A week later.

  Yang finally stretched his arms above his head and let out a huge yawn. The last week since returning from the Cardwright Association had been spent immersed in reading the rather dense and comprehensive books given to him after getting the Grade One Cardwright certification. He'd taken breaks only for sleep and eating, leaving the flat just once to get groceries.

  These books were much more thorough and gave a far better theoretical knowledge of the card creation process. Rules, regulations, what was and wasn't possible. They delved rather deeper into the process of why certain inscriptions were designed particular ways and what alterations could be made to create different effects.

  This provided much more comprehensive knowledge, and Yang was not surprised to see that these books were not to be sold publicly. Only the Cardwright Association was allowed to issue them to registered First Grade Cardwrights.

  There was a large number of designs he had access to now. Far more than the Lucien’s basic manual had contained.

  He was especially excited to see that these books, apart from single inscription cards, also contained knowledge about multiple inscription cards. Cards with two or three different patterns working in concert to achieve more complex effects. Yang was fascinated by how the card creation process was a mixture of science and art. Systematic yet creative. Structured yet flexible.

  There was also a whole section dedicated to locking inscriptions that were used on higher grade cards to hide the patterns. Apparently, if you created a new type of card inscription, you should use a custom security inscription to conceal the design so not everyone could learn it just by examining a finished card.

  Apart from that, designs were also patented and protected by law for fifty years after the death of the inscription creator's direct heirs. So if a Cardwright created a card and left the patent to his children, the card would not go into public domain until fifty years after the death of those children. This was to ensure that the creator's heirs were taken care of financially.

  Apparently the card inscriptions Yang had access to in Lucien's basic book were in the public domain. Anyone was allowed to use them. The books he'd received from the Cardwright Association had those public domain designs as well, plus more advanced patterns that had small footnotes on each page informing whose intellectual property they were. Only Cardwright Association registrants were allowed to use those designs, with a percentage of royalties paid to the owner on any sale.

  There were hundreds of designs. Most were basic and pretty useful but hardly impressive. But there were also more useful designs like heat regulation cards to maintain the temperature of a room warm enough in winter, cooling cards to chill a room in summer, sound dampening cards, insect repellent cards, and so on.

  Cards were used by the people of this world in every aspect of life. And even among Cardwrights, apart from the grades used to differentiate skill levels, there were specialized practitioners. Some Cardwrights who solely made surgical-related cards for doctors. Farming-related cards for agricultural use. Home maintenance cards for household purposes.

  If you could think of an industry, there was likely a type of card for it and a person specializing in creating those cards if the industry was large enough.

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  It was quite fascinating, and Yang had to wonder if it was also true for the cultivation world. But then he waved the thought off. Cultivation was solely aimed at increasing lifespan and power. While there might be people with personal interests in particular niches of talismans or alchemy, he doubted it was as developed an industry as the Cardwright profession.

  From what he'd read about in his short time in the cultivation world, most cultivators tried to learn at least the basics of many professions to meet their needs. While tool creation and formations were difficult, talismans and, once you had the wealth, alchemy were common enough for cultivators to dabble in.

  He also had plans to dabble but instead he was stuck here in this completely new world.

  There hadn't been a significant increase in his energy status since he hadn't created any cards in the last week. Too busy going through theory and absorbing knowledge.

  Still the same as before his registration with only slight passive increase. But now Yang had the knowledge to create cards more efficiently.

  Since he'd already used six of the twelve blank cards he'd gotten from Lucien, he still had six remaining. Yang wanted to create more cards and sell all eleven of them at the market to buy more blank cards so he could quickly continue increasing his energy bar. He fully intended to keep one of the air purifying cards for himself. That was non-negotiable. The city's polluted air was unbearable without it.

  Thankfully, the rent was paid for a few months to come, but he was still spending money on food. He'd need money for groceries, rent when the time came, and more blank cards to inscribe on. The income from card sales would be essential.

  He decided to stick with single inscription cards for now. He believed they would be easier than cards with multiple inscriptions, and he wanted to build up his skill and confidence before attempting more complex work.

  He also decided to use public domain inscriptions. He didn't want to have to deal with the Cardwright Association again so soon, and he'd have to report any sales of cards using copyrighted inscriptions. Simpler to avoid that headache entirely.

  Yang also believed that now having more thorough knowledge of the card creation process, he would be able to create new inscriptions more easily in the future. Now that he had a reason for every stroke and loop.

  Now that he had so many inscriptions to look through, he could recognize the similarities and differences in design. It was like a language in its own right. Using words to form sentence structures. You could use the same words in different ways and completely change the meaning of the sentence.

  Yang could even say that from what he'd learned about talismans in books and classes, card designs were definitely more versatile and would be easier to modify. Once he learned the language properly, he'd be able to form his own sentences. Create his own inscriptions from first principles.

  Both were interesting disciplines, and Yang wondered how they would work together. What could be achieved if he combined the two systems. Talisman theory applied to card creation. Card versatility applied to talisman crafting. It was not completely impossible since he did use some of his talisman creation knowledge to fill in the gaps while creating the cards.

  The possibilities were intriguing.

  Yang could feel a jittery eagerness in his hands, eager to quickly grab an inscription pen and inscribe on the cards. But he refrained. There was time for that.

  First, he needed to choose which inscription to focus on.

  Yang started looking through the public domain designs, finally settling on the heat regulation inscription. It was public domain, so he could sell cards inscribed with it to his heart's content without having to darken the Cardwright Association's doorstep again. And it was getting cooler as winter approached in Markech. The nights had already gotten chilly, frost forming on windows in the early morning.

  Yang intended to take advantage of the changing weather. People would be looking for ways to stay warm. Heat regulation cards would sell well.

  He had six blank cards remaining. He would create six heat regulation cards and sell them all along with the other five cards.

  Yang took hold of the inscription pen, attaching an energy stone to the top. The crystal portion lit up with green veins of energy as the stone connected. He positioned a blank card on the desk, angling it to catch the light properly.

  Then he began inscribing the design with complete concentration.