The Sorcerer's Handbook

After a brief rest, Ashe resumed driving toward the uncharted territory on the left side of the White Ox. Since the White Ox generally moved in a counterclockwise trajectory, its left flank pointed directly toward the interior of the Continent of Time. This area held the highest probability of housing a regional capital.

Ever since the Oasis War, Ashe and his group had successively navigated through the Blood Grave, Spider Tower, and Star Hall regions. There wasn’t much to note regarding the Spider Tower territory. Even as the Empress Hero waged a relentless campaign out in the field, Ashe’s group consistently prioritized survival. They simply sped through the zone, gathered mana, and logged out the absolute moment their time expired. No overtime, under any circumstances.

As for the Blood Grave and Star Hall regions, they already had maps of both areas. Exploiting the fact that the war had only just entered its preliminary phase, and that all competing factions required time to consolidate their holdings, they rapidly plundered the marked Resource Points. They moved with absolute immediacy, demonstrating an exceptional proficiency for raiding, pillaging, and completely wiping out defending groups. Even so, two out of every five Resource Points they reached had already been picked clean. As time wore on, the probability of uncovering anything of value would only continue to plummet.

Tonight, they left the Star Hall region behind and crossed into unfamiliar territory. Without a map, they couldn’t even harvest scraps. This forced them to bring their original strategy back to the table. Locate the capital city of another region, lure the Spider Tower forces over to ignite a conflict, and profit from the ensuing chaos by collecting Conjuring spirits, Commander’s Handbooks, and geographical maps.

If they could piece together a complete map of the Continent of Time, they might finally uncover the truth behind Rainbow Tail and unlock the grand prize—a direct shortcut to the third layer of the Virtual World. The immediate obstacle, however, was determining exactly where the capital cities of these uncharted regions lay.

Since the capitals of both Star Hall and Blood Grave were situated closer to the interior of the landmass, Ashe drove inward to test his luck. He didn’t necessarily need to stumble upon a capital city directly. Past experience dictated that the Legion of Heroes maintained regular patrols in the surrounding perimeters. Intercepting a patrol would naturally lead them to the city.

Logically, given the sports car’s high exploration efficiency, crossing paths with a few Legions of Heroes over the course of a single night should have been a certainty. Yet, after nearly two hours of wandering the inner ring, they hadn’t encountered a single one. Previously, when they had actively avoided engagement, those legions had trailed them like obsessive stalkers. Now that they were actively searching for them, the landscape was entirely barren.

Since the Out of Toilet Paper curse was no longer active, Ashe couldn’t even deflect the blame. He had to concede that this was his own tactical miscalculation.

”Watcher, you’re leaking.”

”Huh?”

Ashe instinctively glanced down at his lap.

Sonya pointed at the spirit perched on his shoulder. ”I mean your Conjuring spirit is leaking.”

It was radiating a vivid purple glow, streaking through the air like a wet watercolor brush.

Ashe froze, then immediately checked the Virtual World Map. There were absolutely no Legions of Heroes in the vicinity, nor was there any structural trace of a capital city on the grid.

This distinct reaction from the Conjuring spirit was unmistakably the same stress response triggered whenever the Incarnation of Secrets entered a capital city, much like a kitten bristling the moment it entered another apex predator’s territory.

If the threat wasn’t on their radar and wasn’t anywhere on the surrounding plains... then only one possibility remained.

The three of them raised their gazes toward the sky. The heavy curtain of Ascending Golden Rain obscured all secrets, its dazzling brilliance serving as the perfect veil against prying eyes.

After a brief pause, Ashe said, ”Get ready.”

The Swordswoman and the Witch instantly shifted into combat stances. The sports car deployed its Evil Blades and released a thick Poison Mist while carving sharp circles into the terrain like a spinning donut. On his shoulder, the Conjuring spirit painted across the sky, tearing open jagged purple fissures through the golden downpour above.

”So you actually tracked down the capital city of the Garden. I quite honestly expected you to target Blood Grave or Star Hall first~”

They had anticipated an ambush; in fact, drawing attention was precisely their objective. Yet, hearing the Empress’s lazy, melodic voice still sent a distinct chill down their spines, causing their muscles to tense.

They turned to see Denzel and her Eight-Eyed Weaving Spider materializing from a massive web. She remained in her Seeker of Secrets manifestation, her eyes obscured beneath a tight spider-silk blindfold. The pristine white bandages did nothing to hide her graceful silhouette as she reclined carelessly atop the arachnid.

”But the Garden specializes heavily in defense,” Denzel noted, tilting her chin toward the heavens. ”Staging a battle here would be incredibly troublesome... Hey, don’t run off just yet. Since you traveled all this way to another regional capital, it means you’re looking to cooperate, correct?”

”That’s right,” Ashe kept his eyes locked onto the Virtual World Map, refusing to lower his guard for a single second. The instant a Legion of Heroes entered his scanning radius, he would flee. ”But I don’t trust you.”

Denzel smiled faintly. ”In this world, profit is infinitely more reliable than trust. So, my dear, what is it you want? As sorcerers, your primary interests are likely limited to Commander’s Handbooks, maps, and Conjuring spirits, the typical spoils dropped by commanders. Those assets hold no value to us. We can hand them over to you freely.”

As she spoke, an increasing number of Legions of Heroes began to emerge from the surrounding webs. Thunderous footsteps reverberated from behind the golden curtain of rain, forcing Ashe to back the vehicle away to maintain distance.

”I don’t believe you.”

Denzel rested her chin in her hand, her smile widening. ”Then what do you propose we do? You certainly won’t agree to signing a binding soul contract. How about we secure the spoils of war first and deliver them directly to you? You are more than welcome to dictate your own terms. We can negotiate every detail. After all, we no longer possess the means to reclaim the Incarnation of Secrets from you, and your mobility far outstrips our own. Cooperation is my only viable option—”

”Then tear up the contract,” Ashe interrupted cleanly.

Denzel tilted her head slightly. ”Hm? What contract? The one where you swore we would remain entwined until death back in that cabin?”

”The binding contract you forced upon us. If you truly have no intention of seizing the Incarnation of Secrets, then nullify it. Otherwise, it only proves you are still actively plotting against us.”

After a brief silence, Denzel shook her head. ”I don’t have the power to nullify the contract—”

Ashe turned to leave without the slightest hesitation. ”Goodbye!”

The Empress Hero’s offer was undeniably tempting, but he was absolutely certain it was riddled with traps. If they followed her line of thinking and tried to forge a safe agreement through clever negotiation, they would inevitably fall into her clutches a third time. She had already proven that she excelled at outmaneuvering smart people, especially those who were self-assured and greedy.

More importantly, her understanding of human nature was terrifying. During their last encounter, she had nearly driven a wedge right through their team, even causing the Witch to distance herself. How could Ashe dare to keep negotiating with her? If the conversation dragged on, she would probably find a way to manipulate the Swordswoman, fueling her jealousy, suspicion, and clinginess.

Ashe would much rather risk skirting the edges of the battlefield for scraps than willingly cooperate with the Empress. That woman was a venomous black widow; it was best to stay as far away from her web as possible.

***

Watching the sports car carve a streak of purple before vanishing into the curtain of rain, Denzel let out a soft laugh. ”He really has gotten a bit smarter...”

”So they weren’t actually bait you released?” a voice spoke from beside her. ”Did a sorcerer really manage to snatch a conceptual incarnation right out of the Black Widow’s hands?”

Glancing back, Denzel said, ”Laugh all you want. I don’t kill allies. At least, not for now.”

More Legions of Heroes began emerging from the webs, but these troops were entirely different from the Spider Tower forces. Their overall color scheme was a dark black and green, and they were encased in heavy, savage-looking armor. Most of them wore shackles on either their necks or limbs, appearing like a mass of nightmares given physical form. If the Spider Tower army embodied mystery and danger, then these soldiers represented raw violence, resembling escaped prisoners intent on smashing everything in their path.

The one speaking to Denzel was fully encased in that same black-green armor, holding a greatsword in one hand and a short blade in the other. Beneath the visor, only a pair of dark green eyes remained visible.

Denzel knew him well. After a thousand years of war, it was impossible not to. He was the chief commander of the Oasis—the Wanderer.

As fellow participants of the very first Grand Investiture of the Six Nations, both Denzel and the Wanderer were among the oldest Heroes in existence. Over the centuries, as territories shifted, the Spider Tower and Oasis had frequently shared borders and clashed countless times. Denzel had even killed him once. He had simply been revived afterward.

”The soul fragments I retrieved do not support laughter,” the Wanderer replied flatly.

”Are you ready, then?” Denzel said calmly. ”According to our alliance, the Oasis will lead the second wave of the siege. But before that, we need to bring down the Garden... Spider webs aren’t suited for that sort of thing. You can deploy the Silent Spiral, right?”

”No problem,” the Wanderer said. ”But before that, we need to discuss a cooperative effort, one concerning reality.”

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

”There’s been a minor issue in one of our subordinate nations. We hope to borrow some personnel from you.”

”If something happens in your subordinate nation, what does it have to do with you? And if there is a problem, shouldn’t you have Verdant Deep Lord—” Denzel cut herself off, a sudden realization dawning on her. ”Don’t tell me?”

The Wanderer said bluntly, ”Forget descending into reality. Verdant Deep Lord’s condition has deteriorated so much that he can’t even directly contact the Weaver anymore. That’s why I was sent to negotiate with you.”

At this point, there was no hiding the vulnerability of their divine ruler. ”In exchange for your support, Oasis is willing to fully assist Spider Tower in winning this Investiture War.”

”Aren’t you afraid the Weaver will take this opportunity to infiltrate your nation?” Denzel asked.

”Throughout the past thousand years, the Virtual Channels have opened countless times. Infiltration has already occurred more times than we can count. One more makes no difference. Compared to that, the affliction within our nation is far more intolerable.”

”What exactly happened in your nation?”

”The Four Pillars,” the Wanderer answered succinctly.

Denzel’s expression grew serious. ”Is the Deep Lord’s condition also related to the Four Pillars?”

The Wanderer shook his head. Whether in denial or uncertainty, it wasn’t clear.

Denzel asked, ”Then what kind of support do you need? A few Legendary sorcerers? Or an entire legion?”

”The Deep Lord’s intention is simple. Since we’re borrowing help anyway, we might as well resolve everything in one go. We want to borrow the most vital treasure of your nation. The Gospel.”