Mage Manual

Chapter 1621 - 1189: The Deal

The person Sesilia feared the most in her heart was the Director of the Messenger Agency, the Varnisher, even after meeting Gregory. Although the Varnisher was not a Holy Sanctuary Mage, he had under his command three loyal Two-winged Generals, among whom ’Iron Fist’ Kevin was one.

He wore an Illusion Helmet that completely covered his head, making it seem that his entire head had only a mouth as an organ at first glance. The pattern on his helmet changed colors daily, and staring at it for more than two seconds could make one dizzy, resembling a walking sacrificial statue. His terror did not lie in cruelty, but in his oblivious madness—when Sesilia first met the Varnisher, he was turning her mission target into a chair. Even though he did not pay her any attention, focusing entirely on assembling his work, Sesilia dared not move and stood by to watch the entire process.

It wasn’t until the Varnisher added polish to the chair that he said, "Actually, I wanted to make a table too, but it seems you have a higher caliber."

The Messenger Agency was a highly elite mage group with few members, none of whom dared to defy the Varnisher’s will. Ambitious people saw the Varnisher as an opportunity amidst chaos; the cruel pursued a higher form of cruelty here, but most were simply drawn by the Varnisher’s charismatic personality... The Varnisher never restricted Sesilia’s comings and goings, but she stayed out of a mix of fear and the compelling, nerve-wracking allure that danger itself seemed to have.

But even the Varnisher had never made her feel such a bone-deep chill before, her thoughts resisting functioning due to fear. Though her nose took in the citrusy scent of fruity fragrance, and pink curly ponytails brushed smoothly against her cheek adorably, and the voice was sweet and melodious, she felt as if a giant serpent was behind her, its damp and slick tongue licking her body as if ready to swallow her at any moment.

This was truly the devil from urban legends! There wasn’t just one devil!

And their relationship was—

"Why are you here?" Ash asked.

"The Gospel informed us that a Sun Technique Spirit was entering the district and it never came to Liwan District after waiting quite a while, so I came to take a look," Vishi said, as she pinched Sesilia’s chin, inspecting her like a toy, "I didn’t expect to disturb you, my Master, from having your midnight snack~"

Master!?

Upon closer scrutiny, Sesilia saw this monster draped in human skin was actually wearing a maid’s outfit, speaking the word ’master’ with such natural ease; no wonder she said Sesilia wasn’t qualified... even a monster like her could only be a maid. Sesilia felt she at most could only be a metal doll.

Vishi raised Sesilia’s metal arm and arched an eyebrow, "Machines? Master, your tastes are becoming more diverse."

"Don’t talk nonsense, the Sword Maiden is in town in a few days, and I don’t want to piss her off," Ash retorted peevishly, "Those people outside, do you know them?"

Vishi glanced at the Voodoo Office on the street outside and shook her head, "No, did they upset you? I could send them a thousand-day Soul Refining package later to make sure they regret being born into this world."

Ash said, "They intend to monopolize all Sun Technique Spirits in Azura to trade with us. If I hadn’t seen them robbing, I wouldn’t have intervened."

"Hmm, why?"

"Don’t you think there’s a problem?"

"Isn’t it great to have an organization willing to help us collect Sun Technique Spirits? As long as we can obtain them, that’s what matters," Vishi replied, "This is the direction I wanted to guide; compared to fragmented trades, isn’t it more convenient for someone to lead a bulk supply to trade with us?"

"But if they monopolize the Sun Technique Spirits, they could freely set prices..." Ash stopped mid-sentence, realizing from Vishi’s look of disdain that she never intended fair trade; she just wanted to entice mortals through the initial trades, baiting them into monopolizing the Technique Spirits and amassing supplies, naively thinking they could name their price to the devil, but all that awaited them was the mockery of the Ghost Prophet.

Vishi was indeed a devil; her expertise lay in using greed to lure mortals into the inescapable Abyss, having likely drained victims dry with this method thousands of years ago. Ash couldn’t criticize her too much because the Sun Technique Spirit was crucial to them, and the mages caught in greed were bound to commit murders for monopoly, so if Vishi ended their lives and refined their souls, it wouldn’t violate Ash’s command.

However, if Ash condoned this behavior this time, Vishi would surely adopt more aggressive methods in the future, gradually eroding his moral baseline.

After three months of peace, this wicked woman was stirring again, and I can’t even scold her... Ash rubbed his temples and said, "Don’t do it this way."

"Got it, my dear Master," Vishi replied nonchalantly, scratching Sesilia’s chin, "Let’s finish this deal for now."

Unconsciously, she was already sitting next to Sesilia, holding her in her arms. Yet Sesilia didn’t feel any comfort at all but rather a suffocating feeling as though being engulfed by a giant snake.

But hearing Vishi mention her, Sesilia mustered the courage to say, "My wish is to follow you! I’ll do anything you want as long as I can stay by your side!"

She felt her cheeks burn as she spoke, never having imagined herself to be so bold and impulsive, pledging almost a vow of devotion to a mysterious entity she hadn’t known for even an hour, suspected to be a devil. Just the thought made her feel like a foolish girl utterly smitten... Yet there was some inexplicable intuition that if she missed this chance, she would spend her life wondering if everything would have been different had she been braver this summer night.

The only fear Sesilia had was whether her boldness would make the other look down upon her... But she looked up to find Ash’s lips curling upward in a smile, embarrassment faintly veiled within.

"Thank you," he said sincerely, "Thank you for appreciating me this much."

Sesilia was stunned, looking down at her knees, an acidic feeling filling her eyes, wanting nothing more than to hide under the table.

Vishi sniffed beside her neck, savoring as if it were fine wine, "Such a determined and resilient soul... with a hint of ambition, anger, a touch of ruthlessness, and a bit of lovebrain; quite a talent, with hair still wine-red."

"You are actually a very good girl, but sadly, we have too many girls like you around," Vishi chuckled, "You’re late."

She could bear it earlier, but with Vishi’s mockery, Sesilia couldn’t hold back anymore, tears welling up and overflowing unabated, only able to wipe the teardrops with her cold metal hand back. She didn’t even know why her emotions were so out of control; she could endure the neural and phantom limb agony monthly silently, but now, merely by not getting, it felt as painful as losing.

"Don’t tease her." Ash said irritably, "Sesilia, can I call you that?"

"Hmm."

"You may have misunderstood something, but I’m not some... Cult Leader. I don’t recruit followers." Ash paused, saying, "If you want to be friends with me, there’s no need to make a wish. I’m not the type to charge a friend fee."

"As for wanting to stay by my side... Sorry, staying by my side is too risky for you, and you’re just acting on impulse. You might wake up tomorrow regretting saying these things tonight."

"Hmm."

"Rest assured, the reward I offer is absolutely worth your hard work—"

Before Ash could finish, Sesilia slammed the box containing the Sun Technique Spirit onto the table. Vishi reached out to take it, but Sesilia held it down stubbornly, glaring at Ash.

The Ghost Prophet was slightly startled, then raised his eyebrows, looking at the metal doll with a playful malice in his eyes—

"Don’t bother with the little girl."

Ash smiled as he patted Vishi’s hand, reached out to take the box, and then pulled out a small glass bottle from his pocket, containing a drop of dark red liquid shaped like a teardrop: "It won’t solve all problems, but at least most of the problems you won’t have to worry about."

"Huh?" Vishi blinked: "Do you really need to bring out this thing? She’s a Silver Mage..."

"She’s currently being pursued by a Two-winged Mage for competing over the Sun Technique Spirit. This drop of essence can protect her."

"I could teach her Soul Refining methods, and then it’d be easy to defeat enemies above her level!"

Ash’s mouth twitched: "Let’s not talk about whether I’d allow you to teach, but isn’t your magic inheritance far more valuable than this drop of essence?"

Vishi pouted: "I only teach knowledge of the Golden Realm. Anyway, I can let her dominate the Two-winged."

"And then end an evil life with Soul Refining, right?" Ash said annoyed: "Our fair trade is about fulfilling their wishes, not pushing them into the fire pit!"

He raised the bottle and said to Sesilia: "This is a knowledge essence. You don’t need to remember; after the transaction, you’ll forget it. You just need to remember to always carry it with you. It can increase the success rate of summoning Technique Spirits, lower the difficulty of casting Miracles, affect other mages within ten meters of you, increase the Technique Spirit casting difficulty, and the error rate of Miracles will soar. Even if pursued by Two-winged Mages, you can easily escape, but it’s best not to provoke Holy Sanctuary Mages."

Sesilia listened, dazed: "Is there really such an all-powerful treasure?"

It could gather the knowledge essence of Prison Wings; the power of a Demigod is ultimately irresistible to mortals. Even a single drop is a treasure unimaginable on earth. Ash opened the bottle and poured out the essence droplet, then beckoned with his finger. The Flowing Light Butterfly perched on Sesilia’s shoulder flew over, carrying the droplet and transforming into a beautiful dark gemstone pendant.

Vishi took the pendant and placed it on Sesilia, commented: "Master, your aesthetic is really... you actually refined a pure gold chain to match with dark red..."

"Huh? Doesn’t it look good?" Ash awkwardly smiled and stood up: "Then I’ll refine it again—"

"No, it’s beautiful!" Sesilia cautiously grasped the pendant with her metal hands, as if afraid of crushing it with too much force, inexplicable power filled her body: "I want this one!"

At this moment, she felt her head being gently stroked, looking up to see Ash smiling at her.

"The transaction is over. Have a pleasant evening, Sesilia."

Ash turned and walked out of the shop, waved without looking back: "See you next time, little girl."

Vishi stepped in front of her, bowing slightly, no longer as assertive as before, and truly looking like a poised and elegant maid.

Watching them fade into the rainy night, Sesilia still felt like she was dreaming.

An all-or-nothing betrayal, a thrilling adventure, a reward given by the Devil... It seemed she gained a lot but also missed more.

Memories of the two Devils gradually faded; by tomorrow when the sun rises, she’ll completely forget their appearance and crucial information. But for now, she clings to the marvelous gift left by the Devil.

The still world resumed, and the pattering water droplets finally hit the ground, the street echoed with cries, Holy Sanctuary Mage with pierced eyes rolling on the ground. Yet Sesilia had no mood to savor the enemy’s disgrace, a lingering sense of unease cloaked this metal doll:

"I’ve already turned twenty; I’m not a little girl anymore..."