Mage Manual
Chapter 539 - 437: Hold Me Once More

Chapter 539: Chapter 437: Hold Me Once More

Fate Q&A Listening Test!

In reality, it wasn’t much different from the Sea of Knowledge’s Fate Q&A, the only change being that the questions had been replaced with dialogue. Compared to simple questions, this provided a lot more information: Sonia could tell that the speakers were herself and the Witch, and that the time was at least ten years in the future, for her voice had become rich but not weak, cloudy but not dark... just like the tone Dedarose would use when playing a middle-aged beauty. Just by listening, Sonia felt as if she could see a version of herself that was like a rose with thorns.

The Witch was no different; her voice lacked any of the current immaturity—there wasn’t even the expected innocence when she spoke the word "revenge."

In fact, "revenge" is a term filled with fairy-tale qualities, much like "love." Who would like or hate you for four or five years as they do in plays and movies?

Life is enough to dilute everything, and all intense emotions will eventually fade to ordinariness.

However, when the Witch uttered "revenge," she did so calmly, as if discussing tonight’s dinner, indicating that revenge was not a momentary impulse for her, but a task that must be completed, an obstacle that must be overcome to continue living, a life goal tied to vested interests.

The key point was that when the Witch said these words, it seemed like she included herself in them—could it be that they shared a common target for revenge?

Sonia looked toward Diya only to find that Diya was just as puzzled. After the three of them took off their headphones and exchanged glances, Ash coughed and asked in a feigned depth, "Shall we discuss it together, or will you work it out on your own?"

If it were just Ash and the Sword Maiden, Ash would definitely ask the Sword Maiden straightforwardly what gossip she had just heard. However, since the Sword Maiden was currently fostering a team dynamic of "Observer VS Sword Maiden and Witch," Ash had no choice but to play along with her script.

As long as it reduced internal consumption within the team, Ash didn’t mind playing the role of the antagonist. Although he always felt the Sword Maiden had ulterior motives, this hierarchy model was indeed more conducive to team management.

Ash had seen those "all chummy" teams in the company before, but that led to insufficient authority for the supervisors, which quickly increased incidences of employees slacking off, loafing, extending bathroom breaks, and rebelling.

To be fair, Ash’s former attitude of discussing everything with the team was the real mistake, and even the source of chaos leading to internal consumption—because it was negotiable, it was contestable, which then led to favoritism and partiality.

Wasn’t the Witch’s distrust of them because the Sword Maiden had been too consultative with him before, alerting the Witch to the possibility of being abandoned?

It wasn’t that things couldn’t be negotiated, but Ash needed to have decisive authority, deterrence, and credibility, ensuring that at all times his will could be most effectively executed.

The best scenario was obviously for the operators to trust and support him. If that ideal team state couldn’t be reached, then at a minimum, Ash had to ensure that even if the operators didn’t trust him, they wouldn’t dare to disobey him!

Clearly, Ash had a long and arduous journey ahead under any scenario. Sometimes Ash would wonder if he would have been better off not drawing a New Operative, as when he left the Sea of Knowledge, he and the Sword Maiden were already the perfect team, and they had a significant advantage pairing up as a duo.

Other Mages probably couldn’t even dream of having a ’companion who grows together and trusts each other’, while Ash not only had that, but also had both a boat and a car. What more could he desire?

But was it really necessary for him to draw the Witch as a new operator?

Yet soon Ash came up with his own answer: It was necessary.

The Heroic Soul Army, Flowing Gold River, resource scavenging... The Witch’s contribution to the team’s advancement was more than just a little. As a support-type power, her importance to the team was immeasurable. There were many resource points that even if Ash and the Sword Maiden could take down, it would take a long time and they would likely get injured. The Witch’s presence allowed the team’s efficiency to increase by at least two or three times.

What was most important was that the spoils obtained by the team were overflowing, making it a short-sighted strategy to have the Sword Maiden exchange them for money. For each Mage, the return on resources had a diminishing marginal utility. At first, the Sword Maiden indeed exchanged these spoils for resources she could use, like her Miracle "Grinding Sword for Ten Years" no longer needed to be used sparingly, but this empowerment would decrease rapidly because there was a limit to the number of Technique Spirits the Sword Maiden could use, and she only needed to master a few Miracles.

It was like gaming; Sonia had already acquired for herself a set of top-notch, flashy accessories, had bought the most expensive skins, and ordered the tastiest takeout. If she wanted to continue to improve her power, she could only do so in the faction realm.

At this point, having an additional character to develop took on extraordinary significance. It could even be said that the more operators there are, the higher the conversion efficiency of resources to team combat power.

As for why power was needed...

Many images flashed through Ash’s mind: Liss, Igula, Hanna, Qinna, Harvey, ordinary luxurious mansions, a life where one could sleep until waking up naturally, as well as his meeting with the Sword Maiden and the Witch, but the location wasn’t in the Void Realm...

And not just him, but the Sword Maiden and the Witch needed power even more, so he had no reason to lack ambition. When he had saved enough points, he would continue with in-app purchases to draw cards; the team must continue to grow, even if it increased his management costs.

’When will I become a captain brimming with authority...’ Yearning for power filled Ash’s heart—he had almost become the operations manager, after all!

Faced with Ash’s suggestion, Sonia immediately said dismissively, "Although I find sharing the future with someone like you utterly joyless, I could compromise to improve the accuracy of our answers. Besides, what I listened to was a conversation between me and the Witch, and I feel it needs to be disclosed."

"I have no objection," said Diya curiously, "Was it a conversation between the future me and you?"

Sonia nodded her head and repeated the conversation content and question, asking, "Witch, do you have any object of revenge? Is it related to your unease tonight?"

Diya immediately shook her head, "No! And I do not even have an object of revenge, not even my grandmother who made me undergo the Armament Ceremony, nor do I have thoughts of revenge!"

Although she had been confined in a tower since childhood, Diya harbored no resentment towards her grandmother. She had indeed lost her freedom, but she had also gained a carefree childhood; especially after leaving the tower and seeing the outside world with Ash and others, she realized more clearly that her grandmother did not owe her, nor did she have any intention to harm her.

At the end of the day, everything she encountered was just the predetermined fate of the Yisu clan; her grandmother was merely a part of the cycle of tragedies that befell the generations.

Therefore, what she wanted was not revenge, but resistance.

Since no useful information could be extracted from the content of the conversation, they could only analyze the answers.

"The world seems too vague, and the Divine Lord..." Sonia wore a strange expression, "Can we really be bold enough to seek revenge against the Divine Lord?"

To most Mages, the Divine Lord is less of a concrete ’god’ and more of a symbol, a set of rules, even the world itself. No one has ever seen the Divine Lord, nor has anyone been able to avoid the Divine Lord’s influence. How then to seek revenge? Against the sun? Against the storm? Against the ocean?

Therefore, the options ’Divine Lord’ and ’world’ were almost equivalent, so...

When the Witch and the Sword Maiden looked at him, Ash was still very calm, "Although I also think that I, as the answer, am the most sensible choice, the problem is, I am the only one among these three options that you both recognize."

Sonia was momentarily stunned, then quickly realized, "Right, the Fate Q&A from the Sea of Knowledge isn’t a test for us to ’answer out’, but a gambling test of luck for us to ’guess’. If it’s such an obvious answer, then it must be a deceptive option!"

Diya nodded as well, listening; although she had never experienced the Fate Q&A of the Sea of Knowledge, she also felt it made sense, "And I can’t imagine why I would want to seek revenge against the Observer... However, if it were you, Sword Maiden, seeking revenge, I can understand that."

Sonia’s face turned red, and she huffed, "I wish I could part ways with him as soon as possible."

Diya blinked her eyes—I haven’t even said anything yet.

She hesitated a moment before speaking, "In fact, the content of the conversation I heard was also very strange. I wonder if it has anything to do with the Sword Maiden’s question."

Then Diya’s hair began to change color, first to a sweet, white-haired girl: "Next, I, the White Queen—"

And then into a black-haired, aloof beauty: "And I, the Black Butler, will perform the conversation content."

The Black Butler laughed maniacally, "Hahaha, you’re killing me! Aren’t you trying to catch me? Come on, catch me, then let the Holy Temple of tribulation fire catch us both! They will definitely burn you and me to ashes! Hahahaha!"

The White Queen calmly stated, "We will not be caught; Master will certainly come to save us. Witch, let’s cooperate for now."

The Black Butler mocked sarcastically, "Really? If so, where is that Demon now? You were supposed to act together, right? But why is it now that only you, alone with me, are caught in this predicament? Hey, hey, hey, don’t tell me you’ve been abandoned just like I have? Abandoned—haven’t you?"

The White Queen asserted firmly, "Master won’t abandon me."

The Black Butler taunted, "Ah, such a loyal love. Can you open your mouth and let me vomit inside it—everyone is just that Demon’s tool, including you! Why? Why are you still willingly being used by him up till now, don’t you know you’ve never been loved?"

The White Queen confessed deliriously, "Why doesn’t Master use someone else instead of me? He must still love me and has always been so gentle with me all the time."

The Black Butler hysterically, "Yes, he’s gentle, but there isn’t a hint of love in his eyes—I’m going insane! What did I do wrong to be so unfortunate as to encounter you two Demons! A madman! An idiot!"

The White Queen: "So, shall we cooperate? They’re about to come, we can’t escape if we don’t work together."

The Black Butler suddenly calmed down, "I can cooperate, but you have to promise me one condition."

"What condition?"

"Just like in the past, hold me once again."

"Question: What was the relationship between the two people in the dialogue?"

"① Friends ② Colleagues ③ Non-blood-related family ④ All of the above"