Sorcerer’s Handbook

Inside the passageway from the Treatment Room to the communal Rest area, a trial was in progress.

Other Medics looked at the slightly shorter figure of [222], their eyes behind the Crow Masks filled with a myriad of complex emotions.

There was no doubt among them about the accusation leveled against [176] for ‘stealing Procedures’; in fact, they found it quite reasonable.

Healing Procedures were not just a set of operations, but also a method of learning Miracles.

Unlike Battle Sorcerers, Healing Sorcerers and Creator Sorcerers didn’t need to engage in PVP, so they could reduce the difficulty of casting by extending the casting time. Battle Sorcerers didn’t have that luxury—the enemy would obliterate them while they were still charging their spells.

Therefore, Healing and Creator Sorcerers would break down Miracles into many steps, combining them in sequence to form a Miracle.

These steps were known as Procedures.

Thus, mastering the Procedures was a sure path to learning Miracles.

Procedures were naturally considered vital intellectual property. A Sorcerer who created a new Procedure, no matter how limited its application or unmarketable it might be, could earn enough in royalties from licensing it to other Sorcerers to order a life-extension package from any of the four Grand Research Institutes that added ten years to their lifespan.

This explained why Ashe always found only one Medic in the Treatment Room upon awakening—Medics were not allowed observers during treatments to prevent the theft of their Healing Procedures.

The Medic turned to [201], “Are you sent by the teacher?”

“I am a graduate student learning under your senior; she’s my boss.”

[201] chose their words carefully, revealing no names: “The Warden of Shattered Lake Prison is a friend of the boss… But the boss instructed me not to disturb you on normal occasions. If it weren’t for this scum going too far, actually stealing property from the Research Institute, I wouldn’t have shown up.”

The Medic asked, “Now that my identity is exposed, does that mean I have to leave this place?”

[201] chuckled, “Miss, you jest. The ones who come to Shattered Lake Prison to perform the ‘Blood Embrace Ritual’ are all Preparatory Racial Descendants from institutions under the Grand Research Institutes. How could we betray you? How would we dare to?”

The other Medics bowed in unison, showing their respect.

They had no choice but to bow. The Blood Moon Kingdom’s Research Institutes totaled thirty-six, with twenty-four Small Research Institutes, eight Medium Research Institutes, and four Grand Research Institutes.

Most of them were merely ‘Preparatory Bloodline’ from Small Research Institutes, but the young lady before them was a New Racial Descendant from the ‘Blood Cry’ faction of the Grand Research Institutes, a status vastly superior to theirs.

Frankly, the best outcome for them after completing the Blood Embrace Ritual and leaving the Prison would be to become Gold Bloodline, gaining a two-hundred-year lifespan increase, peaking at Two Wings.

However, for the New Racial Descendants from the Grand Research Institutes, almost all were Sanctuary Bloodline with five hundred years added to their lifespans, or even the legendary Bloodline with a millennium!

Tri-wings was the minimum they had to achieve, Quadruple wings were not uncommon, and some might even touch the realm of the divine and ascend as Demi-God Saints of the Blood Moon Kingdom!

“Miss, how should we deal with this scum?” [201] inquired.

The Medic paused for a moment, then turned to look at [176].

“Do you have anything to say?”

[176] lifted his fish-head to glance at the Medic, his large eyes revealing the crimson glow she knew all too well.

“How dare you!”

With a cold huff, [201] popped a Vein Foam.

[176]’s body trembled, his already pale fish-face turning as white as a sheet of paper.

“I don’t accept this.”

“What don’t you accept?”

“I can’t accept that you became a New Racial Descendant of the Blood Cry Research Institute, while I have to struggle and fight in a Small Research Institute.”

[176] was almost grinding his sharp teeth: “I am clearly among the elite of the Merfolk, I could also become a supreme Bloodline, but why is there such a huge gap in the resources between you and me?”

“I don’t accept that you get Blood Embrace opportunities so easily, which I’ve exhausted my wits to obtain; I don’t accept that the Procedures I desperately seek are mere knowledge you can easily grasp; I don’t accept why the best Prisoner materials are processed by you, while I only get tasteless scraps…”

“What I can’t accept the most, is why your Talent is also so great!”

[176] became increasingly hysterical: “I can’t just watch you surpass me… I can’t!”

“Such trash without any sign of repentance.”

[201] punctured another Vein Foam, causing [176] to nearly pass out.

“His garbage talk is not worth listening to… Miss, how do you wish to dispose of him?”

[201] paused for a moment, “Typically, the punishment would be execution on the spot.”

The Medic silently watched [176], who was almost collapsing to the ground, thinking for a long time.

“He hasn’t made me hate him enough to want him dead, but if he died, I wouldn’t care much either.”

“So you mean…”

“Find a soft stick shaped like a geoduck clam, beat him until he is covered in wounds, do not allow him to be treated, and then kick him out. Right, he is a Blue Scale Merfolk, isn’t he? Finger sharks should not kill him. Toss him into the sea tonight, and let him swim back on his own.”

[201] was taken aback, “But Miss—”

“That’s my decision.” The Medic looked at [201], “If you disagree, do as you please, I don’t mind.”

“I meant no disrespect.” [201] bowed deeply, “Your will shall be carried out.”

“Then, I’m going back to Rest.”

The Medic quickly walked away, passing through the crowd as if eager to escape the stifling atmosphere. But soon, slow, heavy footsteps hurried to catch up with her pace.

The Medic stopped in front of her dormitory door, turning to face [201] who had caught up.

“Is there anything else?”

“Since I’ve already disturbed you, I thought I might as well take this opportunity to speak a few words… a reminder,” [201] chose his words carefully, “just a few reminders.”

“Go ahead.”

“I’ve noticed that you’ve been spending a bit more time than usual with the Prisoners in the Treatment Room… Not that it’s a problem, of course. I assure you nobody will use that rule to offend you, and I’m not here to warn you.”

“If it weren’t for avoiding trouble with the Human Rights Association and the Racial Rights Association, we wouldn’t need to pretend to be Medics to perform the Ritual here. Those rules are just to reduce the likelihood of us encountering problems, but you, Miss, don’t need to worry about such troubles.”

[201] emphasized his humility with every sentence.

“I’m just concerned that during your play, you might develop unnecessary feelings for those materials, delaying the Blood Embrace Ritual. If there’s an issue with your Blood Embrace progress, the boss will hold me accountable.”

The Medic shook her head. “I haven’t forgotten the Blood Embrace Ritual, rest assured.”

She paused for a moment, “All the Prisoners I’ve treated have been implanted with the blood embrace seed. As soon as they die in their trials, the blood embrace seeds will naturally coalesce their knowledge and arcane energy, all transforming into my source blood.”

The Medic walked into her dormitory, reached up to remove her Crow Mask, revealing a pair of eyes as red as a predator’s, filled with ferocity, staring at [201], sending a shiver down his spine.

“We of the sacred bloodline have never developed feelings for mere bread.”