Sorcerer’s Handbook

“If I had killed him that day, perhaps everything would be different.”

Gerard shook his head, his tone filled with regret: “You are merely victims of the Four Pillars Cult… Without meeting him, you wouldn’t have been seduced, and the peaceful prison life would not have crumbled.”

“Ashe Heath, indeed a source of disaster.”

“I’m not in the habit of shirking responsibility, nor do I believe I was bewitched,” Langna said. “On the contrary, I’m grateful to him—if not for this series of events, my Ritual would not have been completed, nor would I have gained sentiment.”

“However, when it comes to defining him, we can reach a consensus: he truly is a charismatic being, capable of crafting an unpredictable stage of Destiny, one that allows us to break free from the mundane… Wings, if you will.”

“Wings?”

“Isn’t that what allows us, shackled and bound, to soar?”

Gerard had lost interest in the victim’s nonsensical ramblings. With his finger pointed at Langna, the Miracle he had silently readied during their conversation activated, and moonlight transformed into chains that tightly bound the only remaining Prison Escapee.

“Congratulations on gaining sentiment, it seems you can now repent and pray properly.”

Langna did not resist, speaking calmly: “The 15th of each month is the Night of Blazing Blood, marking the Blood Moon’s closest approach to the earth; the 1st of every month is the Night of Dim Blood, representing the Blood Moon’s furthest distance.”

“The Moonshadow have a trait: the more intense the Blood Moon’s night, the stronger the Moonshadow become, and vice versa. Thus, the Moonshadow are strongest on the night of the 15th, and weakest on the night of the 1st.”

“As a Church defector, the shame of the Moonshadow, even the Blood Moon spits on me, a beast rejected.” Langna’s voice grew more vehement: “Only on the Night of Dim Blood do I become whole.”

“Look, now even the clouds can obscure the Blood Moon.”

Gerard looked up to see a cloud drifting across the night sky, the already dim moonlight further obscured by the overcast, and in the chaos, the camp’s lighting had been knocked down earlier, leaving the place shrouded in darkness.

Bang!

Langna’s chains of Miracle were snapped, and a thick shadow engulfed him, transforming into a fierce and evil deep monster. The darkness of the entire space seemed to thicken, and for some reason, Gerard could feel an emotion named ‘hatred’ suffusing the pitch-black surroundings, as if hundreds of wolves were watching him from the shadows!

“Wow.”

Acolyte Coir and the Priests gazed up at the spectacle with their mouths agape in surprise, clapping their hands: “That’s amazing.”

“Quick, make a wish, ask for my mercy, or I’ll throw you right back.”

Ashe, supporting Igor, moved through the Virtual Realm Passage: “I am Ashe Heath, Cult Leader of the Four Pillars Cult; I’m capable of anything. Saving your life without having you sign a Slave Contract is already quite generous of me. Now, if you don’t make a wish, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

“Fine, let’s sign a Slave Contract,” said Igor, his face pale but still managing a smile. “Need help drafting the Contract? I’ll give you a 20% discount.”

Damn, Ashe felt like dropping him right there and then.

After stepping into the Virtual Realm Turbulence, Ashe found Igor bleeding profusely inside. Igor was already wounded by a sniper shot from Gersas that had torn away a chunk of flesh, and now he had been bound by Gerard’s Blood Magic and had fallen to the ground, bleeding copiously.

Igor wasn’t a Battle Sorcerer and could have kept going if he gritted his teeth, but this delay overwhelmed him with intense pain that drowned his reasoning. Ashe used the “Slay Me Miracle” on him and found he couldn’t even stand up, crawling on the ground like a baby. Unable to bear the sight, Ashe helped him leave.

Logically, whether Ashe ignored him or finished him off would have been reasonable, given their sand-level acquaintance, which wasn’t worth fussing over and could be toppled by a mere breeze.

Furthermore, with Igor holding a wish over Ashe’s head, Ashe had to worry about Igor possibly shouting for him to come out and stand on his head as a chance to kill this Bewitcher, which would be the rational thing to do.

But then Ashe considered: could this be the Bewitcher’s test? If he dared to act or flee, the Bewitcher might immediately make a wish forcing Ashe to go back and kiss Gerard’s toes.

Igor had a penchant for manipulating people’s hearts, despicable and shameless by nature, with a fondness for harming others without benefiting himself; these were indeed the kinds of schemes and tricks he would carry out, and they had to be guarded against.

In fact, Ashe had to admit to himself that even though their relationship was one of mutual use, Igor had indeed provided him with a great deal of help.

Without Igor’s plotting, neither the escape from prison nor the entry into the Virtual Realm Passage would have been possible.

Ashe would need to prepare himself mentally to burn bridges before crossing the river, as it was not something he could do lightly.

For Ashe, “doing bad things” was an active skill that required casting time, and given the short decision-making time now, Ashe could only choose to help him escape.

However, Ashe had his own little schemes. If Igor used his wish here, then he would no longer have any means to restrain Ashe. Yet, Igor was well-versed in game theory, understanding that a card not played held the greatest threat. No matter how much Ashe threatened or enticed, Igor would not loosen his lips, taking advantage without paying, but his body honestly leaned heavily on Ashe, taking full advantage of the Cult Leader.

The passage soon reached its end, and looking at the interweaving exit of the currents, Ashe exhaled: “Finally…”

“You’re not leading us the wrong way, are you?” Igor gasped, “If we go out there, we might see Gerard’s surprised face.”

“I wouldn’t get lost… I hope not,” Ashe said, not entirely certain himself. After all, though the passage was supposed to be one-way, it was hard to say whether the directions had been reversed when he had helped Igor up.

It was all Igor’s fault, making him doubt himself.

If they had really taken the wrong path, he would have to strongly request that Igor be transferred to another Blood Moon Prison, just to avoid being taunted to death by him for the rest of his life…

With a mind full of chaotic thoughts, Ashe mustered his courage, supporting Igor as they stepped into the unknown Kingdom.

What met their eyes was not a massive Blood Moon but a lonely night sky and… a bright highway stretching into the distance?

The subsequent sensation of stepping into the void, the intense feeling of weightlessness, made Ashe realize in an instant—another Virtual Realm Passage suspended in mid-air!

This is why Exploring the Virtual Realm Passage is so difficult: in addition to the incompleteness of the Virtual Realm Passage and the animosity that different Kingdoms harbor against Invaders, many explorers might just fall to their deaths as soon as they step out of the passage!

Speaking of which, Ashe remembered that one of the blessings that Priests give to Adventurers includes ‘Light as a Feather’, specifically to deal with this kind of situation!

Instinctively, he spread his Silver Wings and shouted, “Igor, spread your wings!”

“Huh?” It took Igor almost a second to catch up with Ashe’s thinking, and by the time he unfurled his Silver Wings, they had both already hit the ground.

Or more accurately, fallen into a cage.

Ashe pushed Igor, who was leaning on him, trying to prop himself up to survey the situation, only to see Harvey also sleeping in the cage. At the same time, he smelled a comforting scent, like blankets just warmed by the sun, and like the aroma of food that greets you before you even enter your home…

Ambush, trap… Ashe’s instinct was to cast ‘Slay Me Miracle’ on himself, but his thoughts were slowing down, and even his arcane energy was becoming sluggish. He struggled to turn his head, and through a blurry vision, he only saw a violet silhouette outside the cage.

“According to the Prophecy of the Gospel, tonight only three People from the Exotic Lands will transmigrate. Tie them up, put on the Arcane Lock Collars, and leave immediately.”

“Let’s hope this gift will please the Four Pillars Cult.”

(End of Volume One: Sea of Knowledge)

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