Chapter 477: Do You Really Want Me to Say It?

Everyone stared at the necromancer in astonishment, the fraudster included.

Harvey stood by the window with a Catnip cigarette nestled between his lips. "When I went to the bathroom just now, I happened to make a trip to the Virtual World and used the item. The process was actually quite interesting. My entire body was swept away and washed through by a river made of seven-colored light. By the time I came to my senses, I had already arrived at the Distant Sky Domain. I took one look around and came back."

Logging into the Virtual World while sitting on the toilet was truly something only Harvey could pull off.

"Why were you in such a hurry?" Ashe asked the question on everyone's mind. "Harvey, becoming a Legendary sorcerer was obviously only a matter of time for you!"

If Iger's chances of becoming a Legendary Sorcerer remained uncertain, then Harvey was unquestionably a seed destined to one day become a Legend. The Gospel had already woven a future for Harvey in the Family Ranking, one where he would achieve Legendary status and command Divine Spirits. Just from interacting with him daily, no one doubted what he would eventually accomplish, just as no one doubted how abnormal he was.

The Necromancy Class had seeped into every bone in Harvey's body, permeating him down to his very cells. It's safe to say his very being reeked of necromancy. Beneath his distorted sense of aesthetics lay an obsessive devotion to the Necromancy Class.

What's more, he possessed extraordinary talent and an almost insane desire for self-destruction. With all these factors combined, Ashe genuinely could not imagine anything short of death stopping Harvey's advance. Even death might not be enough.

Ashe suspected that the Gospel's move this time was aimed squarely at Harvey, while Iger was merely caught in the crossfire.

If Iger became a Legendary sorcerer, he would most certainly be the orderly-chaotic type. He would not destroy the Gospel Kingdom's order. In fact, he might actively maintain it.

Harvey, with his neutral-chaotic nature, was a completely different story. Restricting his strength to the Sacred Realm level was indeed a blessing for both the kingdom and its people. Therefore, Harvey was absolutely the last person who should have used the Rainbow Tail Feather. He was destroying his own future and cutting off his own path ahead.

The necromancer smiled. "What future or prospects could someone like me possibly have? Maybe I'll be dead in a few days."

"Yet if—"

"If I don't die? If I become a Sacred Realm sorcerer on my own? If the people of the Gospel are willing to hand over their corpses for me to process?"

Harvey shook his head. "Ideal dreams, the future, love, careers... You people are filled with hope for tomorrow because you believe things will get better. I'm different from you. My life has always been going downhill. The future will only be worse than the present. Strangely enough, walking forward becomes much easier that way."

Lys wanted to say something, but Ashe swiftly pulled her into his arms and covered her mouth.

Harvey shrugged. "I actually hate the future the Gospel has woven for me. What nonsense. Ghost King, founder of the Necromancer family... It's unbearably boring.

"It's like when you're researching a subject and happen to develop a few hobbies on the side. Then someone comes along and tells you how amazing those hobbies are, how many honors you could earn from them, and that you should devote yourself completely to developing them. It's absolutely disgusting."

The necromancer's voice remained calm, yet beneath it lurked strong, unmistakably twisted emotions. Dark desires seeped from every pore, threatening to drown both him and the world as a whole.

"There are two types of necromancers. One type pursues immortality, like that necromancer Angel, who constantly seeks opportunities to revive himself through his descendants. He is ugly, pitiful, and twisted. He places all his hopes in a beautiful future after resurrection, but inside his coffin, he lives a life worse than that of a maggot, suffering the torment of endless time, day after day."

Harvey smiled. "The other type is like me. For people like us, each day will only be worse than the last, so there's no need to think about the future. I only need to live out each day in peace, because every day is the best day I have left."

"Your attitude toward life is both pessimistic and optimistic. It's genuinely confusing," Iger said.

"You people have hope for the future because you've never seen death. There's still time to sign up. Come cross the veil of death with me."

Annan clapped her hands. "Alright. Thank you very much for Harvey's inspiring speech. Iger, it's up to you whether you use the Rainbow Tail Feather or not. If you use it, you won't see any obvious improvement within the next few days anyway. If you don't, and you die before ever seeing the Distant Sky Domain, that would indeed be a pity."

Only then did Ashe realize the Gospel wasn't merely scheming against Iger and Harvey; it had also included Annan in the equation. Logically, to maximize their chances of success, Annan should have demanded that they use the Rainbow Tail Feather and advance into the Sacred Realm as quickly as possible. Even if the two of them were unwilling, under the contract's control, they would still have no choice but to step into the trap woven by the Gospel willingly.

Annan's words, however, did not actually hold up. The Rainbow Tail Feather didn't merely allow Iger to ascend to the Distant Sky Domain; more importantly, it would immediately allow him to fully condense his Gold Wing.

Right now, Iger's Gold Wing only had a few feathers. Once they fully condensed, the size of his mana reservoir would instantly increase dozens of times. That kind of change would have an enormous impact on his combat ability.

Why is Annan being so kind today?

Ashe looked toward the Purple Moth, only to see her blink at him.

"Alright, get ready to rest," Annan said. "Since both Pankey and I are targets of Gospel Ashe's assassination, we'll split into two rooms and rest together."

"Pankey, Iger, Harvey, Lys, you four take one room. Alright, head out."

"Objection!" The white-haired girl clung tightly to Ashe. "Why do you get to sleep with Daddy!?"

"Because he's the only choice I have, too," Annan answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"How could that be..." Lys glanced at the others, then suddenly froze.

Pankey is a target too. Sleeping in the same room as Annan would basically be handing the Gospel another achievement on a silver platter, wouldn't it? Harvey? Absolutely not. That's not even a consideration. As for Aunt Perskin... well, that might have worked. But when Ashe is right there? There's obviously no competition.

After weighing her options, Lys decided to sacrifice herself. "Wait, I can sleep with you!"

"You can, but can you protect me?" Annan asked.

Lys rolled her eyes and thought for a moment. "No, wait. Why do we need to split into separate rooms? Why don't we all just sleep together?"

"I'm a woman, so I do need some private space. Besides..."

Annan glanced at Harvey.

Lys turned a resentful gaze toward Harvey as well. Uncle Harvey, you're really such a nuisance. Nobody wants to share a room with you!

Harvey calmly looked back at them. He lit his Catnip cigarette and walked out. "I'll sleep alone. Pankey only needs Iger watching over him."

"Then Daddy and I will sleep with you!" Lys felt that she had already made an enormous sacrifice.

Unfortunately, Annan simply refused to negotiate. "Pankey, Iger, take her away."

Pankey smiled as he restrained the struggling Lys, looking at Annan with relief. "Miss, I wish the two of you a wonderful night."

"Daddy! Daddy! Run away quickly!"

Ashe called after them, "Pankey, Lys kicks off her blanket while sleeping. Keep an eye on that."

"No problem."

Once the door closed, the room fell completely silent. Suddenly, Annan leaned close to Ashe and gave him a teasing smile. "You're not secretly expecting something, are you? Don't overthink it. You're sleeping on the sofa tonight. I'm not letting you touch me."

Annan poked his forehead. "The reward only comes after everything is finished."

"I wasn't expecting anything at all." Ashe rolled his eyes and stood up, preparing to leave. "Since they're gone, I'll avoid disturbing you as well."

"Why are you avoiding me?"

"To give you some space to be alone," Ashe glanced at her. "You only asked me to stay because you don't want others to see that you're afraid, right?"

Annan froze. Then she snorted and grabbed his cheek. "Don't pretend to understand me that well. I have already made my resolve long before I picked you people up. I'm the one who initiated the desecration of the Gospel. How could I possibly become afraid when the moment finally arrives—"

Ashe spread his hands. "Yes, yes. You're the bravest, boldest, and proudest Purple Moth. I'll go outside and ask Harvey what the Distant Sky Domain is like. If you need anything, just call out. I'll hear you immediately."

"Help me apologize to him. I don't actually dislike him. I just have a hard time accepting breathing the same air as him in the same room."

Ashe's mouth twitched. "Does that really count as an apology?"

Just as he turned his heel, ready to leave, a soft thump rang out behind him. Something leaned against his back.

"Don't turn around. I hate it when other people see through me. I hate it even more when they pity me. It's only because it's you. If it were anyone else, I would have killed them to silence them. You're the same. Your death sentence can be spared, yet your punishment cannot be avoided. Use the rest of your life to repay me."

Ashe smiled helplessly and changed the subject. "I thought you were going to force Iger to use the Rainbow Tail Feather."

"Mm. I did want to."

"Then why didn't you?"

Ashe suddenly felt something poke his waist.

Behind him, Annan's voice turned faintly ominous. "You really want me to spell it out?"