Sorcerer’s Handbook

Back at the inn, Annan closed the window and opened the Gospel Book, praying for a Silence Barrier Miracle to prevent eavesdropping.

After preparing jasmine tea for everyone, Banjeet slowly began, “Driving the hovercar on the sky highway, it would take me 18 hours to make a round trip from Nabistin to Vamora. As long as I say Lise is Mr. Ashe’s and Miss, your favorite child, Lady Qenna will take good care of her.”

From his tone, it was clear that he had carefully rehearsed these words countless times on his way back, making them sound reasonable and persuasive.

Lise, who was looking at her hand mirror, suddenly raised her head, just about to say something when Ashe stuffed a piece of chocolate into her mouth and rhythmically massaged her shoulders. Although she wanted to explode with anger, being so pampered by Ashe melted her mood just like the chocolate in her mouth.

The blue-haired butler placed a suitcase on the table, “The ‘Beauty’s Wardrobe’ is our only spatial tool. It holds various weapons, clothes, food, and emergency transportation, capable of handling any sudden situation… Harvey’s coffin also needs to be stored in it.”

“Alice doesn’t necessarily have to sleep in a coffin,” Harvey suddenly said. “He can disguise himself as a normal person, even possessing breathing, body temperature, and speaking abilities. If necessary, he can move with us…”

The young butler glanced at him, and the necromancer obediently shut his mouth, chewing on an unlit cigarette in a daze.

“Though it might sound conceited,” Banjeet said, “unless you suddenly ascend to the Sanctuary… even after you ascend to the Sanctuary, I remain the most powerful sorcerer in the Funeral Firm. Thanks to this ever-youthful body, I have never fallen from my peak.”

“I never doubt that,” Annan gently twirled her earring and smiled. “Banjeet, you’ve been third on the Two-Wings Ice Spell Ranking for eight consecutive years… When I ran away from home, if not for your several secret helps, I would have been bullied long ago.”

Reminiscing about the past, Banjeet’s lips slightly curved upward. “No, Miss, even back then, you were full of leadership charm. Wherever you went, you found companions willing to help you or even like you, such as Miss Cleos, Miss Sirimoro, and Miss Yvaren… you were just a bit mischievous sometimes.”

Ashe and the others were stunned by what they heard-after all, the Gospel Society was a highly lawful place with excellent public security. Causing trouble that necessitated Banjeet’s intervention went beyond mere ‘mischief.’

“I was a bit reckless when I was young,” admitted Annan shamelessly. “But a big part of my daring came from knowing that if I got into trouble, Banjeet, you would definitely come to save me.”

“Rather than saying I was young, it would be more accurate to say I was like a kindergarten kid,” Purple Moth said, sitting on the bed with her legs crossed and swaying. Her eyes crinkled into a smile. “Every day, I caused trouble and then relied on my guardians to clean up the mess.”

“Humans, once they become dependent, will always be kids who need an adult to pick them up.”

Annan lowered her head, her hair covering her face, making it impossible to see her expression. “But I’m not a child anymore, and I can’t be one.”

After she finished, Purple Moth turned to the Con Artist, who opened the Gospel Book and said, “Based on the information from the Mermaid, combined with the intelligence I gathered yesterday, I’ve determined that our best and only chance to enter the palace is during the ‘Court Banquet’ held on the day the ‘Gospel Ranking’ is announced.”

“On that day, all the key figures in the Gospel Society and representatives from consortium families will attend the banquet to await the birth of the new Empress. In such a high-profile event, surveillance will surely be extremely strict. However, with so many guests, the place will be a mix of all sorts of people, which will be our only possible loophole… Although the plan sounds as dangerous as volunteering to be Harvey’s experimental subject, it’s slightly more realistic than breaking into the palace.”

“I’ll find a way to ‘borrow’ a few guests’ identities for that day,” Annan said. “The points the Dolan Family has accumulated over the years in the Gospel are of no further use to us.”

“Even if we manage to get into the palace, there’s one critical issue,” Igor said. “The banquet is meant to celebrate the announcement of the Gospel Ranking and witness the Empress’s succession. This means that from the start to the end of the banquet, lasting only a few hours, the Gospel Ranking will be announced, and we must achieve our objective within that timeframe—assassinate the Princess who is to become the next Empress, under heavy Court protection.”

“We only have that one chance, and just a few hours.”

Harvey commented, “It sounds like an outrageous plan.”

“Exactly,” the Con Artist spread his hands. “A plan so outrageous that even Harvey finds it unbelievable—there’s really no more fitting description. Not to mention what happens if we fail; even if we succeed, will the First Gospel indeed become nullified? Will the Divine Sovereign’s Wish be immediately granted to you, Young Lady? Will you even have the chance to make a wish? You only get one wish—can it really solve all our problems?”

Annan glanced at Igor. “If it were you, would you give up after coming this far?”

“…No.”

“Even though we grew up in different environments, have different genders, different personalities, and aside from some shared interests, almost nothing in common, you and I are the same type of person,” Annan said. “We’re the kind of people who hang on to life just to one day bet it all on the table.”

Igor responded, “I’m not like that anymore.”

“If it’s so dangerous, then it’s all the more reason I need to stay,” Banjeet said anxiously. “Whether it’s for support or combat, I can definitely help you—”

“Before we assassinate the Princess, we need to explore the layout of the ground city as temporary workers, even visually sketching the Court’s interior,” Annan didn’t directly respond to Banjeet but continued, “This means we’ll be working in the next few days.”

“Working again?” Harvey couldn’t help but complain. “Don’t tell me I’ll be hauling bricks again?”

“Don’t worry. Not only will you not be hauling bricks, but you also won’t have any memory of the job,” Igor said. “You’ll feel like you just clocked in and then immediately clocked out and got your pay.”

Ashe wondered, “Is there really such a thing?”

“Did you notice that when you were in Wonderland World, staff members would always anticipate your needs and provide service before you even asked?” Igor said. “And it’s not just in Wonderland World. Anywhere in the underground city, any staff member you encounter can ‘anticipate’ your needs and act accordingly.”

Ashe and the others were momentarily taken aback. They quickly recalled that over the past few days, they really hadn’t had to speak much—whether shopping or doing anything else, hotel staff would appear before they could ask for help. This had left Ashe with little opportunity to practice with his Substitute over the past couple of days.

They weren’t without curiosity, but it’s reasonable to question poor service, whereas questioning overly attentive service seems odd. So, they let it go—after all, they were merely passing through the underground city and didn’t care about its stories.

But now, it seemed they were becoming a part of one of those stories.

Igor continued, “This is because during their work hours, they are always in a state of ‘Revelation.’”

Ashe and Lise tilted their heads in confusion. “Wait, I remember ‘Revelation’ can only be maintained for 5 minutes per hour, right? They can’t be only working for 5 minutes every hour, can they?”

“‘Personal Revelation’ lasts for 5 minutes each hour, but ‘Work Revelation’ is different,” Igor explained. “The work system in Nabistin is entirely different from elsewhere. Simply put, once you meet the basic conditions for a job, you can sign a work Pact. During work hours, you’ll remain in a state of ‘Work Revelation,’ requiring no conscious thought, and you can intuitively complete all tasks efficiently along with your colleagues.”

“I’ve never experienced Revelation, so I don’t really get it,” Ashe admitted.

“In your games, you have guides, right?” Igor said. “‘Work Revelation’ is like having a constant game guide showing you what to do every single moment. The entire world becomes composed of very specific tasks, and you don’t need any personal initiative. You just function like a cog in the machine.”

“Is it really that easy?”

“Not easy at all,” Igor said seriously. “Since you have to be fully immersed in your work, ‘Work Revelation’ is said to be a very unpleasant experience. It’s like you’re no longer yourself but just a tool translating the Revelation.”

Ashe was surprised. “Then why would anyone accept ‘Work Revelation’?”

“Because they can delete the memory.”

“Huh?”

“Didn’t I mention it earlier? If we take on jobs, it’ll feel like we clocked in one second and clocked out the next, with money in hand,” Igor explained. “Because ‘Work Revelation’ completely dominates our thoughts, ‘work experience’ doesn’t exist in Nabistin. The memories from our work hours are meaningless to us, so a brand-new work approach quickly became mainstream in Nabistin—”

“As long as the working memory is deleted, it feels like workers earned their wages merely by blinking. This system, known as the ‘Gospel Worker System,’ enables the prosperity of the underground city’s order of production, entertainment services, and even public safety, rivaling other top-tier cities supported by Royal Families.”

“What a genius system. Just this alone makes Nabistin worthy of being the Imperial Capital,” the Con Artist remarked with what seemed like genuine admiration. “In Vamora, they use the white mist to deceive citizens’ senses, making them mistake physical pleasure for work enthusiasm; in Mephila, they dominate the subconscious to force citizens into working overtime, essentially using a Miracle to erode their laziness.”

“Even top-tier cities like Vamora and Mephila, which have the highest productivity, can only reduce the citizens’ dislike for work as much as possible. After all, without using drugs or brainwashing, who would willingly subject themselves to working?”

Ashe nodded repeatedly, resonating deeply with the sentiment, while Lise patted his head affectionately.

“But in Nabistin, it’s entirely different; everyone willingly, even eagerly, wants to work. For them, work is just the movement of the clock, and then they get paid—it’s almost like the money is free.”