Sorcerer’s Handbook

Chapter 437: Hold Me Again

Fate Questioning – The Listening Test!

Actually, it wasn’t much different from the Fate Questioning of the Sea of Knowledge. The only change was that the questions were replaced with dialogue content. Compared to straightforward questions, this added a lot more information: Sonya could discern that the speakers were herself and the Witch, and the conversation took place at least ten years later, because her voice had become richer yet not thin, husky yet not dark… It was like the tone Delarose would use when playing a mature beauty. Just by listening, Sonya could picture herself as a rose with thorns.

The Witch was the same. Her voice no longer had the youthful innocence it currently possessed—even when she uttered the word ‘revenge,’ it lacked the purity one would expect.

‘Revenge’ is a word tinged with a fairytale quality, much like ‘love.’ How could someone harbor love or hate for four or five years like in a TV drama?

Life dilutes everything; all intense emotions eventually fade to plainness.

However, when the Witch spoke the word ‘revenge,’ it was as calm as discussing dinner plans. This indicated that revenge wasn’t a fleeting impulse for her but a mission she must complete, an obstacle she had to overcome to continue living, and a life goal intertwined with her interests.

The key point was that when the Witch said the word, it seemed to include her—did they have some common target for revenge?

Sonya looked at Deya, only to find Deya equally puzzled. After the three of them removed their headphones and exchanged looks, Ashe coughed deliberately and asked solemnly, “Do you want to discuss this together, or handle it yourselves?”

If it had been just Ashe and the sword Princess, Ashe would have unceremoniously asked her directly what juicy gossip she had just heard. But since the dynamic in the team was currently framed as “Observer vs. sword Princess and Witch,” Ashe had to stick to the script.

As long as it reduced internal conflict, Ashe didn’t mind playing the antagonist. Although Ashe always felt that the sword Princess had ulterior motives, this hierarchical model was indeed more beneficial for team management.

Ashe had seen teams at his company where ‘superiors and subordinates blend seamlessly,’ but that led to a lack of authority for the superiors, resulting in subordinates touching fish, slacking off, working from the restroom, and even rebelling.

To be fair, Ashe’s previous attitude of discussing everything with the team was actually a mistake and the Source of Calamity that caused internal conflicts—because once something is open for discussion, it can be contested, leading to favoritism and partiality.

Wasn’t it precisely because the sword Princess discussed and communicated with him too much that the Witch felt insecure and suspected the possibility of being abandoned?

It’s not that discussions are unacceptable, but Ashe needs to have decisive authority, deterrence, and credibility to ensure that his will can be effectively implemented at all times.

Ideally, the operators would trust and support him. If achieving this perfect team dynamic was impossible, then at the very least, Ashe needed to ensure that even if the operators didn’t trust him, they wouldn’t dare defy him!

Apparently, regardless of the state, Ashe had a long way to go. Sometimes Ashe wondered if it would have been better not to draw new operators initially. After all, upon leaving the Sea of Knowledge, he and the sword Princess already made a perfect team, and their duo had significant advantages.

Other spellcasters couldn’t even dream of having a ‘mutual growth and trust partner,’ while Ashe not only had one, but he also had a ship and a vehicle. What more could he want?

Was it really necessary for him to draw the Witch as a new operator?

But quickly, Ashe had his answer: it was necessary.

The heroic soul legion, Golden Flow, resource point scavenging… The Witch brought a substantial increase to the team’s capabilities. As a support-based DPS, her importance to the team was invaluable. There were many resource points that even if Ashe and the sword Princess could conquer, it would take a long time and they would likely get injured. The presence of the Witch enhanced the team’s efficiency by at least two or three times.

Most importantly, the team’s loot harvest was now abundant, making it foolish to let the sword Princess use it to trade for money. For every spellcaster, resources yield diminishing marginal returns. Initially, the sword Princess did use these spoils to gain resources she could use. For example, her Miracle ‘Sharpen Sword for Ten Years’ no longer needed to be used sparingly. However, this enhancement effect would rapidly diminish because the number of spirits the sword Princess could use was limited, and she only needed to master some specific Miracles.

It’s like playing a game. Sonya already had the best equipment with the top-notch lighting, bought the most expensive skins, and ordered the best food delivery. If she wanted to continue improving her strength, she had to focus on advancing in the Sect Realm.

At this point, having one more operator to train became incredibly significant. In fact, the more operators there were, the more efficient the conversion of resources to team strength would be.

As for why strength was necessary…

Many images flashed through Ashe’s mind: Lise, Igor, Annan, Qenna, Harvey, lavish manors, the everyday life of waking up naturally, and meeting with the sword Princess and the Witch, but not in the Virtual Realm…

It wasn’t just about him; the sword Princess and the Witch needed strength even more. Therefore, he had no reason to become complacent. Once he saved enough points, he would continue making In-game Purchases for card draws. The team had to keep growing, even if it meant increasing his management costs.

‘When will I become a captain exuding authority…’ Ashe was filled with a longing for power—after all, he was almost promoted to an operational director!

Faced with Ashe’s suggestion, Sonya immediately complained: “Although I’m not at all happy about sharing my future with you, to improve the accuracy of our answers, I can compromise. Also, the conversation I heard was between me and the Witch. I think it needs to be disclosed.”

“I have no objections,” Deya said curiously. “Was it a conversation between the future me and you?”

Sonya nodded, then relayed the conversation and the questions. She asked: “Witch, do you have someone you seek revenge against? Is it related to your unease tonight?”

Deya immediately shook her head: “No! I don’t have any particular target for revenge, not even my grandmother, who put me through the Armoring Ritual. I don’t harbor any thoughts of revenge!”

Despite being trapped in a high tower since she was young, Deya didn’t hold any resentment towards her grandmother. While she lost her freedom, she gained a carefree childhood. Especially after leaving the tower and experiencing the outside world with Ashe and the others, she understood that her grandmother didn’t owe her anything and had no intention of harming her.

Ultimately, all she had encountered was simply the predetermined fate of the Yisuo clan; her grandmother was merely part of a long chain of tragedies.

So, what she sought wasn’t revenge, but rebellion.

Since they couldn’t extract useful information from the conversation, they could only analyze the answers.

“The world seems too broad, and the Divine Sovereign…” Sonya had a strange expression on her face, “Are we really powerful enough to take revenge on the Divine Sovereign?”

For most spellcasters, the Divine Sovereign is less of a tangible ‘god’ and more of a symbol, a set of rules, or even the world itself. No one has ever seen the Divine Sovereign, and no one can escape its influence. How do you take revenge? On the sun? On a storm? On the ocean?

Thus, ‘the Divine Sovereign’ and ‘the world’ were almost equivalent options. So…

As the Witch and the sword Princess looked at him, Ashe remained very calm: “Although I also think that I might be the most reasonable answer, the problem is, I’m the only one among these options that you know.”

Sonya paused slightly, then quickly realized: “That’s right, the Fate Questioning isn’t supposed to be a knowledge-based trial for us to ‘figure out’ but a gamble based on luck. If the answer is that obvious, it must be a decoy!”

Deya nodded in agreement as she listened. Although she hadn’t experienced the Fate Questioning in the Sea of Knowledge, she thought it made a lot of sense: “And I can’t imagine why I would seek revenge on the Observer… If it was the sword Princess seeking revenge, that I could understand.”

Sonya’s face turned slightly red as she gave a little humph: “I can’t wait to part ways with him as soon as possible.”

Deya blinked—Hey, I didn’t say anything.

After hesitating for a moment, Deya said, “Actually, the conversation I overheard was also very strange. I’m not sure if it’s related to the sword Princess’s question.”

Then Deya’s hair began to change color; first, she transformed into a sweet girl with white hair: “Next, let the White Queen and—”

Then she changed into a cool beauty with black hair: “And the Black Butler reenact the conversation.”

The Black Butler laughed maniacally: “Hahaha, you’re killing me! Didn’t you want to catch me? Come on, catch me, and then we’ll both be captured by the Tribulation Fire Temple! They will absolutely burn us both to ashes! Hahaha!”

The White Queen said calmly, “We won’t be caught. Our master will definitely come to save us. Witch, let’s cooperate for now.”

The Black Butler sneered, “Oh, really? If that’s the case, where is that demon now? You were supposed to act together, weren’t you? But why are you the only one trapped here with me? Could it be that, like me, you’ve finally been abandoned as well? Abandoned~~huh!?”

The White Queen said resolutely, “The master will not abandon me.”

The Black Butler retorted sarcastically, “Ah, such a loyal love. Can you open your mouth and let me spit in it? Everyone is just a tool for that demon, including you! Why? Why are you still willing to be used by him? Don’t you realize you’ve never been loved?”

The White Queen replied passionately, “Why wouldn’t the master use others but choose to use me? He must still love me, and he is always so gentle with me.”

The Black Butler screamed hysterically, “Yes, he is gentle, but there isn’t a trace of love in his eyes—I’m going insane! What did I do wrong to be so unfortunate as to encounter you two demons! One madman! One fool!”

The White Queen said, “So, are we going to cooperate? They’re almost here. We won’t escape if we don’t work together.”

The Black Butler suddenly calmed down. “I can cooperate, but you have to agree to one condition.”

“What condition?”

“Just like before, hold me once more.”

“Question: What was the relationship between the two speaking?”

“?Friends

?Colleagues

?Relatives without blood ties

?All of the above”