The Sorcerer's Handbook

Chapter 435: The Witch's Unusual State

On the Continent of Time.

"Witch!"

Ashe's warning cry was instantly followed by the appearance of a warm, golden barrier woven from a lattice of swords. Dia, momentarily stunned, snapped back to reality just in time to throw herself out of range before the Violent Slashing Dragon's tail shattered the barrier into shards of light.

Sensing that Dia was the weak link in the trio's formation, a pack of Fish-Slaying Dragons swarmed forward, intent on surrounding and tearing her apart. Fortunately, Ashe had already cast a vast, protective web across the battlefield with his Heart Pen. The moment the beasts lunged inward, they became mired in airborne brushstrokes that clung to them like thick ink. In an instant, their bodies were shredded apart. The brutal efficiency of the trap gave the remaining creatures pause, and none dared charge into the dense field of lingering ink.

The Miracle Heart Pen that Sonya had bought for Ashe had proven to be exceptionally handy. Originally, combining Swordheart with Sword Scar to create a long-range trap zone carried a fatal flaw. The sorcerer had to continuously expend mana to sustain the marks. If Ashe cut off the power supply, the Sword Scars would instantly vanish. This not only drained a massive amount of energy, but it also forced him to split his focus during active combat.

At first, experimenting with the technique had been amusing, but Ashe quickly grew tired of the hassle. If spirits were a sorcerer's harem, the Sword Scar spirit was the kind of demanding, high-maintenance noble consort that Ashe had absolutely no desire to coddle.

The Heart Pen Miracle, however, cleverly reworked the damage mechanics of the Sword Scar. Typically, a Sword Scar had to remain fixed in midair to deal continuous damage to passing targets. Once integrated with Swordheart to form the Heart Pen, it abandoned sustained damage altogether. Instead, it treated the Sword Scars as disposable brushstrokes that could be "picked up" by moving targets. The ink would then dissolve over a few seconds, unleashing a burst of devastating cutting damage.

Because it functioned as a one-time consumable, the Heart Pen required far less mana. Ashe could effortlessly blanket a battlefield in ink traps without sacrificing any of the raw destructive power of the original Sword Scar. It drastically lightened his workload. To make matters better, he could draw empty, cost-effective ink strokes that required negligible energy just to confuse and intimidate the Knowledge Creatures.

Furthermore, in Sonya's world, team-based combat was standard practice for sorcerers. As a premium Miracle purchased for fifteen Gold Coins, it featured a built-in friendly fire toggle. Ashe only needed to pre-apply ink marks to his allies, allowing them to move freely through the hazard zones without disrupting the formation.

Their newly minted strategy was simple. Ashe would lay down the traps, and the Swordswoman and the Witch would lure the Knowledge Creatures inside, allowing them to fight safely within the perimeter. After a few bloody failures, the creatures quickly lost the courage to breach the zone.

Thanks to the Heart Pen setup, the Sword Scar spirit's standing in the harem soared from an annoying noble consort to a highly favored concubine. To Ashe, its utility now rivaled both his Swordheart and Substitute spirits.

When the Violent Slashing Dragon's head was finally shattered by the Blood Moon Shattered Lake, Sonya sheathed her blade amidst a downpour of gore. The killing intent radiating from her vanished instantly. Her sharp brows softened into gentle crescent moons as she turned around, only to see Ashe silently brush past her and head toward the Gem Mine to harvest resources.

Sonya watched his departing back, muttered something under her breath, and pulled Dia aside. "Witch, losing focus in the middle of a battle is incredibly dangerous."

Dia replied, "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"I'm not blaming you," Sonya said, her tone softening. "Everyone makes mistakes. Just look at the Watcher. He's constantly messing up behind our backs. Don't take it to heart."

Dia blinked. "What mistakes does the Watcher make?"

"Breathing," Sonya snorted, making no effort to hide her hostility toward their team leader. "You probably haven't seen his supposedly handsome and gentle side, have you? Just to be clear, neither have I. And don't you feel like he's been getting more annoying lately? Let me tell you, he's always been this infuriating. Do you know what he did to me back in the Sea of Knowledge? Every time I think about it, I still shake with rage..."

Nothing forged a bond faster than gossiping about a mutual acquaintance, especially when that acquaintance was your boss. Dia listened to Sonya's complaints with growing fascination, her ahoge twitching slightly with interest.

Meanwhile, Ashe finished gathering the resources, even managing to secure a pile of materials for their spirits to consume. Signaling that it wasn't time to board the vehicle just yet, he set about upgrading the Alchemical Throne.

A vibrant burst of rose-gold light erupted from the seat. The golden blood droplets engraved upon the crest multiplied to eleven, and streams of Ascending Golden Rain surged into the throne like a cresting flood.

[Alchemical Throne · Level 11]

- Increases absorption speed of Gold Mana by 130%.

Level 6 Special Effect

- For every 60 minutes spent in the Virtual World, gain one stack of Flowing Golden Years. Each stack increases Gold Mana absorption speed by 10%.

Level 11 Special Effect

- Increasing vehicle speed further boosts Gold Mana absorption speed, up to a maximum of 100% at 400 km/h. Each stack of Flowing Golden Years reduces the required top speed by 50%.

Materials Needed for Next Level:

- 1175 Gem Essence, 1175 Crystal Essence, 1175 Mercury Essence, 1175 Wood Essence, 1175 Ore Essence, 1175 Gold Essence

After pouring all their accumulated savings into the upgrade, the Alchemical Throne finally reached Level 11, unlocking its second special effect.

The first effect was straightforward. The longer they stayed in the Virtual World, the faster they absorbed power. The second granted an additional 100% absorption boost, but it required them to drive at extreme speeds. Under normal circumstances, that was impossible. The terrain of the Continent of Time was as wild and untamed as a primeval jungle. Even if they managed to avoid direct obstacles, a sudden bump or a stray root could send the vehicle into a catastrophic spin.

However, when paired with Flowing Golden Years, the speed requirement plummeted. After two hours, Ashe would only need to maintain a speed of 100 km/h to trigger the maximum bonus. After four hours, a mere 25 km/h would suffice. At that point, they could leisurely cruise through the wilderness while enjoying a staggering (130+40+100)%=270% total boost to their mana absorption speed[1].

Ashe explained the mechanics of the upgrade to the group. "We won't be clearing Resource Points tonight. Instead, we'll just drive around and explore some of the special regions."

They had already spent over an hour in the Virtual World, meaning they would soon accumulate two stacks of Flowing Golden Years. Even if they found nothing else tonight, the absorption efficiency gained from simply driving across the Continent of Time would be more than double that of an ordinary sorcerer. The logic was sound, and both the Swordswoman and the Witch readily agreed.

However, as the vehicle began to roll through the rain, Dia suddenly pieced a few clues together after her sisters' reminder. "Are we avoiding combat tonight because of me?"

"Ha!" Sonya burst into laughter, looping an arm around Dia's shoulders while glaring into the rearview mirror at the Watcher. "You think he'd actually be that considerate?"

Ashe's cheek twitched. Left with no choice, he went along with Sonya's words and spoke in a deliberately cold tone, "We already failed to locate several Resource Points today. Continuing a blind search is inefficient. It is far more productive to seek out unique architectural structures; we might find unexpected rewards."

He wasn't entirely lying. Over the past hour, they had cleared five Resource Points, but two of them had been utterly barren, devoid of both materials and Knowledge Creatures.

Tonight's route led them through the Blood Tomb. According to Ashe's map of the region, those empty sites should have been heavily guarded strongholds.

This left them with only one logical conclusion. The Blood Tomb had already mobilized its Legions of Heroes to harvest the resources ahead of them.

The proof? After Ashe and the others had roamed for over an hour, not a single Legion of Heroes had come after them. This clearly signaled that the Blood Tomb faction had shifted to a defensive strategy. In all likelihood, they were executing a scorched-earth retreat by reclaiming all available resources and pulling their legions back to fortify the capital.

It wasn't hard to deduce why. Regardless of whether the Spider Tower had successfully taken Oasis's capital, its premature triggering of the Six Nations Grand Convergence was an unalterable reality. Naturally, every faction would abandon territory expansion and resource farming, pivoting instead to full, high-alert wartime readiness.

Ashe even suspected that the Blood Tomb might already know he was the catalyst behind the Oasis war. If he dared approach their capital, they would likely deploy thousands of armed units to obliterate him instantly.

For this reason, Ashe no longer planned to upgrade the Alchemical Throne. The resources required for another upgrade were simply astronomical, and materials would only grow scarcer in the future. Under the current circumstances, hunting for special structures offered returns just as high as clearing Resource Points.

However, Dia wasn't so easily convinced. She argued, "Even if we don't clear Resource Points, we can still hunt large Knowledge Creatures. Experience Orbs and spirits are still a stable income. Not to mention, even if we look for special structures, we can still sweep Resource Points along the way. There's no need to give up combat entirely!"

Dia lowered her gaze to her knees, her voice dropping. "It really is because I lost focus and made mistakes multiple times tonight, isn't it? That's why you're all accommodating me like this. I'm sorry... everything tonight is my fault."

Ashe tried to intervene. "Actually—"

Before he could speak, Sonya cut him off. She pulled Dia into a tight embrace while glaring fiercely at him. "It's because you think the Witch is a burden, isn't it? That's why you're so quick to abandon combat, all just to avoid her dragging you down or getting you killed! You are exactly that kind of person! Cold, utilitarian, and completely incapable of understanding people. You have zero trust in your teammates!"

Swordswoman!

Ashe took a deep breath, his voice turning cold. "That's entirely your own interpretation. I never said anything of the sort."

Dia rubbed her eyes hard and spoke up, her voice rising to mask her vulnerability. "I'm sorry! I was distracted by real-life matters, so I lost focus in battle earlier... but I've already adjusted my mindset. If I make another mistake, I'll ask White Queen or Red Death Apostle to replace me. It won't affect our exploration. Watcher, please continue with the original resource route!"

Sonya said gently, "You don't need to apologize. Everyone has moments like that. Resting for one night won't stop us from becoming Sacred Realm sorcerers. Is there anything we can do to help?"

Dia slapped her cheeks hard, leaving bright red marks. She said seriously, "Being sad, confused, or lost and forcing others to accommodate me... that's how children act when they're being spoiled. I'm not a child anymore. I don't even have a favorite color anymore."

She paused, then clenched her fists, a small, forced smile appearing on her face. "Besides, I do have someone I can act spoiled with. You don't need to worry about me. I just need to go back and get a hug and a kiss from him, and everything will be fine!"

Sonya's expression froze. For a moment, her warmth vanished before she managed a strained smile. "Ah... oh... right. That's good, then."

Dia urged, "So, Watcher, please proceed with the resource route! I'm fine now!"

Ashe replied calmly, "The moment you first made that request, I already intended to revert to the original route. But halfway through, we ran into a River of Flowing Gold obstruction. Now that we're moving along its edge, the original route is no longer feasible."

This kind of complication wasn't uncommon. The River of Flowing Gold was located in random areas across the continent, easily blocking planned paths. For ordinary sorcerers, this was actually a blessing. Most Two-Winged sorcerers encountered it at least once a day, and as long as they had the capacity to dive in and harvest spirits, the day rarely ended in failure.

However, for Ashe and his team, who relied on a strictly mapped route, the River of Flowing Gold only hindered their efficiency.

"Then just pick a Resource Point along the way—"

"We've already arrived at a special area," Ashe cut her off, his eyes fixed on a golden grid labeled Come! on the Virtual World Map. "But the Blood Tomb map doesn't indicate what this structure actually is."

To be precise, most special structures weren't labeled at all. That was one of the reasons Ashe had avoided actively targeting them before. The returns were simply too unpredictable. In hindsight, it made perfect sense. Hero Commanders had no reason to enter Virtual World structures, so they had no need to document them. More importantly, they might not even recognize all the structures themselves.

Dia volunteered immediately. "I'll go in first and quickly figure out the rules before coming back to report! If it turns out to be something like the Amnesia Cabin, then you won't have to risk entering!"

In truth, the Come! indicator on the map usually meant there was no real danger inside. But Ashe understood that this was Dia's way of making up for her earlier blunders. And since he also wanted some time alone with the Swordswoman, he nodded. "I'll leave it to you, Witch."

1. 130% base rate, plus 40% from stacks, plus 100% from the speed modifier. ☜

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