A Terrible Fish

Although they had teamed up for only a single night, Weise's abilities had already won everyone's recognition. If nothing else, simply being the first to deduce the affixes every time made her more useful to the team than the Watcher. Not to mention she possessed the Thousand Mechanisms sorcery spirit, capable of adapting on the fly, alongside a vast repertoire of sorcery factions that could handle almost any unforeseen situation. In the sixth dream bubble, had it not been for her swift improvisation of wind and sound sorcery, Yaxiu and the others never would have cleared it. Even without big data statistics, sorcerers of the three mystical factions were widely considered far more adept at complex scheming. There were no fools among sorcerers, only different areas of brilliance: tactical ingenuity in battle, innovating upon the old, rapid mastery... Sonia might excel at interpersonal maneuvering, framing, and scheming, but that was a game played within the rules of civilization; what Yaxiu faced now was a hunt governed by the law of the jungle. Weise glanced at them, still indecisive in her heart. Ever since Yaxiu pulled her into the Void Realm, she had been pondering how she ought to deal with Yaxiu and this band of pursuers. Undoubtedly, with her enemies in the open and herself in the shadows, even if the Sword Princess had not asked, Weise could have pried out Yaxiu's operational plans in reality simply through conversation, placing herself in an unassailable position. The question was, what kind of benefits did she ultimately want to secure? Was simply avoiding capture by Yaxiu and the others enough? In tonight's Void Realm exploration, although she had shone brilliantly and turned the tide—playing an indispensable role in breaching six consecutive dream bubbles—Weise knew full well that without the protection of Yaxiu and the others, she wouldn't even have survived the very first bubble. Her combat system had been rendered obsolete by the meta of the Distant Sky Realm. In the past, she had always dispatched a double first to test out the traits of Void Realm creatures, pinpointing their weaknesses for targeted strikes. That tactic worked wonders on the first and second floors of the Void Realm because the creatures there possessed territorial instincts, allowing her to linger in safe zones while probing for sufficient intelligence. In dream bubbles, however, safe zones simply did not exist. In other words, unless she could spot a weakness the instant an encounter began, any fight she triggered would leave her incapable of fighting back, reduced to taking hits. She possessed no powerful miracles of her own and had to rely on special weakness-targeting effects to inflict damage on creatures of the Void Realm's third floor. Furthermore, Weise had never been adept at direct combat to begin with. In reality, she relied on illusions, misdirection, and the power of the grand laws, rarely ever engaging in frontal confrontations. One could say that Yaxiu and the others could still explore the Void Realm without her, albeit at a slower pace; but without this team, she would not be able to advance a single step. On top of that, Weise had realized the immense value of the Dream Treasury—it was not only a tremendous boon for Void Realm exploration, but also the key to affix bubble rewards! Although affix sorcery spirits were far more precious than ordinary sorcery spirits, their inherent randomness made it difficult for a sorcerer to obtain one suited to themselves, usually requiring trades on the open market. This was where the sheer power of the Dream Treasury shone: sorcerers could equip collectibles tailored to their needs, granting a chance to draw corresponding spirits directly from affix bubbles! Weise was very satisfied with the Inspiration sorcery spirit. It was a rare spirit blending light sorcery, mind, and truth, perfectly augmenting Silver Lantern's power. If she wanted to obtain sorcery spirits from the Distant Sky Realm that could trigger a qualitative leap in her combat prowess, the best approach was to equip the right collectibles every single night! Yet that was precisely where the problem lay: Yaxiu's favoritism was far too blatant. Discarded sorcery spirits went straight to the Sword Princess, and any dropped sorcerer manuals went to the Witch first; Weise could hardly even get a sip of broth. If a truly great collectible appeared, unless neither the Sword Princess nor the Witch had any use for it, it would never fall to her. This was only natural, of course; they were veteran members with far deeper bonds with Yaxiu. Moreover, Weise could faintly sense underlying emotional entanglements between them. Had she not suddenly joined the party, that powder keg might well have exploded by now. If she wanted resources steered toward her, she had to elevate her standing in Yaxiu's eyes—either by drawing closer to him personally, or by proving her indispensable value. Taking the emotional route wasn't out of the question, but Weise was certain she would be ostracized by the Sword Princess and the Witch first. Fortunately, she had chosen this quiet, frail, harmless little creature persona. Most importantly, she did not look as pretty as either of them; otherwise, they never would have accepted her so quickly. Thus, Weise could only take the route of utility. Actually, there was another option: capture Yaxiu, lock him in a little dark room to squeeze every last drop of benefit out of him, and then slit his throat. That way, she could become a complete feeler, take over the Four Pillar Cult along the way, and revert to her original plan with the highest probability of success. However, for one thing, Weise currently had no stronghold and nowhere to imprison Yaxiu. For another, Yaxiu had already constructed a Sanctuary; even if she wielded the power of the grand laws, she might not be able to capture him. Furthermore, Yaxiu had companions, and he firmly believed they would come to his rescue. He would certainly never yield to Weise's threats, unless... Weise lowered her eyelids and said calmly, "Watcher, tell me everything you know so far, down to the smallest detail. Only then can I analyze viable courses of action for you." Yaxiu nodded and shared the intelligence that Weise already knew all too well. While he spoke, Weise organized the situation in her mind and arrived at two key points: 1. She must not be caught; this was the prerequisite for everything. 2. She needed to win the Watcher's favor, and ideally ingratiate herself with the Sword Princess and the Witch as well. Aiding the Watcher's operations in reality would undoubtedly earn goodwill from all three, thereby elevating her status in the team. At first glance, these two objectives appeared mutually exclusive. Yaxiu's current goal was to capture her, while she refused to be caught—like cops and robbers in a chase, where only one side could achieve their objective. But were worldly affairs truly so black and white? Before long, an idea took shape in Weise's mind. She had to proceed with extreme caution. Yaxiu himself might be relatively simple-minded, but he had a mind sorcerer by his side. If she harbored any murderous designs against Yaxiu, even once, the mind sorcerer would immediately alert him to a traitor in his midst. Yet it was precisely the existence of that mind sorcerer that could patch the holes in her plan. Yaxiu might not see through it, but that cunning fox of a man would surely grasp the dirty deal lurking beneath the words. Once Yaxiu finished speaking, Weise asked, "I have a few questions. Although you've been cursed by the blood seed, you can replenish the drained vitality by consuming high-energy food or life miracles, correct?" "Yeah. But high-energy food is extremely rare in Senluo Land. If not for the Four Pillar Cult providing for us, we wouldn't even have a way to obtain any," Yaxiu said helplessly. He had never imagined a day would come when he had to worry about having enough to eat—not even in Shattered Lake Prison had he suffered such an indignity! Weise asked again, "Is the Harp Sun Alliance's attitude toward you very hostile?" Yaxiu nodded. "To be precise, their cultists are hostile toward any outsider who doesn't belong to their denomination." Weise: "Can you achieve one hundred percent god-hosting with any grand law?" "I haven't tested them all, but it shouldn't be an issue." "After you hosted the Grand Law of Myriad Calamities Fire, did the Calamitous Fire Temple change its attitude toward you?" Yaxiu thought for a moment. "They were already very deferential before because I was the First Gospel, but after I hosted the god, it was upgraded straight to veneration." Weise activated the Inspiration sorcery spirit. After pondering for a moment, she laid out her plan, concluding, "This is merely a proposed course of action based on the information you provided. You can discuss it with your companions to see if it's feasible." Yaxiu nodded, glanced around, and said, "Shall we call it a night, then?" The Sword Princess and the Witch both wore expressions of wanting to speak yet holding back. Weise flapped her gold and silver wings and drifted away. "I'll take my leave first." Yaxiu looked at the remaining two. "Is there anything else you want to talk to me about?" Oh, far too much. Although both had a bellyful of words they wanted to say, neither wished to speak in front of the other. As for saying something like, "Yaxiu, talk to me in private and tell her to leave first," neither could bring herself to say it—mostly because they knew the other wouldn't back down an inch anyway. For a moment, the atmosphere froze in a deadlock. "In that case, I'll head back and take a bath..." "Wait!" "If you want to just zone out here with me, I suppose that works too," Yaxiu said, spreading his hands. "Or did you find out that I prepared gifts?" "Gifts?" Sonia's and Diya's eyes lit up simultaneously. Even Weise, who was getting ready to slip away, couldn't resist glancing back. "But I can't give them to you right now." "Why?!" Yaxiu hesitated. "I'll only dare to give them when we're alone together... It's nothing valuable anyway, and maybe I won't even give them out, so don't dwell on it. I definitely won't give them out today, so neither of you needs to make yourselves scarce!" The Sword Princess and the Witch exchanged a silent glance. Beyond mutual annoyance at each other being in the way, their eyes held deep curiosity: the Watcher actually had gifts he dared not bring out in public? With that interruption, their pent-up urge to pour their hearts out subsided considerably. Diya cast a glance at Sonia, flew straight over, hugged Yaxiu, and asked, "Can I get a headpat?" Yaxiu was taken aback for a second, then chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Witch, why are you acting like a spoiled child lately... Did you really miss me that much after just a few days?" "Mm." The Secret Princess, Little Witch, White Queen, Black Butler, and Red Apostle hummed in soft unison: "Very much." With that, the Witch let go of him. Rather than leaving, she floated nearby, looking at the Sword Princess. Yaxiu turned toward the latter as well, arching a brow. "Are you going to boast to me about your championship run?" "I'll only tell you when you give me your gift." "Then..." "A few days ago at the university cafeteria," Sonia said, looking at him, "I ate a horribly terrible fish." Yaxiu blinked. "How bad was it?" "So bad that it was practically an insult to the fish." Recalling the dish, Sonia said huffily, "I almost filed a complaint with the cafeteria." "Oh?" The corner of Yaxiu's mouth curled upward, eyes curving into an amused smile.