Mage Manual

Chapter 1542 - 1129: A Spur-of-the-Moment Impulse

In the tent, Ash and Vishi locked eyes. The air had been filled with a sultry intimacy, but now the atmosphere suddenly became playful.

"You didn’t crack the Gospel Divine Being, so when everyone checks the Gospel Divine Being’s log tomorrow, they’ll discover you secretly came to me tonight." Ash was a bit incredulous: "Breaking the rules is at most a moral issue, but breaking them without any preparation is an intelligence issue!"

Vishi’s lips moved slightly, as if she felt a bit embarrassed, burying her head by Ash’s neck to hide her face, she said angrily, "The Gospel Divine Being isn’t so easy to crack! Don’t make it sound so simple!"

"But you’re the Ghost Prophet, a demigod of prophecy, and you still can’t crack it after so many days!?" Ash pinched Vishi’s cheek, "Haven’t you been slacking off these days?"

Ash really didn’t believe Vishi couldn’t crack it, after all, even the Sword Maiden, Witch, and Silver Lamp, who didn’t know prophecy magic, could adapt and crack the Gospel Divine Being’s power. Divine Beings are the embodiment of rules, and mages are best at breaking and exploiting rule loopholes.

Not only does Vishi master prophecy magic, but surely her magic realm is the highest in the group. Just to know, the Sword Maiden and the others’ demigod realm is still a misnomer, since during the Demigod Promotion Ceremony, Ash used the power of the Supreme Tail Feather to infuse them with a lot of water to help them leap over the legendary boundary to enter the Divine Domain. Compared to a normal demigod, they’re like freshmen not yet through military training.

And Vishi? Anyone can question Vishi’s character and morals, but no one can question her strength—a seasoned demigod from three thousand years ago, the last master of Dream Heaven, who though without a divine being, made Hell tremble. Unquestionably a graduate with full marks.

The assignments that even freshmen can complete, would a top-grade graduate like Vishi not be able to tackle?

Vishi must have been slack, slacking off!

Vishi buried her head, refusing to answer, looking like a stubborn Lalafell. Ash pinched her cheeks, advising, "It’s not easy to have a safe period for cultivation, they’re all improving rapidly, don’t play your schemes, take this time to accumulate—"

"I wasn’t slacking." Vishi said sullenly: "I’ve improved a lot these days... although maybe not as much as the Sword Maiden and the others."

"Then why couldn’t you crack the Gospel Divine Being?"

"There wasn’t enough time."

"Not enough time after so many days?"

Vishi finally got a bit impatient, she slapped away Ash’s hand, propped herself up on the bed, and looked down at Ash, her proud chest imposing. Ash dared not move, feeling that even a slightly heavier breath would touch that soft whiteness.

"Why should I have planned to crack the Gospel Divine Being so many days ago?" Vishi looked unhappy: "If I couldn’t, I couldn’t, why do you keep harping on it?"

"Because you came to me tonight." Ash was hit back, starting to doubt if it was his own problem: "Since you secretly wanted to see me, you should’ve been prepared from the start..."

"I didn’t plan to secretly find you in the first place." Vishi turned her head, grumbling: "I’m not one of those obsessed with love, acting like they can’t live without a man..."

Ash looked puzzled: "Then why did you come tonight?"

This time Vishi didn’t speak, the maid sat on the mage’s waist, tracing circles on Ash’s chest as if it was a fun game or hoping Ash would drop this topic. But Ash, with his mind trying to deter her, found a chance he wouldn’t miss: "Since you didn’t plan to find me, you can leave now. Although it breaks the rule a bit, tomorrow I’ll explain to them, it’ll just count as a minor fault, they surely won’t mind."

Ash was quite sure that if Vishi left now, everyone would forgive her small transgression—after all, those who could forgive Vishi were all war criminals hiding in his closet, having broken every rule.

The elf maid raised her eyebrows, looking soulfully at her master. Ash urged: "Hurry and go, didn’t you say you didn’t plan to find me? You have no reason to stay here."

"...I want to."

"Huh?"

"I suddenly wanted to tonight, is that not allowed?" Vishi bit her lip lightly, slowly leaning down on Ash, her proud soul finally lowering its head: "I originally didn’t want to, I could resist for days, but tonight I suddenly wanted to, is that not allowed? I thought I could last until everyone woke up tomorrow, but I couldn’t sleep in the middle of the night... it was a spur of the moment, not a premeditated scheme, how could I have cracked the Gospel Divine Being in time? Aren’t you unreasonable, you bastard!" Towards the end, she got a bit angry, biting Ash’s neck fiercely.

Ash looked dazedly at the pouting elf maid, it seemed to be the first time he saw Vishi lose her temper... even when targeted by the Sword Maiden and Witch before, Vishi was always smiling and confident, never showing a moment of negative emotion.

Maybe she would feel wronged or angry, but she’d never let anyone else find out. Losing control of emotions was like revealing one’s own weakness, telling others what she cared about or feared... only a forever calm and ruthless Ghost Prophet could crush the courage of all potential enemies.

From the moment she entered, Vishi’s emotions were always strange, giving Ash the impression of a ferocious monster suddenly willing to let people stroke her belly. He thought his situation was severe enough, but now it seemed Vishi was the biggest victim of the abstinence plan—she couldn’t even maintain the Ghost Prophet persona in front of Ash.

She had laid down all her armor, revealing her vulnerability.

Ash thought after the first three battles, he should be somewhat tired and weary, able to easily harden his heart to deter Vishi. But now he sadly realized, Vishi had completely awakened his battle-weary body, and it wasn’t his heart that hardened.

Now, not only Vishi felt embarrassed, Ash too felt a bit ashamed, he hurried to shift his attention: "Then how do you know it’s my birthday today?"

"Your birthday is today?" Vishi blinked, hesitated for a moment, and said: "...Happy Birthday?"

"You didn’t know!?"

"How could I know? Did you tell me?"

"But you could’ve asked the Sword Maiden and the others—"

"Ash," Vishi looked speechless: "I am the Ghost Prophet, a millennia-old demigod! I’ve lived so long, do you think I’d care about meaningless personal holidays like birthdays? Plus, I haven’t celebrated a birthday since childhood, why would you think I’d care about yours?"

"Besides, you’re already an eternal demigod, and you still celebrate your birthday, don’t you think it’s a bit childish?"

Ash thought it made sense, the Sword Maiden and the others were his age, so they’d care about such mortal holidays. But Vishi, long since not a mortal, how could she be interested in such mundane antics?

"Perhaps it is a bit childish." He admitted: "But if someone remembers my birthday and celebrates with me, I still feel happy."

Vishi glanced at him, lowering her gaze, uncertain what she was thinking.

"Vishi, when’s your birthday?"

"Why are you asking?"

"I command you to tell me." Ash wasn’t reserved about such trivial matters, his authority as master was limitless!

"In my time, a year was three hundred days, now it’s three hundred sixty days—"

"Hurry up and say it!"

"I’m afraid you’ll curse me with my birthday—"

"Do I need your birthday to curse you?"

Vishi bit her lip tightly, still unwilling to say it, she whispered in Ash’s ear: "On my birthday, I’ll secretly find you to celebrate, will that be enough?"

Ash was still dissatisfied: "Why don’t you just say it directly..."

"April 10th."

"Hmm?"

"Your birthday, I’ve remembered it." Vishi’s face flushed a light pink, she sniffed: "When I break free of these chains, I’ll curse you with your birthday."

"And before you break free?"

"...I’ll celebrate with you, keep you childish."