A Mysterious Card

Chris's fingers deftly pulled out a one-star energy card from the pile and placed it in front of him for a closer inspection.

From the surface pattern, this one-star energy card appeared unremarkable; it used the most widely adopted structure, the Bax structure, which was the most common. However, Chris still sensed something unusual about this card.

The weight—this card was slightly heavier than a typical one-star energy card. After producing tens of thousands of one-star energy cards, Chris had become intimately familiar with their weight. No matter the structure used, as long as it was a one-star energy card, its weight would never exceed a certain range.

Obviously, the weight of this one-star energy card is out of this range.

Closing his eyes, Chris gently rubbed the surface of the one-star energy card with his index finger and thumb, carefully feeling the slightly raised patterns on its surface.

The patterns were too shallow, lacking in firmness—this feeling... this feeling... Chris furrowed his brow as he tried to recall where he had encountered this feeling before.

He remembered... Chris's eyes suddenly lit up—it felt just like the result of drawing on a softer material!

But something was off. A greater sense of confusion rose in Chris's heart. Based on the texture, the material of this one-star energy card was extremely hard and felt heavy. Normally, the patterns engraved on it should feel more solid.

How could it give off this sensation? How strange!

After inspecting the energy card more carefully, Chris still couldn't determine the cause of this peculiar phenomenon. The patterns were flawless, and the brushstrokes were smooth and beautiful, indicating a masterful level of craftsmanship. Even though he had been making one-star energy cards for three years, his own skills could not produce such elegant lines.

This only deepened Chris's confusion. The very notion of a master-level one-star energy card seemed odd—what master cardmaker would bother with one-star cards? If it were a five-star energy card, Chris would find it more plausible.

After some thought, Chris placed the peculiar card alongside the one-star energy card with the new structure that he had discovered earlier. Finally finished with his work, Chris let out a long sigh. Having been fully absorbed in his task, he now felt a bit weary.

"I'll take these two cards with me," Chris said, lifting the two one-star energy cards he was holding toward Black.

"No problem, no problem," Black said with a smile. He had made quite a few finds today, thanks to Chris, who had helped him find five cards with remaining energy. Black was grinning from ear to ear.

In Black's mind, Chris was quite an odd man. From his attire, it was obvious that he came from a poor family. Children from poor families never missed an opportunity to save every penny. The leftover energy cards in Black's hands were worth a significant amount of money to them! Yet, Chris seemed strangely indifferent to these unused energy cards. Instead, he was highly interested in the one-star energy cards, especially those that had been used up.

Of course, Black kept these thoughts to himself; in fact, he was more than happy with the situation. If Chris behaved like a typical person, those energy cards wouldn't be falling into his hands—and those cards were money!

As Black indulged in self-congratulations over his foresight, he smiled warmly while seeing Chris off.

Upon returning home, it was already 10 PM. After hastily eating something, Chris eagerly took out the two energy cards he had obtained earlier that day to study them.

The first one-star energy card immediately caught his attention.

It featured a structure he had never seen before, with intricate patterns made up of light blue lines covering the entire surface of the card. The card was the size of a standard playing card, with a slightly flexible material. The surface was smooth, but if touched carefully, the raised patterns could be felt.

Most people would likely feel dizzy and overwhelmed by such a complex pattern, not knowing where to begin. However, Chris's eyes lit up with excitement. For three years, he had dealt with similar patterns daily. Although the structure of this card was different, its complexity was on par with what he was used to. The twelve new structures he had encountered over time had also provided him with valuable experience.

To analyze the pattern structure of a card, one must first identify its starting point, the place where the first stroke was made. By tracing the lines and following the flow of the pattern from that initial stroke, it becomes much easier to understand the overall design.

Although a one-star energy card is complex, it remains the simplest among all cards. Even so, it took Chris three hours to fully understand the function of each stroke in the design. However, replicating the card would require extensive practice, which he decided to give up. Such practice would lead to significant resource consumption, and despite having some savings, he wasn't yet in a position to afford such extravagance.

Most importantly, Chris had calculated that the cost of producing this new structure of one-star energy card was slightly higher than his current method. Spending a lot of money to practice a new structure that had no direct benefit to him wasn't his style. However, there were still aspects of this energy card worth considering. The spiral compression structure might be something he could incorporate into his own energy card designs.

Chris pondered, but his fingers involuntarily slid over another one-star energy card. His gaze fell on the second energy card he had just acquired. This one-star energy card was illustrated in a standard way, which is the most widely used and common style for one-star energy cards today. What caught Chris's attention was the brushstrokes on this card's surface.

The lines were graceful and smooth, with an exceptionally refined brushwork. Every curve and bend was round and full, showcasing a masterful touch.

The card appeared quite old, clearly showing signs of age, and was likely a work from an early period by some master. What first caught Chris's attention was not these aspects but rather its weight and thickness.

This old one-star energy card was one-tenth heavier than the usual energy cards. The weight of a one-star energy card is already very small, so even a difference of one-tenth is hard to notice. However, since Chris had made so many one-star energy cards, he immediately felt the difference when he picked up this particular card for the first time. The thickness was similar; this one-star energy card was thicker than the standard ones.

This was the main reason why the card caught Chris's attention. One-star energy cards were the earliest type of card and the most widely used, with their standard specifications established from the very beginning. Even today, the so-called standard structure and materials remain unchanged from the time they were first created.

How could a one-star energy card made by a master have such differences?

Could it be that this unknown master discovered a new material for one-star energy cards?

Chris, who had been focused on reducing the cost of one-star energy cards for his livelihood, was strongly intrigued by this card.

When Chris removed the energy card from the energy device, the room was immediately plunged into darkness. After a moment's hesitation, Chris gritted his teeth and inserted the strange one-star energy card into the energy device at home.

Hmm, it doesn't light up! The room remained in darkness, with no hint of light.

Chris was taken aback—how could it not light up?

It was inconceivable!

This was the first thought that flashed through Chris's mind. The card showed no signs of being used, and Chris could easily identify an energy card that had been depleted. He was certain that, although old, this energy card was one that had never been used.

Moreover, the structure of this card was flawless, with no errors whatsoever, far surpassing even the one-star energy cards Chris had made himself. Such a card should be impossible to have any damage. Yet, the reality was that it truly failed to provide even the slightest bit of energy.

Reinserting his own energy card into the energy device, the room was once again filled with light. The device was functioning properly, so external factors were quickly ruled out. So, what exactly was the problem?

Under the light, Chris carefully examined the energy card. As he felt the card with his hand, a sudden thought crossed his mind: Could this be a defective card? Could a master create a defective one-star energy card? The possibility seemed unlikely, Chris pondered. He systematically ruled out various factors: the structure and design were correct, and there were no signs of use or energy depletion, yet it still failed to provide any energy.

Material? Chris had a sudden flash of insight and began to think that the slightly thicker feel might indeed be related to the material. The more he considered it, the more it seemed that the issue might be tied to the card's composition.

Chris placed the edge of the card under the light and, upon closer inspection, indeed discovered something unusual. On the card's edge, which was less than a millimeter thick, there were two very faint dividing lines. It turned out that the card was made from three different materials bonded together. Because the colors of these materials were very similar, it was difficult to notice without examining it closely.

A failed experiment? This seemed to be the most likely explanation. Many years ago, a master had attempted to improve the one-star energy card, but the effort ended in failure. Somehow, this failed experiment had been passed down and eventually ended up in Chris's hands. This theory seemed the most plausible. Chris felt a pang of disappointment; if this were true, then the card was indeed worthless.

Chris's fingers subconsciously rubbed lightly along the card's edge, and suddenly, he felt something unusual. He quickly brought the card back to his view and noticed that, due to its age, the card's edge had started to peel. Chris, who had previously lost interest in the card, suddenly felt a surge of curiosity. If his guess was correct, then the master who created this card must have believed that bonding these three materials could improve the one-star energy card. Chris had a clear understanding of his own skills, recognizing that he was likely even less skilled than a beginner, having never received any formal training in card making.

But he also had his own confidence: the one-star energy card! From the very beginning, he had focused solely on one-star energy cards and knew them inside and out. Despite making some adjustments previously without achieving any breakthroughs, this card provided him with a new inspiration. Since there seemed to be no progress in the structural aspect, why not explore materials instead?

Having entertained this idea, Chris became quite interested in the materials of this experimental card. Although it was a failure, it was undoubtedly crafted by a master, and the knowledge behind it was beyond his own. Intending to learn from it, Chris decided to carefully study the three layers of bonded materials.

Carefully peeling away the outer layer that had begun to flake off, Chris couldn't help but feel a pang of nostalgia. No matter how durable the material, it was difficult to preserve its former brilliance against the ravages of time.

When Chris completely removed the outer layer of the thin film, he suddenly froze, staring at the card in utter shock, as if struck by lightning. He was completely stunned, paralyzed with disbelief!

The card's surface was as dark as the night, covered with hundreds of thousands of silver lines as fine as hair. These lines spread across the entire surface like a spider's web. At first glance, they seemed chaotic and disordered, but even the tiniest section revealed graceful curves, precise structures, and intricate, almost unbelievably complex nesting patterns.

Although the silver lines were as fine as hair, making them difficult to discern with the naked eye, they appeared almost like capillaries in the human body, giving the illusion that silver liquid was slowly flowing through them.

"What is this? A card?"

Chris murmured unconsciously, his mind completely trapped in a state of semi-stasis. It took him a full ten minutes to snap out of this daze. He rubbed his eyes vigorously to ensure he wasn't seeing things wrong.

His initial guess had been completely off track. This wasn't some failed experiment; it was clearly a card that had been deliberately disguised. With his limited knowledge, Chris had no idea what kind of card this was. In fact, the complexity of this card far surpassed anything he was familiar with. The intricate lines and the advanced craftsmanship were unlike anything he had ever seen or even imagined.

At the recycling station, Chris had seen high-level cards before, though they were all discarded items. However, he had never encountered a card as complex and intricate as this one.

What kind of card was this? Chris's curiosity had never been higher.