The Sorcerer's Handbook

”Are you sure you want to go with option four?”

Ashe responded, ”What other choice do we have? The first three all seem possible, but none are certain. In cases like this, choosing ’all of the above’ has the highest chance of being correct. Trust me.”

Sonya had no objections. She wasn’t entirely sure which answer was right either. Personally, she leaned toward option three, but the future was unpredictable, and inferring it from the past felt unreliable. Since Ashe was so confident about option four, she decided to follow his lead. If it turned out wrong, she could always blame him.

With a nod, she marked option four. Instantly, the paper glowed with rainbow-colored light, and the text updated.

[Congratulations! You answered one question correctly. Would you like to continue?]

”Really? We got it right!” Sonya exclaimed.

”See? Trust me, blind guessing works,” Ashe said with a grin, recalling his university days of dominating multiple-choice exams. ”What’s the second question?”

Sonya tapped to continue, and the paper revealed the next prompt.

[Multiple Choice Question: Why did the Swordswoman and Watcher reconcile after their falling out?]

① For a greater cause

② To face a shared crisis

③ Because of love

④ All of the above

Ashe leaned back. ”This one has got to be option four as well—”

”No way!” Sonya shook her head. ”Option three is definitely wrong, so four can’t be right.”

Ashe spread his hands with a crescent-moon smile on his lips. ”Hey, this is about what might happen in the future, not what’s guaranteed. Why so stiff? Treat the Destiny Quiz with a calm mind—”

Sonya nearly roared. ”First, get your emotions in check! I can hear that smugness in your voice!”

After their brief quarrel, Sonya studied the paper thoughtfully. ”It should be option one. If it’s for a greater cause, then no matter how many conflicts we had before, they could be set aside temporarily.”

Ashe nodded seriously. ”Yeah, option one makes the most sense. Besides, the odds of the same answer appearing twice in a row are low.”

It wasn’t just about guessing. Ashe reasoned it out. The Swordswoman and Watcher had already fallen out. Love between two people at odds was unlikely. The only thing likely to bring them together again was mutual interest. After so many days together, Ashe already knew the Swordswoman valued pragmatism above all. And as for him... he was a burned-out old office worker. Talking about emotions over interest was out of the question.

After a brief discussion, Sonya marked option one. The paper flickered with a murky gray light.

[Incorrect. Destiny Quiz ended. You may begin asking your questions.]

Both Ashe and Sonya froze. It’s wrong!?

Among the remaining three options, two included love. That meant there was a two-thirds chance they might reconcile because of love in the future.

Ashe reconsidered. ”On second thought, maybe option two could also work. Two people already at odds might set aside differences to face a shared crisis.”

Sonya nodded. ”Yeah, that’s possible too.”

Noticing the atmosphere gradually growing awkward and intimate, Sonya hurriedly changed the subject. ”Fine. What’s your question?”

”Mine’s pretty simple,” Ashe said, lowering his gaze to the paper.

[Short-Answer Question: Who did Syrin Dorr see before he died?]

”Speaking of which, why is yours multiple choice while mine is short-answer?” Ashe asked.

Sonya explained, ”It probably has to do with timing. If a question concerns a distant future event, there’s no way to deduce the answer with current information, so the Destiny Quiz gives options to allow for guessing. Your question is about the near future, something you could figure out yourself, so there are no options needed.”

She paused. ”Syrin Dorr... Isn’t he the mastermind you mentioned before?”

”Yes, so the answer is obvious.”

Ashe focused and wrote his response. ”Syrin Dorr dies after seeing Ashe Heath.”

The paper shimmered with rainbow light.

[Congratulations! You answered one question correctly. Would you like to continue?]

After Ashe interacted with it, the screen updated itself, revealing the second question.

[Short-Answer Question: Through what means did the Watcher escape the Blood Moon Kingdom after breaking out of prison?]

Ashe read the question aloud. Sonya frowned slightly. ”No options? That means you’re supposed to deduce the answer from what you already know. Have you even thought about how to escape after breaking out?”

”Does surviving in the wilderness count?” Ashe said.

In truth, none of them had worked out a concrete escape plan. Once the breakout happened, everyone would scatter and act on their own plans. There would be no reason to coordinate.

For Ashe, a total amnesiac, hiding out in the wild was the only realistic choice. But Iger, Ronna, Ronald, and even Harvey were locals. They likely had safe houses or connections of their own. None of them would ever reveal their escape methods to another inmate.

”Do you even know how to leave the Blood Moon Kingdom?” Sonya asked.

”No idea,” Ashe admitted. ”I don’t even know where its borders are.”

With no clear answer in sight, Sonya considered the most common possibilities. ”If you can’t deduce it directly, go with the most likely route. Either impersonate an official and leave through legitimate transport, or get smuggled out. Among illegal methods, ships are the most common.”

Ashe thought it over. ”Impersonating an official won’t work. Every form of transport here requires a chip check, and I’m not reinstalling one after removing it. That leaves illegal routes. Compared to land paths, ships are harder to intercept... alright. I’ll go with the boat.”

He wrote decisively. ”The Watcher escaped the Blood Moon Kingdom by ship.”

The paper released a faint hiss of grayish air, almost like it was mocking Ashe’s incompetence.

[Incorrect. Destiny Quiz ended. You may begin asking your questions.]

Neither Ashe nor Sonya felt surprised or disappointed. With no concrete clues and nothing but logic to rely on, the odds of guessing correctly had always been slim.

Still, Sonya was a bit puzzled. ”That doesn’t feel right. If the Destiny Quiz asks something a sorcerer can’t possibly answer, that’s unfair. You definitely know how to leave the Blood Moon Kingdom. You just haven’t realized it yet.”

Ashe chuckled. ”Maybe the Virtual World heard me calling it cheap earlier and decided to get back at me.”

Sonya said dryly, ”Well, then you only have yourself to blame. But if even the Virtual World thinks you can escape the Blood Moon Kingdom, you probably don’t need to worry about the Blood Moon Tribunal anymore.”

Ashe paused.

Sonya was right. In addition to this question, the earlier one about Syrin Dorr’s death, along with the falling out and reconciliation between the Swordswoman and the Watcher, all pointed to the same conclusion that he had a future.

If he were destined to be crushed into tomato paste during the Blood Moon Tribunal, none of these questions could exist. The Destiny Quiz itself had proven his survival.

That was its greatest value. Without stating anything outright, it offered a glimpse of the future through its questions, giving vital insight into the present.

With the quiz complete, it was finally their turn to ask questions.

Sonya looked down at the paper. ”We can’t ask anything too outrageous. It should stay within the One-Winged Silver tier. There’s little info on the Destiny Quiz, but one principle in the Virtual World always holds true. Your reward is proportional to your effort, and since we only answered one question correctly, the reward won’t exceed that level.”

Ashe nodded. ”The answer to our question should ideally give us an immediate boost in combat power. The second Blood Moon Tribunal is approaching, and every bit of strength increases my chance of survival.”

At that moment, both of them had a spark of inspiration and turned to each other excitedly. ”Golden Fish!”