Chapter 1006: Dean Mei Lind: Give Me a Chance
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 1006: Dean Mei Lind: Give Me a Chance
"Why shouldn't it be possible? A Witch Contract was never meant to be a tool for one witch to make life difficult for another," Dean Mei said with a casual air.
While the underlying implication of her words might have been debatable, the statement itself was fundamentally sound: a Witch Contract was indeed never intended as a weapon for petty grievances between their kind.
Specific situations required specific approaches, and that sentiment perfectly described their current circumstances.
"That’s good to hear, that’s good... Regardless, since Sister Mei put it that way, you have my utmost thanks."
"You're overstating things~ Are we really still standing on ceremony, you and I?" Now that the conversation had returned to her rhythm, Mei felt the atmosphere lighten.
Even she hadn't expected Xiao Han to take such a small matter so seriously. Perhaps it involved something she cared deeply about?
However, Mei Lind didn't dwell on it. Xiao Han simply cared about some Fool's Dreams—a trivial matter. A Fool's Dream wasn't a witch; it wasn't significant enough to warrant her serious attention.
She was, however, a bit curious if Xiao Han would eventually turn the Fool's Dreams into a branch of the witch race—perhaps as "Fool's Dream Witches" or something similar. The thought of having such adorable little things as fellow clanswomen in the future was actually quite something to look forward to.
"True... I suppose I thought you were being too stern, Sister Mei. My mistake..."
"As long as you recognize the problem~" Mei Lind shifted from her lounging posture on the sofa and sat up straight. "But... since you brought up the contract, let's re-confirm the terms of this Witnessing Contract and the trial. It’ll save you from any misunderstandings later."
"Re-confirm? That sounds good!" I nodded quickly. If we could clear this up, I could finally put my mind at ease.
"Then I'll be blunt. Let's review the situation back then~ At that time, your reputation was just beginning to grow within the academy. On your counselor's suggestion, you entered the Fool's Village Secret Realm. It was there that you first displayed your immense talent for Spirit Vision, as well as your comprehension and insight into the transcendent level."
"In truth, during that period, I had already shelved my progress on the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art to some extent. Without that revelation you provided back then, it would have taken me at least decades, if not a century, to even reach the preliminary completion of the art."
"That... sounds a bit exaggerated, doesn't it?" Hearing Dean Mei put it that way made me feel a bit awkward.
"Regardless, you've already perfected the Great Spellbook. If I say it would have taken a hundred years, it would have taken a hundred years." Mei Lind took a firm tone.
"Sister Mei is right!"
"Then let's continue. After the creation of the Great Spellbook was finished, I handed both the book and the Fool's Dreams over to you. The Great Spellbook was an investment, while the Fool's Dreams were an accompaniment to go with it."
"To soothe your unease, I proposed this as a trial for you. Since it was an investment, I asked for one [Transcendent Knowledge] fragment and two Primal Spell Sequences as my return, which simultaneously served as your trial objectives."
"During that time, I guided you with my words, leading you to use the [Transcendent Knowledge] from your enrollment Talent Awakening as the first stake for the trial. Later, I informed you of the concept of Primal Spells, using that to motivate you to obtain two Primal Spell Sequences through your life experiments on the Fool's Dreams."
"Xiao Han, that's roughly how it went, right?" Mei Lind asked with a smile.
"Yeah, pretty much." I nodded, not sweating the small details. That was indeed how things had played out.
"Then let's look at that trial from our current perspective, shall we?"
"Okay."
"First is the investment I gave you. You've already dismantled the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art, so in principle, what I actually gifted you was the [Transcendent Knowledge] fragment you call the Fool's Dream Holy Relic, along with the Fool's Dream dream-state consciousness—I'm using the technical terms correctly, right?"
"Yes," I said, shaking my head slightly. "But I don't think it should be put that way. In the beginning, the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art still gave me a lot of inspiration. In fact, many of the special techniques I've mastered were created and derived during that time."
"Don't give me those empty pleasantries. You dismantled it in the end anyway~" Dean Mei teased.
"Uh... Sister Mei, are you still hung up on me dismantling the Great Spellbook?" I asked, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Out with the old, in with the new. Although I couldn't understand it at first... just now, I changed my mind. I really want to witness a miracle—the Primal Great Fool's Dream Transformation Spell. When you succeed, you must let Sister Mei here... broaden her horizons!"
"Yes! Definitely!" I nodded firmly.
Since Dean Mei had put it that way, I naturally couldn't say anything else.
"Then there's the matter of the trial and the return on investment. To be honest, I had some selfish motives back then. As for the Primal Spells, I could actually do without them..."
"Wait! Sister Mei! How can you say you don't want them? Business is business, and I'm confident—" Hearing her words, I immediately interrupted her, but before I could finish, she cut me off.
"Fine! I'll take those two Primal Spell Sequences. But... I hope you won't give them to me. How about that?"
"...?" I was momentarily stunned by her words. I tilted my head, my expression a literal question mark.
"This Witnessing Contract has no mandatory execution deadline. This means you can keep stalling—stalling until the end of your life, my life, or both of our lives. The contract has no binding force to compel execution. This is my 'selfishness'..." Mei Lind explained.
"I have foreseen my path. Admittedly... in the Main World, I am undoubtedly very successful and respected by many witches. But I feel I cannot take another step forward. The limit reachable in the Main World is likely my ultimate ceiling. Power isn't everything to a witch, but you are different, Xiao Han. Your seriousness and love for the transcendent, your persistence that many witches find incomprehensible, plus your talent... you can go much further..."
"Actually, I regret not investing in you sooner. Once you've risen, the things you do might even influence the arrangements at my level. So, I want to take this opportunity to establish a bond of gratitude. Using the Great Spellbook and the timing of your initial rise, I wanted to do it this way..."
"Sister Mei..." I interrupted her, then continued, "You just told me that since I call you Sister Mei, I shouldn't be so formal. Now it's you who's being formal with me!"
"Formal... yes, I suppose I am." Mei Lind shook her head with a smile, then looked at me again. "Xiao Han, about what I just said... have you considered it? Even if you don't, it's fine. I won't make things difficult for you regarding your concerns."
"What did you just say? I didn't quite catch it~ Sister Mei, weren't we talking about the Primal Spells? Something as important as the Primal Fool's Dream Spells... of course I can't just hand them over to you like that. You'll have to wait a bit longer, Sister Mei!" I said, but I wasn't finished.
"Don't worry~ I definitely won't default on the debt. Let's talk about it when I feel like creating a new race! But creating a new race is just too difficult—you've experienced that yourself, Sister Mei. There are too many uncontrollable factors. If it takes a few hundred million years, I hope you'll understand my predicament. If all else fails... we can discuss changing the terms of the Witnessing Contract then. How does that sound?"
As I finished this long speech, Mei Lind, who had been slightly dazed, suddenly had her eyes light up!
"Xiao Han, you really are..." At this, Mei Lind couldn't help but laugh. Xiao Han certainly had a way with words.
She really didn't know what to make of him. Sometimes his emotional intelligence was low enough to make a witch anxious, yet at other times, he was surprisingly sharp.
"So, I assume Sister Mei understands my difficulties? I'm so busy and tired all the time; I really can't find the time to create an entirely new race. You said yourself that the Primal Fool's Dream Spell Sequences don't meet the contract conditions! You can't go back on your word."
"Fine, fine, fine! I won't go back on it!" Mei Lind said with a laugh. "In that case, there's no need to keep fussing over the contract details, right?"
"Wait, wait!" I said quickly.
"Is there something else, Xiao Han?" Mei Lind was surprised. Since Xiao Han had agreed to the arrangement, there shouldn't have been anything left to handle.
"The [Transcendent Knowledge]~ Sister Mei, you didn't forget that, did you? The Great Weakening Spell originally belonged to you, didn't it? I only promised two Primal Spells; that didn't include this [Transcendent Knowledge]."
I knew very well how important the Great Weakening Spell was to Dean Mei. Back then, she had been forced to use the Great Spellbook, which ultimately shattered and fell into the Main World.
That so-called Talent Awakening ceremony for new students was essentially a "random" method intended to use the accumulation of time to fish back the [Transcendent Knowledge] from the shattered spellbook.
One could say Dean Mei valued it immensely. Now that it was right in front of her, how could she not want it?
"The Great Weakening Spell..." Mentioning the name, Mei Lind couldn't help but drift into memory.
"Don't go thinking your Sister Mei is nothing without her Great Spellbook! I am still an existence feared by many transcendents. Keep that [Transcendent Knowledge] with you. You can even research it, try it out, and use it for experiments."
"And then I'll turn it into a brand-new Great Spellbook and return it to you, how about that?" I followed up smoothly.
"Real—cough, I never said that. That's your own guess." Dean Mei gave a light cough to hide her embarrassment, then continued, "If you truly have the ability, then I look forward to your results."
"Mm! If I have the time~ I'll give it a try."
"Just follow your own pace. I'm not in a hurry. I've long since passed the stage of rushing everything. I have plenty of time to wait—to wait for something to slowly ferment," Mei Lind said.
In truth, she really did hope Xiao Han would tinker with it himself. Who knew what he might come up with?
If that [Transcendent Knowledge] returned to her hands now, it would at most become the Great Weakening Spell again, and it would take her decades to achieve even that.
The situation in the Main World was changing every day now; she didn't have enough time to settle down just to recreate a single Great Spellbook.
Better to leave it to Xiao Han and see if a miracle would occur.
"Alright then~ Since Sister Mei put it that way, I'll look after it on your behalf for now." I "reluctantly" accepted Dean Mei's [Transcendent Knowledge]. Now, I had a perfectly valid reason to start working on it.
"Yes, that's for the best. After all, Xiao Han~ your prestige among the witches is starting to eclipse even mine as Dean. If anyone is suicidal enough to move against you, a massive crowd of transcendent witches would definitely step up for you..."
After saying this, Mei Lind sighed and continued, "Sigh~ if you were to promote to transcendent, leap into the Saint Realm, and become a Saint Realm Witch, I guarantee that if you said you wanted to be Dean at the Witch Academy, the academy would immediately create a new Dean position just for you. So, I'm perfectly at ease leaving my [Transcendent Knowledge] with you."
"Look at what you're saying, Sister Mei~ that's way too exaggerated!" I waved my hands dismissively.
" I'm being very serious. You don't like socializing, Xiao Han, and you don't attend tea parties, so perhaps you've never truly understood your own influence. Maybe you don't need to look at things from a student's perspective anymore. You are already an Honorary Little Witch, a witch recognized by the entire witch race!" Dean Mei said solemnly.
After saying this, her expression relaxed, and she clearly didn't intend to continue the topic. "Alright~ let's not talk about that anymore."
"Yeah, let's move on." I nodded. "Then, I suppose I've bothered you enough—"
"Wait~ don't be in such a hurry!" Dean Mei reached out and pressed down on Sister Bai's hand as she was about to stand up and lead me away.
"Is there something else?" I asked curiously.
"You really are forgetful, Xiao Han~ Since you've come to my door of your own accord, let's ask about the Ancient Remnant Ice King while we're at it."
"Uh... you can just ask the Ancient Remnant Ice King directly. Isn't that the same as asking me? It's my Life Clone! I know everything it knows."
"That's true, but I personally still find the concept of a Life Clone a bit hard to grasp. I'd still prefer to chat with you in person; it feels more formal that way."
"Alright~ what does Sister Mei want to ask? I know the Ancient Remnant Ice King is currently working with a large group of witch sisters to perfect the technique for preparing Hexagonal Crystal Amber. Progress is smooth sailing."
"I'm aware of that. What I want to ask isn't about the Hexagonal Crystal Amber, but about your deal with the World Consciousness. You want to return a brand-new life to the Ancient Remnant Ice King. According to what you said, you haven't mastered that method yet, right?"
"Yeah, but it shouldn't be hard to figure out," I said with absolute confidence.
After all, given my talent, techniques, and means—plus the safety net of the Main World's luck interference—I couldn't imagine how I could possibly lose!
Besides, the Main World Consciousness wanted to take the Ancient Remnant Ice King under its wing even more than I did.