Sorcerer’s Handbook

In the morning, Ashe, having returned from the Virtual Realm, checked his pants in relief at the inn in Black Robe Town to ensure everything was back in place.

“Do you need me to look away?”

Harvey, now back to normal and no longer in the vulnerable form of a young girl from the night before, was examining a rabbit corpse. Alice was feeding him some pancakes. “With others around, it might be inconvenient for you to come out, right?”

“If it were anyone else, I’d think they were making a dirty joke. If it were you, I’d wonder if you were talking to one of the other corpses you just picked up,” Ashe replied irritably, hearing the sound of running hot water in the bathroom, indicating he couldn’t wash up at the moment.

The inn’s bathroom was tiny, and having a bathtub was a pleasant surprise; wet and dry separation was too much to hope for.

“Why are you fiddling with a rabbit?”

Harvey looked up at him, “I’d like to work on a corpse, but it’s not time yet.”

“Not time yet?” Ashe didn’t understand.

“Rabbits, cats, large dogs, large felines-once you’re used to me conducting research like this, you’ll probably be okay with me working on corpses by then.”

Harvey showed a puzzled expression, “Do you mean the difference in appearance? Should I use monkeys as a transitional material?”

“It’s about meaning and value!” Ashe explained seriously. “A human corpse bears the marks of time carved upon them, records of their paths, pains, and joys. It’s like a condensed version of their life!”

Clap, clap, clap.

Harvey didn’t hold back his applause. “Well said, Ashe, I didn’t expect you to have such a level of thought!”

“Yeah,” Ashe agreed, acknowledging his own eloquence. “Thanks-“

“Perfectly aligned with the core philosophy of our Necromancy Sect!” Harvey exclaimed. “The fact that corpses are full of meaning and value imposes upon us necromancers the duty to realize their full potential, rather than let them rot under the soil, be consumed by flames, become a kingdom for scavengers, or turn to worthless ashes-Ashe, come join me as a lapdog of Haagen-Dazs!”

Almost forgetting that these Spellcasting Sects have their self-consistent logical systems, Ashe turned away with a curt response, “I’ll think about it later.”

Harvey asked, “When you die, do you want to be with me, or with Igor?”

Ashe looked perplexed, “Since when did I become you and Igor’s child? It sounds like you both are divorcing and asking who I’d stay with…”

“If you die and I’m still alive, I definitely wouldn’t bury you. I’d turn you into a necromancer’s death spirit,” Harvey declared. “If you want to be with Igor, I’d show how he’d control you; if you want to come back with me or go to Lise, I’ll take you back.”

“Though I haven’t asked Igor, there’s no way he’d go with me. As for myself, you aren’t necromancers, so you can’t turn me into a death spirit. When the time comes, you can handle my corpse however you please.”

Ashe sat up, looking at Harvey with a strange expression.

“Why are you suddenly so sentimental today?”

“Sentimental? Is that what this is?” Harvey said. “Raven Annihilation told me that if he loses his special aversion to the Virtual Realm upon death, he wants me to make him into a powerful death spirit. As long as he kills only the bad guys, he’s willing to follow my command.”

Incidentally, the three of them shared a room, while Tamashi occupied another. Initially, they wanted all four to stay together for safety against sudden attacks, but Tamashi said, for religious reasons, he couldn’t share a room with heresy.

“We’ll return to the Gospel alive.”

“Last night on the street, you encountered the Silver Lantern,” Harvey shook his head. “If she suddenly engaged in Divine Hosting then, could both of you really have made it back? Maybe you could, but the Con Artist might not be so lucky.”

“Apart from the Silver Lantern, the Senlo wasteland is filled with many entities that can take our lives. They might not even be sorcerers, but remnants of past heritage, like the Blood Seed within us. This isn’t the Blood Moon, nor is it the Gospel; there’s no regime here to suppress the chaos, and living and dying by the day is the norm.”

“It’s a pity you don’t follow the Necromancy Sect,” Harvey mused as he continued studying the rabbit. “Otherwise, I could rely on you after I die.”

Ashe blinked and then smiled warmly. “Harvey, I never thought you actually cared for us.”

“Hmm?”

“You’re not creating undead for your own desires but crafting phantoms of death to accommodate the living’s feelings,” Ashe chuckled. “When a friend leaves us, you wish to keep their place as if they’re still sharing the feast of fate with us.”

“…I’ve always said that the dead should serve the living.”

“I recall when we first arrived at the Gospel, you asked Annan to help get you a corpse without considering our thoughts,” Ashe glanced at the rabbit corpse. “Why are you now concerned about our feelings?”

“Because there isn’t a separate room now,” Harvey replied. “I’d rather avoid getting beat up by you guys.”

“Let’s just say that,” Ashe shrugged. “However, your worry is valid. When we face the Silver Lantern in the future, do your best, and I’ll give it my all.”

“Instead of discussing post-mortem arrangements, shouldn’t we be focusing on the present?” Ashe shifted topics. “Igor has Anfel waiting for him; Harvey, where do you plan to settle down? The Gospel or the Blood Moon?”

Harvey didn’t respond, leaving Ashe to shrug off the silence and open “Aurora’s Sorcerer Handbook.”

The moment he opened it, three notifications popped up.

“Growth report of Death Maniac Sword Princess 6.14~7.4”

“Bond Level: 4 (75% Experience Sharing)”

“Swordsmanship Sect: Gold → Gold”

“Light Sect: Silver → Silver”

“Water Sect: Silver → Silver”

“Time Sect: Gold → Gold”

“Spatial Sect: 0 → Silver”

“Spellforce: Golden Full-winged → Sanctuary One-winged”

“Training Evaluation: S!”

“Due to receiving S-grade evaluation, Death Maniac Sword Princess received class enhancement: Dead Apostle!”

“Dead Apostle – Class Trait: Has a 5% chance to deal true damage to the target’s soul.”

“Due to increased spellforce, Death Maniac Sword Princess’s talent enhancement!”

“Due to the S-grade evaluation, Death Maniac Sword Princess received class assessment task ‘Dead Apostle’!”

“Dead Apostle: Within the next 7 days, instantly kill 100 targets using the Dead Apostle trait. After completing the task, the Dead Apostle class trait can be permanently fixed! Current progress (0/100).”

Since Ashe parted with the Sword Princess and her group in the Virtual Realm, he hadn’t received any growth reports until this batch accumulated over the past three weeks.

The Dead Apostle trait is exceptionally terrifying. True damage is an attack that cannot be mitigated by non-Sanctuary methods, and combined with the Sword Princess’s already aggressive fighting style, its activation results in instant kills. However, while there are many battles in the Distant Sky Domain, there aren’t as many enemies as on the Time Continent, where one can continuously hunt targets. Instantly killing 100 targets is quite challenging.

The Sword Princess’s talent has been elevated from mid-tier to upper-tier. In addition to the numerical increase, she can now summon the Phantom of the Resentful Dragon more frequently. Based on previous experiences, triggering this effect is practically an instant kill.

“Growth Report of the Black and White Witch 6.14~7.4”

“Bond Level: 2→4 (75% Experience Sharing)”

“Mental Sect: Silver → Silver”

“Fist-Claw Sect: Gold → Gold”

“Time Sect: Gold → Gold”

“Water Sect: Silver → Silver”

“Spatial Sect: 0 → Silver”

“Training Evaluation: S!”

“Spellforce: Golden Full-winged → Sanctuary One-winged”

“Due to receiving S-grade evaluation, Black and White Witch received class enhancement: Sorceress!”

“Sorceress – Class Trait: Has a 5% chance to inflict a special status on the attack target, lasting 5 seconds (Admiration, Infatuation, Cherishing, Adoration).”

“Due to increased spellforce, Black and White Witch’s talent enhancement!”

“Due to the S-grade evaluation, Black and White Witch received class assessment task ‘Sorceress’!”

“Sorceress: Within the next 7 days, activate the Sorceress trait 500 times. After completing the task, the Sorceress class trait can be permanently fixed! Current progress (0/500).”

Wow, Ashe thought to himself. If the Dead Apostle trait greatly strengthens the Sword Princess’s combat capability, the Sorceress trait elevates the witch’s control abilities to a new pinnacle. However, these special statuses seem a bit odd-they’re not the usual stun, blind, or knockdown effects…

And while there are four special statuses, don’t they all essentially turn the target into the witch’s thrall?

The Witch’s talent has also undergone some changes:

“Innate Talent – Witch (upper-tier): Additional acquisition of 200% time experience, low chance to obtain 10000% time experience, occasionally gains the assistance of the Bronze Dragon (Talent levels unlockable upon strength upgrade).”

Ashe remembered it used to be “The favor of the Bronze Dragon,” so why has it changed to assistance now?

“Growth Report of Yolan Vesser 6.28~7.4”

“Bond Level: 0→2 (40% Experience Sharing)”

“Spellforce: Sanctuary Zero-winged → Sanctuary One-winged”

“Training Evaluation: B”

Vesser’s growth report showed almost no changes, garnering Ashe only a ‘B’ evaluation. Since she is a newly joined operator, minimal growth is expected.

What was surprising, however, was that Yolan Vesser’s Bond Level jumped from 0 to 2-even though they’ve known each other for less than a week!

This progress is faster than both the Sword Princess and the Witch!

Recalling Vesser’s soft and almost ingratiating demeanor, Ashe thought he might have truly found an earnest operator this time. After all, appearance can be deceiving, attitude can be misleading, but the Bond Level shown by the system doesn’t lie. If Vesser didn’t have a high enough regard for him, how could the bond have risen from 0 to 2?

After reviewing the growth report, it’s time to set a training strategy.

However, after feeding them “Advanced Energy Potion,” “Advanced Experience Potion,” and “Career Potion,” Ashe didn’t go on to arrange specific tasks.

The situation has changed.

When the Sword Princess and the Witch first arrived, they didn’t place much emphasis on spellcasting, so Ashe had to push them towards growth through a structured training strategy. But now that they have become sanctuary sorcerers and understand their path in spellcasting, Ashe’s guidance has become more advisory than necessary.

More importantly, the bond between him and the Sword Princess and the Witch has increased, and the reverse is true as well.

He trusts that they will manage their own plans and he is happy to allow them more personal time to live their lives. As their Observer, he only needs to provide logistical support.

As for Vesser, it’s even more of a non-issue. Ashe and the others might occasionally slack off, but Vesser is a dedicated sanctuary sorcerer and a Truth sorcerer skilled in over twenty Spellcasting Sects. There’s no way she would neglect her studies.

So Ashe no longer sets strict schedules for training, learning, or leisure, allowing the operators to develop freely.

At this moment, Igor finally finished his bath. Ashe stretched and went to freshen up, brushing his teeth as he asked, “Where are we headed next? I can’t stand staying in Black Robe Town for another day.”

“Didn’t you hear what the Mercury Trojan Horse said?” Igor replied, toweling his hair dry. “The Silver Lantern is in Black Robe Town. Either we wait for her prophecy to narrow down the search area or wait for her to predict the Silver Lantern’s whereabouts. Either way, we’ll have to stay in Black Robe Town for at least one more night.”

“No-“

In another room, Vesser looked at the three bottles of potions on the table in front of her. After a moment of thought, she didn’t bother running any tests. Instead, she quickly downed them all.

Her reasoning was simple-if Ashe could send potions trans-spatially, then if he wanted to poison her, he could just deliver it directly into her stomach. There was no need to overthink things. Until Ashe makes a different stance known, she would consider him a resurrector using compound divine interventions.

Once he awakens from illusion to truth, it signifies his complete resurrection.

“I’ve already understood the Sword Princess’s experiences, but according to her, there’s no reason for the Witch to like the Observer-she hasn’t had any opportunity to deepen her relationship with him,” Vesser pondered. “The Observer’s attitude towards the Witch is logical, but what’s illogical is the Witch… it seems the Witch has some intelligence that only she knows.”

“Which pair should I matchmake first…”

From the mirror, a voice identical to her own suddenly emerged: “It seems like you’re troubled by some interesting matters.”

Vesser turned her head to see a quiet girl stepping out of the mirror. She was a bit puzzled, “Has the Mirror Dragon been watching me too frequently lately?”

“Perhaps it’s because your recent experiences are very intriguing,” the quiet girl smiled. “Judging by your expression, you must have met Ashe.”

Vesser nodded and suddenly asked, “What was the Ashe you encountered in another world like?”

“Exactly the same as you’re imagining now,” the quiet girl lay on the bed, swinging her legs playfully, “He’s the only one besides you and me who has broken free from illusions.”

Vesser couldn’t help but feel a bit envious, “How nice, why did I have to meet this Ashe?”

She then shared her ‘fast forward relationship plan’ with the quiet girl, seeking her opinion: “Do you think I should find a way to create opportunities for Ashe and the Witch, provoking the Sword Princess’s annoyance? Or should I help the Sword Princess and Ashe confess to each other, then let the Witch stir things up?”

However, the quiet girl didn’t answer Vesser. Instead, she seemed to remember something, a strange smile forming on her face.

“What are you smiling about?”

“I just recalled something amusing,” the quiet girl laughed. “In my world, Ashe was married in real life.”