The Sorcerer's Handbook

The Uzi Lamp-Extinguisher Dragon sports car finally sped out of Azura’s city perimeter and entered the rural countryside. On either side of the road, vast stretches of fertile fields unfolded toward the horizon. Despite the early hour, agricultural machinery was already humming in the fields, churning the soil for the day’s work.

Ashe peered out the window, spotting a distant village of low, flat houses. A few structures reached two or three stories, but compared to the high-tech, tiered architecture of the advanced cities, they looked like relics of a bygone era. Nevertheless, the fields were alive with the vibrant energy of young beastfolk operating their tractor-like machines.

Ashe asked, curious, ”Are there really this many young people working out here? I assumed most of the youth would have migrated to the big cities for work.”

Annan replied casually, ”Why would you think that? Eighty percent of the Gospel Kingdom is made up of production villages and towns. No matter how advanced our alchemical machinery gets, industries like livestock, fishing, and mining still need people at the helm. The prosperity of the ten major cities rests entirely on the output of these rural towns.”

Iger asked, ”But why stay?Life in the country can’t possibly compare to the city, can it? There isn’t even a single drone in the sky here.”

Ashe’s expression darkened. ”Don’t mention drones. You’ll scare Lys.”

Annan raised a brow. ”You’re curious?”

Iger said calmly, ”Not exactly. The Blood Moon went through a similar phase. The desire for prosperity is an instinct. To make the lower workforce accept their station, the Blood Moon Kingdom had to invest quite a bit of effort.”

Annan thought for a moment. As they passed a field, she slowed the car and waved at a young beastman working nearby. ”Hello there.”

Ranked among the top ten on the Beauty sub-rankings, Annan’s charm had long since transcended the boundaries of race. The young Orc was no exception. He came scurrying over like an eager pup, scratching his head with a silly grin, so starstruck he’d forgotten how to even say hello.

”Do you watch Heart’s Delight?” Annan asked.

The question instantly eased his nerves. ”Of course! I’m even a Count with three thousand followers!”

”I see. I’m with Cultural Limited Media. We’re conducting a field survey on user interests to optimize our ad placements. Could you show me what you’ve been watching recently? I’d like to see your viewing history.”

The young beastman agreed without a second thought. He summoned his Book of Gospel and displayed it for them.

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Annan pulled out a bottle of the alcohol they had been drinking the day before. ”Alright, thank you for your cooperation. Here is a small gift for you.”

The young beastman accepted it with a curious look. ”Thanks. What kind of drink is this? Pink Rabbit? Never seen it before. Can I exchange it for our village’s Piercing Throat instead?”

”My apologies. I’ll keep that in mind and bring something you like next time,” Annan said, flashing a smile that left him completely dazed. ”Goodbye. May the Gospel bless your day.”

Ashe glanced back at the beastman, who remained standing frozen in the road long after they had driven away. He teased, ”Miss, you’ve just ruined that man’s future marriage.”

”Did you understand what you just saw?” Annan asked.

Ashe failed to follow her train of thought. ”Understand what?”

Iger asked thoughtfully, ”The information gap? But this isn’t far from Azura. If they stand on their tiptoes, they can almost see the tiered city on the horizon. Would they really be trapped by something like that?”

Annan said, ”It’s far easier than you think. The information barrier of the Book of Gospel is impenetrable.”

Seeing that Ashe was still confused in the back seat, Iger explained, ”Every video that beastman watches originates from other villages. Not a single one relates to major cities like Azura. Furthermore, the Pink Rabbit beer Annan drinks is a well-known brand in Azura, yet that farmer had never even heard of it. That leads to one conclusion. He may have received a basic education, but his worldview remains entirely confined to the countryside. He has no idea how prosperous city life truly is.

”In his eyes, Azura, just dozens of kilometers away, might only seem like a slightly larger village, nothing worth longing for. His current life already feels good enough. He likely assumes those with more wealth and power simply avoid farm work and spend all day in bed watching Heart’s Delight.”

Annan added, ”By the way, people in the cities don’t use Heart’s Delight. In fact, even the farmers just outside Azura use locally customized information apps. Heart’s Delight is an exclusive application on Curtain for regions below Azura’s second-tiered cities.”

An information gap. An information veil. An information cocoon. They were nothing but different names for the same concept. The system restricted access to information, feeding the people only fragments of reality to shape a shallow, narrow worldview. The principle was simple. The method was straightforward. But the consequences were terrifying.

Ashe couldn’t help but shake his head. ”That’s impossible. If they were uneducated, that would be one thing. But every citizen here has received a secondary education, right? How could they be deceived so easily—”

By then, Lys had already woken up. She clung to Ashe like a koala, quietly listening to their discussion.

Annan said calmly, ”I don’t know how the Blood Moon Kingdom operates, but don’t forget, we have the Gospel.”

Yes, the Book of Gospel. A term they had heard countless times over the past few days, once again proving its importance. It was no less essential than air, sunlight, or water.

Annan went on, ”The class barriers you strain your wits to build are nothing more than sandcastles compared to the Gospel. In the Gospel’s social system, it is not just classes that are separated. Every region, every village, every household, and even every individual has their own information gap.

”As long as you don’t know about my extravagance, and I don’t know about your mediocrity, everyone can cooperate harmoniously within the Gospel Kingdom. Regional, racial, and class conflicts that should logically arise are simply dissolved through the Book of Gospel.”

”Everyone has a place in society, and everyone must hold that place. Greed, fear, jealousy, anger. These emotions may drive irrational choices, but it doesn’t matter. From a young age, the Book of Gospel teaches everyone to act rationally and resist temptation.

”And even if you fail, it still doesn’t matter. The Book of Gospel will filter out any information that could corrupt you. As long as your world remains narrow enough, even a faint light will be enough to illuminate everything you see. For a social machine, what lubricant could be better than lies and ignorance?”

At that moment, a highway bridge appeared ahead, looking as if it led straight to the heavens.

It wasn’t an ordinary concrete structure. A faint blue glow spread across the surface of the bridge, radiating a sleek, high-tech aesthetic. The light formed words pointing in three directions, connecting to three different cities: Hemaira, Astra, and Vanmura.

”Hold tight,” Annan said in a light tone as she steered the old sports car onto the bridge. ”We’re about to accelerate.”

As the speed increased, the passengers realized the car was moving faster and faster, almost as if it were about to take flight across the bridge.

”A Miracle?” Ashe exclaimed.

The young butler replied with a smile. ”A Miracle built by a civil thaumaturgic construction team. This is a skybridge leading to the other first-tier cities. As long as you are on it, your speed will continue to increase until you break the sound barrier. It feels as if the bridge itself is surging forward. It is the fastest mode of transportation in the Gospel Kingdom.”

Ashe pulled Lys close, looking down at the landscape through the window.

The farmland below was laid out in neat, orderly plots, and the houses stood in dense, silent rows. Yet, with only a slight lift of his gaze, the prosperous, tiered city of Azura came into view on the horizon.

The sun had already climbed high, casting a light so bright it was almost blinding. Another day full of hope had begun.