The Sorcerer's Handbook

In Annan’s plan, competing for positions on the ranking was merely a means to an end. Their ultimate goal had always been the Divine Lord’s wish. Every one of them sought to have the great Omniscient Weaver personally grant their desires.

Even the outlanders, Ashe, Iger, and Harvey, in their ignorance holding little respect for the Omniscient Weaver, did not dare to underestimate the weight of that wish.

Perhaps the Divine Lord did have limits, but in the eyes of mortals, these deities who ruled entire kingdoms were indistinguishable from omnipotent beings. Just as an ant, bound by the limits of its imagination, might only wish for a larger body or sweeter food, Ashe and the others lacked the breadth of vision to even conceive of a wish beyond the Divine Lord’s capabilities.

They did understand that Divine Lords were merely a higher form of ascended sorcerers. Since multiple Divine Lords existed, each likely specialized in a different domain rather than being truly omniscient or omnipotent, much like sorcerers specializing in different sorcery classes.

Yet, even a sorcerer devoted to a single sorcery class could branch out into endless different uses through that one path alone. Take Ashe’s swordsmanship, for example. He could extend his Sword Class into uses like severing negative states with the Slash Me miracle, achieving short-distance teleportation through Bidirectional Rush, and forming defense-oriented Sword Barriers. If sword techniques eventually developed to the point of severing chemical bonds and triggering nuclear reactions, Ashe wouldn’t even be surprised.

Furthermore, given the long lifespan of a Divine Lord, they could master almost every sorcery class over time. The miracles and divine feats they commanded were beyond what mortals could fathom. For instance, while Rusty Crow had spent countless years and immense effort just to resurrect a single person, on the Continent of Time, resurrection services were clearly priced and readily provided to Hero Commander officers.

The most outrageous wish a mortal could make would probably be something like, ”Let me become a Divine Lord.” But the Omniscient Weaver was no artificial fool like the Gospel. It would likely turn you into a Divine Lord Lala Fat, a brand-new species of its own creation, fulfilling your wish while simultaneously enriching the menu of the Gospel Kingdom.

However, for slightly less extreme wishes, like becoming an Angel, resurrecting the dead, ruling the Gospel, or gaining unlimited Gospel Points, everything was well within reach. Thus, obtaining a Divine Lord’s wish meant that even if not every desire could be satisfied, at least every problem could be solved.

In Annan’s original plan, the process of obtaining the wish was straightforward. The outlanders would compete as hard as possible for a position in the future rankings, and the participant with the highest rank and the greatest authority as an Echoer would receive the Divine Lord’s wish.

This was exactly why Annan had insisted on signing a service contract with them from the very beginning. Without absolute control, if any of them actually obtained the Divine Lord’s wish, Annan would have had no way to take it back.

And now, the participant with the highest rank and greatest authority as an Echoer was none other than Annan herself. There would be no middleman taking a cut.

Ashe let out a long breath and glanced at Lys. ”That works too.”

Lys’s eyes flickered. She lowered her head and continued eating her roasted lamb ribs without a word, but Ashe knew it wasn’t that simple. He hadn’t forgotten that on their very first night, Lys had already tried to secretly conspire with him to seize the Divine Lord’s wish.

At this point, Ashe certainly didn’t believe that Lys was just some lost girl the Four Pillars Cult had casually picked up. He didn’t think Lys could actually steal the wish from under their noses, but he knew it was best to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Moreover, his relationship with Annan had been improving rapidly lately, and Ashe understood clearly that Annan would never let her prize go. As for Iger and Harvey, the embodiments of greed and madness, they had long been itching for a chance.

Even Ashe himself found it hard to resist the temptation. Wandering through a foreign land, drifting through an uncertain fate, having already lost almost everything... did he not also want to dream, just once, of a happy ending?

Do not test human nature, and especially do not test your own. Otherwise, you become the abyss itself; you become the dragon.

They could still cooperate in harmony right now, even enjoying a pleasant dinner together. But as the end drew near, the more splendid their present cooperation was, the more brutal their future betrayal would become. This blasphemous scheme, which had begun with deception, would ultimately end with deception as well.

So, when Ashe heard that Annan had locked in the wish slot, he felt a twinge of disappointment, but more than that, he felt relief.

If the slot had fallen to someone in Ashe’s group, they might still have felt compelled to resist. But now that it was firmly in Annan’s hands, there was no hope of taking it away. After all, they were still slaves bound to obey her completely.

Harvey scraped up the remaining cream sauce on his plate with a piece of bread and ate it, seemingly unconcerned that Annan had already secured her victory. Meanwhile, Iger’s gaze shifted between Ashe and Lys, his eyelids lowering as he sank into thought.

”If I truly manage to obtain the Divine Lord’s wish, I will honor the promise we made at the very beginning and help you fulfill your desires,” Annan said seriously. ”Harvey, I will help you obtain the inheritance of the necromancer Angel, and I will provide you with all the resources you need.

”Iger, if you want money, I will give it to you. If you want freedom, I will give you that as well. On the day our contract ends, you may choose your own life.”

Annan turned her gaze to the remaining two outlanders. ”Ashe, Lys, trust me. I’ll make sure you both end up happy.”

Ashe blinked. Why does that line suddenly sound so strange when it comes to Lys and me? Is it because Annan is taking Lys’s language comprehension into account?

”I don’t know if these thirty-odd days have been enough for you to truly know me, but all I can offer you right now is my word: I will not let you down.”

The Purple Moth paused for a moment before continuing. ”As long as I succeed in obtaining the Divine Lord’s wish.”

Iger picked up on the implication in the Lady’s words. ”So, you still have competitors?”

”If all future rankings were invalidated, then I would indeed be the top-ranked Echoer. But the problem is that the final ranking will definitely not be invalidated.

”Not only will it stand, but the first place on that board was already decided before the Woven Festival even began.”

Lys finished her meal and padded over to act coquettishly toward Ashe. Ashe wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, asking in confusion, ”But that’s only one first-place spot. You have the one plus ten system, don’t you?”

”But what if I told you that in the past ten Woven Festivals, the Divine Lord’s wish has always gone to that exact same first place?”

The outlanders froze. Iger was the first to react. ”That specific ranking carries the highest weight of influence?”

Annan nodded. ”Over the past ten Woven Festivals, there have been the Legend Rankings, the Combat Power Rankings, and even the Inspiring Figure Rankings. Yet, none of the first-place winners from those lists ever received the Divine Lord’s wish. Across all those past ceremonies, the first nine rankings constantly changed, while only the final one remained static. The Divine Lord’s wish is granted exclusively to the first place of that final ranking.”

Ashe asked, ”So, what is this ranking? The Omniscient Weaver’s illegitimate child rankings? Do we have any chance of squeezing onto it? Hey, what are you doing?”

Lys lightly bit his finger. When Ashe looked down, she simply turned her head away. Assuming she was just being playful, he didn’t pay it much mind.

”It isn’t an illegitimate child ranking, but we still have no chance of getting onto it. Its name is the Gospel Ranking, and its entry requirement is simple. Only the purest, most innocent, kindest, and most wonderful young girls can be included.”

Everyone fell silent. Iger asked in disbelief, ”So, men can’t qualify?”

”There is no precedent. So now you understand why none of you can be on it?”

”Because we’re men?”

Annan shrugged. ”Not necessarily. Gender alone isn’t an absolute barrier. The main issue is that the Gospel has never encountered an innocent con artist, a pure necromancer, or a kind and benevolent calamity demon lord.”