Chapter 776: Chapter 776

“Does it get dark at 4 p.m. in your Galaxia?”

Felix, who was holding clothes at the side, turned to glance at the starry sky outside, shook her head, and showed a hint of confusion on her face. “It’s October now. In October, night falls between 6:30 and 7:00 p.m… At this time, the luminous star should be slanting west, there’s no way it should be dark.”

While using an eyebrow pencil to draw Ashe’s brows, Igor casually asked, “Could it be that someone from Stars sent people to catch us?”

“If they really sent people to catch fugitives, they wouldn’t deliberately plunge the whole city into night just to notify you, right?” Felix said irritably. “It’s probably just a malfunction in the weather system.”

“Weather system?” Ashe was about to turn his head to ask, but Igor grabbed his chin and forced it back.

“Wind, rain, frost, snow, day and night-all the weather nationwide is regulated and arranged by the weather system.”

Felix said, “Galaxia is the most pleasant residential area, completely not serving agriculture or industry. In agricultural towns and industrial cities, the temperature is either too hot or too cold, the weather either too rainy or too sunny.”

“All of it can be adjusted, including day and night?”

“Of course. There are even cities with year-round night or year-round day. Those places often produce some special fruits, and some sorcerers like to go there to study light spell or shadow spell.”

“There’s no sun here,” Igor took out an eyelash curler, curled Ashe’s lashes, then brushed on a primer. “Only the luminous star.”

Ashe was stunned, then nodded thoughtfully. “Stars Kingdom only has the Stars…”

“I know what you’re thinking, but what you should focus on isn’t the starry sky, but your own appearance.” Igor said calmly, “Everything in this Kingdom has nothing to do with us.”

Ashe heard the warning in Igor’s words. They would return to Gospel Kingdom in three days, so for these three days, it was best to just hide quietly with Felix and not get involved in other matters. Ashe was just a little curious, but had no interest in meddling in other Kingdoms’ affairs.

Unless the sword Princess wanted to get involved.

“No need for false eyelashes, right!?”

“They can make your eyes look bigger and give you more dimension.”

“No, no, no!” Ashe shrank his head back desperately.

“Suit yourself.” Igor put the false eyelashes back in the box, glanced at the bottles and jars on the dressing table, and asked nonchalantly, “Felix, as a man, your cosmetics are really complete. Isn’t that a bit strange?”

Ashe complained, “As a man, you actually managed to use 90% of the cosmetics here. Who’s the strange one, really?”

Felix said calmly, “I used to have a girlfriend. She set up this dressing table. Later on, I’d occasionally use the skincare products and masks inside, but I didn’t touch the rest much.”

A truly flawless excuse… Igor’s gaze swept from Felix’s toes up to her eyes, making Felix turn her head away, not daring to meet his gaze.

But, it’s none of our business anyway.

Igor motioned for Ashe to stand in front of the full-length mirror. “This is the best I can do. If you want to go further, you’ll have to look into biomechanical modifications.”

Felix looked at the mirror and couldn’t help but be amazed.

Sword-like brows and starry eyes, heroic and dashing, handsome yet not lacking in masculinity, a touch of abstinence mixed with a hint of allure. She hadn’t expected her own clothes to look so good on someone else.

However, Ashe wasn’t very satisfied.

“You’ve made me look like a male Bewitcher… I’m not a fan of this style… I prefer something cooler!”

“If by ‘cool’ you mean adding a few chains for a dark style, then I’ll never have any expectations for your taste again.” Igor looked at Felix. “What do you think?”

“Huh?” Felix hadn’t expected them to ask her opinion. After hesitating for a moment, she replied, “…Looks pretty good.”

Ashe pointed at Igor and asked, “So who looks better, me or him?”

Felix blinked. Honestly, Igor’s absolute looks were undoubtedly far superior to Ashe’s, but because Igor resembled her brother Dimy a bit, she disliked Igor by association.

By comparison, Ashe was the type who grew more attractive the more you looked, and since Felix wanted to stir up discord between them, she immediately replied, “You look better!”

Ashe said, “You hesitated for a second, not sincere enough.”

Igor said, “But Felix did hesitate for a second.”

Ashe thought for a moment, then nodded heavily. “True, to make someone hesitate for a second between you and me, it seems I really have reached the peak of my looks.”

He waved at Felix. “You’ve really helped us out this time, and even lent us your clothes. Come here, Igor and I want to give you a thank-you gift.”

Felix saw that they were quite polite, so she walked over and said, “No need. As long as you leave as soon as possible, that’s the best gift for me.”

“Don’t refuse, it’s nothing valuable.” Ashe waved his hand. “We just want to give you a Oneiros.”

Igor patted Felix’s head, and Felix’s eyes closed as she fell backward onto the bed, instantly falling into a deep sleep.

Ashe and Igor left the bedroom and entered the hall, where they saw Harvey sitting on the coffin lid. A pale, slender right hand stretched out from the coffin-Harvey was helping Alice trim her nails.

The necromancer glanced back at Ashe and shook his head. “If you added a few chains as decoration, you’d probably look cooler.”

Igor looked at Ashe and spread his hands. Ashe lowered his head in shame and confessed, “Looks like my sense of style really is broken.”

“Has Alice recovered?”

“Basically recovered, just needs some sun, or she’ll get osteoporosis.”

Everyone sat around the coffin, leaving only the sound of Harvey clipping his nails.

After a few minutes, Ashe asked, “Don’t you guys have anything to do?”

“Do you want to watch an afternoon drama?” Igor asked.

“Actually, there’s something a bit embarrassing I want to discuss with you.” Ashe’s tone was not embarrassed at all. “When I go on a date, could you guys give me some privacy?”

Harvey stopped what he was doing and asked in surprise, “Aren’t you going to introduce her to us?”

“Of course I plan to, but at least for the first date, I don’t want to ruin the mood.”

“How would we ruin the mood?”

Ashe looked at Harvey, who was holding hands with Alice inside the coffin. “…Well, what can I do? You’re breathing, aren’t you?”

Harvey said, “Actually, I can stop breathing…”

“Alright,” Igor interrupted. “During that time, Harvey and I will go to the Virtual Realm. We’ll stay in the Distant Sky Domain for three or four hours at least. That should be enough time for you two to have your fun, right?”

“Not enough, but I’m willing to compromise for your sake.” Ashe chuckled. “As a thank-you… Ah, I already gave you my thank-you gift.”

“Do you remember, back in Wishflux Celestium, I had the Dreamwake deity grant you a divine intervention?” Ashe said. “That was Divine Intervention: Delayed Dreamwake. It’ll trigger as soon as you enter the Virtual Realm.”

“Simply put, you’ll be like me-triggering the faded dream and leaving the Distant Sky Domain directly to climb Ruby Mountain!”

Igor and Harvey had used the cursed Seven Colors Tail Feather to cross the Sanctuary threshold and climb straight to the Distant Sky Domain; otherwise, there was no way they could have advanced from two-wing sorcerer to three wings sorcerer in just a few months.

But the price was that they couldn’t establish a connection channel with the fourth layer of the Virtual Realm. In other words, even if they later raised their spellcasting realm to legend, they still couldn’t summon a single Four-winged Spirit, nor could they open the Gate of Truth to Ruby Mountain.

After Ashe obtained the Dreamwake deity, he’d been thinking about how to help them overcome this curse. Delayed Dreamwake was the task he left for Wakey, and he hadn’t expected the deity to be so proactive, actually researching a divine intervention on its own.

Fortunately, after entering Wishflux Celestium, Ashe immediately had Wakey cast Delayed Dreamwake on the two of them; otherwise, Igor and Harvey’s advancement would have had to wait until Ashe’s next return to Wishflux Celestium.

The Con Artist and necromancer were both stunned by the news, unable to react for a moment. Ashe urged, “Since you have time now, go ahead and advance to legend. I’ll stand guard for you outside, and we’ll switch shifts.”

Last night, only Ashe entered the Virtual Realm, while Igor and Harvey kept watch; now it was Ashe’s turn to keep watch and let Igor and Harvey enter the Virtual Realm.

“Ashe, you…” Igor opened his mouth, but for a moment couldn’t say a word.

“Remember to say hi to the Ruby Angel for me,” Ashe said with a smile. “Our biggest regret was reaching the top of Ruby Mountain but not seeing the legendary Angel.”

The two said nothing, immediately closing their eyes to connect to the Virtual Realm.

Ashe opened Aurora’s Sorcerer Handbook-Operator Management, keeping a close eye on the changes in the faded dream secret toxin.

After a while, he saw the Number of Secret Toxin Infections rise from 10 to 12!

“Faded Dream Secret Toxin”

“Number of Secret Toxin Infections: 12”

“Secret Toxin Strength: 12%”

“Current Effects of the Secret Toxin: ① You can convert Rainbow spellforce into Primary Color spellforce at a conversion ratio of 62:38; ② When you use Primary Color spellforce to drive spirits below Four Wings, you can achieve effects equivalent to Four Wings; ③ While holding this secret toxin, all your colorless spellforce will convert into Primary Color spellforce, and same-color spirits will receive enhancement. (When strength reaches 51%, it becomes a negative effect; when it drops to 10%, you gain a huge enhancement.)”

Ashe compared and found that the faded dream secret toxin had lost the effect of reducing spellforce consumption, and the conversion ratio had dropped a bit, but it was still acceptable.

Luckily, the toxin hadn’t been weakened too much, or he wouldn’t know how to explain to the sword Princess and Witch. After all, with a zero-sum mechanism toxin, if others gain more, it means they get less.

Just then, Igor and Harvey almost simultaneously opened their eyes. They exchanged glances, both looking grim.

Igor said, “We couldn’t enter Ruby Mountain.”

“I triggered the faded dream, and the whole Distant Sky Domain started to shatter,” Harvey said. “But the next second, we were forcibly ejected from the Virtual Realm, back to reality. We never made it into Ruby Mountain.”

“How could this happen?” Ashe muttered. “We clearly reached the top of Ruby Mountain after triggering the faded dream secret toxin-“

“Because you weren’t cursed by the Rainbow Tail Feather,” Igor said calmly. “The real meaning of ‘unable to establish a connection channel with the fourth layer of the Virtual Realm’ might be-we can’t establish our own Gate of Truth to Ruby Mountain.”

Suddenly, Ashe realized something. “Wait, can you still return to the Distant Sky Domain now?”

The two tried, then shook their heads.

“The Virtual Realm has always allowed only forward progress, never retreat,” Igor said softly. “Now we’ve left the Distant Sky Domain, but can’t enter Ruby Mountain… Just like our current situation: we’ve left the Blood Moon, but aren’t recognized by the Stars. We can only become fugitives caught in the cracks.”

“We can no longer log into the Virtual Realm.”

Ashe was a little dazed. He lowered his head, staring blankly at his hands.

Harvey said calmly, “It’s not your fault. We just had bad luck.”

“At least we’ve witnessed the faded dream.” Igor’s tone was relaxed. “We’re already stronger than the vast majority of sorcerers in the world.”

Ashe suddenly stood up. No matter how beautiful the clothes or how exquisite the makeup, they couldn’t hide the disappointment on his face.

“I’m going to the restroom.”

Watching Ashe leave almost as if fleeing, slamming the restroom door behind him, Igor and Harvey also fell silent in turn. The relaxed smiles on their faces vanished, leaving only expressionless masks.

“Necromancer, do you feel hate?” After a while, Igor suddenly asked.

“I don’t.” Harvey replied calmly, “I never thought I could become a sanctuary sorcerer. To have come this far is already lucky. Besides, when I used the Rainbow Tail Feather, I was already prepared to bear the cost.”

“That’s true.” Igor leaned against the soft chair, his voice soft as well. “What’s there to hate?”

He gazed at the ceiling, as if staring into the distant past. “Back at Shattered Lake, when did I ever dare hope to become a sanctuary sorcerer? After experiencing the Weaving Festival and witnessing the Senlo Doomsday, my life has already been far more exciting than I ever imagined. What do I have to complain about?”

The Con Artist pressed his lips together and took a deep breath. “I hate that our journey has to come to an end.”

“He’s now a legendary sorcerer, and might even become a demigod sorcerer in the future. He’ll reach heights we can’t even look up to no matter how hard we try. We can only stand below and listen to his glory, not even qualified to gaze at his back.”

“Perhaps not even death can separate us, but now is the time for parting.”

“I hate that I’m only a sanctuary sorcerer, and I also hate… that he’s no longer a sanctuary sorcerer.” Igor closed his eyes and said softly, “Just how much power does it take to grasp happiness? At least, I know the answer isn’t sanctuary sorcerer.”

Harvey said nothing. Alice quietly gripped the necromancer’s hand.

The restroom door was suddenly kicked open. Ashe rushed over, hooked his arms around their necks and pulled them together, shouting excitedly, “There’s still a way! It acknowledges you-we still have a way!”

“If you can’t establish your own Gate of Truth to Ruby Mountain, then you can enter Ruby Mountain through my Gate of Truth!” Ashe could barely contain his joy, his words tumbling out, “You’ve crossed the faded dream. Even though you can’t enter Ruby Mountain, the Virtual Realm already recognizes you as sorcerers of Ruby Mountain!”

“You’re at the same Virtual Realm progress as me. I can take you into Ruby Mountain!”

What Ashe was talking about was the artifact he’d just drawn-the Gate of the Minor Four Pillars!

This artifact was useless for him and the operators, but for Igor and Harvey, it was the key artifact that could change the trajectory of their fate! As long as he could bring them into Ruby Mountain, they could continue to grow, and might even have a chance to challenge the demigod domain!

Igor and Harvey were slightly stunned. It wasn’t that they doubted Ashe could bring people into the Virtual Realm-they’d known for a long time that the Wishflux Celestium was obtained by Ashe and his teammates.

It was just that Ashe had always been evasive about it, and they’d assumed the conditions for bringing others were extremely harsh, so they’d never brought it up.

So Ashe really could take them into the Virtual Realm together?

Because Ashe moved too much, a small box fell from him. He immediately crouched down to pick it up. Igor glanced at it and asked, “What’s that?”

“Didn’t you say you didn’t prepare a gift? Did you steal it from Felix?”

“I bought it a long time ago in Black Robe Town.” Ashe’s tone was a bit evasive. “I was planning to give it later… But since we’re going back to Gospel in three days, and I can’t buy any other gifts, I can only give this one.”

Igor’s expression immediately became a bit subtle. “Could it be that in this box…”

Seeing that the Con Artist had guessed, Ashe sighed and had to open the box. “That’s right, it’s rings.”

Inside the little black box, a pair of shiny couple rings lay quietly on black goose velvet.

“You wanted to buy couple rings back when you were in Black Robe Town!?”

“I actually bought three pairs…”

Igor couldn’t help but widen his eyes with a snort. “What?”

“Can I have a pair?” Harvey asked. “Alice said she wants one too.”

“No, buy your own if you want them.” Ashe said. “Alright, alright, the point now is to take you into Ruby Mountain. If you’re ready, then let’s-“

“We’re not in a hurry, you have a date later.” Igor smiled. “Let’s do it tomorrow.”

“There are still a few hours until the appointed time, and if you two don’t go to Ruby Mountain, you’ll definitely eavesdrop on my date.” Ashe said. “If I settle this early, I can relax sooner.” Thɪs chapter is updated by 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹•𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒•𝙣𝙚𝙩

He closed the little black box and put it in his shirt pocket. “When you’re ready, we’ll start the Ruby Mountain journey.”

“Exploring the Virtual Realm with you,” Igor tilted his head, “feels kind of strange.”

“We don’t know if death can separate us.” Harvey lowered his head and kissed the back of Alice’s hand, smiling. “But at least the Virtual Realm can’t.”

“Newcomers, stick close to your seniors and don’t get lost in Ruby Mountain.” Ashe grinned. “Next stop, Ruby Mountain!”

Gate of the Minor Four Pillars, activate!

The apocalypse observer, the Con Artist, the necromancer… descend upon Ruby Mountain!