Who told him to make the cards!

Four enormous cards floated above, rotating clockwise, symbolizing the changing seasons and the eternal existence of the empire.

Even from dozens of kilometers away, just a fleeting glimpse from afar, Chen Zhi could feel the grandeur of this church.

"How is it, Brother Chen?" Zhou Keke asked.

Chen Zhi truthfully replied, "I feel like a country bumpkin."

The prosperity and advanced nature of Tianhengjing exceeded his imagination.

The grandeur of a building does not prove anything.

But Tianhengjing is full of buildings like this.

Diamond-shaped high-rises, tooth-shaped shopping malls... even the shops along the street have clean and bright exterior walls, with a luxurious stone-like texture.

This was only a small part of the capital city that he could see.

And this is merely an appearance.

Looking down at the ground reveals that the city's inner workings are more astonishing than its outward appearance.

Tens of millions of cards were neatly arranged by craftsmen and buried underground in an incredible way.

Driven by the principles of law, their patterns merged into one, like the roots of an ancient tree that has lived for countless years. Countless threads of light intertwined and spread outwards according to some laws that are difficult for ordinary people to understand, forming a giant card array that was so complex that Chen Zhi could not figure it out at a glance.

Magnificent, vast, and well-organized.

This is Chen Zhi's most direct feeling.

What kind of card designer could create such a perfect and magnificent city?

"Don't say that, Brother Chen," Zhou Keke said with a grin. "That country bumpkin isn't as handsome as you."

Chen Zhishen agreed: "I think so too."

"Hey, you're a bit narcissistic."

"Unfortunately, being handsome can't put food on the table."

"Not always."

The two of them walked and talked.

Zhou Keke walked with her hands behind her back, skipping and hopping, seemingly in a very good mood.

She even bought a cup when she passed by a milk tea shop.

"Brother Chen, here, have a taste."

"What about you?"

"I don't want to, I'm on a diet."

"..."

Chen Zhi glanced at the girl.

I thought to myself, you're only 1.5 meters tall, with long legs, and your body proportions are so good that you look like you stepped out of a comic book. Why are you trying to lose weight?

He took a sip of milk tea.

"Hmm...not bad."

It tastes similar to the delicious QQ-style tea on Earth.

It also has a slightly mineral taste, so it must be made with pure mineral water.

"This cup must have cost a lot of money, right?" Chen Zhi asked.

"It's alright," Zhou Keke said with a smile. "It's only 15 taels; the natural ones are more expensive."

In Tianhengjing, the word "natural" is not just a gimmick.

It is truly natural, and the entire production process does not involve any card-making techniques.

This is one of the reasons why drugs sold in hospitals are expensive.

The base of the cards is made from various minerals. Regardless of the effect, they will contain some trace elements. They are certainly not as healthy as those made from natural materials and handcrafted. Naturally, the price will also rise accordingly.

Chen Zhi nodded, indicating that he understood.

The two continued walking forward as if taking a stroll.

Zhou Keke would steal glances at Chen Zhi every now and then, thinking about what topic to bring up.

Chen Zhi continued to look around, observing everything.

His attention was drawn to a crowd gathered by the roadside.

"What is that?" Chen Zhi asked.

"Let's play chess?" Zhou Keke said, pulling Chen Zhi's arm to squeeze in.

In the center of the crowd was a workbench.

Unlike ordinary card-making tables, its surface has many engravings, and its overall outline is square with two horizontal lines in the middle, somewhat resembling a chessboard.

At this moment, a young man is playing chess with his boss.

The two men each held a card-making pen and made inscriptions on the chessboard.

Chen Zhi stared at it for a long time but still didn't understand, so he asked the girl in a low voice, "How do you play this?"

"It's simple." Zhou Keke also kept her voice low so as not to disturb the two of them.

"This workbench is specially made, essentially a simulator. Both players need to inscribe legal patterns in their respective areas, combining them with at least one existing pattern on the table to form a complete card structure, which serves as a chess piece."

"The markings on the board will change randomly every time a chess piece is made."

"You can control your pieces to attack your opponent at any time. You get a point for each successful hit, and you win by accumulating three points."

This is a competitive game exclusively for card makers.

The competition tests the card maker's comprehensive qualities, including the amount of patterns in their mind, card-making techniques, speed, and observation skills. Therefore, it is also often used in college assessments.

As they were talking, the young man who had challenged the boss had already finished drawing a picture.

As soon as the young man stopped writing, the normal-sized card structure suddenly lit up with white light, peeled off the chessboard, floated up, and then quickly closed up and shrank, eventually coalescing into a miniature card the size of a fingernail.

At the same time, the boss's pieces had also been formed.

Both players simultaneously moved their pieces, and two super cute mini fireballs collided in the air above the chessboard, bursting out a ring of scorching air that blew their hair up.

"Wow, it's a tie again!"

The onlookers cheered.

The owner is an old man surnamed Li. After retiring, he has nothing to do and often comes here to set up a stall.

He is a well-known card game master in this area, and he is also a formally employed card maker.

The young man was able to fight him on equal footing, losing only one point in seven rounds, which shows he really has some skill.

"This is fun."

Chen Zhi became interested.

It's also a great place to learn.

Zhou Keke covered her mouth and chuckled.

She suddenly realized that Uncle Chen, who came from the mining area, was kind of cute.

Everything is new and interesting to them, like a curious child.

However, on the other hand, card games are indeed interesting.

She was also very attracted to him when they first met.

Unlike most people, she prefers the visual presentation of card games.

The cards, shrunk several times in size, clash with each other, as if two invisible miniature card masters are fighting on the chessboard, which looks both cute and exciting.

Zhou Keke herself tried it a few times, right here at the chess stall.

Unfortunately, she didn't have the talent, nor was she a card-making professional; she always lost and never won.

It's mainly because the old man is too amazing.

Even though the chessboard has limited both sides to the same level, allowing only the creation of Tier 1 cards, Old Man Li's years of experience as a certified card maker are unmatched by ordinary people.

Sure enough, in the eighth round, before the young man's pieces were even fully formed, Old Man Li had already launched an attack.

A ray of light struck the chessboard on the young man's side, instantly shattering most of the structure he had drawn.

"Oh, what a pity!"

"Just a little bit short."

Everyone felt a pang of regret.

Old Li gets two points.

Zhou Keke stole another glance at Chen Zhi.

She noticed that Chen Zhi seemed to be observing the patterns carved by the young man and the old man Li, and couldn't help but turn her head slightly to look at Chen Zhi's beautiful hands clasped in front of his chest.

"It seems he really is a card maker," Zhou Keke thought to herself.