Mage Manual
Chapter 356 - Chapter 356 Chapter 301 Reflecting the House of the Soul

Chapter 356: Chapter 301: Reflecting the House of the Soul Chapter 356: Chapter 301: Reflecting the House of the Soul Whether it was Financial Management Skill or offensive spells, neither were of any help in their current situation. They quickly dismissed the matter–at least temporarily. Sonia would definitely tease Ash about it later, saying things like “Too poor to even afford a strip of iron, huh?”

“The third option then: find a random structure in the Void Realm that the Heroic Soul Army can’t enter, slip inside, and then immediately leave the Void Realm. We won’t have any losses.” Ash swerved the car to dodge a long-range attack. “But the problem is that such structures in the Void Realm are hard to find.”

“Isn’t there an option to fight back?” Diya asked. “Like using your ‘invincible’ car to run them over?”

Sonia glanced at Diya and, sure enough, she noticed another strand of red hair–indicating that a Red Death Cultist had also joined the meeting.

Ash explained, “Most of the modifications on this car are designed to deal with knowledge creatures, like the ‘Refraction Curtain.’ It could withstand attacks from colony creatures all day without breaking, but for the Heroic Soul Army, a single volley from them could blast through this thin barrier… If you say the Heroic Soul Army is like a Regular Army, then we’re just ruffians, only good for bullying the honest folk.”

Sonia: “Although we don’t consider ourselves Justice Messengers, you don’t have to make us sound so sleazy.”

Apart from that reason, Ash was actually still saving resources to build the ‘Alchemy King’s throne,’ as this upgrade would greatly accelerate their absorption of Golden Technique Power. The only issue was that they were still lacking a key resource, so he hadn’t proceeded with any other modifications.

Boom!

An attack from beyond their sight range struck the ‘Refraction Curtain’ again, causing shallow ripples. On the run, their pursuers’ long-range attacks never ceased, so Ash had no choice but to upgrade the ‘Refraction Curtain’ to level 11. Otherwise, the car would have exploded long ago.

‘Refraction Curtain*Level 11: The car is enveloped by a curtain with 4000 Life Value, reducing all damage to the curtain by 42%.

Level 6 special effect: An additional reduction of 30% against long-range attacks.

Level 11 special effect: Before making the damage reduction check, refract 22% of the original damage to nearby non-operator creatures.’

The next level required 1175 Ore Essence/1175 Wood Essence/630 Mercury Essence.

When the ‘Refraction Curtain’ was active, the sports car would only receive (100%-22%) * (100%-42%-30%) = 21.84% damage from long-range attacks. It was this significant damage reduction that had kept them holding on this long.

But that was coming to an end.

Ash glanced at the curtain’s remaining Life Value, “The curtain is about to break, the third plan is about to fail.”

Even upgrading the ‘Refraction Curtain’ further would be just a drop in the bucket, and the curtain only made sense when facing the Heroic Soul Army. Against normal knowledge creatures, such defensive power was ridiculously over the top; just the reflected damage could wipe out a large number of colony creatures.

“Sword Maiden, it’s your turn.”

“What do you mean?”

“You guys aren’t really going to be dumb enough to die with me, are you?” Ash laughed. “That would be such a waste… Move quickly and just finish me off yourself, then the pursuers behind us will naturally give up. The ‘Soul Summoning’ Technique Spirit can stay; I’ll only lose a bit of my soul.”

Boom!

The Refraction Curtain trembled precariously, like a candle flickering in the wind, ready to burst at any moment.

“Hurry up, you’re not the kind to hesitate.”

“Why me?” Sonia immediately pulled Diya forward. “Witch, let the Red Death Cultist do it!”

“I can’t, I can’t!” Diya shook her head again and again. “I’m actually really afraid of blood–”

“Comparing how gory the scene is, your regular attacks are almost on par with my bloodiest techniques. What are you scared of?”

Sonia pushed Diya forward, “Hurry up and use your invincible Death Line to cut the Observer in half!”

“No way!” Diya, adept with the Fist Claw Faction, instantly restrained Sonia. “Sword Maiden, you’re more familiar with the Observer, you do it!”

“Backwards logic if I ever heard it. The less you know someone, the easier it is to do it. How can you go through with it if you have feelings for them?”

“Well, I’m not doing it. The White Queen told me not to, and the Red Death Cultist doesn’t want to either!”

“Hold on!” The Village Girl suddenly thought of something. “Why don’t you just take your own life, why make us do it? Are you trying to make us feel guilty so you can control us better?”

“How could you think that of me?” Ash said angrily. “Do I look like someone who’d calculate people’s feelings so thoroughly!?”

“It’s hard to say, after knowing you for so long, you might have learned some of my finer qualities. Birds of a feather flock together.”

Damn, the Sword Maiden’s words were just too convincing.

“Anyway, I won’t kill you.” Sonia broke free from the Witch. “Don’t make me do it.”

“Neither will I.” Diya also shook her head. “What if you hold a grudge against me?”

“Even though you don’t really die in the Void Realm, it feels like crossing an invisible line if you actually go through with killing a companion.”

After a moment of silence, Ash sighed, drew his long sword, and pointed it at his abdomen, “Then I have no choice but… Hey!? A special Void Realm area appeared!”

Sonia: “…What a coincidence.”

Diya: “…The White Queen also thinks it’s quite coincidental.”

“Didn’t you just test whether we would act? Then pull at our guilt as a bargaining chip?”

“Observer, you really are despicable.”

Ash decided not to stoop to the level of those two operators with hearts as black as ink, and steered the sports car toward the golden prompt area. Based on his experience, golden prompts almost always indicated an area that was incredibly rare, like “Fate Q&A,” “Miracle Island,” “Vortex,” or “Legendary Library.”

But this golden prompt was a bit strange…

“It seems suitable for you, yet not quite fitting.”

Though somewhat uneasy, Ash still drove into the special area.

It was a wooden cabin with a small garden surrounding it, appearing just like an ordinary farmhouse.

Before entering, Ash emphasized, “As soon as we go in, we must immediately leave the Void Realm. Don’t get greedy for the rewards inside. It’ll be troublesome if this place can’t block the Heroic Soul Army outside.”

After the Sword Maiden and Witch nodded vigorously, they entered the cabin together and found that there was nothing remarkable about the interior–stepping on the wax wooden floor produced a crisp and pleasant sound, a simple patterned rug made the monotonous rectangular dining table feel warm and cozy, and kitchen utensils were placed by the window. Handcrafted shelves displayed various artworks.

There were no lights in the cabin, but on the Time Continent, lighting was the least of one’s concerns. The Golden Rain were individual operators, delivering goods to one’s doorstep; their business capabilities were not inferior to the sun, a monopoly known for its high-handed tactics.

Moreover, the cabin also had soft chairs, swings, toddler rocking horses, hammocks, lounge chairs… an unexpectedly large variety of seating options, suitable for ages one to a hundred, as if the original owner had a large family spanning five generations.

“Chairs, so many chairs…” Sonia mused as if she had seen them somewhere before.

“Yes! I remember now, this place is the House that Reflects the Soul. The biggest feature is that any Mage who enters here will…”

“…lose their memory.”

As the Village Girl finished her last syllable, she found a strange man in a dark red trench coat and a strange young girl with oddly colored and dirty hair beside her.

“Who are you!?” Sonia immediately stepped back and pointed her sword at them, “Don’t come any closer!”

“I should be asking you the same question!” Ash also quickly drew his sword, “How did I end up here?”

Diya stumbled against the wall and then slumped to the ground, her expression twisted in pain, covering her face and muttering to herself, “Who are you… why are you in my head… get out, get out now!”

At that moment, a message emerged in the minds of the three:

[You have lost all memories of your non-knowledge skills]

[You have also lost three precious treasures along with your memories]

[To retrieve your treasures, please answer three questions posed by ‘you’]

[A wrong answer means losing your treasure; a correct one earns you a reward of equivalent value to the treasure]

[Failing to answer equals a wrong answer; leaving this house will restore all your memories]

[‘You’ are already waiting for you]

The three turned their heads and saw on the benches, soft chairs, and swings, sitting there were their…

“Now we are the real ones.”

Phantom Ash smiled, “Because I have your memory, and now you’ve even forgotten your own name.”

Phantom Sonia sat on a mahogany soft chair with her legs crossed, scrutinizing them with sharp eyes, “Shouldn’t there only be one person…”

“What does it matter!” The rainbow-colored but distinctly shaded Phantom Diya swung on a swing, laughing, “Isn’t it more fun to play together?”

Ash, Sonia, Diya, and the others were so shocked by the scene in front of them that their minds went blank.

At that moment, Denzel wearing a Spider Web cloak, pushed open the wooden door to enter, immediately triggering their stress response.

“Who are you?”

“Just like you.” Denzel looked at the three strangers in front of her, “People who have lost their memory.”

At the same time, the phantom of Denzel appeared on a lounge chair.

However, unlike the Denzel shrouded in the Spider Web cloak, Phantom Denzel was dressed in an open robe revealing tan skin and a heavily professional-looking cleavage, with sharp brows and starry eyes, sprawled on the lounge chair in a casual manner.

The three of them then belatedly realized–was she a woman?

Phantom Denzel, groggy with sleep, sat up from the lounge chair and rubbed her eyes. Then, as if discovering a treasure, she stared at her own hands. After a second of processing information, her face relaxed into an expression of relief, “That’s good…”

“Although there are quite a few people, it doesn’t interfere with the game,” Phantom Ash spoke cheerfully, “But since there are too many of us, for convenience, let’s use codenames to distinguish ourselves from you nameless ones… Hmm, call me the Observer.”

“Sword Maiden.”

“Should I call myself Princess or Death Cultist? Queen seems nice too… Nevermind, Witch it is!”

Phantom Denzel thought for a moment, “Empress.”

“Good.”

The Observer clapped his hands, “Who wants to answer ‘their’ questions first?”