Youlanweise

[Youlanweise] [Human · Female · Age 24] [Bond Level: 0 (30% Experience Sharing)] [Class: Shadow of the Curtain] [Class Trait: When you are outside the target's field of vision, any of your sorcery miracles will achieve maximum effect.] [Innate Talent · Fate Arbiter (High): Gain an additional 200% Truth experience and Destiny experience, with a low chance of gaining 10,000% Truth experience and Destiny experience; occasionally draws the gaze of the Illusion Mirror Dragon (talent rank can be unlocked as strength increases)...] [Personal Special Skill · Truth Revelation: High are the mountains and long are the rivers, each place walked offers its own landscape; boundless is the truth, each inch advanced brings its own joy. When battling unknown enemies, Youlanweise's insight +10; when enemy intelligence acquired exceeds 80%, Youlanweise's critical strike rate reaches 100%.] [Silver Blessing · Youlanweise's Protective Coloration: A fragile scholar always elicits more tender affection; once someone develops goodwill toward Youlanweise, it becomes difficult for them to harbor malice toward her.] [Golden Blessing · Youlanweise's Armament: A clever scholar always finds suitable prey; targets locked on by Youlanweise easily turn foolish and lose intelligence. When their own situation is clearly superior to Youlanweise's, the target will scour details for traces showing she still holds trump cards, thereby becoming intimidated and voluntarily giving up; when their own situation is clearly inferior to Youlanweise's, the target will invent various excuses to convince themselves the advantage lies with them, abandoning retreat to rush willingly into death. Intelligence returns to normal shortly afterward.] [Held Items: None] [Sorcery Spirits Controlled: Illusion, Puppet, Moonconceal, Thousand Mechanisms...] [Truth Faction: Sanctuary Rank] [Fire Sorcery Faction: Gold Rank] [Mind Faction: Silver Rank] [Time Faction: Silver Rank] [Ascetic Faction: Silver Rank] [Fist and Claw Faction: Silver Rank] [Swordsmanship Faction: Silver Rank] [Gun Arts Faction: Silver Rank] [...] [Knowledge Curses: Vortex Secret Poison, Illusion Mirror Dragon Secret Poison] [Training Policy: Not Set] The new operator was a Sanctuary Sorcerer! Yet compared to this, what astonished Yaxiu even more were her sorcery factions—not only did she possess a Sanctuary-rank truth faction and a Gold-rank fire sorcery faction, but she also had a staggering twenty-four Silver-rank sorcery factions! The number of sorcery factions she had mastered exceeded her age! Although her innate talent, "Fate Arbiter," was a dual-faction talent for Truth and Destiny, making her talent appear at first glance vastly superior to Sword Princess's and the Witch's, she had only mastered the truth faction and clearly had not crossed the threshold into the destiny faction. If Yaxiu was guessing correctly, she had likely advanced to a Two-Winged Sorcerer through the fire sorcery faction before stepping onto the path of truth—the three great factions of Prophecy, Destiny, and Truth could not be initiated through ordinary means. Thus, the talent "Fate Arbiter" might not necessarily be better than "Sword Princess" or "Witch." If the new operator had never crossed the threshold into the truth faction, this talent would be virtually nonexistent. Just like an orc's spatial talent, so long as they had not set foot in the Distant Sky Realm, they remained bottom of the barrel. Of course, this was merely Yaxiu's subconscious attempt to downplay the new operator—or rather, he was making excuses to convince himself that "she's really about on par with Sword Princess and the Witch"—because on paper, the new operator's stats were simply absurd! A Sanctuary-rank truth faction! A genuine Three-Winged Sorcerer! Not a stowaway like them who had slipped into the Distant Sky Realm just to make up the numbers. The new operator had earned the recognition of the Void Realm, summoning a three-winged sorcery spirit through her own strength to open the Gates of Truth leading to the Distant Sky Realm! Setting aside how rare the truth faction was, just the sheer number of sorcery factions she had mastered was terrifying enough. Notably, she had not mastered a Silver-rank space faction, which meant she had yet to construct her Sanctuary; her Void Realm progress was roughly the same as Yaxiu and his companions'. This left Yaxiu feeling quite conflicted: he was both relieved and regretful that he couldn't just cling to an overpowered teammate. She had also acquired two secret poisons. The Vortex Secret Poison needed no explanation, while this Illusion Mirror Dragon Secret Poison was clearly tied to her talent; he would have to ask about it once they met in the Void Realm. Aside from that, she possessed an extremely rare sorcery spirit—Thousand Mechanisms. This was a precious spirit Sword Princess had mentioned in passing when discussing the "Five Matchless Secret Sword Spirits." Even at One Wing, its price matched that of a Four-Wing spirit, and both Sanctuary and Legendary Sorcerers harbored an intense desire to buy one. Its greatest trait was that it had no traits—it could transform into any sorcery spirit. Naturally, there were numerous restrictions. It required the sorcerer to understand, possess, or have physically touched the target spirit, and the transformed spirit's wing tier would match that of Thousand Mechanisms. Even so, this was more than enough to send sorcerers into a frenzy. The swordsmanship faction had the "Five Matchless Secret Sword Spirits," and other sorcery factions naturally possessed their own wishlists of extremely rare and potent spirits, such as the "Six Ancient Scroll Spirits" and the "Eight King of Fighters Spirits." Normally, sorcerers wishing to obtain such treasures had to resort to coercion, bribery, or sheer luck in the Void Realm. In reality, the former rarely worked—unless an effect was overwhelmingly obvious, it was difficult to identify what spirits another sorcerer possessed, and anything recognizable at a glance was usually commonplace. Those who dared flaunt their rare spirits were typically Two-Winged powerhouses or even Sanctuary experts; their social status already protected them from robbery, giving them the confidence to refuse any transaction. The sheer brilliance of the Thousand Mechanisms spirit lay in the fact that it didn't require another sorcerer to part with their prized spirit; it could simply become a replica. If you're unwilling to sell your spirit, surely letting me touch it wouldn't hurt, right? Moreover, Sanctuary and Legendary Sorcerers often relied on one or two crucial, rare spirits that were as dear to them as a spouse. If dying in the Void Realm caused them to lose a pivotal spirit, their entire sorcery system could collapse, just like losing the core card of a deck. Having the Thousand Mechanisms spirit as a backup spouse could at least tide them over through their most vulnerable period. Without question, the new operator surpassed Yaxiu's trio in sorcery factions, spirits, and innate talents. Yet Yaxiu was not particularly worried about getting along with her, because he had seen Youlanweise's portrait—a young woman wearing glasses, a trench coat, and a small round hat, sitting quietly on a sofa reading a book. She didn't look like a twenty-four-year-old Sanctuary Sorcerer; rather, she looked like an ordinary student, appearing even younger and more delicate than Sword Princess or the Witch. The new operator was likely a scholar devoted to sorcery. Both "Protective Coloration" and "Armament" suggested she disliked fighting, and her class, "Shadow of the Curtain," implied few people paid attention to her in daily life. Perhaps she worked as a library administrator or holed up in a laboratory doing research—in short, a homebody. *She should be very easy to get along with,* Yaxiu thought. The new operator probably wasn't adept at direct combat and might lean toward support and reconnaissance. However, their team already had plenty of damage dealers, so she filled that gap perfectly. If nothing else, her Golden Blessing, "Armament," was remarkably practical—it directly lowered the target's intelligence, causing the strong to flee and the weak to throw their lives away. Even a momentary influence could decide the outcome of a battle. Surely Sword Princess and the Witch could accept a teammate like this, right? Though he doubted there would be any issue, since he had a High-Grade Trial Card on hand, Yaxiu casually used it on the new operator. He didn't expect her to become completely obedient, but at least it would boost their bond a little. Yaxiu had a hunch he would get along splendidly with this new operator. Because both of them possessed Substitute spirits! As long as you loved using a Substitute spirit, we were fellow capitalists born of different mothers! Next came the main event of this gacha pull: two outfits! [Moon Star Swimsuit · Sword Princess: When casting multi-faction composite miracles, sorcery power consumption -10% (Requires active gifting and obtaining the operator's approval).] [Empress in the Rain · Witch: Under rainfall, all water sorcery miracles +50% in effect (Requires active gifting and obtaining the operator's approval).] Huh? Yaxiu blinked, tapping open the details of the two outfits, and his pupils shrank instantly—though the resolution was not particularly high, these were undeniably new portraits! Sword Princess wore a pure white swimsuit draped in a sheer, off-the-shoulder outer layer. Her expression held a hint of shyness, but her eyes shone brightly, as if asking, *Do I look pretty?* The Witch stood in the rain wearing a black-and-white gothic dress. Though called a dress, it only had a train at the back, while underneath she wore shorts and stockings that didn't restrict her legs in the slightest. Drenched through, the garments clung tightly to her figure, and her expression was as heart-meltingly pitiable as an abandoned kitten in the rain. To be fair, both outfits were superb. If the portraits looked this good, wouldn't the real thing be utterly breathtaking? But the catch was: *Requires active gifting and obtaining the operator's approval?* Yaxiu had assumed he could equip the outfits directly onto the operators and admire them in their new attire the next time they entered the Void Realm. Even if they got furious, at worst he'd take a beating before switching back, but at least he'd get to appreciate it once. Handing them a swimsuit or a skirt with stockings in person was an entirely different story. The difference was like turning in a blank winter homework packet and getting caught by the teacher versus shouting straight to the teacher's face that you weren't doing the damn homework. The former was a sneaky prank; the latter was an open provocation. While he might stand a chance with the Witch, approaching Sword Princess was something Yaxiu dared not even contemplate—he feared he would be slashed in two along with the swimsuit. *Damn it, operator outfits actually have a requirement like this? Does this mean I can only pull for decent, modest outfits from now on?* *Wait, then does the Bridal series also require...?* Just as Yaxiu was earnestly pondering how he would handle pulling a bridal gown, Igola suddenly asked, "We actually could have run away back then." "Hmm?" "When you realized you couldn't defeat the Four Pillar Cult, you could have used the might of the Great Art of Myriad Calamitous Fires to lead us straight through their lines. That woman was strong, but as the commander, she couldn't abandon her post. Our odds of getting away were very high." Yaxiu paused, then nodded. "Yeah, you're right. But at the time, I thought I still had a chance at winning." Igola could not comprehend. "After she summoned the blessing of the Four Pillar Gods, the mere pressure of her presence dispersed your meteor fireballs. How on earth did you think you stood a chance?" "What if she wasn't good at close combat? What if her Four Pillar Gods' blessing dissipated quickly?" Yaxiu scratched his head. "Besides, I was blessed by the Four Pillar Gods before too, yet Gerald shut me down in no time. I thought I could shut her down as well. Who would have guessed..." Harvey cut into the conversation. "What exactly are you puzzled about?" "I just find Yaxiu's behavior at the time strange," Igola said thoughtfully. "It was like a Lalafell suddenly turning vicious... Unless backed into a corner with no way out, like when we were being hunted, Yaxiu rarely shows that kind of fighting spirit. The Four Pillar Cult's target wasn't us. Yaxiu held the Great Art of Myriad Calamitous Fires back then, which meant he held leverage. He clearly could have forced a standoff with the Four Pillar Cult and extracted far more at the negotiation table, yet he recklessly charged out to fight to the death..." Harvey said, "What's so strange about that? He had just gotten his hands on immense power; his brain short-circuited, and he thought he was invincible." "Right, exactly!" Yaxiu nodded in agreement. "Hanging around you guys all the time, isn't it completely normal for my brain to short-circuit once in a while?" Since the person in question had put it that way, Igola couldn't press further, though his vigilance remained piqued. A major reason Igola had voluntarily abandoned the plan to cooperate with the Four Pillar Cult was that while reviewing the daytime battle, he realized he found the woman who had defeated Yaxiu increasingly incomprehensible. Moreover, Igola caught a familiar scent from her. The scent of someone of his own kind.