Chapter 124: The Primal Witch's Dream is the Primal Dream
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 124: The Primal Witch's Dream is the Primal Dream
I accompanied Ji Niang to the academy cafeteria.
In the Central Teaching Area, getting to the cafeteria was quite convenient, especially since I was hitching a ride on Ji Niang’s flying broom.
"You look quite practiced. Did you get your flight license?"
"Um... yes, I got it over the break," I said, nodding quickly.
"Have you thought about buying a flying broom? Having one makes getting around the academy much easier."
"I’ve thought about it, but... my financial situation doesn't really allow for it," I whispered.
"Well, I'll find a way to get you one later."
"Eh? That... wouldn't that be too expensive for you, Teacher?" My eyes widened in disbelief. Was Ji Niang really that wealthy?
Then again, considering she had just pulled out a spellbook for me to study this morning without a second thought, she clearly wasn't hurting for money.
"It’s not a matter of expense. I have quite a few retired flying brooms that still work. I don't mind giving you one. After all, it must take you forever to get from the dorms to here, even if you take the shuttle, right?" Ji Niang shook her head as she explained.
"Then... thank you, Teacher."
This time, my gratitude toward Ji Niang was genuine. Flying brooms were incredibly expensive; even a retired, second-hand one cost a fortune.
And no matter how bad it was, could it really be worse than those ancient "senior citizen" brooms at the flight license training club?
Impossible.
I could pull off drifts with those old things; anything else would be a breeze.
"No need for thanks. Come on, the cafeteria is right ahead. Anything in particular you want to eat?"
"Um... I'm not a picky eater." I politely expressed that I was fine with anything, handing the decision back to her.
"Since you're not picky, let's try that new stall." Ji Niang raised an eyebrow and made the decision without further hesitation.
"Whatever you say, Teacher." I nodded in agreement, silently hoping it wasn't some kind of "dark cuisine."
Since this was an official cafeteria, the food shouldn't be too outrageous.
Speaking of dark cuisine, I thought of Senior Sister Tang Yihan’s handiwork. Surely no one could be more absurd than her?
If they were, they shouldn't be in the cafeteria tormenting people!
Fortunately, once the dishes arrived, they were all fairly standard—nothing too bizarre.
"Xiao Han, don't be shy. Take your time and eat," Ji Niang said, eating with slow, elegant movements. "By the way, how many students in the class group chat are still unaccounted for?"
"Huh? Oh, right. Most of them have joined, but a few are still missing. They don't reply to messages." I was momentarily stunned by the question. I realized I’d been so busy that I’d forgotten to manage the class group.
Even though it was the last day of registration and there weren't many people left, there were still some.
"I see. That is a bit of a hassle. We’re supposed to have a class assembly tomorrow, and I’m not sure if the message will reach everyone. As their counselor, I need to say a few words to the new students."
"Um... Teacher, is the academy always this lax with new student enrollment? Aren't they afraid the students won't know what's going on?" I asked tentatively.
"It’s mostly because they’re hard to manage. Even after the term starts, the academy often brings in 'abducted' new students who have to be temporarily assigned to classes."
"But since they’ve already been 'abducted,' the academy can't just ignore them, right?"
"When the time comes, you can use your permissions to locate the students in your class and bring them back. What else do you think a Class Monitor is for?" Ji Niang said matter-of-factly.
"Fine..." I pressed a hand to my forehead. Another job for me. Being the Class Monitor was truly exhausting.
"Don't be so discouraged. The Class Monitor enjoys better resources and treatment than others. Many academy opportunities even prioritize the Class Monitor... like that Ley Line Stagnation issue you looked at earlier," Ji Niang comforted me.
"Mm..."
I didn't say anything else. Compared to the trouble, opportunities were far more valuable in the academy. In my understanding, the world of the Transcendent was all about competing for resources, wasn't it?
"Right, let's talk about your Spirit Vision. You mentioned earlier that using it is very tiring, right?"
"Yes. If I use Spirit Vision on a deeper level, I quickly become over-exhausted, and my head starts to throb." I told the truth. There was no point in hiding it; otherwise, I’d be the one suffering later. "Teacher, is there any way to alleviate this?"
"Usually, it’s just plenty of rest. Or you can use some Transcendent aromatherapy—incense works too. The drain Spirit Vision puts on your mental power is nothing to sneeze at."
"Eh? Isn't incense for meditation?"
"Who said incense is only for meditation? It has so many uses. Meditation is just one of them. When I go to buy supplies, I'll bring a bottle of aromatherapy back for you. It should help."
"Then... thank you in advance, Teacher."
"You're welcome."
"By the way, Teacher, you haven't said how I'm supposed to solve the problem of being unable to describe the information I receive through Spirit Vision this afternoon."
"Curious?" Ji Niang looked up and asked with a smile, noticing my slightly stiff attempt to change the subject.
"Yes... very curious." I nodded.
"When information is transmitted to a life form, that life form develops a cognition of it. If we bypass the level of expression and synchronize directly at the cognitive level, the problem is solved. Xiao Han, have you heard of dream devices?"
"Dream devices? No. I've heard of dreams, but only as a word," I said honestly.
"It’s fine if you haven't. A dream device is a piece of equipment developed specifically to help prospective witches enter the Primal Dream." Ji Niang began to explain patiently. "You know what a dream is, I assume. Being in the dream is much like being in a dream while you sleep, but the dreamscape we’re talking about isn't a normal dream. It’s the dream of the Primal Witch."
"Eh? The... Primal Witch's... dream?" I was suddenly hit with a wave of new information, none of which I could fully grasp.
"The Primal Witch... is...?" I asked tentatively in a low voice.
Anything with the prefix "Primal" was usually a terrifying existence. Was such a being still alive and well?
Just how long-lived were witches?
"She is, naturally, the original source of the witch race and the very first Transcendent Witch. If you want to know about her legend, you can look it up yourself. I don't want to lecture you on common knowledge right now; our focus is the dream," Ji Niang said, briefly introducing her before quickly pulling the conversation back.
"Alright. Then what exactly is the dream? It... can allow people to communicate at a cognitive level?"
"Synchronizing consciousness is possible, but using that ability in the dream isn't really worth the effort. I mentioned the dream because a lot of information cannot be described or taught through language and text. To gain that cognition, you need to use the power of the dream to perform a cognitive infusion at the consciousness level. It’s like the knowledge you’re learning just naturally enters your brain. It just depends on how long it takes you to learn it."
"I see... so I'll be entering the dream to study this afternoon?" I asked.
"Yes. Otherwise, you might not be able to finish the analysis report. Besides, has the aftereffect from using your Spirit Vision earlier gone away?"
"No..."
"Exactly. While you're at it, it’s necessary to go and learn how to process the information from your Spirit Vision."
In our brief back-and-forth, lunch quickly came to an end.
Afterward, I followed her back to the laboratory. This time, however, I saw Ji Niang bring out a giant, oval capsule that was taller than me. I only knew she’d pulled it out of her storage equipment.
"Teacher, is this the dream device?"
"Yes. A student-grade Dream Sleep Pod. Generally speaking, this is the ultimate method used to assist some students with their meditation. I managed to scrounge this one up; you can try it in a bit."
Ji Niang stepped forward and fumbled with the giant capsule before pressing a switch. The capsule hissed open.
The interior was a cramped space, just large enough for one person to lie down.
"Want to give it a try? I'll be in the dream to guide you in a moment," she said with a smile, pointing at it.
"Eh? Now? But... there's only one Dream Sleep Pod here, right? How will you guide me, Teacher?"
"Don't worry, I have plenty of ways to enter the dream. You don't need to concern yourself with that." Ji Niang waved her hand and eventually gestured for me to sit inside.
As soon as I sat down, I felt a sense of softness, even a fleeting illusion of wanting to fall asleep.
"Alright, just like that. Slowly, follow its guidance. I'm closing the hatch now."
As my vision gradually went dark, I knew there was no turning back... but... a dream.
If it was a dream, wouldn't it be like what happens after I meditate?
That subjective space, like a series of illusory spaces, was the space where everyone meditated. Now, this machine was going to take me into the so-called dream of the Primal Witch...
Naturally, this terrified me.
But judging by Ji Niang’s tone, the dream had many applications. I probably wouldn't be noticed by that high-and-mighty Primal Witch.
Even though my head still hurt, I couldn't resist using a bit of Spirit Vision to observe how I was entering the Primal Witch's dream.
The moment I activated Spirit Vision, I realized that this capsule-like device was essentially just an external design for a core component.
The true dream device was actually that core thing right beneath my seat... How was that one little thing supposed to bring me into a dream?
But I soon found out. I felt myself being swallowed by a terrifyingly vast world in an instant. When I blinked again, I was in a space that was entirely white.
"I... I've entered the Primal Dream just like that?"
I spoke in disbelief, yet I could feel that everything here was fake—it was merely a dream image.
But soon, I felt a sense of discordance. Even though it was a world of pure white, it began to play out absurd, dreamlike scenes.
In the next moment, a figure appeared in my sight, but I didn't recognize them. It was a distorted shape.
"Xiao Han, can you hear me?" A sudden voice echoed through the entire dream. But hearing the echo, I felt something strange. The person who had broken in—Ji Niang—had only uttered a single sound!
Yet it contained so much information!
No, I should say that I could somehow understand that single call. She was calling my name and asking me a question.
No, thinking back, the sound Ji Niang had made wasn't even a normal language!
"Yes, I can hear you, Teacher Ji Niang. Can you hear me?" I called out quickly, but I was speaking in normal language. At this moment, I felt like someone who had fallen into deep water; the clear realization that I was in an illusory dream gave me a sense of groundless emptiness. "What do I do next?"
"It seems you've adapted faster than I imagined. Normal people find it very uncomfortable the first time they enter the dream; many even need a long time to adjust."
Compared to those people, the Xiao Han in Ji Niang’s eyes was perfectly normal, showing not even a hint of discomfort. She truly was a terrifying genius who could enter the Witch Meditation Method without any guidance.
After all, Ji Niang knew the relationship between dreams and meditation.
Ji Niang had found me in the dream. Although objectively speaking, the distance between us might only be face-to-face, the dream was the easiest place to get lost in an illusory world.
Even though the Primal Witch had anchored this dream world and used dream devices to allow every Transcendent Witch to enter it, it wasn't foolproof.
Especially since the one entering now was a prospective witch who hadn't even become a Transcendent Witch yet.
There was nothing here because this was a shallow dream specifically partitioned for prospective witches. After all, prospective witches usually only used dream devices to assist with meditation.
Only after I recognized her presence could I see Ji Niang here.
Once I saw her clearly, I recovered somewhat from my state of helplessness. Perhaps this was the sense of security a teacher provided, even if I still harbored a deep wariness toward her.
"Isn't the dream a wondrous world? This is just a shallow dream, but it's enough for our next step." Ji Niang floated over and stood by my side. Even though I seemed fine to her, she wanted to prevent me from doing anything rash that might cause an accident.
"The next step?"
"Yes. Did you forget why we entered the dream?" Ji Niang gave a light chuckle and began to operate something. In the dream, using certain functions naturally required "plug-ins" for assistance.
Praise the Primal Witch; she had designed this dream world to be so user-friendly.
"It’s... to learn how to process the unknown information from my Spirit Vision."
"Something like that. Let's begin. Try using your Spirit Vision to look at this." Ji Niang nodded, and a crimson spellbook appeared in her hand!
"Eh?"
My eyes widened. I hadn't expected there to be spellbooks in the dream, too. And I could use Spirit Vision?
I instinctively looked at Ji Niang, seemingly waiting for an explanation.
"This is a dream. Through certain operations, one can naturally obtain a dream model of a spellbook. It’s quite normal. Of course, Spirit Vision can also be used in the dream. Don't underestimate Spirit Vision; it is a blessing bestowed by the world."
"A blessing bestowed by the world..."
I chewed on the meaning of those words, but I did as I was told.
The side effects from using Spirit Vision this morning hadn't fully faded, so I only used it shallowly to observe.
But in that moment, I suddenly noticed something extraordinary!
As the information from my Spirit Vision fed back into my mind, I actually began to understand it!
It was an incredible sensation, like a sudden epiphany—knowledge was appearing out of thin air in my mind for no reason at all!
Beside me, Ji Niang looked at my wide eyes with great satisfaction.
"How is it? Do you feel like you can understand it now?"
"Yes... I understand... but... these strange cognitions..."
"You'll need to adapt to these strange cognitions yourself—to learn them, to remember them. It’s a long process. The dream provides you with a platform for learning because it is, in itself, a level of existence you might not be able to reach in a lifetime."
At this point, Ji Niang let out a rare, bitter smile. "Sometimes, being a Transcendent Witch is quite despairing. I have a near-eternal lifespan, yet the path I walk is merely the footprints left by witches before me. At the very front, the one pioneering the Truth is always that Great Primal Witch, and those Truth Witches who dedicate themselves to the Truth for the sake of the Witch World."
"Heh... why am I complaining to you about this? Sorry, forget I said that. These things are too far away for you. If you look too deeply into it, you might fall into a terrifying nihilism. That is the hell of the Transcendent long-lived species."