Chapter 27

Ash had almost forgotten that the Sorcerer's Manual game allowed for microtransactions.

He had assumed that the Source Crystal supply from the daily check-in was his only source for card draws; he never expected that a currency recognized by the game actually existed in this world.

Regardless of whether the value was high or low, this discovery sent a jolt of adrenaline through Ash, giving him the motivation to strive once more—much like a boss telling you, "Work hard, and you'll be the next one promoted." Even if you know the hope is slim, at least there is something to look forward to.

However, he didn't dare to charge the medal just yet, because he could tell that this medal was clearly the foundation of the extraordinary in this world, the source of power that sorcerers craved—an Art Spirit!

"Do you want this Art Spirit?" he asked.

"You want it?" To Ash's surprise, Sonia showed no interest in the Art Spirit. "Then take it."

Now it was Ash's turn to be curious. "This is an Art Spirit, you know. You don't want it?"

"It's neither a Sword Art Spirit nor a Universal Art Spirit. It's useless to me, and it would just be a waste of my money."

"What does this have to do with money?" Ash asked, bewildered.

Sonia felt as if the Watcher was secretly mocking her for being broke. After all, if the Watcher could control a boat to navigate the Void Realm, how could he possibly not understand such basic sorcerer common sense?

Or was the Watcher actually a rich man who never had to worry about feeding his Art Spirits? There were always those funny tropes in novels about "rich nobles who don't understand common sense." She never expected to encounter such an endangered species in reality.

Under Sonia's explanation, Ash finally realized that the ecosystem of Art Spirits in this world was far more complex than he had imagined.

First of all, Art Spirits needed to be fed, and they had to be fed with circulating currency!

Silver Coins and Gold Coins were the primary food for Art Spirits. A One-Winged Art Spirit required Silver Coins, while a Two-Winged Art Spirit required Gold Coins. Art Spirits that didn't receive nourishment would dissipate on their own; some impoverished sorcerers really might starve their own Art Spirits to death!

Beyond currency, Art Spirits could technically be fed with other materials, but the required materials varied for every single spirit, making the search incredibly tedious. Silver and Gold Coins, however, were the universal rations for all Art Spirits. Over time, sorcerers stopped caring about specific diets and simply used money to plug their Art Spirits' mouths.

Furthermore, the mere existence of an Art Spirit consumed a sorcerer's mental energy. A sorcerer with many Art Spirits was like a man with many girlfriends—not only could his wallet not handle it, but his body couldn't either.

Therefore, for low-level sorcerers, especially those with the fine tradition of the proletariat, more Art Spirits were definitely not better. They had to selectively choose spirits that suited them; "few but refined" was the development strategy for most low-level sorcerers.

Secondly, Art Spirits had usage restrictions.

Based on these restrictions, Art Spirits were divided into various departments, such as the Sword Art Faction that required the use of a sword, the Gunmanship Department that required a gun, the Asceticism Department that required a strong physique, and the Fist Department that relied on brute force... Art Spirits with high requirements for the sorcerer were known as specific-faction spirits, or Specialized Art Spirits. For example, "Ripple Sword" required the sorcerer to be using a sword to activate it.

Those that had no requirements for the sorcerer, or whose requirements could be easily met by the vast majority, were called Universal Art Spirits. For example, "Eagle Eye" could be activated as long as the sorcerer had eyes.

Generally speaking, the Art Spirits possessed by a sorcerer consisted of a mix of Specialized and Universal spirits. It was best for a sorcerer not to have Specialized Art Spirits from more than two departments, and one had to be careful with the combination of Universal spirits, trying not to keep useless ones.

Even if Sonia took this "Rapid Fire" Art Spirit, she would inevitably sell it; she wouldn't keep it and waste her money.

And the reason Sonia had zero interest in this Art Spirit was simple: "Rapid Fire" wasn't worth much.

" 'Rapid Fire' is a product from the flintlock era hundreds of years ago. We're in the age of automatic rifles and automatic handguns now. A handgun can dump seven bullets in a second; there's no need for the extra shot from 'Rapid Fire'." Sonia spread her hands. "Although 'Rapid Fire' can be used on weapons like mortars or shipborne guns, those have better Art Spirit options, so they wouldn't use 'Rapid Fire' either."

"For an Art Spirit eliminated by the times like this, the school's purchase price is at most one Silver Coin—which is also the minimum purchase price for a One-Winged Art Spirit."

Ash had long known that the Sword Maiden was a student, but he hadn't paid it much mind, thinking it was just game lore.

"Then I'll take it!"

"Take it, take it." Sonia didn't think much of it.

Ash whispered "exchange," and the medal in his hand dissipated into white mist. A message popped up in the game: "Top-up successful! You have received 10 points."

The cheapest purchase option in the game was 6 points for 1 Source Crystal, meaning this "Rapid Fire" Art Spirit was only enough to buy 1.5 Source Crystals. Since a single card draw required 3 Source Crystals, two One-Winged Art Spirits equaled one card draw.

An Art Spirit was supposed to be an extraordinary power, yet the price was as cheap as a fresh university graduate... Ash clicked his tongue and looked down at the Hunting Notes in his hand: "Then what is this notebook?"

"It's a Sorcerer's Manual!" Sonia glanced at Ash with a strange expression.

"A Sorcerer's Manual?" Ash was stunned.

Sonia nodded.

"A Sorcerer's Manual summarizes a sorcerer's life in a certain way. For instance, this manual records the targets this Gun Artificer hunted during his lifetime, indicating that hunting was the most important part of his life. Well, it's essentially a sorcerer's diary."

"But this isn't a diary written voluntarily by the sorcerer. After a sorcerer dies, their soul automatically returns to the Void Realm and transforms into an Artificer Projection, and their life memories settle into a book—just like birth, aging, sickness, and death, this is an unavoidable natural law."

"We collectively refer to these books as Sorcerer's Manuals."

"If the Void Realm is a sorcerer's graveyard, then the Sorcerer's Manual is their tombstone."

Only then did Ash realize that the hunter from earlier was the projection of a dead man. He had thought it was a living person, wondering how he had encountered another sorcerer so easily.

But even if it were a living person, he wouldn't have held back; after all, dying in the Void Realm wasn't a true death.

Sonia said, "Like the medal, the Sorcerer's Manual can also be used. You can absorb the manual directly with your consciousness, and you will gain a random skill from the manual's owner that doesn't fall under a spell school—it's completely random."

Ash asked, "Do you want it?"

"I don't want it. I felt tired just after glancing at it a few times." Sonia shook her head. "But since you read through the entire manual, you definitely won't be contaminated when you absorb it."

"Contaminated?"

"Sorcerer's Manuals are contaminating. Generally speaking, a sorcerer can only read manuals from sorcerers whose worldviews, values, and outlooks on life are similar to their own. If you force yourself to absorb an unsuitable manual, it will damage your soul and could even lead to schizophrenia."

"It's that serious?"

"It is serious, but it's easy to prevent. Because as long as you don't feel any discomfort while flipping through the manual, it means you won't have any problems absorbing it."

At this point, Sonia was also a bit curious. "From what I've heard, if an ordinary sorcerer encounters ten Sorcerer's Manuals, they're lucky if they can absorb two or three. Many sorcerers go their whole lives without ever encountering a manual they can absorb... How do you manage to pick up any random manual and absorb it without contamination?"

Ash naturally couldn't answer that question. Following Sonia's instructions, he guided his consciousness to touch the Hunting Notes in his hand.

The Hunting Notes flowed into his body like a wisp of smoke. Before long, Ash felt a piece of ice in his consciousness melt, and suddenly, he was flooded with a wealth of indescribable knowledge.

He opened the "Agent Management" tab in the game and discovered he had gained a new skill.

"Counter-Reconnaissance Proficiency"

As a Jungle Hunter and War Soldier, even if Carbin Stoli had never formally studied counter-reconnaissance, he would have inevitably honed this survival skill through the crucible of war. For Ash, who was planning a Prison Break, counter-reconnaissance was a small skill that could certainly come in handy.

After Ash finished absorbing the Hunting Notes, they discovered the Island was sinking. The two hurried back to the Boat, and before long, the Island vanished completely. The sea surface remained silent and still, as if nothing had ever happened.

"This is the peculiar nature of the Void Realm; encounters are fleeting, existing only for the sake of inheritance," Sonia sighed. "Countless islands of inheritance drift upon the Sea of Knowledge, quietly waiting for new sorcerers to discover them. Once a sorcerer takes the inheritance, the island naturally returns to the sea... Some say these islands are the manifestations of a sorcerer's obsession, traces left behind by those of the past who hoped future generations would remember them, which is why they place their legacies upon the sea."

"The life traces of every sorcerer are deeply engraved within the Void Realm. We will encounter the legacies of countless predecessors here, clash with Gunners from hundreds of years ago, and converse with sages from thousands of years ago—anything is possible... And our own traces will also be engraved in the Void Realm. When a sorcerer tears through the White Mist hundreds of years from now, they might encounter the challenges left behind by you and me."

"That sounds quite romantic."

"Really? Do you think your life could be passed down to future generations without any concealment, allowing them to admire your great achievements?"

Ash suddenly felt it wasn't so romantic anymore. "Can a sorcerer delete some of their life records before they die, like 'Study Materials' or 'Art and Life'..."

"How to die with dignity and how to live in squalor have always been the two most important research projects for any sorcerer."

Although she hadn't gained anything and Ash had taken all the benefits, Sonia felt quite relaxed and stretched on the Boat. "Where to next? You decide; I'll listen to you."

The battle on the Island could hardly be called thrilling. If Ash could find such islands of inheritance every time, Sonia would be more than willing to take the risk.

As long as she encountered a Spell Spirit from the Swordsmanship Department or a suitable Sorcerer's Manual just once, she would have hit the jackpot.

The expectations of many sorcerers were merely to explore the Void Realm steadily; let alone encountering a Void Realm inheritance, simply avoiding danger was enough to make them rejoice.

"Let me see..."

Ash opened "Void Realm Exploration" and checked the status of the surrounding tiles:

"Waste of Effort", "Waste of Effort", "Waste of Effort", "Waste of Effort", "Better Not Go", "Waste of Effort", "Waste of Effort", "Waste of Effort".

"Huh?"