Chapter 276: Wisdom Enlightenment, First Meeting with the Dean
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 276: Wisdom Enlightenment, First Meeting with the Dean
At this moment, the meditation art couldn't really be called a derivation. It was more of a metamorphosis—an evolution. Its appearance represented a step beyond the original, rather than a mere branch within the same sequence.
Now, I needed to test the effects of this spellbook. It was almost comical; even though I had walked every step of the way and had been the one to complete the final stage, as its creator, I didn't even know what it actually did.
Leaving that troubled spot, I glanced back at Sister Bai. The battle seemed to have ended before it even truly began.
A total landslide... Was that combat technique "Body Arts"?
I didn't know Sister Bai was capable of that...
When I had the time, perhaps I could ask her for some guidance on cultivating Body Arts.
But now was not the time for such distractions.
I activated the spellbook and pushed my Spirit Vision to its absolute limit, observing the flow of the spellbook’s internal mechanisms.
However, once the spellbook was in use, the effect was bizarre.
Every spell produces some kind of manifestation upon casting, and this new spellbook was no exception. Unlike the previous meditation art, which acted solely upon my own body, this one—or rather, its effects—could be projected outward. I gathered the power in my hand, forming a swirling aggregate of spell effects.
I had never seen such a strange manifestation. It was so alien that I couldn't even begin to guess what its function might be.
Should I test it on myself?
Having a test subject would provide the most direct observation of any changes. But using myself was risky. What if this thing scrambled my brain and turned me into an idiot? It wasn't outside the realm of possibility.
Maybe I should experiment on those troublemakers?
But if I left them in a vegetative state, I’d be held responsible. That wouldn't work either.
While I was agonizing over the decision, I realized I had walked quite a distance, only to find myself surrounded by a crowd of Fool's Dreams.
"Um... does everyone need something? Sorry, I know I made a huge scene just now. I'll find a way to—" Just as I was about to explain, a familiar figure stepped out from the crowd. It was Yu Hu, the village chief of Fool's Village.
Yu Hu was in a new form now, the shell she had inhabited after her reincarnation.
"Xiao Han, we don't mind the commotion you caused in our village. We came here of our own accord."
"Of your own accord? Why?" I asked curiously, though the answer seemed to dawn on me even as the words left my lips.
"To be honest, I don't know why," Yu Hu replied. "But it felt like a guidance. We dwell in darkness, and that thing in your hand is like one of the only two bright lamps in the night."
"I knew it..."
I looked at the spell effect in my hand. I really had created something extraordinary. After all, from the runes to the revelations, this spellbook had been inextricably linked to the existence of the Fool's Dreams from the very beginning.
"Then... Yu Hu, do you know what this is?" I asked tentatively.
"I don't know," Yu Hu said, shaking her head. "But I crave it from the depths of my heart."
"I see..." They were just innocent, cute Fool's Dreams; what could they possibly know? However, what Yu Hu said about the "only two lamps" caught my attention. "By the way, Yu Hu, you said 'one of two.' Does that mean there's another existence with power similar to mine, or perhaps even from the same source?"
"Yes. That would be our Ancestral Land, the place where we undergo reincarnation," Yu Hu answered truthfully. She knew I was someone she could trust with such secrets, so she held nothing back.
"The Ancestral Land..." I immediately thought of that massive stone. Since the powers were similar, that stone had to be hiding some kind of secret or revelation.
"Xiao Han, can you use that power on me? I am willing to be your first test subject to provide you with the most accurate information," Yu Hu said, stepping toward me. Like a typical Fool's Dream, she stood on her tiptoes and tugged at the hem of my skirt, her voice full of entreaty.
"This power is unknown. You might even die. Can you really accept such a price?"
"We Fool's Dreams do not die; we are simply reborn into this world in a new form. As the chief of Fool's Village, it is my duty to act on behalf of all—"
"That's enough." I softly interrupted Yu Hu and the other Fool's Dreams' requests. When faced with unknown risks, my instinct was to be conservative. Even if they claimed they were willing to die for it, I wouldn't agree—at least not now.
"Can I visit the Ancestral Land again?" I asked, looking at Yu Hu.
"Of course... Even if I have to undergo reincarnation again for it, I will allow it," Yu Hu nodded.
"Then I'll have to trouble you." With Yu Hu's permission, I returned to the site. The crowd of Fool's Dreams followed us, trailing behind like our shadows.
Perhaps they didn't know as much as Yu Hu, but they mostly followed their instincts, and the fact that they were following me spoke volumes.
Once we arrived, I carefully observed the giant stone of the Ancestral Land once more.
Yu Hu told me that the power I wielded through my metamorphosed spellbook was similar or even identical in source to this place. However, after observing it again with Spirit Vision, I realized the two were fundamentally quite different.
This meant there was something else inside the giant stone. From the outside, it seemed to contain nothing but stripped-away Nightmares, which was why the Fool's Dreams stayed away despite their instinctive curiosity.
Even for Yu Hu, who had followed me, I made sure she kept a safe distance.
Since the powers shared a source, I could try to use my power to "resonate" with the stone. Perhaps I could extract information from within.
Just like last time, I walked up to the giant stone. As I pressed against it and released my spell, I was instantly pulled into that consciousness space again.
"This place again... No, wait..."
After a momentary flash of unease, I quickly adapted. In situations like this, panic was the enemy.
However, I soon realized that things were different from my last visit.
The space was no longer empty. Countless Nightmares wandered here, and innumerable runes were woven together, forming a... paradise. Yes, it functioned like an entire world.
I didn't know how any of this had happened. I only knew that the moment I took my first step forward, it felt like a lifetime had passed. That single step felt like entering a brand-new world.
Countless tiny runes were woven into a massive world structure.
Seeing such dense, precise, and flawless rune application made my own knowledge of runes and magic modification feel like a complete joke...
When I instinctively used Spirit Vision to observe, everything transformed into a world of runes. Here, rune weaving served as the ritual, projecting a vast, illusory world... it was like another version of the Fool's Village Secret Realm.
But I couldn't afford to get lost in the scenery, because there were still countless Nightmares here... and Fool's Dreams?
I looked at everything with a conflicted gaze; it was both absurd and terrifyingly real.
I remembered the long-abandoned huts in Fool's Village—the homes the Fool's Dreams had painstakingly woven for themselves. At the time, I had wondered why there were so many more huts than there were Fool's Dreams.
I had assumed they simply stopped living in their old homes after reincarnation. Now I knew. Those homes belonged to the Fool's Dreams who could never leave this place.
They had no bodies, only illusory essences. They had been eroded by Nightmares, turning into chaotic, disordered dream creatures. Without runes, their entire existence served as nothing more than bricks and mortar for this place.
My arrival was abrupt. Several Nightmares seemed to have found a new toy and were drawn to me.
They lunged at me like mad dogs.
Even I felt a flicker of panic. Currently, I only had my weapon-summoning spellbook and this new spellbook with unknown effects.
In my haste, a possibility occurred to me. Perhaps I could use them as guinea pigs to see what the metamorphosed spellbook actually did.
I might be reluctant to experiment on a Fool's Dream, but a Nightmare was a different story.
"Try the power of knowledge!"
I snatched up the summoned spellbook engraved with rubbings of runes and slammed it into the head of the first Nightmare that reached me. Immediately after, I unleashed a spell from the new book.
The effect of the newly acquired spell manifested on the Nightmare. It let out a piercing, wretched shriek before dissolving into something unknown... No, it didn't look like it was dissolving; it looked like "feedback." It was feeding back into this unknown territory.
That portion of feedback didn't seem to be energy, matter, or even the illusory power of the dreamscape. It was somewhat similar to a rune, but I didn't see any "ritual" information on it, so it wasn't a rune either.
But once I realized this, I didn't have time to think further.
More Nightmares were lunging at me, relentless and seemingly devoid of fear. If this continued, I would eventually be swallowed by them. I didn't know what happened to those who were swallowed, and I certainly didn't want to find out.
"Come to me..."
The vast world seemed to ripple, and then those words formed. They bypassed my linguistic understanding and struck directly at my consciousness.
"Go there? Where?"
I responded instinctively, but there was no second reply.
However, as soon as I shifted my attention away from the Nightmares, the entire world seemed to undergo an unknown shift. Phenomena everywhere wove themselves into the most conspicuous revelation, guiding me toward the source of that voice.
In that moment, I began a race against the Nightmares, sprinting tirelessly in the direction of the guidance.
Here, the concept of distance seemed to have vanished. I could only see a figure appearing ahead, growing larger in my vision.
I felt as if I had caught a final lifeline. Endless radiance filled my sight, and it felt as though I would escape this eternal pursuit in the very next second.
"I didn't expect you to actually make it in." A voice, both familiar and strange, echoed through the space.
I scrambled up from the ground and instinctively looked around. This place was somewhat similar to Fool's Village—everything was serene and leisurely. A figure sat on a swing beneath a large tree, slowly and peacefully enjoying the moment.
Her hands rested on her lap, and her magnificent skirt concealed her long legs. As my gaze landed on her, she tapped one foot against the ground and slowly rose from the swing.
"Who... are you?"
After standing up, I awkwardly brushed off non-existent dust. Facing such an existence, I instinctively felt constrained.
"I am Mei Lind. You may also call me Dean Mei." Mei Lind walked toward me with a satisfied smile. She reached out and tilted my face up, as if examining a fine work of art—or more accurately, as if looking into my eyes.
Her gaze made my skin crawl, and her claim that she was Mei Lind left me stunned. This person before me was... the Academy Dean?
By the time I regained my senses and tried to pull away, she had already let go.
"De... May... De-Dean..." For a moment, I was completely tongue-tied.
"Hehe~ What a cute little thing. You must be a miracle bestowed upon me by the Main World," Mei Lind said with a smile. She didn't project any of the overbearing pressure one would expect from a superior; she felt like an ordinary person. With that sense of affinity, it was truly hard to associate her with the position of Academy Dean.
I didn't dare say another word. After all, the less said, the fewer mistakes made. My desire to avoid trouble was at an all-time high.
Seeing how stiff I was, Mei Lind stopped teasing me and began to converse.
"Xiao Han, you must have many questions right now, don't you?"
"Yes," I whispered, nodding slightly.
"But before that, I need you to do something for me."
"What is it?" I asked instinctively. But then I thought: if even the Academy Dean has something she needs me to do, what could I possibly offer?
"This~"
Mei Lind raised a hand, holding a spellbook. The book's external structure was constantly shedding, eventually leaving behind only the purest composition of spells and rituals—the runes. But the runes inside this spellbook were incredibly familiar. They were the very same unique Twin Runes I had completed through the revelation!
Isn't this mine... Wait, the Exchange Contract has vanished. My own spellbook is back!
And my original spellbook was now...
"That's right. The Exchange Contract that everyone must sign before entering the Fool's Village Secret Realm... the person you were exchanging with was me. An Exchange Contract is the simplest way to swap spellbooks. Ji Niang should have told you that a truly mastered spellbook becomes a part of oneself; it's no longer as easy to trade as a physical object. Now, this Exchange Contract has fulfilled its mission."
I remained silent, showing no emotion, even though the Dean before me had just seized the fruits of my hard work.
But she was right; the spellbook essentially belonged to the Dean. However, nothing was set in stone yet, so there was no need to rush.
After all, I was helping the Dean now. Surely she wouldn't treat me poorly?
"Truly perfect runes... Are these the runes created from the revelations you received from the Fool's Dreams?"
"Haha, I'm getting ahead of myself. I've seen all your hard work. Now... I'm giving this to you. This is my final request. Based on the revelations you received, place them where they belong."
"What?"
I looked at the Dean in disbelief as she handed the runes back to me.
"You don't quite understand? That's alright, I have plenty of time to explain. Tell me, what do you think this place—this thing that looks like a world to you—actually is?"
"A consciousness space?"
"No." Mei Lind shook her head, smiling as she signaled I was wrong, but she didn't waste time making me guess further.
"This is a spellbook I wove using Real Editing Technology. You could call it... a half-finished spellbook."
"A... A spellbook!?"
My eyes widened at the answer. Real Editing! A spellbook!
"Oh? Did that fellow Ji Niang not tell you?"
"No... I mean, she did. I've looked into it..." I said quickly. I felt that if I didn't explain, the Dean might give Teacher Ji Niang a hard time. Surely a Transcendent Witch wouldn't be that petty?
"It's good that you know. Then you should understand that I am currently creating a new spellbook. Come~ take the results of your long, hard work and place them where you feel they should go." Mei Lind turned me around, standing behind me with her hands resting lightly on my shoulders, as if guiding me.
"Oh~ right, I almost forgot. You remember my message, don't you? It's time to let you experience this gift as well."
"What?" I let out a confused sound, but in the next instant, my vision changed. I felt as if I had gained a God's-eye view, looking down upon the entire world—the spellbook.
"This is the perspective of Real Editing. Even though you haven't touched the Transcendent realm, your Spirit Vision grants you the ability to 'see.' Now, carry my expectations and add the final crowning highlight to it."