Chapter 524: On the Same Page

Iger analyzed the situation calmly. "Primitive and advanced technologies exist side by side... A once-great civilization remembered only through books... Religion holding absolute authority... A civilization built upon ruins... This kingdom is probably living in a post-apocalyptic age."

"This kingdom should have a Divine Lord watching over it too, shouldn't it?" Harvey asked, puzzled. "Would a Divine Lord really just stand by and watch the apocalypse happen?"

Ashe replied without hesitation, "They would. If not for everything that went wrong, the Gospel Kingdom would have already lost the Gospel system and begun its countdown to the apocalypse. To a Divine Lord, an apocalypse is only an intermission lasting a century or two. Civilization will recover sooner or later. It is like tending flowers. You know they will bloom again after they wither, so you naturally do not dwell on their decline."

Iger mocked. "As expected of someone who once met an Angel. You sound awfully confident whenever you start talking on a grand historical scale. You sound like you have lived for centuries yourself."

Then his expression turned serious. "And that is exactly why we may not need to escape from the Four Pillars Cult."

Ashe blinked. "Why? You think people living after the apocalypse are especially kind?"

A smile spread across the fraudster's face. "I think they are especially greedy. Honestly, the social environment here is far better than the Gospel's. Desire runs rampant, the old rules are gone, and no oversight exists. All that matters is profit. Sure, the place is a little desolate, but isn't that a much better hunting ground than a civilized metropolis? Besides... We possess exactly the bait they are desperate for. Knowledge from a more advanced civilization."

Ashe patted the indestructible blue padding around them, unable to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. "We are the advanced civilization?"

"Without question," Iger answered. "A civilization far more advanced than either Blood Moon or the Gospel once existed here. It was probably the Fire Cat Age. Precisely because it was so advanced, its collapse created an enormous technological gap.

"The people here are like a One-Winged sorcerer with a Four-Winged spirit. They simply lack the foundation to understand or reverse-engineer the technology behind it. All they can do is exploit its power in the crudest possible way. Like harnessing pack beasts to pull a maglev train. Or ripping the padding out of psychiatric wards to use as body armor. As for anything impossible to scavenge from the ruins, their technological level is practically stuck at the dawn of civilization. They cannot even mass-produce shackles capable of restraining sorcerers!"

Ashe and Harvey froze. Only then did they realize this was the first time captors had taken them without sealing their mana. Such treatment would have been unimaginable in both Blood Moon and Gospel Kingdom.

Thinking about it carefully, suppressing mana was actually an extraordinary feat of civilization. Mana was intangible. Devices capable of restraining it had to be personally crafted by creation sorcerers, which in turn required a mature system for training sorcerers as well as a highly developed manufacturing industry.

In a post-apocalyptic world, few factions could possibly meet both requirements. The equipment that people in stable societies took for granted might be unimaginably rare here.

"No wonder that woman kept asking me about everyday life in the Gospel..." Ashe murmured.

Iger added, "We may not know every precise technical detail, but simply being able to explain how those technologies evolved would be invaluable to them.

"They are like One- or Two-Winged sorcerers inheriting the legacy of a Four-Winged predecessor. If we can simply show them what the path to three wings looks like, helping them avoid unnecessary detours, they will inherit their lost civilization far more quickly. So there is room for cooperation between us. Or rather... between the woman who defeated Ashe and us. She understands exactly how valuable we are.

"Since they have not restrained our mana, we might as well wait until circumstances change before resisting. Until then, we should seize every opportunity to cooperate."

"At the end of the day, this is still a completely new world to us. And the best way to integrate into a new world is to join one of its factions. Just like how we joined the Funeral Agency back then. More importantly..."

Iger paused momentarily. "Harvey and I have both reached the Three-Winged level, but neither of us has constructed our Sacred Realm yet. If we can buy ourselves enough time, we will have a much better chance of protecting you when we eventually leave."

Ashe scratched his head. "Ah... About that... Actually... I am already a Sacred Realm sorcerer myself. It's just that... like you guys... I have not mastered my Sacred Realm yet."

It took Iger and Harvey several minutes to process the fact that Ashe had reached the Distant Sky Domain without relying on any sort of cheat. Judging by the expressions on their faces, Ashe could not shake the feeling that the two of them were seriously considering dunking his head into the toilet while he slept.

Ashe had realized long ago that Iger was not particularly materialistic. What truly drove him was the thrill of pulling off impossible deceptions. The greater the challenge, the greater the satisfaction.

Nothing excited the fraudster more than dancing on the razor's edge between life and death. To him, a post-apocalyptic world like this was practically one enormous amusement park.

Harvey was no different. What he longed for was a fitting curtain call. In stable societies like the Blood Moon and Gospel Kingdom, he could only find such an ending by becoming a criminal.

Here, perhaps as early as the next moment, he might finally bring his Sorcerer's Handbook to its conclusion.

As far as Ashe was concerned, no one in the psychiatric ward had been locked up by mistake except himself. He even suspected the other two probably thought the exact same thing.

Still, he had no desire whatsoever to get involved with the Four Pillars Cult. Both Heath and Everlasting Doom had brought him nothing but trouble. In fact, he had developed a firm belief that getting anywhere near the Four Pillars Cult brought nothing but bad luck. If he had the choice, he would much rather get as far away from them as possible, even if it meant scavenging cardboard boxes and sleeping under a bridge.

Compared to Iger's carefully reasoned arguments, however, a simple excuse born of fear was not something Ashe could bring himself to say.

Besides, he had to consider his companions' wishes as well. Until now, they had always been the ones accommodating him. Perhaps it was finally his turn to accommodate them.

Taking a deep breath, Ashe calmed his unease, sat down against the padded wall, and rotated his Gospel Ring.

Nothing happened.

As expected, outside the Gospel Divine Spirit's sphere of influence, the Book of Gospel could no longer be summoned, which meant the ring was as good as useless now. Still, Ashe had no intention of taking it off. He would simply keep it as a memento from the Gospel.

As for what he had brought back from Blood Moon as a souvenir, you asked? The answer was as clear as day. That would be Iger and Harvey!

While letting his mind drift, Ashe summoned the Aurora Sorcerer's Handbook.

Without the enhancement of the Book of Gospel, the game's graphics reverted to the quality of a heavily compressed, pixelated video. Unless he could somehow find better audiovisual equipment in this world, enjoying high-definition illustrations of the Swordswoman was out of the question.

After collecting the daily Source Crystal login reward, he opened the Operator Recruitment screen.

With nothing better to do while waiting, he decided to test his luck with the gacha.

[For a Cerulean World Limited Recruitment (10-Week Anniversary Appreciation Event)]

[Limited Operators: Orchid Weiser, Purple Queen of Shadow and Resentment, Blood-Hidden Empress rate ↑↑]

[Limited Costumes: Christmas Gift · Swordswoman, Moon Star Swimsuit · Swordswoman, Empress in the Rain · Witch, Christmas Gift · Witch rate ↑↑]

[Ends July 10, 00:00]

Has it been ten weeks already?

Ashe did the math. Sure enough, ten weeks had passed since he was transported into this world.

Still, an anniversary event like this felt ridiculous. Instead of rewarding players with free Source Crystals or a free character, it simply offered another limited banner.

Who's appreciating whom here?

The previous limited Operator, Heart-Bewitching Girl, and the Bride · Swordswoman costume were nowhere to be seen. In their place stood three entirely new Operators, along with fresh costumes for the Swordswoman and the Witch.

At least there's no new costume for the Watcher of Doomsday this time. Still...

Ashe twitched the corner of his mouth. Christmas Gift? Christmas doesn't even exist here! Wouldn't that costume completely go against the lore?

The realization naturally brought the previous bride costume back to mind. Does this world even have weddings? Ugh... Forget it.

Just like before, the costumes came without previews, which only piqued Ashe's curiosity. Is the Operator giving someone a Christmas present, or has she wrapped herself up as the gift? The Moon Star Swimsuit and Empress in the Rain costumes certainly sound promising...

As long as the banner stayed free of Watcher of Doomsday costumes, this gacha was an absolute win.

One thing, however, stood out.

Staring at the event-exclusive operator entry for Orchid Weiser, Ashe frowned slightly. Every other Operator uses a codename. Why is she listed under her real name? Could she be a major character in the main story?

"Here."

Ashe snapped out of his reverie when a chocolate bar came flying in his direction.

Ashe and Harvey caught the chocolate bars Iger tossed their way. They tore open the wrappers and bit into the chocolate to replenish their energy. Halfway through eating, Harvey suddenly remarked, "Alice says he doesn't really like staying with the Four Pillars Cult."

...Your Alice is still inside his coffin. The coffin is inside your spatial card, which is inside your pocket. How are you holding a conversation through three separate layers of barriers?

Iger snapped off a piece of chocolate with a crisp crack and chewed thoughtfully. "No matter what kingdom you're in, the dead don't get voting rights."

He paused. "That said... we don't necessarily have to cooperate with the Four Pillars Cult. Once we find a way out of this room, we can break free from them and seek out a faction with a better reputation. I think that's a solid alternative. What do you think?"

Noticing both Iger and Harvey looking at him, Ashe blinked. He rolled the sweetness of the chocolate over his tongue, swallowed, and nodded firmly. "I want to leave as soon as possible."

"We're in agreement," Iger said cheerfully. "Then it's settled."