Folk Card Maker: Starting from Painted Skin

The town's harbor was much larger than they had anticipated, suggesting it had once been a bustling place.

Now, however, only a solitary yacht was docked, and the townspeople were wary of approaching it.

"Is there anyone still on board?" Zhang Jingtian asked softly, spotting a nearby townsperson observing the scene.

The townsperson shook his head. "No, no one's left. They all ran away."

"Ran away?" Zhang Jingtian looked surprised. "Where did they run to?"

He had assumed the crew had at least been captured, not that they had escaped.

"They, they all jumped into the sea." The townsperson shuddered. "At night, they crawl out of the sea and knock on doors. If you meet their eyes, you'll turn to stone."

Zhang Jingtian paused, and the card creators behind him exchanged thoughtful glances.

Stone?

"Is there anything left on the ship?" Zhang Jingtian continued to ask.

The townsperson nodded. "I heard there's a particularly large coffin, but none of us dare go near it."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jingtian's thoughts became clear.

Their next step was simply to find the coffin; it seemed straightforward enough.

He turned to look at the Ghostfire Youth. "Captain, what do you think we should do next?"

The Ghostfire Youth stretched languidly and said in a lazy tone:

"Let's take a look inside the ship first! Those crew members are probably all part of the Scourge Legion, but we can only encounter them at night."

Upon hearing that they intended to board the ship, the townsperson immediately tried to dissuade them:

"Don't go! It's very dangerous, believe me!"

"Once you go, you won't come back."

However, they were card creators; how could they be afraid!

The ship was large, roughly estimated to be able to carry thousands of people.

Moreover, according to the crew, the ship had been docked here for a week, yet the hull showed no signs of seawater corrosion.

Upon boarding, the first thing Zhang Jingtian smelled was a strong fishy odor.

Zhang Jingtian thought for a moment and summoned the White Snake.

It wasn't necessarily because she was stronger than Daji, but because snakes are naturally suited to water, giving her an advantage in naval combat.

Sure enough, compared to the heroic spirits of the others, the White Snake was simply outstanding.

Everyone looked at the White Snake and exclaimed in surprise.

"She's so beautiful!"

"Good heavens, are you specializing in aesthetics with your card creation?"

"I get it now; this young man only wants the good-looking ones, not necessarily the right ones! Not bad, I like this personality!"

Zhang Jingtian didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but he didn't explain further.

The White Snake's strength didn't need others to prove it.

At this moment, a mechanical heroic spirit shrunk its body and slipped through a crack in the deck, disappearing below.

The heroic spirit's master smiled. "Don't worry, reconnaissance is its specialty; it'll be back soon…"

However, before he could finish speaking, his face suddenly turned pale.

Someone immediately asked, "What's wrong?"

The card creator said with a grim expression, "It, it was killed instantly."

Hearing this, the card creators present stopped joking and became serious.

They were well aware that whatever was lurking in the ship's hold was not to be trifled with.

The Ghostfire Youth quickly made a decision:

"Time is of the essence; let's go down together! If we wait until nightfall, it will be even harder to deal with those crew members crawling out of the water."

Zhang Jingtian glanced at the White Snake. "Just stay close to me, and heal them if necessary. But save most of your skills for the two of us."

Zhang Jingtian wasn't being selfish, but rather making a rational allocation.

He was also aware that he had no close ties with the other card creators, and if they were faced with a choice, he believed they would choose to abandon him.

It was only human nature.

Heroic spirits also had mana bars, meaning skills couldn't be used an unlimited number of times.

The group cautiously made their way to the ship's hold.

Then, as expected, they saw a coffin.

A massive coffin, covered in seaweed-like growths.

The mechanical heroic spirit from earlier lay collapsed beside the coffin.

The most up-to-date novels are at 69shu.com

"Who is it that dares disturb my slumber?"

At that moment, a voice suddenly echoed from within the coffin.

Immediately afterward, countless tentacles appeared around the ship's hold, lashing out at them.

At this moment, Zhang Jingtian immediately summoned Daji.

Daji shielded Zhang Jingtian with her body and incinerated all approaching tentacles with her foxfire.

The other card creators, though disheveled, also managed to deal with the tentacles.

The Ghostfire Youth breathed a sigh of relief. "Is that all you've got? How disappointing!"

Seeing that the coffin remained silent, he immediately ordered his heroic spirit to lift the coffin.

"I didn't expect this mystic realm to be so easy."

However, they were all stunned when they opened the coffin.

Because the coffin was actually empty, with nothing inside.

"How can this be!" The Ghostfire Youth looked puzzled.

Zhang Jingtian stood behind him and said in a low voice:

"I suspect that whatever was in the coffin has already sunk to the bottom of the sea. Or perhaps, it has already slipped into the town."

The Ghostfire Youth sighed. "I suppose so; I thought we could clear this quickly, but it seems we still have to go to the town first."

Returning to the town, they casually found a hotel to stay in, waiting for nightfall.

As soon as it got dark, Zhang Jingtian, sitting by the window, felt a change in the surrounding atmosphere.

He could clearly sense that something terrifying in the town was starting to stir.

Daji stood by the bed, her gaze fixed on the door:

"Don't be afraid, Master; I'm here."

She now possessed stronger foxfire than before and had a natural charm effect, making her unafraid of single enemies.

Soon, they heard knocking on the door.

Zhang Jingtian, remembering the townsperson's words, immediately said, "Close your eyes."

Daji, without hesitation, closed her eyes, relying entirely on her hearing to sense her surroundings.

With a bang, the door was smashed open, and something rushed in.

Its target was Zhang Jingtian.

However, Daji immediately caught a whiff of a foul stench and, without opening her eyes, immediately locked onto the target.

At that moment, Daji didn't hesitate and cast a skill at the target she sensed.

If she had missed, Zhang Jingtian would have been the one struck by the foxfire.

However, Daji was confident, and she did indeed hit the Scourge Legion soldier with a burst of flames.

She then quickly pursued and, relying on her passive ability, killed the opponent.