Sorcerer’s Handbook

After a brief rest, Ashe continued driving towards the unknown area to the left of the white bull. Since the white bull generally moved counterclockwise, its left side led to the interior of Time Continent, the area most likely to house the main city.

Since the Oasis war, Ashe and his team had passed through the Blood Tomb, Spider Tower Area, and Star Shrine Area. There wasn’t much to say about the Spider Tower Area; although the Empress’s commander was probably still out fighting, Ashe’s team prioritized safety, collecting spellforce at high speed, and logging off as soon as time was up, never working overtime.

They had maps for the Blood Tomb and Star Shrine Area. Since it was the first round of the war and various factions needed time to consolidate their resources, they hurried to scavenge at the mapped resource points. Despite taking quick action and excelling at looting, they found that two out of every five resource points were already empty.

As time went on, the likelihood of finding resources at these points would further decrease.

That night, they left the Star Shrine Area and entered a territory unknown to them without any maps, making it impossible to scavenge even scraps. Thus, a plan they had formulated days earlier came back into play—to locate the main city of another region, guide the Spider Tower forces there to spark a conflict, and then profit by collecting soul summoning spirits, commander handbooks, and maps!

If they could gather maps of the entire Time Continent, they might uncover the truth about the Rainbow Tail and unlock the grand prize—a shortcut to the third layer of the Virtual Realm!

But the question was, where was the main city in the other regions?

The main cities of the Star Shrine and Blood Tomb regions were near the interior of Time Continent, so Ashe drove towards the interior area hoping to get lucky. He didn’t necessarily need to find the main city outright because, based on past experience, there would definitely be patrols by the heroic soul legion around the main city. Finding these patrols would naturally lead them to the main city.

In theory, given the exploration efficiency of a sports car, running into the heroic soul legion several times in one night would be normal. However, Ashe and his team had been wandering the interior area for almost two hours without finding a single heroic soul legion patrol. When they didn’t want to encounter them, the patrols followed them like stalkers; now that they were looking for them, they were nowhere to be found.

Since “no toilet paper” was no longer an excuse, Ashe couldn’t shift the blame and had to admit this time that it was his decision-making error—

“Observer, you’re exposed.”

“Huh?” Ashe instinctively glanced down at his pants.

“I mean, your soul summoning spirit is exposed,” Sonya said, pointing to the spirit on Ashe’s shoulder, which was emitting a purple glow, smudging the space around it like watercolor.

Ashe noticed the soul summoning spirit and then looked down at the virtual realm map—there really were no heroic soul legion patrols or main city information nearby!

But the spirit’s reaction clearly indicated a stress response from Secret Incarnation entering a main city area, like a cat feeling territorial aggression.

Not around, not on the ground, only one possibility remained.

The three of them looked up at the sky, but the Rain Curtain of Reverse Golden Rain obscured everything, its dazzling golden light the perfect camouflage. After a moment of thought, Ashe said, “Get ready.”

The sword Princess and Witch immediately went into combat mode. The sports car extended its Evil Blade and sprayed Toxic Mist, drawing circle after circle on the ground like a donut. The soul summoning spirit painted the space as well, tearing purple holes through the golden rain curtain.

“You actually found the Garden’s main city. I thought you’d hit Blood Tomb or Star Shrine first~”

Even though they had anticipated this outcome and it was exactly what they hoped for, hearing the Empress’s lazy voice still made Ashe and the others tense up. When they turned around, they saw Danzel and the Eight-eyed Weaver Spider emerging from the spiderweb. She was still in her form as The Girl of Secret Gaze, the spiderweb Eyepatch covering her eyes, and white bandages barely concealing her graceful curves, lounging lazily atop the Eight-eyed Weaver Spider.

“But the Garden is best at defense,” Danzel said, looking up at the sky. “Fighting here is the most troublesome… Hey, don’t leave. Since you’re here in another main city, you must want to cooperate, right?”

“That’s right,” Ashe replied, eyes locked on the virtual realm map, his focus unwavering. If any heroic soul legion got close, he would bolt immediately. “But I don’t trust you.”

“In this world, profit is more reliable than trust,” Danzel said with a smile. “My paramour, what is it you want? As sorcerers, you probably desire things like commander handbooks, virtual realm maps, and soul summoning spirits obtained from commanders. These are of no use to us; we can give them to you.”

As she spoke, more and more heroic soul legion members emerged from the spiderweb, and thunderous footsteps echoed from behind the Rain Curtain. Ashe and his companions had to move farther away. “I don’t trust you,” Ashe said.

“So, what do you suggest?” Danzel propped her chin with her left hand, still smiling. “I know you wouldn’t agree to sign a Pact, and even if we collect the spoils first and then give them to you, it’s negotiable. After all, we can’t exactly seize your Secret Incarnation, and you have superior mobility. Cooperation is my only option—”

“Then tear up the Pact,” Ashe suddenly said.

“Hm? What Pact?” Danzel tilted her head. “You mean the one where you promised undying passion in the Cabin?”

“The forced Pact you made with us,” Ashe said calmly. “Since you claim you’re not planning to take the Secret Incarnation, cancel the Pact. Otherwise, it shows you’re still scheming against us.”

After a moment of silence, Danzel shook her head. “I don’t have the power to tear up the Pact—”

“Goodbye!”

Ashe left without hesitation. Though the Empress commander’s offer was tempting, he knew it was full of traps!

If they followed the Empress commander’s lead, trying to craft a seemingly ‘safe’ agreement through clever negotiation, they would definitely fall into her hands a third time. The Empress had already proven that she was highly skilled in dealing with smart, especially overly clever and greedy people!

More importantly, the Empress had an uncanny insight into human nature. Last time, she nearly caused their team to split, and Witch to become alienated. Ashe couldn’t risk further dialogue with her. If they kept talking, she might provoke the sword Princess into becoming more jealous, suspicious, and clingy.

Therefore, Ashe would rather risk scavenging at the battlefield’s edge than collude with the Empress. This woman was like a Toxic Widow; staying away from her web was the smart move.

Watching the sports car streak away with a purple trail and disappear into the Rain Curtain, Danzel chuckled. “He’s actually gotten a bit smarter…”

“They weren’t bait you released?” a voice nearby asked. “Is it possible for a sorcerer to seize a conceptual Incarnation from the Toxic Widow?”

“Laugh if you want. I won’t kill an ally,” Danzel said, turning to look behind her. “At least, not yet.”

More heroic soul legion members emerged from the spiderweb, but this group was entirely different from the Spider Tower legion. Their armor was predominantly black and green, thick and menacing, and most troops bore shackles on their necks or limbs, resembling floating nightmares. While the Spider Tower was mysterious and dangerous, this legion was wild and violent, like prison escapees who wanted to smash everything apart.

The person speaking to Danzel was entirely encased in black and green armor. He wielded a Greatsword in one hand and a short knife in the other, and behind his faceplate, only a pair of dark green eyes were visible.

But Danzel knew him well; a thousand years of war had made it impossible not to. He was The Roamer, the chief commander of the Oasis!

Both having participated in the inaugural Great Appointment of the Six Nations, Danzel and The Roamer were undoubtedly some of the oldest heroic souls. Over the millennia, numerous battles had erupted between their forces due to shifting territorial boundaries. There was even a time when Danzel had killed The Roamer, only for him to be resurrected again.

“The soul fragment I retrieved doesn’t support a laughing function.”

“Are you ready then?” Danzel asked coolly. “According to the Pact, the Oasis is responsible for the second wave of the Vanguard attack. But before that, we need to take down the Garden. The spiderweb isn’t suited for this kind of task; you can deploy the Silent Spiral, right?”

“No problem,” The Roamer replied. “But before that, we need to discuss a cooperation—in reality.”

“Reality?” Danzel raised an eyebrow. “What does reality have to do with us?”

“Our subordinate Kingdom has encountered some issues recently, and we hope to borrow some people from your Kingdom.”

“What does trouble in your subordinate Kingdom have to do with you? And if there’s a problem within the Kingdom, why not have the Chasm Sovereign of Senlo—”

Danzel paused, suddenly realizing something. “No way…?”

“Forget descending into reality, the Sovereign’s situation is so dire that he can’t even contact the Weaver directly, which is why he entrusted me to reach out to you,” The Roamer stated openly, knowing there was no point in hiding the weakness of his Divine Sovereign given the desperation to borrow help from other Kingdoms. “As payment for the support, the Oasis is willing to fully assist the Spider Tower in achieving victory in the Appointation War.”

“Aren’t you afraid that the Weaver will take this opportunity to infiltrate your Kingdom?” Danzel couldn’t help but ask.

“The virtual realm passage has opened numerous times over the millennia; mutual infiltration has happened countless times before. One more instance won’t make a difference. Moreover, compared to the Weaver’s infiltration, the internal malady within our Kingdom is far more intolerable.”

“What exactly has happened in your Kingdom?”

“The Four Pillars.” The Roamer was succinct.

Danzel’s expression grew more serious. “Is the Sovereign’s condition also related to the Four Pillars?”

The Roamer shook his head, leaving it unclear whether he was denying it or simply unsure.

“So, what kind of support do you need?” Danzel asked. “A few legendary sorcerers? Or perhaps a legion?”

“The Sovereign’s intention is to resolve all troubles in one go since we’re already borrowing people,” The Roamer explained. “We want to borrow the most precious treasure of your Kingdom.”

“The Gospel.”