Let's Make Card Play Together

Chris shook his head. "I haven't touched it in a while." Recently, he had been focusing on absorbing the basic theories of preparation cards.

"So, what have you been busy with these days?" Ray, as if hearing something utterly unbelievable, sat up and stared at Chris. He knew his friend very well. Chris wasn't one to play around; in fact, it seemed like the concept of 'play' didn't exist in his mind. To Ray, Chris was like a tireless, unrelenting young man, always striving to improve his skills in illusion cards, despite having a weak foundation. But today, hearing that Chris hadn't worked on his illusion cards for some time was nothing short of shocking.

Chris remained silent, not knowing how to explain it.

Ray knew that when Chris made that expression, it meant he didn't want to talk about it. And if Chris didn't want to talk, Ray was convinced that no one in the world could pry a word out of him. "Alright, drop that sour face. If you don't want to say, fine, who cares? Do you have anything you've made before? Let me see," Ray said, trying to lighten the mood. That's how their friendship worked: when one was frustrated, they would vent, but if the other was feeling down, no matter how unhappy they were, they wouldn't make things worse by showing it.

Chris casually tossed an illusion card to Ray. "Here, this one."

"Hey, let me, a famous one in the card play industry, evaluate your work. Just so you know, my standard is strict, so don't be upset if I critique it," Ray boasted, fumbling to catch the card Chris had thrown his way.

"Ah, the historic moment has finally arrived…" Ray muttered as he clumsily inserted the illusion card into the slot of his degree meter.

Seeing Ray's clumsy movements, Chris couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled. Wasn't this guy pretty nimble before? What Chris didn't realize was that his own agility, speed, strength, and even perception had improved drastically compared to before. That's why Ray's actions suddenly seemed so awkward and unreasonable to him. It wasn't that Ray had become clumsy; it was that Chris had grown so much more skilled. But at this moment, Chris hadn't yet realized this.

Ray pressed the activation button.

Suddenly, a massive creature materialized out of thin air, almost filling the entire room. It was a dragon! A fire dragon! Its long body coiled and twisted through the air, and those deep crimson eyes stared intensely at Ray, as if they could pierce through to the depths of his soul. A shiver of fear crawled up Ray's spine. 

"Holy...!" Ray's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed backward, fainting on the spot. 

Chris looked at the unconscious Ray, speechless. He hadn't expected a mere one-star illusion card to actually scare someone into fainting. He walked over to Ray, turned off the device in his hand, and with a flick, the terrifying fire dragon instantly vanished into thin air.

Chris didn't wake Ray up. Instead, he sat down beside him. He felt a bit of regret that there was no soothing breeze or the sound of flowing water. Just sitting there quietly, he let his thoughts wander. The tranquility brought no sorrow, and Chris appeared as calm and unmoving as a tree.

After more than ten minutes, Ray slowly regained consciousness. As soon as he woke up, he scrambled to his feet, looking around with traces of fear still on his face. "Chris, did you see that? What was that thing?"

"Yeah, I saw it," Chris replied, his expression unchanged. "That was a flame dragon, a three-star combat illusion card."

"A three-star combat card?" Ray's face went blank with shock. After about ten seconds, he tilted his head and asked dumbfoundedly, "When did you switch to being a card cultivator?"

"I didn't. That was just a one-star illusion card. The flame dragon was only an illusion, with no real power," Chris explained. He couldn't help but feel a bit proud that the illusion he created was strong enough to scare someone into fainting.

"An illusion?" Ray froze for a moment, then shook his head vigorously. "No way, there's no illusion that realistic! Chris, don't mess with me. What do I do for a living? I work with card illusions! I see illusions every day; I can tell the difference in an instant. That was definitely not an illusion!" Ray concluded firmly. "When did you become a card cultivator? And a three-star illusion card? Those things aren't cheap!" Ray looked at Chris, full of suspicion.

Chris, too tired to explain, walked over to Ray and switched his device back on. "Touch it and see for yourself," Chris said casually. The lifelike flame dragon appeared once again.

Ray was still shocked a little, but compared to last time, he was much more composed, though his legs were trembling slightly. He glanced at Chris, noticing that Chris didn't seem to be joking, and cautiously extended his hand to touch the giant dragon. His hand passed right through it, touching nothing but air.

"Huh?" The emptiness beneath his fingers surprised Ray—so it really was an illusion. With that realization, the tension in his heart eased instantly. Once relaxed, his interest in the flame dragon illusion grew. He began circling the illusion, marveling at it, and muttering in awe.

"My goodness, it's so realistic! It's exactly like the real thing! Chris, I had no idea your skills had reached this level; you really gave me a scare!" Ray exclaimed excitedly, his words pouring out nonstop.

Chris didn't pay much attention to Ray's compliments, merely responding with a quiet "hmm" before lying down on the bed. Ray continued to admire the illusion for a full ten minutes before reluctantly putting away the card. When he turned back, his face was unexpectedly filled with joy.

"Chris, I have an idea!" Ray said, his excitement palpable.

Chris responded in a leisurely tone, "What idea?"

"Why don't we make a card play series?" Ray leaned in, looking at Chris with anticipation.

Chris observed Ray carefully, noting his serious expression, realizing he wasn't joking. After a moment of thought, Chris replied, "Ray, I don't know the first thing about making card plays. I wouldn't know where to start."

Ray didn't give up. "Chris, if you can create a one-star illusion card this good, making card plays should be a piece of cake for you. I believe you'll pick it up in no time. Compared to creating the illusion of this fire dragon, making card plays is much simpler. I'll handle the script, and I'll take care of the marketing too. All you need to do is make the card play. I've been in this industry for a while now, and I know the ropes. Chris, you've got the talent! And so do I! We're the perfect team!"

There was a strong confidence in Ray's words. Chris lowered his head, thinking it over. Since Uncle Hua's death, he hadn't found a reliable source of income. Maybe, making card plays wasn't such a bad idea after all...