Mage Manual
Chapter 531 - 431 Gospel Is Setting Me Up

Chapter 531: Chapter 431 Gospel Is Setting Me Up

Senheiser building, top floor office.

Hearing the sound of the oak door being pushed open, Qinna, who was conversing with the Head of the Listening Department, turned her head to see her sister with a face grave as still water, stepping in with the rhythm of high-heeled boots.

"Captain Nona," the Head of the Listening Department nodded slightly in greeting. Nona nodded back and stood quietly behind Qinna.

"That’s it, shelve the listening plans that have been on hold for over three years. The decision preference is being changed from ’future risk type’ to ’current stability type.’ Prepare a statistical report on the number, realm, and magic faction of all clan mages, with an emphasis on prioritizing their training."

"Okay."

After the Head of the Listening Department left the room, Qinna stood up to gaze down at the misty city below, her elf clan leader’s eyes seemingly fixated on Vatican Mura’s future, her contemplative lips weighing the security of the family.

"Nona, come here."

Nona, not understanding why, walked over and was forcefully slapped on the butt by Qinna; the cool and quiet vice captain shivered and let out a surprised yelp.

"I guess I never knew you liked slapping butts, just like a mother cat..." Qinna said softly with a laugh.

Nona forcefully pushed Qinna onto a chair and stared sternly at her sister. Unfortunately, her porcelain-like face was tinged with an unvanishing blush, making her menacing presence nothing more than that of an irate kitty.

"What is this about the list?"

"Haven’t we discussed this before? The Gospel’s judgement was wrong," Qinna said calmly. "Those people from the Exotic Realm with Hanna, the Gospel couldn’t accurately predict them, an interference from Hanna led to the Gospel greatly overestimating their potential and future..."

"I’m asking why both you and I are listed to serve Ash Heath in the list!"

"For the same reason as the ’Family List,’ Ash’s wicked taste..."

"It’s not the same," Nona said. "In the Family List, we both became necromancy creatures, it wouldn’t be surprising if our senses were twisted then. But in the Happiness List, you and I are very much awake!"

"The Happiness List also mentioned that I, as the happiest clan leader, was forced by Ash," Qinna paused, then suddenly said through gritted teeth, "That damned Ash, he must have used the family to threaten me, forcing me into submission and to flatter him, when I really want to capture him and lock him in a dark room to torment day and night... But in the future, he’s the Source of Chaos, the Undead Demon, surely his strength has already far surpassed the Holy Domain, for the protection of the family, the Gospel believes that I would endure humiliation and act in a sycophantic manner, which is logical."

"Really?" Nona said coldly. "But I feel like the you in the image doesn’t seem so unwilling."

"Ash is a companion to the Rusted Crow, and the Rusted Crow is a powerful Spirit Mage. To protect the family, I definitely have to conceal my Killing Intent, even pretend to enjoy pleasure, otherwise how would I deceive this disaster of a Demon Lord!" Qinna said, sighing deeply, "For the continuation of the family, I’ve really sacrificed too much. But as the Clan Leader, I have to take the responsibility."

"And what about me!" said Nona. "Why am I in it, too?"

"This shows that Ash is filled with Evil, not contented with getting me through despicable means, he even dares to touch you..."

"But the problem is, why do I appear entirely willing in the image!?"

Qinna quietly looked at her blushing sister and said, "Then, Nona, you should reflect on yourself. You’re even thinking about taking your niece’s man..."

Nona couldn’t help but laugh out of anger, "Qinna, you still want to blame me now? Ever since you came back to be the Clan Leader, I’ve been nothing but your Clone Technique. I’ve been thinking, how could I have taken a liking to Ash when we were at Belladett Manor; it turns out your feelings spilled over to me!"

All Six Emblems Clan Leaders would have several clan member clones to ensure the continuation of the clan authority if the Clan Leader suddenly died. During the White Mist anomaly, Qinna, who was trapped in a dream, activated the Technique Spirit of her clone within Nona, allowing the older sister to act temporarily through the body of the younger sister.

This safeguard had stringent conditions, as the Clone Technique Spirit could potentially seize the host’s will, thus demanding absolute trust from both sides. However, trust was never an issue in the Six Emblems family.

Nevertheless, the Clone Technique Spirit would still have side effects on the host, such as emotional leakage. For instance, the relationship between the main body and the clone is akin to a tower of wine glasses—normally there would be no impact, but if the primary wine glass’s emotions overflowed, it would drip into the clone glass below.

"Couldn’t it just be that you are the one who’s moved?" Qinna argued, "Don’t blame everything on me!"

"I’ve been indifferent all my life, yet why do I care so much about Hanna?" Nona said. "If not you, then whom should I blame?"

"Let’s put that aside," Qinna changed the topic. "The point now is that there’s a serious problem with the Gospel."

Hearing her sister turn to serious matters, Nona could only suppress the anger in her heart and nodded, "An early update is indeed a once-in-a-millennium event. Moreover, after reviewing Ash and their information, it’s vastly different from the list’s content. If I’m not mistaken..."

"The Gospel, it is unable to weave anymore," Qinna gestured for her sister to sit opposite. "We must also change our strategy of using the Gospel. Nona, help the Listening Department in the next few days, try to spend all our Gospel Points."

"No problem... Eh?"

...

"The Gospel, it is unable to weave anymore."

Hanna said, "That’s why it’s using you meteors to directly smash everything."

"Unable to weave?" Ash and Liss were somewhat puzzled, "What do you mean?"

"It can’t weave the true future," Igula said. "So it’s using our false futures as a substitute."

"Since we’re talking about drama, let’s use drama as a metaphor," Hanna said. "If Gospel were an author, then the Weaving Festival would be the masterpiece he meticulously crafted. Before writing, he often needed to take fifty years to accumulate materials and resources, and then he would write it all out in 100 days."

"It updates every 10 days, although sometimes there might be delays, but it has maintained its quality and schedule for hundreds of years. However, one day, it suddenly updated six days ahead of schedule. What could the reason be?"

"Does it have drafts stored up?" Ash guessed.

"How could an author who has dragged out updates until the deadline for hundreds of years suddenly have drafts ready?" Hanna said with a laugh. "Although I don’t know the reason, it definitely can’t be considered a normal update. This ’Happiness List’ must have been a product of haste."

"If you were this writer and you had just written 40%, but the editor suddenly demanded that you hand over the manuscript, how would you solve that?"

"I’d take care of the editor," Ash said. "Gospel isn’t an ordinary person, does it even have editors?"

"Dad, you’re being silly. Gospel has Angels and Divine Lords above it!" Liss was the one to catch on. "So to hand over the manuscript, Gospel just scribbled and padded out the remaining 60%?"

"Pretty much, but Gospel didn’t just scribble."

Hanna spread his hands with a complex expression. "Gospel used you."

"You come from the Exotic Realm, and Gospel doesn’t know your pasts, so you represent endless possibilities. That’s the capital you use to deceive Gospel. But it’s precisely because of the ’endless possibilities’ that you became Gospel’s best... how should I say it, side story to distract the readers?"

"Normally, to weave a ’true future,’ Gospel needs to use all the information from the past and slowly infer what the future might look like. That’s why Gospel always updates at the last second—the more time spent inferring, the higher the accuracy."

"Therefore, even if Gospel wanted to update early, it wouldn’t be possible. There isn’t enough time to predict the future of us Gospel folk—it’s impossible. As a Miracle that prophesies the future, it might not always be accurate, but it definitely wouldn’t make mistakes on purpose."

"But with you Exotic Realm folks, it’s different—precisely because of your ’endless possibilities,’ Gospel can allow itself to make vague predictions about you! Even if its prediction about you is distorted, it’s only a matter of inaccuracy, not a mistake!"

Ash comprehended it all completely by now.

"So, you’re saying," Ash said, rubbing Liss’s dog head and speaking calmly, "Gospel the author had to update early, but it couldn’t just write anything about you Gospel folk, since you are all main characters. If it wrote nonsense, it would collapse its own character settings."

"However, we’re different. We’re new characters who barged in mid-way. Whatever drama we play out is justifiable, so Gospel made up our storylines to fill the update!"

"Wait," Harvey said, chewing and mumbling, "Making stuff up isn’t the same as scribbling. Our personalities are very different from those in the ’Happiness List’!"

"Because Gospel wasn’t making future predictions based on our personalities." Igula moved his finger along the rim of his wine glass, speaking calmly. "Compared to Gospel folk, our futures are perhaps harder to foresee... It’s like drawing a target first before shooting the arrow. Gospel set a template for the ’Happiness List’ and then inserted us into it, which is why there are bizarre plotlines like me having a daughter and Harvey squeezing a wife out of thin air."

"Actually, I think Reya isn’t so bad..." Ash muttered, but when he saw Liss staring with killing intent, he immediately said seriously, "This is too irresponsible of Gospel, wrecking my character setup like this. How am I supposed to face people now!"

Harvey took a big sip of the meat soup and reminded him, "Even without the ’Happiness List,’ Ash, you’d still be a Source of Chaos, a scourge of disaster, and a wanted felon if you went out now..."

"Gospel is a good record-keeping author, but not a good fantasy author. All the content shown in the ’Happiness List’ can be considered the ramblings of a third-rate novel written by Gospel while drunk," Igula said. "It’s all fake."

"Ah, so it’s all fake?" Ash’s tone sounded a bit regretful.

Liss recalled the image of the number one in the Happiness List, looked down at her hand mirror, and whispered inaudibly, "Maybe not all of it is fake..."

"Even if it’s fake, Gospel must have seen some omens before doing the second creation," Hanna said, intently looking at Ash. "Like how Igula and Anfeier almost became a couple, like how Harvey indeed has the ability to create a necromantic bride, so..."

"Ash, why would Gospel think you have a connection with Qinna and Nona?"

"Yeah, why!" Liss immediately lifted her head to add her attack.

A speck of dust from Gospel was a mountain when it fell on Ash’s head.

Ash stated firmly, "Gospel is framing me."

Hanna said, "Why did you lick Qinna’s face? That’s definitely not a common action for you, I’ve never seen you lick Liss. What information did Gospel base this plot on?"

Ash gritted his teeth and said, "Gospel is framing me!"

Hanna continued, "Why would you sleep in the same bed as Qinna and Nona? And you actually let Nona—"

Ash completely lost his ground, "That really is Gospel framing me!"

By all that was holy, Ash had never had such thoughts about Nona; this was clearly a secondary processing by Gospel based on the synthetic image data Yvalin had sold to him!

Just as Ash was defeated and collapsing, Banjee suddenly said, "Since everything in the ’Happiness List’ has traces to follow, then..."

"Why did Reya, Igula’s daughter, urge Ash to hurry up and have children with Aunt Hanna?"

Everyone looked at Purple Moth.

Now the pressure was on Hanna.

Hanna fell silent for a moment and could only nod reluctantly, "Gospel is framing him."