Sorcerer’s Handbook

Chapter 333: Heart Wall

The back of his hand was burning.

Igor had returned to his room early, wearing only a coral fleece robe. For safety’s sake, he had prepared an “Igor figurine” when entering the dream, but his original self wasn’t hidden elsewhere; it was inside the figurine.

Illusions and reality, truth and lies, battling wits with the air—such was the daily life of a Con Artist.

He stared at the heraldry glowing and heating up on the back of his hand. With his Golden level Mental Sect Realm, he deduced that the fuel for the burning heraldry was his own positive emotions.

This was a grand Miracle: within the Senhaeser District, as long as the main heraldry activated a Miracle, all the subsidiary heraldries would respond. This heraldry held no secrets; the Miracle was judged based on the heraldry pattern, meaning Igor could draw a heraldry for himself if he wished.

From this flawed heraldry authentication method, it was clear that the six Vamora families didn’t actually prohibit outsiders from entering the Family Dream. One step in Annan’s original plan was to hide in other Vamora families. Igor had previously wondered what leverage she had to bring a group of strangers into other families. Now it seemed that joining a Vamora heraldry family might be as easy as entering a Tea House. You could be pulled in just by passing by.

The problem was, joining was easy, but leaving was difficult.

Tea Houses use beauty to retain your body, while families use love to melt your soul.

Recalling Banjeet’s warning, Igor felt a bit hesitant.

As someone who studied the Mental Sect, he naturally understood the saying “a good swimmer drowns.” He never challenged addictive traps like sugar, murder, or gambling, despite his mental prowess—in fact, Igor had only ever caused others’ deaths but had never killed anyone himself. Gambling was merely a work tool; he never indulged in it for leisure.

The more a mental sorcerer explores the boundaries of the mind, the more restrained they become. Only the ignorant believe they can “overcome sugar addiction,” “kill without remorse,” or “gamble moderately.” But the wise avoid these potential threats to their sanity from the start.

Entering the Family Rebirth Dream was akin to a gas canister serving as an attendant at a gas station. In the past, Igor would have outright refused such a task.

However.

Publicly, Igor was currently living under someone else’s roof. Unlike Banjeet, who had once changed Annan’s diapers, he had no standing to oppose her.

Privately, Igor also wanted to appear on the second Future Ranking list.

The Divine Sovereign’s Wish and the Future Ranking—either was enough to pique a Con Artist’s interest. When Annan proposed the plan to blaspheme the Divine Sovereign, Igor had already resolved to join. As an ambitious social engineer, he found it hard to resist such a grand scheme to deceive the entire world.

Besides poetry and distant lands, Igor had to consider the immediate dangers. They were still not out of harm’s way. Not to mention the Red Hat and the Firm, Annan and Qenna were also threats close at hand.

To increase his chances of survival, Igor needed to demonstrate his value—when your value is high enough, others will clean up your mess. Ashe was a prime example of this.

After casting “Heart of Stone” and “Iron Will” on himself, Igor’s mind was now unshakable. Even if the sky were falling, it wouldn’t affect his emotions.

He didn’t plan to take action on the first night of the dream journey. Instead, he intended to conduct a trial run, investigating the dream’s situation as thoroughly as possible without getting addicted.

Focusing his consciousness on the burning heraldry, Igor felt his soul rise like a wisp of smoke, in a completely different direction from sinking into the Virtual Realm. When Igor opened his eyes, he found himself in a vast, white expanse, standing alone.

He looked up and saw many bubbles above.

Just by scanning them with his eyes, he could roughly discern what worlds lay within the bubbles: feasts of countless delicacies, arenas of legendary sorcerers, serene fishing spots on misty waters, battlefields where thousands perished…

These worlds had many participants. When Igor thought of “romance,” the bubbles instantly changed, displaying various romantic worlds, ranging from 1v1 to 100v1 scenarios.

Igor didn’t rush to begin directly. Instead, he adjusted his appearance to prevent being recognized. Having a habit of disguising himself through makeup and costumes, he was skilled at altering his face.

“Image No. 78: Literary Bewitcher Girl.”

To thoroughly conceal his identity, Igor even used a rarely employed female form, complete with a different voice. Now, not even Harvey and Ashe could recognize him.

“Hello there!”

A voice emerged from the white mist, causing Igor to pause momentarily. He quickly realized that while he was searching for ‘romance’ bubbles, he had also become someone else’s ‘romance’ bubble, prompting someone to approach him directly.

From the voice, it sounded like a girl?

As footsteps approached from the white mist, blue and green hues began to spread. The sky turned a clear blue, the ground transformed into lush greenery, and a cool breeze brushed against his face—this was the greatest charm of the Family Rebirth Dream. Each dream was an independent world, with the environment changing according to the dreamer’s desires. It was as if one’s wishes could come true effortlessly.

Soon, Igor saw his first… romance match.

She was short, about 1.5 meters tall, with a fluffy tail behind her. She wore an oversized gradient dark red trench coat and a mask that Igor found somewhat familiar…?

As soon as she saw Igor, she enthusiastically waved and ran towards him—

Thud.

Halfway through, she tripped over her own feet and fell flat on the grass, lying there without getting up.

This appearance, this clumsiness, this personality…

Igor remained silent for a moment, then walked over and squatted beside her. “What’s wrong?”

“Gotcha!” The girl in the dark red trench coat suddenly jumped up and hugged Igor tightly, pushing him to the ground. She rubbed her face against Igor’s freshly created female face, giggling, “Big sister, do you want to date me?!”

Feeling the softness of the adorable person in his arms, Igor’s face remained unchanged, maintaining the cold and calm demeanor typical of a literary girl.

Luckily, he had prepared thoroughly!

Good thing he had cast “Heart of Stone” and “Iron Will” on himself! This combination was enough to form an impenetrable Heart Wall!

His heart remained completely unmoved!

Battling wits with the air had its rewards!

Quick, this is the trap of the Family Rebirth Dream, this is Qenna’s scheme. Punch this annoying woman away immediately, or it’ll be too late!

Crack.

Hiss.

Igor was startled—what was that sound?

It sounded like… stone shattering and iron rusting?

“What’s your name?” the girl in the dark red trench coat asked, holding Igor’s neck, her eyes sparkling. “I’m Xiao Xi.”

“I’m… Irina.”

The Heart Wall… couldn’t hold on any longer.