The bright light illuminated the Cardmaking Workshop, reflecting off the magical instruments and utensils.
The tools gave off an ancient aura, as if they had borne witness to many a Cardmaker's rise to glory.
At this point, Lanci was intensely focused on his workbenc.h
He carefully counted the basic materials, took out a partitioned tray, and gathered some of the required materials.
He placed them one by one into the compartments of the tray.
Talia watched his material selection with a slight frown.
What was this guy doing with all these materials?
While Talia was puzzled, Lanci gradually completed his preparations.
Talia, who had been destitute for quite some time, had almost forgotten that she had been wealthy before.
Lanci rolled up his shirt sleeves, his face full of anticipation, ready to start practicing making Magic Cards.
He clumsily combined the ground-up Attributeless Magic Crystal Powder and Magic Core Liquid to concoct ink, monitoring the magic fluctuations during the mixing process with a meter.
Lanci, who was still not adept at syncing his own Magic Power with the ink, could only temporarily rely on magical tools for assistance.
"..."
Actually, this wasn't difficult. However, just reading about it wouldn't suffice; he needed someone to teach him.
Talia watched Lanci's novice operations expressionlessly.
However, she had no interest, nor any obligation, to advise this human boy who had absolutely no talent for magic.
Seeing this,
Talia didn't even need to continue watching to know what card Lanci wanted to make.
That's because Lanci had unfurled the Magic Scroll he was to excerpt, intercept, and engrave.
This scroll, of course, was the First-order Spiritual Magic [Mental Interference].
Compared to Magic Scrolls that are rendered obsolete after one use, if they are made into Magic Cards, this spell can be used repeatedly—
[Mental Interference]
[Category: Magic Card]
[Grade: Blue Preciousness]
[Level: 1]
[Effect: Only valid for enemies within 3 meters. It temporarily immobilizes them. Mana consumption and duration are determined by the difference in spirit between both parties. Cooldown time is 120 seconds.]
In most cases, the Magic Card made from this magic scroll as a base would have almost consistent effects, with perhaps minor fluctuations in the control duration at most.
If the Cardmaker's craft is exquisite, they might be able to create a rarer [Purple Rareness] quality card.
In that case, the effects would be more potent, or there might be additional effects.
Of course.
Even if it is only a First-order Magic, the [Blue Preciousness] quality poses quite a challenge for a novice Cardmaker.
It would be good enough if they could avoid a card explosion, or make a [White Ordinary] quality deteriorated version.
Talia couldn't yet comment on this young man's talent, or what kind of card he would make.
But generally, humans with talent, starting to learn Cardmaking only now, were already quite late.
Lanci clearly wasn't underprivileged.
If he had talent, he should've begun his studies with the best resources available much earlier.
He shouldn't be dabbling in Cardmaking now.
"Tata, do you know cardmaking?"
Lanci stared at the scroll in his hand. Seemingly sensing Talia's gaze, he suddenly asked.
To him, having someone to chat with in the workshop seemed nice.
"..."
Talia didn't respond to him, but merely moved her gaze away indifferently.
She didn't want to lie for such a trivial matter, nor did she want this human to know what he didn't need to.
Lanci smiled subtly, understanding and not trying to engage Talia in further conversation.
Just like the Cardmaker's Association's attitude towards him, he had decent value as a merchant.
However, as a Cardmaker, he was basically worthless.
Having said that, up to now, the only ones who acknowledged him are the house steward, Mr. Hans, and the maid, Miss Frances.
Lanci thought to himself while continuing to fill the engraving pen with the prepared Magic Ink.
Next, he couldn't be distracted, because he was entering the most crucial step of Magic Card creation—
The rewriting and shaping of magic structure and circuits.
First-order Spiritual Magic is mostly minor mental interference. And more control-type Spiritual Magic usually requires close proximity to activate.
If he wanted to rewrite the effects, he'd need not only remarkable magical creativity but also numerous experiments and improvements. This was way more difficult than ordinary Cardmaking.
Lanci concentrated all his attention, focusing his entire spirit on the task before him.
As the engraving pen in his hand moved slightly, he slowly infused his magic into each magic circuit.
The magic structure of the card is not something any magician or Magic Artisan can draw on a whim; it's a process involving comprehension, creation, and casting.
Without an outstanding understanding born of innate talent, even if they could draw something similar, they wouldn't be able to endow it with the power it deserves.
Lanci held his breath, as if he had entered an intense moment of challenge.
The biggest problem with engraving is the intricate Magic Symbol Text that needs to be engraved on the card. These twisted symbols looked like ants crawling around, making them hard to distinguish without keen eyes, let alone write them.
He frowned slightly as he engraved slowly.
Just like an artist creating a beautiful work.
Each stroke was incredibly delicate, yet filled with a sense of gravity.
This made even Talia, who was standing aside, give her gaze to Lanci a few more serious moments.
Let's not talk about how low-level a card Lanci is making, or how inadequate his experience is.