Chapter 183: I Was Shallow
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 183: I Was Shallow
The moment the girl appeared, everyone present held their breath.
As if brushing past a cluster of flowers by chance, the girl walked by softly and departed in silence.
She didn't look back once.
Before the crowd could even react, she was already far away.
By the time they snapped out of it, they realized she had vanished. Only a lingering fragrance in the air proved she had ever been there.
A long silence followed.
Finally, the student who had previously collapsed on the ground stood up. He brushed the dust off his clothes and, seeing the silent expressions of those around him, asked in confusion, "Uh... what’s wrong with all of you?"
Hearing his voice, the others turned around one by one, their eyes filled with profound regret.
"That... Big Brother, I was shallow before."
"I’ve realized that there really are things in this world more beautiful than magic."
"I suddenly understand that you don't necessarily have to possess something for it to be meaningful."
"It’s like admiring flowers; only by keeping a certain distance can you truly appreciate a blossom's most beautiful moment."
"By the way, Big Brother... do you have any idea how I can transfer to the Fate Faction?"
Faced with their sudden change of heart, the student looked utterly bewildered. "Huh?"
*
After leaving the crowd's sight, Xie Bai went straight to the Dome Academy library.
She grabbed a book at random, sat in a secluded corner, and began to flip through it. At the same time, her task panel floated beside her.
[- When the Dome Falls -]
[After arriving at Dome Academy, you became a student by chance and witnessed its profound magical heritage. After experiencing so many battles, it is time to enjoy some hard-earned rest.]
[Current Objective: Complete at least three of the following goals (3/3)]
After completing the initial task of arriving at the academy, the task panel had unlocked the second set of objectives. Simply put, it was about exploration. As long as she completed three of them, Xie Bai could settle the task and move on to the next stage.
While wandering through the academy just now, she had naturally completed the first three goals and was already at the point where she could finalize the mission.
However, Xie Bai didn't want to settle it so quickly.
In her experience, the prerequisite for reaching a "True Ending" usually involved completing all task objectives. Although she wasn't sure if this task had a True Ending, she decided to play it safe and finish every goal before settling.
Flip—
As Xie Bai read the book in her hand, her perception spread outward, covering all the surrounding bookshelves.
A moment later, a system prompt popped up again.
[4. Browse at least half of the books in the library (Completed)]
At this point, Xie Bai hadn't even turned ten pages of the book in her hand.
Seeing the task was finished, she wasn't in a hurry to close it. She had to admit, this novel about "The Empire's Sixth Prince being fought over by his older brothers" was actually quite good.
Although every "Big Brother" in the story had some yandere tendencies, the detailed descriptions of emotions, interactions, and... positions were quite captivating. Even someone who didn't usually like the yandere trope would find themselves reading on unconsciously.
If this were published in the modern era, it would be a top-tier hit. It was a pity such a good book appeared in a place like this; it felt somewhat misplaced in time. Furthermore, the author hadn't used a name, so Xie Bai had no way of knowing who wrote it.
Just as she was reading with great interest, several figures suddenly entered her perception.
The moment she detected the anomaly, Xie Bai activated her Spirit Form.
In the next second, several figures emerged from the shadows. If she wasn't mistaken, it was a team.
Under Xie Bai's watchful gaze, the leader of the group pulled out a list.
"Everyone, this is the task assigned to us by the academy. Confiscate the books on this list and take them away. It’s best not to attract anyone's attention."
Upon receiving the order, the others nodded and transformed into shadows, slipping into every bookshelf.
Xie Bai stood right behind the captain, peeking at the list in his hand.
"They all seem to be the same type of book... including the one in my hand."
After scanning the list, Xie Bai had a rough idea of why these books were being seized.
"It’s a bit of a shame, though. If these were posted on the forum, they’d probably get a lot of attention."
Thinking of this, she double-checked the names on the list. She had already seen all these titles when her consciousness expanded earlier. For her, finding all these books was effortless.
A moment later, the others returned to the captain.
"Reporting, Boss. We didn't find any of the books on the list on these shelves."
"None?" The captain was stunned. "There isn't a single person reading here right now, and the library doesn't allow books to be checked out. How could they be missing?"
Faced with the captain's confusion, one of them suggested, "Boss, we really didn't find them. Maybe someone took them out against the rules?"
The captain pondered for a moment. "But it's impossible for all of them to be gone..."
He looked up. "This might be more complicated than we thought. Let's head back first to check on the teacher's injuries and ask for his help."
"Understood."
With that, the group dove into the shadows and departed.
Once they were gone, Xie Bai deactivated her Spirit Form. The books those people were looking for were, in fact, currently sitting in her inventory.
"Shadow-related abilities... are these the Shadow Faction students Ivy mentioned? Their abilities seem similar to Nephili's."
She looked in the direction they had left, thinking for a moment.
"Come to think of it, the Shadow Faction is the only one in the entire academy without a designated exclusive area. Their territory might be hidden somewhere else."
Xie Bai looked at the fifth goal on her task panel.
[5. Discover at least one hidden area]
"Does the Shadow Faction's hideout count as a hidden area?"
She looked at the shadow beneath her feet and thought of the talent she had inscribed through the Mother of Myriad Dark Forms earlier: Shadow Homing.
It was a top-tier talent that allowed for the free manipulation of the shadow world.
"Should I... follow them and take a look at the Shadow Faction?"
*
Somewhere in Dome Academy.
Vesparo struggled to sit up from his bed.
"Ugh... I'm still alive?"
He looked around and realized he was in the room reserved for his students, which calmed him down slightly. Recalling what had happened earlier, he still felt a lingering fear.
"Strange... it was just a divination. How did I see something so terrifying?"
Vesparo prepared to get out of bed. Just then, the door was pushed open.
"Teacher, you're awake?"
A youth walked in and immediately rushed to Vesparo's side.
Seeing it was his own student, Vesparo breathed a sigh of relief, but then immediately became wary. "Wait, why is it you, kid? What are you doing here now?"
Faced with Vesparo's questioning, the youth scratched his head awkwardly and explained, "Well... Teacher, it's like this. The academy recently assigned a task to our Shadow Faction..."
A moment later, Vesparo had a general understanding of the situation through the youth's explanation.
"So, you want me to divine the truth behind the missing books?"
"Exactly, Teacher! In this academy, you're the strongest diviner outside of the Fate Faction!"
"With your help, we'll be able to complete the task and secure more benefits for our Shadow Faction."
Faced with the youth's flattery, Vesparo's face darkened.
"Do you even know why I was lying here in the first place?"