Four-winged Dream-chasing Spirit. Four-winged Soul-hooking Spirit. Four-winged Heart-engraving Spirit.

In the Underground Hall, Sonya, Deya, and Vesser unleashed their spellforce, bringing these six Four-winged Spirits under their control.

Undoubtedly, these Four-winged Spirits were rare treasures. The Soul-hooking Spirit, for instance, could extract a legendary sorcerer’s soul when they were off guard, and then, by merely destroying their body, the soul would dissipate on its own.

The Dream-chasing Spirit was a masterpiece of the Dream Sect, capable of being paired with any Dream Spirit. For example, one could use a Sleep Spirit on a Lala Fatty, and then use Dream-chasing on any target, causing them to pursue the sleeping Lala Fatty.

If used on a Miracle, the Dream-chasing Spirit could even forcibly redirect the Miracle’s target to the sleeping Lala Fatty!

These six spirits were so powerful that obtaining them would be worth a legendary sorcerer altering their entire Spellcasting Sect.

Though Sonya and her companions could wield these six spirits, they were acutely aware that they did not truly own them. The nightmare could reclaim these spirits from their souls at any moment.

Among the three, only Sonya had experience with renting spirits.

In the harsh environment of the Senlo wasteland, not only was spirit rental unheard of, but even the trade of spirits was in its infancy. Vesser’s spirits were half self-summoned and half spoils of war from cult battles; she had never even purchased one. In the Gospel Kingdom, there were spirit rental platforms, but Deya was either imprisoned, unable to access spirit transactions, or in a position of power as the Empress, needing no rentals.

Only in the Stars Kingdom was the rental service both mature and central to Sonya’s experience.

During the Meteor Trial, she borrowed several key spirits from Professor Trozan, without which she couldn’t have executed the ‘invisible blade.’ After returning the spirits to the professor, she still hadn’t gathered the full set of spirits needed for the ‘invisible blade,’ only managing to perform the basic version of this Miracle.

In the Stars Kingdom, renting and buying spirits were two sides of the same coin.

If a spirit proved useful, a rental could turn into a purchase intention; if it was just for an emergency, renting was preferable to buying.

This was especially true for sanctuary sorcerers, who frequently rented spirits. As they began developing new Miracles, they often needed to reference the effects of other spirits. Direct purchases were not only costly but also rare-spirits became scarce as their wing count increased, and if they weren’t available for purchase, they simply weren’t available.

Thus, short-term rental services emerged, becoming a crucial part of the social currency among sanctuary sorcerers. Professor Trozan, for instance, could afford to be blunt and sharp-tongued, not only due to her prowess but also because she possessed many rare spirits and was willing to lend them out. Many sanctuaries sought her help, so people were willing to indulge her, allowing her to disregard social niceties.

Moreover, impressions could be transformed. Many initially found Professor Trozan unremarkable in appearance and somewhat unkempt, but her generosity and largesse revealed her to be a successful woman with a warm heart beneath a cool exterior.

Even Sonya couldn’t escape the norm; her close relationship with Trozan was simply because Trozan was genuinely kind to her!

Besides that, leasing remained a crucial sales channel. Most sanctuary sorcerers would lease spirits for a period to see their effectiveness before purchasing. Sonya currently had several three-winged spirits listed on the rental platform, expecting it would take one to three months to sell them.

However, leasing spirits came with significant risks.

If the lessee perished in the Virtual Realm, the spirit could be lost. Even if the lessee was willing to compensate, once the spirit was gone, it was truly gone.

Moreover, even though the lessee only had usage rights, they could still choose to kill the spirit directly if they wished.

In other words, Sonya and her companions could crush the four-winged spirit in their hands, preventing “longing for” from activating and destroying the Inheritance of nightmares.

Yet, they all quietly put away the spirits, except for Deya, who couldn’t help but ask, “Are we really going to kill for the spirits?”

It wasn’t just Deya; the other witch sisters were also uneasy about it. Even the Black Butler, with the darkest heart, clung nervously to the White Queen.

The witches’ moral compass was indeed weak, as qualities like kindness, responsibility, and hope were all left to the Sleeping Beauty. The witch sisters, derived from the Secret Princess Deya, were all driven by a self-preserving personality.

Deya herself had faced many opportunities to turn dark, such as being captured by Annan, the sacrifice of the Scarlet Dead Apostles, and the separation at the Royal Palace. Although the Secret Princess Deya had a decent psychological endurance, the White Queen’s mindset was fragile, and if she crumbled, the Black Butler would follow, eventually dragging Deya down with them-this was the price she paid to escape loneliness.

Sleeping Beauty was made of love, candy, and all things nice, like the Yisuo Princess, but witches were different. They were made of survival, evasion, and unscrupulousness, a fleeing Gospel.

Yet, in the Omniscient Celestium, facing perhaps the only chance to make a wish in her life, Deya chose to sacrifice her desires for the stability of the Gospel Kingdom, willingly becoming a bound Empress.

Yes, although witches were not born with qualities like kindness, responsibility, and hope, Ash had taught them these superfluous things by example.

So, facing what was about to happen, the witches were filled with anxious unease.

“Give me the spirits,” Vesser extended her hand. “I can complete the miracle procedure of ‘longing for’ on my own.”

“On your own?” Sonya looked at her.

“This kind of thing shouldn’t be executed by three people,” Vesser said calmly. “Now we’re all under the curse of the nightmare, with the Observer held hostage by it. We have no choice but to harm others to survive.”

“In fact, most sorcerers, when encountering a miracle procedure like ‘longing for,’ would be overjoyed rather than hesitant like you. Yes, ‘longing for’ does require killing, but on the path of a sorcerer, those who don’t kill are the minority. Those who reach the sanctuary level, even if their hands aren’t stained with blood, have long crossed the moral interrogation of life and death. Fate, environment, position, good and evil… whether willingly or forced, we are already hunters and prey wandering in the forest.”

“Besides, it’s not like we’re killing sorcerers we know. They might not even be from the same Kingdom, so most people wouldn’t feel any guilt.”

“The Observer has sheltered you all too well, but it works both ways,” Vesser murmured softly. “That’s why none of you are suited for this task.”

Deya asked blankly, “Then, Vesser, are you suited for it?”

“More suited than you all,” Vesser replied. “And I’m quite adept at handling such matters.”

“Don’t be fooled by my demeanor; I’m actually older than you. My adventures might not be as extensive, but I’ve witnessed far more scenes of bloodshed, slaughter, and death than you have. To put it bluntly-“

Vesser looked at her own hand and said calmly, “I’ve grown accustomed to destroying life.”

“Of course, your unfamiliarity isn’t wrong, and my familiarity isn’t superior. It’s just that our life experiences differ, leading to slight differences in our perspectives.”

“I suggested leaving the Observer behind because I saw he wanted to take on this responsibility, to protect you from the violence. But you don’t need to force yourselves because of this unexpected situation, just like when we explored the Specter’s Inheritance, everyone had their own duties.”

“Now, it’s time for me to fulfill my role in the team,” Vesser stated. “Hand me the spirits.”

Deya blinked, hesitated for a moment, but eventually handed over the spirits.

But as Vesser reached out to take them, her wrist was firmly grasped.

“Are you done talking?”

Sonya stared at Vesser, her ruby eyes showing blatant dissatisfaction. “Making decisions on your own, flaunting your experience from a high perch, sacrificing yourself with self-righteousness… Yolan Vesser, do you still consider yourself a member of this team?”

“Of course,” Vesser replied, somewhat taken aback. “I didn’t mean-“

“Then, who was the earliest member of the team? Who does the leader trust the most? Who understands the leader’s thoughts best?”

“When the Observer isn’t around,” the Red-Haired Sword Princess said seriously, word by word, “I will lead the team.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay