Mage Manual

Actually, Ash could choose to leave the legacy directly.

The Ghost Key was on him.

But even if he left the legacy this time, he would still encounter the same challenge next time. Ash speculated that the reason he could retain his memory was likely because he used the Technique Spirit to reinforce his soul, allowing him to barely resist the effects of Return to Childhood.

Return to Childhood was silent and subtle, and the shared coat sleep might not work again. Moreover, this challenge required them to draw independently, so the three Sword Maidens had to be in a clear state; they couldn't always remain in the shared coat sleep state.

In other words, if they wanted all four of them to retain their memories and pass the challenge, they would have to devise a new soul miracle. It might only take a few days, but it might also take several weeks.

However, the problem was that level 35 wasn't the final stage. Based on speculation, the Ghost Legacy probably had 100 stages!

If they stopped at every difficult stage to create new miracles, they would surely miss out on the Ghost Legacy and the Blank Concept! The Void Realm was a challenge for all mages. Even if elves were rare now, and there weren't many Elf Sanctuaries with soul talents, there were still those with extraordinary talent!

Not to mention, among the people Ash knew, Qinna's progress was definitely much faster than theirs!

This elf clan leader wasn't just all talk; she was a bona fide Soul Sanctuary. Her soul faction realm was definitely at the Holy Domain level, and she also had the Gospel System to assist her in solving difficult challenges. She had probably surpassed the first 50 levels by now!

If they truly wanted to seize the Ghost Legacy, they couldn't retreat in the face of a level 35 challenge, which they could barely pass. They had to break through assertively! This had been a consensus among the four of them for a long time!

Since Ash could take everyone out anytime, they decided to continue the challenge until danger forced them to retreat!

Ash stood next to the little Sword Maiden and asked, "What are you going to draw?"

"Two people!" The little Sword Maiden held up two fingers, her eyes full of longing. "The woman has long red hair like silk, and sparkling red eyes, wearing a beautiful wedding dress. The man is in a gorgeous suit, tall, handsome, cold, and proud. They are holding each other, looking like they're about to kiss!"

Her tone turned excited towards the end, likely having seen such scenes in dramas quite often. However, Ash scratched his head, 'Tall, handsome, cold, and proud'—did the little Sword Maiden see it wrong, or did the real Sword Maiden have some misunderstanding about him?

"Then why don't you start with the face? Just outline the contours, and then draw the clothes and wedding dress."

The little Sword Maiden nodded obediently, stretching out her finger to draw while asking, "Hey, why am I drawing these two people? They look like stars from promotional dramas."

Couldn't she recognize them? Ash blinked and said, "Don't you think the beautiful girl you're going to draw looks like you when you grow up? Both red hair and red eyes…"

"No way!" The little Sword Maiden shook her head. "How could I be so pretty when I grow up? I look so plain."

Ash was about to say 'you're already cute now,' but he suddenly realized a problem—the Sword Maiden didn't look all that pretty when she was young. He had seen how she looked as a child in the forgetful cabin: weak with dull hair and undeveloped features.

He suddenly understood.

Return to Childhood didn't actually revert them to their childhood but compressed their souls to a child's level and blocked their memories after childhood. Therefore, their current appearance was merely a juvenile version of their adult selves; like the little Witch and little Weiser, although their features became childlike, their overall contours had not changed.

That's impossible. In a child's development, the skull changes continuously. There's an old saying, 'The child has grown so much I can't recognize them.' Conversely, if an adult turns back into a child, it's normal not to recognize them!

Therefore, in the little Sword Maiden's heart, she's still that plain, weak village girl, and she can't imagine growing up to be so confident and beautiful.

However, Ash still said, "Actually, you're very cute now."

The little Sword Maiden raised her right fist again, but Ash caught it and said, "I'm not talking about your appearance. I find your personality very cute."

The little Sword Maiden raised her left fist, "You're mocking me. Do you think I don't understand?"

"No, that's exactly why you're so cute." Ash said earnestly, "Even though you're a bit overly sensitive, no matter the malicious oppression you face, you always fiercely fight back. Even if you weren't pretty as a child, would you give up when you grow up, would you admit defeat?"

"Oh, I remember you like Dedarose. Although I haven't met Dedarose, she should be a very beautiful person. Don't you want to grow up to be as brilliant and beautiful as Dedarose? With such a heart's desire, how could you not be beautiful in the future?"

The little Sword Maiden blinked at him, then slowly lowered her fist and said softly, "You actually know I want to be as beautiful as Dedarose, I haven't told anyone this... Does that mean you're not lying to me?"

So revealing this information won her trust... Ash nodded, "Really, and the red-haired girl you're going to draw is what you'll look like when you grow up."

The little Sword Maiden was still a bit skeptical, but she didn't dwell on it and asked, "How do you know I like Dedarose? Are we very close?"

"A bit closer than friends." Ash could only answer like this.

The little Sword Maiden asked, "If the woman I'm going to draw is me, then who is the man holding her?"

Ash and she stared at each other for quite a while before he said, "I can't see who it is until you draw it out. But..."

"Do you think the man looks like me or not?"

The little Sword Maiden froze, then her lips moved slightly, and she swung her fist, knocking Ash down.

"You're bullying me again!"

Ash couldn't help but marvel at the power of the Technique Spirit for soul refinement. After taking so many hits, he seemed perfectly fine. He got up and said, "First draw the facial contours, then the clothing contours. Start with the big parts and then the smaller ones, gradually refining the details... Can you do that?"

"I can."

Ash glanced at the little witch and little Weiser and noticed they hadn't started drawing either, so he went over to check on things. But after just two steps, he was pulled back by the little Sword Maiden.

"Where are you going?"

"To teach them how to draw," Ash said. "Everyone must work together to pass this test."

The little Sword Maiden's face showed obvious dissatisfaction. She hesitated and then lowered her head, saying, "I'm sorry, I won't hit you anymore."

"It's alright." Ash certainly wouldn't hold a grudge against an amnesiac child: "It's just a test's fault; you were simply making your own response."

"Could you not go, then?" The little Sword Maiden's nervous tone carried a hint of expectation.

Ash paused.

He realized the little Sword Maiden's dependence on him was quite normal. After all, he had already gained her trust, and since he always seemed so confident, it would be strange if the Sword Maiden, who had reverted to a childlike state, didn't rely on him. It was just that her inexplicable possessiveness was odd, and she seemed a bit insecure...

Ash suddenly recalled that the little Sword Maiden had been cautious and even somewhat humble when facing the little witch earlier. He initially thought it was due to the little witch's leadership skills, but upon reflection, this might also stem from the little Sword Maiden's inferiority complex.

Seeing the little witch being so cute and pretty, she subconsciously lowered her head, especially since the little witch behaved so calmly, making her feel all the more inadequate. Only by riding on Ash's back to display her strength could she ease her insecurity.

She hadn't sought advice from the little witch and little Weiser on how to draw for the same reason. Pretty little girls can draw, but she can't, so she felt ashamed and only dared to ask the one person she could boss around.

The same was true now. The little Sword Maiden feared that once Ash went to them, he would no longer care for her, so she didn't want Ash to leave.

The world of children is just so raw and simple.

So Ash said, "I'll come back to teach you a second time after I teach them. Only you get a second time. How does that sound?"

"You won't lie to me, will you?"

"I won't."

"Alright."

The little Sword Maiden let go of his hand and obediently started drawing on the whiteboard.

Finally managing to settle one, Ash went over to the little witch and asked, "Are you encountering any difficulties?"

The little witch glanced at him and replied, "I have so many people to draw, and I barely know any of them."

Ash thought to himself that if he didn't retain his memories, he would also be clueless about who to draw. Who is this blonde man, who is the man with dark skin sitting on the coffin, and why is there a crow at the barbecue... This kind of confusion would surely entangle him.

"Aren't your sisters around?" Ash asked.

Witch: "What sisters?"

This Return to Childhood Miracle is something, actually suppressing the witch's sister personalities. However, the sister personalities were originally by-products lurking in the soul, so being affected is not surprising.

This is much better than the time in the amnesiac cabin when the witch was nearly driven mad by her sisters. But perhaps because the sisters were temporarily blocked, the witch, still having black hair, now had some streaks of pure-colored highlights.

Clearly, the witch at this moment was not her childhood self, just a softened version of her adult self.

"You can start drawing with simple things first," Ash suggested. "This trial might have a time limit, so try to finish quickly."

The little witch nodded and suddenly said, "In my drawing, I saw someone who looks a lot like you."

"If you're right and we just temporarily reverted to childhood, then that person is likely the real you."

Ash nodded, "Yes, that's me."

The little witch continued, "But in this painting, there are also four beautiful girls with different temperaments, yet similar looks. They show, whether through their eyes or actions, a fondness for you that even I can see."

"In the picture book, I saw a magical creature called a Meiwa, and everyone would like such a being."

The little witch stared at Ash, curiously asking:

"Are you a Meiwa?"