Sorcerer’s Handbook

Chapter 324: At Least You Can Act Spoiled with the Substitute

“That’s how it is,” Annan said. “You’ll be under house arrest in this building for the next few days.”

If this counts as house arrest, then the limited mobility you gave us before, confined to just one floor, should count as solitary confinement… To save face for the young lady, no one in the canteen voiced this sarcastic remark.

No one knew if Annan had sought comfort from Qenna, but their activity area had indeed expanded from just the bedroom to the entire high-rise.

It was 8:00 AM, and Annan had brought them to the canteen to discuss things over breakfast. Various Senhaeser passersby, from different races, occasionally walked by. Perhaps they had already been notified, as they no longer looked at the outsiders like cockroaches but rather like clowns, which was a slight improvement.

Breakfast was a self-service affair, with a wide variety of options. There were eighteen different ways to prepare Lala Fatty alone, and it was likely that the local specialty, Beauty Houttuynia, was added. Ashe almost bit his tongue when he took a bite.

A very interesting aspect was that the concept of “home” in Vamora was almost non-existent or extremely expansive—this building, for example, was considered a “home.” It had dedicated floors for exercise, study, gaming, dining, and even working. The Senhaesers living in this building only had their own bedrooms, which they only used for sleeping and resting. For all other activities, they would go to the specific floors designed for those purposes. For instance, they all came to the canteen for meals instead of ordering takeout or cooking for themselves.

No one had a home, but the entire building was everyone’s home. In fact, the entire Senhaeser district was your home.

Undoubtedly, this type of living arrangement greatly conserved resources and optimally utilized space, resulting in significantly larger bedrooms for everyone. And the cost… well, there didn’t seem to be any downsides. At least for Ashe, who was immune to marriage, it was very appealing. He could be alone when he wanted to be, or head to the game room to find plenty of friends when he didn’t. If such an apartment had existed in his previous life, Ashe thought he could have lived there until retirement.

But for public facilities to be so comprehensive and well-equipped, there must be enough foot traffic; otherwise, it would result in huge losses and waste, just like how internet cafes went out of business when personal computers became more common. This means that the designers must ensure that residents use these public facilities as much as possible, which is almost impossible. Personal will and collective living often conflict, and the point of private ownership is to allow people to gradually break free from the constraints of the collective.

It’s only in family cities like Vamora that such a unique social ecosystem can exist. The spiritual lives of the clansmen are directly satisfied by Beauty Mist, and their personal wills are influenced by the Family Rebirth Dream. Their dissatisfaction and desires in reality are suppressed to the lowest level, so they naturally live like robots, following the procedures and steps arranged by the family.

In a sense, Vamora might be an upgraded version of the Gospel society. After all, the residents of Azura still have immoral desires that need to be relieved by the Gospel Book, whereas the family residents of Vamora, having inhaled Beauty Mist for a long time, don’t develop any evil thoughts. Everyone is the best citizen, and work efficiency, life rhythm, interpersonal relationships, and social engineering have all reached the level of a national model city under the influence of the family. Except for the fact that no one generates “dissatisfaction,” everything is very satisfactory.

However, the visiting tourists were not here to conduct surveys. They only cared about whether they were currently dependent on others or in possession of valuable commodities.

Annan did not elaborate further, only leaving them with, “I’ll gather you all at 6 PM, until then, you’re free to do as you please,” and gave them 500 Gospel points.

From that moment, the Funeral Firm officially entered into a strategic partnership with the Gospel Book. In case of emergencies, they could directly ask the Gospel for guidance.

Ashe asked, “Aren’t you afraid we’ll ask how to break the Pact with you?”

Annan replied, “I already asked. 500 points aren’t enough.”

Watching Annan and Banjeet leave, Harvey took out a catnip cigarette, glanced at Lise, who was still battling with her strawberry ice cream, and bit down on the unlit cigarette. “I’m really worried that mother and daughter might sell us out.”

Ashe said, “Annan isn’t that kind of person, right? I mean, the young lady is so greedy. She’s invested so much effort into us; she wouldn’t just hand us over.”

“But you can also see the huge gap between her and her mother,” the necromancer said, spreading his hands. “If we were to use corpses as a metaphor, the difference between them is like comparing a charred body to a giant.”

“To be honest, I don’t think that’s an appropriate comparison for mealtime…”

“Really? I think it makes the food taste even better,” Harvey said, with a catnip cigarette hanging from his lips. “Don’t be fooled by how Annan talked about being at odds with her mother in prison. Her most important reliance is still her blood relationship with her mother. And as for blood relationships… my view is quite similar to Igor’s.”

“All relationships exist to allow Upper-tier Individuals to better exploit Lower-tier Individuals,” the Con Artist said slowly, savoring his food. “Harvey’s right. Annan doesn’t have the capital to counter Qenna. As for that Pact between mother and daughter… ha, we can’t even fully control our own Pacts, let alone expect it to bind a Sanctuary sorceress?”

“Plus, Annan is still being secretive and unwilling to reveal her plans. Our current situation is basically like that of Lala Fatty, just waiting to see if the chef’s last name is Dolan or Senhaeser.”

Lise was startled. “Are we going to be eaten?”

“Do you prefer salted egg yolk or baked salt?” Ashe wiped the clump of creamy happiness off the corner of Lise’s mouth with a napkin. “If you’re scared, don’t eat so much. If you get too fat, you might get killed.”

“Then I’m not scared. Dad is fatter than me and even fatter than Aunt Bukin.”

“I’m not fat; I’m strong and healthy. I’m nothing like your scrawny Aunt Bukin.”

Igor couldn’t be bothered to deal with this father-daughter duo. “A strange city, xenophobic locals, a secretive employer, and a local security force with ulterior motives… Even under the Blood Moon, the only place that could gather these four suspicious elements is my hometown, Feimeng City.”

“What kind of hellish place did you crawl out of, demon…”

“Anyway, let’s start investigating,” Igor said, standing up and picking up his tray. “I don’t expect you to uncover any groundbreaking information, but at least try not to attract too much attention. Especially you three: suspicious men in black robes in broad daylight, fashion disasters following Abyss trends, and a low-IQ child who only knows how to act cute and clueless. And then there’s Harvey and Little Lise.”

“If we were in the Blood Moon Kingdom, I’d definitely sue you for personal attacks,” Ashe said.

Harvey also got up to leave. “I’m going back to train. Anyone want to be my research material?”

Though the necromancer repeatedly assured everyone he wouldn’t harm them, no one was willing to sleep in a coffin. After Harvey left, Ashe looked at Lise, who shook her head. “I’m busy today too, Dad. You go play with the other kids!”

“No, no, I just want Lise… okay, never mind.”

Ashe’s childish whims couldn’t overcome his sense of shame. After half-heartedly whining to Lise, he changed the subject. “What could a kid like you be so busy with? Leave the fighting to your Aunt Bukin. Just remember to wipe your mouth after you eat.”

Lise looked at Ashe seriously and then lowered her head. “I’m not a kid, Dad. Did you forget? I’m here to seize the Divine Sovereign’s Wish.”

“Then you’re a greedy kid who can’t even wipe her own mouth.” Ashe pulled her over and roughly wiped her greasy mouth with a napkin. “This is a dangerous place, even for your Aunt Bukin. You’d better stay in your room and not wander around.”

Lise didn’t say anything, but her little face was written all over with “I’ll pretend to obey but do as I like.” Ashe sighed. “I’m too lazy to care about you, but I have this Pact to protect you—want me to accompany you?”

Lise cheerfully said, “No need!”

However, Ashe shook his head. “I can’t let you wander around this place alone. Even if I wanted to, the Pact wouldn’t allow it… wait a minute.” He noticed Lise pouting. “Daughters in their rebellious phase are so hard to handle… Hold on, I have an idea.”

Ashe snapped his fingers, and another suspicious fugitive in a black robe appeared beside him. Lise, knowing it was Ashe’s Substitute spirit, asked curiously, “Dad, do you want the Substitute to follow me? But the Substitute only listens to your orders. If I tell it to kneel, it won’t obey.”

Why would you want it to kneel… Ashe hesitated, then decided to ignore the odd request. “This isn’t just a simple Substitute spirit. It’s a Combined Miracle of Substitute and orders—an Advanced Substitute!”

“What’s so special about it?”

“The special part is that I can transfer the order permissions to you, so you can command the Substitute.” Ashe patted the Substitute. “With it following you, I won’t need to worry as much. Plus, the Substitute doesn’t share vision or memories with me, so you don’t have to worry about your teenage secrets being discovered.”

The “orders” spirit was a reward Ashe received from the Amnesia Cabin. In the Amnesia Cabin, he lost the Reverse Day spirit but gained the orders spirit and the Secret Incarnation. The orders spirit and the Substitute spirit were a perfect match, enhancing the Substitute’s service range significantly, and allowing Ashe to rent out the Substitute.

Once he’s away from all conflicts, Ashe could rely on the Substitute to support himself and live a peaceful, carefree life.

“Really?” Lise blinked and bent down to take off her shoes—

“Wait, what are you doing?” Ashe panicked.

“I want it to carry me.”

“Then why are you taking off your shoes?”

Lise scratched her head. “Oh, right! Although I’m not touched by Dad’s concern at all, since Dad insists on bothering me, I’ll take the Substitute for a walk!”

“At this moment, all you need to do is sincerely say thank you.” Ashe ruffled Lise’s hair again. “Though I don’t know what you’re in such a hurry for, don’t push yourself too hard.”

Lise looked up at Ashe and suddenly smiled with squinty eyes. “Is Dad finally willing to help me seize the Divine Sovereign’s Wish?”

“But don’t push me too hard either,” Ashe replied grumpily.

After leaving the canteen with the Substitute, Lise took out her beloved little mirror and stared at her reflection for a long time.

Little Witch: “Why don’t we ask Dad for help? He’s an adult, better suited for gathering information about the Gospel Incarnation, and I also want to work with Dad—”

Black Butler: “Our little sister is siding with an outsider. Is this what they call the rebellious phase?”

White Queen: “Lise, we can’t reveal our secrets. Human nature cannot be tested; we can only trust our sisters. In terms of close relationships, the witch is still our grandmother.”

Little Witch: “Dad is not our grandmother!”

Black Butler: “But if you want to test his human nature, he might become our grandfather.”

Little Witch, shocked: “Is Ashe going to marry grandmother?”

At this moment, Deya suddenly said, “Lise, I’m willing to trust your judgment.”

Deya’s words shocked all the other sisters. Not just Black Butler and White Queen, even the Scarlet Dead Apostles couldn’t help but speak up: “Deya, are you finally admitting that you have the intelligence of an eight-year-old?”

Deya: “According to our division of labor, you, Lise, have the final say in reality, just like I’m the undisputed leader in the Virtual Realm. You can completely decide our course of action in reality…”

Black Butler: “Pfft.”

As Lise’s eyes began to brighten, Deya continued: “But just as you trust Ashe, I also trust the Observer and the sword Princess. Do you know why I went to the Con Artist early this morning to learn how to naturally conceal secrets?”

“Why?”

“Because not revealing secrets prevents change. Maintaining our current Mask allows us to continue enjoying our current relationships.”

Little Witch, unconvinced: “But revealing them could also lead to positive changes, right?”

Deya: “Really? In the Virtual Realm, the Observer might not care, but the sword Princess clearly values the Observer far more than me; in reality, Ashe might not have ill intentions towards you, but to help you, he would definitely seek assistance from the Con Artist and the necromancer. Even if he doesn’t, those two will sooner or later notice his unusual behavior… They might not necessarily have bad intentions towards us, but compared to us, they definitely care more about Ashe, just like the sword Princess would protect the Observer and oppose me.”

“If Ashe is willing to become an enemy of the Gospel for you, would you be willing to do the same?”

Lise fell silent. The White Queen, Black Butler, and Scarlet Dead Apostles also remained quiet.

Lise: “So, should I distance myself from Dad?”

Deya: “No, quite the opposite. You should continue to use Ashe. This has always been our plan. Use his affection for you to guide him into helping you, but never reveal our secrets.”

“Better for us to use him than to let him actively help us. The most terrifying aspect of the Gospel is its ability to turn good intentions into malicious fate.”

“When we were in the Tower, we experienced too much of this sorrow. Those who tried to stop our Armored Sanctification became debts our souls had to bear; those we deceived survived instead.”

“Until the Weaving Festival is over, our love is a curse, our trust is poison.”

Little Witch, dejected: “So, Lise still has to become a bad witch who lies and uses others?”

“Yes,” Deya replied. “We are all bad witches.”

“I’m sorry,” the White Queen suddenly said. “We sisters couldn’t give you a happy life and instead made you bear all this.”

“Hey, hey, White Queen, what are you apologizing for!” Black Butler said. “This is obviously the witch’s fault, not ours!”

Scarlet Dead Apostles: “Little Black, just shut up.”

“It’s okay!” Lise cheered up. “I’m your sister. I’m not that easy to knock down. A witch is a witch. I am the Little Witch!”

Lise turned to the Substitute. “Let’s go find the library here…” She hesitated, then added with a pleading look, “Can you hold my hand?”

Though she couldn’t be honest with Ashe, at least she could now freely act spoiled with Ashe’s Substitute.

The Substitute glanced at her and extended its hand to hold hers.

Little Lise’s despondent expression vanished, and she bounced around like a happy little rabbit.

“Let’s go, help me find the library floor.”

“I’m so tired from walking. Carry me.”

“Help me check which books mention the Gospel Incarnation, and also find books about history from a thousand years ago.”

“I’m so sleepy, slow down.”

“Can you sing?”

Ten minutes later, in the library, the Substitute carefully pulled out the requested books, mindful not to disturb the sleeping Lise, while humming a lullaby expressionlessly.

Suddenly, it noticed a book on the shelf titled Generations of Enslavement: The Endless Tyranny of the Evil Nobility. For a brief moment, a complex light flickered in its hollow eyes.