Mage Manual-Chapter 259 - 223 The Flaw of Bonds

Chapter 259: Chapter 223: The Flaw of Bonds

Chapter 259 -223: The Flaw of Bonds

Although they wanted to scavenge a second resource point, they ran into an old acquaintance, the “Fish-Slicing Dragon”, on the way and thought it was a chance encounter in a foreign land, so might as well make a day of it right then and there with a friendly exchange.

Although there was no ocean, the Fish-Slicing Dragon on land was not to be underestimated, and it wasn’t in its juvenile or adolescent stage, but an exceedingly close to mature adult creature, with a body at least twenty meters long, half of its scales having transformed into a dark red color.

Once all its scales turned dark red, it would evolve into the mature “Violent Slash Dragon”, capable of contending with top-tier Two-winged Mages, but for now, it was at most half a step into full maturity, just a tad shy of evolving.

What’s that, you ask why I need to go into detail about this Fish-Slicing Dragon?

Because it’s really quite wealthy.

After a tough battle, the lucky Fish-Slicing Dragon exploded into a pile of spoils, and the prepared trio simultaneously acted to capture all the escaping Technique Spirits.

First off, it dropped Two-winged “Sword Trace” and “Sword Cut” Technique Spirits. Sonia, who wanted to follow the traditional path of a Sword Master, needed to upgrade all three Technique Spirits—Slash, Stab, and Cut—to establish a solid foundation in swordsmanship, so “Sword Cut” was claimed by Ash, who didn’t care about the basics anyway.

“Sword Trace” was compatible with most swordsmanship Technique Spirits. Sonia didn’t lack the added offensive power from “Sword Trace”, but Ash, who currently only had Heart Sword for ranged attacks, could try to combine “Heart Sword” with “Sword Trace” to create a new Miracle that might produce a stable and efficient offensive method.

Besides swordsmanship Technique Spirits, the Fish-Slicing Dragon also dropped a Two-winged “Water Erosion” Technique Spirit.

This Technique Spirit was snatched up by Diya; her own “Water Lineage” was already an attack method based on Water Magic Technique Spirits, expressed through the Fist Claw Faction style. The “Water Erosion” Technique Spirit could perfectly integrate into her combat system and potentially combine to form a new Miracle.

Apart from these Technique Spirits, the other Technique Spirits of the Fish-Slicing Dragon were barely worth mentioning and were all handled by Ash’s spare operator processor.

But aside from the Technique Spirits, the Fish-Slicing Dragon also dropped a swordsmanship Treasure Bead!

The bead was undoubtedly joyfully accepted by Sonia, though she had modestly offered it to Ash first, her hand nonetheless clutched the bead firmly, and Ash didn’t even bother calling her out on it.

One Fish-Slicing Dragon brought benefits to all three people.

Fish-Slicing Dragon, you’re so gentle.

However, a near-mature Fish-Slicing Dragon was not raised on seaweed; it boasted thick blood, high defenses, and ferocious combat capabilities. Unfortunately for it, Ash and Sonia had already killed almost a dozen Fish Dragons in the Sea of Knowledge. They knew exactly what a slight tail lift or head raise signified, and they could perfectly apply their past strategies to this encounter.

Even if something went awry, the trio could coordinate to cover for each other, and the Fish-Slicing Dragon never got the chance to fully unleash its fury, embarrassingly toyed with until the very end.

Although they had managed to successfully slay this half-step into full maturity knowledge creature, the battle lasted for half an hour, and their Magic Power and soul energy were now mostly depleted, leaving them unable to continue exploring.

Magic Power was like a mana bar, which could recover with rest in the Void Realm; soul energy was like a combination of health and stamina bars, which would deplete from injury and activities. It could not be replenished in the Void Realm, and once entirely depleted, one would have to exit the realm or risk damaging the soul.

After tidying up their loot on the sports car, Ash declared, “Everyone did great tonight, let’s keep up the good work tomorrow evening. Tonight’s achievements are tomorrow’s goals; let’s aim for a bit of improvement each day! So now we’ll—”

“Observer,” Sonia suddenly interjected, “I have something I want to talk to you about.”

“Sure, go ahead,” Ash replied readily.

Diya very considerately stood up, “I’ll go work on integrating the new Technique Spirit. Let me know when you’re done talking.”

As the Witch’s silhouette was swallowed by the Golden Rain, Sonia looked at Ash. Her throat had been full of words, but in the end, she only uttered a single sound: “Hmph!”

“You’re not still upset, are you?” Ash asked, somewhat amused yet exasperated, “Didn’t you just accept the Witch into the team?”

“I’m not… It’s not just that… Never mind.”

Sonia waved her hand in frustration and suddenly asked, “Can’t you listen to my heart in the Void Realm?”

Ash, puzzled, responded, “Of course not.”

Not just in the Void Realm, but at no time could he do that.

“Wait a minute, does the game have a feature that listens to the operators’ inner thoughts?” So is that why the Sword Maiden thinks she can listen to mine?

Speaking of this type of collectible growth mobile game, there indeed tends to be a similar mechanism, usually manifesting as the player tapping an operator’s avatar, which causes the operator to spout a few lines. The higher the operator’s trust level, the more heart-tugging their lines become.

But during Ash’s dull moments in Shattered Lake Prison, even after thoroughly researching the game system, he hadn’t discovered any other functional modules… Damn, could it have been lost and never repaired?

“Sigh…”

Sonia sat next to the back seat, gazing at the golden rain outside, and let out a gentle sigh.

It was Ash’s first time seeing the Sword Maiden look so sorrowful. In his memory, she was always portrayed as a character who pressed forward with song and fervor. Even when faced with setbacks, her fighting spirit only flamed higher. She was like a flower so full of life, pent-up with an energy that had to burst out in fragrance and vivid color, outshining all others, answerable to no one.

And now, she seemed like a dark flower blooming in a lonely corner of the courtyard, quietly self-pitying, yet possessing a peculiar charm that touched the soul.

However…

“Your face just doesn’t match with contemplation.”

Ash reached out and poked her forehead, laughing, “Are you troubled by something? Tell me; let’s have a laugh.”

“It should be ‘doesn’t match with sorrow’!”

Sonia shielded her forehead, replying irritably, “How are you doing now?”

How did the topic switch to me? Ash blinked, “Thanks to you, I’m getting by.”

“Be more specific.” Sonia shot him an annoyed glance, “Have you left the Kingdom of Blood Moon? Is your current residence safe? Is there any danger in your daily life? Are there any pressing difficulties? Even if I can’t help much, I can at least offer some advice.”

Actually, Sonia had been wanting to ask for a while, but after entering the Void Realm, she was distracted by the Witch joining the team. Then the Observer brought a sports car for Void Realm Exploration, and with the Witch constantly at her side, she never found the chance for a private chat with the Observer.

Now, as the team was about to disband and sever the Void Realm connection, Sonia had no choice but to initiate a one-on-one conversation with the Observer. She didn’t necessarily have to ask; after all, since the Observer could enter the Void Realm, that meant he was already safe in reality, even having a stable place to live. The homeless under bridges wouldn’t dare to explore the Void Realm.

But she wanted to ask.

Ash looked at her thoughtfully, then suddenly broke into a grin. Sonia, unsettled by his laughter, pursed her lips, “What are you laughing at?”

“Nothing. I’m just glad you’re concerned about me.”

“I—I just—”

“Don’t explain. Let me hold onto this moved feeling; it’s nice.” Ash smiled, “While I was on the run, I also wondered how you were doing. I figured you must be missing me, too. This proves that sacred Bonds truly connect us.”

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Sonia paused slightly, “You thought of me while you were on the run?”

“Yeah.” Ash nodded, “Sadly, the deeper our Bonds, the less we can meet in reality, and we can only see each other in the Void Realm from now on.”

Had the Witch not informed Ash of this rule, he might still be secretly bemoaning that the Sword Maiden didn’t visit him. Aside from the perfectly functioning in-app purchase system, the game had too many odd flaws everywhere else.

“So that’s how it is…” Sonia nodded thoughtfully.

No wonder the Observer hadn’t come to see her in her room for so long—it meant that only when the Bonds were weak at the beginning, could he appear before her. As our relationship became closer, he could no longer enter my private space, let alone listen to my inner voice… Thinking about it, this restriction seems pretty considerate.

But I’m not that bothered by him entering my private space anymore…

And I’ve also learned how to hide my inner voice…

This restriction… really couldn’t have come at a worse time.