Sorcerer’s Handbook

As Ashe woke up, he saw Harvey and Igor eating sandwiches.

“Aren’t you afraid they’re poisoned?”

“Then I’ll just take—”

“What I mean is, you should have woken me up to test them for poison.” Ashe quickly grabbed the last sandwich and licked it to claim ownership, eliciting a look of disgust from Igor.

“How long did we sleep?”

Ashe checked the game interface, “It’s 2 a.m. now; we slept for less than an hour.”

Igor murmured, “That means we’ll have to stay here the whole day…”

“Why?”

“If there were only a 6-hour drive left, there would be no need to provide food. We’re injured and sleep-deprived. If we stopped eating for another day, there’s a risk of sudden death, so they made sure to provide us with food.”

The sandwiches were far from filling and only made Ashe hungrier. He knocked on the padded wall, morosely saying, “Does this mean we’re going back to Prison? I’m starting to doubt if the title of the Sorcerer Handbook will be ‘The Masses’ Prison Review’ after I die…”

“Going to Prison would be a good outcome,” Igor said solemnly. “What I’m really afraid of is if they have a Slave society, where Sorcerers are the Slave masters, and all common people are slaves to Sorcerers. Coupled with the technological system of Sorcerers, they could force a Slave society into a modern developed Kingdom…”

Harvey inquired, “Isn’t being a Slave better than being a Prisoner?”

“Not at all. The biggest problem with a Slave society is that it’s ruled by men, not laws. When a Conflict arises, the first thought of Slave owners isn’t to solve the problem but to eliminate the person causing it. They have a penchant for violence, place extreme importance on blood relations, are very exclusionary and discriminatory against outsiders, and everyone’s social status is assigned from the day they are born with absolutely no class mobility.” Igor spoke with aversion, “Even some feudal superstitions are better than a Slave system.”

Harvey chuckled, “Then it seems we’ve fled from the Blood Moon Kingdom to an even worse Kingdom. Sigh, when I think about it, the Blood Moon Kingdom wasn’t that bad. If the Church had allowed commoners to study Necromancy, I probably wouldn’t have bothered to run away. Sadly, I didn’t have the chance to go to school initially, and later couldn’t get into graduate school to become part of the sacred bloodline, which meant I had no right to learn Necromancy…”

“It’s not necessarily a Slave society,” Ashe suggested, his tongue flicking out to lick the water inside the bottle. “Maybe this is a Civilized Kingdom that’s even more advanced than the Blood Moon Kingdom and doesn’t view refugees from other countries as enemies—”

“What Civilized Kingdom produces professional prison wagons like this?” Igor patted the padded rear wall. “Harvey, if you were to transport someone you’ve captured, how would you do it?”

“Why are you asking me?”

“Don’t you know?”

“Well, I do know…” Harvey mumbled. “I have a friend, really just a friend. If it were me, I’d turn the person into a Corpse and have them run back on their own… But that friend usually uses drugs and an Auxiliary Spirit to hypnotize the target into unconsciousness, ties them up, and throws them into a van to transport them.”

“Would there be a company in the Blood Moon that makes these kinds of carriages?”

“Impossible. The closest thing might be a camper, but the business of binding people is considered a lower-value sector in our society; there’s no way they would custom-build carriages for such a minor business.”

Igor looked at Ashe. “So, Cult Leader, do you understand? Anyone who has these kinds of carriages is likely a special Occupation, mainly involved in capturing people—probably a Slave Catcher Squad. If there’s a Slave Catcher Squad, then it naturally follows that there’s a system of Slavery…”

“Wait a minute,” Ashe raised his hand to ask. “Couldn’t it be human traffickers?”

“A sex Slave is still a type of Slave—”

“It could also be traffickers who abduct children.”

“Child trafficking?” Both Igor and Harvey looked puzzled. “Why would someone kidnap children? Who would buy them? And what for?”

Ashe suddenly remembered that even families had dissolved in the Blood Moon Kingdom—without buyers, there naturally wouldn’t be any traffickers. He took some effort to describe this vile industry to Igor and Harvey, but they still couldn’t grasp the concept—much like trying to explain the exhilaration of fitness to someone who never exercises.

Even though they had escaped the Blood Moon Kingdom, its culture was deeply ingrained in their souls. They struggled to understand why some people would go to such lengths to have descendants, even if it meant taking someone else’s, to the point of fostering a sinister industry. In their worldview, descendants might be closer than strangers, but they were still ‘others,’ not ‘self.’

In a sense, the Blood Moon didn’t deliberately erase their emotions; it just perfected one of their correct thought patterns to the extreme—when selfishness became their highest principle, the emotional effort required became incomprehensible.

This was also why Ashe remained wary of them. It wasn’t just because they were death row inmates, but also because the education of the Blood Moon had lowered their moral standards so significantly that they could be compared to a project manager who’d call Ashe at three in the morning to rush a PowerPoint presentation.

Humans are creatures with great limitations, unable to comprehend things they’ve never seen. Only by witnessing enough of everything can one grasp all the truths of the world. Without sufficient experience, even a gemstone in front of someone might be mistaken for a mere rock. Thus, to obtain the gemstone, one must first witness the rise and fall of all things…

A strange idea popped into Ashe’s mind. He shook his head to suppress the sudden flight of fancy and said, “Even if it really is a Slave Catcher Squad, at least our lives would be safe. Plus, being Slaves could help us quickly understand this world. If it comes down to it, we could always become Prison Escapees. We are, after all, professionals at escaping.”

Igor looked at Ashe with a hint of surprise and was silent for a while. Ashe felt uneasy under his gaze, “What’s up?”

“I’ve had this vague feeling since I was in prison,” said Igor, “I’m not sure if it’s ignorance that breeds fearlessness, or the blind confidence you cultivated as a Cult Leader, but you seem to have never feared the malice of Destiny.”

“After all, we barely escaped the Blood Moon, only to be captured again. Even I can’t help but want to curse at the world, yet you, like a fish with only a seven-second memory, immediately start thinking about how to utilize being a Slave.”

“Do you have some kind of ace up your sleeve?”

An ace? Does the Black-and-White Witch I just drew count?

Ashe scratched his head: “Isn’t this just normal mental resilience? Like when your boss suddenly gives you a new task on your way home from work, demanding it be done by the next morning, you curse inwardly for a bit, then order takeout and work overtime obediently, right?”

Harvey said, “I think most people wouldn’t equate working overtime with being caught by a Slave Catcher Squad… Go on.”

Ashe and Igor caught the item Harvey threw to them—a Snow White Brand Moon Sugar.

“When we get off the bus, that’s when we are most vulnerable and they are most lax,” Harvey said calmly. “This stuff can force your spirit into a state of high alert, overcoming the fatigue of sleeplessness, and even speed up the recovery of arcane energy.”

“After leaving the Blood Moon, you won’t find Moon Sugar anywhere,” Igor mentioned. “Physical addiction to sugar can be broken with spirits, but I’ve never heard of anyone overcoming the psychological craving. In Shattered Lake Prison, many a Death row inmate spent all their contributions just to buy Moon Sugar.”

“There should be similar drugs in this Kingdom,” Harvey said, patting the padded wall. “The more advanced the Kingdom, the more popular the drugs to fill the void. Every Race has a self-destructive tendency; when survival is no longer a pressure, they seek out activities that are more dangerous but also more pleasurable.”

“Necromancer’s peculiar theories,” Igor put away the item. “I’ll take it, I won’t use it, but I’ll cooperate with you.”

“Same here,” Ashe was not interested in testing his own resistance to toxins, but after some thought, he still put it in his bag—it could be considered for the Substitute, to see the Substitute’s reaction.

Thinking of the Substitute first when there’s good food, that’s so me.

After a long journey, at 6 p.m. during the Blood Moon, Igor finally felt the carriage come to a stop. The three exhausted individuals exchanged glances, knowing that the first major challenge was about to begin. Harvey silently consumed a piece of Moon Sugar, instantly revitalizing his spirit and energy.

The carriage door slid open. “Come out, the three of you.”

At that moment, Ashe suddenly realized that he could understand the language of this kingdom, although with a strange accent, probably somewhere between Cantonese and Mandarin. With careful listening, it was still intelligible.

Even within the same language, different cities can lead to different accents, so it was normal for them to have one. But they had transmigrated to another kingdom, and yet the basic language was still the same?

Stepping out of the carriage, they were greeted by a sky half-filled with a setting sun and half with stars, and what looked like an abandoned industrial park—a rare sight in the Blood Moon Kingdom, where the Blood Moon always hurried to announce its presence before the sun had set.

As they had expected, the vehicle that transported them seemed quite advanced, entirely silver-white. Although it still had four wheels, the tires surprisingly lacked the Pattern Lines that increase friction for anti-slip purposes; it seemed as if a single brake could lead to a drift of several meters, completely beyond their understanding of driving, looking more like a concept car from a fantasy.

This was a kingdom where Sorcerer technology was highly advanced, at least more so than in the Blood Moon Kingdom.

This was the conclusion all three came to upon seeing the vehicle that represented the pinnacle of industrial production.

“These three are the People from the Exotic Lands you requested. You can check them with the Gospel,” said the voice.

Standing in front of Ashe were two unremarkable individuals: a youthful-looking Butler and a beautiful girl with purple hair and green eyes.

The latter was holding a luxurious orange velvet folding fan and dressed in a purple coat. Ashe’s immediate thought upon seeing her was of a phrase often seen in tabloid news: “She outshone everyone!”

Ashe instinctively glanced at Igor—the girl’s beauty was a match for Igor’s!

Moreover, because Ashe was more familiar with Igor, there’s a saying that the grass is always greener on the other side, so the unfamiliar girl’s attractiveness gained extra points in Ashe’s mind, thoroughly surpassing Igor.

From Ashe’s account, these two hardly seemed ordinary. However, in comparison to another group, they indeed appeared quite common—six sinister figures in black robes were glaring ominously at Ashe and his companions.

“The People from the Exotic Lands are confirmed,” the leader of the Black Robe Men nodded. “No time to delay; let’s proceed with the trade.”

The young Butler stepped forward, presenting three controller-like keys, while the Black Robe Man produced a box. Harvey lowered his eyelids, as if readying for action.

But they all refrained from any sudden moves until the transaction was complete.

This was because the Purple-clad Girl was smiling at them the entire time.

Ashe’s Beast Intuition was triggered, indicating that the Purple-clad Girl was even more of a beast than he was, to the extent that his subconscious began to fear her.

The Butler handed the box to the Purple-clad Girl, who opened it to reveal an octahedral amethyst. The amethyst seemed to have an inner light source, emitting a warm and inviting glow that made the Purple-clad Girl look even more dazzling. Her beauty skyrocketed, overwhelming Igor by a large margin.

“The trade is complete,” said the Purple-clad Girl and the Butler, making way. “Now, these three are in the hands of the Four Pillars Cult.”

The Four Pillars Cult?

The Four Pillars Cult!

Harvey and Igor instantly turned their heads to stare at Ashe, who was equally stunned—he had indeed heard the term “Four Pillars Cult” in his half-asleep state before, but the speaker had a heavy accent, and he was groggy, so he thought he had misheard.

Before Ashe could gather his wits, the Black Robe Man’s sleeves unleashed dozens of chains that tightly bound the trio and stuffed them into prepared Body Bags, tossing them into their vehicle.

He then turned to the Purple-clad Girl and said, “We’ll head back to commence the Ritual. Let’s hope for future collaborations, Funeral Firm.”

The Purple-clad Girl gave a slight nod: “Ranked number nine on Azura’s Quest Ranking, the Funeral Firm is always ready for your commission.”

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