Sorcerer’s Handbook

Let’s revisit the emotional journey of the students at Galaxia University on this day-

Morning.

“Shocking! The Sword Saint of Stretch Paw Club is rumored to have a romantic interest!”

“I advise that lucky person to step forward honestly. Breaking 208 bones will settle the matter.”

Noon.

“Perhaps the pressure of dating a sanctuary sorcerer led to the rejection?”

“Urgent! Does anyone have a photo of that person? I’ll get plastic surgery to look like them-I’ll even be a substitute!”

Afternoon.

“Breaking news! It’s neither Negus nor Dimy! The other party is likely just a two-wings sorcerer, or even a one-winged sorcerer, and probably not from the nobility!”

Evening.

Sonya kicked open the dorm room door, pulled out her wooden sword from the sword bag, and raised it high, ready to strike Adelle. Adelle quickly hid behind Engulite, shouting, “Why do you think it’s me who spilled the beans? What gives you that idea?”

“Even if it wasn’t you, you definitely used a fake account to stir the pot!”

Adelle was momentarily speechless, clinging tightly to Engulite, holding onto this shield for dear life: “But it really wasn’t me! I’m usually quite tight-lipped, and I want to grow the Stretch Paw Club-I’m counting on you to become a performer on the level of Delarose… How could I leak news about your relationship that would dampen fan enthusiasm!?”

Sonya’s anger subsided slightly, and she glanced suspiciously at Lois, who remained silent, simply meeting her gaze calmly.

But the village girl soon looked away, pondering, “Since it’s not Adelle, then it wasn’t someone from our dorm who leaked it…”

“I’m not convinced! Why am I the only suspect?”

“I think I know who it was.”

Everyone turned to Engulite in surprise. Engulite said, “Do you all remember Aisha?”

Aisha Maltz, a top contender for the Meteor Trial, known for her ‘perfect counterattack’ in prophecy shield combat, which crushed Leoni’s rhythm swordsmanship.

Engulite continued, “Being a battle sorcerer is just Aisha’s side gig. Her main focus is ‘information analysis.’ She’s not only a member of the ‘Strategy Group’ at Truth College but also a formal editor for the Galaxia Stars Newspaper.”

The Strategy Group, officially known as the Truth College Attached Strategy Group.

From manipulating celestial phenomena to strategizing against the Abyss, from the evolution of social sciences to the study of Miracles, the Strategy Group could provide answers to almost any question. However, most people’s understanding of the Strategy Group came from the TV drama Blade of Shifting Time, starring Delarose. The show followed a female protagonist who believed her father had been framed by the Strategy Group and joined the group to uncover the truth-a workplace drama with a strong female lead.

Although the Strategy Group was primarily composed of prophecy sorcerers, it also employed many academic sorcerers who handled tedious tasks like intelligence organization. Since its main clients were the Government Affairs Department and the Royal Family, it could be considered an unofficial government agency-low in status but with significant influence.

After hearing about the Gospel system from the Observer, Sonya immediately thought of the Strategy Group. In a way, the Strategy Group was like a super low-budget, human-influenced, and scaled-down version of the Gospel system.

“Aisha has always had a ‘Six-Phase Information Theory,’ which suggests that when you try to hide a piece of intelligence, six people around you will vaguely sense your secret,” Engulite explained. “So, prophecy sorcerers don’t need to directly pry open your mouth; they can deduce the truth by gathering information from those six people. These days, the Strategy Group has never stopped investigating Sonya.”

As for why the village girl had caught the attention of the Strategy Group, it was almost unnecessary to ask. Before Sonya revealed how she had climbed from zero to the Distant Sky Domain in just three months, the prophecy sorcerers of the Stars Kingdom inevitably saw her as a century-defining mystery that had to be solved.

Honestly, it took Sonya a while to feel a sense of unease. If it weren’t the Stars Kingdom but the Blood Moon Kingdom or the Gospel Kingdom, she would undoubtedly have faced pressure from the Sanctuary or even legendary figures, possibly forcing her to flee into the Abyss.

However, in the Stars Kingdom, all upper-tier sorcerers were without exception nobility, bound by the blessings of the Stars. Adhering to the laws of the Stars was a principle etched into their very souls. Therefore, the most these sorcerers could do was write letters offering various incentives to Sonya-they never dared to threaten her. After all, the Stars were watching.

While overt action was impossible, covert probing was inevitable. Sonya had mentally prepared herself to become a permanent target of the Strategy Group for the rest of her life.

“This ‘Six-Phase Information Theory’ is impressive,” Adelle nodded. “It’s true-once someone develops feelings of admiration, even if they don’t say it out loud, others can see it in their eyes.”

“Exactly.”

“Well said.”

Seeing Sonya reach for her wooden sword again, Adelle quickly interjected, “So, is it because all four of us know the secret, and according to the Six-Phase Information Theory, there will be 24 people around us who vaguely sense this secret, and then the Strategy Group will analyze this intelligence?”

“I think the theory could extend to sixty phases in your case,” Lois remarked. “Everyone on your way to the dining hall can vaguely sense that you have a secret you’re dying to spill.”

But Sonya turned her curiosity to Engulite instead. “Engul, are you close with Aisha?”

“She was an elder sister I played with when I was little,” Engulite explained, pausing before adding, “She protected me back then.”

“Wait, weren’t you the leader of the kids when you were young?”

“That was after I turned seven or eight. When I was four or five, I was skinny and small, always wearing dresses, and often bullied by other kids in the Family. One summer, Aisha stayed with us for a while, and I spent every day playing with her…”

Though Engulite didn’t seem particularly interested in reminiscing, everyone was clearly intrigued by her connections. “You’ve been in Galaxia for a year now. Why hasn’t Aisha come to see you?”

“She’s tried many times, but I was too busy practicing my swordsmanship and turned down all her invitations. It wasn’t until after the College League, during the school break, that I finally met up with her.”

Adelle was shocked. “Wait, why? She’s a genius from Truth College!”

“But she’s not a Swordmaster,” Engulite replied, looking genuinely puzzled. “What would I do with her?”

While Engulite sounded like a legendary figure with a single-minded devotion to the sword, her roommates couldn’t help but see her more as a super recluse who refused all social interactions because she was too immersed in her training…

“Hold on,” Sonya frowned. “Even if the Strategy Group analyzed this intelligence, why would they spread it around?”

“Because you’re panicking,” Lois said.

“I’m not!”

“But if you panic, you might reveal more information,” Lois continued. “They might think that your ridiculously fast advancement is connected to someone you care about. So, finding that person could lead them closer to uncovering your secret.”

Sonya was flustered. “I already said it’s someone my friend likes!”

“Though the Strategy Group is probably looking in the wrong direction,” Lois ignored Sonya and spoke to the others. “Sorcerers can’t receive help from others in the Virtual Realm. Even if Sonya’s lover were a legendary sorcerer, could they really accompany her in exploring the Virtual Realm?”

Adelle analyzed, “Is it possible that just by holding hands with her lover, Sonya’s spellforce absorption rate increases…”

Engulite actually considered this seriously. “Is love really that effective? Is there a way to personify my sword? If it’s a sword, I might be able to fall for it.”

“You… you all…”

Seeing Sonya on the verge of losing her temper, Lois quickly changed the subject. “By the way, isn’t your friend unsure whether the confession counted as a success or failure because it was interrupted midway?”

The Stretch Paw Club President’s bravado immediately deflated. “Yeah.”

“The solution is actually quite simple,” Adelle chimed in. “You’ve seen Inverted World, right?”

“Of course, it’s Delarose’s most famous romance TV drama-” Sonya trailed off mid-sentence.

“Just like the famous line in it,” Lois said, “‘If you didn’t hear it the first time, I’ll say it countless more times.’”

“Sword Princess?”

Sonya suddenly snapped awake, stepping back and pointing her sword at the source of the voice. “What do you want!”

“This spirit, do you need it?” Ashe pushed her blade aside with his hand, sounding annoyed. “If not, it’s going to Vesser.”

Sonya quickly glanced at it. It was the ‘Sword Blood’ spirit, a composite spirit of the Physical Sect and Swordsmanship. Its passive effect enhanced physical combat strength, making it easier for fist-claw attacks to produce a ‘sharpness’ effect, but it wasn’t particularly useful for a sanctuary sorcerer. She shook her head. “No.”

After distributing the loot, Ashe frowned at Sonya. “Sword Princess.”

Sonya took a step back like a startled kitten. “Huh?”

“You’ve been distracted too much in battle today,” he said seriously. “This is the Distant Sky Domain, not the Time Continent or the Sea of Knowledge. A single affix effect could kill you instantly. If you’re not in the right state, stay back with Vesser and search for affixes. It’s better than treating combat like a game.”

Sonya lowered her head, embarrassed. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

Her mind had been preoccupied with whether last night’s confession had worked and whether she should try a second time. She had been fighting purely on instinct, swinging her long sword without thought, which explained why she’d been scolded.

Ashe’s attitude made it clear that the half-finished confession from last night had failed. As for confessing again… while she’d found the scene in the TV drama romantic, when it came to her own situation, she felt nothing but embarrassment!

How could she possibly muster the courage to do it again!

This wasn’t a normal attack!

She’d need at least three days… no, ten days… maybe even a month to recover!

While Sonya was deep in thought, they had already arrived at the next dream phantom. Ashe looked at the ubiquitous light pillars in the city and said, “This is the reward stage, the ‘virtual-real phantom.’ Just like before, we’ll split up to gather virtual-real materials. Taking one virtual-real material consumes 10% of our soul energy, and we still have plenty left today… If the materials are truly suitable, each of us can take up to two. Once we’re done, we’ll meet back at the city center.”

“Got it!”

Sonya quickly chose a direction and slipped away. Once separated from the others, the village girl felt much more at ease, even finding the leisure to admire the architecture and pedestrians in this phantom.

This was an underground city, but its urban planning was advanced and aesthetically pleasing. Skyscrapers were everywhere, and in the distance, there seemed to be a massive elevator leading to the upper levels. The pedestrians looked lively, and the shops on both sides of the street were bustling with activity…

“This is Nabistin’s underground city.”

Sonya turned her head and saw Ashe standing beside her, seemingly having appeared out of nowhere. “Is this where you ended up in the Gospel?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Ashe replied, his eyes tinged with nostalgia. “Let me show you around. I should still remember the way.”

“Sure!” Sonya’s voice was cheerful, but she quickly realized something. “But this isn’t the direction you were supposed to go, is it?”

“Nope,” Ashe said lightly. “That’s why I came looking for you specifically.”

Sonya stopped and locked eyes with Ashe for a moment. Suddenly, she pointed behind him with a look of surprise and said, “Look over there!”

Ashe turned to look, only to see an ice cream shop.

But when he turned back, he found that the Sword Princess had already run away.