selling out in minutes is normal. I just want to know when they'll ship! I can't wait to meet my beloved Nine-Tailed Fox sister."
"Are you sure you'll get the Nine-Tailed Fox? It's a blind box."
"...What the hell?! Who corrupted the Magic Mirror Demon?"
"The Magic Mirror Demon seemed to give out blind box cards from the start."
"Who would've thought even the Realm of Demons isn't immune to blind boxes..."
"I guess we'll have to trade for it on the marketplace."
"I wonder what the ratio is for the rare finds. I really want to try that calming spell – I've been having trouble sleeping lately."
"I'm curious about which demon is the hidden variant."
Due to the secrecy surrounding the hidden card and the magic it held, people were paying extra attention to it. Even before the card illustration was revealed, many were already acquiring it from various platforms, all for the magic it offered.
All the other cards were for entertainment, whereas the hidden card possessed practical magic.
Wen Ying had a sneaky plan in mind. If he released the card image, Lai Yehua could easily halt its sale at the first sight of it. However, if the illustration remained unseen, Lai Yehua wouldn't know which card was being sold, and by the time everyone obtained the card, it would be too late for Lai Yehua to intervene.
Wen Ying sighed. He had gone to great lengths just so Feng Luo could tease Lai Yehua. He hoped Feng Luo would step in to stop Lai Yehua when the time came.
Within the Demon Exorcist Academy, there were many who failed to secure a card. Being present in the academy, some attempted to take advantage of their proximity to Wen Ying, but he politely declined their requests. A few even tried to use their charm to sway him, only to be swiftly dismissed with a glance from Perseus.
Perseus crossed his arms as he watched another batch of people flee in defeat, scoffing, "You're treating them so kindly. The demons who got swindled by you last semester would weep if they saw this."
Looking at him, Wen Ying replied, "You didn't cry either."
Perseus: "…"
Taking a deep breath, he gritted his teeth, "Wen-"
Wen Ying swiftly covered his mouth, as he knew the last word Perseus was likely to utter was "Ying." Currently, he went by the name Wen Jing.
Boros seized Wen Ying's hand and twisted it backward.
"Woo...!" Wen Ying gasped, "Ouch! Let go! Let go!"
Boros released his hand, his expression haughty and proud.
"Go back and ask Grandma to make more health-enhancing potions..." Wen Ying rubbed his red-marked wrist, muttering resentfully.
Boros snorted coldly, completely ignoring Wen Ying's words. "When I come of age, my strength will double."
From a distance, Muershi saw the two demons up ahead, their interaction seemingly flirtatious, and sarcastically said to the succubus Essence beside him, "Boros, huh. He's saving face by deleting all his previous posts overnight. He's slapping himself in the face. I actually forgot to take a screenshot; what a pity."
The succubus gazed at the two demons ahead, narrowing her shimmering eyes. Her enchanting voice, innate with allure, was tinged with mockery. "Are you upset that Boros has taken Wen Ying? Your favorite playmate?"
Muershi didn't confirm or deny this, but his sighs grew louder, like an elderly man lamenting the lack of maturity in a young person.
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