Sonya suddenly smiled. "Come to think of it. When I was reading through the notes, I saw some sorcerers call the River of Flowing Gold the River of Ambition. I didn't understand it at the time. Now I finally do."

The White Queen agreed, "Fear can crush courage, but it can also fuel ambition. Sorcerers who can traverse the Virtual World are already the freest beings in existence. After facing aging and death head-on, they realize that the so-called rules, reason, and common sense in reality are nothing more than insignificant illusions."

"There were never any chains to begin with. Sorcerers are born to conquer everything."

Boom!

Another explosion echoed from the distant sky, followed by the roars of countless monsters. Clearly, someone else had taken flight in search of the Rainbow Tail.

The three of them watched the chaos for a moment before Ashe spoke, "You two should work hard. As long as either of you advances your class rank to the Sacred Realm level, the rest of us can follow and ascend to the Distant Sky Domain. Even without the Rainbow Tail, we could still slip into a higher layer of the Virtual World.'"

As I thought...

Having been brought into the Virtual World without opening the Gate of Truth herself, Dia had already suspected that the team system worked on a One Advances, All Benefit principle. If the Watcher could directly open the Gate of Truth to the fourth layer, they might leap straight into becoming Four-Winged Legendary sorcerers.

To her surprise, however, the Watcher only had strength at the Two-Winged level. According to the Swordswoman, he had suffered amnesia and had to start from scratch. Yet the Watcher they encountered in reality did not seem like someone who had lost memory or strength. On the contrary, he carried a presence even more unrestrained and dangerous than a Legendary Sorcerer.

As for the one in the Virtual World, although somewhat unpredictable, he was generally approachable and easygoing, like a slice of cake at afternoon tea. If not for the fact that his overall personality had remained largely unchanged, the White Queen might have assumed the Watcher, like herself, had siblings.

So, is the Watcher the type to intimidate newcomers first to make them easier to command? From a management perspective, that approach is not entirely wrong. Or maybe...

The White Queen glanced at the Swordswoman and thought. Could it be that with her around, the Watcher simply did not dare act too arrogantly?

"You're not going to look for the Rainbow Tail anymore?" Sonya asked.

"Of course I will. But you two can't slack off either. If I fail to find it, I'll have to rely on you," Ashe said, brushing himself off as he stood. "Beings like Divine Lords are still too far away. But the Distant Sky Domain... that's something we can at least aim for.

"If the Continent of Time is already this fascinating, what kind of sights await us in the Distant Sky Domain?"

Seeing that they had fully regained their spirits, Dia assessed their condition. "We used about a third of our soul energy entering the River of Flowing Gold just now. We should still be able to go in once more. What do you say we—"

Ashe and Sonya immediately backed down.

"Tomorrow night."

"Let's talk about it next time."

The White Queen could not help but cover her mouth and laugh.

Entering the River of Flowing Gold did not consume soul energy, but restoring an aged and decayed soul back to its normal state did.

As long as they were willing, a sorcerer could enter and leave the river multiple times. Many did exactly that. After all, not everyone was like Ashe. They didn't have the Virtual World map to help them secure gains every night. Most sorcerers wandered the Continent of Time at random. Even if they stumbled upon a Resource Point, they might not be able to defeat the ferocious creatures guarding it.

For most, as long as they did not die of old age, a trip to the River of Flowing Gold was pure profit.

Ashe and the others had spent a third of their soul energy only because it was their first time and they lacked experience. Skilled scavengers could reduce the cost to one-fifth or even one-sixth.

The three began checking their harvest.

Ashe had the worst luck. He picked up five Time Class spirits, yet none were valuable. They were not even part of the year-month-day series, but from the cheapest hour-minute-second series. These spirits could not be used on their own and only served as materials for casting Miracles.

Sonya fared slightly better. Among the four spirits she collected, one was Fixed Day, which preserved the body's state for a single day. Despite not being as sought after as Fixed Month or Fixed Year, it was still useful. In important situations, she could maintain her appearance for an entire day without needing any touch-ups.

The one with the best luck was Dia. She picked up three spirits. They were the Reverse Day, Ten Years, and Heard Month.

There was no need to elaborate on Reverse Day. It could serve directly as a healing spirit, restoring the body to the condition it had been in a day earlier. Ten Years was a Two-Winged spirit of considerable value. Even Sonya would hesitate to use it as a consumable. As for Heard Month, it was even more impressive, only slightly less valuable than Heard Day.

Under the envious gazes of the other two, Dia said, "Watcher, can you give me all the Time Class spirits you picked up? In exchange, I can give you Reverse Day. Swordswoman, you need the Ten Years spirit for your Decade of Swordcraft Miracle, don't you? You can take this."

Sonya instinctively refused. "Those are your spoils—"

Dia smiled. "But we are a team now. I have no use for Ten Years, so keeping it would only waste it. My Fast Forward spirit consumes hour-minute-second spirits, so give me all of those. I don't have a way to purchase Time Class spirits for now. I can only rely on what I find in the Virtual World."

Ashe handed over the five spirits without hesitation, but he refused Reverse Day. "I won't be fighting in reality anytime soon, and I probably won't be in danger. You should keep it."

Seeing this, Sonya spoke up at once, "If he doesn't want it, then give Reverse Day to me. Witch, just treat it as me owing you a favor."

Dia looked at her in slight surprise. Since Ashe had no objections, she handed both Reverse Day and Ten Years to the Swordswoman. "There's no need to say it like that. In a team, everyone takes what they need. If we come across something I need in the future, just give me priority."

Sonya, however, remained firm. "I'll repay this favor."

Ashe glanced at her. "Are you preparing for a fight soon? Is that why you need a healing spirit?"

Sonya muttered, "It's none of your concern. I never said I needed it for myself."

Secret Princess remarked inwardly, "This woman is too much. She wants everything. I can't stand people like this, always so greedy."

The White Queen watched as the Swordswoman tucked the Reverse Day spirit into her arms and spoke inwardly, "My dear princess, there's something I'm not sure I should say."

"What is it?"

"Most of the time, your foolishness is rather endearing. But sometimes, it's simply annoying."

"You shouldn't have said that!"

"Too late."