43: No longer in the card game continent

"Where are we going?"

"What good place?"

Lu Yuan's heart pounded.

This young miss's thoughts were unfathomable.

The warning from last night was still fresh in his ears, yet now she was actively showing goodwill?

However… he really needed connections.

In a place like the Hunter's Market, selling a card might involve haggling for a long time… Fortune favors the bold.

She couldn't possibly eat him, could she?

The car was quiet.

Lu Yuan looked straight ahead.

"Last night…" Nickname broke the silence first, "It couldn't have just been about borrowing blank cards, could it?"

Nonsense, Lu Yuan didn't reply.

"Judging by your recent appearance, you seem to be worried about cards?"

"The Hunter's Market in Jiangcheng is too low-end for you right now."

"In a garbage heap, you might occasionally find one or two treasures, but to systematically improve your strength, that place won't do."

Nickname coaxed, "I'll take you to a truly good place – the Star Brilliance Secret Market."

"It's not open to the public; only those who are qualified or have special connections can enter."

Star Brilliance Secret Market?

Lu Yuan's heart stirred; he had never heard of this name.

It seemed another door to a new world was about to open.

However, he weighed his wallet.

"A place like that… I probably can't afford it," Lu Yuan said truthfully. He currently had just over twenty thousand star coins at his disposal.

Nickname remembered what her father had told her not long ago.

The corner of her mouth curved slightly, revealing a sly smile, as if she had finally won a round.

"I know you're poor."

"I'm in a good mood today, so I'll lend you one hundred thousand star coins first."

She took out her phone and tapped a few times.

Lu Yuan's phone immediately received a transfer notification.

[Alliance Savings Bank: Your account ending in XXXX has received a transfer of 100,000 star coins. Current balance: 12XXXX star coins.]

One hundred thousand!

Lu Yuan looked at the string of numbers, his breathing catching slightly.

This young miss was too generous!

"However…" Nickname drew out her words, "This money isn't lent for free."

"As for interest… let's forget about it."

"As for the conditions… I'll tell you when I think of them."

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow.

Money that came for free, why not take it?

As for conditions, if he earned it by his own ability, what conditions could there be?

Just right, he also wanted to use this opportunity to see what the Yao Family's true background was.

It was definitely not as simple as just opening a card shop.

"Then many thanks," Lu Yuan put away his phone, a smile on his face.

Nickname nodded with satisfaction. 'Little guy, I've got you now.'

The sedan drove away from the bustling city, turning onto a secluded path.

Finally, it stopped in front of a huge warehouse that looked like an abandoned factory.

The warehouse door was tightly shut, rusted and surrounded by overgrown weeds, completely unremarkable.

The driver got out and walked to a hidden metal sensor, seemingly verifying something.

The heavy warehouse door slid silently inwards.

Inside was not a warehouse, but a brightly lit downward sloping passage.

The sedan drove down the passage,

passing through three heavy alloy gates consecutively, each requiring a different verification method.

The last gate opened.

The view suddenly opened up!

A vast underground space, larger than imagination, appeared before Lu Yuan.

More than a market, it was a small underground city!

The dome was extremely high, embedded with crystals that simulated daylight, illuminating the entire space as bright as day.

The streets were wide and clean, lined with various shops, each with a different decor style; some were ancient and elegant, others full of technological flair.

The air was filled with a rich Source Power fluctuation, comparable to a high-level cultivation room!

There was no shortage of people coming and going, but each person exuded an extraordinary aura, walking with calm steps.

Lu Yuan casually glanced at a few people, his heart slightly chilled.

These people were at least Second-Tier Card Masters!

Some auras were even as deep as the sea, faintly reaching Fourth-Tier, or even higher!

Tsk tsk tsk, terrifying indeed.

Lu Yuan even saw people in military uniforms, or wearing badges of special departments from the city hall, strolling around here like ordinary customers.

The atmosphere and intensity here were simply worlds apart from the Hunter's Market!

"How about it? Stunned, aren't you?" Nickname looked at the undisguised shock on Lu Yuan's face, proudly raising her chin.

"This is a secret realm in Jiangcheng, later cleared out and transformed into a trading place. You feel the Source Power fluctuation, right? Just cultivating here is equivalent to the high-level cultivation room at my family's club."

"The alloy gates you saw earlier were actually spatial rifts. In principle, we are no longer in Jiangcheng, or even… on the Card Continent!"

Lu Yuan took a deep breath; he was indeed shocked.

This was the true world belonging to Card Masters!

"Indeed… an eye-opener."

Nickname expertly led Lu Yuan through the Secret Market.

"The Hundred Refinements Pavilion on the left is a large enterprise from the provincial capital, mainly dealing in various forged demonic beast weapons and armor. The materials are solid, but the prices are on the higher side."

"The Exotic Goods Shop ahead, the boss is an old swindler, specializing in selling strange items of unknown origin. Nine out of ten are scams."

"See that queue? That's Danshin Hall, one of the best potion shops in Jiangcheng and even the Canglan Province. Their Third-Tier Source Power recovery potions are exceptionally effective, but ridiculously expensive."

Lu Yuan listened silently, committing this information to memory.

He saw many cards he had looked up in the school's database.

In the display window of a shop called Myriad Beast Garden, a [Rock Giant Lizard] card was showcased, priced at thirty-five thousand star coins, green three-star, and in perfect condition.

Not far away was another perfect [Mist Fairy], blue three-star, priced as high as eighty thousand!

Sure enough, the price of a blue card was incomparable to a green card.

He also saw stalls selling some special functional cards.

For example, a one-time consumable card called [Energy Deflection Shield], which could block a Source Power attack at a critical moment, sold for fifteen thousand.

Even in a secluded corner, Lu Yuan saw people whispering, with several dull, yet faintly gold-tinged broken bones and scales displayed before them.

"Incomplete gold quality materials?" Lu Yuan's heart was startled.

Although they were just fragments, they indeed carried the aura that only gold quality demonic beasts possessed!

How dare they trade such things privately here?

The Star Brilliance Secret Market was indeed unfathomably deep!

"What do you want to buy? I'll take you to a few reputable ones," Nickname asked.

"I want to find a Second-Tier, blue quality, three-star beast taming card, preferably one that can both attack and defend, and doesn't consume too much Source Power," Lu Yuan stated his requirements, waiting for Nickname's suggestions.

Nickname thought for a moment.

"That's a bit of a high demand."

"A Second-Tier blue card, capable of attacking and defending, and not consuming too much… Let me think."

"Come with me, let's go to the Beast Taming Hall. Their channels are quite extensive; they might have something suitable."

...