Mage Manual-Chapter 1307 - 953: Jiale City Is Too Small

Ash has always been an outlier among mages.

The vast majority of mages are indifferent by nature, or rather, mages rarely care about interpersonal relationships in reality. Mages are not inherently cold, but the long years of study and cultivation, as well as the solitary adventures in the Void Realm, are enough to mold every mage into an independent and mature individual.

The essence of a person consists of social relationships, yet mages cannot establish new social connections in the Void Realm. At home, you have family; at school, classmates; at work, colleagues; but in the Void Realm, you only have the Fish-Slicing Dragon. Your frustrations and troubles are hard to share with others, you can’t find common topics for discussion with others, and over time, you become accustomed to being alone.

When you were a child and stubbed your little toe, you would cry out and collapse to the ground, whining for ages, because you knew someone would care. But when a mage is gravely injured or dies in the Void Realm, they simply sigh, like the first drop of rain falling on a scorching steel manhole cover; then the familiar isolation floods in like a torrential downpour, instantly drowning out the pain.

Mages might have families, careers, and friends, but ultimately, they can only rely on themselves.

Yet Ash is quite odd; even though he is already a Legendary Mage, he can’t help but share whenever something happens, and he can’t help but care about others’ lives. Not only does he find solitude unbearable, but he also can’t stand others being lonely. Like during those earlier days in the Distant Realm, when Weiser often silently followed along without speaking, but Ash would never let Weiser drift away from the group.

Whenever there was some progress or achievement, Ash didn’t like to say it, but joy could not be hidden in his eyes.

Sometimes, Diya even thought they were indeed being ruined by Ash. If they had followed the normal development of mages, they might fancy others, but the admiration would be at most like a gentle stream. It would be nice to have, but it wouldn’t matter if they didn’t, rather than like now, caught in a storm, drenched, yet still seeking him to share an umbrella.

If they had never met, they would have become accustomed to loneliness.

And their entanglement with the Four Pillars God Sect already made Ash uncomfortable. If Ash knew Sonia gave up her career, interpersonal relationships, and the first half of her life for him, Diya couldn’t imagine how heartbroken Ash would be.

"Would you entrust Ash to me?" Sonia raised her eyebrows, "If your plan succeeds, then the first person he will see when he wakes up will be me."

"If this bargaining chip can make you stay, I am willing." Diya stretched lazily, "I can’t bear to see Ash heartbroken."

"Besides," the Witch paused, "I would also be heartbroken."

Sonia blinked and reached out to rub her head, but the Witch raised her hand to block, "No touching."

"I’ll touch! I’ll touch!" Sonia giggled forcefully hugging and rubbing Diya, who continued to struggle and whine, "Felix, save me!"

Felix, in the driver’s seat, rolled down the window, gesturing to Dedarose to wait a moment, delaying the caravan’s departure.

As soon as the Sword Saint released, Her Majesty curled up in the corner of the seat, hugging her knees, fearing another attack by this red-haired beast.

"It wouldn’t be bad to have a daughter like you one day."

"No big problem; I can have one with Ash and let you raise her," Diya said, "With our friendship, I can even let my daughter call you mom."

"I don’t want to raise any children," Sonia crossed her legs with a laugh, "I actually quite dislike kids, especially their crying, it’s terribly annoying. Particularly seeing how hard my mom worked to raise me, I feel I’m not suited to raising children."

"So if I have children, I’ll let Ash raise them. I’ll leave all the troublesome things to him and only be responsible for enjoying the happy times with the children."

Diya’s mouth twitched, "I thought you’d just not want them."

"I indeed didn’t want them before," Sonia laughed, "But now I don’t mind having them."

After a moment of silence, the Sword Maiden said, "Getting out of the car doesn’t make sense now. Since I’ve been in frequent contact with you, once the Four Pillars God Sect breaks through the Heavenly Curtain, how could they not catch me in the Throne Hall? They do have Prophet Mages; I will be exposed sooner or later."

"On the day I became ’Queen,’" Sonia looked at the Command Seal on the back of her hand, "I was destined to go against the Dazzling Star."

Diya’s expression was somewhat complex, "But..."

"Also, do you think I sacrificed just for Ash?" Sonia laughed, "Though the main reason was indeed for Ash, but after I made up my mind to betray the Dazzling Star, I actually felt a sense of relief."

"When I was young, I idolized Dedarose and worked hard from an early age to become the first Shadow Actress under the Starry Sky. I wanted to be radiant, to be outstanding, to receive the admiration of countless people."

"But when I became a Holy Sanctuary Mage, became the Sword Flower of this era, became the strongest of the young generation in Jiale City..." Sonia looked at her hand, "I found out it’s just like this."

"I once envied Dedarose because she played countless exciting roles in film and theater. I longed for an exciting life, but knowing I couldn’t achieve that, I could only aspire to be the Shadow Actress acting out life’s drama."

"Now though," Sonia blinked at Diya, "My life has become so exciting that even Dedarose’s films wouldn’t dare to depict it this way." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"I have never regretted participating in this operation; it’s the bustling, romantic life I wanted. Ash is the sole reason, but as it happens, he is also where my heart is aimed."

Diya asked, "But you’ll give up everything of the Dazzling Star."

Sonia shook her head, "Friendships does color my life, but I’m moving too fast, and we’ll eventually part ways; my mom’s home is indeed my warmest sanctuary, but I’m absolutely unwilling to return, I don’t need shelter."

"As for my title, business, career..." She chuckled, "My previous dream was to settle in Jiale City. But now that I’ve become a legend, facing opponents like Divine Lords, participating in epic events that change the world, suddenly I feel... Jiale City is too small."

"I’m tired of it."

"Back then, I disliked my hometown for being too small, so I insisted on getting into university in Jiale City, and when Jiale City made me feel the same, I wouldn’t linger there, just like I never lingered in my hometown."

"So Diya, you don’t need to be sad for me," Sonia lightly tapped the hilt of her sword with her finger, "I’ve thought it through seriously; I haven’t lost anything. With my skills, an occasional return to Dazzling Star is no hard task."

"I want to save Ash not because of trivial matters like emotions but because of my insatiable nature. I don’t know when I’ll come up with a new idea."

"But I know wherever I go, he will be by my side, he will be able to stand alongside me." Sonia tilted her head, "An exciting life would be too boring if it couldn’t be shared."

"Recognizing what you truly want and being able to grasp it, that is the wisdom of a mage."