Summer. Shanghai. Happy Homeland Residential Complex.
Russell opened his eyes in a daze. The TV in the room was playing the news.
"Master-level Card Maker [Reaper King] Byron Moonwhite arrived in Shanghai today. Please welcome Master Byron Moonwhite as he comes to give guidance."
"It is reported that Master Byron Moonwhite is the pinnacle expert of the underworld system."
"This visit to Shanghai is to guard the offshore secret realm known as the [Demon Nest] from rioting."
"In addition, this [Demon Nest] riot is suspected to be the work of the Qiling Club."
"If any citizens spot suspicious individuals, please report them immediately."
The voice on the TV stabbed at Russell's nerves.
A flood of memories rushed into his mind.
"Did I… just transmigrate?" Russell muttered to himself.
Before transmigrating, Russell had been a blacklisted freelance illustrator in the second-dimension fandom. Due to the rise of AI art, he had been unemployed for six months. One night, while drinking to drown his sorrows, he drank too much and choked to death on his own vomit.
"What an embarrassing way to die… Damn! I didn't delete my 'study materials' from my computer yet!"
Thinking of the unspeakable files hidden on his computer, Russell's face went pale.
He could only hope his friend would be smart enough to deal with them. Meanwhile, he began sorting through the information in his mind.
In this world, the planet was still called Blue Star, just like in his memories. But there was one major difference—this world had a strange profession known as Card Maker.
At first, history followed a path similar to the Blue Star Russell remembered.
But everything changed when General Warden let the barbarians through the gates.
Cracks and secret realms began appearing all over the world, from which endless monsters poured out.
And it was Lucas Steel, a muscular soldier guarding a pass during the Ming Dynasty, who accidentally fell into one of the cracks.
To everyone's shock, this man of muscle actually fought the monsters of the secret realm with his bare hands—and obtained the very first card on Blue Star.
From that moment on, the tides turned between the Ming Dynasty and the barbarian invaders. Today, the Ming lineage has continued for over 600 years.
Once the empire stabilized, it was discovered that a small, nameless neighboring country had already been destroyed. A fox-shaped demon descended directly onto that nation's homeland, turning it into what is now known as the Demon Country.
However, the Ming royal family had long become little more than ceremonial figureheads. The real power lay in the imperial cabinet.
Scratching his head, Russell grumbled, "Is this Ming Dynasty even legal?"
According to the memories he inherited, recent years had seen growing conflict between humanity and the secret realm demons. In some areas, full-on standoffs between human armies and demon armies were already happening.
To replenish its military strength, the Ming Card Maker Association hosted annual aptitude tests for high school sophomores, selecting students with potential for special training.
The original body's owner had died while staying up too late preparing for his first card. He collapsed from overwork before even completing it.
Thinking of this, Russell couldn't help but get excited. It looked like he had been handed a "mythology cardmaker" plot.
Brimming with confidence, he opened the Revised Edition 4.8 of the World Mythology Atlas laid out in front of him.
Gradually, his excitement plummeted.
"…I don't think I know much about mythology."
Only now did Russell recall how little he actually knew. He certainly wasn't as familiar with mythological characters as the experts of the past.
He knew a bit about some of the famous names, but at his current level, he wasn't capable of crafting any of them yet.
The mythology cardmaking plan… was a bust.
Disheartened, he casually flipped through another book on the desk titled Red Hair Teaches You How to Write Stories.
Suddenly, his eyes narrowed as he slowly read a line from the page:
"As long as the logic is internally consistent and the setting is reasonable, it's possible to make a card?"
Seeing that, Russell fell into thought. "Does the anime I watched before I crossed over… count?"
As a second-dimension illustrator, he naturally had encyclopedic knowledge of all sorts of anime.
Putting those thoughts aside for now, Russell continued browsing the materials on card making.
"Spiritual power, materials, story setting, card design—none of it can be skipped…"
Among those, spiritual power was the least of Russell's concerns. Perhaps due to his transmigration, his spiritual power had already reached Black Iron level.
But from the look of things, the profession of Card Maker had extremely high standards.
Still, the world couldn't function without card makers. So the profession had become the most sought-after, elite role in society.
Shaking his head, Russell threw off his distractions.
He went back to organizing the memories in his head.
"…Online loan?"
The body's original owner had been an orphan. His parents, both ordinary civilians, died during a demon invasion from the secret realms. All they left him was an old house and just enough money to scrape through high school.
If he wanted to become a Card Maker, that money wasn't going to cut it.
So the original owner turned to online loans.
Sure enough, he managed to borrow 100,000 yuan in startup funds—but with a catch. If he couldn't repay it in one month, the house he lived in would be seized by the lending group.
Russell rubbed his temples, feeling the weight of it all.
According to the memories he received, if he successfully became a Card Maker, just the scholarship from Shanghai No. 1 High School alone would be worth up to 150,000 yuan.
Not only could he pay off the loan, he could probably even get through college.
But if he failed…
Russell might end up homeless, sleeping in alleyways and living on scraps.
He sighed. Card making was now an urgent priority.
Booting up his old, clunky computer, Russell opened the Card Maker Association's official trading website.
The site displayed different materials based on the account's rank.
As a civilian, Russell could only purchase Black Iron level materials.
Biological materials:
[Rookie Pirate] (White)
[Elite Samurai] (Blue)
[Human-faced Snake] (Green)
[Corpse Dog] (Green)
[Hanged Ghost] (Blue)
[Avenger] (Green)
Item materials:
[Samurai Sword] (Green)
[Ming Guang Armor] (Blue)
[Ring-headed Broadsword] (Green)
[Sportswear] (White)
Looking at the listed materials, Russell began tapping his fingers on the desk absentmindedly.
He silently ran through potential character cards he could realistically create right now.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up.
He added [Elite Samurai] (Blue), [Avenger] (Green), [Samurai Sword] (Green), and one blank card to his shopping cart.
The total was just over 90,000 yuan. Gritting his teeth, Russell confirmed the purchase.
Success or failure hinged on this one shot.
After the payment went through, a sense of emptiness washed over him. He quietly sat down and rested in his chair.
About half an hour later, there was a knock at the window.
"Duoduoduo."
Outside, a plump white bird with a big head was grooming its feathers.
The most eye-catching thing was the small bag slung across its body.
From the original owner's memories, Russell identified it.
A Black Iron-level white biological card: Cuckoo Chicken.Typically used for civilian logistics in the city.
Russell opened the window and took the envelope from Cuckoo Chicken's beak.
The chicken tapped a button on the bag with its beak, and a female voice played: "Please confirm receipt of goods."
Russell opened the envelope. Inside were the materials he ordered: [Elite Samurai], [Avenger], [Samurai Sword], and one blank card.
"That's right. This is it."
Russell nodded to Cuckoo Chicken and reached out to pet it.
Cuckoo Chicken hopped back cautiously and pecked another button.
"Please do not touch staff during work hours."
The next moment, it fluttered its wings and flew away.
Watching the magical Cuckoo Chicken vanish into the distance, Russell couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for the Card Maker profession.
Before, he had only seen the memories of the original body, like viewing fog through glass.
Only now did he begin to truly understand the mystique of a Card Maker.
"Alright then… it's time to make my first card."