Chapter 266: Wisdom Enlightenment, Disaster Brought by Outsiders
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 266: Wisdom Enlightenment, Disaster Brought by Outsiders
Stepping through the village "gateway," everything suddenly unfolded before my eyes. Rolling highlands and "woven" houses integrated seamlessly with the rainforest, looking like a secret garden hidden within the vast wilderness.
In the center lay a small inner lake, upon which stood a building crafted half from woven materials and half from stone. Verdant vines rose from the earth, living in symbiosis with the structure. It was clearly the handiwork of Senior Sisters from previous years; the woven sections attempted to replicate the original architectural style, though the shapes remained somewhat eccentric. Still, one could see the care and dedication the builders had for the homeowner.
Many plants grew here that I had never seen before. I even spotted leaves made of the same material as Yu Miao’s clothing.
To be able to turn such large leaves into garments was truly impressive.
"This is Fool's Village! In your words, this is where we live. I'll take you to see Lady Yu Hu~" After entering, Yu Miao waved at me, and I followed her in alongside Sister Bai.
Here, I saw even more of the Fool's Dream clan. They lived carefree lives; perhaps it was only because they hadn't been exposed to greater temptations that they could live so devoid of worry.
I felt a mix of envy and pity—envy for their lightheartedness, yet pity that they were permanently confined here, unable to leave.
When they saw us—beings so different from themselves—they cast curious glances our way. Some, however, paid us no mind. This was a Secret Realm, after all; people were bound to visit eventually, even if the frequency had dwindled lately.
Still, the arrival of outsiders always brought something new and exciting to their lives.
Upon seeing Yu Miao leading us, several Fool's Dreams approached. Judging by their chatter, they seemed to be Yu Miao’s "friends."
Many of them looked remarkably similar. The only way to distinguish them was by their hair color, eye color, and the style of their clothes. Even their voices shared the same soft, sweet quality.
Yu Miao, our guide, had long, emerald-green hair that draped over her back. That fluffy volume was certainly enough to make many girls envious.
Yu Miao began introducing us to her friends. Their names all started with "Yu," but they had no concept of surnames; they simply named themselves "Yu-something."
It was a primitive naming convention, but... admittedly difficult to remember.
We reached the center of the village. The inner lake was crystal clear, though it lacked fish or shrimp. Instead, I could see aquatic plants swaying beneath the surface. Lotus-like plants grew underwater, their thick, sturdy leaves extending upward to float firmly on the water.
These leaves formed the only path from the shore to the center.
"Come on up~ It’s okay, don't be afraid of falling! These are very sturdy!" Yu Miao hopped skillfully onto one of the leaves, bouncing a few times to demonstrate its strength.
"It's fine~ Previous guests always came across this way! That's where the Village Chief is. Her name is Yu Hu."
"I see."
I nodded slightly. Even without Yu Miao’s explanation, I could tell these were Transcendent plants. The Transcendent power gathered in the leaves allowed them to support heavy weights, relying on more than just simple buoyancy.
The abilities of this plant were quite specialized, almost like a custom-bred species. I suspected this was another contribution from a Senior Sister.
"Xiao Han, be careful."
Sister Bai took my hand and stepped onto the leaf with me. Although the leaves had significant lifting power, that didn't mean they wouldn't wobble. Yu Miao, having lived here all her life, seemed perfectly accustomed to it.
Knock, knock, knock.
Yu Miao cheerfully reached the building and knocked on the door.
Normally, the Fool's Dream people were quite small. Looking around from the center toward the outskirts of the village, the doors of the other houses were just large enough for them to pass through, but far too small for us.
Village Chief Yu Hu’s house was different. The door was clearly designed for people of our stature, featuring two handles—one high and one low.
"Village Chief~ We have guests in the village~" Yu Miao shouted toward the door.
After a long wait, during which Sister Bai and I reached the threshold, a voice finally drifted from within.
"Coming."
The voice didn't sound particularly old. As the door opened, a Fool's Dream who looked very similar to Yu Miao stepped out. She was roughly our height, with pale blue hair the color of lake water. She looked up at us with indifferent, light blue eyes, appearing quite used to such sights.
"Oh, guests. Are you here for the trial as well?"
"The trial?"
The contents of the strategy guide I had read earlier quickly surfaced in my mind.
"Yes. May I ask if you are here to undergo the trial? If not, we won't force you; you are still our guests."
Both Sister Bai and I had read about the so-called trial. With the arrival of outsiders, changes would occur in this place. "Bad" Fool's Dreams would appear and cause trouble in the village. In other words, if not for us outsiders, they would never suffer such calamities.
But if one were to ask why they still welcomed outsiders so warmly despite this, their answer was simple.
"They firmly believe that outsiders are heroes who descend because they sensed the coming of these villains. The problem lies with Fool's Village, and they have no right to demand that their guests sacrifice themselves for them."
They were such pure and naive little creatures. Even when Senior Sisters from previous years tried to correct them, they would turn around and "correct" the outsiders instead. They were unshakable in this belief.
This was exactly as the intelligence and strategy guides described. It certainly made things convenient for us, saving us the trouble of questioning these cuties—and potentially getting lectured by them.
I could just imagine these little ones putting their hands on their hips and telling us, "This definitely isn't your fault! Don't take this disaster upon yourselves!"
They must be adorable when they say things like that.
"Naturally, we are here to accept the trial. If there is any trouble here, please let me know. Since we're already here, it would be our honor to help," I said.
"Thank you! Thank you, guests, for being willing to help Fool's Village! Your deeds will be known to all Fool's Dreams! My apologies—you've promised to help us, yet I still don't know your names."
"Chief~ Let me do it! This is Xiao Han, and this is Bai Yu!" Yu Miao volunteered eagerly.
"Xiao Han... Bai Yu... Thank you both for your help. Tonight, we shall hold a banquet for you. Please, do not refuse."
"A banquet? That really isn't necessary, is it?"
"Hehe... consider it our request. Everyone in the village hasn't welcomed a guest in many days. A batch of the feast they prepared for you has already spoiled... But please rest assured, we will use the very best for your banquet! I truly miss the old days... it was much livelier back then..."
"It's alright. Perhaps those days will return," I comforted her.
I saw a deep nostalgia for the past in Village Chief Yu Hu’s eyes. If I could, I wanted to help these lovely creatures, but currently, I didn't have the power to make any grand promises.
"Thank you for your blessing, guest. Please, enjoy the environment of our village. Previous guests always said they loved this atmosphere, though none of them ever seemed to return..."
"I see..."
I felt a sense of twilight-like age from the Chief. Though she looked just like Yu Miao, she lacked that exuberant liveliness and seemed constantly lost in memory.
Reminiscing about happy times is something most people enjoy, I suppose.
There weren't many toys or games for entertainment here. A celebratory banquet was likely their only major social activity. Perhaps that was one reason they were so keen on feasting their guests.
"By the way, Chief, do you know anything about the Meditation Art?" I asked after Yu Hu had rested for a moment. After all, we had come to see the Chief for information, not just for idle chat.
"Meditation Art... I recall the name. I've heard your kind mention it. It's an ability you gain upon arriving here, right?"
"Yes."
I nodded, but Yu Hu’s phrasing was slightly off. She was telling me what she had heard from outsiders. This meant the Meditation Art likely had nothing to do with the Fool's Dream clan itself. Was it something the Academy Dean had added?
Did she believe this method could unlock the secrets of the Fool's Dream clan?
That seemed very likely, which made it even more important to investigate.
"I'm sorry, but my entire understanding of this 'Meditation Art' comes from information revealed by guests like you. If you wish to hear it, I don't mind sharing."
As Yu Hu began her explanation, she pulled over a small stool and started teaching us. She even handed us a small booklet. It seemed to be made of dried leaves through a special process, with slightly awkward characters written in an unknown ink.
The book itself was tiny—perfect for a Fool's Dream, but quite small in our hands. It was like a miniature pamphlet; I had to hold it close and combine reading with guesswork to understand the text.
Once I had a general grasp of it, I stopped asking questions. Since the Meditation Art was unrelated to the Fool's Dream clan, the Senior Sisters who had come before probably only mentioned it in passing and wouldn't have explained it to Yu Hu in detail.
Rather than asking more, I wanted to try it for myself.
"Um~ Chief, I'm going now~ I need to tell everyone about tonight's banquet! Xiao Han, Bai Yu, I'll see you later~"
"Alright, Yu Miao. See you later," I said with a smile as we parted.
After talking with the Chief for a bit longer, we left as well.
This was about as much intelligence as we could gather here. Progress was slow, to say the least.
"Xiao Han, what are your plans?" Bai Yu turned to ask me.
Bai Yu had originally thought that by accompanying Xiao Han to the Secret Realm for the trial, she could use her own strength to protect her. She hadn't expected the trial to be like this, instantly disabling her greatest advantage.
However, some of her previous methods allowed her to maintain decent strength even without a spellbook. Besides, they had brought alchemy items and other defensive gear.
"Hmm... let's find a place to settle down first, then study the Meditation Art. We have plenty of time, after all. By the way, Sister Bai, don't you have things to do?" I asked curiously. "You're supposed to graduate after this final year. If you don't hurry, you won't be able to graduate on time and will only get a completion certificate, right?"
"Is a completion certificate so bad? That way, I can stay behind and have plenty of time to accompany you."
"Eh? There's no need for that. Becoming a Transcendent Witch is more important." I shook my head, advising Sister Bai not to be so short-sighted.
"Alright, then I'll listen to Xiao Han."
Bai Yu pulled a tent out of her storage equipment. With the help of several enthusiastic Fool's Dreams, we selected a spot to set it up.
The woven houses of the Fool's Dreams weren't suitable for us to sleep in, and the older stone buildings were even less habitable. A tent was definitely necessary.
The Fool's Dreams recommended a spot based on where previous guests had often stayed. Once we picked the site, we shared some of the delicacies we had brought with them.
"This... the taste is so strange! I'm going to save it to share with my friends tonight!"
"Ooh... mine is very weird... I'll take it back and try to process it a bit~"
The group of Fool's Dreams constantly praised or critiqued the food we gave them. Seeing their reactions, I began to worry about the food for tonight's banquet.
These were already processed or semi-processed foods, yet they wanted to "process" them further. I just hoped they wouldn't create some kind of dark cuisine.
With the help of these little cuties, the tent was set up in no time. Although it looked a bit out of place here, at least it provided a place to spend the night. We then brought out sleeping gear, chairs, and outdoor equipment.
I wasn't worried about things being stolen. With so many Fool's Dreams coming and going, they didn't seem like the type to steal. Even if they did, it would only be for some non-precious trinkets.
In fact, if someone actually did steal something, it might not be a bad thing.
These little Fool's Dream creatures felt far too dreamlike to me—like little fairies from a fairy tale. It felt surreal. If they were capable of theft, it would prove they possessed human-like weaknesses.
"Ah~ lying down like this is so comfortable." I plopped down onto the camping mat. The green grass here would have been fine too, but this spot had clearly been used by many people before, leaving it as a patch of bare earth.
"It is. I wish I could stay here forever," Bai Yu said, lying down and staring at the sky.
This place was like a miniature world, complete with blue sky, white clouds, and a sun. But through my Spirit Vision, I could see these were all spell effects. The Secret Realm itself was limited in size and height.
"But that's impossible. Time is a very luxurious thing."
"Time is luxurious... for us, perhaps. But if one becomes a Transcendent Witch, they have a very long lifespan, don't they?"
"It's still just as luxurious, isn't it?"
"True..." Bai Yu nodded slightly. The time she could spend with Xiao Han was indeed luxurious. After this, when would the next time be?
If only everything could be as carefree as this Secret Realm—that was Bai Yu’s simplest, most heartfelt wish.
Neither of us spoke for a while. Bai Yu turned her head and saw me playing with a small ball of light.
"What's that?"
"It's the spellbook we got by exchanging all our other spellbooks. The Meditation Art spellbook," I said.
"Why? Do you have an idea already?" Bai Yu asked curiously. She knew my Spirit Vision was at the Floating World level—a level no normal person should possess. She had witnessed it herself.
"No, I'm completely clueless. It's just a very ordinary spellbook. The internal structure is normal, and I can't find any flaws in the runes." I shook my head, then pulled out my portable Ley Line system. To my surprise, I found that the Ley Line system could actually be opened here!
"Then shall I try it for you?" Bai Yu was actually quite interested in this Meditation Art.
In truth, she had contacted her mentor last night to ask about this Secret Realm. Otherwise, how could she have gathered so much information in such a short time?
She had also received guidance from her mentor: if possible, practice the Meditation Art frequently within the Secret Realm. If she felt she couldn't solve the Wisdom Enlightenment task, she should simply cultivate the Meditation Art until she couldn't stand it anymore and had to leave.
"Sure, I'll trouble you then, Sister Bai. I also want to try reconstructing the Ley Line information for this spellbook." I nodded. Since we had lost our other spellbooks, the only thing left to do was experiment with the Meditation Art. After deconstructing the spellbook, I would continue my attempts, using firsthand experience to see the difference between a Witch Meditation Method and this specific Meditation Art.