Sorcerer’s Handbook

Chapter 214: Sharing the Secret Poison

“Attention, prepare for battle.”

Deya glanced at the rain-obscured sky ahead, a flicker of realization crossing her face: “Observer, do you possess an Exploration Miracle that works within the Reverse Golden Rain?”

If the Sea of Knowledge’s white mist reduces visibility through its dreariness, then the Time Continent’s golden rain obscures vision with its intense brightness. Apart from the nearby vegetation, Sorcerers could hardly discern whether the plants within ten steps were large trees, thickets, or small monsters, as everything was bathed in a golden sheen.

And much like the white mist, the vast majority of Exploration Miracles couldn’t penetrate this curtain of rain. Thus, adventuring in the Time Continent bore no fundamental difference from that in the Sea of Knowledge.

The difference lay solely in whether monsters dragged you under from the sea or jumped out from behind a tree to bludgeon you unexpectedly.

However, to Ashe, the Virtual Realm was like a girl in a short skirt, having lifted just a bit of her mysterious domain for him. He hadn’t seen the full picture yet, but at least he could see the ‘absolute territory.’

The Virtual Realm Telescope remained effective, and the Virtual Realm Map still displayed the situation within a 24-tile radius.

It seemed that because it was loaded with a sports car, the map also showed the car’s health. Along the way, many trees had been bulldozed, leaving the car’s health below 50%. However, it could recover 1% health every few minutes, so there was no need to be frugal with its use—as long as it didn’t fall apart.

In addition, the Virtual Realm Map displayed the White Bull’s direction of travel, with its four hooves clearly imprinted on the Holographic Screen. The White Bull wasn’t moving in a straight line but with a slight curve. Yet, because the White Bull was so massive, to them—mere ants—this curvature was like the sea’s surface not being entirely flat, utterly imperceptible.

But Ashe noticed a problem—the map’s left and right seemed reversed. When the sports car moved left, their marker went right.

It wasn’t a big issue; Ashe manually rotated the map 180° to correct it. After all, it was an internal beta Version of the company; even if the Virtual Realm Map suddenly froze, blue-screened, and popped up a warning, Ashe wouldn’t be surprised.

Speaking of which, what to do if the game froze? There was no way to summon the task manager or to shut down… Would knocking oneself out count as a physical shutdown?

As the sports car approached the green “Worth a visit” Area, Ashe stopped the vehicle and glanced at the detailed information inside the area, his expression changing instantly:

“There are some White Velocidragons ahead!”

Sonya took a moment to register this, but Deya’s eyes lit up: “Some?”

“Yes, some!”

“Some White Velocidragons, worth a visit.”

“A group of Knowledge Creatures?” Sonya blinked, recalling the information she had read over the past few days, and soon she too became excited: “Could it be a Resource Point?”

“What’s a Resource Point?” Ashe was somewhat puzzled.

He had rested for several days at Freya’s home and took the opportunity to cram a lot of common knowledge about the Sorcerer world, but information about the Time Continent was considered very high-end knowledge, equivalent to professional papers in his previous life, and unnecessary for non-Two Wings Sorcerers to understand.

When Ashe searched for the Time Continent within the Blood Moon Curtain, the most common search results were “Romance of the Time Continent,” “Abandoned in the Gaps of Time,” and “Chasing Time to Find You.” The general public’s perception of the Time Continent was — it’s convenient for romance.

After all, one is always swimming in the Sea of Knowledge with not-so-great scenery, completely lacking the romantic atmosphere of the Time Continent. Moreover, the inclusion of ‘time’ in its name gave screenwriters plenty of room to let their imaginations run wild, allowing for adaptations and wild stories. From the plot summaries Ashe read, it seemed that the Time Continent, as portrayed under the Curtain, not only manipulated time but could also cause gender changes, speed up childbirth, hasten one’s death, and facilitate infidelity—in short, it was the perfect stage for deeply tortured love stories.

Later, when Ashe arrived in the Gospel Kingdom, he didn’t do much of substance, so he came to the Virtual Realm for his examination without any prior preparation. However, he had a reason for doing so—because he was sure the Swordswoman had done her homework.

Deya looked at Sonya with surprise, and Sonya spread her hands: “The Observer had amnesia before.”

“I see, like the Sorcerer in the fairy tale ‘The Amnesiac Sorcerer and the Naive Girl’?”

“I haven’t heard of the fairy tale you’re mentioning.”

At that moment, both Deya and Sonya were struck with a thought, but they didn’t continue the topic. Instead, they began explaining to Ashe: “Resource Points are special Areas that started appearing on the Time Continent. They are often guarded by Gregarious Knowledge Creatures. Knowledge Creatures drive spirits to manage the Resource Points, so these points often hold rare resources that we sorcerers can use. If we’re lucky, we might even find treasures that surpass the gains of an Experience Orb!”

Deya added, “But the Gregarious Creatures guarding the Resource Points can be tough to handle unless you’re a Battle Sorcerer specializing in area attacks. Otherwise, facing a swarm of them can throw you into disarray. I once attacked a Resource Point and had to retreat because I nearly died. But now that we have three people…”

“Let’s divide our tactical roles,” Ashe suggested. “My abilities mainly include the miracles ‘Sword Barrier’ and ‘Heart Sword.’ ‘Sword Barrier’ can provide long-range defense support, while ‘Heart Sword’ allows for Long-range Attacks. Unless something unexpected happens, I’ll be the long-range attacker. Ah, I’ve also created a new miracle called ‘Rush,’ which is a short-distance movement miracle.”

“You created a miracle? Let me see it later,” Sonya said. “I haven’t had any recent changes. I have the ‘Counterattack Miracle’ known as ‘Water Moon’ and a series of close-combat miracles derived from ‘Vibration Sword.’”

“Weren’t you promoted to Two Wings?” Ashe inquired. “Didn’t the academy reward you?”

“How dare I reveal that I’ve been promoted to Two Wings!” Sonya complained. “It’s been less than a month since I became a sorcerer. Last time, I could explain my Silver Full-Wing status by saying I entered a Whirlpool, but this time, if I reveal my Two Wings promotion without reaching the Gold Tier in my Faction Realm, the academy will definitely know I found the Golden Fish and entered the Time Continent… At least until I raise my Swordsmanship faction to Gold Tier and have a Two Wings Swordsmanship spirit, I won’t dare confess my progress to the Professor.”

The White Queen was taken aback—less than a month as a sorcerer? Entered the Time Continent by finding the Golden Fish?

Even fairy tales wouldn’t dare to concoct such a tale!

She couldn’t help but ask, “You found the Golden Fish? The one from the fairy tale ‘The Fisherman and the Golden Fish’?”

“I haven’t heard that fairy tale, but it is indeed the Golden Fish from the Sea of Knowledge,” Sonya looked at Ashe, “Should we tell her?”

Ashe instantly grasped the subtext of the Swordswoman’s words. After thinking for a moment, considering the practicality of the arcane energy conversion effect of the secret poison of the Golden Fish, he decided to inform the Witch about the secret poison, asking, “Do you feel like you have been infected with the secret poison?”

“The secret of the Golden Fish is a secret poison?” Deya checked her own sensations and shook her head: “I don’t feel anything.”

Ashe said with some regret, “That means you need to actually see the Golden Fish to be infected by the secret poison; just knowing about it isn’t enough to reach the threshold of infection. Speaking of which, if talking about it doesn’t cause infection, then this information about the secret poison should be widespread…”

“I know why that is,” Sonya said, “I’ve looked into it at the academy and found that the Whirlpool secret poison, Eviction secret poison, and Golden Fish secret poison can all be linked to similar content. Especially the Golden Fish secret poison, I realized the concept of ‘double flight’ which appeared in an animated film I saw when I was a child.”

Since the Whirlpool secret poison and Eviction secret poison were no longer on the Time Continent, Ashe gave Deya a simple introduction without delving into the specifics of the secret poisons, then asked, “Then doesn’t that mean many at your academy are poisoned?”

“Not at all,” Sonya shook her head, “Because those secret poison contents are mixed in with fairy tales, travel notes, and even fantasy novels. Even if a Sorcerer sees them, no one would believe these incredulous speculations.”

Ashe pondered, “So as long as one doesn’t believe, they won’t be poisoned…”

“It’s the same for us,” Sonya continued, “Before we actually saw the Golden Fish with our own eyes, we didn’t fully believe in its truth. It wasn’t until the moment with the Golden Fish that the secret poison took root in our minds.”

Sonya looked at Deya, “That’s why you, Witch, can’t be infected by the Golden Fish secret poison—no matter what we say, the truth about the Golden Fish is too absurd; you have to see it with your own eyes to be completely convinced.”

“But there’s still a loophole here.” Ashe suddenly spotted a blind spot, “If a Two Wings Sorcerer is willing to share their memory to prove the existence of the Golden Fish secret poison, wouldn’t that add credibility… Ah, I understand now.”

Ashe put himself in their shoes and knew the answer to his naive question: If it were him, would he dare to stake his reputation in public, just to make everyone believe in the secret poison he spoke of?

He wouldn’t dare.

No Sorcerer would commit such suicide.

Those daring enough to do so would have already been eliminated by the Exploration in Virtual Realm, and it’s not just one Sorcerer being eliminated but all who heard of the secret poison.

Those Sorcerers infected with the secret poison, who dared to secretly scribble down its contents, did so because they couldn’t suppress their vanity. How could they possibly dare to stake their own credibility? What grudge do they have against the readers that they would drag them to their doom?

A Sorcerer with the secret poison would at most share this secret only with family members they completely trust, keeping the Number of Secret Poison Infected within a limited range.

“It’s such a pity,” said the White Queen, and this time it wasn’t just her, even Deya herself felt a tinge of envy: “A secret poison that can Convert Arcane Energy… I envy you, Swordswoman, for being able to explore the Virtual Realm with the Observer right from the start. I haven’t been that lucky.”

“It’s not that useful, after all, I don’t yet have a Two Wings spirit,” Sonya said lightly: “Ah, actually, I’m quite envious of you too, being with the Observer for less than a month and already infected with three secret poisons, it seems so dangerous…”

There she goes showing off again… Ashe glanced at Sonya and then asked Deya, “Speaking of which, Witch, don’t you have a Bronze Dragon secret poison? Is the content meaningful or the effect practical? Do you think it’s worth telling us?”

The Witch did not hesitate: “The Bronze Dragon secret poison is something Time Faction Sorcerers might encounter during their Exploration in Virtual Realm. There’s a higher chance to encounter a Bronze Dragon on the Time Continent. Meeting a Bronze Dragon, the Sorcerer will be given a Knowledge Curse trial, and the Sorcerer can freely choose when to start this trial. After breaking the curse, the Sorcerer will receive the Bronze Dragon’s blessing.”

No sooner had she finished speaking than Ashe felt as if he heard the ticking of a clock hand. Opening his Holographic Screen, he discovered a new Knowledge Curse:

“Bronze Dragon Secret Poison”

“Number of Secret Poison Infected: 23”

“Intensification Degree of Secret Poison: 23%”

“Current Effects of Secret Poison: When attacked, immediately retreat 1 second to dodge the damage, with a cooldown of 23 hours (intensification degree reduced to 10% brings significant benefits, reaching 51% turns into a negative effect).”

It’s a bit nuanced; to say it’s useless wouldn’t be quite right, as it could potentially save a life at certain moments. But to say it’s useful, a cooldown time of 23 hours seems excessively long…

“Have you been infected with the Secret Poison?”

“Yes.”

“No.”

Both turned to look at Sonya, who was somewhat confused: “Why can’t I be infected with Secret Poison?”

Ashe glanced at the Operator interface, and indeed, the Swordswoman had not been infected with the Bronze Dragon Secret Poison.

Deya explained, “Actually, I not only saw the Bronze Dragon with my own eyes, but I was also infected with the Secret Poison only after triggering the curse Trial. I thought that you wouldn’t be able to…”

She paused, then suddenly remembered that the Observer had indeed seen the Bronze Dragon—when she jumped down from the Tower, the Observer was right there watching!

Sonya looked towards Ashe, who spread his hands: “I am certain through special abilities that she indeed triggered the Bronze Dragon’s Favor. Swordswoman, you don’t have this channel, so…”

“Eh?” The White Queen blinked, her tone surprised: “So it’s like you, Swordswoman, having the Golden Fish Secret Poison with the Observer—now I also have a Secret Poison that only the Observer and I possess?”

Sonya, feeling a bit sour, responded, “It’s just a Secret Poison, which really isn’t that important for a Sorcerer…”

“Wait.” Ashe thought for a moment and then said, “If belief alone can lead to infection… Swordswoman, are you willing to believe in me unconditionally? Without verification, without thought, forsaking the rigor of a Sorcerer, emptying the suspicion of others, and believing in me as if believing in the Truth, can you do that?

“I…” Sonya’s expression was conflicted, but in the end, she shook her head: “I can’t.”

How could she entrust herself completely to the distant Observer when she wouldn’t even fully trust her own mother? Her education wouldn’t allow it, her knowledge wouldn’t allow it, her pride even less so.

“But what about just once?”

Ashe blinked, reaching out and tapping Sonya’s forehead.

“The Bronze Dragon Secret Poison, it’s real.”

“Swordswoman, trust me this time.”

Tick-tock.

When Sonya heard the sound of the clock hands moving, she was so excited she nearly jumped out of her seat. But she restrained herself, simply folding her arms and glancing at Deya: “Hmm, this Bronze Dragon Secret Poison is really something, able to dodge damage once—thanks, Witch.”

Ashe checked the Operator interface, and sure enough, there was an additional Secret Poison in the Swordswoman’s status, with the Number of Secret Poison Infected increasing to 24.

“This means that you, Witch, could also potentially be infected with the Golden Fish Secret Poison,” said Ashe. “As long as the Bond between us is strong enough, and you trust me enough.”

Deya stared blankly at the scene, while the White Queen’s mind raced, eventually coming to a conclusion: She could not shake the Swordswoman’s position in the Observer’s heart.

Not for now, at least.

“Alright,” the White Witch said with a beaming smile, “Let’s work hard together.”

“Speaking of which, have we forgotten something?”

“Right,” Ashe regained his focus. “We were supposed to assign tactical positions… But now that we share the Secret Poison, it’s like we’ve boosted our Battle capability. What kind of Miracle or spirit do you mainly use, Witch? Are your tactics close-ranged, like Fist and Claw?”

“Theoretically, it belongs to the Fist and Claw Faction, but it’s not exactly that.”

Deya brought her fists together, pulling out three transparent, flowing threads.

“I prefer to call it,” she said with a pure and sweet smile, “death thread.”