Sorcerer’s Handbook

Have the Chariot of the Bull step back a few paces, to the moment when Ashe and Amodo brushed past each other.

Although they inadvertently involved another Sorcerer, Ashe and his companions felt no guilt, as they had also seen the Sorcerer trying to attack them by Casting Miracle. With this serendipitous encounter, they felt justified in leaving the responsibility of covering their retreat to him.

As they continued on their journey, they encountered several Sorcerers, almost without exception, each one raising their hand to attack upon seeing them. Ashe and his group, concerned about the average quality of Sorcerers, floored the accelerator and moved on, deciding not to stoop to their level.

“Why are they still after us?!” the rustic girl scratched her head in annoyance upon hearing that the legion’s roar showed no sign of stopping: “Didn’t they say that a beast, after eating someone else, wouldn’t chase anymore?”

“The heroic soul forces are not natural beasts, but a civilized institution, and the essence of civilization is to eradicate completely, not to stop when satisfied,” Ashe casually remarked. “But there’s a problem here—the heroic soul legion wouldn’t specifically target Sorcerers unless the Sorcerers jump in their faces. We’re running so fast, why won’t he give up? We haven’t even insulted him yet.”

Witch Deya speculated, “Could it be because the Swordswoman and I are too beautiful, and he wants to snatch us away? Just like an Evil Dragon would snatch a Princess…”

“The snatching is real, but not of us,” Sonya analyzed calmly. “His target is likely the Observer.”

“Me?”

“Didn’t you say that a powerful heroic soul commander sought refuge in you, only to be absorbed by you? It’s like a little rabbit trying to escape a fox by jumping into the arms of someone picking mushrooms…”

“In short, the fox behind us is actually after the rabbit, not us. But he doesn’t know the rabbit has already been swallowed by the Observer, so…” Sonya’s gaze hardened as she continued seriously, “The only solution now is to hand over the Observer.”

“Indeed.” Deya nodded, her hair split into black and white, but her voice was not harsh: “The fox won’t listen to our explanations, he just wants to bite the rabbit. As for who the rabbit is, the fox doesn’t care.”

“At this point, there’s really no other choice…”

“Yeah, yeah…”

Listening to the two Operators discuss how to essentially sell him off, Ashe remained remarkably calm and even volunteered a plan: “I’ll see if there’s a River of Flowing Gold nearby. If there is, I can dive into it to divert their attention, and then you two can take the opportunity to drive away.”

“However, the River of Flowing Gold is hard to find, and it’s more likely that there are mining pits and Resource Points around here. I can hide in a mining pit to buy some time. If it really comes down to it and we’re about to be caught, then you two should get out of the car immediately, disconnect from the Virtual Realm and return to reality. I’ll drive the car back towards them; that should buy you at least 20 seconds.”

“But I’m actually a bit scared of being killed by a creature from the Virtual Realm. Maybe you two could just kill me to make the fox behind us give up. Swordswoman, you said that a Sorcerer’s injuries at death would affect reality, right? Then you should aim for my stomach when you attack. I’ve been eating a bit too much lately and wanted to lose some weight anyway…”

Listening to Ashe ramble on about planning his own death, Sonya and Deya exchanged glances, seeing frustration in each other’s eyes.

“Enough already,” Sonya said, feeling utterly disinterested: “You know we would never leave you behind, so stop flaunting your sacrificial virtue.”

“No, I think selling me off here is actually a good option,” Ashe insisted. “If we keep going like this, we’ll all end up dead sooner or later. Better for one to die than all three. You are my Operators, and your lives are much more valuable than mine. Plus, I am indeed the core issue right now.”

“If it’s to protect you, dying once is a price I’m willing to accept.”

Originally, Sonya was just taking the opportunity to emphasize that the crisis was entirely due to the Observer alone, to highlight her own unyielding noble character, which shone brilliantly enough to make the Observer eternally grateful and speechless, thus indebting him to live his life in repayment of Miss Swordswoman’s great kindness.

Unexpectedly, the Observer had seen through her scheme and even turned it against her, which was quite infuriating. Now, not only had she failed to move the Observer, but she actually found herself having a higher regard for him!

“Dying in the Virtual Realm isn’t really dying!” the rustic girl fiercely chopped at the Cult Leader’s neck: “Why make it sound so grave? Are you trying to make us feel so indebted that we’d sacrifice ourselves? Do you want us to feel guilty every night, come to the Virtual Realm to serve you, then you can rest your head on my thighs while I massage your temples, and have your feet massaged by the Witch, making every night’s Exploration in Virtual Realm feel like a vacation?”

“Why even fantasize, and why so detailed—”

Deya sighed, “Observer, you really are despicable right now.”

Ashe rolled his eyes; he hadn’t intended to please these two masters. He genuinely believed that sacrificing himself was the most cost-effective option. After all, he was originally reluctant to come to the Virtual Realm. Now, he could legitimately request sick leave, lie at home playing games, and the Operators couldn’t even blame him. Why not enjoy it?

Moreover, his death wouldn’t be a big loss, as the Witch and Swordswoman’s gains in the Virtual Realm would still be shared with him. On the other hand, if the Witch and Swordswoman were to die, then Ashe would be at a real loss. He alone couldn’t come to the Virtual Realm, no one else would have surplus to be exploited by him, and his training would completely halt.

“Is there any chance we can escape?” asked the rustic girl.

Ashe opened the map of the Virtual Realm and shook his head: “The fox deliberately drove us into a dead end.”

When they were first chased, Ashe’s initial reaction was to try driving towards the Star Hall area. After all, Blaido was the commander of Star Hall, and his enemies were clearly commanders of hostile forces. Although Ashe didn’t know if the Time Continent had a ‘Homeland Security Act’, just entering the Star Hall area would likely make the pursuers more cautious.

However, every time he tried to turn north towards Star Hall, there were long-range attacks from above thwarting his progress. Not only did they fail to head north, but the distance between them and the pursuing troops had actually decreased.

The enemy had clearly anticipated his moves and dispatched a blocking force.

Compared to these tactically savvy heroic soul legions, Knowledge Creatures like Slaying Fish-Dragon seemed as naive and adorable as Lala Fatty.

“Since you refuse my noble sacrifice, we now have three options,” Ashe said. “First, both of you join me in entering the Static Domain to await death or simply commit suicide. Although it would still end in a total wipeout, it would minimize the damage to our souls. I’ll try to get some potions that heal the soul, and we could be back in the Virtual Realm in no more than ten days.”

“Second, destroy the Soul Summoning spirit. Although I’m not sure which part of the rabbit the fox wants to eat, throwing out the whole rabbit is definitely the safe bet.”

Upon hearing this, both the Swordswoman and the Witch shook their heads. If it had been the old Soul Summoning spirit, they might have let it go, but after Ashe introduced the new troops that could be summoned by it, they were unwilling to give it up no matter what.

Star Prayer! Meteoric Warrior! These units far surpassed the capabilities of Two Wings Sorcerers, and although it was unclear if they were on par with Tri-wings Sorcerers, on the Time Continent, armed with these two units, they would be virtually unstoppable, slaying Slaying Fish-Dragons as if they were mere chickens.

Moreover, these advanced Star Hall units were extremely difficult to acquire. Low-level heroic soul commanders like Demilo were only defeated after the three sorcerers exerted all their efforts, and a high-level commander like Blaido, who traveled with a large entourage and could even equip himself as a Meteoric Warrior… It would be impossible for even a large group of sorcerers to defeat Blaido.

If not for a stroke of luck, Ashe would never have unlocked these advanced units. It would have been much easier to achieve a Promotion to Tri-wings Sanctuary Sorcerer than to kill a heroic soul commander.

And although there was no clear reason, given the difficulty of acquiring the Soul Summoning spirit, they believed it had to be tied to greater benefits. More importantly, they knew they would likely never get another chance to seize a new Soul Summoning spirit.

Compared to losing this potential opportunity, they would rather have the Observer commit suicide.

“It might not even be about the Soul Summoning spirit,” Sonya suggested. “Maybe it’s related to the Commander’s Handbook you just absorbed… By the way, what skill did you choose?”

“It shouldn’t be, because I chose Financial Management.”

“Why!?” exclaimed the rustic girl, shocked: “Isn’t the technique that increases experience for all Factions better? We don’t even have enough soul power to arm our troops! You don’t have enough money to manage, do you?” By the end, she was so frustrated that she reverted to her rural dialect.

“But it’s Financial Management! It’s like investing in the future!” Ashe defended. “Who could resist the temptation of investing in the future?”

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