Mage Manual

Chapter 129: Chapter 117 Observer, You Are Truly Vile to the Core

Void Realm, Sea of Knowledge.

“…Everything’s ready now, tomorrow will be the day the plan is set in motion.”

Ash, while checking the Void Realm Map to steer a small boat, said, “If the prison escape fails and the hunters capture me, then everything will be back to square one, status quo. But if I succeed in breaking out, I must constantly be on guard against my surroundings. Until I can confirm my safety, I won’t be able to enter the Void Realm.”

Sonia nodded, fully understanding the Observer’s way of thinking.

Void Realm Exploration could be as short as four to five hours or as long as eight to nine hours. An Observer with a regular schedule in prison could log into the Void Realm on time, but after an escape, not only would he have to find a way to make a living, but he’d also need to avoid the hunters’ pursuit as much as possible. How could he possibly have more than four hours of safe time to enter the Void Realm?

She sighed in relief, “You scared me, I thought…”

Ash raised his eyebrows, “You thought I was going to abandon you?”

Sonia’s brows slightly furrowed, and she feigned a pitiful, flirtatious look, “Yes, I’ve found I can’t live without you. Just thinking about not seeing you for the next few days makes me feel empty, lonely, cold, and so sad I could almost cry… Oh right, since you’ll be busy, does that mean my training has to stop too?”

“Of course not, training will go on as usual. Although I won’t be there, I will still supervise your training. Speaking of which, you should have rested for an hour tonight, right? That’s a privilege for tonight only, back to normal tomorrow.”

“Then I’m really grateful to you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Sonia huffed, crossed her legs, and eyed the Observer, “So when will you be back?”

“When I’m sure of my own safety,” said Ash. “Didn’t I see in the Fate Q&A that there’s a possibility of me leaving the Kingdom of Blood Moon? After I break out of prison, I’m planning to look for a way out of the Kingdom.”

“So that means there’s no specific time…”

“Right.”

Sonia tilted her head, watching the wisps of white mist flying past her, and asked softly, “Is there anything I can help you with?”

“Didn’t you say before that you wanted to become a Songstress? How about singing a song for me to hear?”

“You—”

“Ha, just kidding,” laughed Ash. “Let’s not hunt for knowledge creatures tonight. Instead, let’s focus on looking for Mage projections.”

Sonia instantly understood, “You want to read other Mages’ manuals to find more clues about the golden fish?”

Ash nodded slowly, “Based on our pace, even if hunting knowledge creatures yielded Experience Treasure Orbs, it wouldn’t be enough to advance your swordsmanship to Golden Level.”

“Even if we got a rare Technique Spirit, it wouldn’t be possible to integrate it into my combat system immediately, and the improvement in combat power would be minimal.”

“We only have one night left, and if we want to make a breakthrough, the golden fish is our only choice.”

These days, although the two of them had killed many knowledge creatures, most of the Technique Spirits were either used by Ash to accumulate points or were sold by Sonia for some extra money, and rarely were they kept for personal use. The most important reason, of course, was that they were not suitable.

Despite mastering swordsmanship, Water Magic, Light Magic, and the Heart Sword among four factions, in the face of the wondrous world of Technique Spirits in the Void Realm, what they had encountered was barely the tip of the iceberg, a drop in the ocean. It was common that the spoils did not feature Technique Spirits from factions they specialized in.

Even if they got Technique Spirits from the same faction, the chances were high that they would not be of much use. For example, in the Sword Skill System, ‘Vibrating Sword’, ‘Continuous Sword’, and ‘Poison Sword’ represented three different directions: relying on high-frequency vibration to enhance destructive power, increasing attack speed for continuous strikes, and imbuing the blade with unique properties.

Apart from the Sword Skill System, ‘Vibrating Sword’ would require support from the Sound Magic System, ‘Continuous Sword’ would necessarily mean transitioning to the Weak Faction to improve physical prowess, and ‘Poison Sword’ meant supplementing with the Poison Skill System.

Whether researching any of these specific directions, the time a Mage would need to invest is incalculable, sometimes even involving venturing into other unfamiliar factions. If one had a superficial understanding of Technique Spirits and used them directly, the results would definitely not compare to a combat system that a Mage had studied thoroughly, like Sonia’s ‘Crack Wave Slash,’ which could instantly kill the aforementioned three sword skills Technique Spirits.

So, although they had acquired many Technique Spirits, those were not indispensable. Instead of delving into these new Technique Spirits, they might as well make good use of their old ones—better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.

However, this was a happy problem for them. Which ordinary Silver Mage could reap two to three Technique Spirits every night? Not dying was considered a blessing from the Void Realm, and any gain was celebrated as a festival.

They weren’t completely without updates to their equipment, for example, Ash had taken the lead in completing the ‘Cutting Sword’, ‘Stabbing Sword’, and ‘Cutting Sword’, the three basic sword skills Technique Spirits. In theory, a Sword Master would need to personally summon these three Technique Spirits to lay a solid foundation for the Sword Technique Faction. Someone like Sonia wouldn’t request these three Technique Spirits, but since Ash was originally an unskilled stowaway, he obviously didn’t care about foundations.

Sonia sold her spoils and quickly gathered the Technique Spirits required for the “Sword Scabbard Gleaming with Light” and “Grinding Sword for Ten Years” Miracles, further enhancing her combat power.

While not invincible, in the Sea of Knowledge, this dog couple might as well have Unrivaled Liberty.

However, from another perspective, this also meant that the Sea of Knowledge’s help was becoming marginally effective for them. They had obtained too much in the Void Realm; they needed ample time to slowly digest and absorb it all.

Unless they could reach higher levels of the Void Realm.

“If I could condense Golden Technique Power, then my Sword Barrier could be stimulated to one hundred percent efficiency, increasing my defensive capabilities by at least five times,” Ash explained the necessity of Golden Technique Power to him. Unlike the Sword Maiden, he had received a Two-winged Technique Spirit, “Earth Sword,” from Valcas, and his combat power would surge after promotion.

Sonia curled her lip, “That’s assuming we can find a golden fish. You’re talking as if you’re already spending the lottery winnings without having won.”

“What would you do if you won big?”

“First, buy a manor in Jiale City. Then pretend to be gravely ill to tempt my mother to borrow money from other relatives and villagers.”

“Why?”

“That bunch of scoundrels who always bullied a widow and her daughter will surely refuse to lend money. Then, I would rent a convoy of luxury cars to pick up my mother and blind those scoundrels with our display. Whoever dares to ask my mother for a loan, I’d remind her of this and chop off those scoundrels’ deceitful paws.”

“Goodness, you really are…”

“You have a problem with that?”

“I think you should find a trusted friend to lend the money to your mother. When you return home in glory, you heavily reward that friend. Contrast creates hurt; this way, you only spend a little money to make everyone else regret their decisions so much they could run through walls.”

“Wow, Observer, you’re wicked to the core.”

“You flatter me, I’ll get shy.”

As they chatted idly, Ash noticed a pale red area appearing on the Void Realm Map, marked as “highly challenging”—the most dangerous area they could venture into and the exact type of location Ash was seeking.

Ash’s smile faded and he spoke seriously, “While there may not be a linear relationship, the stronger the Mage projection, the more likely they are to have information about the golden fish. That means tonight is going to be nothing but tough battles.”

“You won’t be coming to the Void Realm after tonight anyway.”

Sonia’s palm glowed with the luster of steel as she gently rubbed her wooden sword, “Guess I’ll join your madness this once. If it comes to it, I’ll let you have my first blood.”

Miracle·Grinding Sword activated.

Strictly speaking, although “Grinding Sword for Ten Years” is a Two-winged Miracle, there is a wide range of adjustments that can be made. Within the Time Series Technique Spirits, “year” is the rarest, “month” follows, and “day” is the most common; “Ten Days” is Two-winged, “Hundred Days” is Three-winged, “Thousand Days” is Four-winged, and “Year,” “Month” follows this sequence.

Thus, Grinding Sword for Ten Years could vary to Grinding Sword for One Day/Ten Days/Hundred Days/Thousand Days/One Month/Ten Months… and so on. With the adjustment of the level of Technique Spirits, the power of the Miracle rises or falls accordingly. The reason it is called Grinding Sword for Ten Years, is simply because “ten years” offers the best cost-efficiency as a consumable.

Yes, activating this Miracle will directly consume the Time Technique Spirit, and it has to be repurchased, hence Sonia only dares to use the cheapest “day” Technique Spirit. It is said that the more advanced and complex, powerful Miracles often require consumption of a vast number of Technique Spirits. Thus, whenever a Legendary Mage makes a move, it’s equivalent to throwing thousands of pounds of gold, rivers of silver, with enough Gold Coins and Silver Coins to bury a multitude of people.

But commensurate with the cost, such Miracles are extraordinarily effective. Sonia’s wooden sword glowed with a gleaming grey tint, this was the “Cutting Color” produced by Grinding Sword, her subsequent attacks all garnished with Cutting Color, enhancing sharpness, capable of breaking through defenses even against Weak Mages.

Ash drew a long sword from his tongue, the “Sweet Words and a Hidden Dagger.” He then summoned a Substitute to leap into the sea, circle around, and approach the other side of Inheritance Island.

Preparations complete, the two pierced through the mist, landing on Inheritance Island. Meanwhile, the Substitute climbed onto the other side of the island, drawing the attention of the Mage projection.

Now was the moment!

Ash pointed his sword, the endearing One-winged Technique Spirit emerging at the tip, a flash of Sword Light swiftly thrusting towards the neck of the Mage projection!

Technique Spirit·Heart Sword!

Sonia leaped from the boat, drew her sword in midair with an anticipatory smile, her elegance akin to a dancer leaping onto the island. The rotating sinister Wave energy moved like a meat grinder towards the Mage projection!

Miracle·Sinister Light Crack Wave Slash!

The Substitute attracted attention to its sacrificial demise, Ash attacked from afar, and Sonia exploded in melee range. This was their unfailingly successful surround and kill tactic!