The World’s Secrets

Hearing Fang Wenlong’s words, Lu Su froze where he stood.

First, he was surprised that even a Master Card Master did not know information about Tun Shi.

Second…

"Master Fang, do you actually know who was on the other end of the call?"

Lu Su genuinely had not expected that.

Yet Fang Wenlong and Ji Weirui did not look well at the moment.

The two exchanged a glance before slowly saying, "Since you’ve already come into contact with it, Xiao Luo, this probably can’t be kept from you anymore."

"We only hope that after hearing this, you won’t spread it around."

Hearing that, Lu Su’s heart tightened. He knew it was time for his suspicions to be confirmed.

After a brief silence, Fang Wenlong finally asked solemnly, "Xiao Luo."

"How do you think the Mysterious Space came to exist?"

"Do you think it has consciousness?"

Hearing Fang Wenlong’s questions, Lu Su quickly searched through his memories.

He had long had an answer to the latter question, but as for the former…

After combing through all his memories, he found only one inconspicuous sentence from his earliest card-making classes.

"When Great Ming’s first card master, Lu Sheng, brought back the first material, Great Ming entered the age of card masters. From then on, everyone could enter the Mysterious Space to create cards."

Other than that, there was nothing.

Even that sentence did not actually explain the origins of the Mysterious Space.

But Fang Wenlong had not expected an answer from Lu Su. He continued on his own, "Xiao Luo, you’ve been a card master for quite some time now, and you’ve encountered the original histories of many secret realms."

"Especially that secret realm in Great Britain. You should know that so-called secret realm originals were complete worlds, just like ours."

"But have you ever considered that those secret realms may have tried to save themselves too, only to fail in the end?"

Of course Lu Su had considered it. In fact, the two materials dropped by Guran had already revealed the truth of that secret realm.

Heavenly Mandate Holy Swordsman, Blade of Salvation.

Combined with the fact that Guran should originally have possessed Hall of Fame Grade strength, there was no doubt that he had been that world’s attempt at self-rescue when it stood on the brink of destruction.

But clearly, it had failed.

Lu Su nodded and asked in return, "So, Master Fang, are you saying that the Mysterious Space is this world’s attempt to save itself?"

At that, Fang Wenlong confirmed his words. "That’s right. And judging by the outcome, it can already be considered a success."

Yet the gray-templed middle-aged man showed no joy. His face was instead full of bitterness.

Success was only relative to those worlds that had already become secret realms.

They still had not escaped Tun Shi’s threat.

Fang Wenlong continued, "Xiao Luo, because you only became a card master in the past two years, you don’t have much firsthand experience of this."

"But for old fogeys like us…"

"Card-making has become much easier over these past two years. Back then, even the slightest blur or uncertainty during card-making could lead to failure."

"But things are different now. Its criteria have relaxed considerably for people like us who have at least some talent."

As an old hand, Fang Wenlong recalled the days when he had first become a card master.

Every card-making attempt back then had been like a desperate gamble. He never knew where some strange mistake might occur and cause the card-making to fail.

Talented card masters could learn from their mistakes and avoid repeating them next time.

As for those without talent…

It was like Tudou writing Battle Through the Heavens at nineteen while Lemon Black Oolong, at his age, was still writing Anime Card Making.

Lu Su was startled and instinctively asked, "Master Fang, you can also figure out the upper limit while making cards?"

He thought of what he had experienced in the Mysterious Space.

And at that moment, Lu Su also understood why so many Great Ming geniuses had emerged over the past two years.

When he had participated in the National Tournament, there had been no shortage of geniuses his age.

Even his final match against An Jin had not been an easy victory.

Now it seemed that the Mysterious Space’s card-making evaluations had simply become more lenient.

But after hearing Lu Su’s words, Fang Wenlong’s expression turned strange. He then gave him a deep look. "Xiao Luo, our evaluations have merely become more lenient. We have no idea what upper limit each card can reach."

"Don’t say that kind of nonsense again."

Ji Weirui, standing beside him, smiled gently and added, "If outsiders heard that, they’d think all of Great Ming’s geniuses were insane."

Lu Su was not stupid. He immediately realized that his circumstances were likely different from those of the two Master Card Masters before him.

And the reason they said this was merely to warn him not to speak carelessly outside, lest someone with ulterior motives set their sights on him.

He immediately laughed it off. "I was joking. Please don’t take it to heart, Masters."

Seeing that Lu Su had understood their meaning, Fang Wenlong shook his head and continued, "Xiao Luo, you must think that the Mysterious Space becoming more lenient is a good thing. But have you considered the cost?"

"Why didn’t it make the conditions more lenient from the very beginning?"

There was naturally no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Every gift had already been secretly marked with its price.

If no payment had yet been demanded, then either the time had not come, or someone else had already paid for it.

Lu Su naturally understood such a simple principle. He simply could not figure out what the price was.

Perhaps noticing the youth’s unease, Ji Weirui comforted him softly, "Xiao Luo, you don’t need to be nervous. We don’t need to pay any price."

As her voice fell, Fang Wenlong’s followed. "According to our deductions, the price should be those secret realms that have already been cleared. It will Drain the remaining power within them."

"Xiao Luo, haven’t you noticed that those secret realms will ultimately disappear even without interference from outside forces?"

Hearing that, Lu Su could not help but freeze. He had originally thought that secret realms disappearing after being cleared was a natural phenomenon. He had never imagined that the Mysterious Space had drained them dry.

At that moment, a trace of doubt arose in his heart.

Because from his perspective, everything Fang Wenlong had said so far sounded like good news. There was no reason for them to look so grim.

Just as he thought that, the other man’s next words exploded in his mind like thunder from a clear sky. "The world has consciousness."

"The Mysterious Space is the world’s act of self-rescue."

"This is something every card master can vaguely sense after reaching Master grade."

"Even Master Card Masters like us can sense the existence of the World Consciousness."

At last, Lu Su’s long-standing doubts were answered.

He also understood who the so-called observer in the Observer’s Gaze Trait was.

But before he could say anything, Fang Wenlong continued, "However, none of that is the point."

"The point is that, at first, the World Consciousness had always been very stable in the perceptions of Master grade card masters like us."

"Until these past two years, it suddenly began to become active."

"Even…"

Fang Wenlong paused before saying each word deliberately, "Sometimes, it personally enters the fray."

Lu Su finally understood what the two Master Card Masters were trying to tell him.

For a human, being more active in daily life might represent abundant vitality.

But for a world…

That was clearly not a good sign.

Especially when this world was still facing the danger of destruction.

It was like a hibernating bear waking up for only two reasons: either it woke from hunger, or…

An unwelcome guest had entered its den, forcing it to wake and drive the intruder away.

The more Lu Su thought about it, the more numb his scalp became.

After all, their own boss had personally entered the battle, while the enemy’s big boss had not even shown a shadow.

Fortunately, Fang Wenlong finally gave him some good news. "But if what you said is true, Xiao Luo, then the situation should improve somewhat from here on."

Though Fang Wenlong did not know exactly what that sphere the youth had mentioned was, he felt that anything capable of drawing out the World Consciousness personally had to be an item of critical importance.

Lu Su also thought of the object Guran had handed over to their boss, but he did not know what it was either.

The room fell silent.

Only after a long while did Fang Wenlong compose himself and smile faintly. "All right. The main reason we called you here today was to tell you this."

"But what was said in this room came from my mouth and entered your ears. If possible, it’s best not to let too many people know."

Lu Su nodded at that.

Naturally, he would not go around publicizing such a secret.

He did not even intend to tell Jin Ping, though as a Master Card Master, the old man most likely knew about the situation this world faced.

Speaking of Jin Ping, Lu Su had now roughly guessed what the old man was preparing to do.

When a ship was about to sink, aside from repairing it or jumping onto another ship, there was actually one more option.

Build a new ship yourself.

Clearly, what Jin Ping intended to do was break free from the Mysterious Space. After all, all of his current strength relied on the card master system.

Once he left the range of the Mysterious Space’s influence, he would absolutely have no way to create new cards.

After all, other places had neither secret realms nor materials.

That was also why Jin Ping had been researching Demonization-related subjects.

No, rather than Demonization, it would be more accurate to call it secret realm transformation.

After saying goodbye to Fang Wenlong and Ji Weirui, Lu Su followed the ever-stern Zhang Jingxing out of the small house.

Zhang Jingxing had not expected to hear something so secret today. "…As expected of you."

"Junior Disciple."

He felt that the reason he had not been sent away was most likely because of his identity.

Hearing that, Lu Su twitched his lips. "Senior Disciple Brother, don’t let Third Disciple Brother lead you astray."

"Having one like him in our sect is already enough of a headache."

Compared to Lu Su, Zhang Jingxing knew far better what kind of person his Third Disciple Brother was. An awkward smile first appeared on his face, then he smoothly changed the subject. "What are your plans next, Junior Disciple?"

"Do you need to rest for a while first?"

"I can approve a few days off for you."

In his view, the young man before him had endured countless hardships before finally returning to Great Ming, then immediately rushed over to report to the two Masters. On top of that, he had been carrying out high-intensity missions even before he went missing. Even an Iron Man could not withstand being worked like that.

Jizhou Town had nothing major going on these next few days anyway, so he might as well give him some time off.

Lu Su did not stand on ceremony in response to Zhang Jingxing’s question. He merely nodded slightly. "Then I’ll trouble you, Senior Disciple Brother."

After bidding farewell to his Senior Disciple Brother, Lu Su returned to his residence alone.

But when he pushed open the door, he discovered that Kurumi and Amina were nowhere to be found. "…Now I really am all alone."

Lu Su sighed and closed the door helplessly.

After sitting silently on the sofa for a while to process everything he had learned today, he stood up again.

In the morning, Lu Su pulled his arm free from pale whiteness.

To be fair, replenishing mana really was exhausting.

But when he thought of the expression that had appeared on Altria’s serious, earnest face, he felt it had all been worth it.

"Cute. Love it."

When Lu Su opened the door, he saw Amina peeking out from the room next door and furtively watching his bedroom.

The moment she saw him, the little girl shrank back like a startled rabbit.

Girls from Europa matured early, and Amina naturally knew what had happened in the room next door last night.

Lu Su deliberately cleared his throat in a serious manner. "Ahem."

"Remember to come down for breakfast."

After saying that, he fled the scene as though running for his life. It really was rather awkward.

Lu Su was no longer in Jizhou Town. After meeting Fang Wenlong and Ji Weirui that day, he had returned to Nandu.

He was not stupid. The Shuběi Army had given him leave, so why would he stay in Jizhou Town pretending to be a lonely old man?

"It’s just that my leave is almost over."

Sitting at the dining table, Lu Su could not help sighing.

He only had one final day of leave remaining. Tomorrow, he would have to set out for Jizhou Town.

After finishing breakfast, Lu Su prepared to go find Kurumi.

But before he could leave, a tall figure had already appeared in his home.

"Senior Disciple Sister." Seeing this, Lu Su began—

Kurumi nodded in response. After a moment of silence, she said quietly, "Going back tomorrow?"

Faced with Kurumi’s question, Lu Su’s voice unconsciously weakened. "…Yes."

As soon as his voice fell, the room became silent.

After a long while, Kurumi tucked the loose strands of hair by her face behind her ear. "Can you not go?"

To ease the strange atmosphere, Lu Su casually made a joke. "I’ve got to make a living, Senior Disciple Sister. Otherwise, will you support me?"

But Kurumi’s expression turned serious. "I’ll support you."

"?"

If this had been before he transmigrated, Lu Su would have long since chosen to lie flat if such a beautiful, kind, absurdly wealthy woman had been willing to support him.

But Blue Star’s current situation was unstable, and he felt that his Jade Grade strength was still far from enough.

Perhaps Kurumi could barely support him with Jade Grade materials, but what about Diamond Grade?

What about Master grade?

Even…

Hall of Fame Grade?

Thinking of that, Lu Su could not help sighing. "Senior Disciple Sister, I’ll be careful this time."

But just then, Kurumi’s next words made him freeze on the spot. "Someone."

"Is forcing you?"