The Sorcerer's Handbook

Ashe muttered, ”In theory, the Golden Fish should be enormous. So why do sorcerers find no trace of it? Why does the Virtual World claim it floats on the sea and can be seen without any ritual? There’s only one explanation.

”We’re inside the Golden Fish. The Continent of Time lies above the white mist.”

Sonya instinctively wanted to object, but as she cross-checked the information they had gathered with this conclusion, everything fit perfectly. It explained the truth of the Golden Fish flawlessly.

She suddenly remembered. ”Wait... The only Sorcerer’s Handbook I read mentioned that after an explorer found the Golden Fish, they climbed more than eight hundred levels but still couldn’t reach its top.”

Ashe frowned. ”Think about it. If the Golden Fish were truly over eight hundred levels tall, even with the white mist, sorcerers wouldn’t fail to find a single clue. And in the Sea of Knowledge, the only place unreachable after climbing over eight hundred levels is...”

Sonya stared blankly at the white-mist-filled heavens. ”The sky.”

A long pause followed. Then, in a daze, Sonya asked, ”But... how are we supposed to climb up there?”

Exactly. How could they reach the sky? Even if they knew the Continent of Time lay above, and that reaching it could help them advance to Two-Winged sorcerers, there seemed no way to get there.

There was no ladder linking the land to the sky, no tower tall enough to reach it, and the Sea of Knowledge had no terrain higher than a meter above sea level.

They also lacked the expertise of Earth Class sorcerers, so constructing a tall tower from the ground was out of the question. The only viable option was for Ashe to summon his Substitute spirit. Sonya would stand on the substitute’s shoulders, while Ashe stood on hers.

Could Ashe summon thousands of Substitutes and stack them? No. He could only summon one Substitute spirit at a time. Summoning a second substitute would cause the first to vanish. To maintain two simultaneously, he would need a second Substitute spirit and activate both at once to create a Double Substitute Miracle.

Using spirits was a skill in itself. They could be powerful in certain aspects, but limited in scope and application in others.

”Is there any flight-type Miracle?” Ashe asked.

Sonya shook her head. ”Flight-type Miracles are rare at the One-Winged Silver Rank. Most One-Winged movement-type Miracles focus on rapid movement on land. Even if they allow brief hovering, it’s only to clear obstacles, not true flight.”

”What about at the Two-Winged Rank?”

”Not much changes. You move faster, more efficiently, and with greater agility, but true flight-type Miracles only become available at the Three-Winged Sacred Realm level.”

”Why?”

”Because reaching the Three-Winged Sacred Realm requires fully developing both the Silver and the Gold Wings.”

Sonya raised her hands and mimicked flapping wings. ”Do you think a sorcerer’s virtual wings exist just for show?”

”Huh? Aren’t virtual wings meant to intimidate opponents? Before a battle, everyone compares wings. The more complete your wings, the stronger you are.”

”That’s just the sociological interpretation,” Sonya replied. ”True virtual wings reflect a sorcerer’s knowledge accumulation. Every virtual wing provides immense benefits to its master...”

Ashe frowned. ”Immense benefits?”

He spread his Silver Wing. ”Aside from letting me go to the bathroom at night without turning on a light, what benefits does it actually have?”

Sonya shrugged. ”The Silver Blessing. Haven’t I told you before? When a Silver Wing is fully unfurled, it means your Silver Mana has reached its limit. Once we successfully obtain our second wing, leave the Sea of Knowledge, and reach the Continent of Time, the Silver Wing will finally reveal its true brilliance and enter its perfected form.

”A perfected Silver Wing grants a sorcerer an eternal blessing, usually aligned with their main sorcery class. Even a newly advanced Two-Winged sorcerer can gain over a twenty percent boost in combat power. With enough luck, it can reach as high as one hundred percent.”

Ashe’s expression shifted. ”No wonder you insisted on dragging me after the Golden Fish tonight, even when you were exhausted...”

A boost of that magnitude could make a decisive difference for his escape tomorrow. If the real objective was the Silver Blessing, then exhausting themselves tonight was entirely worthwhile.

The alcohol Sonya had drunk earlier rose to her cheeks, tinting them faintly red. ”I told you, I just want to see the Continent of Time as soon as possible. And you promised to help me achieve my dream. Finding the Golden Fish is part of that dream, so of course I have to bring you along.”

”Fair enough.” Ashe smiled faintly. ”So when are you going to sing for me? I need to decide whether I’ve agreed to something morally questionable based on your voice.”

Sonya snorted. ”You just want to provoke me, don’t you? Fine. I’ll give you one. I feel light all over, like a balloon—”

Ashe cut in quickly. ”Sorry, sorry. I was being arrogant. Let’s get back to talking about flight-type Miracles.”

At that moment, a long-standing doubt finally clicked into place for him. He had always felt that his Silver Wing lacked both sheen and solidity, making it inferior to the ones Varkas once displayed. He had assumed it was a lighting issue. Now he understood it was a matter of development.

Until he actually put his Silver Wings to use, his Silver Wing would forever remain immature. They were virtual wings that had never been tested, never refined. In essence, they were virgin wings.

Sonya paused, then continued, ”Once a sorcerer perfects both wings, they don’t just receive the Silver and Gold Blessings. When the wings form a complete pair, their power surges dramatically, allowing the sorcerer to fly in the real world. That’s why most flight-type Miracles require the sorcerer to have reached the Three-Winged Sacred Realm, or at the very least, fully unfurled their second wing.”

In simpler terms, flight-type Miracles were luxury items. Like supercars or yachts, they were reserved for sorcerers with three wings or more. No one bothered designing a budget version for those below.

Sonya lifted her gaze toward the gray sky. ”Even if we somehow found a flight-type Miracle usable by a One-Winged sorcerer, it wouldn’t be enough to reach that height. Remember, even explorers who built towers over eight hundred levels tall still failed to reach the top.

”The simplest way for a sorcerer to fly is with virtual wings. There’s no alternative. Knowledge itself is our easiest pair of wings.”

Ashe stood and flapped his Silver Wings. The boat rocked slightly, but nothing else happened.

Sonya sighed. ”Even without studying wind magic, you should know you need a pair of wings to fly.”

She frowned, genuinely puzzled. ”We can’t reach that high with flight-type Miracles, while Earth magic can’t help us build towers tall enough to touch the sky. So how did those legendary sorcerers who supposedly found the Golden Fish manage to cross over to the Continent of Time? Did we misunderstand something? Is there a ladder hidden somewhere in the Sea of Knowledge? Or is there a way to obtain wings in advance?”

Ashe spoke softly. ”If all we need is a pair of wings...”

He gestured toward both his Silver Wing and hers.

”We already have them.”

Sonya blinked. ”We?”

Seeing Ashe point at both their Silver Wings, Sonya was taken aback. ”This is insane.”