Sorcerer’s Handbook

“Great Four Pillars, please heed my command!”

As Ashe spoke, Mercury Trojan Horse’s emotionless face, seemingly sculpted from cement, paused momentarily.

Harvey’s expression remained calm, not sensing anything amiss. After all, for someone like him, who navigated social interactions with the same phrases-whether facing partners, corpses, or ordinary people-lines such as “You’re getting stiff,” “I’ll be gentle with you,” or “You’re so responsive” sufficed. Thus, to him, Ashe’s words felt natural. If a sorcerer could command a corpse, commanding the Four Pillars seemed equally plausible.

Tamashi turned his head and gave Ashe a thumbs-up.

Only Igor felt deeply conflicted.

Although he often called Ashe a fool, Ashe couldn’t be unaware of the current situation. Yet he managed to make such a blunder-this wasn’t his first encounter with the Four Pillars Cult. It was akin to spilling food on a demon while serving them, and doing it three times in a row-besides being intentional, what else could it be?

So why would he do this? Hearing such a silly question, the child hiding in the darkest corner of the Con Artist’s mind, who could only sleep locked in a closet, sneered with an answer: “He’s trying to deceive you.”

“As long as he speaks disrespectfully during the prayer, he can incur the Four Pillars’ displeasure and naturally lose his eligibility to become the Tactile Sense. He’s unlike you or Harvey; he’s a flawless sanctuary sorcerer, with potential to become a legendary sorcerer, possibly even a demigod angel. Becoming the Four Pillars’ Tactile Sense is a burden, a curse for him.”

“You think he doesn’t know he’s the top candidate? Mercury Trojan Horse has her eyes on him from the start; he can’t decline. His noble sacrifices are just to earn your goodwill and gratitude. Now, by sabotaging intentionally, he’d leave only you as the candidate.”

“To protect her interests, Mercury Trojan Horse will undoubtedly help you become the Tactile Sense, allowing him to avoid any risks without losing anything, making you the scapegoat.”

“He’ll undoubtedly feign ignorance, provide a perfect excuse, and claim it was an innocent mistake.”

“Speaking altruistically with a selfish heart. Others pay the price, he reaps the rewards. Adapting to circumstances, diverting misfortune…”

“Isn’t this the Mask we’ve always worn?”

The deep, familiar undercurrent quietly flowed within, as if he had never left the Blood Moon. For someone like him, the Blood Moon was inescapable, regardless of where he went.

Igor looked at Ashe, who turned to face them, appearing utterly bewildered.

“I didn’t mean to say that,” the Cult Leader said dumbfoundedly. “Though I do harbor some disdain for the Four Pillars… Could it be that I’m so righteous now that I can’t even lie?”

What a poor excuse; only a fool would believe it.

Igor sighed helplessly, holding his forehead and shaking his head.

“Idiot.”

Ashe found himself questioning reality, uncertain if he made a slip of the tongue.

Suddenly, Mercury Trojan Horse spoke up: “I see, the former Tactile Sense was already on guard against you seeking favor.”

“Huh?”

“The Eternal Presence you encountered previously left a little ‘surprise’ in the mark they gave you,” Mercury Trojan Horse explained. “The moment you attempt to pray to the Four Pillars, your luck plummets to its lowest. In other words, it’s impossible for you to conduct a sincere prayer-your praises will inevitably transform into insults through distractions, nausea, wild thoughts, or drowsiness.”

“Though she can’t see the truth like I can, she knows your potential, and used this method to prevent you from gaining favor.”

“A very childlike tactic, as if conceived by a child, yet undeniably effective.”

Ashe was taken aback: “Just because my posture was slightly elevated, the Four Pillars won’t pay attention to me? Shouldn’t the Four Pillars be magnanimous, not sweat the small stuff, indifferent to mortals’ disrespect, and be such grand entities that they can brush off any insult with a smile?”

That posture wasn’t just slightly elevated, and you were in the cell earlier saying the Four Pillars were a bunch of relentless pyramid scheme crooks… Igor and the others thought to themselves.

“The Four Pillars indeed don’t care for mortal disrespect, but the issue is you’re vying for a position beyond the mortal realm,” Mercury Trojan Horse explained. “Would you accept your own eye speaking disrespectfully to you? You’re not the only eye, after all.”

“Moreover, within the Four Pillars, the Lord of Myriad Glories, the Lord of Wind, Rain, and Snow, and the Dreaming Free Spirit are particularly irked by such condescending tones. While the Eternal Fiery Heart might not care, responding to you would mean compromising their own dignity to appease you.”

“Are the Four Pillars really that petty?”

“The Four Pillars are quite petty,” Mercury Trojan Horse continued. “Their doctrine contains no mention of goodness, benevolence, or forgiveness-traits considered ‘altruistic.’ Instead, it emphasizes ‘self-serving qualities’ such as courage, cunning, and delight. In the Four Pillars Cult, pettiness is seen as a desirable trait; one of the doctrines actually encourages us not to compromise our own feelings for the sake of others’ experiences.”

“So what should I do?” Ashe asked, a bit anxious. “Is there any way to gain more of the Four Pillars’ favor… to catch their attention? Do I need to perform some talent?”

Mercury Trojan Horse shook her head. “There’s no way. Speaking so irreverently, the Four Pillars are unlikely to respond to you-unless…”

Whoosh!

The bonfire’s flames suddenly surged, light breaking free like an unbridled beast. The night was pushed back, coughing up the streetlights, fire pits, and all the light sources it had claimed moments before.

In an instant, the camp was illuminated once again, and the statues of the Four Pillars on the perimeter began to faintly glow.

“…They really do favor you.”

Ashe could no longer hear Mercury Trojan Horse’s remarks. Sound, light, colors, airflow… everything he sensed was disassembling and reassembling. It was as if what he had experienced before was merely a facade, and now he was wiping away the dust on the glass, peering at the truth hidden beneath.

With a silent plunge, Ashe felt himself fall into the depths of the ocean, the cold seawater stinging his skin and flooding his nostrils, the sour sensation reaching his eyes, melting his eardrums.

A bubble, he seemed to have become a bubble.

In this daze, he saw eight figures.

They debated, they fought, they entwined fiercely. In the end, the first died, their corpse lying in a pool of blood. Then, the second died, their body resting atop the first. It didn’t bleed, but from a wound below it, a small white soul emerged, lifting the second corpse up…

With a silent pop, Ashe suddenly jolted upright from the ground. Seeing the people surrounding him, he asked, “What happened?”

“Don’t jump ahead with the question we’re dying to ask,” Igor responded. “You suddenly collapsed and then just as suddenly woke up. You were out for about ten seconds. What happened?”

“I felt like I dreamt of becoming a bubble,” Ashe said, still unsure. “And I saw some really strange things…”

“As you become the Tactile Sense, not only can the Four Pillars use you to touch the world, but you also gain the ability to reach out to them,” Mercury Trojan Horse explained. “However, for us mere mortals, the Four Pillars are like dragons in a dark room-no matter how we fumble around, we can only touch an insignificant part of Them, so you end up receiving incomprehensible information.”

“Right, the Tactile Sense!” Ashe exclaimed, looking at his hands. “Am I the Tactile Sense now? What’s my tactile ability? Is there some kind of beginner’s guide-“

Smack!

In a swift, unexpected move, Mercury Trojan Horse was pinned to the ground by Tamashi! The menacing Raven straddled the female gunslinger, pinning her remaining uninjured hand with a dagger, while his hatchet was poised just next to her neck, ready to release a crimson geyser with just a slight press!

Ashe and company were about to speak but fell silent when they saw the expression on Mercury Trojan Horse’s face.

Mercury Trojan Horse was smiling.

It was her first genuine smile since she appeared-a pure, innocent smile that sent shivers down their spines.

“Speak,” Tamashi’s distorted voice was full of hatred. “What tragedy are you orchestrating this time?”

“Tamashi, you’ve truly misjudged me this time,” she replied cheerfully. “The Four Pillars are far beyond my ability to manipulate. I just didn’t expect the situation to turn out ideally… Praise the Four Pillars.”

She paused, then turned to Ashe, “The Four Pillars truly favor you. Even in your disrespect, they’re willing to forgive.”

“But for now, you’ve only become a Half Tactile Sense.”

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