Card maker? No, I'm a mechanic!

Why would this be in his box?

And importantly, besides this strange iron bar, there were also knives and pliers.

This doesn't look like something for making cards at all.

"this……"

Su Man's lips parted slightly, and her glasses almost slipped off.

"Jiang...Teaching Assistant Jiang, are these card-making tools?"

This is clearly a toolbox belonging to a car mechanic or a plumber, isn't it?

Is that strange?

Jiang Zhe picked up the iron rod and skillfully twirled it in his hand.

"This is my precious treasure."

Upon hearing this, Su Man pursed her lips, her gaze lingering for a moment on the tools that seemed out of place in the environment, but she did not respond.

As Professor Lin's student, she believed that she recognized or at least had seen most of the card-making tools.

Even those unorthodox methods still use tools like crucibles, which have a traceable origin.

And what's before our eyes...

"Teaching Assistant Jiang, are you sure?"

"Are you sure you used these things to make the cards?"

Su Man originally intended to bring the person in to familiarize herself with the place before leaving, since she herself still had a lot of experimental data to process.

But seeing the scene before her, she couldn't move her feet, which were about to leave.

What is this guy trying to do?

"What else? I'd use it to fix the water pipes, wouldn't I?"

"By the way, do you have a Water Blade Card that I could borrow?"

Jiang Zhe rummaged through his backpack, somewhat helplessly.

He remembered finding it before, probably because he accidentally left it behind when he moved.

"Water Blade Card?"

Su Man shook her head. "I don't usually carry those kinds of cards."

"Tsk, this is troublesome."

Jiang Zhe scratched his head, his gaze sweeping across the table full of tools.

He was thinking of starting now, but it seems that's not going to happen.

Su Man stood there, her curiosity growing as she watched Jiang Zhe's troubled expression.

What does he want to do with this card? And what can the Water Blade card do?

Although reason told her that she should probably get back to work, she still found herself heading towards the door.

Li Kai is from the Relics Exploration Department, so he probably has this kind of basic card.

"Wait a moment, I'll go ask."

After saying that, she didn't wait for Jiang Zhe's response, turned around and walked out briskly in her high heels.

……

In the corridor, Li Kai was leaning against the wall, counting the floor tiles in a daze.

Hearing the door open, he immediately perked up, stood up, and flashed what he thought was a perfect smile.

"Suman, is it over? I know a good one nearby..."

"Li Kai, do you have a Water Blade Card?" Su Man didn't seem to be fully coming out.

She only leaned out halfway, and the curves of her body pressed against the door frame looked even more breathtaking.

"Huh? A water-blade card?"

"Yes, Teaching Assistant Jiang needs it." Su Man blinked. "I'll treat you to dinner next time."

"……All right."

Upon hearing that it was for the man inside, Li Kai felt extremely unwilling.

But seeing the goddess's slightly expectant eyes, he finally couldn't resist taking out his cardholder.

"Here, remember to tell him not to break it."

Thanks.

Su Man snatched the card, but before Li Kai could say anything, the door slammed shut again.

Li Kai: "..."

I feel like a food delivery person.

……

Returning to the table, Su Man placed the slightly worn-out Water Blade card on it.

Just one.

"That works, as long as the loop isn't completely broken."

Jiang Zhe picked up the card and glanced at it.

"The circuit is too crude; it lacks a proper structure and simply forces the water out."

He took out his notebook and quickly sketched out complex turbines and supercharging structures on it with his pen.

"We need to add a pre-pressurized chamber... and shorten the loop here a bit."

Su Man had initially just stood there watching, but as Jiang Zhe's drawings became increasingly complex, her curiosity grew stronger.

She couldn't understand those strange structural diagrams at all; they were neither traditional magic circuits nor some kind of array.

It actually looks more like... a mechanical part?

This uncertainty made her feel like she was being scratched by a cat.

"Teaching Assistant Jiang... what are you drawing?"

She finally couldn't hold back any longer and pulled a chair over to sit directly next to Jiang Zhe.

"Design plan".

Jiang Zhe didn't even turn his head; his mind was entirely focused on the cards.

"Since this card isn't actually mine, I'll just do some deductions first."

"It's okay, I'll just buy him another one later."

Su Man waved her hand dismissively, her eyes burning with intensity.

"Since you've put it that way..."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhe no longer hesitated, turned on the soldering iron, and the tip quickly turned red.

Then, to Su Man's incredulous gaze, he actually stabbed the scalding hot tip directly onto the card.

"Sizzle..."

Smoke rose.

Is he... sabotaging the cards?

Su Man's eyelids twitched as she watched.

Although I had prepared myself mentally, it was still hard to accept seeing this counterintuitive operation in person.

Is he really not afraid of being blown up?

But Jiang Zhe's hands did not stop for a moment.

He not only destroyed the circuit, but also used the power wire to perform some kind of rough welding at the break.

He twisted those energy lines into strange shapes and then forcibly embedded them into the card surface.

Suppressing her strange feelings, Su Man stared intently at every detail of him.

What exactly is going on?

During this process, the cards, which she anticipated should immediately become unbalanced and explode, were...

Surprisingly, despite such rough treatment, it only emitted a few wisps of black smoke but did not collapse.

Even faintly, Su Man could sense a faint but extremely violent energy.

It is accumulating continuously in those distorted energy conduction lines.

A few minutes later.

"nailed it."

Jiang Zhe put down his tools and casually wiped away his sweat.

At this moment, the Water Blade Card on the table was completely unrecognizable.

The card's surface was covered with solder joints and power lines, making it look like a piece of junk covered in patches.

"That's... all done?" Su Man looked at the ugly thing, her tone full of doubt.

Is this thing actually usable?

Jiang Zhe flicked the card, clearly very satisfied with the piece.

"It is a bit ugly, but you can't judge it by that alone."

"Please move aside a bit, or you'll get splashed with water."

Su Man got up as instructed, but her gaze never left the card.

She wants to see.

What kind of mess could this card-making process, which was completely haphazard and took every step unexpectedly, possibly produce?

"start up."

Jiang Zhe channeled a wisp of his spiritual energy into the device.

"Buzz..."

There was no activation failure as Suman had anticipated, nor was there the flickering of energy disorder that threatened to explode.

Instead, a very sharp, high-frequency whistling sound was heard.

The sound was like all the cicadas on an entire tree chirping at the same time, extremely piercing.

Su Man instinctively covered her ears, a look of horror flashing in her eyes.

Is that... the sound coming from the Water Blade Card?

next moment.

"laugh!"

There was no flowing water, only a thin line of water, as thin as a hair, shooting out at a speed almost imperceptible to the naked eye.

Fast, too fast.

A soft thud was heard.

A corner of the heavy rosewood table in front of Jiang Zhe.

It was as if it had been swept by some invisible laser, and it slid down without warning.

"state."

The corner of the table hit the floor with a dull thud.

The cut is smooth and flat, and you can't even see the cut marks.

Su Man's expression froze completely.

She glanced down at the corner of the table on the ground, then turned to look at the tattered items in Jiang Zhe's hand.

How...how is this possible?

She knew all too well the hardness of this special type of rosewood table; even a burning knife wouldn't necessarily have the same effect.

But that was... a Water Blade Card?

Just then, before she could recover from this huge contrast...

"Sizzle..."