Sorcerer’s Handbook

“Why are you interested in this organization? Wouldn’t the drama club be more suitable for you if you’re looking to join a club for fun?”

Sonya watched as Felix settled into the driver’s seat. After a moment of thought, she decided to sit in the back, comfortably stretching out on the leather sofa and casually replied, “I was in the drama club last semester. It was nothing but a playground for a bunch of middle-tier women to scheme against each other, with the service staff being a group of low-tier men pandering to them. The prize was one or two high-tier men… However, last year’s prize didn’t quite appeal to me. I found it boring and quit the drama club.”

“So you quit the drama club because it was no longer fun…”

“You know about the Four Pillars Cult, so you must realize it’s not some trivial club where boys and girls look for excuses to mingle.” Sonya took out a wet wipe and dabbed the sweat off her neck, continuing, “Or rather, it’s much more dangerous than those boring clubs.”

Felix lightly tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “In theory, there shouldn’t be any information about the Four Pillars Cult in the Stars Kingdom… Would you mind telling me where you heard that name?”

“The Sorcerer Handbook in the Virtual Realm.”

“If you mind, you can just say so,” Felix stated indifferently. “There’s no need to provide evidence that can’t be disproven. Intelligence from the Sorcerer Handbook has no legal standing and its credibility is highly questionable. You’ve seen ‘Legendary Treasure,’ right?”

“Of course, I’ve watched the version starring Delarose five times!” Sonya perked up at the mention. “But I really did see it in the Sorcerer Handbook.”

‘Legendary Treasure’ is a well-known parable in the Stars Kingdom, repeatedly adapted onto the Holographic Screen. Its story is straightforward: there is a legendary treasure in the Virtual Realm that no one knows the location of. The protagonist, a novice sorcerer on an adventure in the Virtual Realm, comes across a glittering Sorcerer Handbook. It describes the proper Ritual Track to obtain the legendary treasure. To perform the Ritual Track, the protagonist needs to delve into the Magical Factions and summon the necessary spirit.

When the protagonist set up the Ritual Track and initiated the Miracle, the gate to the Legendary Treasure appeared. However, behind the gate wasn’t treasure, but countless tentacles and an endless abyss of darkness. The protagonist wanted to resist, but unexpectedly, their spirit willingly surrendered and rushed towards the embrace of the gate to the Legendary Treasure.

It turned out that the Magical Factions and spirits needed to complete the Ritual Track were just to make the summoner more ‘appetizing.’ The gate to the Legendary Treasure wasn’t particularly powerful, but for every summoner who delved into the Ritual Track, it was the perfect natural predator, turning the summoner into food to be taken at will!

The story ends with a young sorcerer, fresh to the Virtual Realm, who finally defeats the Sorcerer Projection and is rewarded with a glittering Sorcerer Handbook…

This parable naturally teaches people to work hard and not to expect windfalls. But for sorcerers, there’s an additional warning – the intelligence from the Sorcerer Handbook is very dangerous.

“If you only know about this organization from the Sorcerer Handbook, there’s no need for such a detailed investigation, right? Since you found me, it means you have already done some research in the library, haven’t you? I wasn’t aware of your strong curiosity, or is it that the Swordsmanship Training assigned by Professor Trozan isn’t keeping you busy enough?”

“Tch, if you don’t want to talk about it, then don’t. Just drive me back to the dormitory.”

“Doubt is not the same as refusal. I hate your presumptuous way of thinking.” Felix stepped on the gas pedal and backed the car out: “But I don’t know much about the Four Pillars Cult either. After all, as I said, you can’t get any information about this organization from any written materials, the Empire has thoroughly destroyed all information.”

“I also heard about this Religion occasionally when mingling in Noble circles, but it’s mostly mentioned with a sense of morbid curiosity. From what I understand, the four pillars of the Four Pillars Cult represent four codes of conduct: the Tyrant who rules with violence, the Conspirator who manipulates through schemes, the Compassionate Father who tortures with despair, and the Debauched Prince who indulges in pleasure… As you might guess, the only one favored by Nobles is naturally the Debauched Prince, symbolic of hedonism.”

Sonya placed her hands on the front seat and leaned forward to ask, “So… does the Four Pillars Cult exist within the Stars Kingdom?”

“There is no such thing,” Felix shook his head. “The existence of any Religion is predicated on a need for people to have spiritual sustenance, or the dissatisfaction with reality that leads them to Pray for Redemption from a higher power. The Stars Kingdom is a great nation, devoid of the fertile ground necessary for heretical sects to take root.”

“But didn’t you just mention that some Nobles pursue excitement by following the Four Pillars Cult?”

“Everyone holds beliefs they think are correct at different times in their lives. Naivety is a stage everyone must go through, Nobles included,” Felix replied. “But what makes Nobles what they are is the glory brought by their titles, shielding them from the follies of youth and the taint of evil.”

“‘Without a title, one cannot become a minister, and without being Noble, one cannot govern a county’… You must have memorized the ‘Noble Act’ and know why Nobles possess a status and power above the common people, right?”

“Blessing of Stars,” Sonya said. “It is said that every Noble who is officially ennobled receives a Blessing from the Empress herself, becoming wise, valiant, fair, and strict… and indeed, this seems to be the case.”

The class barriers in the Stars Kingdom are very strict. Even if you are a genius Sorcerer, you cannot hold any real power in the empire if you’re not a Noble.

However, the Restriction applies only to ‘Noble’ status. If you can inherit a Noble title through marriage or perform great deeds that lead the Empress to bestow a title upon you, no matter how you become a member of the Nobility, you’ve got your ticket to the ruling class. Whether you can become a key official in the nation is then a matter of personal ability.

In this era of highly advanced information exchange, even a slightly arrogant remark from Sonya would get her blasted over a dozen pages on the Curtain forum by her classmates. Yet, such blatant class discrimination has not caused any ripples in the Stars Kingdom.

Even Sonya, who has felt since childhood that society owed her an imperial throne, thinks the Nobility system is very good.

Because being Noble is truly advantageous.

Impartial and just, fearless in the face of difficulty, diligent in learning, and exhaustively devoted—this is the public’s impression of a Noble. Whether it’s a flirtatious socialite or a sheltered “greenhouse flower” who’s never seen a mosquito, the moment they inherit a title and become Noble, they transform into mature and steady pillars of society for the Stars Kingdom. They dedicate themselves to the welfare of the masses with integrity and without seeking personal gain or engaging in corruption or laziness.

The reason for all this is the ‘Blessing of Stars’.

The textbook describes the Blessing of Stars in one sentence: “It awakens the Noble’s sense of duty.” Sonya used to think this was just an empty phrase. However, after arriving in Gales and learning about the perfect integration of the Noble system with the bureaucratic system, she realized that the statement was actually true.

“All those details you mentioned are peripheral, the core impact of the Blessing of Stars is singular,” Felix glanced at the night sky filled with stars and said, “It instills in Nobles an absolute loyalty to the Stars.”

“Absolute loyalty?” Sonya blinked, “Brainwashing control?”

“It’s not exactly brainwashing,” Felix pondered and explained. “Let’s say, Sonya, you value your mother highly, you like making money, and you are willing to contribute to the Stars Kingdom. But if we were to prioritize, your mother would be more important than making money, and making money would be more important than benefiting the Stars Kingdom, right?”

“Of course,” Sonya paused, “Actually, making money isn’t much more important than benefiting the Stars Kingdom… unless it’s a lot of money.”

“So, in your heart, the highest priority is your mother, followed by making money, and then the Stars Kingdom. The so-called absolute loyalty is just making the concept of ‘benefiting the Stars Kingdom’ the top priority, nothing more,” Felix elaborated. “If it were complete brainwashing control, the Nobles would have rebelled by now. No one wants to become a puppet, devoid of self.”

“The power of the Blessing of Stars lies in the fact that it only elevates the Stars Kingdom as the most important entity to protect, without taking away other emotional commitments of the Nobles, such as family, lovers, children, or hobbies. If it’s a legally mandated holiday, those Nobles are almost indistinguishable from ordinary people, and they can enjoy entertainment and social status that are beyond the reach of commoners.”

Felix glanced in the rearview mirror at the rustic girl: “Even knowing this secret, if you had the opportunity, would you want to become part of the Nobility?”

After a moment of thought, Sonya replied, “I suppose I would.”

Although the Blessing of Stars involves a form of brainwashing, Sonya felt she could accept it if it simply elevated the priority of ‘benefiting the Stars’ to the highest level. After all, it’s the nation where she was born and raised, and if possible, Sonya certainly hoped the Stars Kingdom would continue to prosper.

It’s likely that most people would agree, since contributing to the prosperity of the Stars Kingdom is an admirable life goal. The question is akin to ‘If you wish to be a good person, the cost is becoming very wealthy’—who wouldn’t want that?

“That’s why there’s no presence of the Four Pillars Cult in the Stars Kingdom,” Felix continued. “Under the just and fair rule of the Nobility, the people live in peace and prosperity, with living standards rising year by year, leaving no foothold for the Four Pillars Cult to influence any social class.”

“You won’t find any information on the Four Pillars Cult partly because the Empire destroyed it, and partly because nobody needs the Four Pillars Cult.”

“A Religion not needed by the people naturally ends up in the trash heap.”

The sedan stopped on the main road in front of the Dormitory Area, and Felix pressed a button to open the rear car door, saying, “That’s about all I know about the Four Pillars Cult. Anything else you want to ask?”

“No,” Sonya shook her head, “I was just curious, that’s all.”

“I don’t care where you heard that name, but as a friend, I advise you—don’t pursue the Four Pillars Cult any further.”

“Why?”

Felix turned around to look Sonya in the eyes.

“Because it’s a waste of time,” he said. “You’re a Genius Swordcerer, with no spare time to waste on such trivial matters. It looks like you’re not training hard enough; perhaps I need to report to Professor Trozan tomorrow that you’re not focusing on your Training…”

“You seem very arrogant today,” Sonya retorted, unphased. “Is it because you don’t have to duel with me tomorrow? How about I ask the professor to check your progress in the morning? I can fight you with a newspaper…”

“You’re so annoying! I can’t stand you!”

Laughing, Sonya hopped out of the car and approached the window, saying, “Thanks, see you tomorrow.”

Watching Sonya bounce into the girls’ dormitory building, Felix let out a long sigh of relief, feeling that another moment chatting with the rustic girl would have made his brain boil.

“Hmm?”

The steering wheel was stained with blood. On closer inspection, she noticed fresh blood seeping through the glove on her left hand.

Felix had been cut on the palm by Sonya, but had refrained from removing the glove to treat it until the rustic girl was gone. Now that she had left, Felix finally could take the glove off. But instead of immediately attending to the wound, she held her left hand up to her eyes.

In the palm of her left hand was a perfectly round hole, just large enough to fit an eye.

Her already-striking pale purple eyes gained a kaleidoscopic luster when viewed through the circular hole.

Through this round aperture, Felix gazed at Sonya entering the dormitory building in the distance.

“Who has been talking to her about the Four Pillars Cult?” he murmured quietly. “I hate these kinds of unpredictable factors.”

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