Sorcerer’s Handbook

Chapter 222: The Greedy Swordswoman

“Speaking of which, while perusing some documents, I came across a Sorcerer who referred to the River of Flowing Gold as the ‘River of Ambition.’ I couldn’t understand it at the time,” said Sonya with a sudden laugh. “Now, I finally get it.”

“Fear can overwhelm courage, just as it can also fuel ambition,” the White Queen agreed wholeheartedly. “Sorcerers capable of transmigration into the Virtual Realm are the freest beings in the world. When faced with aging and death, they realize that the chains known as ‘rules,’ ‘reason,’ and ‘common sense’ in reality are nothing but trivial illusions.”

“There were never any chains to begin with. Sorcerers are born to conquer everything.”

Boom!

A sudden explosion thundered from the distant sky, followed by the roar of countless monsters. Clearly, someone was flying in search of the Rainbow Tail again.

The trio looked in the direction of the noise for a while until Ashe suddenly said, “You both need to work hard. As soon as one of you promotes to Sanctuary-Level within the Faction Realm, the other two can also climb to the Distant Skies, even without the Rainbow Tail and trespass into a higher layer of the Virtual Realm.”

So there really was such a benefit… Deya had faintly realized this teaming strategy of “one advances, all benefit,” when, without opening the Gate of Truth herself, she was brought into the Virtual Realm. If an Observer could directly open the gate to the fourth layer of the Virtual Realm, wouldn’t they instantly become legendary Sorcerers?

However, the Observer’s power was only at Two Wings, and according to the Swordswoman, memory had been lost, so everything had to start over… Yet the Observer they encountered in reality didn’t seem to have lost any memory or power, but rather appeared even more diabolically charming and unruly than a legendary Sorcerer.

The one in the Virtual Realm, though somewhat eccentric, was overall more amiable and approachable, like a cake in an afternoon tea.

So, was the Observer the type to intimidate newcomers in order to command them? From a management perspective, her approach wasn’t wrong…

Or perhaps… the White Queen glanced at the Swordswoman.

Could it be because the Swordswoman was present, the Observer dared not be too arrogant?

“You’re not planning to search for the Rainbow Tail anymore?” Sonya asked.

“Of course I am, but you two can’t slack off either. If I don’t find it, we’ll have to rely on you two,” Ashe said as he stood up, patting his behind. “The Divine Master is still too far out of reach, but the Distant Skies are worth considering.”

“After all, if the Time Continent is this fascinating, what kind of scenery must be waiting for us in the Distant Skies?”

Watching them get completely invigorated, Deya felt their energy and said, “Our trip to the River of Flowing Gold seems to have consumed about a third of our Soul Energy. We could probably make one more trip, what do you think—”

“Let’s go tomorrow night.”

“We’ll talk about it next time.”

Ashe and Sonya instantly chickened out, and the White Queen couldn’t help but cover her mouth as she laughed.

Entering the River of Flowing Gold does not require the expenditure of Soul Energy, but restoring their aged and decayed souls back to normal does.

If willing, a Sorcerer can enter and exit the River of Flowing Gold multiple times. In fact, many do just that, especially since Sorcerers like Ashe, who are able to ensure a nightly haul with the help of a Virtual Realm Map, are in the minority. Most Sorcerers wander the Time Continent to chance upon fortunes, and even if they stumble upon a Resource Point, they might not be able to defeat the fierce Gregarious Creatures there.

For most Sorcerers, as long as they don’t die of old age, a round trip to the River of Flowing Gold is a profitable venture.

Ashe and the others only spent a third of their energy because it was their first time and they weren’t skilled. If they were expert scavengers, they could potentially reduce their energy consumption to one-fifth or even one-sixth.

The trio began to check their scavenging results. Ashe had the worst luck, picking up five spirits, none of which were high-value and didn’t belong to the coveted Fixed Day, Fixed Month, or Fixed Year series, but rather the cheapest series: seconds, minutes, and hours. These spirits can’t be used on their own but only serve as Casting Materials for Miracles.

Sonya was a bit luckier; among the four spirits she picked up, one was a ‘Fixed Day,’ which fixes one’s physical state for an entire day.

Although ‘Fixed Day’ is not as sought-after as ‘Fixed Month’ or ‘Fixed Year,’ Sonya could use it herself. She could use this spirit to set her makeup for an important event, and she wouldn’t need to touch it up for the whole day.

And the luckiest among them was Deya.

She had picked up only three Time Spirits: ‘Retrograde Day,’ ‘Ten Years,’ and ‘Listening the Month’!

‘Retrograde Day’ needs no further elaboration; it can be used directly as a Healing Spirit, allowing one’s physical state to revert to that of a day earlier. ‘Ten Years’ is a Two Wings Spirit, not low in value, and even Sonya wouldn’t dare to buy it for casual use. ‘Listening the Month’ is even more impressive, its value just a bit lower than that of ‘Listening the Day.’

Facing the envious gazes of the others, Deya said, “Observer, could you give me the Time Spirits you picked up in exchange for ‘Retrograde Day’? Swordswoman, you need ‘Ten Years’ for your Sharpening Miracle, right? It’s yours.”

Sonya instinctively refused, “But those are your spoils of victory—”

Deya smiled, “But we are a team now, and I have no use for ‘Ten Years.’ Keeping that Spirit would be a waste. However, I do need the seconds, minutes, and hours Spirits for my ‘Fast Forward’ Miracle. So, I’ll take those you’ve picked up. I don’t have a way to purchase Time Spirits right now; my only option is to rely on what we find in the Virtual Realm.”

Ashe promptly handed over the five Time Spirits he had collected but declined the ‘Retrograde Day’: “I’m not likely to encounter Battle in reality anytime soon, nor face any danger, so Witch, you keep it.”

Watching this, Sonya suddenly said, “If he doesn’t want it, then give ‘Retrograde Day’ to me. Witch, consider it a favor you’re doing for me.”

Deya looked at Sonya with some surprise but, seeing no objection from Ashe, handed both ‘Retrograde Day’ and ‘Ten Years’ to the Swordswoman, saying, “There’s no need for that. In a team, it’s normal to take what we need. Just prioritize giving me the resources I need later on.”

But Sonya was insistent, “I will repay this favor in the future.”

Curious, Ashe asked, “Swordswoman, are you preparing for an upcoming Battle? Is that why you need the Healing Spirit in advance?”

“Mind your own business,” Sonya muttered, “I never said I needed the Spirit for myself.”

“This woman is too much, wanting this and that. I, the Princess, despise such greedy people the most.”

The White Queen watched as the Swordswoman tucked the ‘Retrograde Day’ spirit into her bosom and thought to herself, “Princess, there’s something I’m not sure if I should say.”

“What is it?”

“Although you’re mostly adorably foolish, sometimes you can be annoyingly so.”

“You shouldn’t have said that!”

“Too late.”