Chapter 272: Wisdom Enlightenment, the Dean's Attention
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 272: Wisdom Enlightenment, the Dean's Attention
"Thank you, guest... Xiao Han. This was the fastest cycle I have ever experienced. We still have plenty of time. Previous guests have explained the importance of this moment to me. If you need my help, please do not hesitate to ask."
"Thank you. I do want to try a few things, but before that, there are some other matters I wish to inquire about," I said, gazing at Yu Hu.
At this moment, the Fool's Dream no longer looked as terrifying as it did when it was tainted by the nightmare. At the very least, her Fool's Dream half and her nightmare half were now clearly demarcated, and that prominent rune was the greatest "contributor" to maintaining this state.
"The cycle hasn't ended yet... Xiao Han, if there's anything else you want to know, just ask. Perhaps my current state will allow me to answer more of your questions. Once the cycle resets, I won't be able to respond like this anymore."
"Right. I want to confirm something. If the cycle fails and you are reborn without your memories, do you have a backup plan?"
"I turned my memories into stories and kept them in my house. It’s such a large house, I can’t use all the rooms, so I filled the rest with stories woven from memory..."
"So you really do have a backup. Then, after we go back, may I take a look? Though it might be a bit presumptuous of me to ask..."
"Not at all, provided you don't find those stories too dull... But if the cycle fails, I still have to face the consequences. Even if I inherit those stories, I feel like that person wouldn't be 'me' anymore..."
"Just now, when you were dealing with the nightmare, those memory fragments that flashed by... You Fool's Dreams... you want to become true lifeforms, don't you?"
"Yes..."
"I see..."
I looked at Yu Hu's reaction. Perhaps she wasn't a true lifeform yet, but I had already guessed the truth: those memories had been "intentionally" released by her.
However, I didn't call her out. She wanted to seize every opportunity to seek outside help. She was so naive yet so desperate—should I call her foolish or... clever?
But for her to have survived until now, the sheer lovability of the Fool's Dreams must have played a major role.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry into your memories."
"No... please... don't apologize for that... I... I..."
"Since I have your forgiveness, I'll just act like nothing happened, okay?"
"Mhm! Mhm! Okay! Um... do you have any other questions?" Yu Hu asked, quickly nodding to change the subject.
"I do... I have too many questions, but our time is limited and I have other important things to do. One last question: do you know what Wisdom Enlightenment is? Tell me everything. What else did that being in your memories say to you? What kind of Wisdom Enlightenment do you need?" I inquired.
If Wisdom Enlightenment was a spell that granted intelligence, I might be able to manage it. But if it was just an abstract concept, I might be powerless to help.
My motivation for coming to the Fool's Village Secret Realm, aside from wanting to be with Sister Bai, was the fact that the related task mentioned "Wisdom Enlightenment." Naturally, I hoped to be the beneficiary. I could accept it if others benefited as well, but if there was nothing in it for me... well, considering how cute the Fool's Dreams were, I wouldn't heartlessly turn my back on them, but I certainly wouldn't be happy about it.
"This... I don't know... That Great Witch said her methods ended there, but something was still missing. Under those circumstances, she said we needed Wisdom Enlightenment..."
"Methods..."
I picked apart her words, constantly deducing possibilities. There was a ninety-nine percent chance that "Great Witch" was the Academy Dean. If "methods" could be understood as spells, what kind of thing could even a Transcendent Witch not achieve?
If the situation developed this way, it actually became simpler. What is independent of one's own mastered power?
Knowledge, techniques, and... talents derived from spells.
What kind of spell derivation?
What do I currently possess?
The Primary Meditation Art.
Wisdom Enlightenment... to... Meditation Art. Is there a connection?
I didn't know. I'd have to try to find out.
The Dean's arrangements probably didn't end here. She had hinted that the Meditation Art had Intermediate and Advanced levels. Was the complete Meditation Art related to Wisdom Enlightenment?
Thinking it was one thing; doing it was another.
"Xiao Han...?" Yu Hu no longer used a distant title, calling me by name instead.
"It's nothing. I have some ideas." I shook my head and returned to the matter at hand. "Now, I need you to cooperate with me... Oh, one more thing. If... and I mean if... the Fool's Dreams lost your blessings—these runes—what would happen to you?"
"I'm not sure... but the result would likely be very bad. If I lost my rune... I might completely turn into a dream creature, and my thoughts would become chaotic and disordered..."
"Then what is this state you're in right now with my runes? This spell is mine, and this rune is yours. Can we achieve this in reality?"
"I don't know..."
"You don't know that either..."
I didn't push her. After all, any unforeseen complication could be a catastrophe for the Fool's Dreams.
But at that moment, I felt a stir from the second spellbook within me. I quickly followed the impulse, and a magic book appeared in my hand.
"Xiao Han, what is this...?"
"I don't know. Just a sudden feeling..." I shook my head, flipping to a blank page.
As I opened it, Yu Hu seemed to be guided toward it. Carrying her rune, she dove into the book, only to emerge a moment later.
"Just now... some of the power of the blessing was consumed? What happened?"
"I understand now." I suddenly looked up and scanned the surroundings, but found nothing. Yu Hu had used herself to leave a rune imprint on that blank book!
This was definitely no accident. Someone was guiding this.
Whether it was my sudden summoning of the spellbook or Yu Hu diving into it, the person behind this... I didn't even have to guess. It was eighty percent likely to be the Dean.
But... was the Dean really that bored?
Logically, managing an entire academy of troublemaking witches should leave her overwhelmed with work, shouldn't it?
Regardless, the presence of outside interference meant one thing: I had earned the other party's "favor."
The Dean actually thought I could complete this task; otherwise, why would she help me? After all, I was just a freshman.
And now, everything seemed to be falling into place. I had imprinted the rune, and by using this method, I could seemingly complete the Meditation Art.
Perhaps this was the correct way to obtain the Intermediate and Advanced Meditation Techniques.
But there was still one problem: the weapon summoned by the summoning spell was completely random. How could I ensure I had the specific book capable of imprinting runes?
After a bit of thought, I figured it out. A threshold... this was also a screening threshold.
I had passed, so I obtained it. Because I met the criteria, I was able to reach this point smoothly.
Now, there wasn't much left for me to do here.
I had imprinted one rune. Under normal circumstances, one would deconstruct the spellbook, upgrade the Meditation Art to the Primary level based on revelations, and then discover the message left by the Dean.
Those who passed the threshold would receive a revelation, realize they needed to imprint runes, and return here to perfect their Meditation Art.
That was likely how it worked.
I felt like I had been led in a giant circle, only to end up right back where I started.
With Yu Hu's help, I added the rune imprinted from her into the spellbook. However, I lacked the revelation and the correct placement for the rune, so I could only keep experimenting.
Eventually... I succeeded. At that moment, the Primary Meditation Art seemed to undergo an unexpected change, though it hadn't yet evolved into the Intermediate level.
"Alright... I'm done here."
As I spoke, I withdrew from the space. The moment I returned to reality, I snapped to attention and checked my spellbooks.
I found that they weren't inside my body, but within the giant stone in front of me.
"As I thought... the operations performed in there affect the real spellbooks." I used my mental power to retrieve the two books. When I opened the weapon summoning book, the first page held the imprinted rune. The deconstruction within the Meditation Art spellbook also matched the form I had perfected in the consciousness space.
Seeing these things manifest in reality, I understood what my next steps had to be.
First, practice the Meditation Art.
Second, find Fool's Dreams to imprint runes.
Third, constantly observe the various behaviors of the Fool's Dream race to gain revelations, which likely contained the arrangement of the runes within the spellbook.
That was all for now. My Meditation Art wasn't even at the Advanced level yet, so I wouldn't dream of attempting spell derivation. I had to take it one bite at a time, one step at a time.
"Xiao Han, did you succeed?"
"Mhm." I looked up at Sister Bai, who was walking over from behind. I proactively leaned back into her embrace. As expected, this made my heart and mind feel much more comfortable...
Even my thoughts became clearer.
"Eh? Xiao Han, you..."
"It's nothing. I've just been thinking too much and need to relax. This matter is temporarily settled. From here on, I just need to follow the plan."
"Okay." Bai Yu didn't resist; she simply reached out from behind and hugged me, resting her head on my shoulder.
At that moment, Yu Hu also exited the giant stone. Under its guidance, she merged into a budding flower.
Then, a brand-new Yu Hu was born into the world once more.
"Yu Hu... how do you feel?" I asked, picking up the now tiny Yu Hu.
"Mhm... everything... good..." Yu Hu spoke in a tiny, babyish voice, her tone thin and even carrying the slight whimpering of a newborn.
Bai Yu stared at the scene, momentarily dazed. The image triggered a fantasy she had never touched upon before... herself, Xiao Han, a child... like a most ordinary family of three, living a simple life...
This was perhaps the outcome Bai Yu desired most. It was the most ordinary yet greatest revelation, born from an inspiration regarding the life of a common person. She seemed to understand something—an understanding that was a bit ahead of its time, a bit illusory, like a castle in the air.
But one thing was certain: when Bai Yu reached this stage again, she would naturally walk this path toward... the Transcendent.
This was Bai Yu's subject: Soul. Her opposing subject: Ordinary yet Great.
Ordinary to the masses, great to the individual.
The scene lasted for a long time until I opened my eyes. "Let's go~ It's time to head back."
"Mhm, time to go back," Bai Yu agreed with a nod.
When we stepped outside, it was a beautiful morning. The sunlight was bright, as if cheering for Yu Hu's rebirth.
Without the Village Chief's organization, the Fool's Dreams had spontaneously gathered to hold a ceremony for Yu Hu.
Once I understood certain things, I realized why the Fool's Dreams loved ceremonies and a sense of ritual so much.
It was because they weren't true lifeforms. Their existence relied on runes, and runes were rituals in themselves. Their behaviors hinted at certain revelations. These revelations were no longer anyone's deliberate arrangement, but their own spontaneous actions.
Their behavior was influenced by the ritual. It looked like they were celebrating of their own volition, but in reality, it was just the result of the ritual's spontaneous, random combinations, expressed through the Fool's Dreams as carriers.
This was the true meaning of revelation.
So, this really was a long-term task. I needed to constantly observe them and find ways to hold ceremonies for them.
Even though my motives weren't pure, the innocent Fool's Dreams wouldn't think that far. To them, this was genuine joy, and I was indeed a guest who shared in that joy.
* * *
Meanwhile, at the Witch Academy.
Ji Niang was preparing to go to the Dean's office. She held the letter the Dean had personally written to her—the proof needed to meet her.
The Dean held a very high status in the Witch Academy. Even though they were all Transcendent Witches, there was still a hierarchy among them.
The current Deans of the Witch Academy were all part of the powerful group of Transcendent Witches who had originally founded the school.
They had used forceful means to break the blockade of the three great transcendent races of the Main World, becoming the fourth transcendent race and ensuring that the Main World maintained only four such races to this day.
Even for someone like Ji Niang, seeing the Dean alone was difficult.
But now she had the opportunity—or rather, the Dean had proactively sought her out.
Did anyone really think her recommendation to Xiao Han to try the Wisdom Enlightenment task had been a casual remark?
While she did want Xiao Han to go, it wouldn't have been now, and she certainly wouldn't have been so pointed and urgent about it. It was only because of the Dean's letter that she had provided such a purposeful hint.
"Xiao Han, oh Xiao Han... even the Dean has taken notice of your Floating World Level Spirit Vision," Ji Niang said, shaking her head as if talking to herself.
But she knew exactly what she was doing. This was a fair trade—at least, that's how Ji Niang saw it. Putting in some effort to show one's face before a Dean of the Witch Academy, regardless of success or failure, was something to be proud of. Making an impression on the Dean was a symbolic victory that was incredibly useful in the academy.
And if she gambled on that one-in-a-million chance that the task was completed, Xiao Han would have the Dean's protection, ensuring her safety within the Script.
The Dean... she was the kind of existence who acted as a chess player for the Script. To her, the Script was merely a tool to be used.
Thus, the Witch Academy didn't place much importance on so-called Children of Destiny. Those who cared about the benefits of a Child of Destiny were the Transcendent Witches interested in luck, but the Deans generally weren't among them.
However, Dean Mei Lind was a different story. If Xiao Han couldn't complete the task, Mei Lind might just interfere with the Script and shove the Wisdom Enlightenment task into it, making it part of the narrative.
The Script itself was an unreasonable driving force; it would very likely ensure completion...
"Hmm? Lina, what are you doing here?" Ji Niang saw Lina walking up from behind and had a bad feeling.
"What are you here for? I'm here for the same thing. It's just fair competition. I want to send Tan Han in to try as well."
"Are you trying to interfere with the Dean's decision?"
"No, just making a suggestion. If I propose it, the Dean won't have to trouble herself with interfering with the Script. Xi Lan, you can't hog all the good things for yourself. Xiao Han plus Xiao Han—don't you think that would be twice as effective?"
"Don't flatter yourself," Ji Niang said, rolling her eyes at Lina.
"Hehe. Xiao Han relies on her Floating World Level Spirit Vision, and Xiao Han relies on the Script and luck. It's all the same. Why should we worry about metaphysical matters? Let's go in together. We can chat on the way. After all, this is your first time being a counselor. How does it feel? Not easy, right?"
Lina smiled and walked to Ji Niang's side, waiting for the "elevator" that led to the Dean's quarters.