The Sorcerer's Handbook

Chapter 200: Ashe’s Weakness

When everyone had gathered around the dining table, the youthful-looking butler, Pankey, cleared his throat. ”Since everyone is here, do any of you have questions you want to ask me? For example, questions about the Book of Gospel?”

Harvey raised his hand immediately. ”Yes! Do we need points to check the rankings?”

On their first interaction with the Book of Gospel, the outlanders already found themselves drawn to its rankings. Sorcerers naturally pursued fame, honor, and power. It was only normal that they would be eager to know which sorcerer ranked first in the kingdom, which sorcery class had the most practitioners, and which Miracle held the top spot.

Leaderboards ranking the Necromancy and Mind Class Miracles, for instance, matched Harvey and Iger’s specialties perfectly. How could they not feel tempted? Simply being able to look at the Miracles would have been enough to satisfy them, even if they couldn’t learn them themselves.

They opened the book to view several rankings, including the Four-Winged Sorcerer Comprehensive Combat Power, Sorcery Class Popularity, the Miracle, and the Spirit Rankings. However, each time they tried, a prompt appeared and stopped them in their tracks, one freeloaders knew all too well and couldn’t help but weep at.

[Your points are insufficient. Purchase unavailable.]

Pankey nodded. ”Yes, you do.”

Instead of continuing, he pulled out a metal cigarette case that looked completely out of place in his youthful hands. ”Do you mind?”

Harvey waved a hand. ”Give me one too. Will it give a buzz?”

Pankey chuckled. ”Haha, I’m not so young that a cigarette can make me feel high anymore. These are healthier cigarettes. I just have the habit of smoking while talking.”

Harvey scoffed. ”So now there’s healthy smoking? Eating candy is healthy for me too.”

While the two veteran smokers began puffing out clouds of smoke, Ashe clicked his tongue in disgust and pulled Lys to the other end of the table. He activated the Wind Barrier spirit and raised a barrier of circulating air between them.

Iger did not move from his seat. He simply flicked a finger. The airflow in the living room shifted at once, guiding the smoke drifting from Pankey and Harvey toward the balcony.

Ashe blinked in surprise. ”Veela, do you also have access to Wind spirits?”

Iger replied calmly, ”Yes. They’re useful for things like spreading aphrodisiacs or poisoning.”

”How do you always manage to say terrifying things so casually?”

Pankey flicked the ash neatly from his cigarette, then leaned back slightly as though he were finally settling into the conversation.

”I’ll give each of you the latest revised Gospel Ranking Catalogue later. It contains rankings that don’t change often but attract a great deal of attention, such as the Sorcery Class Popularity Ranking. If you’re interested, you can browse them at your own time.

”As for rankings that update frequently, you’ll need to spend points to access them. They aren’t expensive. One point buys you twenty-four hours of access to a ranking.”

He gestured toward their Book of Gospels. ”Go ahead and open them. The points the Lady gave you should have arrived already.”

Ashe quickly opened his Book of Gospel. The moment he did, his face darkened. ”Only 100 points?”

Iger said calmly, ”Pankey, can I file a real-name report about Ashe complaining?”

”Iger, you corporate snitch!”

While the two argued noisily, Harvey quietly kept his attention on Pankey. He soon noticed something interesting. Pankey completely ignored the commotion. Instead, he lifted his cigarette slightly toward Harvey in a small greeting.

Harvey immediately caught on. The young butler was not someone easy to read. If Pankey showed approval toward Iger’s display of loyalty, it would reveal something about his personality. If he showed irritation toward Ashe’s complaints, that would reveal something as well.

Inside the Funeral Agency, Pankey was the only local they could interact with, aside from Annan. The moment he revealed even a little of his likes or dislikes, Iger would have room to maneuver.

In fact, the moment Pankey took out the cigarette case, the three outlanders had already exchanged a quick glance and silently divided their roles.

Harvey would observe while Ashe and Iger played opposing sides and undermined each other.

As long as one of them managed to get closer to Pankey, the plan would be a success.

Pankey continued, ”I don’t recommend spending those hundred points on rankings. One hundred points isn’t a large amount, but it isn’t small either. At the very least, those points can get the book to answer one valuable question. The Lady gave them to you so you could experience the glory of the book.

”For sorcerers using the Book of Gospel for the first time, certain questions offer excellent value.”

He counted them off casually. ”For example, which sorcery class do I have the most talent in? Which spirit should I summon next? Or how can I optimize my current spirit system?”

Pankey took another drag from his cigarette. ”Of course, since you only have a hundred points, the book’s answer will be quite brief. But you can always explore the matter in greater detail later based on its response. But...”

He paused abruptly. Then, smoke drifting from his lips, he said slowly, ”I suspect you have more personal questions you’d like to ask.”

He had struck the mark.

Power was important, but humans were social creatures. Very few sorcerers pursued power for its own sake. Power was merely a tool, an effective form of capital used to obtain other resources. Many sorcerers eventually became embodiments of power itself, but the three outlanders clearly still held onto the joys and sorrows of ordinary life.

Harvey often claimed he had nothing left to care about, but even he trembled slightly at the butler’s words. Without noticing, he drew on the cigarette backward, and the burning tip singed his lips. His eyes remained fixed on the Gospel, as though he still had not decided what question to ask.

Iger hesitated for a moment. Then he turned the Book of Gospel to the Question page and wrote down his thoughts. Did Amy Lexas suffer any negative consequences because of my escape?

The Book of Gospel quickly displayed the pricing details.

[Target has a close relationship with you: −80% cost.

Target has interacted with you within the past three days: −65% cost.

Target is a Two-Winged sorcerer: +50% cost.

Target is not within the Gospel Kingdom: +1000% cost.]

[You have insufficient points.]

As expected, asking about matters in other kingdoms came at an extremely high price. The Book of Gospel was not simply retrieving stored intelligence. It used Miracles to perform a genuine prophecy. In contrast, inquiries about matters within the Gospel Kingdom were far cheaper.

Iger’s eyes flickered as he entered another query.

[Information on Annan Dolan.]

Cost: 3 points.

Annan Dolan: Rank third on the Azura Beauty Ranking, rank eighth on the Overall Beauty Ranking, rank tenth on the Two-Winged Sorcerer Comprehensive Combat Power Ranking, and rank ninth on the Azura Mission Ranking. Director of the Funeral Agency (currently removed from the ranking).

He added another query. Annan Dolan’s family background.

[You do not have permission to access a citizen’s private information.]

Just as he expected. Anyone trying to investigate a person through the Book of Gospel could only access the most superficial details. Any deeper inquiry would be rejected.

However, Iger noticed something else. The Book of Gospel did not say the request was forbidden. It said he lacked permission.

In other words, someone with the proper authority could use the Book of Gospel to obtain everything about a person, including their privacy, location, sorcery classes, and more.

It seems the Red Hats might hold authority even greater than the Bloodrage Hunters. Wait... no permission to access a citizen’s privacy? Can we even be called citizens? Of course not. How could foreign invaders ever receive legal protection from the Omniscient Weaver? And the imprisonment countdown from the Omniscient Weaver is still ticking right behind our ears.

In the Gospel Kingdom, our current status is effectively that of illegal immigrants. Even if we want to clear it, we have to wait until the countdown ends. Which means... until the countdown finishes, Ashe and Harvey’s information is fully accessible through the Book.

Less than two days remained until the countdown ended. If anyone wanted to dig up their past, this was the only chance.

Iger suddenly recalled the revelation he had received earlier that day. Do not ask any questions about Ashe Heath.

Experience had shown that whenever Iger acted against a revelation, things rarely ended well. Ashe had dragged him into a prison break, pulled him into one mess after another, and tricked him again and again. Yet now, the one opportunity to gain leverage over Ashe lay right in front of him. He had to consider whether this might be the only chance he would ever get.

To restore the glory of fraudsters, I cannot shrink from my duty!

With that thought, he entered the question.

”Does Ashe Heath have any weaknesses that can be exploited or used for threats?”