Gold-Rank Time Faction

When Yaxiu regained consciousness, he felt someone in his arms. He blinked, his gaze slowly drifting downward... Only to see a pair of long legs clad in black-and-white stockings. The Witch had propped her legs across him, curled up like a child in the Sword Princess's embrace. While not actually having an operator in his arms was a relief to Yaxiu, having the Witch treat him like a footrest was genuinely hard to swallow—especially when she hadn't even taken off her boots! As Yaxiu woke up, Sonia also came to. She first felt the soft warmth in her arms, blushed slightly as she looked down, and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing it was the Witch. Then she turned her head and met Yaxiu's gaze. Noticing the reproach in his eyes, Sonia's nose twitched faintly. She pursed her lips, avoided eye contact, and nudged the Witch. "Wake up! Time to get up!" Diya sat up with sleepy eyes. Her hair had returned to its usual color, and she yawned, saying, "I'm exhausted..." "As I recall, Sword Princess and I failed to swim across the Flowing Gold River..." Yaxiu said, shooting Sonia a sidelong glance, which Sonia pointedly ignored. "I pulled you two up," Diya said. "Though I wasn't stupid enough to turn back in the Flowing Gold River. I crawled onto the bank first, then hauled you ashore." Sonia's ears burned with shame. She had actually been called an idiot by the Witch, and she couldn't even talk back. "What did you use to pull us...?" Yaxiu asked, but halfway through the sentence, he realized the answer. The Water-Born Line! The Witch had wound Water-Born Lines around both his and the Sword Princess's necks! Originally, they were meant to be 'mutual-destruction cords' to give the Witch peace of mind, but unexpectedly, they had turned into lifelines that saved them! Sonia asked, "Wouldn't using the Water-Born Lines slit our throats outright?" "I can increase the proportion of the water sorcery spirit to make the Water-Born Lines soft, thick, and resilient." Diya opened her palms. "For instance, the Water-Born Lines gripped in my hands feel as snug as a little bear paw. No matter how hard I pull, they won't cut into my own skin." "How long were we out?" Yaxiu asked. "Probably a few minutes," Diya said, not entirely sure. "After dragging you out of the Flowing Gold River, I was so drained that I collapsed on the ground too." Yaxiu opened the Void Realm map and found the surrounding area completely quiet, with no trace of the Heroic Spirit Legion. Although Yaxiu didn't know how far this stretch of the Flowing Gold River extended, neither did the Heroic Spirit Legion. On a commander's map, the Flowing Gold River was the only landmark that could never be pinned down, because its position shifted every day, every hour, and every second. The Flowing Gold River was carved out by the footprints of the White Ox, and since the White Ox was constantly moving, the river shifted ceaselessly. Generally speaking, there were only two main rivers, corresponding to its two front legs, but those two primary channels branched into countless tributaries. Like spreading tree limbs, the Flowing Gold River formed the normal flow of time and space. The branch they had just crossed might be a terminal tributary, petering out just tens of meters in one direction; on the other hand, it could be a tertiary or secondary branch spanning several kilometers, meaning the Heroic Spirit Legion wouldn't be able to rush across to them for hours. Then again, even if the Heroic Spirit Legion did manage to charge over, Yaxiu had no cards left to play. Their soul energy had been entirely spent merely repairing their soul bodies, leaving no surplus energy for travel. Moving across the Void Realm consumed soul energy. Previously, they had been able to ride in the sports car, sparing them that expense, but now the car was wrecked, and they had no other means of transport... Wait a minute? Yaxiu suddenly recalled: couldn't his Substitute carry him? Although he could only summon one Substitute, if the Substitute carried him, he carried the Sword Princess, and the Sword Princess carried the Witch—combining into a four-person stacking tower—wouldn't they be able to move normally? When Yaxiu proposed the idea, it was met with unanimous opposition from both the Sword Princess and the Witch. Sonia said, "How far could a Substitute even walk? If the Heroic Spirit Legion really comes looking, a Substitute definitely won't outrun them. If they don't, we can just leave after waiting here for a few dozen minutes. There's no need to make things unnecessarily complicated." "Just picturing it feels bizarre," Diya said. "Though I didn't know a Substitute could be used like that... Come to think of it, is the Substitute a rare sorcery spirit?" "Not where I come from." The country girl shook her head. "And it isn't very useful. A Substitute can't inherit a sorcerer's sorcery spirits, nor can it speak or carry out precise tasks. It shatters upon impact, serving only as a distraction in combat. At best, it can manage a few crude household chores in daily life. Yet the Substitute sorcery spirit has a massive appetite, consuming a silver coin every few days—two to three times what ordinary sorcery spirits eat... Only particularly lazy sorcerers would bother buying a Substitute." Diya nodded along repeatedly. "Indeed." Yaxiu abandoned the idea as well. Thanks to the Flowing Gold River, the surrounding area was actually fairly safe, as Void Realm creatures naturally kept their distance from the water. If they strayed further away, a stray sorcerer projection or roaming Fishcleaver Dragon might come knocking. Moving around now would plunge them into an exhausted state and kick them out of the Void Realm. Escaping by the skin of their teeth only to suffer a team wipe from breaching their contract would be utterly tragic. "Then let's take stock of our gains and losses from earlier," Yaxiu said, rubbing his temples. "Sword Princess, you..." "Witch, it was all thanks to you just now." Sonia reached over to pat down Diya's unruly cowlick. "Without you, neither of us would have made it across. You're the most amazing, Witch!" "Heehee." Diya rubbed the back of her head bashfully. "I'm not that amazing..." "The Witch truly performed a great service this time." Yaxiu also reached out to pat the Witch in praise, but Diya dodged away. "By comparison, Sword Princess, you..." "Will we still be in the Spider Tower zone tomorrow?" Yaxiu opened the Void Realm map to check. "The White Ox will spend half of tomorrow night within the Spider Tower zone. However, the requirement to 'remain for a mandatory three hours' triggers only once when 'the Ox of the Sky Carriage steps into the Spider Tower zone.' The next trigger won't occur until the White Ox steps into the zone again. In other words, even if we don't enter the Void Realm tomorrow, it won't be an issue." "Is it fine that the car fell apart? The Alchemical Throne we just made won't lose its effect, will it?" "It should be fine..." "Oh, right, Witch, did you know? You sounded terribly arrogant back there. Let me imitate it for you..." ... ... The Sword Princess had completely deflected the conversation. Back in reality, Yaxiu felt rather sullen. The Sword Princess's decision to turn back and save him in the Flowing Gold River had been reckless to the point of stupidity. Yaxiu had intended to seize the opportunity to give her a thorough scolding—and specifically in front of the Witch, proving he was an impartial team captain who held every operator to the same strict standard and would never shield a blundering teammate. Yet the Sword Princess had chosen that exact moment to display her supreme social finesse, leaving Yaxiu completely unable to get a word in edgeways. Or rather, whenever he tried to speak, her pitiful, pleading eyes stopped him in his tracks, forcing him to second-guess his phrasing. By the time Yaxiu had pieced together a speech that was firm yet gentle in his head, their three hours of Void Realm duty had quietly wrapped up. The Sword Princess clocked out instantly, giving Yaxiu zero opportunity to hold a team meeting. Deep down, however, Yaxiu knew he simply hadn't wanted to blame her. After all, he was a cult leader, not a living saint. The fact that the Sword Princess had dared to turn back and save him under those circumstances—even if her action was misguided and futile—made it impossible for him not to feel grateful. Still, Yaxiu had to look out for the team. During their clash with the Empress's Heroic Spirit, the cracks in their group dynamic had been laid bare. Under ordinary circumstances, it wasn't an issue, but when a true crisis struck, the Witch instinctively mistrusted the two of them. If a sacrifice had become necessary, the Witch would have assumed she would be the first secondary member cast aside. In truth, the Witch's instinct had been spot on. Only because favoritism existed could lines of closeness and distance be drawn. Yaxiu was a human, not a god; how could he possibly achieve flawless, detached 'fairness and justice'? Even the Blood Moon Sovereign favored the Blood Saint and Moon Shadow. Yet thinking that way was one thing; acting on it was another. Yaxiu had to demonstrate his stance, or the team would inevitably drift into alienation. It was time to display some real human resource management skills! Still, with just three people it was already such a headache. How was he supposed to lead the team once it grew larger...? Yaxiu sighed. Just as he was about to get up, he felt someone in his arms. Looking down, he saw another pair of little feet. They belonged to Lisi, who was sleeping right next to him, her tiny feet planted on his stomach as she hugged her teddy bear, drooling contentedly. Yaxiu remembered now: last night, Lisi had insisted on sleeping with him. Thinking he would be in the Void Realm anyway, Yaxiu had indulged her. Why does everyone treat me like a footrest...? Dawn was just beginning to break outside. Yaxiu lay back down, summoned the Book of Gospel, and opened Aurora's Sorcerer Handbook. A stream of notifications immediately popped up. [Growth Report for Dead Frenzy Sword Princess: 5.17–5.23] [Swordsmanship Faction: Gold → Gold] [Light Sorcery Faction: Silver → Silver] [Water Sorcery Faction: Silver → Silver] [Time Faction: Silver → Gold] [Sorcery Power: Gold One-Wing → Gold Two-Wing] [Development Evaluation: A!] [Due to achieving an A-rank evaluation, Dead Frenzy Sword Princess has gained a class advancement from the Sorcerer Handbook: Clan-Exterminating Gold Sorcerer → Remnant Soldier!] [Remnant Soldier Class Trait: Deals an additional 20% damage to Heroic Spirit Commanders; every strike shatters one layer of unit armor.] ... [Growth Report for Black and White Witch: 5.17–5.23] [Bond Level: 1 → 2 (40% Experience Sharing)] [Mind Faction: Silver → Silver] [Fist and Claw Faction: Gold → Gold] [Time Faction: Silver → Gold] [Water Sorcery Faction: Silver → Silver] [Sorcery Power: Gold Two-Wing → Gold Three-Wing] [Development Evaluation: A!] [Due to achieving an A-rank evaluation, Black and White Witch has gained a class advancement from the Sorcerer Handbook: Clan-Exterminating Follower → Deathsworn!] [Deathsworn: Deals an additional 20% damage to Heroic Spirit Commanders; every strike inflicts a brief stagger on Heroic Spirit Commanders.] Yaxiu noticed something amiss right away—how had both the Sword Princess's and the Witch's time factions advanced to Gold? It was one thing for the Witch, who was naturally gifted in the time faction. But the Sword Princess's attainment had come entirely from the Amnesia Cabin; she hadn't practiced it at all! Realizing something, the cult leader opened his own operator panel and saw that his own time faction had also reached Gold Rank! His swordsmanship faction was still stuck at Silver Rank! What was this? Hard, painstaking effort was no match for a sudden windfall? Yaxiu could figure out the reason behind the sudden surge with his eyes closed—the Flowing Gold River! The Void Realm was thoroughly impartial: what one sowed, one reaped. While the three of them had narrowly escaped death in the Flowing Gold River, they had directly confronted the essence of time, absorbing an enormous amount of time faction experience that forcibly propelled their attainment straight into Gold Rank! However, this was likely a one-time phenomenon. Such staggering gains could only be achieved on their first venture; even if a second trip granted further experience, it wouldn't boost their attainment to the Sanctuary tier. On the other hand, the Sword Princess's and Witch's new classes, 'Remnant Soldier' and 'Deathsworn,' were quite intriguing. They were clearly tailored to counter the Heroic Spirit Legion. Yet right now, they were too busy dodging the Heroic Spirit Legion to ever deliberately provoke those monsters. In addition, the Witch's Bond Level had risen by one rank. He wondered if that was the result of sharing life and death together just now. "Mmm..." Lisi let out a drowsy, petulant murmur, kicking her legs against his stomach. Smacking her lips, she rolled over to hug Yaxiu, thoroughly wiping the drool from her cheek onto his clothes. Yaxiu pushed the several-dozen-jin living accessory aside and got out of bed to wash up. Halfway through brushing his teeth, Lisi sleepily wandered into the bathroom, tore open a new cup and toothbrush, and began brushing alongside him. The little girl opened her eyes, glanced at the mirror, and froze slightly. She quickly finished rinsing her mouth and washing her face, then turned around and hugged Yaxiu. "...There's a towel right there. Did you have to wipe your hands on my pajamas?" Yaxiu sighed in resignation. 'Lisi' shook her head, nuzzling against Yaxiu's chest like a little piglet. "Why are you so clingy today?" "...I had a dream last night." "A nightmare?" 'Lisi' thought about it, then shook her head again. "I dreamed that everyone else was loved, and I was the only one left out, all alone." "Don't worry, dreams are always the opposite of reality. In real life, you'd definitely be the one pushing everyone else away." After washing his face, Yaxiu guided 'Lisi' over to the vanity table. As he combed her hair, he said, "Let me tie your hair for you." "Huh? Didn't you always tell me to ask Auntie Bogin?" 'Lisi' asked in surprise. "What if Auntie Bogin doesn't stay with us in the future?" Yaxiu said calmly. "We can't rely on him forever, right?" "Even if I don't ask Auntie Bogin, I could ask Auntie Annan, Uncle Banjie, or Uncle Harvey!" Yaxiu felt deeply insulted. "It's fine if I'm not as good as Annan or Banjie, but why on earth am I below Harvey?!" "Alice looks pretty well-groomed, doesn't she...?" 'Lisi' mumbled. "Still, is Auntie Bogin really going to leave us?" "To be precise, he won't need friends like us anymore." Yaxiu shrugged. "People get on and off the train of life. Some get off after a demolition windfall, some get off to inherit the family estate, some get off thanks to a boost from their father-in-law, and only beasts of burden stay on the train forever... I got used to it long ago." "What if Auntie Bogin gets tricked?" "Him? The Swindler? Tricked?" "Doesn't Auntie Bogin always say he gets tricked by you? He seems to fall for fools rather easily." "That does sound plausible... Wait, are you calling me a fool?" After lightly rapping 'Lisi' on the head, Yaxiu mused, "Speaking of which, the Belldete family's sudden high regard for Igola really is suspicious... As his maternal family, we ought to vet them thoroughly on Igola's behalf to ensure Belldete's sincerity!" 'Lisi' blinked. "Are you really that kind?" "Mostly because, while my heart truly wishes to congratulate him on his happy marriage, my magnanimity simply isn't grand enough to stomach a friend's success," Yaxiu said with a straight face. "If there's a legitimate excuse to ruin his happiness, that would be wonderful."