Chapter 268: Wisdom Enlightenment, Information Left Within the Spellbook
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 268: Wisdom Enlightenment, Information Left Within the Spellbook
I didn't dwell on it too much. I’d already reaped all the benefits; there was no point in being fussy now.
Back at our camp tent, I pulled out the Ley Line System again. I needed to run a simulated magic modification before doing the real thing. After all, messing with the internal structure of a spellbook could cause it to collapse, let alone recklessly tampering with the internal rune rituals.
While the Ley Line System couldn't perfectly replicate reality, it could help me avoid major errors and fundamental mistakes. That alone was a massive help.
After a series of attempts and constant restructuring based on my sketches, I finally narrowed it down to about a dozen possible configurations.
By "possible," I meant that the spellbook wouldn't explode. It didn't guarantee the effects would be good; for all I knew, using it might turn someone’s brain into mush.
Still, I kept at it.
"Xiao Han, are you hesitating over something?" Bai Yu approached me, her voice laced with concern.
"Yeah... it’s a bit of a gamble. I’m afraid I might break this spellbook."
"Use mine," Bai Yu said decisively, pulling out her own spellbook to hand over. "I’m only here to help you finish this mission. I don't strictly need this book."
"Huh? Oh, wait, there's a problem." Just as she was about to hand it to me, she realized something. "I see. Because of the Exchange Contract, I can't give this spellbook to anyone else. It doesn't technically belong to me. But it’s fine, Xiao Han—if you want to do something to the book, you can just do it while I'm holding it, or I'll just let you handle it."
"Is that really okay? A meditation technique is bound to have some benefits for the user. If I fail, Sister Bai, you might leave this Secret Realm empty-handed."
"It won't be for nothing. This big sister has already gained plenty. To me, a meditation technique is more or less the same as a Witch Meditation Method. I'll just meditate when the time comes."
"Alright then..." I wanted to say that there was a huge gap between a standard meditation technique and a Witch Meditation Method—that they were fundamentally different—but since Sister Bai was so insistent, I couldn't bring myself to refuse.
"Thanks, Sister Bai." I took the spellbook from her hands without further hesitation.
Once it was in my grasp, I felt a restrictive force preventing me from merging it into my own body, but performing a magic modification on it was no problem at all.
I reviewed the dozen or so plans again. I didn't have many chances, so I had to choose the most stable approach.
I extended my mental power and gently pried open the spellbook's casing. Bai Yu watched intently beside me. Even if she couldn't see the fine details, she understood that this was a domain far beyond her reach.
Watching someone surpass you so completely in a specific field... it’s a strange feeling, Bai Yu mused to herself.
The modification process was actually quite fast. In some things, being careful didn't mean being slow; it required being both quick and precise.
Right now, I was essentially walking on thin ice. A single slip-up would destroy the spellbook in Sister Bai's hands. Even though the Exchange Contract meant a broken book wouldn't prevent her from getting her original one back, I instinctively wanted to give her the best possible result.
However, during the modification, I noticed something very strange. From a structural standpoint, this spellbook felt "loose," which was completely different from the ones I had modified before.
Take the Memory Bookshelf spellbook, for example. The sheer density and the friction I felt while trying to alter it were incredibly draining.
This book didn't have that. It felt as if its underlying architecture was specifically designed to allow for constant experimentation with different combinations.
"Wait... this isn't right! It shouldn't be like this... this alignment is wrong. The Ley Line System led me astray... The closest permutation is... did I... did I succeed?"
After proving that my most "likely" permutation was actually a failure, I scrambled to change the plan at the last second, ultimately saving the spellbook.
At the very least, the book was now stable.
"Is it done?" Bai Yu asked.
"I'm not sure, but the structure has stabilized." I shook my head. I had overestimated myself. Perhaps there was a proper, legitimate way to do this within the Secret Realm, but my current method of brute-forcing my way through with cheats was truly exhausting.
"Really? Because I can feel a message appearing inside the spellbook. It’s... similar to the way spell descriptions are stored. I'm certain this information wasn't there before," Bai Yu said.
"What? Information? What does it say? Forget it, I'll check mine." Hearing her words, I got excited, but my logic managed to suppress the impulse.
The appearance of a message meant my attempt was a success! This had to be the breadcrumb trail left behind to push the mission to the next stage.
With the experience from the first attempt, I was able to rearrange my own spellbook with practiced ease.
As the spellbook shifted in my hands, a hidden string of information surfaced.
Truly... spellbooks were such wondrous things.
“Congratulations. If you are seeing this message, it means you have seen through most of my arrangements and the revelations I left behind. I also thank you for your contributions to the Fool's Dream Clan. Since they were willing to bring you to their Ancestral Land, it means you have earned their trust—enough that they were willing to use their great treasure to help you unlock the secrets of spellbook reconstruction.”
“Next, I shall tell you what to do now that you have reached this stage. The spellbook you have obtained through the Exchange Contract has now become a true spellbook. Its name is the Primary Meditation Art. Naturally, there are Intermediate and Advanced versions, but since you have come this far, I trust I do not need to remind you how to obtain them. Practice it well; it can help develop your comprehension, enlighten your wisdom, and connect your cognitive pathways.”
“My arrangements within the Fool's Village Secret Realm end here. However, the realm surely holds other secrets. These cannot be forced. Perhaps those secrets are of no use to me now, but for students like you, they will surely be a wonderful reward—perhaps even a gift too heavy to bear. I shall quietly wait for such a student to appear and present them with a grand prize. — Mei Lind.”
"Mei Lind... this is..." I stared at the name at the end. I was certain I had never heard it before.
"That is the name of one of the Deans at our Witch Academy. Remember? This Secret Realm was provided by a Dean," Bai Yu said from the side, having read the message as well.
Clearly, there was a massive discrepancy between this message and our actual experience. This meant Xiao Han had succeeded through an unconventional method. Was this... a sequence break?
I hope Dean Mei Lind doesn't take offense, Bai Yu prayed silently.
"A Dean, huh... well then. It looks like I've gone and done something extraordinary ahead of schedule." I shook my head, my gaze narrowing.
Since this was all orchestrated, the script should have played out a certain way. I didn't believe for a second that it ended here. What ended here was merely Dean Mei Lind's arrangement. The "secrets" were things even the Dean might not fully understand—though she likely realized they weren't very useful to her, which is why she dumped the realm on the Witch Academy.
But the Meditation Art alone was enough to be called "Wisdom Enlightenment."
Perhaps some senior sisters in the history of the Witch Academy had reached this step through their own sheer talent and intellect. They couldn't be compared to a cheater like me, but I held the utmost respect for them.
There was just one thing... If you guys succeeded, why didn't you leave any strategy guides behind?
Well, now wasn't the time to complain. Results were born from one's own hard work; nobody wanted others to leech off their efforts for free. If it were me, I wouldn't want to see someone getting something for nothing either.
That would be disrespectful to one's own struggle. So what if people called me stingy?
I wasn't about to be trapped by that kind of low-level guilt-tripping.
The only real issue was that girl, Yu Hu. She hadn't mentioned anything about an "Ancestral Land." It seemed she was hiding things too...
"Xiao Han, what do you plan to do next?" Bai Yu asked.
"Continue, of course. Since the Dean has arranged everything, we'll follow the script. If I don't experience it in full, how will I know what that message was referring to?"
"True. I was thinking the same thing." Bai Yu nodded in agreement. As the beneficiary of this "unearned gain," she naturally wasn't going to object to my plan.
"Whatever. Let's try out the effects of this so-called Primary Meditation Art first. Developing comprehension, enlightening wisdom, and connecting cognition... Sister Bai, you understand what that implies, right?"
"Yes."
Bai Yu understood perfectly. She also realized where the mission's name came from. But... this didn't seem to have much to do with the Fool's Village Secret Realm itself, did it?
The realm seemed to only serve as a catalyst. Perhaps because Xiao Han's methods were too "brilliant," the role of the Secret Realm seemed diminished.
However, if it was just about stimulating wisdom, many potions and magic potions could achieve similar effects. They were expensive, but they existed.
But after a moment's thought, Bai Yu realized the difference: the foundation. This was about building a solid base. The wisdom and comprehension granted by potions were like castles in the air; only a solid foundation could truly support such intellect.
In that case, the value of this Meditation Art likely exceeded her initial estimation.
"Xiao Han, if this Meditation Art really isn't like potions—if it’s a way to develop comprehension and wisdom without external aids—then its value might be even more terrifying than you imagine."
"I know."
I nodded. I knew exactly what developing one's wisdom could bring. I needed this. What you own is yours forever; external power is always just external.
"Alright." Seeing my reaction, Bai Yu said no more.
I began to attempt the new meditation method—the Primary Meditation Art.
Compared to the flawed version from before, this one felt much more controllable. I could clearly feel the spell's effects—that refreshing sensation of my brain becoming more active—and I didn't lose my Time Sense like before.
This spell was incredibly helpful to me right now. Since it was called "Primary," it would eventually hit a ceiling. At that point, this spellbook would lose its utility.
I should be glad this book was only obtained through an Exchange Contract. Knowing that the spell wouldn't be useful forever, it was "lent" to us in this manner.
Once we were done with it, we could "discard" it without any pressure.
According to my estimates, if I practiced the Primary Meditation Art with all my might, I could fully master it in about a day. After that, further use would yield no results.
I was a bit surprised by that answer. One day. A spellbook that lost its value in just one day. But that was the reality.
There was an Intermediate Meditation Art waiting for me, but I had no idea how to get it.
The Dean who left the message was playing the "riddle master" and hadn't told me, so I had to slowly piece together the information I had missed.
The only pity was that, just like the Witch Meditation Method, this thing couldn't replace sleep.
I looked at the night sky and then at the time on my phone. Teacher Ji Niang was right; Witchification had indeed brought about big changes. It was late into the night, yet I only felt a faint trace of tiredness.
"Xiao Han, why don't we sleep? You used to be an early sleeper, didn't you? It's rare to see you up this late." Bai Yu opened the tent flap. In her hand, she held a small flower shaped like a bell that emitted a faint blue glow, acting like a nightlight.
"True. Witchification has changed me quite a bit. I didn't believe it when they said witches were nocturnal creatures, but I believe it now." I looked at the small tent; it looked just big enough for two people to lie down.
"What? Are you not sleepy tonight?" Bai Yu crawled into the tent and patted the spot she had saved for me.
"Who said that? I'm exhausted. Yawn~" I instinctively let out a yawn and crawled inside. The space was small, but it didn't feel claustrophobic.
Once the small door was zipped shut, it actually felt quite cozy. Bai Yu pinned the glowing Little Lamp Grass to the top of the tent, casting a soft blue aura.
Lying there on the relatively soft padding, with a small blanket Sister Bai had prepared, the atmosphere was intimate. In such a cramped space, it felt like any movement would result in us touching.
"If you're tired, get some sleep."
"I'm going to sleep then, okay?" I blinked, the glow of the Little Lamp Grass blurring in my vision.
"Mhm."
"Don't take advantage of me while I'm asleep, okay?" I turned my head to look at Sister Bai and teased her with a smile. But seeing her look slightly flustered, I quickly changed my tune. "Just kidding. You can give me a massage while I'm out. I want to grow a bit bigger soon..."
As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized what I had said. "Sleep! Sleeping, sleeping!"
I pulled the blanket over my head. Why did I say that? Is it because I've been celibate for too long?
It hasn't even been that long... just since I became a girl...
"Really? Well then, this big sister won't hold back." A mischievous smile curled on Bai Yu's lips. She reached out and pinched the soft flesh at my waist through my clothes.
"Eek! Hey... you're serious! Don't... ah... haha! Stop tickling me! Hahaha! I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die!"
A flurry of noise and movement erupted inside the tent. It only stopped when I finally begged for mercy.
"Speak. Are you going to tease your big sister again?"
"That wasn't teasing!" I argued stubbornly.
"Still talking back? Was it a joke, or were you being serious?"
"Sleep... sleep! Let's just sleep! I'm done! I'm done playing!"