Chapter 1020: The World-Casting Courtyard
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 1020: The World-Casting Courtyard
After a full day of public ferment, the phenomenon of the Twin Suns Approaching the Sky finally received an official announcement from the Academy.
To the outside world, the notification was brief: "A standard Transcendent experiment within the Academy."
The internal announcement was slightly more detailed.
It stated: "Breakthrough progress has been made in the derivation of the Infinite Mana Talent from the Self-Generated Mana physical talent." As for what Infinite Mana actually was, there was no explanation; nor was there any detailed description of how far this breakthrough had progressed.
The only thing clearly specified was that the person leading this advancement experiment was Teaching Assistant Yang Yuehan.
The vast omissions in the report truly gave the countless students endless room for imagination. Some were even already looking forward to when Infinite Mana might be popularized, much like the Self-Generated Mana project.
At the same time, however, the community of Transcendent Witches did not appear particularly excited.
At this moment, many witches were staring blankly at the threshold requirements provided by Dean Mei Lind, their eyes wide with disbelief.
They had never seen a technique with such a perverted learning curve!
Back in Mei Lind’s office, she had just finished dealing with another group of witches. These were the ones who were still unwilling to give up. But clearly, no matter how stubborn they were, they could only return in disappointment when faced with Mei Lind.
After finishing these obligations, Mei Lind left a clone behind and departed from her office, heading toward the most core region of the Witch Academy.
The most important place in the Witch Academy was, naturally, the academic research zone, but even this area was divided into different tiers.
For instance, the Experimental Zone located within the Academy’s Curtain Wall was considered the highest academic research area on the surface. The Dean held absolute administrative authority here, such as granting Xiao Han a laboratory or coordinating the adjustment of an area into a specialized Primitive Dream Laboratory.
Then there were the hidden areas.
For example, after Xiao Han’s former counselor, Ji Niang, formally established the Great Spellbook research group, her laboratory was located in an independently carved-out space. There, even the Ley Line signals of the Academy Network could not cross the spatial barriers.
Of course, after the birth of the Great Knowledge Seed and the Great Knowledge Sharing Spell, these isolated spaces gained a relatively convenient channel for communication.
These independently carved spaces gathered the most elite Academic Witches of the Academy. They housed many specialized research groups; the Great Spellbook project was merely one of the more conventional ones.
There were many such independent experimental spaces in the Witch Academy, mostly divided by research category—such as the [Transcendent Knowledge] research group, life experiments, spellbook optimization, and the Spellbook Domain Order Analysis Group.
These belonged to the conventional high-specification academic zones, and the witches there rarely involved themselves in Academy affairs. This made it seem as though Mei Lind was the only witch running things in the entire Academy.
After all, witches were free spirits. Some loved delving into academia, while others preferred being carefree or enjoying the pleasures of teaching. If one had to make a distinction, those in the academic spaces were the "grinders" who loved to compete, while those in the main Academy were those who preferred to chill.
As long as the two groups didn't cross paths, no major issues usually arose. After all, no one—not even a witch—liked it when a "grind king" appeared while they were trying to relax. Truly, the sound of someone flipping pages could be more unsettling than an explosion spell.
However, there was also a very special place within the Witch Academy.
It was a witch community established on the foundation of a super-large-scale Dungeon space. To explain it simply, they were what the Rebel Witch Sheryl called... "pedantic old fossils."
Yet, the status of these witches was such that they held significant sway even within the broader Witch race. They had come to the Main World because they were highly optimistic about its prospects and were willing to stay and watch its development unfold. It could be said that many critical issues regarding World Repair Techniques relied on the accumulated experience of these "antique-level" Academic Witches.
Serena Politzer, whom Sheryl had criticized previously, was a member—or rather, a representative—of this group. She was one of the "younger" members among them, which was why she took on the role of Honorary Dean of the Witch Academy.
Furthermore, this Dungeon world was a massive one refined by that very Dean using Stellar Alchemy.
Whenever the Witch Academy was about to make a major move, Mei Lind would proactively visit to chat with those few. Over the past year or two, she had been visiting exceptionally often. As for the reason... that goes without saying.
She was heading there again today, ostensibly to catch up and bond. After all, those seniors quite enjoyed hearing about interesting developments—like a little witch creating a Great Spellbook framework, or a little witch tearing a Great Spellbook apart with her bare hands...
"You've hidden it quite well. How about taking me inside this time?"
On her way, a figure caused Mei Lind to halt her steps.
"Are you always this idle?" Mei Lind frowned. She hadn't expected to be intercepted by this Rebel Witch. She had deliberately tried to avoid her, but her departure this time had been a bit rushed, allowing the other woman to track her down.
"The Witch Academy of the Main World guards against me like I'm a thief. If I want to find a breakthrough, I naturally have to keep my eyes on you, the Dean. Let me guess where you're going..."
"..."
"Hmm... I guess you're going to see some seniors?"
"Seniors? I thought you only called them 'old fogies.'"
"Now, that’s not right. The seniors of the Witch race deserve my respect. I understand their conservative mindset, but I appreciate their tendency to mind their own business even more. The vitality of a race always lies with the younger generation!"
"Even if you put it that way, I'm not taking you in," Mei Lind said, crossing her arms as she looked at Sheryl.
"Then... shall we chat?"
"What do you want to talk about? Xiao Han? The things you asked me to inquire about have already been made public."
"Infinite Mana. Both the name and the threshold for learning it make my skin crawl. So... did Xiao Han succeed?" Sheryl asked.
"The danger level is too high. I can only advise Xiao Han to be conservative and stay safe. However, Xiao Han already has a mature and verifiable logic for success. Intuitively, I feel it’s close."
"When facing such a mad attempt, being radical isn't necessarily a bad thing. Being conservative will only lead to missed opportunities. You are still using your own thinking to limit Xiao Han's growth."
"The things Xiao Han is experimenting with are no joke. Those are Void Rifts! Xiao Han herself isn't even a Transcendent yet. One mistake and she's doomed. If she goes radical, are you going to take responsibility for her potential death?"
Just as the two were about to fall into a deadlock over their ideological dispute, a figure appeared.
"What are you two arguing about here?"
The witch who spoke was Serena Politzer, the third Dean of the Witch Academy.
"Dean Serena, what a coincidence. Did you just come out for some fresh air?" Mei Lind reigned in her emotions and looked to the side.
"Yes. I just learned that the Academy has stirred up more trouble. I was planning to go and see for myself."
"It’s been a long time. Meeting like this is fate; why not take me inside to see the world? After all... I am essentially the face of the Rebel Witches in the Main World," Sheryl chimed in.
After all, she was the only Rebel Witch who had managed to sneak into the Main World.
"Then come in together." To everyone's surprise, Serena Politzer did not stop Sheryl from entering.
Hearing this answer, Mei Lind was stunned, while Sheryl looked as though she had expected it.
"Since Dean Serena Politzer has invited me, I shall come in then."
"..." At this moment, Serena felt a slight pang of regret for agreeing so readily.
However, a promise was a promise. As fellow witches, they weren't doing anything shameful. Rebel Witches were merely rebellious in their actions, not in their attitude toward their own kind—otherwise, they would be Betrayers.
Though Mei Lind was puzzled, Serena had already agreed, and she couldn't very well block her now. Her dislike for Sheryl was, after all, a personal matter.
"The place we're going is a Dungeon world, right? Would you mind introducing it to me? Since it's my first time..."
"The World-Casting Courtyard. A Dungeon world I personally refined. The world fragments were taken from the Main World, snatched from the Afuhemi Forest Elves."
"The World-Casting Courtyard... that's an ambitious name. So, who's inside? It's so mysterious that Mei Lind kept me out. You're not going to tell me there's a Truth Witch inside, are you?"
"What is going on in that head of yours? If the Main World had a Truth Witch stationed here, I would only need to leak a tiny bit of information, and that old man Tuskage, the Dean of the Wizard Academy, would probably come crawling here to beg for his life," Mei Lind interjected.
"I suppose that's true."
Sheryl didn't look upset at being rebuffed by Mei Lind; she simply found the whole thing very novel. Moreover, her mention of a Truth Witch was just a casual remark; a Truth Witch wouldn't stay in the Main World for retirement.
Under Serena Politzer’s guidance, the three witches soon entered a different realm.
The surroundings were filled with green fields and forests, and the small path beneath their feet wound its way toward a wide, open expanse.
Sheryl reached out to brush against a branch, and the scent of vegetation mixed with the fragrance of flowers permeated her soul. In an instant, she felt the extraordinary nature of this Dungeon world and could only sigh inwardly at how well they lived here.
Passing through the forest path, they entered a sea of flowers.
The breeze of the world's cycle blew through the flowers, creating a surging wave. Sheryl recognized the flowers that made up this sea.
Wind-Dragging Daisies.
These were not flowers that existed in the Main World, but looking at this magnificent sea of flowers did indeed bring a sense of light, free resonance to her heart.
A cottage in an old pastoral style sat amidst the flowers. Its pale purplish-red tiles echoed the colors of the floral sea. Vaguely, several figures could be seen moving there.
One of them leaned down to pluck a flower, then straightened up, seemingly noticing the three figures approaching.
The breeze blew, swirling stray petals past them. A whisper seemed to carry on the wind, as if calling them over.
"It seems the witches here welcome my arrival."
"They are all old friends of mine. Logically, when a Rebel Witch like you arrived in our Main World, we should have met with you." After all, Sheryl’s strength already surpassed Dean Mei Lind’s; she naturally had the right to meet the seniors here.
Given Sheryl’s power and her status as an unstable factor, it was only natural to have someone who could keep her in check sit down and talk with her. They were all Transcendent Witches; if a few chats could resolve prejudices and barriers, that would be for the best.
"Is that so? I'm looking forward to it too."
* * *
Primitive Dream Laboratory.
The efficiency of Transcendent Witches was remarkable. Whether it was the Curtain Wall above the Academy or the skylight in the laboratory, everything had been repaired in no time.
At this moment, accompanied by Sister Bai, a brand-new Life Clone was born.
This time, the birth of the Life Clone was not as haphazard as the previous one in the secret realm. I had poured a significant amount of energy into this clone.
The series of abilities—the self-awakened Body Cultivation and Self-Generated Mana born from a brand-new life essence—were far more compatible than the previous Life Clone. If this clone wanted to attempt Infinite Mana, it would need some time to break in the powers it possessed to better handle the various emergencies of the Infinite Mana experiment.
"Sister Bai... this way... with this Life Clone, you won't have that awkward feeling of it being an external avatar anymore, right?" ×2
Currently, I and my Life Clone were draped over Sister Bai, one in front and one behind. Actually, I had wanted to play like this for a long time—ever since I made the first external avatar.
But that avatar clearly wasn't "me," and Sister Bai had said that "stand-in" dynamic felt a bit cringey, so I hadn't let the avatar get too intimate with her.
But now, everything was different. Both Xiao Hans were me. The only difference was the powers we held, and the break-in period for the brand-new body.
Sister Bai subconsciously swallowed... At this moment, she really couldn't tell which one was the "real" Xiao Han...
Even though Xiao Han said both were her, how could one real person be two? She couldn't wrap her head around this cognitive issue... and she found it difficult to cross that line in her heart.
"It looks like Sister Bai still hasn't figured it out." ×2
I laughed at Sister Bai’s reserved expression, then pushed her from the Primitive Dream Laboratory into the Dungeon world that belonged only to her and me.
"In that case, I'll use a more direct method to make Sister Bai understand... the concept and miracle of life, shall I?"
The two of me, one in front and one behind, clung to Sister Bai as we tumbled into the wooden house.
By the time Sister Bai realized what I was about to do, it was already too late...