"Attention. Prepare for combat."

Dia glanced at the sky ahead, shrouded in the golden curtain of rain, and with a hint of realization, asked, "Watcher, do you possess a scouting-type Miracle that works within the Ascending Golden Rain?"

If the white mist of the Sea of Knowledge reduced visibility by dimming the light, the golden rain of the Continent of Time did so by blinding the eyes with brilliance. Beyond the surrounding foliage, a sorcerer could barely distinguish whether what lay ahead was a tree, a bush, or a small monster. Everything gleamed in gold.

And just like the white mist, most scouting-type Miracles couldn't penetrate this curtain of rain. In essence, exploring the Continent of Time was much like exploring the Sea of Knowledge. The only difference was whether monsters dragged you from the sea or leapt from behind a tree to strike.

To Ashe, however, the Virtual World was no different from a girl in a short skirt, teasingly revealing just a glimpse beneath the hem. He couldn't see it fully, but he could at least perceive the broader scope of it.

The Virtual World Telescope still functioned, and the Virtual World map continued to display the surrounding 24 grids. Additionally, a new bar appeared on the map, showing the vehicle's health status. After plowing through several trees, it had dropped below 50%, but fortunately, it recovered about 1% every few minutes. As long as the car didn't fall apart, there was no need to be overly cautious in using it.

The map also displayed the White Ox's path. Its four hooves were clearly marked on the light screen. The Celestial Chariot Ox didn't walk in a straight line but followed a gentle curve. For creatures as small as Ashe and the others, the curvature was imperceptible, like trying to notice a slight swell on the horizon of the sea.

There was just one minor issue with the map, which was that it seemed mirrored. When the car moved left, their cursor moved right. Ashe could easily solve this by manually rotating the map 180°. At the end of the day, this was an internal closed-beta version. Even if the Virtual World map froze or blue-screened, Ashe wouldn't have been surprised. But what if the game froze, and there is no task manager or way to shut it down? Would knocking myself out count as a physical shutdown?

Lost in thought, Ashe realized the car had reached a green area marked as Worth a Visit. He stopped and checked the region's details. His expression shifted as he saw what lay ahead. "There are a few White Velociraptors up ahead!"

Sonya froze for a moment, but Dia's eyes lit up. "A few?"

"Yes, a few," he confirmed, pointing at the map.

[A Few White Velociraptors. Worth a Visit.]

"Social Knowledge Creatures?" Sonya's eyes sparkled as she recalled the data she had been studying over the past few days. "Could this be a Resource Point?"

"What's a Resource Point?" Ashe asked, confused.

Ashe had crammed some knowledge about the sorcerer world during his time in Freya's home, but information about the Continent of Time was incredibly advanced. Even in the Blood Moon Kingdom, it would have been considered specialized research-level material, knowledge deemed unnecessary for non-Two-Winged sorcerers.

Most results found in the Blood Moon Curtain about the Continent of Time were romantic in nature, such as Love on the Continent of Time, Abandoned in the Time Rift, and Chasing Time to Find You. The general public seemed to see the Continent as a backdrop for tragic romance.

To some extent, this perception was understandable. In the Sea of Knowledge, sorcerers spent most of their time swimming, and the scenery was drab compared to the Continent's romantic aura. The word "time" itself offered endless creative freedom for writers to weave stories of adaptations, gender swaps, accelerated childbirth, sudden deaths, and convenient affairs. In short, the Continent was seen as a perfect stage for romance.

Later, Ashe arrived at the Gospel Kingdom and hadn't done anything serious, so he was unprepared for the Virtual World exploration. But he trusted that the Swordswoman had done her homework.

Dia blinked at Sonya in surprise. Sonya shrugged. "The Watcher has amnesia."

"I see... like the sorcerer in that fairy tale, The Amnesiac Sorcerer and the Innocent Maiden?"

"I've never heard of that story," Sonya replied, her brow furrowing.

They quickly moved on from the topic and turned their attention back to Ashe.

Sonya explained, "Resource Points are these special areas that started popping up on the Continent of Time. They're usually guarded by social Knowledge Creatures, who use spirits to manage them. That's why Resource Points often have rare materials that we sorcerers can use. And if we're lucky, we might even get rewards better than Experience Orbs."

Dia added, "But the creatures are tough to deal with. Unless you specialize in AOE attacks, they'll overwhelm you. I once attacked a Resource Point and barely escaped with my life. I had to retreat fast. But now, with the three of us..."

Ashe nodded, "Then let's assign tactical positions. I've got the Miracle Sword Barrier and Swordheart spirit as my main tools. The barrier is for ranged defense, and Swordheart allows for ranged attacks. So unless something changes, I'll be the ranged attacker. I also recently created a new Miracle, Bidirectional Rush, which allows short-distance movement."

Sonya raised an eyebrow. "You created a Miracle? Show me later. I haven't made much progress lately. I have the counter-type Miracle, Water Moon, and a series of melee Miracles derived from the Wave spirit."

"Aren't you already a Two-Winged sorcerer. Didn't the university give you any rewards?" Ashe asked.

Sonya sighed. "I haven't dared announce it. It's been less than a month since I became a sorcerer. Last time, when I first revealed my complete Silver Wing, I could explain it with encountering a Whirlpool. But now, I'm Two-Winged but not yet Gold Rank in my sorcery classes. If the university finds out, they'll know I did it by finding the Golden Fish. I can only admit it once I reach Gold Rank in Sword Class and earn a Two-Winged Sword Class spirit."

The White Queen blinked in astonishment. "Less than a month as a sorcerer? Finding the Golden Fish to enter the Continent? Even fairy tales wouldn't dare invent that!"

She couldn't help but ask, "You found the Golden Fish? The same one from the fairy tale The Fisherman and the Golden Fish?"

"I haven't heard of that story, but yes, the Golden Fish of the Sea of Knowledge."

Sonya glanced at Ashe. "Should we tell her?"

Ashe caught her drift. He gave it some thought and figured that the Golden Fish Secret Poison's ability to convert mana could come in handy. So, he explained the poison to Dia.

After that, he asked, "Do you feel infected by it?"

"Secret poison? From the Golden Fish?" Dia asked, examining herself before shaking her head. "I don't feel anything."

Ashe looked disappointed. "That means you need to actually see the Golden Fish to be infected. Just knowing about it isn't enough to trigger the poison. If it were safe to explain, I would expect the details to be more widely known."

Sonya spoke up, "I know why. I checked the university and discovered that there are contents that reference the Whirlpool, Exile, and Golden Fish Secret Poisons. In fact, an animated show I watched as a child already featured two people flying together."

Since the Whirlpool and Exile Secret Poisons were no longer present on the Continent, Ashe briefly explained the poison to Dia while leaving out the full details.

He then turned to Sonya. "Are a lot of the students in your university infected with the poison?"

Sonya shook her head. "No. The poison's details are hidden within fairy tales, travel logs, and fantasy novels. Even if a sorcerer sees them, they wouldn't believe them because they're unverifiable."

Ashe nodded, thoughtful. "As long as you don't believe it, you won't be poisoned."

Sonya agreed. "It's the same for us. Before we saw the Golden Fish ourselves, we didn't fully believe in its existence. The secret poison takes root in our minds after we witness it ourselves."

Sonya turned to Dia. "That's why you couldn't be infected by the Golden Fish poison. No matter how much we explained, the truth was too absurd. You had to see it with your own eyes to truly believe it."

Ashe suddenly realized a flaw in the logic. "But there's still a loophole here. If a Two-Winged sorcerer were willing to contribute their own memory to prove the existence of the Golden Fish Secret Poison, that would lend it credibility... Ah, I get it now."

Putting himself in their shoes, Ashe quickly understood the answer to his own foolish question. Would he dare stake his reputation just to make others believe in the poison he described? No way. No sorcerer would ever commit such a suicide.

The Virtual World had long since eliminated those bold enough to try. And it wasn't just one sorcerer being removed; anyone who heard about the poison and doubted it would be eliminated, too.

Sorcerers who had been infected with the secret poison only wrote it down secretly, driven by an uncontrollable desire to show off. But why risk their credibility? What grievance did they have with the readers to drag everyone down with them?

A sorcerer infected with secret poison would only share it with a completely trusted family member, keeping the number of infected extremely limited.

"Such a pity," Dia said, sounding a little envious this time. "A secret poison that converts mana... I really envy you, Swordswoman, for being able to explore the Virtual World with the Watcher from the beginning. If only I could be this lucky."

Sonya replied nonchalantly, "It's not that great, actually. I still don't have a Two-Winged spirit. Sigh... I'm kind of envious of you, too. I got infected with three secret poisons within just a month of exploring with the Watcher. It feels dangerous..."

Clearly, she was showing off again. Ashe glanced at Sonya, then turned to Dia. "By the way, Witch, don't you have the Bronze Dragon Secret Poison? Is it useful or practical? Do you think it's necessary to tell us?"

Dia didn't hesitate. "The Bronze Dragon Secret Poison is something Time Class sorcerers can encounter when exploring the Virtual World. The Bronze Dragon appears most frequently on the Continent of Time. When you meet it, the dragon imposes a curse trial. The sorcerer can choose when to start the trial, and after breaking the curse, they receive the dragon's blessing."

As soon as she finished speaking, Ashe heard the faint tick of a pointer. He opened the light screen and saw that he had gained a new knowledge curse.

[Bronze Dragon Secret Poison]

Number of Infected: 23

Poison Enhancement Level: 23%

Current Effect: Upon being attacked, step back 1 second to evade damage. Cooldown: 23 hours (if strengthened to 10%, it grants a significant benefit; at 51%, it turns negative).

It was subtle, not entirely useful, but it could sometimes save a life. A 23-hour cooldown, however, was far too long.

"Did you get infected?" Dia asked.

"Yes."

"No."

Both of them looked at Sonya, who seemed confused. "Why can't I be infected?"

Ashe checked the operator interface. As Sonya had said, the Swordswoman hadn't acquired the Bronze Dragon Secret Poison.

Dia explained, "I not only saw the Bronze Dragon myself, but the secret poison only triggered after I activated the curse trial. I thought you wouldn't..."

She paused, suddenly remembering that the Watcher had been right there when she jumped from the tower and had seen the Bronze Dragon firsthand.

Sonya looked at Ashe. He shrugged. "I only managed to confirm that she triggered the Bronze Dragon's Favor with my special ability. Swordswoman, you don't have that channel, so..."

Dia blinked, surprised. "Eh? So, just like you have the Golden Fish Secret Poison with the Watcher, I now have a secret poison that only the Watcher and I share?"

Sonya gritted her teeth, her tone sour. "It's just a secret poison. For a sorcerer, it's really not that important..."

Ashe thought for a moment, then asked, "Wait. If belief alone is enough to get infected... Swordswoman, would you trust me unconditionally? Without verification, without thought, abandoning the rigor of sorcery and dropping your guard as if you believed in the truth itself... could you do it?"

Sonya's expression twisted. "I..."

She shook her head. "I can't."

She wouldn't fully trust even her own mother. How could she hand herself over entirely to the Watcher, distant in another kingdom? Her upbringing, her knowledge, and her pride all forbade it.

Ashe blinked and tapped Sonya's forehead. "But just this once? The Bronze Dragon Secret Poison is real. Swordswoman, trust me."

Tick.

When Sonya heard the pointer slide, she almost jumped out of the car with excitement. She held herself back, folding her arms and glancing at Dia. "Hmm... the Bronze Dragon Secret Poison is pretty good. It actually lets you evade one attack. Thanks, Witch."

Ashe checked the operator interface. Sure enough, the Swordswoman now had a secret poison, and the infected count of the Bronze Dragon Secret Poison had risen to 24.

"Witch, this proves that you could also get the Golden Fish Secret Poison. As long as our bond is strong enough and you trust me fully."

Dia was dumbfounded. The White Queen's mind raced, concluding. Yes, I can't shake the Swordswoman's place in the Watcher's heart. At least, not yet.

Dia smiled brightly. "Alright. Let's work hard together." 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"By the way, did we forget something?"

Ashe snapped back to attention. "Yes, we were supposed to assign tactical positions... But now, sharing secret poison also counts as enhanced combat ability. Witch, what Miracles and spirits do you usually use? Do you specialize in Fist and Claw Class?"

"Theoretically, they belong to the Fist and Claw Class... but I do not think that to be the case."

Dia brought her fists together, drawing three seemingly flowing, translucent threads. She smiled with a pure, sweet expression. "I prefer to call it... the Deadline."