Sorcerer’s Handbook

May 19th, 9:30 PM, 150 minutes until the 20th.

The 72nd floor of the Senhaeser Building, usually a haven for introverted gamers in the virtual entertainment zone, was now crowded with a large group of social monsters.

“Edifel, Philippe, Bosch, Bierse, Suotian…”

Leite lifted his Red Hat, revealing his tousled red hair and his Miracle eye engraved with a spell formation. His laughter carried a hint of madness: “To think that I can meet with the six patriarchs of Vamora’s Six Heraldry at the same time, even a legendary sorcerer wouldn’t have such an honor, right?”

“Indeed,” the trench coat man said. “The last time the six patriarchs met was the last time.”

“That must have been hundreds of years ago, right?” the ponytail woman said. “How come nothing happened during the terms of the previous patriarchs, but now it’s my turn and such a big event occurs?”

“Isn’t this a good thing?” said the lazy man with a fisherman’s hat, smiling. “Bierse, you haven’t been a patriarch for long, have you? Someone like me, who’s been a patriarch for decades, eagerly anticipates these little episodes that can bring a change to the monotonous life.”

“It might just be pure noise,” the man with glasses said, taking out a comb to straighten his bangs. “Be careful not to harm Senhaeser’s family and resolve it quickly.”

Banjeet looked at the men and women before him, temporarily suppressing his grievances against Igor, replaced by the awe of witnessing a legend.

Leaders of Vamora, representatives of eight million people, inheritors of millennia-old families! Even in the entire Kingdom of Gospel, they are formidable figures, overlords of their domains!

Among outsiders who have seen Vamora’s current state, the Six Heraldry Patriarchs are often regarded as second only to Empress Yisuo in power. Although their influence diminishes outside Vamora, Vamora is the largest producer of Beauty Houttuynia in the Kingdom of Gospel. In the Organization Ranking of various cities, Vamora consistently ranks near the top, and its annual city GDP has never fallen out of the top five!

If the six families of Vamora were separated, each family’s GDP would far exceed that of ordinary Second-tier Cities, and they could even compete with First-tier Cities! Because the resources of the heraldry families are allocated uniformly, the patriarch can freely mobilize the entire clan’s production resources, effectively meaning ‘one is all, and all is one’!

Therefore, the patriarchs in front of Banjeet were not just patriarchs; they were practically the embodiment of their families, the human representation of their cities, carrying the weight of millions of clansmen in their every move. This is not just a metaphor—they truly have the ability to convert clan resources into power—

Whoosh—

With the sound of pages flipping, five Gospel Books appeared before the patriarchs. For someone from a small household like Annan, the Gospel Book is a high-end, conservative information platform, but in front of the heraldry patriarchs, whose Gospel points are measured in millions, the Gospel Book’s openness is beyond ordinary people’s imagination.

Sanctuary!

Two Sanctuaries instantly unfolded to protect the Red Hat members. Although no actual attack was visible, anyone seeing the dense ripples of rain on the Sanctuary barrier would know that sorcerers are no match for the Gospel. Money talks indeed.

Cleos’s face turned extremely grim, tears welling up at the corners of her eyes as she bit her lip in frustration: “Leite, it looks like we’re going to fail this time…”

“We cannot fail.”

Leite also summoned his Gospel Book: “I reiterate, our mission is solely to capture the Empire fugitive Ashe Heath. We have no intention of offending Vamora. Once we capture Ashe Heath, we will leave immediately. The white mist is not our doing. We will apologize to the Vamora Red Hats for any procedural violations afterward… No, I am deeply sorry. Esteemed patriarchs, I beg your forgiveness for our rashness.”

He suddenly bowed deeply to the patriarchs, saying with his head lowered: “According to information revealed during the Weaving Festival, Ashe Heath is closely related to the apocalypse of the next fifty years. We cannot allow him to remain free! I am willing to hand over all my gains from this matter to the Six Heraldry of Vamora. We can let go of everyone else, but Ashe Heath must be brought back for questioning!”

Trench Coat Man: “Do you think Vamora is a bathroom, where you can come and go as you please—”

“Wait,” the Man with Glasses said. “Senhaeser, what’s your take on this? The Six Heraldry of Vamora stand together in both prosperity and adversity, but fighting a Sanctuary sorcerer and offending the Yisuo Royal Family for an outsider does not align with our family principles.”

Ashe looked nervously at Qenna. She glanced at him, her expression thoughtful.

It’s over!

Honestly, if the roles were reversed, Ashe would certainly not risk everything to protect an Empire fugitive, let alone one who seemed to be the culprit behind an impending apocalypse.

Although Qenna had signed a Pact with Annan, theoretically obligating her to protect them or face a ban in the Virtual Realm, there were complications. Firstly, standing before them was “Nona,” not “Qenna.” Ashe wasn’t sure if the Pact could recognize Qenna logging in from a different account in another place. Secondly, Qenna valued her family more than herself. If she truly believed she was endangering Senhaeser, the Pact would just be a sunk cost she had to bear.

Threatening Qenna with the Pact? Absolutely not. Qenna was too proud to be threatened; it would only backfire. Ashe still remembered getting a bullet graze from Qenna for an offensive comment.

Persuading Qenna through Annan? Claiming he was very important to Annan to evoke Qenna’s compassion? That didn’t seem like a viable option either…

Ashe suddenly felt a tug on his pant leg. Glancing down, he saw Igor sprawled on the ground, mouthing two words.

“Annan and Nona.”

Ashe suddenly recalled that Annan often spoke about her close relationship with her aunt, Nona. They had come to Vamora because Annan was confident in gaining Nona’s support, so she brought her entire family to seek refuge with her aunt.

Unfortunately, Nona had been caught by Qenna, forcing them into cooperation with her. Otherwise, they would have smoothly infiltrated Vamora by now.

According to Annan, Nona was the kind of good aunt who would stand up to her sister for her niece, the only person in Senhaeser to whom Annan could confide, and the brightest light in the little girl’s childhood.

However, the reality was that Nona had a soul split of her sister Qenna within her. When Qenna was trapped in the Virtual Realm, the first backup body activated was Nona. The relationship between these sisters was much closer than that between Qenna and her daughter Annan.

Ashe now also recognized that the two characters who appeared in the “Senhaeser’s Dream” event illustration were none other than Qenna and Nona! Qenna sat in a chair overlooking Vamora, while Nona whispered secrets to her from the side. They were clearly the classic “warrior sister and strategist sister” duo!

In other words, the “good Aunt Nona” in Annan’s perception was likely a role Qenna had arranged. According to educational theories, having Qenna play the strict role and Nona the kind role was actually a very effective method of upbringing.

Qenna might not necessarily love Annan, but she definitely cared a lot about her.

Ashe remembered his encounter with Qenna in the elevator. He felt that, at her core, Qenna was probably a kind and approachable person.

So, the correct strategy here should be…

Ashe steeled himself and hugged Qenna!

“Patriarch Qenna, I am Annan’s fiancé. I will join Senhaeser in the future!” Ashe buried his face in her chest, avoiding eye contact with the female patriarch. “Please save me!”

He wasn’t yet skilled at lying with a straight face. His expressions and demeanor would only give him away, so he had to rely on his body language to strengthen his plea.

Igor, lying on the ground, coughed up a mouthful of blood, his eyes full of shock. He didn’t dare to breathe too loudly, fearing he would disrupt Ashe’s performance.

This was definitely a risky move. They still hadn’t fully deciphered the complex relationship between this mother and daughter. If they got it wrong, Ashe’s actions would only provoke Qenna’s ire!

The air was completely silent. Everyone was waiting for the response of the Senhaeser patriarch.

“You say you are Annan’s fiancé?”

Was she doubtful? Did she think he was lying? Did they get the code wrong?

However, at this point, Ashe could only press on: “Yes… Do you disapprove?”

“No, I highly approve. In fact, this is wonderful news.”

Ashe’s chin was lifted, forcing him to meet the gaze of the Senhaeser patriarch. Qenna’s golden eyes were full of amusement and expectation, reminding Ashe of a half-satiated fox eyeing its next prey.

“However, from now on, you should call me Sister Qenna.”

Ashe blinked. “…Sister Qenna?”

“Good boy.” Qenna noticed a drop of blood on Ashe’s left cheek and pointed to her own face. “You have blood.”

Ashe instinctively reached for his right cheek. Qenna shook her head and leaned in closer.

Just when Ashe thought Qenna was going to wipe the blood off for him, he felt a slick tongue lick his face.

A shiver ran down his spine, and his body nearly went limp in Qenna’s arms as she gently held him.

Igor, watching their interaction clearly from the side, found this scene more disturbing than the pain of his broken ribs. It was shaking the Con Artist’s Heart Wall to its core.

Ashe, what kind of password did you crack?

Qenna’s attitude towards you doesn’t resemble how one would treat a daughter’s partner at all!

Though I’m from the Blood Moon, I’ve seen plenty of family dramas here, and I’ve never seen anything like this!

This is too bizarre. I need to take another look.