Sonia clicked her tongue. Seeing the Watcher fall into such sudden gloom, she had thought she could take advantage of the opening to completely turn the tables, permanently reducing him to her personal ride.
Yet putting herself in his shoes, she could also understand how he felt.
He had awakened in an unfamiliar body, stripped of all memories regarding sorcerers, yet without inheriting any of the previous owner's memories either. He was like a newborn dumped onto the street—how could he not feel lost?
The only differences between the Watcher and an infant were that he didn't cry and was far less cute.
After painstakingly devising a brilliant prison-break plan, with only the final execution left, a string of accidents had derailed everything. On top of that, an insurmountable crisis loomed right before him. It was only natural for the Watcher to feel discouraged.
Whenever Sonia couldn't finish an assignment in time, she would also completely throw in the towel and resign herself to fate.
Except when she gave up, the worst consequence was getting chewed out by a professor.
When the Watcher gave up, he would truly die.
She couldn't let that happen.
"Do you want power? As long as you become a Sanctuary Sorcerer, a Four-Winged Legend, you can look down upon all living beings and wield power capable of turning the world upside down."
"I do, but only a little. Power is indeed wonderful. Having it is great, but without it, I wouldn't be insatiably greedy. Condensing my Silver Wings has already left me quite satisfied."
"Do you want to explore the secrets of the Void Realm? The Sea of Knowledge is only the first tier. The Time Continent is the second, the Distant Sky Realm is the third, and the Ruby Mountain is the fourth… Countless sorcerers immerse themselves in the Void Realm, not merely because it grants them power, but because journeying through it is the most breathtaking adventure in itself."
"I do, but not very much. To be honest, I'm the kind of person who needs months to recharge after a single trip. If it weren't to keep building up my strength, I'd have even wanted to discuss putting our Void Realm exploration on pause. After all, we've both already condensed our Silver Wings—"
"Of course you can't! How could a sorcerer ever pause exploring the Void Realm?! Even the laziest donkey on the farm wouldn't dare say such a thing!" Sonia shook her head repeatedly, as though she had heard the ultimate blasphemy. "You're so weird. Under normal circumstances, aren't power and the Void Realm a sorcerer's ultimate desires? Could your tastes be cruder—do you want authority, or women?"
"Wouldn't it sound nicer if you called them a career and romance?" Yaxiu said. "Frankly, if I could settle down after breaking out, meet a pure, cute, shapely beauty, and live a sweet, peaceful life, I'd be perfectly content."
"…The original owner of that body must have been framed," Sonia said in all seriousness. "There is no way a thought like that came from you; you've definitely been influenced by that body. How could someone who houses such an ambition ever be a cult leader?!"
Though Yaxiu didn't agree with the Sword Princess dismissing his crude tastes, he thoroughly agreed with her second statement—how could Yaxiu Heath possibly be a cult leader? He was undoubtedly a scapegoat pushed forward by Professor Xilin!
"Tch, you're such a pain, but I don't know the Lantern of Hope," Sonia mumbled. "I've heard that beating someone half to death can also have therapeutic effects…"
Yaxiu shrank back into the corner of the small boat. "Hey, hey, hey, everything can be talked out! Really, this is just a minor, trivial thing. Come on, let's just ignore that insignificant part and get on with our delightful Void Realm exploration!"
"No! Your problem has to be solved first!"
"Why?"
Yaxiu was genuinely bewildered. "Haven't you always hated me controlling your actions? Didn't you say you could live perfectly well even if I were gone? Besides, it's not like I want to commit suicide. I just feel a bit tired and lack drive, and it won't get in the way of exploring the Void Realm. Why are you so anxious about my mental state?"
"Because I need you!"
Yaxiu froze slightly.
"Yes, I need you." Sonia seemed to have figured something out, crouching down in front of him. "You are very important to me.
"I want to become a Four-Winged Legendary Sorcerer, command earth-shattering miracles, make the world heed my orders, and force fate itself to bend before me.
"I want to explore the mysteries of the Void Realm. I want to see the Ascending Rain of Time on the Time Continent, gaze upon the boundless Distant Sky Realm, and see the Ruby Mountain made of rubies… I want to witness more miracles, tame more sorcery spirits, reach higher realms in the sorcery factions, and even uncover the truth of the Void Realm!
"I want to become a grand figure in Jialesi, receive an imperial conferment in Dege Palace, and become a new aristocrat.
"I also want to become a songstress and an actress, creating timeless cinematic classics people never tire of watching, leaving behind collections of heavenly songs sung for generations! I want to become the idol people yearn for!
"I want even more—far more." Sonia grabbed Yaxiu's hand tightly. "Yet by myself, there's no way I can achieve my dreams.
"That's why I need you, Watcher. You are my shortcut to my dreams.
"Even though I hate how many disruptions you've caused in my life, I admit you've brought me countless benefits. If you hadn't appeared, I might not even be a true sorcerer right now, let alone have condensed my Silver Wings. Whether in reality or in the Void Realm, I need you.
"Watcher, even if you have no dreams of your own," Sonia said, enunciating every word, "you can protect mine.
"Isn't your name the Watcher? Then watch me closely. Before I achieve my dreams, you have to stay alive."
Yaxiu blinked, then burst into laughter so hard that tears sprang to his eyes.
Wiping away the tears of laughter, he remarked, "No matter which way I look at that speech, I only hear one word: exploitation!"
Sonia clicked her tongue. "Isn't that wonderful? We started with a relationship of naked self-interest anyway. Wouldn't laying out our respective needs clearly make future cooperation much easier?"
"Still, I was hoping for a slightly warmer, gentler conversation…"
"That works too. Don't move."
Sonia reached around Yaxiu's waist, gently hugging him and resting her chin on his shoulder. Yaxiu could feel a stiffness in her posture, unsure whether she had never hugged a man before or had simply rarely embraced anyone growing up.
"You have become someone very important in my life. I don't want to lose you."
Yaxiu was stunned for a long moment, feeling as though he had just eaten strawberry ice cream in the dead of summer. Just as he was about to raise his arms to return the hug, the Sword Princess swiftly pulled away, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"Well? Did your heart skip a beat?"
Yaxiu's face darkened. "Right, you're no longer bound by the ritual now. You can lie!"
"What did you expect? Think about how long we've known each other—do you take me for someone that easy?" Sonia poked out her tongue. "I already told you our relationship is purely transactional, yet you actually believed what I said… So, did your heart skip a beat?"
Yaxiu immediately changed the subject. "You said earlier that you wanted to become a songstress. Since we have time to spare anyway, why not sing a tune to cheer us up?"
"If I sing just because you tell me to, wouldn't I lose all face?"
At this point, Sonia's blush spread all the way to her ears—she had spoken so quickly earlier that she hadn't stopped to think, inadvertently revealing her secret dream of becoming an actress and songstress.
She had kept that desire buried deep in her heart since childhood, never daring to reveal it even after entering university. For one, she hadn't taken courses in the Sound Faction, meaning she theoretically hadn't met the threshold to be a songstress. For another, it would invite this exact situation: whenever people heard she wanted to be a songstress, they would inevitably demand that she sing a couple of lines, which was infuriating!
After trading verbal jabs as usual, they both suddenly went quiet. Sonia sat down and asked, "How are you feeling now?"
"Terrible. I almost want to die just to spite you."
"You—"
"Just kidding." Yaxiu shrugged. "Though seeing how infuriating you are, I suddenly remembered that there's an enemy living comfortably outside prison while constantly plotting my death, turning my retired prison life into a nerve-racking nightmare. On top of that, he's the very culprit who framed me and threw me in prison… Enduring it makes me angrier the more I think about it, and backing down only feels like a bigger loss. Even if I can't be bothered to live, I have to break out first to settle the score with that bastard!
"Alright, I'm fired up! Before I take my revenge, I definitely can't die!"
*For revenge?* Though it felt a bit extreme, it was a decent short-term goal.
Sonia nodded. "Exactly! Revenge should consume you day and night. However someone offends you, you repay them tenfold!"
"Also," Yaxiu looked at Sonia, "Sword Princess, didn't I say earlier that my whole body felt like a floating balloon, tethered to the ground by only a single string?"
"You are that string."
Sonia blinked.
"Even if it's just for you, to protect your dream and watch your future unfold, I'll make sure to live well."
For a moment, Sonia didn't know how to react, instinctively shifting her gaze away. "I—"
Right then, Yaxiu executed a tactical lean back, grinning cheekily. "Well? Did your heart skip a beat?"
The corner of Sonia's mouth twitched, her shoulders trembling with fury.
She let out a cold snort. "There was zero emotion in your voice—not even a little girl would believe that! Want to learn from me how to deliver a lie you don't even believe with utter passion? I'm an expert in that field, you know."
"I want to learn how to sing from you. Why don't you start by singing two lines to liven up the mood?"
"Tch. Idle chatter is officially over. Let's start exploring the Void Realm. If we keep talking, dawn will break on my end."
"Fair point."
Yaxiu nodded, calling up the light screen to tap into the Void Realm map. "We really have stayed here for… too… long."
Noticing a slight tremor in the Watcher's voice, Sonia asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"
"On our very first day entering the Void Realm, didn't you tell me the cardinal rule of Void Realm exploration that must never be forgotten?"
"Yes, you must never linger in the same spot for too long—"
Sonia's voice cut off abruptly. She turned her head slightly and saw a pair of pale yellow, vertical slit pupils emerge from the thick white mist.
Those were the eyes of a Foxlight Dragon.
Fishcleaver Dragons, Foxlight Dragons, Rainstorm Dragons, mudfish dragons, Umbrella Bird Dragons… Before they knew it, they were completely surrounded by a pack of knowledge creatures.
"Sword Princess, were you talking a bit too loudly just now—"
"Shut up."
Chapter 103