Contrary to Ash's expectations, the Mage's Handbook did not present any new seeking activities.

Previously, upon arriving at Gospel and Senluo, new seeking activities would immediately appear, so Ash had assumed simply running around would invariably trigger a seeking activity, but it seems this isn't an objective rule.

However, he now realizes that these so-called seeking activities are probably unrelated to region or time, but rather to the people around him.

He drew the Black and White Witch because he encountered Lissdia;

He drew Youlan Weiser because he had just met Silver Lamp.

So is it because Ash hasn't yet met someone the operator system recognizes?

He was also thinking that if a new operative joins, it might alleviate the conflict with the Sword Witch... after all, if you can't solve the problem, just create new ones!

With this in mind, Ash blinked and clicked "Purchase Center," seeing that he still had enough money to buy a box of Source Crystals for twenty draws, but he thought it over and eventually bought only one Source Crystal. He had signed two more Source Crystals over the past couple of days, just enough for one draw!

Single draw and a miracle!

If there really is an operative, they must appear with a single draw; there's no need to waste!

With unreasonably high confidence and hopeful anticipation, Ash chose "Seek Once," and the game interface instantly transformed, as though he could hear the system's disparaging voice.

Golden light!

Ash instantly stood at attention and saluted—he really did get a miracle with a single draw!

However, as the golden light faded away, what appeared before Ash wasn't a new operative, but...

"Minor Gate of Four Pillars: A small divine artifact made using the heart blood of the Gods of Four Pillars, which allows mages with the same Void Realm progress to enter the Void Realm together, requiring that no more than four people enter and teammates can't be more than five meters away from the holder.

The Minor Gate of Four Pillars can be used as the Gate of Truth, and when entering the Void Realm through the Minor Gate of Four Pillars, teammates can gain up to 5% experience sharing.

Note: The Minor Gate of Four Pillars looks like a small square frame and is quite cute. But who on earth managed to take the heart blood of the Gods of Four Pillars to make a divine artifact?"

Ash pondered for a moment and came to a conclusion—this is a super low-end version of the "Void Realm Exploration" system.

"Void Realm Exploration" does not require teammates to have the same Void Realm progress, so an experienced one can lead a newbie; there are no distance restrictions, teams from different lands can explore the Void Realm together; and the 5% experience sharing from the Minor Gate of Four Pillars pales in comparison to the bonds.

The only meaningful aspect is that the Minor Gate of Four Pillars can be used as the Gate of Truth, meaning Ash can enter the Void Realm alone even without his own Technique Spirit—though currently he has no interest in voluntary overtime.

Somewhat useful, but not entirely.

However, for other mages, the Minor Gate of Four Pillars fully deserves its divine artifact status. Besides Ash's group, other mages find it incredibly tough to team up for Void Realm exploration, so such a convenient team tool might incite a six-nation war if word got out.

Ash looked at the seeking interface, thinking about today's luck, perhaps...

He shook his head abruptly, letting go of such foolish gambling thoughts, stood up, stretched lazily, and pushed open the door to go outside.

Ash lived in a room on the second floor, with nobody in sight outside—not because they expelled the servants but because this villa normally doesn't have any servants managing it. Having taken a couple of steps, he saw Felix scarf-wrapped in the open kitchen preparing breakfast.

Isn't there a kitchen on the first floor too... Ash approached and asked, "What's for breakfast?"

Felix looked up at him for a second, slightly distracted—how can this guy ask so naturally? Is he shameless?

"...Lala greased Pavni full course."

"What drinks are there?"

"Only coffee and milk."

"I'll have milk with Harvey, and Igula wants coffee."

Felix paused for a moment, "You're not afraid I'll poison it? I'm proficient in the Poison Skill faction."

"Using Igula's words, I like associating with smart people," Ash said next to the dining table, "As long as you're sane, you'd only be thinking about how to quickly send us off, rather than steering our relationship onto an unpredictable fate stage."

"If things get messy, we'll just continue fleeing, whereas you in the Four Pillars God Sect would be exposed under the Starry Sky of Dazzling Star. Currently, besides ourselves, you're the ones in the Kingdom of Stars who least want us to be captured. Felix, you don't want the Four Pillars God Sect exposed, do you?"

"Since we've established mutual trust as a foundation, why feign hostility? Isn't it better to navigate this brief cohabitation amicably?"

"You're so composed simply because you're a Holy Domain Mage." Felix pointed out bluntly.

"Not just that, also because you're not a Holy Domain Mage." Ash shrugged, "Oppressing the weak feels great! When will breakfast be ready?"

Felix said calmly, "Have you ever heard the saying that when you speak rudely to a waiter, you should be prepared to eat saliva."

Ash blinked and surrendered, "Alright, then you only prepare for Igula and Harvey, you teach me, and I'll make my share myself."

Felix: "…?"

Ash indeed did as he said. He watched Felix's method and made a portion just for himself. Felix silently took notes in his mind: These three are superficially harmonious but actually disconnected; their relationship is mediocre and hard to threaten.

"When you plan to leave, will you kill me?" she suddenly asked.

"Why ask that?" Ash countered.

"Because you people aren't good," Felix said bluntly, "A group of evil mages. Evil mages kill without reason."

"You should watch your words," Ash squinted, "You can insult me, but if you insult my friends... then you can't insult me."

Felix's hand shook, and a sunny-side-up egg flew out. Ash glanced at it, "Don't waste it, save it for Alice."

To Ash's surprise, Felix didn't ask who Alice was but nodded and picked up the egg.

"Why do you think we're evil mages?" Ash continued, "We haven't done anything evil since we arrived in the Dazzling Star. In fact, we've even dragged down your Four Pillars God Sect, essentially doing good deeds."

Felix was so angry that his face turned red, and he chopped luncheon meat heavily, as if it were Ash's flesh, "You haven't done anything bad, you just haven't had the chance yet."

"Someone as cautious as Bokin from the Spiritual Sanctuary, if there's any possibility, he would certainly establish a secret crime organization in Jiale City to cover himself; Harvey from the Undead Holy Sanctuary visibly craves corpses, and given time, all cemeteries in Jiale City would be his prey, even personally causing slaughter isn't impossible."

"And what about me?" Ash pointed at himself, "I don't seem like an evil mage, do I?"

"You are of the highest caliber." Felix said coldly, "Bokin's caution stems from his wariness of the environment, Harvey's greed due to his pursuit of magic, but you have no needs, yet you're indifferent to being wanted throughout the Kingdom of Stars. A person like you who treats the nation's laws as nothing and acts at will is the hardest to fathom evil mage."

"Though I appreciate your regard, I'm not as... unfazed as you imagine," Ash shrugged, "If you're constantly in a fantasy-like life full of pursuits, being pursued, crises, and huge crises for months, you'd become indifferent like me. It's not that I don't care, just tired, too worn out even to complain."

"Don't look at me as a Holy Sanctuary Mage now; I'd rather not have this encounter and just be a normal mage peacefully."

"Oh... is that so." Felix looked at Ash intently and noticed a trace of exhaustion between his brows. This unconcerned expression reminded her of herself growing up under constant assassination attempts—the first was terrifying, the tenth was indifferent, the hundredth was just exhaustion.

Felix believed him somewhat and couldn't help but feel a bit sympathetic toward Ash. What kind of stormy encounters did it take for him to feel this worn out about being wanted by the entire nation?

Ash finished his breakfast and placed it on a tray to carry away. Felix asked, "Where are you going?"

"To eat on the first floor," Ash said, "By the way, why did you come to the kitchen on the second floor? Isn't there a kitchen on the first floor?"

Felix glanced at him and signaled for him to follow. The two walked to the stairs on the second floor and looked down at the first-floor lobby from above.

The lobby that was neat and spacious last night was now filled with swarming bugs, ants, cockroaches, centipedes, and maggots. A coffin lay in the center of the lobby, and all living creatures were frantically rushing into the corpse inside, making it seem like the bugs were devouring the corpse. However, upon closer inspection, it seemed the corpse was swallowing the bugs, with countless insects rolling inside the coffin like a pale ocean.

Harvey sat in front of the coffin, seemingly meditating.

"So now you understand why I think you are evil mages?" Felix stepped back two steps, covered her nose with her right hand, and calmly asked.

Ash looked at the lobby, then at Felix, tilted his head, and appeared puzzled.

"What's wrong with this?"

Felix's lips twitched, pointing at the first-floor lobby, shouting, "Do I need to explain this to you?!"

Ash looked at the furious Felix in confusion, shook his head, and went downstairs with his tray and Harvey's tray. He avoided the bugs on the floor and handed the tray to Harvey, "That sunny-side-up is for Alice, it was dropped on the floor."

"Thanks."

"This one's made by Felix."

Harvey looked up at Felix, waved his hand to express gratitude, and then sat in the center area filled with bugs and insects to eat breakfast.

Ash sat at the dining table, where no bugs crawled, completely ignoring the grotesque scene and rotten smell nearby, opened the living room's Light Screen to watch a show, and peacefully enjoyed his breakfast.

So that's how it is, I completely understand now.

Seeing this scene from the second floor, Felix suddenly felt enlightened.

So these guys are crazy into their souls and sick down to their bones, yet they think they're perfectly normal evil mages!

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