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Chapter 20: There Is a Road to Heaven, But Don’t Take It
🕑 Added 2025-06-30 13:09:53 +0000 UTCThe next day, Russell had a rare, deep sleep. It was more likely that he had simply exhausted his brain cells making cards the day before. For most cardmakers, "sleep" had been replaced by the practice of the "Deep Blue Meditation Method", and Russell, never one to lag behind, had adopted the same habit.
Riding Pidgeot through the morning sky, he quickly arrived at New Metro First High. Ever since getting his mount, he no longer had to worry about being late due to traffic jams—though given how highly regarded he now was, Victoria Song probably wouldn't have said much even if he were late once or twice.
The day's classes began, accompanied by Ms. Song's hypnotic voice. Today, however, Russell was more interested than usual. The lesson was on chain cards and legion cards.
"Students, please listen carefully to what follows," Victoria Song said, her face serious as she looked out at the students of the key class. "Chain cards, as the name suggests, are cards that have a linked effect between them. This is usually seen between a creature card and a specific item card." She didn't draw out the suspense, getting straight to the point.
"A famous example from the mythology of the Daming Federation is the creature card [Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King] and the item card [The Seven-Treasure Exquisite Pagoda]," she explained. "When used together, these two cards produce a powerful chain effect. I won't go into the specifics, but know that the power of a true chain effect is on par with a card bond."
Russell knew about card bonds. Both of his main cards had them, but unfortunately, he didn't have the materials to create the corresponding cards to activate them yet.
Ms. Song, unaware of his thoughts, continued, "Chain cards are usually created from key props in a character's story. This is something you should all pay attention to when designing your cards in the future."
After discussing chain cards, she moved on to legion cards. This was the top priority of the Federation's card-making education system. "The next topic is legion cards," she said, her tone growing even more serious. "Please pay close attention."
Seeing her intensity, the students couldn't help but sit up straight.
"Legion cards do not refer to the cards in a single cardmaker's hand," she explained, pushing up her glasses. "It refers to batches of identical cards mass-produced by organized groups of cardmakers."
She paused, letting the concept sink in. Most cardmakers with average or limited talent would eventually either end up joining the army or becoming a stationed cardmaker in a city's controlled secret realm. In the army, the quality of cards made by low-level cardmakers was often uneven. To solve this, the Daming Federation's court issued a number of high-strength card-making templates. Low-level cardmakers could use these templates to produce standardized cards, which, when summoned together on a battlefield, could be integrated to generate a power far greater than the sum of their parts.
This was why she was so serious. In her opinion, only Russell and Nancy were truly top-tier seedlings in her class. The final destination for most of the other students would likely be one of the two paths she had just described.
Russell now understood. This was how the cardmakers confronting the demon armies on the border fought their wars. But it had little to do with him. He had just made a red-quality card last night; his path was a different one.
Time flew by, and school ended in the blink of an eye. Just as Russell was about to go home, Nancy came up to him. She seemed worried, which confused him. "What's wrong?" he couldn't help but ask.
Nancy was silent for a moment before she spoke. "Darren is missing."
Russell was stunned. What does Darren's disappearance have to do with me? he thought. Does he actually have the guts to try and get revenge? Just as he was about to ask, Nancy continued, "My father told me to tell you to be careful when you go home from school." "Darren's parents," she said, her voice low, "were found dead in their home this morning. The Association suspects Darren was responsible, and they're tracking him now."
Russell was full of questions, the primary one being, "Darren is that... 'filial'?" At that moment, his mind was filled with a collection of dark internet jokes about patricide.
Nancy ignored his strange choice of words and just shook her head. "Anyway, just be careful." With that, she turned and left. In her opinion, Darren posed no real threat to Russell, so a simple warning was enough.
Russell rode Pidgeot and slowly landed in front of his dilapidated apartment building. As he was about to go upstairs, a familiar voice sounded from behind him. "It feels like I haven't seen you in a long time, Russell."
It was Aunt May, his next-door neighbor. She had a good relationship with the original owner, having watched him grow up. She was the one who had dragged him with her to escape during the [Demon's Nest] riot. The original owner would even occasionally go to her house for a free meal.
Thinking of this, Russell couldn't help but smile. "After becoming a cardmaker, I've had a lot of things to do. I haven't had time to visit you, Aunt May."
"Why are you being so polite, you silly boy?" she said with a warm smile. "Come over for dinner when you're free." In her opinion, it was a wonderful thing that Russell had become a cardmaker. At least he was doing much better than the miserable orphan he used to be.
"Next time, definitely next time," Russell laughed.
The two of them slowly went up the stairs together. On the way, she suddenly seemed to remember something. "By the way, Russell, I'm not trying to be nosy, but young people shouldn't associate with questionable people."
Questionable people? Just as he was about to ask, she continued, "When I went out to buy groceries just now, I saw a young man and some second-rate thug hanging around your door."
Russell was confused. In his memory, the original owner's social circle was very clean. The only "social person" he had dealt with recently was Brother Tiger from Duoduo Finance. Could it be him? But I already paid off the debt.
Although he was confused, he still said, "Yes, yes, you're right, Auntie May. But the people you're talking about must have come to the wrong door. I don't think I know them."
Aunt May breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want a good boy like Russell to get mixed up in society's dregs. They stood for a moment on the stairwell landing. "That's it, then," she said. "I have to go back and cook. Come over to eat when you have time."
"Okay, I'll come when I'm free," Russell agreed with a smile.
The sound of their conversation echoed in the silent, dark corridor.
Turning around, Russell put his hand on his door handle, about to take out his key. In that instant, he felt a sudden, violent force from the other side of the door. His instincts screamed. He let go and leaped back.
Ken Kaneki appeared in front of him in a flash.
BOOM!
The old, rusty, dilapidated iron door was blown off its hinges, sent flying across the corridor like a cannonball. It slammed hard into Aunt May.
"Hahaha! That kid was right! You really are a genius!" A crazed, familiar laugh echoed from within Russell's apartment.
At that moment, Russell finally understood who Aunt May had been talking about. He looked at his kind neighbor, now lying motionless on the ground, her life or death uncertain.
Russell's expression turned to ice. A surging, murderous intent boiled up in his heart.
"DARREN! IF YOU WANT TO DIE, I WILL GRANT YOUR WISH!"
(End of this chapter)
