The Ink Maker Association (2)

Living together for the past few months, he had found that Chen Ling was a very good person. He was always smiling and chatting, only becoming expressionless when he was deep in thought. His Card Crafting talent was exceptionally high; at twenty years old, he was already a genuine five-star Card Crafter. However, his Mental Power was currently damaged, so he couldn't craft Cards.

Tung Lam hadn't asked about Chen Ling’s background, but whenever it was accidentally mentioned, Chen Ling would quickly steer the conversation elsewhere, clearly not wanting to discuss it.

As an Ink Maker with two-star Mental Power, Tung Lam was quite sensitive. Many times, he noticed Chen Ling sitting in a daze, his eyes filled with worry, though he didn't know what his friend was troubled about. Seeing him like this now made Tung Lam worry.

"Ah, it's nothing. Heh heh, you're about to strike it rich, kid. Shouldn't you treat me to a meal?" Chen Ling snapped out of it, laughing with his usual rogue-like tone.

"Hmph, I still haven't finished paying off the debt for the air conditioner. What am I going to treat you with?" Tung Lam laughed too. He didn't push; if Chen Ling wanted him to know, he would tell him.

The next morning, Tung Lam planned to visit the Ink Maker Association. After exercising and eating breakfast, he left the house.

The Association was located in the central district. To get there from District B, he had to cross District A, a distance of about 60 km. Walking was impossible; he had to take a flying car.

There were many types of flying cars. If he took the fixed-route line at a speed of 500 km/h, it would be very fast, taking only a few minutes. But one had to book tickets in advance at astronomical prices, which Tung Lam couldn't afford. Flying cars on the magnetic induction lanes at 200 km/h were cheaper but still quite expensive. Tung Lam wasn't in a hurry, so he decided to rent an outer-road flying car.

The outer roads were like ground roads but included the 20m of airspace above them. Flying cars with different functions were allowed to fly in specific lanes at different altitudes. Small passenger flying cars (air taxis) flew in the middle lanes at an altitude of 1m from the ground.

This wasn't Tung Lam’s first time in a flying car. His mother had taken him a few times when he was a child, but it had been a long time, so he felt a bit uneasy when the car took off. However, since the car used magnetic force, it was very smooth, and he settled in quickly.

After traveling for over an hour, Tung Lam arrived at the central district of Chai He City. Unlike other districts, the center was exceptionally bustling. The roads were twice as wide, and the network of fixed routes and induction lanes was dense in the sky. Buildings were packed together, each at least 200m tall; fortunately, thanks to light-diffusing glass technology, there was still plenty of light below.

Tung Lam passed by a park and couldn't help but marvel at its size. It was over 1 square kilometer, seven stories high, far exceeding the scale of the park near his house.

Furthermore, the outer roads in the central district had dedicated lanes for Card Cultivators. Countless Card Cultivators were flying back and forth. One should know that for a Card Cultivator to control air currents with a Card to fly, they had to be at least three stars. Since when were there so many three-star Card Cultivators!

After winding through the streets for another half hour, Tung Lam finally reached his destination.

Before him was a building over 300m tall, with five large 3D holographic words across the front: "INK MAKER ASSOCIATION." Just looking at the building made him feel intimidated.

Tung Lam took a deep breath and walked inside.

"Excuse me, sir, you haven't paid yet," the air taxi driver suddenly shouted.

"Ack, I forgot. Sorry, how much is it?" Tung Lam smiled sheepishly and pulled out his Identity Card...

The Ink Maker Association was a massive organization spanning the entire Nine-Star Alliance, with its headquarters in Sun City—the largest city in the Nine-Star Alliance. The one in Chai He was merely a branch. Even so, it was still enormous, and Tung Lam looked quite comical walking in with his timid demeanor.

"May I help you, sir?" the receptionist asked, seeing Tung Lam looking around and realizing he was a newcomer.

"Ah, I'm an Ink Maker who just joined the Association. Could you explain more about the Association's guidelines?" Tung Lam said hesitantly. Although he already had Li Jin Xuan in his heart, the receptionist was simply too beautiful, making him afraid to look directly at her. After all, he was only 16.

"Ink Makers with three-star authority can participate in trading and take on three-star ink-making missions. They can also attend advanced ink-making classes, though these require contribution points. Floors 3 to 20 are the three-star areas; you'll learn more once you head up there," the receptionist said.

"Ack, actually, I'm only two stars. I'm not sure what my authority is?" Tung Lam said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Hearing this, the receptionist's expression suddenly changed. One must know that the Ink Maker Association only accepted members who were three stars or above. If a two-star member was accepted, they were either an incredibly monstrous talent given special admission or the disciple of a Vice President or President; their status was anything but ordinary. The seemingly gormless young man in front of her was actually one of them. And here she had been speaking to him so casually; she had been far too careless.

"What's wrong?" Tung Lam asked, seeing her strange expression.

"Ah, it's nothing. It's fine if you're only two stars. Anyone who has just joined the Association is granted three-star authority. Authority isn't entirely based on rank. While rank determines your base authority, authority can also be upgraded using contribution points," the receptionist explained more thoroughly, her attitude having shifted. "Where would you like to go now? For trading, go to floors 3 and 4; floor 5 is for accepting missions; floor 6 is the library; floors 7 to 10 are for study and exchange. The remaining floors are laboratories."

"I see. Thank you," Tung Lam said, heading toward the elevator.

There were both stairs and elevators; for just a few floors, he didn't really need the elevator. But the "poor boy" Tung Lam, entering such a large building for the first time, didn't mind trying out the elevator just for the experience.

In truth, Tung Lam had researched the Association online the night before, but he had decided to come in person today. First, it was to see the Association and broaden his horizons; after all, the lowest-ranked people here were three stars. Furthermore, he wanted to find a type of ink-making material mentioned in the book that he had never heard of, hoping it would be here.

When the elevator doors opened on the third floor, a wave of fresh air with a pleasant fragrance wafted in, making Tung Lam take several deep breaths with a look of enjoyment. Before him was a vast, open space with people bustling about. Although everyone suppressed their Mental Power, their unique auras couldn't be hidden. Along the walls, countless glass cabinets were lined up, each containing a sample; one could only imagine the sheer volume of specimens here.

Stepping out of the elevator, Tung Lam walked over to observe a glass cabinet more closely.

Although it was the trading area for three-star Ink Makers, there were many one-star and two-star materials here because three-star Card Ink still required these as base components.

The material Tung Lam was looking for was two-star, so he headed toward that section. The first thing that caught his eye was a leaf as white as snow with serrated edges. A layer of mist covered the surface of the glass cabinet.

Bai Han Diep! The name thundered in Tung Lam’s mind. He had heard of this material; it was an extremely rare two-star ingredient. It was said that Bai Han Mo could be concocted from Bai Han Diep—a Card Ink with intense cold properties used to craft two-star Combat Cards with superior freezing capabilities. Even three-star Card Ink required this material if a strong cold attribute was desired.

On the current market, Bai Han Diep was virtually impossible to find; he hadn't expected to see it here.

Tung Lam observed it for a while and noticed three lines of holographic text at the bottom of the cabinet: one showing the name, one for the quantity, and the last for the price. There weren't many Bai Han Diep—only two leaves—and each cost 1,500 Ren. It was shockingly expensive. One must know that a finished bottle of two-star high-energy Card Ink only cost about 600 Ren, and even a top-tier one like Tung Lam’s Zi Jin Mo only sold for 1,400 Ren. Yet a single raw leaf was worth more!

After looking around for a while, Tung Lam saw that most were materials he already knew, some were rare, and a few he had never even heard of. For instance, there was a branch called Hoang Kim Cot Moc. At first glance, he didn't see anything special about it and had no impression of it. When he asked a nearby Ink Maker, he learned that this Hoang Kim Cot Moc had a tiny golden strand at its core. It was even rarer than Bai Han Diep and was a vital ingredient for a type of four-star Card Ink used to craft Cards with powerful healing properties. A single piece cost up to 8,000 Ren—more than a three-star Energy Card.

Tung Lam was secretly terrified; how could he afford these materials? The worst part was that he was looking for a material he had never heard of, which meant it certainly wouldn't be cheap.