Sarah's eyes remained fixed on the wall of golden cards, her mind racing with possibilities. Despite her extensive experience with card repair, she had never actually created a yellow card, let alone a golden one. The main reason was her lack of exposure to such high-level cards, but more importantly, her mental energy wasn't sufficient to support the creation of a golden card.
In fact, Sarah could barely manage to complete a deep purple top-tier card with her current mental energy levels. She realized that her limitations were quite different from those of the card makers in this world.
This reminded Sarah of something Ethan Yun, the three-star card maker she met on the starship, had mentioned - getting her mental energy tested. The more she learned about card making in this world, the more she felt different from others. Perhaps she really should get tested, but not at the Card Makers Association as Yun had suggested. Being too special wasn't always a good thing. Sarah hoped to find an opportunity to do a private test in the future.
For now, though, Sarah didn't rush to complete this task. After all, being different wasn't necessarily a bad thing, and there was no need to hurry. Axiom Prime was vast, and opportunities would surely present themselves. She could take her time.
Sarah was patient and good at playing the part expected of her. In response to Professor Sun's solemn words, she replied enthusiastically, "I understand, Director. I won't disappoint you." Then, seizing the opportunity, she asked, "Director, isn't it a waste to have so many golden cards just displayed here without being used?"
Professor Sun, sensing Sarah's ulterior motives, eyed her carefully. "The ones left here are the ones that can't be used," she explained, sharing a common knowledge. "Fixed cards always need to be paired with machinery to function."
Sarah nodded, already aware of this fact.
Professor Sun continued to explain the design process of fixed cards and the unique nature of golden cards. She spoke of an unproven hypothesis in the card-making world - that cards that could be drawn with color could have corresponding machinery created in reality. The most famous example was the Star Network, whose core golden card was designed a thousand years ago, long before humans entered the interstellar age.
As Sarah listened to Professor Sun's words, her perception of the golden card wall changed completely. These cards were guiding the future!
"I understand, Director!" Sarah exclaimed. "One day, I'll put a golden card up there too!"
Professor Sun, feeling a bit uneasy at Sarah's enthusiasm, quickly led her away from the entrance and into the manufacturing room of the research lab.
Inside, Sarah saw a white machine as tall as two people. It looked intricate and complex, but it wasn't complete. Many circuits and brackets were scattered around, and the card slot was charred black, completely damaged.