Chapter 549: A Nasty-Tasting Fish

Despite having only teamed up for one night, everyone already recognized Weiser's abilities.

For one thing, she was always the first to figure out an affix, making her contribution to the team arguably greater than even the Watcher's. On top of that, she had the Thousand Gear spirit, which allowed her to adapt to all sorts of situations, along with a vast repertoire of sorcery classes capable of handling almost any special circumstance.

Back in the sixth Mirage Bubble, Ashe and the others would not have made it through without the Wind and Sound spells she improvised on the spot.

There were no statistics to prove it, but sorcerers of the Three Mysterious Classes[1] were generally considered better at complicated planning and scheming.

There were no stupid sorcerers. They were simply intelligent in different ways, with some excelling at adapting in battle, some at coming up with new ideas, and some at learning things quickly.

Sonya was good at reading people, manipulating relationships, and setting traps for others, but that was a game played according to the rules of civilization. Ashe, by contrast, was now hunting Weiser according to the law of the jungle.

Weiser glanced at them, still unable to make up her mind.

Ever since Ashe had dragged her into the Virtual World, she had been thinking about how she should deal with this group of people hunting him.

There was no question that, with her knowing their identities while they knew nothing about her, she could learn Ashe's plans for the real world simply by talking to him. Even if the Swordswoman never asked, Weiser could easily steer the conversation in that direction. That would put her in an essentially unbeatable position.

The question was what exactly she wanted to gain. Was simply avoiding capture enough?

During tonight's exploration of the Virtual World, Weiser had certainly shone. She had played a crucial role in clearing all six Mirage Bubbles. But she also knew that without Ashe and the others protecting her, she would not even have made it through the first one.

Her combat style simply was not suited for the Distant Sky Domain.

In the past, she would send out a substitute first to probe Virtual World creatures, figure out their characteristics and weaknesses, and then exploit those weaknesses to attack. That strategy worked extremely well on the first and second layers of the Virtual World because its creatures were territorial. She could remain in a safe area while gathering enough information to deal with them.

But there were no safe areas inside Mirage Bubbles. In other words, unless she could identify a creature's weakness the moment she encountered it, any battle she triggered would leave her with no way to fight back. She could only take the beating. She had no powerful Miracles of her own and could only hurt third-layer Virtual World creatures by exploiting their weaknesses.

To make matters worse, Weiser had never been particularly good at fighting. In the real world, she relied on illusions and the power of the Grand Law, rarely engaging enemies head-on.

Put simply, Ashe and the others could explore the Virtual World without her. They would just progress more slowly. But without this team, she could barely make any progress at all.

Weiser had also realized just how valuable the Dream Treasury was. It was not merely useful for exploring the Virtual World, as it also provided Affix Bubbles as rewards.

Affix spirits were far more valuable than ordinary spirits, but because they were random, obtaining one suited to a sorcerer's abilities was difficult. They usually had to trade for one on the market.

That was what made the Dream Treasury so powerful.

A sorcerer could equip the artifacts suiting them, then potentially draw those same artifacts as spirits from an Affix Bubble.

Weiser felt very pleased with the Insight spirit she obtained. It was a rare spirit combining Light, Mind, and Truth Class sorcery, and it happened to mirror Silver Lamp's own power. If she wanted a spirit from the Distant Sky Domain capable of dramatically enhancing her combat strength, the best approach was equipping the right artifacts every night.

And that was precisely where the problem lay. Ashe's favoritism was painfully obvious.

He gave all the useless spirits to the Swordswoman, while the Sorcerer's Handbook that dropped first went to the Witch. Weiser could barely get a share of anything.

If a truly valuable artifact appeared, it would not be her turn unless the Swordswoman and Witch had no use for it. And that was only natural. They were veteran members of the team and had a much deeper bond with Ashe. Weiser also vaguely sensed some kind of romantic conflict between them. If she had not suddenly joined the team, that powder keg might have already exploded.

If she wanted Ashe to favor her when resources were distributed, she needed to raise her standing in his eyes. She could either grow closer to him or prove herself more valuable.

The emotional route was not impossible, but Weiser was certain the Swordswoman and Witch would gang up on her first. Fortunately, she chose to present herself as a quiet, delicate, harmless little animal. Most importantly, she did not look as beautiful as either of them. Otherwise, they would not have accepted her so quickly.

Hence, Weiser could only take the route of proving her value.

There was, of course, another option. She could capture Ashe, lock him away somewhere, squeeze every last bit of value out of him, and then kill him. That would allow her to become a complete Sense, take over the Four Pillars Cult, and return to the original plan with the highest chance of success.

Firstly, however, Weiser had no base of operations and nowhere to imprison Ashe. Secondly, Ashe had already constructed his Sacred Realm. Even if she used the power of the Grand Law, she was not certain she could capture him.

Worse still, Ashe had companions. He firmly believed his companions would come to rescue him, so Weiser had no way to threaten him into submission. Unless...

Weiser lowered her eyes and calmly said, "Watcher, tell me everything you currently know. Leave nothing out. Only then can I work out what options you have."

Ashe nodded and began recounting the information Weiser already knew.

While he talked, Weiser organized everything in her mind and distilled the situation down to two key points. Firstly, she absolutely could not be captured. That was the prerequisite. Secondly, she needed to win the Watcher's favor, and preferably the Swordswoman's and Witch's as well. Helping the Watcher with his actions in the real world would undoubtedly earn her the goodwill of all three and raise her standing within the team.

At first glance, those two goals were completely contradictory. Ashe's current objective was to capture her, while she absolutely refused to be captured. It was like a game of cops and robbers where only one side could achieve its goal. But was the world really that black and white?

Weiser soon found an answer. She had to be extremely careful. Ashe himself might be rather simple-minded, but he had a Mind Class sorcerer by his side. That meant that if she tried to harm Ashe even once, the Mind Class sorcerer would notice and make sure Ashe knew there was a traitor among those around him.

Yet that same Mind Class sorcerer also gave her a way to carry out her plan. Ashe might not understand the hidden meaning behind her words, but that cunning man certainly would. He would recognize the unspoken bargain she was offering without her ever having to say it outright.

After Ashe finished explaining everything, Weiser asked, "I have a few questions. You are still suffering from the Blood Seed curse, but you can make up for the loss of vitality by consuming high-energy food or using vitality-related Miracles, right?"

"Yeah. But high-energy food is pretty rare in the Myriad Continent. Without the Four Pillars Cult supplying us, we would not even have a way to get it."

Ashe sounded rather helpless. He never thought he would live to see the day when he had to worry about having enough to eat. Even the Shattered Lake Prison had never treated him this badly!

Weiser asked another question. "The Music Day Alliance has a pretty hostile attitude toward you, right?"

Ashe nodded. "More precisely, their followers are hostile toward anyone not part of their sect."

"Can you successfully host any Grand Law?"

"I have not tried it yet, but it should be fine."

"After you hosted the Grand Law of Eternal Calamity Flame, did the Temple of Calamity Flame treat you any differently?"

Ashe thought about it. "They were already quite respectful because I was the Gospel's First. After I hosted the Grand Law, they became downright reverent."

Weiser activated her Insight spirit. After pondering for a moment, she laid out her plan, then concluded, "That is just the course of action I came up with based on the information you gave me. You can discuss it with your companions and see if you think it is feasible."

Ashe nodded and looked around. "Then I guess that is it for tonight?"

The Swordswoman and Witch both looked like they had something to say, but neither spoke up. Weiser flapped her Gold and Silver Wings and flew away. "I'll be heading back."

Ashe looked at the other two. "Anything else you want to talk to me about?"

Oh, plenty.

They both had a whole stomachful of things they wanted to say, but neither wanted to talk about them in front of the other. Neither could bring herself to say, I'd like to talk to the Watcher alone, so why don't you leave first? They both knew the other would never agree.

For a moment, the two were locked in a stalemate.

"Then I will head back and take a bath—"

"Wait!"

Ashe spread his hands. "I don't mind if you want to stay here and stare into space with me. Or... did you know I prepared gifts for you?"

Sonya and Dia's eyes immediately lit up. "Gifts?"

Even Weiser, about to leave, could not help looking back.

"But I cannot give them to you yet."

"Why!?"

Ashe hesitated. "I need to wait until we are alone before I dare give them to you. It is nothing valuable anyway. I might not even give them to you, so do not get your hopes up. I definitely will not be giving them to you tonight, so you do not have to avoid each other."

The Swordswoman and Witch exchanged a silent glance. Their eyes held not only irritation at having the other around, but also intense curiosity.

The Watcher actually has a gift he doesn't dare take out in front of us?

That little interruption took some of the urgency out of their desire to talk.

Dia glanced at Sonya, then flew straight over and hugged Ashe. "Can you pat my head?"

Ashe paused, then smiled and gently ruffled her hair. "Why are you acting like a little kid all of a sudden, Witch? Miss me that much after only a few days?"

Secret Princess, Little Witch, White Queen, Black Butler, and Red Death Apostle all answered with a soft hum. "Mmhmm. A lot."

With that, the Witch let go of him. She did not leave, floating there instead to look at the Swordswoman.

Ashe followed her gaze and raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to tell me all about your championship run?"

"I will tell you when you give me my gift."

"Then..."

Sonya looked at him. "I had a really awful fish at the school cafeteria a few days ago."

Ashe blinked. "How awful?"

"It was so bad they practically ruined a perfectly good fish," Sonya puffed out her cheeks at the memory. "I almost filed a complaint with the cafeteria."

The corners of Ashe's lips curled upward, amusement shining in his eyes. "Really...?"

1. Fate, Prophecy, and Truth. ☜