Sorcerer’s Handbook

Ashe’s listening experience was completely different from the other two operators. If Sonya and Deya’s experience could be described as “What? What? What are you talking about?” his was extraordinarily clear.

“o(≧▽≦)ツ I’m here~~~ Let’s take it slow, tonight will definitely be a night to remember…”

“Hey, wait, wait! Stop talking!”

“Someone’s listening, a Prophecy Sect Angel? Or the Divine Sovereign? No, this feels more pure, like the power of that one from Ruby Mountain… I got it, it’s Fate Questioning!”

“But that can’t be right, how could Fate Questioning see me now?”

“Don’t move, don’t move, we’re being listened to, be serious… ow!”

“Mm? Don’t talk, write in my palm… Oh right, I used to have the Secret Incarnation for a while. These conceptual Incarnations are the best anchors. No wonder Ruby Mountain can connect me to the past, and the Secret Incarnation comes with a ‘stealth’ effect. Ruby Mountain hasn’t realized I’ve noticed the spying!”

“The answer is ③. I can’t say more, or Fate Questioning will delete this recording.”

Perhaps out of intuition, or maybe to protect his image, Ashe concealed the first and fifth lines. But just the other self-narrations were enough to astonish the sword Princess and the Witch.

“‘Stop talking’?” Sonya’s eyes widened. “From analyzing the options, you’re with at least three others, right?”

Deya suddenly asked, “Observer, have you ever revealed the Secret Incarnation in reality?”

“No, at least not now.”

“But in that content, someone reminded you about the Secret Incarnation by writing in your palm. So, that person is either me or the sword Princess?”

Ashe hurriedly explained, “It could also be a new operator in the future!”

“That’s still the same, isn’t it? They’re part of the team.” Sonya blinked. “So options ①②③ refer to us? Is this question asking who among the team is closest to you?”

“…That possibility cannot be ruled out.” Ashe shrugged and said, “But it’s also possible that I might disclose the Secret Incarnation in the future—”

“Are you nuts? The Secret Incarnation is a conceptual Incarnation that affects the survival of related Spellcasting Sects. Revealing it would do more harm than good!” Sonya immediately responded. “This secret must stay between us. Even future operators can’t know!”

“Alright, alright.” Ashe just wanted to end the topic quickly. “What we should be focusing on is the fact that my future self can detect Fate Questioning—”

“Observer, what would you be doing with three other team members?” Deya asked curiously.

“Playing games or chatting.” Ashe replied without missing a beat. “What else could it be?”

The village girl suspiciously eyed the Cult Leader. “Are you hiding something?”

“It’s clearly my future self hiding something!” Ashe forcibly brought the conversation back on track. “He knows he’s become listening material for Fate Questioning, yet he doesn’t take the opportunity to send me any Intelligence!”

He’s definitely hiding something!

But Sonya glanced at the Witch, knowing now was not the time to press further, and said, “Didn’t he already say that if he discloses any more information, Fate Questioning would definitely delete that recording.”

“But your future self seemed very surprised to be listened to.” Sonya mused. “Does that mean you’ve grown so powerful that you can block all prophecy surveillance? But if your power grows, shouldn’t the Witch and I also grow in sync? Why wouldn’t we have that strength as well in the future?”

“Could it be due to different timelines?” Ashe suggested. “The future you heard might only be a few years from now, while the future I heard could be ten years later.”

“And when you realized you were being listened to, your first reaction was to think it was being eavesdropped on by an Angel or the Divine Sovereign.” Sonya murmured. “Does that mean in ten years, you’ll reach the level of an Angel or Divine Sovereign? And you mentioned Ruby Mountain… At the very least, you’re already a legendary spellcaster!”

“What is Ruby Mountain?” Ashe asked curiously.

“Layer four of the Virtual Realm is called Ruby Mountain, also known as the Mountain of Legends, Half-step Heaven, or the Near-God Forbidden Zone,” Sonya explained. “Your future self is very familiar with the power of Ruby Mountain, even deducing that you were being recorded by Fate Questioning… You’ve become so strong.”

“We’ve become strong,” Ashe emphasized. “We will climb the Virtual Realm together, and enjoy the breathtaking view from the summit.”

The village girl quickly brushed off her slight sense of inferiority and nodded, saying, “It must be that my future self is too strong, so Fate Questioning couldn’t listen to me and had to choose a weaker version of me!”

“Wait a minute,” Deya suddenly noticed something. “Future Observer said that the Secret Incarnation comes with a stealth effect, so it can counter-surveil the Virtual Realm’s probing. That means…”

“Exactly!” Ashe nodded excitedly. “If Fate Questioning is always picking up from the distant future, then my future self is definitely helping me cheat!”

“Congratulations, you got one question right. Would you like to continue?”

“The listening material for question two is starting—”

“…Hmm? Has it started?”

“After the last session, I remembered there was indeed such a Fate Questioning, but it happened too long ago, and my situation was a bit chaotic back then… so I didn’t recall it in time.”

“The Virtual Realm won’t let you take advantage forever. Fate Questioning should have already noticed something off… The answer to this question is ①.”

“Our different selves at different times are not the same self. So, I won’t disclose anything about the future to avoid jeopardizing your present.”

“The Secret Incarnation is very useful.”

“Question: Observer… (static)?”

“①Thigh-high stockings ②Glasses ③Combat attire ④??? (static)”

Ashe briefly described the situation of the second question. Sonya looked at him skeptically, “You only heard static for the question and the fourth option? If you don’t want to say it, we won’t mind; we respect your privacy.”

Deya nodded repeatedly and asked in confusion, “But why would thigh-high stockings, glasses, and combat attire appear together? What kind of question would ask about that?”

Ashe shook his head and moved on to the third question. But he quickly took off his headphones and said to the operators, “The third question was all static. The only word I could clearly hear was ‘question.’ Even the question and options were chaotic. I picked one at random and got it wrong.”

Seeing his genuine expression, the Sword Princess and the Witch believed him. If Ashe could really keep answering correctly by exploiting a loophole, it would actually make them more anxious.

Many spellcasters are not afraid to offend the Divine Sovereign, but they hold a deep reverence for the Virtual Realm. To draw an analogy, the Divine Sovereign is like a company boss who controls your paycheck. Even if you embezzle company funds, the Divine Sovereign might not care too much. However, the Virtual Realm is like a bank; would you dare exploit a loophole in a bank?

With the Fate Questioning session over, it was time for the Q&A segment.

Ashe and his team had already prepared their question — just like in the first Fate Questioning, they intended to inquire about the Intelligence on Rainbow Tail.

Although they had yet to fully extend their Golden Wings, with the absorption rate of the Alchemy Throne and the training boost from the sports car, they could probably achieve what would normally take other spellcasters a year in less than a month.

However, extending the Golden Wings is only the basic requirement for promotion to three wings. Countless spellcasters get stuck in the Sect Realm for years or even decades, unable to break through to the Sanctuary level. Although the Sword Princess and the Witch are both geniuses, elevating their main sect to the Sanctuary level in a few months or a year seemed unrealistic unless they could consume Experience Orbs like snacks every night.

Ashe estimated that only by exterminating the Blade Fish Dragon clan on the Time Continent could the Sword Princess possibly be force-fed into the Sanctuary level.

Thus, seeking Rainbow Tail was definitely worthwhile. With their past success with the Golden Fish, they naturally wanted to experience the joy of another seamless crossing.

However, in the second listening material from Ashe’s Fate Questioning, his ‘future self’ had clearly hinted at how to utilize this Fate Questioning session.

“‘Your future self’ emphasized that the Secret Incarnation is very important,” Sonya said. “Yet our current utilization of the Secret Incarnation is almost non-existent. The conceptual Incarnation itself is a Secret Toxin; I didn’t dare inquire about it, and I couldn’t find anything useful in the documents… If we want to understand how to use the Secret Incarnation, we have to seize this opportunity.”

Ashe nodded. “Now we have two opportunities to ask questions. We can ask once about the usage of the Secret Incarnation and once about Intelligence on Rainbow Tail.”

After a brief discussion, they decided that Deya, who had answered correctly once, would ask about Rainbow Tail, and Ashe, who had answered correctly twice, would ask about the Secret Incarnation. Since Rainbow Tail undoubtedly falls under the category of Secret Toxin-level knowledge, no matter who asked, the Virtual Realm would likely give a vague response. However, the usage of the Secret Incarnation is not a Secret Toxin, so Ashe, who had answered more questions correctly, was bound to obtain more effective Intelligence.

Of course, they still needed to be careful about how they phrased their questions. Otherwise, if the Virtual Realm responded with something like “the best use of the Secret Incarnation is for heroic soul commanders,” they would be left scratching their heads.

Ashe asked, “With the resources we currently have, how can we effectively utilize the Secret Incarnation?”

The Virtual Realm provided a detailed response: “① Use the ‘Water-born Thread’ to bind the spirit summoned by the soul summoning spell. Then aim the ‘Rage Sword’ and ‘Evil Light Slash’ at the spirit. When the Secret Incarnation feels threatened, it will share its first power; ② Kill a commander of the Spider Tower, thereby unlocking the Spider Tower troop type. The Secret Incarnation will share its second power.”

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