The First Card Play Series (3)

The crescent-shaped energy blade cut through the thicket without any obstruction. As the onlookers watched in bewilderment, the bushes suddenly began to shake violently. A blue-green boa constrictor, roughly the thickness of a thigh, writhed in agony on the ground. A small line of blood was visible at its vital spot.

The East Guard Academy students stared in stunned disbelief at the writhing boa, and even the East Guard Academy teachers looked astonished. However, the most shocked of all was Hunter. Known for his high self-regard, he was now realizing that there were indeed people more skilled than himself. He saw more clearly now that the boa had not just one, but two symmetrical bloodlines, indicating that the crescent blade had sliced cleanly through the entire serpent's body.

The thought of the six major academies truly overwhelmed Hunter. Despite being ranked at the bottom among the six major academies, a student from Star Academy could exhibit such terrifying prowess with seemingly casual ease.

The Star Academy student, who had casually adjusted his glasses, had demonstrated skills that were extraordinary and daunting. 

Chris had ten completed cards in front of him, each marked with a number from one to ten. A satisfied expression crossed his face. What could be more perfect? Not only had he successfully created the card play, but he had also managed to compress the originally planned thirty cards into just ten. This reduced the cost to a mere third of what it would have been. 

He was even more pleased with his gains than with the completed card play itself. Compute cards had piqued his interest significantly. Being able to compress the content of thirty illusion cards into ten was a testament to the magic of compute cards. None of the ten completed cards were compute cards; they were all illusion cards. In fact, the knowledge he had gained about compute cards from the mysterious cards had reached a very advanced level. What he had learned so far only scratched the surface of "computation" knowledge. Even this basic understanding had yielded impressive results. Chris eagerly anticipated what astonishing effects a fully functional compute card might produce in the future.

Ray stared at Chris as if he were an alien. "How did you manage that, Chris?"

"Explaining it might be a bit complicated," Chris said, taking a sip of water.

"Forget it, then," Ray quickly conceded. He knew Chris well. To Ray, Chris was a passionate card technology enthusiast, and if even Chris thought it was complex, it would definitely be a mystery to him. Listening to Chris earnestly talk about something he couldn't understand was quite a painful experience. Ray wasn't concerned with the technical details; what mattered to him was the quality of the card play.

"No doubt about it!" Ray exclaimed, his large metal earrings swaying as he spoke with satisfaction. "This card play is the best I've ever seen! Chris, your skills are amazing! Of course, the script is also top-notch."

He believed he wasn't exaggerating. From both the visuals and the story, the card play was flawless. The realistic style, proper lighting and shadow rendering, along with a tight, suspenseful narrative, made the card play incredibly engaging. Ray suddenly stood up, raising his arms triumphantly, and declared, "Haha, it's time for Wood and Ray to dominate the card play world!"

Seeing Ray so excited, Chris was also very pleased but reminded him, "Now think about how to sell them. And also, the sound card issue."

The sound cards needed to be custom-made, something Chris couldn't handle. 

"Haha, leave those issues to me," Ray replied with confidence. The two immediately got to work: Chris would finish making the remaining card plays, while Ray would arrange for the sound cards and sell the finished card plays. They were practically broke, and if they didn't sell the card plays soon, they'd soon face a financial crisis.

Chris worked much faster than Ray. With the experience of creating the first set, his speed improved significantly. Over time, perhaps due to increased use of his perception, he noticed considerable progress, making the process even smoother. Now, Chris could complete a set of ten card plays in just one day. By the end, he was producing five sets per day.

Each set of card plays cost 3,000 Oudi to produce, with an average of 200 Oudi per illusion card. The most expensive component was the sound card, costing 800 Oudi each, with an additional 200 Oudi for packaging, which made the set look extremely luxurious and refined. Chris initially thought that selling a set for 4,300 Oudi would be profitable. However, Ray, ever the opportunist, set the price at a whopping 10,000 Oudi per set. This left Chris stunned, as he doubted whether anyone would buy at such a steep price. Ray assured him that this was the market price, leading Chris to question if the card play industry was truly so lucrative.

What Chris hadn't considered was that their card play only required ten illusion cards, whereas most card plays typically consisted of thirty to fifty cards, which contributed to the high profit margin of their product. To his surprise, Ray sold five sets in the first week alone, netting them 35,000 Oudi. The speed of their earnings left Chris in awe; he couldn't believe that something non-essential could sell for such a high price. In the second week, Ray sold ten more sets, bringing in a net profit of 70,000 Oudi.

Chris was perplexed. "Where did you find so many buyers?"

Ray looked at Chris with disdain. "I've been in this business for quite a while now. How could I not know anyone? You think everyone is as broke as we are? People are after spiritual fulfillment, get it? A thousand Oudi to them is just the cost of a meal. Besides, something like Encounter, all that romance, it's like a spiritual tonic for those rich girls. We're just catering to their needs. Isn't there a saying that goes, 'The spirit is priceless'? If we sell it too cheap, we're not respecting their spiritual world, are we?"

Chris was speechless.

After the initial excitement wore off, Chris quickly became accustomed to their success. By the end, the profits had turned into nothing more than numbers. After two months, they tallied up their sales—over 150 sets of Encounter had been sold, netting them nearly a million Oudi. Split between the two of them, that was 500,000 each. Neither had ever seen so much money before. For a moment, they just stared at each other in disbelief.

"We... we hit the jackpot!" Ray stammered, eyes gleaming with excitement. 

Although Chris appeared calm, he was also thrilled inside. With that 500,000, he could ensure a stable life for quite some time. He was well aware of the financial demands of a stable life. The sales of over 150 sets left Ray extremely satisfied, and naturally, Chris was even more so. According to Ray's estimation, this level of sales was likely the peak. After all, they weren't a large corporation with extensive distribution channels.

"Chris, I'm thinking of going on a trip," Ray suddenly announced after they had calmed down.