"Here we are, in the Void Realm..."
Ash cupped a handful of seawater, sniffed it, licked it, and surprisingly, it tasted a bit sweet.
Looking down, the surface of the sea was extremely blurred, making it impossible to see his own reflection.
Examining his attire, he noticed he was wearing the same deep black trench coat as in the illustrations, looking quite dashing.
"Just like the Void Realm described in the textbooks."
Now that no one else was around, Sonia spoke freely, "This must be the Sea of Knowledge, also known as the Silver Sea, the Sea of Origin... Whether they're a genius or a common person, a legendary Six-winged Divine Lord or a One-winged Mage, their first stop in the Void Realm is always this ocean."
"The only difference is this." Sonia tapped the small boat, looked around, and discovered a book symbol at the bow and a sword symbol at the stern.
"The textbooks say that mages arrive here stark naked."
"Stark naked?" Ash looked at Sonia's black camisole dress.
Sonia's face instantly turned dark, and she instinctively covered her chest, "Our images in the Void Realm are projections of our consciousness. 'Stark naked' means we can't rely on any external aids, like bringing items from reality here... I've heard people say that when they first enter the Void Realm, they swim directly in the seawater. There shouldn't be a boat."
"I get it!" Ash suddenly clapped his hands.
"This boat must be your true form; you are just a soul phantom!"
"What?" Sonia was taken aback.
"Your consciousness has split into two parts, one part, the heavy soul, became this small boat to facilitate your navigation, and the other part, the vibrant mind, took the form you have now," Ash said confidently, "The soul is the boat, the consciousness is the person, and the boat carries the person across to the other side, that's definitely it!"
It sounded somewhat reasonable, but...
"How do you prove it?" Sonia asked.
Ash thoughtlessly said, "If you don't believe it, jump into the sea and see. If I'm not mistaken, you can't leave this boat!"
Sonia acted on his words and dove into the sea. Fortunately, due to a recent dream trial, Sonia, although never having learned to swim, at least understood some basic swimming skills and didn't sink like a stone.
Soon, Sonia climbed back onto the boat, snorting coldly, "You were wrong. I can leave the boat, and this boat is not a transformation of my soul..."
Personally verifying the Observer's incorrect statement felt like a victory to Sonia, and she was quite pleased with herself. But then, she turned to see the Observer looking at her.
Although his features were still shrouded in darkness, Sonia could fully sense his gaze. She looked down to find her clothes soaked with seawater, clinging wetly to her body, outlining her graceful curves.
"You—" Sonia, flushed with anger, raised her wooden sword, disregarding the disparity in strength, and was about to unleash the Wave Sword Technique Spirit with a single slash. Ash hastily retreated and surrendered, "Wait, where did you get that wooden sword?"
Sonia looked at the wooden sword in her hand. She remembered not having a weapon just a moment ago. But seeing how infuriating the Observer was, she instinctively wanted to smack him with the wooden sword...
"You see, when you wanted a wooden sword, it appeared. Clearly, this boat also appeared because you didn't want to swim," Ash spread his hands, "I just wanted to test it, and doesn't this prove that the boat is indeed formed by your thoughts?"
"So was your peeking part of the test too? No, the wooden sword is my familiar weapon, so I could easily manifest it, just like I can manifest clothes!"
"Don't slander me, I wasn't peeking; I was looking openly!"
After this little incident, the initial sense of strangeness and fear of the Void Realm dissipated.
Moreover, having someone to accompany them gave both of them a sense of security, as if there was always someone by their side to bear any misfortune.
But just as Sonia didn't know the difference between this 'Observer' and that 'Observer,' Ash didn't know the difference between this 'Sword Maiden' and that 'Sword Maiden.'
After finishing their meal and returning to the prison dormitory, the Sword Maiden struck up an adult conversation with Ash.
"I have two pieces of news for you. The good news is, you'll have free state-provided housing for life."
"What kind of good news is that?"
"The bad news is, you might be taken out to be executed at any moment."
Ash understood, "There's no chance for me to escape, is there?"
The Sword Maiden sat on the bed, propping up her legs and looking at Ash sideways, "You should know that mages are the most powerful group in this world, right? As a mortal, you stand no chance against them."
"Even the Weak Mage who turned their body into diamond, once disconnected from the Void Realm, is just a diamond rat rolling in a dung pit."
"Moreover, today's experiences should have made you realize that as long as you're wearing that chip in the back of your neck, no matter where you are, you're bound by endless chains."
At this point, Ash's expression also changed slightly. He had initially thought the Miracle Chip was akin to an implanted computer, but he hadn't realized it turned him into a computer—and his admin privileges were remotely controlled by someone else.
Whether he could hit someone, what content he could see, even what words he could say, were all under the admin's control. Today, the admin could make him a polite and rule-abiding civilized youth; tomorrow, the admin could make him gobble up excrement.
Before removing the chip, all his plans equated to a virus-infected computer—the admin only needed to reinstall the system to eliminate everything. If the admin felt that Ash was no longer repairable, they could even perform a factory reset, letting Ash's life start anew.
"Is there a way to remove the chip?" Ash gritted his teeth and asked, "For example, by cutting out the back of my neck..."
"If it were that simple, this prison wouldn't be so lively."
The Sword Maiden sneered, "Though it's called a chip, it's already integrated deep into your bone marrow as you grew. Every bone, nerve, and muscle of yours now carries the mark of the chip. To remove it, go jump into the molten steel of a steel mill, and you might achieve it."
"So, ordinary means can't remove the chip," Ash said. "What about the mages' methods?"
"There are many ways," the Sword Maiden said. "The swordsmanship miracle 'Cut Me' is your best chance."
"'Cut Me' is a defense miracle for Sword Masters, specifically used to purify abnormal states. Although it's a silver miracle a One-winged Mage can use, it can purify most continuous damage from Two-winged Technique Spirits."
"The Miracle Chip targets mortals and One-winged Mages but can't resist the Two-winged power 'Cut Me' miracle. Once you use 'Cut Me,' you can instantly remove all Miracle Chips from your body, thus making an escape possible."
"How do I acquire the 'Cut Me' miracle?"
"To perform miracles, you first need a Technique Spirit. There are four ways to acquire one," the Sword Maiden raised four fingers:
"First, resonate with the Void Realm by learning knowledge, making the knowledge of the Void Realm manifest as a Technique Spirit in reality."
"Second, go into the Void Realm to find wild Technique Spirits."
"Third, kill a mage to seize their Technique Spirit."
"Fourth, Technique Spirit trading."
"Firstly, the first path is impossible for you." The Sword Maiden glanced at Ash, "The Miracle Chip has severed your link with the Void Realm long ago. No matter how much knowledge you absorb, you will never trigger Void Realm Resonance."
Ash glanced at his status on the Light Screen and indeed saw a 'Void Realm Resonance Forbidden.'
"The third path, of mortals killing mages, has happened. Most often during moments when a male or female pet murders their master during intimacy..."
The Sword Maiden looked at Ash's face and shook her head, "You have no chance on this path either."
"Can't you leave just a little bit of possibility open? I could rely on my looks!" Ash said.
"And as for the fourth path, you have no assets to make a trade."
"In short," the Sword Maiden cut to the chase, "your only way to get a Technique Spirit is to find a wild one in the Void Realm."
Ash asked, "How do I get to the Void Realm?"
"The only way to reach the Void Realm is to activate the Gate of Truth inside a Technique Spirit and let your consciousness directly traverse into it," the Sword Maiden explained.
Ash blinked his eyes.
"So you're telling me, to get into the Void Realm, I need to have a Technique Spirit?"
"And my purpose in going to the Void Realm is to find a Technique Spirit?"
"Wait, wait, wait..."
Ash held his head, stepping back.
"Isn't this like the dilemma of college graduates who find all job positions require three years of work experience?! I can't enter the Void Realm without a Technique Spirit, and to find a Technique Spirit I must enter the Void Realm; isn't this a deadlock?"
"Who said you needed to use your own Technique Spirit to enter the Void Realm?"
The Sword Maiden pointed to herself, "Did you forget? I already have a Wave Sword Technique Spirit, so I have the qualifications to enter the Void Realm. Observer, since you and I have formed a soul bond through the 'Handbook,' and experience can be shared, taking you into the Void Realm is no problem."
There's such a feature? Ash instinctively opened his Mage's Handbook, intending to look at his talents again, but then noticed a new function module had appeared in the game at some point:
"Void Realm Exploration": Organize an operator team to explore the Void Realm.
However, when Ash clicked "Void Realm Exploration," selected 'Final Observer' and 'Death Mad Sword Maiden,' and clicked "Ready," nothing happened in reality—because the 'Death Mad Sword Maiden' was still in "Preparing."
"I've confirmed the preparation; you hurry up and confirm too," Ash urged.
"Then I'll go get ready; you wait here," the Sword Maiden responded, disappearing with a mischievous smile.
Ash was stunned, "What do you need to prepare for?"
"A lot, lots of things, which a virgin wouldn't understand."
"What proof do you have to call me a virgin—" Ash couldn't finish as he watched the Sword Maiden vanish into the air with her teasing grin; he could only lie on the bed and wait. Perhaps the regen-treatment had consumed too much of his strength, or the night without a smartphone was too dull; Ash soon fell asleep, his eyes closing wearily.
When he woke again, he saw the Sword Maiden sitting on the same boat with him, floating on a fog-shrouded ocean.
On the small boat in the Sea of Knowledge, Ash suddenly remembered something and silently tried to call out the Light Screen.
He both failed and succeeded; he succeeded in bringing up the Light Screen, but most functions were unavailable. Indeed, the Void Realm didn't support physical plug-ins; however, the Mage's Handbook was still operational.
He opened the Mage's Handbook to "Void Realm Exploration," where a map suddenly popped up on the Light Screen along with a message:
"You have entered Void Realm Exploration mode; please read the beginner's guide..."
On the other side, Sonia noticed Ash being silent, so she focused on the Void Realm, leaning over to stir the seawater with her hand, trying to move the small boat forward.
"Wait, Sword Maiden, don't be so anxious and mess around, let me do it."