The Legend of the Golden Fish

"Didn't it catch up?"

"N-No, I don't think so? It can't swim, can it?"

"What kind of route did you lead us down? This is practically murder!"

"I told you before I led the way that it was a little dangerous. Who was it just now that confidently said there'd be no problem, like a student holding a cheat sheet?"

"You call that just a little dangerous?!"

Amid the White Mist of the Sea of Knowledge, Ash and Sonia lay sprawled on the small boat, gasping for breath. Their figures were as faint as the surrounding mist, as though they might dissipate at any moment. Even their argument was feeble.

Just now, after nearly an hour of sailing without gaining anything, Ash had suggested to Sonia that they explore the area marked "Better Not Go" on the map. Sonia, newly arrived in the Void Realm and brimming with confidence, agreed, and the two of them broke through the White Mist into the dangerous area.

Yet there was no Inheritance Island in the dangerous area. Instead, there was a gigantic winged fish. It flipped Ash's boat over with a single charge, and it could spit water cannons that blasted the sea into sprays dozens of meters high.

Ash and Sonia had merely been grazed by a water cannon, but their bodies felt as though they had been rubbed with sandpaper hundreds of times, their surfaces flaking away.

Fortunately, the small boat was incredibly sturdy. Even after capsizing, it still floated firmly on the water. The two of them scrambled back aboard and hurriedly paddled with their hands to escape the dangerous area.

That giant fish had actually chased them. It even flew through the air and charged at the boat. Fortunately, Ash had an idea in the nick of time and used "Void Realm Exploration" to accelerate the boat, barely avoiding the fish's headlong charge and preventing them from shedding their first blood in the Void Realm.

Once she had caught her breath, Sonia looked at the soaking-wet Ash, a trace of confusion flashing through her beautiful eyes. Pretending to ask casually, she said, "You couldn't kill that Mud Fish Dragon?"

Ash did not suspect anything and panted, "If even you couldn't do it, how could I possibly manage it?"

Was the Watcher really this weak?

Many thoughts flashed through Sonia's mind, but they ultimately sank into silence. Even if the Doomsday Watcher was weak, there was nothing she could do about it. She had no way to kill the Watcher, and she still had not found any way to resist its control over her. Not even Professor Tello Zan had noticed the Watcher's existence.

Moreover, after the Doomsday Watcher demonstrated its ability to explore the Void Realm, Sonia's attitude had begun to change.

Though she had only recently become a Voidwing Artificer, Sonia knew how important the Void Realm was to Voidwing Artificers. She understood even more clearly just how astonishing the Doomsday Watcher's ability to see through the Void Realm Mist was.

It was common knowledge that no one could see through the Void Realm Mist. That was also why all spellcasters were equal—before unknown risks and rewards, Equality for All prevailed. The strong could fall, while the weak had a chance to rise to the heavens in a single step!

This was what they called equality of opportunity!

And now, there was an existence that could see through unknown dangers, one that stood above all spellcasters!

A superior among spellcasters—the Doomsday Watcher!

If Sonia had previously obeyed the Watcher's orders partly because she had no choice but to let it have its way, then now her attitude had subtly changed. She had been won over by the Watcher's ability and had even begun to look forward to the wonderful life of being carried by it. It was practically like falling into corruption.

Originally, Sonia had wanted to ask the Watcher why it had chosen her and what made her different. But then she reconsidered. What if the Watcher suddenly realized, Right, what use are you to me? and immediately abandoned Sonia? Wouldn't she miss an opportunity to become someone above others?

Besides, without overwhelming strength, how could the Watcher control her actions, see through the Void Realm Mist, and pull her into Dream Realm Trials?

She had to be wary of the Watcher playing the weakling card!

If Sonia fell for it, perhaps the Watcher would seize upon the excuse and arrange even harsher punishments to torment her!

"Come to think of it, what kind of creature was that fish just now?"

Here it comes. He's even asking me something this basic. Keep pretending. Just keep pretending!

So Sonia played along. "A Mud Fish Dragon, one of the most common Knowledge Creatures in the Void Realm. Killing one can yield various Spell Spirits from the Water Art Faction, Earth Art Faction, and so on. If this Mud Fish Dragon had killed other spellcasters before, it might even contain their Spell Spirits."

There were only two kinds of intelligent beings in the Void Realm: spellcasters and Knowledge Creatures.

Just as their name suggested, once a spellcaster killed a Knowledge Creature, they could obtain the knowledge it had condensed—Spell Spirits.

Unlike the Inheritance left behind by spellcasters, the Spell Spirits dropped by Knowledge Creatures were not fixed. They generally belonged to the same faction, though. For instance, a Mud Fish Dragon would not drop Spell Spirits from the Fire Art Faction.

But even within the same faction, there were many different Spell Spirits, and the loot from Knowledge Creatures changed with version updates.

For example, if spellcasters in reality invented a new system of knowledge and summoned a new type of Spell Spirit, then other spellcasters who killed Knowledge Creatures in the Void Realm might directly obtain the newly invented, latest-version Spell Spirits.

If the new system of knowledge was novel and crazy enough, it might even directly give rise to a new type of Knowledge Creature, expanding biodiversity within the Void Realm.

Like equality of opportunity, this was another crucial premise for Equality for All among spellcasters: equality of knowledge.

No one could monopolize knowledge forever. No matter how tightly you guarded the knowledge you had newly invented, other spellcasters could still obtain the fruits of your work in the Void Realm. If you wanted to maintain your advantage, you had to keep innovating.

Those who clung to outdated ways and expected a single invention to give them a permanent advantage were no different from idiots who lingered in one place in the Void Realm for too long.

If you did not take risks, the Void Realm would swallow you; if you did not innovate, reality would beat you senseless.

After introducing Knowledge Creatures, Sonia could not help probing, "Since you knew there was danger in the mist, can't you detect what kind of creature it is?"

"I can't. I only know how dangerous the mist is to us. I can't tell what the danger actually is."

Sonia was a little disappointed. "Then you definitely can't find that Golden Fish either."

"Golden Fish?" Ash looked bewildered. "What's that?"

It was like hearing someone ask, "What's one plus one?" Sonia twitched her lips, and a thought suddenly surfaced: Is he trying to cultivate my obedience by asking me idiotic questions? If I resist, will he think my loyalty isn't high enough and punish me harshly?

With that thought, Sonia immediately raised her guard and seriously answered this idiotic question. "The Golden Fish is a fish floating on the surface of the Sea of Knowledge. Time Continent rests on its back, and Time Continent is where Two-Winged Sorcerers go..."

"Wait, a continent?" Ash interrupted. "Then how big is this fish?"

"Very big. No one has ever seen the Golden Fish's full body. It is said that even its smallest scale is equivalent to a large city capable of housing a million people."

"A fish that big should be easy to find, shouldn't it?"

"On the contrary, only a very small number of lucky people have found the Golden Fish in the Sea of Knowledge. Without exception, all of those lucky people became renowned Legendary Arcanists."

Ash gave an oh. "So what are the benefits of finding the Golden Fish?"

"Board Time Continent and directly become a Two-Winged Sorcerer."

"What?"

"Directly become a Two-Winged Sorcerer." Sonia suppressed the impatience in her heart, thinking that even the children she tutored had not been this stupid. "The greatest difference between One-Winged Arcanists and Two-Winged Sorcerers is that One-Winged Arcanists are all in the Sea of Knowledge, while Two-Winged Sorcerers are all on Time Continent."

"When a One-Winged Arcanist condensed their Spell Power in the Sea of Knowledge to its limit and formed their Silver Wing, they could no longer gain more Spell Power through sailing. If they wanted to climb to a higher realm, they had to advance to Two-Winged."

"The normal way to advance is for a spellcaster to study knowledge, summon a Two-Winged Art Spirit, then find the Gate of Truth within that Two-Winged Art Spirit and pass through the Void Realm. They would then reach the second layer of the Void Realm—Time Continent. Only on Time Continent could spellcasters absorb more Spell Power and condense their second Void Wing: the Golden Wing."

One-Winged Arcanists sailed the Sea of Knowledge and condensed Silver Wings, while Two-Winged Sorcerers walked Time Continent and condensed Golden Wings... Ash had gained a preliminary understanding of the spellcaster power system, but he had one question. "Can a One-Winged Arcanist obtain a Two-Winged Art Spirit from someone else and directly reach Time Continent?"

"Absolutely not." Sonia shook her head. "Unless a Spell Spirit was summoned by your own hand, you could not find the Gate of Truth within it. You would even have difficulty searching inside the Spell Spirit at all—Spell Spirits are made of knowledge. If you do not understand a Spell Spirit's structure, how can you explore its secrets?"

Ash now understood how spellcasters advanced: summon higher-ranking Spell Spirits, use them to cross into higher levels of the Void Realm, then continue summoning higher-ranking Spell Spirits after becoming stronger. The cycle repeated endlessly.

Because of the two premises of equality of opportunity and equality of knowledge, adventure and research ran through a spellcaster's entire life. No one could retire comfortably. As long as you were unwilling to give up your existing benefits, you had to keep taking risks and creating more benefits.

This process not only ensured the healthy development of the spellcaster system, but also constantly weeded out Old White Rabbit Sorcerers who stopped moving forward and refused to strive... This sounded a little like the KPI System! Add a Bottom Elimination System and it would be perfect!

Realizing that spellcasters were just another kind of wage earner, Ash immediately grew confident. When it came to working and competing, he had never lost to anyone!

"Wait, if we can find the Golden Fish in the Sea of Knowledge and board Time Continent, wouldn't that be taking a backdoor shortcut to advance?"

"We prefer to call that a 'Stowaway'—a Stowaway who sneaks from the Bottom Layer to the upper layer... That's why spellcasters all want to find the Golden Fish." Sonia shrugged. "Who could refuse the temptation of getting something for nothing?... So can you find the Golden Fish?"

"I wish."

"Then why did you ask me so much? Keep sailing." Sonia looked at her somewhat translucent palm. "Don't go anywhere that might lead to a fight. I'm a little tired. After sailing through another one or two areas, we'll probably have to leave the Void Realm."

Ash nodded. He could feel the fatigue as well.

Sailing in the Void Realm was not without cost. Passing through the White Mist condensed Spell Power for them, but it also tempered their spirits and consumed their Soul Energy. Once their Soul Energy dropped to a certain level, they had to leave the Void Realm and rest.

Every ordinary voyage contained countless precious Miracles.

Ash opened "Void Realm Exploration" and, as expected, saw many areas marked "waste of effort" and "Better Not Go."

But this time, he actually saw golden light rising from an area at the bottom-right corner of the map!

The prompt beneath the area read:

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