Sorcerer's Handbook-Chapter 623: Igors Misdeeds

Igor gradually understood why the Gray Fox sorcerers used the cumbersome yet seemingly insignificant mechanism of the “Link of Truth.”

It was because they didn’t just want the successors to ‘know’; they needed them to ‘believe.’

Knowing is far too easy, like knowing that the far north has icebergs that feel like burning fire, knowing the deep sea has whales as large as mountains, knowing a girl’s lips are soft. But if you haven’t experienced these things yourself, you’ll only remain at the level of ‘knowing,’ and soon forget.

People know many truths, yet often fail to live well because they don’t truly believe from the heart. The most fascinating aspect of history is its tendency to repeat itself.

From this perspective, the practicality of the “Link of Truth” is evident, rivaling that of the “Sanctuary” and “Twin System”: it allows the young to grasp social truths that usually take decades of experience to understand, without having to live through them.

Simply put, it truly can prevent successors from repeating the mistakes of their predecessors.

Now, the intelligence Gwen recorded had already filled several walls.

Igor was initially worried, considering that the intelligence they ‘copied’ in the Dead City was unverified, akin to hearsay without any distinction from ‘rumors.’

Can such unverified rumors serve as fuel for deducing the Truth?

Of course, they can.

The intelligence compiled in Igor’s hands slowly unfolded the scroll of the past divine eras. The information left by predecessors wasn’t definitions like “What is the Fire Cat Divine Era?” or “How was the Bluebird Divine Era?” but rather chaotic and unstructured world view intelligence like “I saw a mural inherited from the Fire Cat Divine Era in some ruins” or “The customs of the Gray Fox Divine Era,” which, upon careful examination, could corroborate each other.

Historical records and observations from different eras and people constructed a real past in Igor’s mind. Even though he had never seen firsthand materials or the relics mentioned, the tight logical relationships between the data were enough to dispel his doubts.

This is the significance of the “Link of Truth”: it doesn’t tell you that the Truth itself is worthless; it requires you to convince yourself.

“Which Demi-God can initiate the divine era has nothing to do with the number of disciples or the strength of the factions.”

In the ruins, Igor looked around at everyone and said, “The most influential factor is solely the will of the Chasm Sovereign of Senlo.”

“Whatever deity He needs, the land will have that Demi-God to unify Senlo.”

Gwen’s face turned pale, and though Chikara’s orc face didn’t show details, the disappointment in his eyes was visible; the masked Raven seemed unaffected, but when Ashe patted his shoulder, he couldn’t help but tremble.

They didn’t refute because the information was organized by them into this room.

Over a thousand years ago, the Fire Cat cult was just an insignificant cult on the land, but at some point, cults opposing it began to encounter accidents, and even disciples defected to the Fire Cat cult. When it was in the limelight and faced surrounding attacks, major cults like ‘Circle Cicada’ and ‘Light Chaser’ proactively allied with it, eventually leading the Fire Cat cult to dominate the northern Senlo.

Meanwhile, in the southern Senlo, there was a Golden Law Sect that dominated its surroundings, with a rise similar to the Fire Cat cult, going from obscurity to dominating the south within ten years. Its philosophy was ‘let spirits work automatically,’ which, though different from the Fire Cat cult’s ‘let ordinary people drive spirits,’ resulted in the same outcome-maximizing spirit production efficiency.

If this example isn’t enough, there’s also the Bluebird Divine Era and Gray Fox Divine Era examples-because of the divine fire system, the Kingdom of Senlo no longer needed wars to decide the divine era but used a method similar to elections. Initially, the Bluebird Demi-God and Gray Fox Demi-God were at the bottom of the election ranking list, but the competing Demi-Gods all encountered accidents.

Even if the populace preferred other beliefs, the divine fire election saw Demi-Gods extinguished on the spot, which was blatant black-box manipulation.

Thus, the shock to Chikara and others was immense: they always believed that although Demi-Gods would ascend to deities, which Demi-God and cult could unify Senlo was decided by the disciples’ will.

They thought they were merely trading fairly with the Chasm Sovereign of Senlo, believing they still had the freedom to choose their faith.

However, the information left here told them-no, which Demi-God would initiate the divine era had nothing to do with the people of Senlo; it solely depended on what direction of deity the Chasm Sovereign needed.

Ashe and others felt this deeply.

Whether it was Blood Moon, Gospel, or Senlo, the Divine Sovereign would influence the people’s thoughts from all aspects. Perhaps it was for better harvesting, like Senlo; perhaps it was for easier governance, like Blood Moon; perhaps it was for social experiments, like Gospel.

But without exception, the Divine Sovereign would turn His heart into the will of heaven, and indeed, He had the ability to create the world He needed.

It’s impossible to judge whether this is good or bad because even without the Divine Sovereign, other entities would fill the power vacuum-power doesn’t have a fixed owner, but it always has an owner.

“…That little brat, the Chasm Sovereign of Senlo, should just say what Demi-God He wants instead of making us compete endlessly. If He just said it, wouldn’t we kneel?” Chikara quickly emerged from the mire of worldview collapse, grumbling, “He should be spanked with a cane.”

Harvey suddenly laughed, “Isn’t our situation the best example?”

“Exactly.” Igor glanced at Raven, his tone filled with malicious pleasure, “If the truth were directly revealed, would anyone believe it? If your faith were directly assigned, would you not resist and refuse? This is a Kingdom of idealism; your will can determine fate.”

“Just like the ‘Link of Truth’ makes us deduce slowly to believe the truth. The Chasm Sovereign of Senlo makes your cults slaughter each other to purify your faith, helping the Demi-God ascend.”

Igor’s voice was filled with the cruelty of slow torture, “Ideals have never been in your hands; everything is futile. You can only burn yourself in the void, unable to illuminate the darkness; only the Chasm Sovereign of Senlo has the right to choose which candle to ignite.”

Igor seemed to be speaking to all Senlo people, but everyone knew he was talking to Raven.

Because among those present, the only one still holding onto ideals and faith was Tamashi.

The mental sorcerer was so blunt because these words were the most lethal.

Raven, your cult is extinct; Raven, the Raven Annihilation Demi-God has already perished; Raven, you’re not even a sorcerer, and after death, you’ll only become a pile of bones; Raven, no one will follow you… Tamashi had heard these words until his ears were calloused, yet he could still continue.

Because he believed in the direction of people’s hearts, because he believed there would be someone to follow his justice.

So he hoped others would remember him, hoped others’ Sorcerer’s Handbooks would record him, so even if he fell into Sixfold Hell, there would surely be someone in reality to inherit the will of Raven Annihilation and initiate the divine era of justice…

Though the night is long, though the road is far, he could at least genuinely believe that there was a light of hope at the end of the darkness.

Now, it’s gone.

There’s no direction of people’s hearts, only interests and compromises.

As long as the Chasm Sovereign of Senlo doesn’t need Raven Annihilation, there will never be a divine era of Raven Annihilation, and his persistence is meaningless; if the Chasm Sovereign of Senlo someday needs justice, then other Demi-Gods will initiate the divine era of justice, and his efforts will go unnoticed.

Ashe looked at Raven, saying nothing.

“I’m fine.”

Raven’s voice suddenly became thin and sharp, but quickly returned to its usual distortion, “I never expected I could initiate the divine era; I’m fine.”

Igor glanced at Raven and said, “Then let’s go back and see what else awaits us.”

The group spread their Twin Wings and flew away. Ashe gestured for Raven to ride, but the next second, his waist bent-so heavy!

“Sorry,” Raven said, “I forgot, I’ll reduce the weight.”

After a few seconds, Ashe only felt Raven kicking, with no decrease in the weight on his back.

He already understood what was happening and sighed slightly, thinking he must give Igor a beating when they returned.

He organized his words and said, “Even if the Demi-God divine era is chosen by the Chasm Sovereign of Senlo, it’s not without hope for Raven Annihilation. Maybe the Chasm Sovereign of Senlo will suddenly have a change of heart one day? Besides, pursuing ideals, the focus is on the process; the result isn’t important, since you’re destined not to see the result…”

“So what?” Raven said, “Whether or not there’s a divine era of justice has nothing to do with me, has nothing to do with Raven Annihilation… Everything we’ve sacrificed is futile.”

“How can it be futile? Haven’t you saved many people and killed many bad ones?”

“If we can’t realize the ideal, then it’s just our actions to please ourselves through eliminating evil, no different from other cults.” Raven said, “We’re not madmen; we can find pleasure in fighting evil, but not in torture. Yet for ‘Raven Annihilation,’ to deter evil ravens, to grow the cult, to reach the ideal, we had to dirty our hands, enduring nausea and disgust, ensuring every evil raven died in agony…”

Raven’s body trembled slightly, “Igor once pointed out that most of us in Raven Annihilation have psychological issues… Of course, I know we have psychological issues! Grinding human hand bones into powder, peeling human lungs from the back to make blood ravens, injecting mercury into scalps to peel skin-how could there not be psychological issues? Are we made of meat? Are we truly monsters?”

“But we believed it was worth it, as long as we could unify the divine era, as long as we could annihilate evil ravens, then there would no longer be any ravens responsible for judgment… We were willing to be the price, yet, yet…”

“Qieshu, Arnoi, Ye Lu… They left all hope to me, yet I can’t accomplish anything…”

Ashe: “You can rebuild Raven Annihilation-“

“I can’t.”

“You can, you haven’t tried, how do you know-“

“I can’t!” Raven interrupted firmly, “I’m not a sorcerer, nor literate, how could anyone want to follow me!? I’m just a tool for killing! Would you follow a knife, an axe?”

“I can only place hope in successors… But even if there are successors, it’s meaningless now.”

Igor, look at the mess you’ve made.

Ashe understood that Tamashi’s psychological pressure had existed for a long time, or rather, it would be strange if he didn’t have pressure. As the sole survivor of Raven Annihilation, he carried a sea of blood and hatred, walking the world, with enemies being both past companions and the rulers of Senlo’s strongest force, and now his ideal was completely shattered…

The truth revealed by the second “Link of Truth” was merely the last straw.

Even if not now, Tamashi would eventually collapse.

Even the Death Raven needs a branch to rest.

Ashe spread his Twin Wings and forced himself to fly up. Raven was slightly stunned and tightened his grip on Ashe’s shoulder.

“Tamashi, do you know I’m afraid of you?”

“Huh?”

“You’ve eavesdropped on my psychological counseling with Igor, right? You should know my emotional relationships aren’t exactly… pure.”

Raven said, “I agree with Harvey’s assessment of you.”

“He’s completely slandering me; I don’t have Bewitcher Lineage, those words are more fitting for Igor.” Ashe grumbled, continuing, “So do you know why I’m afraid of you? I’m afraid if I mess around with relationships, you’ll strip me of my tools as an evil raven.”

“In this regard, it usually depends on whether the woman pursues it. If she doesn’t, we generally won’t intervene.” Raven said, “If she does, we won’t harm you.”

“Fines?”

“No, we’ll tie you up and send you over, and whatever happens afterward, we won’t care.”

“Terrifying.”

“Just don’t mess around, and you won’t need to be afraid.”

“Everyone has thoughts of doing wrong.” Ashe said, “You know Igor and Harvey aren’t exactly good people, right?”

Raven didn’t answer, accepting it.

“They’re so well-behaved in Senlo, mainly because they’ve been influenced by my noble character,” Ashe shamelessly said, “But surely it’s also because of your presence.”

“A ruthless, brutal embodiment of justice who can threaten sanctuary sorcerers, before they do anything, they’ll surely weigh it carefully.”

Ashe said, “Perhaps no one would follow a knife, but if that knife hangs above their head, anyone would be afraid.”

“You refuted that spear sanctuary sorcerer by saying ‘don’t forget you’re stepping on the path of light,’ but you forgot-you yourself are walking every step on the path of light.”

“The path of light isn’t paved by the Divine Sovereign, but walked by the disciples.”

“Your mere existence is already deterring evil ravens.”

Raven was slightly stunned, saying nothing.

Ashe exhaled, “If that’s still not enough, you should seek psychological counseling from Igor. I’ll beat him up first to make sure he takes it seriously-after all, he’s the one who pissed you off, why do I have to comfort you…”

“I won’t go to him.” Raven shook his head, “Only you would trust him.”

“Then I’ll keep an eye on you all. If any of you show signs of becoming evil ravens, I’ll stop it in advance.” He said, “I won’t allow you to become evil ravens.”

Ashe blinked, feeling like he had shot himself in the foot, “Ah… By the way, haven’t you mastered the weight-reduction technique yet?”

“I have.”

“Then hurry up! You’re so heavy!”

“You can still fly, can’t you?” Raven said, “Besides… I’m a bit tired too.”

Ashe and the others returned to the church ruins last, and Igor didn’t say anything. This time, they all successfully entered the hidden Sanctuary, except for one person.

“Why am I still not qualified?” Chikara stood before the blue door, shocked, “Is this the legendary racial discrimination?”

Everyone was puzzled too; Chikara knew the truth, so why couldn’t he enter?

Ashe suddenly recalled the nature of the secret toxin and asked, “Do you not truly believe ‘the Demi-God divine era is determined by the Divine Sovereign’ and still have doubts?”

To be infected by the secret toxin, it’s not enough to know; one must truly believe, similar to the effect the “Link of Truth” aims to achieve.

“Uh…” Such questions are generally hard for the person to determine, but Chikara quickly nodded, “Yes, I still have some doubts.”

Before everyone could discuss what to do, the orc slapped himself, spinning several times, then shook his head, “Okay, I have no doubts now.”

Seeing Chikara successfully walk into the blue door, everyone was stunned-does your brain consist of water? Can a slap really expel some of it?

At this moment, Igor thought deeper.

When cracking the first Fog Wall, he wondered-if the hidden Sanctuary contained a way to escape the time prison, why hadn’t anyone left the Dead City?

The possibilities were either there or not.

But now he discovered that the “Link of Truth” test wasn’t just about deducing the truth; it also required acceptance and belief.

Which means there’s a third possibility-

Perhaps someone deduced the final “Link of Truth,” but no one could accept the deepest truth.

With this thought, Igor walked in and found that the third Fog Wall was the last one; they could vaguely see some equipment behind the wall.

Upon seeing the third “Link of Truth,” everyone had the same question in their minds:

“What is the ending?”