Chapter 1003: A Fool's Dream is Spending a Gold Cat Card at the Cat Cafe!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 1003: A Fool's Dream is Spending a Gold Cat Card at the Cat Cafe!
In the blink of an eye, the holidays were drawing to a close.
The Expansion Realm branch of the Witch Academy was still under construction. After all, a brand-new Witch Academy wasn't something that could be completed in a single break, even with extraordinary means.
This branch was a super-large-scale academy, using the Ninglan Territory as its physical framework and utilizing Curtain Wall overlapping space planning. Its interior was designed with an urban framework; it was destined to be the largest academy in the future. Since it would eventually handle admissions for the entire Expansion Realm, they couldn't afford to skimp on the initial planning.
As of now, the new branch had only completed parts of the Central Teaching Area and some residential quarters. The current lower-year students were getting a taste of what it was like to move dorms before even graduating.
Because much of the branch's infrastructure was unfinished, concepts like commercial districts were still in the discussion phase. As for letting the families from the Core World or the original clubs take over, the Academy had no such intentions yet.
Since this was an academy built in the Expansion Realm, the plan was for the Expansion Realm to remain the primary focus. While there could be exchange between the Expansion Realm and the Core World, the Core World would never be allowed to take the lead.
For the early development of the branch, the Witch Academy intended to let Ninglan New City take charge. After all, the City Lord of Ninglan New City was also a student of the Witch Academy.
The branch project was spearheaded by Ninglan Qiuyue. However, the Academy’s promised follow-up conditions would only be fulfilled once she became a Transcendent Witch. Once she reached that rank, she would be considered "one of their own" within the Witch race.
At the very least, this would help eliminate the so-called "social complexities" and conflicts of interest from the Main World. Once Ninglan Qiuyue became a Transcendent Witch, her perspective would lean more toward the Witch race, and the groups of non-transcendents would have nothing of value to sway a Transcendent.
Even before the Expansion Realm branch was fully built, many witches and research teams were already scrambling for a spot in the Experimental Zone. Upon learning that the Expansion Realm would house a Dream State Soul Essence preparation factory from the Nightmare Workshop, many witches working on major soul-related projects or life-science topics began making their moves.
The significance of a Dream State Soul Essence preparation workshop—and its influence on the dream level—was something witches valued even more than the preparation techniques for Hexagonal Crystal Amber. The latter was merely expensive; the former represented a "blue ocean" of entirely new research branches and life concepts!
Setting aside the development of the Expansion Realm for a moment...
With the new semester approaching, many students were gradually returning to school. Currently, the most heated topic of discussion within the Academy was the conflict in the Myriad Beasts Wasteland.
The Jack-of-all-trades Club had originally thought this matter could be resolved quickly, but it had dragged on until the start of the term... This was something they had never expected. It felt as if an invisible hand was pushing everything behind the scenes, refusing to let it end.
Even the official Witch Academy seemed to be giving tacit approval or subtle instructions regarding the matter. In fact, the Academy's encouragement in certain areas had reached an aggressive level!
For instance, the promotion plan for extraordinary power centered on the Power Network was no longer being hidden. They had even begun pilot programs for teaching extraordinary power in several high schools within the Witch Academy's territories. This was an open move against the mainstream global trends of the Core World.
Of course, the promotion of extraordinary power met with mixed reviews among ordinary people. Naturally, those in regions that couldn't enjoy the Power Network were incredibly bitter—but who told them not to live in Witch territory?
However, outside of the Transcendent Academy, the Witches positioned the Power Network's extraordinary power for ordinary people as a "sub-profession" within existing career systems. Whether it was agriculture, forestry, fishing, animal husbandry, industry, manufacturing, or construction, the intervention of extraordinary power was meant to better liberate productivity.
Furthermore, most of these extraordinary vocational pilot programs were in ordinary vocational colleges, effectively turning those non-transcendent schools into semi-transcendent ones. After all, not everyone in this world was qualified to obtain extraordinary power; the Academy acted as a massive filter.
By standardizing the process, they allowed capable people to contribute more "light and heat" toward the construction of the Main World. The so-called promotion of extraordinary power was essentially just a facade; every ounce of that power remained under the strict supervision of the Power Network.
This system had already shown some results in the Expansion Realm, though it was still largely in the exploratory phase there. It served as a way to scout the path for the Core World.
* * *
At that moment.
At the exit of the Experimental Zone, a petite figure passed the authorization check and stepped out from the restricted area.
If any student who frequently visited the Witch Cat Cafe were here, they would surely recognize her—this was a Fool's Dream they had never seen before! Moreover, this Fool's Dream had rare, long silver-white hair and deep crimson eyes. Her very youthful appearance carried a slightly complex aura, as if there were a hint of maturity hidden within her innocence...
That’s right! This Fool's Dream coming out of the lab... was me.
The reason I looked like this was primarily due to the Primal Great Fool's Dream Spell.
Now, there was some good news and some bad... well, not-so-bad news.
The good news was that the hypothesis and logic behind the Primal Great Fool's Dream Spell were correct! Although it hadn't yet become the true Primal Great Fool's Dream Spell, the framework had been established.
The "not-so-bad" bad news was that, as the one holding the Fool's Dream transformation spell transformed from a Holy Relic, I needed a reference point to continue refining this power. Consequently, the spell's effect manifested on my own body.
Strictly speaking, this wasn't quite a "Fool's Dream Transformation Spell" yet. From the perspective of Life, the concept of the Fool's Dream race wasn't yet a true form of life. Therefore, this could only be considered a "Fixed Transformation Spell," lacking accurate bloodline information to anchor it to a specific race. It had no specific racial talents, no racial advantages, and no unique traits.
But these weren't difficult problems for me. To confirm racial characteristics and bestow racial talents, I already had a unique idea: Dreamstate Souls!
If the Fool's Dream Transformation Spell wanted to anchor a specific Fool's Dream racial bloodline, the most fundamental point was the Dreamstate Soul. Just as the Ley Line Life Transformation Technique allowed one to bypass Ley Line Shackles, gain the traits of Ley Line Life, and manipulate Ley Line energy after transforming, the Fool's Dream should be the same.
Except, the trait the Fool's Dream could bestow was... Dreamification!
This was a trait that had already begun to appear in the Fool's Dream—a talent born from the Dreamstate Soul influencing the physical shell: Dreamification.
In this way, the Fool's Dream could be anchored by concepts and information through the most basic definitions. This was the foundation for opening a Life Sequence. Once the Fool's Dream anchored the Dreamstate Soul and Dreamification, it meant that a single race—the Fool's Dream—encompassed all the possibilities of Dreamstate Soul life! Even if they were further categorized, they would simply be different bloodlines and forms of Fool's Dream born under that overarching framework.
No... thinking of this, I quickly corrected myself.
That was far too conceptual. A racial concept couldn't be that overreaching. It would be like a race called "Life" appearing and, upon birth, unifying the entire diversity of life in the Void into a single race. Such a classification would be meaningless.
So... what else could the Fool's Dream anchor to?
I pondered for a long time until... I realized the Tree of Fool's Dream.
The reason the Fool's Dream were Fool's Dream—the very beginning and origin of everything—wasn't it the "Dream Scroll"?
It was just that now, it had turned into the Tree of Fool's Dream. But whether it was the Dream Scroll or the Tree of Fool's Dream, those were just names. It was like the elves born from the World Tree; the source of their birth was the anchor of their race.
At this, I took a deep breath.
I had finally managed to adapt to my lowered field of vision. As my body shrank, the clothes I wore were also created via a spell effect. These clothes were custom-made by the Witch Cat Cafe for the Fool's Dream; they didn't just have uniforms, but also provided various daily outfits. So, I had written these Fool's Dream clothes into my Change of Clothes Spellbook. Otherwise, with this little accident, I really would have ended up with nothing to wear.
The reason I was leaving the Experimental Zone was that I had achieved a stage of success with the Primal Great Fool's Dream Spell. I needed to give myself a break and, while I was at it, reorganize my thoughts for the next stage.
It was the perfect time to meet up with Sister Bai. I wondered what kind of expression she would make when she saw me in this state. It would probably be quite a sight, wouldn't it?
But that was just a side benefit. My main task was actually to find Dean Mei. I only asked Sister Bai along because I wanted her company.
My purpose for seeking Dean Mei... was the issue of Primal Spells.
The more I understood the authority and power represented by Primal Spells, the more I realized their value and significance to a race. Therefore, I hoped to discuss the matter of the Primal Fool's Dream Spell Sequence with Dean Mei. Even if I had to provide four or six Primal Spell Sequences to her later, I wanted to secure the Primal Spell Sequence for the Fool's Dream.
With these thoughts in mind, I suppressed my worries. Regardless, I wouldn't know for sure until I actually met Dean Mei.
Calming my heart, I pulled out my long-unused flying broom. I had already agreed on a time with Sister Bai to meet at a Witch Cat Cafe.
Although the flying broom was designed to be very lightweight for a witch's aesthetic, it was still too large for me in my Fool's Dream form. It felt like the tail of the broom, if stood upright, would be about as tall as I was.
However, the moment I touched the broom, that familiar feeling returned.
The flying brooms used by witches were self-sensing mana-absorbers. Similar to spellbooks, even if one's mental strength couldn't command mana, the broom could maintain its effects by sensing and drawing mana on its own.
I gripped the thinnest part of the broom handle, feeling like I could barely wrap my hand around it. The hands of this Fool's Dream form were just too small.
"Whatever. Today, I'll leave the Witch Academy with a rumor about a broom-riding Fool's Dream," I said with a smile.
It seemed like it would be quite fun, wouldn't it? After all, Fool's Dream couldn't use mana sources or interfere with mana, so they naturally couldn't do something like ride a broom. But I was different. Even in this form, I was still me; everything I possessed could be used without hindrance.
As I soared into the sky, my tail instinctively wrapped around the seat post behind me. Although it didn't actually help stabilize my body, it provided a lot of psychological comfort.
This was my first time riding a broom in this form. It was novel and exhilarating, as if I had unlocked a brand-new world that made me curious about everything.
Before long, I appeared over the commercial district. This area was very close to the Central Teaching Area, which was where I had agreed to meet Sister Bai. It looked like I had arrived early.
"Whoa! Look! It's a Fool's Dream riding a broom!"
"Are you still dreaming?"
"Sister~ wake up. Have you gone crazy from studying for your flight license?"
As I skimmed low over the streets, people finally began to notice me. But even so, my speed was too fast; even with a fleeting glance, they only saw a petite silhouette from behind.
Finally, I spotted the very conspicuous building below—the Witch Cat Cafe.
I stowed my broom while still in the air, letting my body fall in a free-fall. The two ears on my head twitched and folded in the wind, and my long tail fluttered behind me. At this height, even landing in a Fool's Dream form wouldn't cause me any injury.
Finally, I landed steadily in a braced posture.
Fool's Dream Xiao Han! Making a grand entrance!
Though the move looked cool, from a passerby's perspective, it was just a petite figure coincidentally landing right at the entrance of the Witch Cat Cafe.
"Eh? Whose Fool's Dream is this? So cute~ She doesn't look like one of the Fool's Dream from our branch!"
At that moment, the receptionist sister at the cafe's front desk saw this sudden "visitor" and her eyes immediately lit up!
"Little cutie~ are you here looking for a job? We..."
"No."
I shook my head decisively and firmly rejected her attempt to pick me up.
"Eh? No?"
Just as the receptionist was looking confused, she saw me pull something out of a storage device... a Gold Cat Card!
The girl's pupils dilated in shock! Since when did Fool's Dream have Gold Cat Cards?
"I'm here to wait for someone. Prepare two Fool's Dream Drinks. Don't mix them; I'll do it myself."
"This... alright~ little guest~" The girl leaned down to take the Gold Cat Card, her voice immediately becoming cheerful.
Serving a Fool's Dream—this was a first for her! She felt like no one would believe her even if she told them! A Fool's Dream actually had a Gold Cat Card for the Witch Cat Cafe!
* * *
Author's Note: Little Theater
"Hmm? What was that thing that just zipped past?"
A member of the Discipline Squad patrolling the Academy's skies rubbed her eyes. After confirming that the figure that had just blurred past her was a Fool's Dream, she was utterly shocked!
"Captain! I saw a Fool's Dream speeding through the Academy's airspace!"
"Then go after her."
"But... but that's a Fool's Dream!"
"Even a Fool's Dream gets a ticket for speeding! Find her Cat Cafe and deduct her Fool's Dream Drinks."
"Holy crap... Captain! I can't catch her!"
"Can't catch her? Did you buy your stunt flying license with lunch money?! Today, either her flight license or yours is getting revoked! Go!"
"Captain... can Fool's Dream... even get a flight license?"
"..."