Chapter 1034: The Observations of the Ancient Remnant Ice King
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 1034: The Observations of the Ancient Remnant Ice King
After the Ancient Remnant Ice refused to become a witch, I didn't press the matter. I wasn't so reckless as to force the issue before the situation in the Main World had completely stabilized.
Of course, I also used the opportunity to test the Main World's intentions.
From what I could see, the Main World was very much against me doing so.
Whether this was the will of the Main World or the Ancient Remnant Ice's own desire, the result was the same.
After stepping out of the Ancient Remnant Ice Special Laboratory, I planned to take the creature on a tour to properly experience the sights of the Main World.
But before that...
"Regardless of everything else, your consciousness was born by my hand. Even now, you don't seem to have a name of your own... Names are a romance that belongs to life, and naming is a small ritual for an individual to anchor their own existence. Do you have any thoughts on giving yourself a name?"
"No. A name..." From the collective knowledge of its race, the Ancient Remnant Ice King understood that a name was mostly just a code for address.
As for "life's romance" or "rituals"... it had never heard of such things.
However, it still held a deep-seated, instinctive respect for the concept of a ritual.
"If I must have a name, I shall be called... Ning."
"Ning? Is there some deep meaning behind it?"
"No. It is simply a reflection on how the Ancient Remnant Ice lineage originates from the condensation of elements." Ning offered a forced explanation.
"Just a single character? How about Ninglan?"
"As you wish."
"Actually, never mind. I'm terrible at naming things. The name you chose, Ning, is more meaningful. I'll just call you Ning then." I eventually shook my head, rejecting my own suggestion.
Through that simple exchange, its name was finalized.
I didn't know much about the names of the Ancient Remnant Ice. I only knew that the one who had followed Tan Han back then seemed to be called... Lie?
Since they both used single characters, I decided not to break their tradition.
Just as I was about to take Ning to the Ninglan New City in the Expansion Realm for a stroll, she refused.
Ning stated that the world she was currently in gave her a fractured sense of incongruity. She wanted to follow her instincts to a place that felt more comfortable.
Then... she crossed directly from the Expansion Realm to the Core World!
Without using the Myriad Methods Book or any spatial techniques, she arrived in the Core World just like that, as easy as breathing!
Amidst my shock, I followed immediately.
But internally, I couldn't stop marveling.
As expected of a World Guardian. I didn't understand the method she just used; I could only vaguely discern that it was related to the Main World's Ley Lines.
And the Main World's Ley Lines happened to be a blind spot in my knowledge.
I could only use Ley Line Identification Art to read the information flowing beneath the earth. Even so, it was extremely difficult for me to track a World Guardian leaping through the Ley Lines like that.
After all, the Ley Line Identification Art essentially utilized the operational rules of the Ley Lines, whereas a World Guardian dominated the power of the Ley Lines on an instinctive level!
Upon arriving in the Core World, Ning and I appeared one after another within the Witch Academy.
Fortunately, this wasn't a high-traffic area, so the sudden appearance of two figures wasn't particularly conspicuous.
After arriving, the Ancient Remnant Ice's massive body gradually shrank until it was roughly the height of an average person.
Then... its body, constructed of ice crystals, blurred for a moment and transformed into the appearance of a young girl. Moreover, at this moment, it—no, she—had even copied my long white hair.
"What is this?" I hurried forward to ask.
The Ancient Remnant Ice hadn't learned any spells, and I hadn't left her any memory heritage.
Even for a simple Disguise Spell or Transformation Spell, it was impossible to teach oneself without knowing the spell framework, understanding transcendent runes, or grasping the most basic principles!
However, I could also see that Ning's transformation into a girl was merely a small trick, like an "optical illusion." It was completely transparent before my Spirit Vision.
"I suppose my original form would make it difficult to blend into this world?" Ning spoke.
"No... I mean, how did you do it?"
"I'm not sure. It was just instinct... I feel like I can manifest in this form, but only this form. My essence hasn't changed; I am still the Ancient Remnant Ice."
"Innate transformation? Or is it... the bond between a World Guardian and the Destined Race?" I muttered to myself, though I leaned toward the latter.
Regardless, it was just a minor trick.
I had to admit, Ning doing this certainly saved me a lot of trouble.
Otherwise, if the Ancient Remnant Ice's original form took a lap around the Witch Academy, it would definitely attract a massive crowd of onlookers.
"Perhaps... Can you tell me where this is?"
"This is the Core World of the Main World. Where you were just now was the Expansion Realm."
"I feel like the space I'm in has a layer of folding... it was the same in the Expansion Realm."
"Your intuition is correct. The Witch Academy is a space built above a city called the Magic City. Where we are now is the Witch Academy. The Expansion Realm is similar, except we were outside the Witch Branch Academy then, whereas here we are inside the main academy."
"What a complex structure..."
"I think so too, but you'll get used to it. Of course, I don't want you wandering off. The area outside the Witch Academy is the Magic City, where ordinary people live. If you appeared there in your true form, you'd scare them to death."
"I will be careful."
"Oh! Right, I also don't recommend you leave the territory under the Witch Academy's influence."
"Why?" Ning asked curiously.
"Because outside the Witch territory lies the domain of other transcendent races. If they catch you, they won't talk to you as nicely as I do."
"Oh."
Ning nodded, though she only half-understood. She didn't know much about the Main World's affairs, so she naturally didn't grasp the severity of the danger I described.
After a moment's thought, I took out a seed.
"I'll give you this. It's called a Great Knowledge Seed. It can help you understand many things and remember them as well. It also allows you to contact me at any time, even across the distance between worlds."
"Thank you. How do I use it?"
"Just press it into your forehead, into your Sea of Consciousness," I explained.
The current version of the Great Knowledge Seed was completely different from the old ones that required manual teaching. These seeds had been upgraded to a "fully automatic" mode, which included opening the Sea of Consciousness and the initial stages of the seed's germination.
Before long, Ning had gained a basic mastery of the Great Knowledge Seed, and she showed a keen interest in it.
However, while I was briefly teaching Ning how to use the seed, I noticed that something major seemed to have happened during the time I had blocked all communications.
The consciousness incubation experiment was vital to me, and with so many Witch Sisters cooperating, I couldn't afford to be distracted.
Consequently, I had blocked everything related to the United Club and the Academy War to prevent my curiosity from scattering my focus.
Now, with the revival of the Ancient Remnant Ice and the conclusion of the experiment, I unblocked my messages only to find that Cleveland had sent me a barrage of notifications.
It wasn't just Cleveland; Tan Han, Shi Ruizhi, and many people from the Baking House had sent messages as well.
Even though I didn't have many friends, the sheer volume was overwhelming.
But after a careful review, I realized that everything they said pointed toward a single event.
The Blood Sacrifice Massacre on the Blood Slave Peninsula!
Our Witch Academy's United Club, members of the No. 7 Combat Sequence, and the main forces of the No. 1 and No. 2 Combat Sequences had been ambushed by the Blood Slave Academy.
A massive bloody ritual, large enough to cover an entire transcendent academy, had been activated through unknown means.
During the night, before most students even knew what was happening, they were ground into a bloody mist by the ritual's power and absorbed into its core.
Such terrifying methods and cruelty were comparable to the flesh-devouring of Abyssal Demons!
This was an act of revenge!
Seeing the students of the Witch Academy so easily slaughtered, their flesh gathered and their soul essence ensnared—this was intended to make even resurrection a distant hope!
"What happened? Your expression just now was terrifying." At that moment, Ning looked at me, shocked by the killing intent I had subconsciously released.
However, since that killing intent wasn't directed at her, she spoke up to ask.
"Sorry, I lost my composure for a moment. I saw some very bad news." I instantly reined in my emotions; after all, I was an Emotion Body Cultivation practitioner.
But that didn't mean this matter could be brushed aside. There was no longer any distinction of right or wrong here, and I wouldn't use grand logic to soothe my feelings.
I had no need to explain who was right or wrong. Weakness was the original sin!
I checked the time; Cleveland had sent the message not long ago...
Which meant this hadn't happened very long ago.
"Would you mind telling me what exactly happened?" Ning also showed a spark of curiosity beyond her usual detachment.
"Three Combat Sequences of our Witch Academy were lured into a trap and slaughtered by other transcendent academies outside our territory. Preliminary estimates suggest the casualties might have reached the thousands..."
Among the Combat Sequences, my No. 0 Special Combat Sequence represented the Baking House and some independent members, totaling only a few hundred people.
But every other Combat Sequence represented a large-scale club!
And there were many other small clubs collaborating with them.
Thus, a single Combat Sequence consisted of several hundred, nearly a thousand people!
And that didn't even include the logistics personnel.
On the Blood Slave Peninsula, the blood sacrifice ritual had trapped and killed at least two and a half Combat Sequences of the Witch Academy. Even by the most conservative estimate, the death toll had reached a thousand!
Furthermore, when the temporary unstable spatial channel was opened, the Witch Academy had urgently dispatched a large number of logistics personnel. If those people were dead too...
Even the Earth-Sun Tragedy I had caused hadn't resulted in so many deaths!
Moreover, this was on the Blood Slave Peninsula. The residual power of the blood sacrifice ritual had covered at least half the peninsula, and the blood clouds and mist had even crossed the peninsula into other regions. Based on estimates, the lethal range likely covered a third of the peninsula. The ordinary people facing such a domineering and irrational blood sacrifice didn't even have the ability to resist!
Such a horrific, bloody massacre made even me frown.
If I were the one killing, I would at least not make them suffer so much.
Or rather, if possible, I wouldn't want to involve so many ordinary people.
For some reason, seeing this blood sacrifice suddenly reminded me of the plan in the game world to collapse the Underground District near the Beriounis Rift Settlement just to kill me...
Treating people as if they weren't human.
If you want to talk about being cold-blooded... you have to look at the Wizards.
The Vampires represented by the Blood Slave Academy had the Wizard Academy backing them!
I didn't believe the Blood Slave Academy could pull off something like this on their own, so the mastermind was bound to be someone else.
My intuition told me it was definitely the Wizards' doing!
"I'm sorry... I'm afraid I have to excuse myself. But don't worry, I'll have my other Life Clone accompany you to see the sights of the Main World. I have some personal business to attend to." I looked at Ning apologetically.
Ning's existence was important. Even if I was busy, I had to have another Life Clone look after her.
Because she was the executor of the Main World's consciousness, she would most likely be the "medium" for our Witch Academy to communicate with the Main World in the future.
"Another Life Clone?" Ning was somewhat surprised, but she eventually shook her head. "There's no need for such trouble. Can I come with you? Consider it a way to see the world."
"...It's possible, but if you follow me, the Main World you see will be from my perspective. It might not be a very pleasant experience."
"But it is still the Main World. I certainly don't need to spend all my time looking at dull, empty beauty."
"Heh~ You haven't even experienced beauty yet, so why call it dull and empty?"
"...I, I don't know." Ning was also slightly dazed, unsure of the situation. "It feels like an instinct..."
"I understand. You don't need to explain." I waved my hand with a smile, not caring much.
This was likely related to the will of the Main World.
The Main World was currently in dire straits; it had no heart for enjoying superficial beauty.
I sent a message to Cleveland, preparing to ask about the situation in person.
Ning followed silently by my side.
After a short while, she spoke up: "Tell me about the situation in the Main World. Is it very chaotic right now? It sounds like more than a thousand people died all at once..."
"Do you actually care, or are you just interested in the gossip?"
"It's probably what you call gossip, but I also really need to understand what is happening to the Main World."
After all, she hadn't learned much about the Core World from the Ley Lines in the Expansion Realm.
Now that she was in the Core World, in just this short time, she had only gained a rough understanding of the situation within the Witch Academy and the general concept of a Transcendent Witch Academy.
She knew nothing about anything outside the academy.
Since the "Little Witch" before her said it was dangerous outside, she at least needed to know just how severe that danger was.
"Then I'll take this opportunity to tell you. The place we are in is called the Witch Academy. Outside the Witch Academy, there are many other transcendent academies, led by the Three Top Academies..."