Chapter 95 – The Status of the Energy Storage Card

Purple Gold Coins required 10,000 Mana to charge, retained only 100 Mana, and could only be made by Advanced Sorceresses.

Her {Energy Storage Card — 100 Mana} would only cost young witches 1,500 Mana even if sold at five times the production cost!

Mo Lan’s breathing grew heavy.

Had she accidentally created a card six or seven times cheaper than Purple Gold Coins?

“How can the loss be so enormous?” Mo Lan couldn’t help but ask.

“Materials capable of stably storing and quickly releasing a transcendent’s energy are incredibly rare! Currently, aside from a transcendent’s own body, only one material has been discovered — gold. After undergoing complex alchemical processing, it can stably store a transcendent’s energy, but requires a massive infusion of energy just to retain 1%.

“Furthermore, once the energy inside a magic coin is fully extracted, its properties are completely destroyed. It crumbles to dust and cannot be reused.

“This is precisely why magic coins, despite being so precious, can still be exchanged for ordinary gold coins.”

“The gold coin is also destroyed after the energy is used up?” Wasn’t that the same as her Cards?

Apart from Cards with storage functions and those with unlimited uses, all other Cards disappeared once the stored item was retrieved or the Card was used.

But her Cards — the Book of Cards could produce them again and again.

What about gold? Could Valen’s gold supply withstand that kind of consumption?

Mo Lan voiced the question in her heart.

“How many people do you think can afford the luxury of frequently replenishing energy with magic coins? Magic coins were always meant for emergencies — a last resort when energy runs low and needs to be replenished quickly.

“Their ability to instantly restore large amounts of energy is irreplaceable.

“But if the requirements aren’t so demanding — if you don’t need instant replenishment and simply want to accelerate energy recovery — there are plenty of alternatives. Potions and magical items can both accomplish that.

“Magic coins aren’t consumed as quickly as you might imagine.

“Besides, gold is one of the important resources people bring back from exploring the Well of the Sky.”

Mo Lan understood.

Magic coins truly were precious. No one would use them to replenish energy unless absolutely necessary.

And gold wasn’t exclusive to Valen — other worlds had it too.

If exploring other realms offered no benefits, who would bother venturing out?

“So your Energy Storage Card carries tremendous significance. If word got out, it might cause an uproar, and it’s not impossible that it could replace magic coins entirely.

“But you are still too weak! I’m afraid you cannot bear the storms this card would bring.

“Even if the witches will keep a Sorceress’s secrets, the Pattern on the back of your card is far too distinctive. It would inevitably be seen by outsiders when used.

“Especially since it differs from ordinary Sorceress Magic — once this card is created, it can exist independently of you.

“Never underestimate how temptation of profit can corrupt the heart…”

Amisha’s voice was tinged with unmistakable worry.

“The Sorceresses of the past used contracts to share portions of their Sorceress Talents with other spellcasters in the form of Sorceress Magic, collecting permanent Mana as payment.

“This way, before the Sorceresses had fully grown into their power, even when witches used Sorceress Magic, outsiders would simply assume they were using a new type of magic.

“Once the Sorceresses traveled the continent and spread certain Sorceress Magic among other races, those who learned it would naturally become the Sorceresses’ advocates.

“The Sorceresses’ own strength would also grow substantially.

“It’s true that Sorceresses possess the strongest individual power in Valen, but even combined with the witches, their numbers hold no advantage.

“If all the other races of Valen united to hunt the Sorceresses, they could certainly cause them trouble.

“After all, even a Sorceress’s Mana is not infinite.

“The reason such a situation has never formed is precisely because of the irreplaceability of Sorceress Magic.

“Even though the cost for other races to learn Sorceress Magic is far higher than for witches, people still flock to it eagerly. The core of Sorceress Magic is the Sorceress herself — without the Sorceress, Sorceress Magic ceases to exist. No one would kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.

“That is why opposition to the Sorceresses has always been scattered and fragmented.

“Your Cards… in the early stages, they lack concealment. In the later stages, they weaken your own irreplaceability. Magic cannot be stolen, but Cards can be…”

Outside of class, Mo Lan had never heard Headmistress Amisha say so much in one breath.

She understood exactly what the Headmistress was worried about.

Even a Sorceress was vulnerable before she had fully come into her power.

“Headmistress, please rest assured. Until I develop my own Sorceress Magic — so that my Cards can only be obtained through my Sorceress Magic — I will not publicly sell Energy Storage Cards!”

Mo Lan gave her word.

The witches would keep a Sorceress’s secrets, but there was no way to prevent the Cards from being seen during use.

The Cards she had made before were harmless enough — they were inconsequential. But Energy Storage Cards required far more caution.

Ideally, she would develop her own Sorceress Magic before graduation. That would make everything foolproof.

“If your Cards can be linked to Sorceress Magic, reinforcing your own irreplaceability, that would be the best outcome.

“Learning Sorceress Magic isn’t difficult. As long as you understand your Talent thoroughly enough, you can systematize it into your own Sorceress Magic.

“I look forward to the day you succeed!”

Even Amisha herself had restrained the urge to buy Energy Storage Cards from her.

“Mm!” Mo Lan nodded firmly. “Headmistress, did the Sorceresses of the past systematize all of their Sorceress Talents into magic and share everything?”

“Of course not! Even the witches cannot share in all of a Sorceress’s Talents.

“You’ll understand once you’ve read *The Path of the Sorceress*.

“The Sorceress Magic shared with witches and the Sorceress Magic shared with other races are different.

“What is given to witches comes in more varieties and with stronger effects.

“But regardless, none of it can compare to the Sorceress’s own innate Talent abilities.

“No matter how close the relationship, you should always keep your own trump cards!

“Not out of mutual wariness, but because secrecy is what makes the element of surprise possible.”

Mo Lan understood.

She held back from mentioning that 10,000 Mana could create an Energy Storage Card with 1 Mana of storage capacity and unlimited uses.

Originally, she had thought such a card would be too costly to have any market.

Now that she knew how enormous the energy loss of magic coins was, she realized that an unlimited-use Energy Storage Card was actually more precious than a Blank Energy Storage Card.

Even if it was expensive, even if she couldn’t afford to make one right now, that didn’t diminish its value.

Single-use Energy Storage Cards had magic coins as a comparable substitute. Unlimited-use Energy Storage Cards had no replacement at all.

Headmistress Amisha was right — the more precious the card, the more cautious she needed to be.

Even Sorceresses didn’t systematize all of their innate Talent abilities into Sorceress Magic and share them with everyone.

She, too, should keep her own trump card.

The unlimited-use Energy Storage Card deserved that status.