Chapter 170: 170 Go through the back door_1
The International Association and the Crying Angels were both somewhat dumbfounded, especially the International Association. In fact, they had done something similar before, but the difference was that last time the Yunxia Association swallowed the loss without publicizing the matter. However, that previous incident involved the Mountain Ghost Association, which had recruited a Yunxia Card Maker who had grown up overseas and created a powerful S Rank card, possessing considerable deterrence in competitions. Someone from an Empire within the International Association grew covetous and deceitfully stole the card to make a copy. The result was that the Mountain Ghost Association was barred from ever using that card in competitions again. Although the International Association was warned by Yunxia, and some internal personnel became scapegoats and were expelled, considering Yunxia’s consistent style, the Mountain Ghost Association still ended up swallowing the bitter pill.
Having proposed such a scheme, the International Association didn’t think Mount Flower would necessarily fall for it. They merely hoped Mount Flower would just curse them behind their backs, never even considering someone as direct as Wen Jiang would step in. Now that Wen Jiang had brought the issue to light, it was like a hornet’s nest had been stirred. On the Blue Star APP, accounts across different countries were connected, allowing Yunxia People to roam freely on foreign networks. Online, aside from being mocked for their card strength, Yunxia was known for its formidable public opinion warfare. This led to the International Association receiving over a million abusive comments within an hour, forcing them to temporarily disable the comment features on their account.
The scandal had blown up to such an extent that Yunxia had already received the news. It was time to show some backbone; such incidents were not unprecedented, and even Yunxia’s higher-ups were incensed, completely taken aback by how shamelessly the Sanctuary Branch of the International Association could behave.
But in reality, it wasn’t people from the Sanctuary Empire who had made the request this time. The International Card Association was similar to the United Nations in Wen Jiang’s world, comprised of several dozen countries and led primarily by the three great Empires. It was actually an official from Dongzhou Region, Beiwu Country, who had demanded Mount Flower surrender the card.
It was common knowledge that Beiwu Country had long been a lackey of the Sanctuary Empire, and the Card Association showed no scruples. As soon as Yunxia began to investigate, the responsible official from Beiwu Country was promptly pushed forward—the message being quite clear: "We’ve handed over the person immediately; pursuing this any further would be impolite."
Yunxia was aware of the Sanctuary Empire’s underhanded tactics. Without substantial evidence, they had no choice but to hold their noses and accept this outcome. After all, no substantive loss had occurred. Instead, Wen Jiang had publicized the matter, damaging the reputation of the International Card Association. In response, the Association had counterattacked, accusing Yunxia of making a mountain out of a molehill and lacking any imperial grace whatsoever.
This was an unspoken war in the political arena, and the outcome was communicated to Mount Flower within a few hours.
Yan Moling personally called Wen Jiang. "The person in charge from Beiwu Country has been fired," she said. "Our Empire’s representatives have been in a war of words with those from the Sanctuary Empire internally, and Frost Moon has stayed neutral, refusing to take sides. Although we currently have the upper hand, you know that if they truly become shameless, there’s nothing anyone can do."
Wen Jiang understood; she had experienced similar sly maneuvering before. In this world, Sanctuary, at least concerning card-related matters, hadn’t done anything egregious enough to provoke heaven’s wrath and humanity’s indignation, unlike its counterpart in her original world—which was the ultimate pest on Blue Star. However, here, both Xi Zhou and the North Continent had undergone major reorganizations over the past thousand years, blending the cultures of countless ethnicities and more closely resembling a melting pot Empire.
"The fact they fired him proves they still have some scruples," Wen Jiang said slowly. "I’m reluctantly accepting this outcome."
Yan Moling couldn’t help but laugh. "Actually, no one expected you to go public with the matter. While some people think it wasn’t quite appropriate, I have to say, you’ve definitely vented our frustrations."
Wen Jiang also smiled. "Is that so? Then why hasn’t the third Chapter of my comic been approved yet?"
"It’s too sensitive," Yan Moling couldn’t help but inhale sharply. "If we didn’t take into account that you haven’t detailed the Divine Beasts, we wouldn’t even want to release it."
Referring to Wen Jiang’s third comic Chapter, Yan Moling added with a wry smile, "Your first two Chapters were just laying the groundwork, but the third Chapter dropped a bombshell on us."
Indeed, they had already found similar traces. For instance, regarding auspicious creatures like the Kylin that Wen Jiang had drawn, they had already discovered some ancient subterranean civilizations but had kept them secret. After discussions, they now believed about eighty percent of Wen Jiang’s Yunxia mythological civilization. The remaining twenty percent could be confirmed with the creation of just one Spirit Card.
Yan Moling then added softly, "Your choice to go public was excellent. In this review, aside from Teacher Di and Teacher Li, the other three didn’t agree with publishing the rest of the comics, but the leadership didn’t agree with them. Do you know why?"
Wen Jiang had investigated similar information before and had some guesses. "Apart from Teacher Li Huijun, the other four UR-Rank Spirit Card Masters are from the Nobility, right?"
"That’s right!" Yan Moling replied. "Teacher Di is alright; he’s always had a good relationship with Teacher Li. And while he’s from the noble Di Family, his status is transcendent, and the Di Family cannot restrain him. His personal relationship with the Empire is also harmonious. The other three are younger than Teacher Di, and they always consider things from the Nobility’s standpoint. They don’t want these mythological civilizations revealed."
The implication was clear: if these myths were released and some ordinary Spirit Card Master managed to create a card from them, wouldn’t that Spirit Card Master achieve meteoric success? From the Nobility’s perspective, this was something they did not want to see. The current situation in Yunxia simply did not allow for a new noble system to emerge.
The first two Chapters had been one thing, but the new installment of the serialized comic dealt them a heavy blow. By featuring even more Divine Beasts than just Bai Ze and Bi Fang, it undoubtedly lent more credence to the authenticity of these myths. This naturally led them to harbor secret intentions.
Wen Jiang couldn’t help but ask, "Aside from Teacher Li, are there no UR-Level Spirit Card Masters from the military?"
Yan Moling sighed. "There are quite a few at S Rank, but URs are not so easy to come by. Our Yunxia only has these five in total. Back then, they said Lady Hua was particularly talented. Unfortunately, she later had an accident."
Mention of Hua Zhuo brought a moment of silence, after which Wen Jiang naturally changed the subject, "So, what was the outcome of your discussions?"
"It won’t be long now; it should be approved and released soon," Yan Moling replied, her tone still fairly relaxed.
Wen Jiang’s lips curved up. "I’ll give you an inside track. You can pick a group from the military, including Teacher Li. Ask her if she’s still interested in making cards. I’ll tell you everything about these Divine Beasts I’ve drawn, consolidating all the various folk legends about them. What these Divine Beasts are used for, and whether your people can turn them into cards, will depend on their talent. Miss Yan, you understand what I mean, don’t you?"