Mage Manual-Chapter 584 - 474: Blame-Sharing List

So far, the rankings have been updated with the "Artistic Ranking," "Family Ranking," "Deceit List," "Happiness List," "Dark Arts List," "Assassination List," the "Cruel People Ranking" that was updated last night, and now the upcoming "Villain List."

Although the first seven rankings all featured Ash (even more so than the main character), he has never officially made the lists. His only ranking was as a piece belonging to Miss Hanna, as if his only positive value in the Gospel rating system was as Hanna’s possession.

Last night when the "Cruel People Ranking" was updated, Hanna and Ash were busy with serious matters and didn’t check, which later proved to be the right choice—indeed there was no new information.

The criteria for making the "Cruel People Ranking" have nothing to do with strength, ideals, or personal will; the only threshold to make the list is ’luck,’ but whether this luck is good or bad is a big question mark: Because the people on the list will all inevitably face eighty-one hardships and still stubbornly survive. Disability is a basic requirement, amnesia is not uncommon, and many have even experienced several incidents related to the Artistic Ranking—perhaps everyone has forgotten, but one of the important reasons for the artistic works to make the list is that the crime scene was left with only the artistic works.

In retrospect, although the "Family Ranking" turned everyone into Necromancy, they were at least half-dead; not many died in the "Deceit List," but collectively, it wasn’t enough to fill a city; as for those later rankings, even the Resonators of the "Dark Arts List" couldn’t kill that many in a lifetime. Ten thousand? A hundred thousand?

By comparison, the background of the works in the "Artistic Ranking" involves one city after another being obliterated, with the population of each city calculated in millions, and it is precisely because of the sheer volume of sacrifices that these artistic works have achieved their historical status. The number of casualties from those ’evil rankings’ added together doesn’t even come close to a single listed work from the ’good rankings’ of the Artistic Ranking... Rather than calling it the dark humor of Gospel, it’s more appropriate to say that an individual’s tendencies toward good or evil are insignificant echoes in the flood of history.

The "Cruel People Ranking" and the "Artistic Ranking" are of the same type of ’goodness’ rankings.

Although all the people listed inevitably survive, they have personally witnessed the natural and man-made disasters that claimed the lives of millions, if not tens of millions. The term ’cruel person’ refers both to how cruel they had to be to survive and how cruel fate was to them.

By the way, although the "Cruel People Ranking" was nullified by ’Gospel Ash,’ ’Gospel Ash’ did not kill those who made the list, but slightly altered their fates in the future, allowing them to be swept away with their relatives, lovers, and friends in the flood of disaster.

It’s difficult to judge the actions of ’Gospel Ash’ in the "Cruel People Ranking." Perhaps some would prefer to struggle to survive, while others think it’s better to die happily in the apocalypse. The only certainty is that with the weaving of the rankings, ’Gospel Ash’ has gradually become neither kind nor evil, but supremely high above, looking down upon the world like a Divine Being.

Therefore, everyone is curious about what Ash will eventually become. Until now, Ash has always appeared in other people’s stories, Gospel has never updated a main storyline with Ash as the protagonist.

Now, Gospel might finally advance the main plot and unveil the mystery.

"Wait, if Dad made it onto the list, could the other fake Dad also come to kill him?" Liss suddenly thought of a terrifying possibility.

"The Yisu royal family sent people to impersonate Ash for assassinations to fulfill a future, so as long as Gospel doesn’t weave that future, the Yisu royal family naturally wouldn’t bother," Hanna said, touching her earring with a smile, "And Gospel, no matter how wildly they weave, couldn’t possibly create a flawed logic like ’I kill myself.’"

Her eyes flickered, and she hugged Ash, saying, "But we can’t let our guard down, can we? Ash, share a room with me tonight, I’ll protect you."

Liss was furious, "Why can’t I share a room with Dad!?"

"Can you protect him?" Hanna countered.

"What about Uncle Banjee—"

"Banjee himself is a ’punishee,’ sharing a room with Ash is like helping the fake Ash save some trouble, isn’t it?"

"What about Auntie Bokin and Uncle Harvey—"

"Igula is going to protect Banjee, and Harvey... Liss, could you bear to let Ash sleep with Harvey?"

Liss’s big eyes flitted back and forth between Harvey and Hanna, her small face crinkling into a frown as if she was making a painful decision, "It’s not that... it can’t be done..."

"Hey hey hey, hold on a second," Ash couldn’t help but say, "Why do you just assume I’ll make the list? The threshold for being on this list is clearly being a ’world-changing perpetrator,’ ’mastermind behind a terrorist organization,’ or having ’a multitude of followers.’ As for me and these criteria—"

"It’s a perfect match," everyone, including Alice, declared in unison.

While Ash muttered something about ’workplace bullying’ and ’office ostracism’ that no one understood, Igula raised an eyebrow, "Turns out the first to show up is someone we know."

"What?"

Everyone looked down and their expressions instantly turned strange—

"Villain List 10th place: Red Hat Havoc"

"Charge: Red Hat Captain Cleos Byame collaborates with Hanna Doran to secretly release Ash Heath, Igula Bokin, and Archibald Harvey."

"Assessment: Gravely sinful"

"Criminal: Cleos Byame"

"Cleos awarded the ’Spellbreaking Silver Handcuffs.’"

...

Red Hat division at Azura.

"Captain, don’t cry, please."

"Everyone knows it’s not your fault, Captain. The higher-ups definitely won’t blame you."

Cleos lay sprawled across the desk, her shoulders heaving as tears soaked her sleeves, emitting whimpers like those of a grieving kitten. This time, it wasn’t the ’Crying Curse’ triggering her tears; she was truly heartbroken and crying.

How could she have known that these foreigners would poke such a big hole in the Kingdom of Gospel?

Although officially, the Red Hats were supposed to either execute the foreigners on the spot or detain and re-educate them, observing them for a year before granting formal citizenship and returning them to society. But that was just a guideline; usually, everyone would just kill them to save effort—Red Hats could be lazy too—at that time, in order to capture the Four Pillars God Sect and having a Contract with Hanna first, those outsiders were treated as spoils, and handing them over to Hanna was in accordance with all rules and regulations. Why would the Gospel judge her guilty for that?

If only she had known, she would have waited for the Four Pillars God Sect to sacrifice these fellows before going in to make arrests!

...

"Villain List 9th place: The Incompetent Duchess"

"Charge: Family Reunion Office attempted a night raid on the Funeral Service Office, returning empty-handed, allowing all members of the Funeral Service Office to escape safely."

"Evaluation: Death unworthy of regret"

"Offender: Anna Aldo"

"Anna Aldo receives the reward ’Mech Spirit Ring +3’."

All the Duchesses of the Red Cicada in the office were dumbfounded.

Honestly, when she had sent people to attack the Funeral Service Office, it couldn’t be said that she had justice on her side. At that time, the warrant hadn’t even been issued yet. Her people had a reason to break into a private residence, but the procedure was completely wrong. It was only because Cleos also wanted to capture Hanna at the time that she didn’t investigate further. However, regardless of the reasons, the attack was evil, illegal, and a cruel act of bullying the weak.

And now, the Kingdom of Gospel was actually condemning her for "not being thorough in her evil" by putting her name on the notorious Villain List!?

Over the past few decades, the Duchess had exploited the loopholes of the Gospel to make countless targets suffer in silence, unable to seek redress through official channels or even voice their grievances, even though they knew very well that the perpetrator was the Family Reunion Office.

Now, the Duchess finally understood just how wronged those people felt.

...

"Villain List 8th place: Greedy Patriarch"

"Charge: The Clan Leader of Senheiser, influenced by beauty in his judgment, joined other Six Emblem Clan Leaders in sabotaging the Red Hat’s capture plan, resulting in Ash Heath and others successfully escaping the Red Hat’s encirclement."

"Evaluation: An extremely serious crime"

"Offender: Qinna Senheiser"

"Qinna Senheiser receives the reward ’Shared Technique Spirit’."

"... Qinna, did you really let Ash Heath go for such a reason?"

In the Clan Leader’s office of the Senheiser skyscraper, Nona’s tone was calm, but the anger hidden in her words was obvious to all.

"How could that be, you know as well as I do that Gospel has been fabricating things, why are you believing it now?"

Qinna, nonchalant, looked at the recently acquired Technique Spirit in her hand: "However, the future list actually rewarding a Technique Spirit, that’s quite rare in history... Hm? This seems to be a Technique Spirit tailored for me by Gospel, with two effects; the first effect is actually to share the faction realm with blood relatives, Nona, you now have a chance to break through to the Holy Domain!"

"Don’t change the subject!" Nona rotated Qinna’s chair to face her: "You say the Gospel is making up stories, but in which respect? Is it that you’ve never been infatuated with Ash, or that your judgment has never been influenced?"

"The second effect of this Technique Spirit is the ability to share senses with blood relatives, let’s try it out..."

"Qinna!" Nona took a deep breath, grabbed her shoulder, and said earnestly, "I had a communication with Hanna last night."

"Mm-hm?"

"She said, after the Weaving Festival is over, she’ll be with Ash," Nona stared at her sister: "You understand what I mean, right? Stop doing unnecessary things."

Qinna blinked: "Did you forget I also have a Contract with Hanna?"

"Ah?"

"As the price for me letting them go, once the Weaving Festival is over, Hanna will return to become a part of Senheiser." She spread her hands, "Of course, I won’t do unnecessary things; she loves being with Ash, let her be, since she’ll end up living here in Senheiser anyway."

"You know that’s not the ’unnecessary thing’ I’m talking about!"

"Then what is it? How should I know if you don’t tell me?" Qinna swung her chair, looking clueless at her.

"Are you pretending to be innocent with me?" Nona said through gritted teeth, though her reddened cheeks already betrayed her embarrassment.

"Sister, you are so strange when you speak. I am your sister; as long as you state your demands, I will surely fulfill them." Qinna smiled, "When have I ever refused your wishes since childhood?"

Nona’s mouth twitched, and she took a deep breath: "What I mean is, if Hanna and Ash really do return to Senheiser..."

"Mm-hm."

"Don’t take advantage of Hanna’s absence to find Ash in private... Of course, even making moves in public isn’t okay!"

"Mm-hm, but what would I need Ash for?"

"To—to—do—"

"To do what? Bake a cake?"

"Ugh..." The usually stoic Red Hat Vice-Captain’s face turned red, and she glared silently at her sister.

Qinna sighed, "Alright, alright, perhaps this is the reason Gospel rewarded me the shared Technique Spirit, not just for the faction realm, but you should really share and learn from my sense of shame too. With such thin skin and so easily embarrassed, I think you’re more likely to have your judgment swayed by emotions."

"I have no desire to share with you!"

"Fine." Qinna spoke calmly, "Now more than ever, our family needs the combat power of the Holy Domain. Do you have the confidence to break through to the Holy Domain within a year with the help of my shared faction?"

Hearing her sister address the matter at hand, Nona couldn’t help but suppress her embarrassed anger and said earnestly, "I will do my best... Eh-huh!"

Yet Qinna also tensed up instantly, making a cute nasal noise: "Mm-hm~"

PS: (っ・∀・)っLooking for votes at the beginning of the month.

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