Sorcerer’s Handbook
Chapter 196: Surface Father-Daughter Relationship

Ashe had also thought about what his future children might be like.

Don’t get it wrong; he wasn’t the type who fantasized about children’s names upon seeing a girl he liked. In fact, Ashe considered his imagination rather barren. When he saw a girl he liked, his fantasies about couples usually stopped at classrooms, bedrooms, living rooms, beaches, and couple’s hotels… But such daydreams had become scarce after starting work, where ‘preparing for the next meeting’ served as the best antidote to lust.

As the saying goes, working overtime won’t help you find a lover, but it can make everyone lose theirs.

The first time Ashe imagined having a child was when he was eight. He had been thrashed with a rattan by his father for sneaking in some computer games and secretly vowed to raise a child who could play games with him.

As he grew older, his expectations for his children grew: they should enjoy outdoor sports, know how to date, solve the hardest math problem on the college entrance exam, be good-looking and smart, cook well, be fluent in a second language, and be able to write novels or draw comics…

It wasn’t until Ashe started working and experienced the harshness of society and the struggles of life that he not only understood his parents’ strictness but also felt apologetic towards his future child—sorry, my child, I can’t find your mothers.

However, the child he had hoped for was definitely not supposed to be like this.

“If you, dad, got the highest score but had to give your wish to sister Annan in the end, do you really think that’s okay?”

Lise sat cross-legged on the bed, her face full of righteous indignation, lowering her voice, “I feel it’s so unfair to you, dad!”

“…Don’t worry, your dad is an absolute good-for-nothing. It’s definitely your Aunt Bukin or Uncle Harvey who would get the highest score.”

“But it’s still not fair!” Lise swayed, her freshly tied pigtails swinging back and forth: “Think about it, dad, you, Aunt Bukin, and Uncle Harvey are comrades who have shared life and death. You should face difficulties together and share blessings. For a reward like the Divine Master’s wish, it should be shared among the three of you, not given to a witch like Annan who profits from others’ misfortune and enslaves you!”

“You were just calling her ‘sister Annan’ a moment ago.”

“That’s not important, Daddy. What’s important is what you think!” Lise exclaimed, her eyes wide with fervor. “Don’t you want the Divine Master’s wish? The Omniscient Weaver can fulfill all your desires; resurrection, transmigration, immortality, or even deification—”

“Can I wish that all women must wear ultra-short skirts with either black or white stockings?”

“Ugh.”

“Huh?” Ashe saw Lise stick out her tongue, looking like she was about to vomit. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing. Lise probably just isn’t used to riding in a car, so she’s a bit nauseous.”

“But you’ve been Resting for over an hour…”

“Anyway, Dad, you also want to obtain the wish, right?” Lise forcefully steered the conversation back on track. “You wouldn’t be content just giving away your wish to a wicked witch who deliberately harms you all, would you?”

“If I have to say whether I want it or not, of course, I do,” Ashe said, propping his chin in his hand. “But I don’t think I possess the qualifications or the capacity to obtain this wish.”

“What qualifications do you need to make a wish?”

“Think about it. If you finally get the chance to make a wish to a god, would you really just look out for yourself and make some selfish wishes? The best approach should be to make a perfect wish that benefits all beings while also bringing benefits to yourself, right? Like asking the Divine Master to bestow new technology that greatly boosts productivity, or to increase the lifespan of all the citizens of the Kingdom—”

“What’s so bad about being selfish!?”

Ashe stared blankly at Lise as she roared at him. The white-haired little girl no longer had the feigned innocence and sweetness on her face; instead, there was a deep, resentful anger toward the world. However, she quickly backed down, her expression returning to the usual cuteness as if the previous moment was just Ashe’s imagination.

She said timidly, looking down, “What Lise means is that you’re not from this Kingdom, and you don’t really have a sense of belonging here. When making a wish, you don’t really have to consider so much. Isn’t it okay to follow your heart’s desires?”

“…Let’s have an honest talk, Lise.”

Ashe spoke calmly, “You can call me Daddy if you want to. It’s just a title, after all. If we can maintain this façade of a father-daughter relationship, it might put Annan at ease. Consider it a code name among colleagues.”

“But I am a bit puzzled. Annan said you lost your memory, and she’s not likely to be wrong, but the scheming and ambition you’re displaying are not traits of a child with amnesia. Or are you from a Legend Race, where even memory loss can’t affect your embodiment of desire, with every pore oozing corrupt blood?”

“Is there such a Race?”

“Yes, the Capital Race,” Ashe said with folded arms. “You haven’t lost your memory at all. How did you deceive Annan?”

“No, Daddy, you’re mistaken,” Lise cocked her head. “I really did lose my memory. The farthest back I can remember is being caught by those Black Robe villains. I can’t remember anything beyond that.”

“Then you—”

“But I know what I must do.”

Lise looked up at Ashe, “Like that old witch Annan, I want to use the identity of People from the Exotic Lands to become an Echoer. But unlike her, who can only use you and others, I want to become an Echoer myself.”

“I have a wish that must be fulfilled,” she said earnestly. “I absolutely cannot let anyone else have it!”

Ashe blinked, “Setting aside whether we can resist Annan or not, even if we could, how do you plan to snatch the wish away from us?”

“That’s enough,” Lise held up her open hand with five spread fingers. “Daddy, me, Auntie Bukin, Uncle Harvey, and the witch Annan, there are five competitors.”

“If you, Daddy, can unite the others to firmly exclude the witch Annan, then the competitors will be reduced to four. If it’s you, Daddy, who becomes the Echoer with the highest hidden score, then in the end, it will be just me and you left! If I handle Daddy, then the wish is mine!”

Lise folded all her other fingers, leaving only the middle finger extended towards Ashe.

“Do you really have that much confidence that you can defeat me?”

“It’s not about confidence, but of course, it’s simpler to deal with just you, Daddy, than five people,” Lise said assertively. “And don’t forget, Daddy, you and I have two contracts!”

“So what? They’re mutual anyway.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. The contract you have with me only lasts for 101 days, while the one I have with you is indefinite. If neither of us gets the wish by the end, you’ll have to become my servant for life!”

“Hey now, how did I get demoted from Daddy to servant?” Ashe felt the girl was getting more and more audacious: “Besides, that contract is just a Two Wings Sorcerer’s contract, there’s always a way to break it, you can’t scare me.”

“There is indeed a way to break it.” Lise nodded. “But I have ways to ensure you can’t. If you go out, I’ll make you buy me doughnuts, if you enter the Virtual Realm, I’ll make you tell me fairy tales, if you want to read, I’ll make you give me a piggyback ride. Let’s see what you can do! Not only will you be my servant, but I’ll also make sure you never get married!”

“Lise, you’re so malicious!”

“Hmph, if you don’t want to end up old, fall in the Restroom and break your back, unable to move and then die of hunger in utter misery, then do your best to grab the wish… What are you doing! I’m going to yell! The contract stipulates you can’t hurt me! Stop right now!”

“I don’t have to stop if you command me to! Don’t forget our contract is mutual at this time, you can’t restrict me!” Ashe tucked Lise under his arm and furiously rubbed her white dog-like head: “I indeed can’t hurt you, but I can make you dirty… Ha! Done!”

Lise struggled to break free from this evil man, turned to look in the mirror, and found her pretty twin-tails had turned into a messy bird’s nest, completely ruining her cute appearance.

She burst into tears, covering her ears and retreating while furiously yelling at Ashe, “You can’t reveal our conversation to anyone, you can’t refute this command, you can’t refute refuting this command, don’t… Ugh, it’s so annoying, just don’t leak it, or you’ll be in trouble too! Ashe, you wait, for these 101 days, we’ll just play father and daughter on the surface, but after the 101 days, I’ll show you what cruelty is!”

Boom!

Lise rushed too hastily and spun around, slamming her head into the alloy blast door. She wobbled around for a few circles, yelping incoherently before she collapsed on the floor.

Ashe was stunned by her series of actions, thinking to himself that this girl’s silliness was half as effective as his own in his younger years.

He went over and gently patted her face, “Hey, wake up. The floor is cold, and it’s easy to catch a cold. Plus, you should brush your teeth before sleeping, or you’ll get cavities.”

“She just fainted, it’s nothing serious.”

Ashe turned around and saw a girl lying on her side on his bed, dressed in a black and white checkered skirt. She had shiny black hair, and her legs were mismatched with one white stocking and one black, smiling warmly at him.

But…

“Shouldn’t it be a miniskirt and black and white dyed hair?”

Ashe was disappointed: “Why don’t you look like your portrait either!”

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