Sorcerer’s Handbook

In the Blood Moon Kingdom, Shattered Lake Prison.

“If hurt enough, use both hands, joyfully sever, yesterday’s curse. Await the daylight as night falls, leaving only scars behind…”

Igor woke up on his velvet bed, yawning and stretching as he made his way to the bathroom to slip out of his pajamas and nightcap. He first tested the water temperature with his toes before lying down in the bathtub, which had been timed to fill with warm water, and took a relaxing bath in the early morning.

The luxury of being able to take a bath at any time was something Igor paid for dearly – it cost him 1 contribution point every 3 days to stay in this premium dormitory. As such, his contribution points were actually quite stretched, considering that living here for five months would consume 50 points, equivalent to the total initial contribution points of a death row inmate.

However, he felt it was worth every point because, aside from bathing being one of Igor’s hobbies, it seemed to be a favorite pastime of the ‘Contract’ spirit as well.

During one of his baths, exhausted, Igor had fallen asleep. In his drowsy half-conscious state, he vaguely saw the ‘Contract’ spirit riding a little yellow duck, frolicking and playing in the water of the bathtub.

Though the ‘Contract’ spirit would vanish as soon as Igor opened his eyes, as if it had never been there, Igor trusted his judgment – the ‘Contract’ spirit truly enjoyed bathing.

Outside the prison, this might be nothing more than an amusing anecdote to chat about, of no real significance.

While it’s undisputed that spirits possess intelligence and preferences, most sorcerers rarely pay attention to the sentiments of their spirits. After all, as long as the arcane energy is channeled, the spirits must obey the sorcerer’s commands, even if unwillingly.

However, in Shattered Lake Prison, this bit of intelligence became Igor’s lifesaving ace— in an environment where no one could channel arcane energy, death row inmates who wished to cast spells could only rely on provoking resonance with their spirits. Whether or not a spirit would cooperate became a crucial factor!

While Igor still couldn’t be sure whether his ability to almost perfectly summon the ‘Contract’ spirit in prison was related to his frequent baths pleasing the spirit, there’s an old saying: “Make many mistakes by doing much, make none by doing nothing.” And the prison was not a place for research; as long as Igor had a surplus of contribution points, he wouldn’t change his slightly ‘luxurious’ lifestyle.

After a short nap in the bathtub, Igor didn’t bother dressing. He toweled off his body and went straight to brush his teeth. He tried to empty his mind, to think of nothing, letting himself become dull and blank as he mechanically scrubbed his teeth in front of the mirror. His brushing was vigorous, and toothpaste foam would splash onto the mirror.

Before long, the foam splattered on the mirror began to trickle down the glass in winding paths and, surprisingly, formed words.

This meant that Igor had successfully summoned another one of his spirits, ‘Revelation.’

The ‘Revelation’ spirit was a spoils of war Igor had once found in the Virtual Realm, with a very broad utility. One could say you should invoke the ‘Revelation’ spirit before doing anything to get a glimpse of the situation. The environment would then change, providing helpful hints and reminders.

After being imprisoned, Igor tried many methods before he discovered the correct way to evoke the ‘Revelation’ spirit: while brushing his teeth, he had to empty his mind as much as possible but not completely. He had to maintain a slight intention of wanting to receive advice in order to resonate with the spirit.

Finding this balance was difficult, and Igor wasn’t successful every day, but today was a lucky one.

However, Igor only treated this process as a small diversion in his prison life because most of the advice given by ‘Revelation’ was trivial, such as “Don’t eat Lala Fatty for lunch,” “Remember to bring tissues,” or “Don’t wear underwear.”

These tips were indeed somewhat useful, but only marginally so.

Even if Igor didn’t follow them, it wouldn’t do any harm.

But that’s to be expected, as Igor had never studied under the Prophecy Faction. Being able to utilize the ‘Revelation’ spirit to this extent was already quite impressive.

If the ‘Revelation’ spirit ever issued a severe warning, then Igor would actually have cause for concern—because it would mean that he had come to an extremely important fork in his destiny, close to the unknown veil of intertwined fates, so close that even the ‘Revelation’ spirit reacted!

For example, right now!

In the mirror, as Igor’s eyes widened in growing alarm, the toothpaste foam left a stark warning:

“Do not respond! Do not respond!”

It was the first time Igor had seen punctuation, let alone exclamation marks, in a message!

He quickly calmed himself, pondering whether to heed the guidance of ‘Revelation.’

Because the guidance of ‘Revelation’ wasn’t always correct.

Or rather, concepts of ‘right and wrong’ or ‘pros and cons’ are very private and secretive cultural concepts of Human society. The same thing can be viewed differently in different regions, by different Races, and even by different individuals. Take ‘sleeping in’ for example; some people think it’s bad, while others enjoy it.

Small matters like ‘sleeping in’ aside, even significant issues like ‘life and death’ are subject to personal opinion. Some people believe it’s better to die early and be at peace, while others prefer a bad life over a good death, and some fluctuate between wanting to live and wanting to die.

If Humans themselves cannot clearly distinguish right from wrong or the pros and cons, how could a spirit possibly do so?

Therefore, the tips given by the ‘Revelation’ spirit are often very short-sighted. They are based on the Sorcerer’s current state, and any sudden unexpected event that changes the Sorcerer’s state is judged as harmful.

For instance, on the day ‘Revelation’ suggested “Don’t wear underwear,” a Prison Guard approached Igor to ask for advice on pursuing women, given that Igor was handsome and had a bit of the Bewitcher Bloodline, which made him appear experienced.

The guard had delicate features and long hair, exuding an androgynous charm that was hard to resist. Although Igor’s sexual orientation was quite normal, his Bewitcher Bloodline made him not only omnivorous in taste but also very easily aroused, which resulted in him reacting in a way that scared the guard off, missing the opportunity to establish a friendly relationship with the guard.

Now, with ‘Revelation’ warning him “Do not respond,” could it be leading him to miss another chance to form a deep connection with the prison guards?

But Igor quickly made a decision—not to heed Revelation’s advice, as the consequence would be immediate and minor.

After all, life in Shattered Lake Prison wasn’t too bad, apart from the lack of freedom to curse at will. He actually had a decent existence with good food, sleep, a regular routine, and complete entertainment facilities.

Moreover, he had already been incarcerated for over a year.

Prison is a peculiar place. At first, you despise it; then, you get used to it; and finally, you can’t live without it.

Igor had grown accustomed to this lifestyle and lacked the motivation to change his reality.

Ironically, during last night’s live broadcast of the Blood Moon Tribunal, Igor felt a sense of disgust when he saw a death row inmate cursing. It wasn’t disdain for profanity but a subconscious belief that ‘swearing is wrong.’

The Con Artist Igor, who specialized in exploiting legal loopholes, had gradually become a supporter of the law. When you become accustomed to shackles, you start to agree with and even romanticize their purpose. That is the meaning of Shattered Lake Prison; that is the power of the Chip’s reformation.

Leaving the dormitory, Igor hurried to the restaurant, determined to stay silent throughout, ignoring anyone who approached him and returning to his dormitory after breakfast.

He also considered whether to use Contribution points to order food and hide in his dormitory all day. However, since he had lost to Ashe once, his Contribution points were a bit tight, so he decided to save on unnecessary expenses like meals.

It was just a matter of not talking while eating, and Igor didn’t believe he couldn’t do it!

Igor, holding his tray, found a corner to sit down, but the next second someone sat down opposite him.

“Good morning, my friend Igor! Hey, your lobster balls look good, can I have one?”

Igor’s lips twitched slightly as he silently watched Ashe clumsily use the rather rare chopsticks to pick up a lobster ball.

However, Ashe didn’t seem to be proficient, and the lobster ball flew out of the plate, bouncing on the table.

Ashe blinked, tried again, and still missed, the lobster ball flying off once more.

On the third attempt, he finally managed to pick up the lobster ball accurately and placed it back on Igor’s plate before taking a clean one to eat.

“You don’t mind, do you?”

Igor’s mouth twitched again, and he still didn’t speak, just sped up his eating.

While eating, Ashe made an exaggerated gesture that knocked over his cup, spilling milk all over the table and onto his clothes.

“Oh sorry, sorry, can I help you wipe it up?”

Ashe reached out with a napkin to wipe Igor’s clothes, but Igor, without a word, shook off his hand and went straight to the restroom of the restaurant.

After washing the milk stain off his clothes, Igor thought since he was there, he might as well use the urinal.

Yet Ashe appeared beside him again: “Oh, what a coincidence, Igor, you’re here to pee too.”

Igor remained silent, silently increasing the flow.

“Oops, I didn’t wipe my mouth, can you hold this for me, Igor? I’m going to grab a tissue.”

Igor was almost at his breaking point, but remembering the warning on the mirror, he clenched his teeth, took a deep breath, and forcibly swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

“No towel after washing hands, can I use your shirt to wipe them?”

“You’re done with breakfast already? Let’s head over to the Deathmatch Society. Could you introduce me to some of the strong players there?”

“Did you watch the Blood Moon Tribunal last night? I want to consult with you on a few questions, and of course, you can ask me questions in return as a fair exchange.”

“Why are you in such a hurry, wait for me, will you?”

Igor ignored Ashe’s requests completely, as if they were nothing more than hot air, and quickly headed back to his dormitory.

Ashe found Igor’s hasty retreat quite peculiar.

With all the openings he had shown, why wasn’t Igor taking the bait?

Igor Bukin, known as the ‘Con Artist’ and ‘Beautiful Beast,’ was notorious for his ruthless and opportunistic nature, preying on the weak and fearing the strong. Why was he behaving like a kitten that hadn’t been weaned yet today?

There was no choice but to resort to a desperate move!

Ding!

The sound of a Gold Coin hitting the floor triggered a professional reflex in Igor, who almost instinctively looked over, hearing what seemed like a heavenly voice: “Could you help me pick up that coin?”

“No problem.” Igor instantly flicked a copper coin coated in gold paint from his sleeve, which could pass for a Gold Coin, and swapped the coins. Only after the switch did he realize he had spoken out loud.

But Igor didn’t panic. He looked at Ashe and said, “Although I don’t know why you’re so insistent on making requests of me, you got your wish now—the Contract spirit has taken effect. I’ve fulfilled your request, so now you are obligated to fulfill the demand I make.”

Within Shattered Lake Prison, nobody dared to fulfill Igor’s requests, nor dare to make requests of him—this was because under the influence of the Contract spirit, no matter who entered into a ‘trade’ relationship with Igor, he could use the Contract to forcibly demand the other party to keep their promise, while he himself was not obligated to reciprocate.

And the most splendid of Contracts were those in which the other party made a request of Igor without specifying how they would ‘repay’ him. It was like giving Igor a blank check to demand whatever he wished!

Therefore, Igor had used tremendous willpower to suppress his desire to respond to Ashe’s request because as soon as he agreed to Ashe’s request, he would gain an unrestricted opportunity to demand something of Ashe, even to the extent of commanding Ashe to lose to him in the next Deathmatch!

Igor was aware that Ashe was doing this deliberately, but he was not afraid.

Even if Ashe really had a scheme, what was there to fear now that he had a chance to make a wish from Ashe?

To intimidate Ashe, Igor deliberately summoned his Contract spirit.

The Contract spirit was a double-winged fiend holding chains, its ethereal chains extending all the way to Ashe’s neck, as if it could strangle him at any moment.

“I’d advise you to behave, Ashe Heath,” Igor narrowed his eyes. “I can now make a wish of you with no restrictions, and you must fulfill it.”

“Any wish at all?”

“Of course, even if it’s for you to stand on your head and defecate.” Igor proudly said, “Ashe, you’re now at my beck and call, a ‘good friend’ indeed.”

“That’s really great to hear.”

Ashe extended his hand, and a single-winged spirit appeared in his palm.

The spirit looked like a single-winged Libra. When it appeared, the chains extended by the Contract spirit suddenly dropped to the left side of the Libra, and to maintain the balance of the Libra, identical chains appeared on the right side, stretching all the way to Igor’s neck!

The chains of the Contract spirit had ensnared Ashe, while the chains of the Libra spirit had ensnared Igor!

“Balance exists among all things.”

Watching Igor’s face twist with growing displeasure, Ashe smiled and said, “Igor, helping each other out is what makes ‘good friends,’ don’t you agree?”

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