Sorcerer’s Handbook

Belldate Wonderland World, Statue Restaurant.

Here, you order at the counter, so after a quick game of rock-paper-scissors, Ashe and Banjeet ended up going to place the order. Losing to Igor was one thing, but Harvey had actually used the “Ghost King Shackles” to temporarily transform into the most efficient Mech-spirit, cheating his way to a flawless victory in a best-of-five game!

As Ashe recalled everyone’s orders and approached the counter to speak, the staff member placed two trays in front of him. “Lala Fatty’s Conquering the Abyss, black pepper steak, braised beef Lala Fatty, coconut tart… drinks are lemon water and bitter orange tea… here’s one pack of napkins and one pack of wet wipes. Enjoy your meal.”

While Ashe was still in a daze, Banjeet had already paid and was carrying the trays back. Observing his surroundings, Ashe noticed that the counter area was even quieter than inside the restaurant. When travelers arrived, the staff would promptly deliver their food, reducing the transaction time to within five seconds. The counter area looked like a seamless, silent, and precise assembly line.

Back at their table, Igor asked, “After the fireworks show, we should head back, right? Ashe, don’t tell me you have more things you want to do?”

“It depends on Lise and the Young Lady. As long as we can get back before 11 PM, I’m good,” Ashe replied. “Speaking of which, Igor, do you have any regrets?”

“Regret not kicking you off the ‘Rapid Spin’ ride earlier?”

“Regret not becoming Belldate’s son-in-law!” Ashe said while reaching for Harvey’s fries. “If you married Anfel, this amusement park would be yours! And not just this amusement park, half of Gospel’s entertainment venues would belong to Leia—your future daughter!”

From the name itself, it’s clear that the owner of this Wonderland World is the Belldate Family, led by Yvaren. In fact, the Belldate Family is Gospel’s top entertainment giant, dominating the sector from virtual games to physical entertainment venues. The Belldate Group has expanded its reach to the utmost, making an indomitable mark in the entertainment industry. Even the virtual games Ashe used to play were a small business under Yvaren’s empire.

After all, under the influence of the Dominance Sect, the Belldate family has a basic consumer base of millions of people, from children to the elderly, who will spend whatever it takes. This is not just a cash cow but also gives Belldate infinite opportunities to try and fail in the entertainment industry. After hundreds of years, they naturally outlasted all competitors.

“No regrets,” Igor said flatly. “Yvaren and Anfel are much smarter than you. Even now, I can’t say I can fully resist Yvaren’s dominance. Moreover, the strongest dominance Miracle of Belldate is probably the fate-embedded curse in their bloodline… Thinking about it now, the reason Gospel believes I’ll be a good father in the future is probably because they think I’ll be inversely dominated by Leia.”

“In general, we call this kind of bloodline dominance ‘love,’” Ashe said, snatching Igor’s popcorn. “Why don’t you just go along with it? Look at you, you’re not getting any younger. If it weren’t for jail, you’d probably still be a street punk. Now you have the chance to live off a wealthy woman, isn’t that appealing? I don’t even have the chance to live the easy life!”

“No thanks.”

“Tsk, listen, male Bewitcher, if you can keep your wife happy, you could help us if we fall on hard times. And if we hit it big, do you think we’d forget our cellmate who’s been through thick and thin with us? No way. So, no matter how you look at it, living off a wealthy woman is the most cost-effective choice for you… Wait, is your struggle every ‘Revelation’ time because you’re fighting against the correct option of living off a wealthy woman?”

“Not choosing that.”

“But what about Leia? Don’t you want a future daughter? Forget Harvey, he has to create a wife from scratch, but you could have a lovely and smart daughter who inherits all your good qualities if you’d just agree. Don’t you—”

“Aren’t you annoying!”

Busy with her kids’ meal, Lise looked up and saw that the adults were in a strange mood. Her sisters wouldn’t fight the Little Witch for food, but watching the fireworks later would be another story.

Banjeet looked surprised, Annan appeared thoughtful, Harvey remained indifferent, and Ashe wore a ‘how dare you yell at me’ expression.

The Con Artist took a deep breath, quickly calming his emotions and changing the subject. “You’re about to finish all my popcorn. If you want some, can’t you just buy another portion for yourself?”

“No way. Getting it for free tastes way better, and it’s not like I won’t pay you back.” Ashe picked up a fried shrimp and offered it. “Here, I’m giving you a shrimp in return. Ah~”

Igor stared at Ashe with wide eyes, his lips tightly shut. Ashe blinked, signaling Igor to open his mouth.

“I… don’t really like…” the Con Artist muttered through tight lips.

At that moment, Annan reached over and guided Ashe’s hand to her mouth, taking a bite of the shrimp.

“If he doesn’t eat it, I will,” the Purple Moth said with a snicker.

Igor shot a cold glance at Annan, looking both relieved and annoyed.

“Igor, you don’t like shrimp?” Ashe asked, puzzled. “I never noticed this back in prison…”

“Don’t act like you know me so well,” Igor snapped. “You don’t even know where I used to sleep at Fidrola—”

“The closet in your room, the couch outside, and the cabinet in the kitchen. Those are the only places, right?”

The Con Artist froze. “Huh?”

“Did you forget? I did the cleaning during the day,” Ashe explained. “Although everyone used the same shampoo, for some reason, your scent was always a bit different. Maybe it’s the chemical effect of your Bewitcher Lineage?”

“I’ve told you, there are no male Bewitchers; I’m human…” Igor mumbled in a small voice, avoiding eye contact with Ashe and turning back to his food.

After finishing their meal, they decided to take a park cart to the fireworks plaza. As soon as they stepped out of the restaurant, a six-seater park cart pulled up in front of them.

Setting off fireworks underground might sound odd; after all, fireworks are meant to illuminate the night sky, and the underground city is perpetually in darkness. It’s akin to longing for an unattainable crush—the underground will never see daylight, and after the brief burst of fireworks, only a void of unfulfilled desires remains.

But at the moment when the fireworks bloom, their dazzling colors make everyone forget they are underground.

The fireworks ignited the sky, as if a meteor shower was pouring down. The Funeral family sat on the grass of the fireworks plaza. Banjeet even took a coffin out of his suitcase, allowing Alice to accompany Harvey. The seven of them formed a small circle, basking in the brilliant display.

The fireworks bloomed before their eyes, filling them with awe and searing the moment into their memories.

“Lise,” Ashe said, patting her head, “are you having fun today?”

“Yes!” Lise nodded vigorously, clearly ecstatic—the Little Witch had snagged the last spot for the fireworks show for them. “I wish we could come here every month!”

Ashe laughed, pulling her into a hug. “There’ll be more opportunities, just not underground.”

There is a Wonderland World underground, and there are fireworks shows too. But what made this one so special was their yearning for the light of the outside world.

Lise felt a bit puzzled as this was the first time Ashe had shown her such affection without any particular reason.

“Of course, wherever Dad goes, I’ll follow. Let’s explore other Wonderland Worlds!”

Ashe lowered his gaze, glancing over at Annan. Annan noticed his look and glanced at Lise.

A wave of unspoken fear welled up in the sisters’ hearts.

But Annan didn’t speak to Lise; instead, she turned to the young butler beside her. “Banjeet.”

“Hmm?” Banjeet looked up from preparing drinks. “Miss, are you thirsty?”

“No,” Annan replied. “I’ve something to ask of you.”

Banjeet hesitated for a moment, the fireworks illuminating his slightly pale face.

Unlike Lise, he had an inkling of what was to come, maybe from the moment Annan suggested visiting Wonderland World, or when Ashe tried hard to persuade Igor to become a Belldate in-law.

“Take Lise back to Azura and take good care of her.”

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