Chapter 280: Shocking! The Number One Freshman Actually Did This!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 280: Shocking! The Number One Freshman Actually Did This!
"Xiao Han, you’re finally out. I... I thought you hadn't made it out of that Secret Realm."
This was the first time I had ever seen Sister Bai look so worried and distressed.
Back then, I was also worried about whether Sister Bai would be in danger within the Secret Realm, and I only felt at ease once the Academy Dean told me everyone had made it out. I had completely forgotten that Sister Bai would be just as worried about me...
"I'm fine, Sister Bai. See? Haven't I returned in one piece?" I reached out toward Sister Bai’s face, using my fingers to wipe away the little pearls at the corners of her eyes.
At a time like this, words were hollow. Sister Bai just needed a vent for her emotions.
After I spent a good while comforting her, Sister Bai finally calmed down a bit. However, I didn't mention anything regarding the Academy Dean to her.
I was even more tight-lipped about the Great Spellbook. The Academy Dean had strictly forbidden it. Sometimes, information spreads even if you never speak a word of it; against enemies with terrifying information-gathering techniques, just because you don't speak doesn't mean they won't find out.
For lifeforms that haven't reached the Transcendent level, Transcendent methods and techniques are an absolute dimensional strike.
However, at this moment, I hadn't expected that such a massive commotion had been caused outside the Secret Realm as well.
Even the Witch Secret Realm Club was in a state of temporary "paralysis," refusing any registrations or teleports into Secret Realms.
Furthermore, the terrifying disturbance had drawn a crowd of senior sisters who were gathered here to watch the spectacle.
After all, such a massive "show" was a rare sight at the Witch Academy, especially since even the Academy Dean herself had made an appearance.
Something huge must have happened here.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Sister Bai and I left that den of trouble. We didn't sit down until we reached a relatively safe area.
"Xiao Han, do you want something to eat?"
We happened upon a cafe, and Sister Bai led me inside. She handed me the menu and asked.
"A black coffee, no sugar, and... these blueberry muffins," I said. After staying in the Fool's Village Secret Realm for so long, I had eaten nothing but the food I brought in or wild fruit. Right now, I wanted to try something with a strong flavor to stimulate my taste buds.
I then pushed the menu back to Sister Bai.
"I'll have the same as Xiao Han, but add sugar to mine," Bai Yu said to the waitress.
"Phew... Xiao Han, you have no idea how worried I was when the Secret Realm collapsed." Although Bai Yu had already vented her anxiety earlier, now that she had relaxed, she couldn't help but feel a lingering fear.
"There's no need to be so scared. Haven't I returned safely? I don't even have a scratch on me."
I smiled and showed off my forearms. In truth, I had already quietly healed those scrapes with the Flesh Healing Spellbook; they were just minor injuries anyway. "Even in the worst-case scenario, doesn't the Academy have the Resurrection Spell? The Witch Secret Realm Club provides resurrection methods too."
"Resurrection isn't omnipotent. Being able to be resurrected means you aren't completely dead. I've seen too many instances where people died so thoroughly that even resurrection spells couldn't bring them back. That's why I never touch the boundary of death. Xiao Han, promise me you won't go testing it, okay? At least until you have great strength, don't touch death, and never treat resurrection as your safety net."
"Mm, I'll be good."
Facing such a serious Sister Bai, I nodded earnestly. However, I was also thinking about the matter of death and resurrection. Hadn't I just witnessed a death that couldn't be reversed?
That unlucky guy who died in the Void Rift... I even had a feeling that if that guy hadn't died and had killed me instead, I might not have been able to resurrect either.
That was probably the closest I had ever been to death.
"Good, as long as you're obedient..." Bai Yu nodded. She believed in Xiao Han's promise and didn't waste any more time on the subject.
"Xiao Han, back in the Secret Realm... was that series of anomalies caused by you?"
"Ugh... well... strictly speaking, it doesn't seem like it was. I might have just been the trigger. Sister Bai, you remember the information on that spellbook, right? That Secret Realm was the property of Dean Mei Lind. My actions likely interfered with the Dean's arrangements, so that happened."
I thought it over and explained it to Sister Bai. Some things couldn't be hidden, especially from her. However, I absolutely could not mention the Great Spellbook or anything related to those trial tasks.
Besides, I would eventually have to raise a group of Fool's Dreams. I needed an excuse for that; they couldn't be hidden forever.
"The Dean's arrangements... did you mess up the task?" Bai Yu asked instinctively.
"No, Sister Bai, can't you think of something better?"
"I can't. Your actions might have directly or indirectly destroyed a Witch Secret Realm! How am I supposed to think positively? I'm already wondering how much we'd have to pay to compensate for an entire Witch Secret Realm." Bai Yu spoke in a deliberately lowered voice, her tone laced with distress.
"Oh, come on, it wasn't me. It was the Dean. The Dean did it herself; it has nothing to do with me. Sister Bai, do you know why I was the last to leave?" I immediately began distancing myself from the incident.
"Why? It couldn't be that you were caught red-handed by the Dean, could it?"
"Close... close enough. After all, I was the trigger. But it's actually fine. The Dean had a brief chat with me and then decided to entrust the Fool's Dreams from the Fool's Village Secret Realm to my care..."
"Huh?"
My words left Sister Bai completely stunned. Even she hadn't expected things to develop this way.
"Wait, that's over a hundred Fool's Dreams! Can you even afford to raise them? The daily expenses alone would be an astronomical figure." Finally, Bai Yu couldn't help but double-check with me.
"Uh... it shouldn't be that bad..."
In fact, I knew very well that there weren't just a hundred Fool's Dreams—there were many more!
The number was far greater than expected.
However, for the time being, they hadn't followed me. They were with the Dean. After all, I had commissioned the Dean to create shells for them so they could continue to exist, and that couldn't be finished in an instant.
"It is that bad. Over a hundred Fool's Dreams—even if they're small, they still need a place to live, right? Do you plan on giving them cat beds like a cat cafe and calling it a day? Then there's food and drink. All of that requires money. Won't your heart ache if you spend all your Orichalcum on this?"
"It... it definitely would." I nodded.
But I had accepted the Dean's trial task, which included two Primal Spell Sequences that needed to be obtained from the Fool's Dreams.
However, it was best not to mention this to Sister Bai. Once I did, many other things would become impossible to hide.
The Dean had actually already planned it out for me. The Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art was derived from the Fool's Dreams, but the spell couldn't instantly turn them into the true Fool's Dream Race. However, the derived spells of the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art could be continuously perfected.
Because the core [Transcendent Knowledge] of this Great Spellbook was obtained from them, the connection between them must be related to them becoming true lifeforms.
This was the revelation the Dean had obtained from the [Transcendent Knowledge].
"So you just foolishly accepted it?" Sister Bai tapped my head. "Did the Dean offer anything in return?"
"Uh... what else could she offer... Oh... the Secret Realm was destroyed, and the Fool's Dreams were affected. Their original bodies were destroyed, so the Dean gave me the privilege of having custom shells made for them."
"That's all you asked for?"
"That's all the Dean gave. The Dean's time is so precious; how could she spend so much of it on such a small matter?"
"Sigh, forget it. Since things have already turned out this way, we'll just have to accept it..."
Just as I was thinking about discussing the issue further with Sister Bai, my phone rang.
I picked it up and saw several missed calls, all from Teacher Ji Niang.
"Oh ho..."
"What is it? Who is it?"
"It's Teacher Ji Niang. Maybe she guessed that I'm the one behind all this commotion?" I shrugged and helplessly answered the call.
"Hello, Xiao Han? Are you alone?" Teacher Ji Niang's voice came through the phone immediately.
"I'm at a cafe. There are quite a few people. I'm with Sister Bai," I said. Since Teacher Ji Niang's first question was whether I was alone, the topic was likely something that shouldn't be overheard.
Sister Bai heard this as well. With a snap of her fingers, a soundproofing spell enveloped us, isolating us from the outside world.
Then, Sister Bai gave me a gesture indicating I could continue.
"Uh... there's a soundproofing spell up now."
"Alright. That disturbance at the Witch Academy just now—did it have something to do with you?" Teacher Ji Niang went straight to the point.
"Uh... well... Teacher Ji Niang, you really have a sharp eye. The Fool's Village Secret Realm... might be gone now," I said in a joking, playing-dumb tone.
"I know it's gone. We teachers get news faster than you students. Was it your doing?"
"Sort of... I guess? But I'm not paying for it! The Dean herself didn't make me pay!" I explained, making sure to state my defense early.
"It's not a matter of compensation. This is bigger than you think. But you met the Dean, right? Sigh, forget it. As long as I know it was you. I'm hanging up now."
"Eh? Hanging up already? Teacher, aren't you going to ask anything else? Like what the Dean was doing..."
"What else could it be? I know more than you do, kid. Do you think I'd really need to ask you about the birth of a Great Spellbook? As if I wouldn't recognize the phenomena of a Great Spellbook being born. A Void Rift opened right over the Witch Academy."
"Uh..." So Teacher Ji Niang knew too... It seemed the birth of the Great Spellbook had been far too high-profile.
"If I have to ask you something, I just want to know: did you cause trouble in the Secret Realm again? I can already find posts saying the explosion of the Witch Secret Realm is related to you. It seems some of the students who were in the Secret Realm with you leaked it. Keep a low profile lately. It's best if you use a disguise before going out."
"Huh? That fast?"
"Do you think the students of the Witch Academy are blind? Besides, some time has passed. Why didn't you answer when I called?"
"Uh... the Dean kept me behind for a chat."
"Hmm? Kept behind by the Dean? Isn't she... Oh! Was it a clone?"
"Teacher Ji Niang, you even know about that?"
"Boring. Hanging up."
As the call ended, I slowly put my phone down. I looked at Sister Bai, and she cooperatively dispelled the soundproofing spell.
At that moment, our coffee and muffins arrived.
"Um... Sister Bai, aren't you curious about what Teacher Ji Niang and I talked about?"
"If it's private, I naturally won't pry. If it's trivial, I believe you'll tell me if you want to, Xiao Han." Bai Yu picked up a sugar cube, dropped it into her coffee, and stirred slowly, looking as if she truly didn't mind.
"It was nothing much. She just asked if the commotion was related to me. I have to say, Teacher Ji Niang really knows me. She thought of me instantly."
"Maybe it's because you're too good at causing trouble?" Sister Bai teased.
"Eh? Sister Bai, you think of me that way too?"
"Have you forgotten your nicknames? Before you entered the Fool's Village Secret Realm, people were calling you the Disaster Witch, the Calamity Witch, and so on. Isn't that enough for you to have some self-awareness?" Sister Bai said in a half-joking tone.
"No way. I was quiet for so long; that kind of hype should have died down by now," I said, my face falling as I tried to explain.
"But as soon as your quiet period ended, you went and did something massive. This is a Witch Secret Realm we're talking about. Even in the history of the Witch Academy, this is a rare occurrence." Bai Yu shook her head and turned her phone screen toward me. "Look: 'Shocking! Number One Freshman Yang Yuehan, after a month of silence, actually plotted to blow up a Witch Secret Realm.'"
"This! This is... slander! Defamation!" I protested as I watched Sister Bai read the post title word for word.
"Maybe you should log on and clarify things. Though, I'd suggest you don't. The more you try to explain, the guiltier you'll look, and the heat won't die down."
"True. I can't be bothered to argue with them. I've figured out the Witch Academy—it's full of amusement seekers. They don't care about the truth; as long as there's entertainment, they'll crowd around. The fact that the Academy hasn't officially named or punished me says enough. Anyone with eyes can see the truth, but they just want to enjoy the drama."
"It's good that you see it clearly. So, don't worry about what's being said on the Academy network. Even if they paint you as the most heinous villain, as long as the Academy doesn't interfere, you're fine."
"Mm." I took a small sip of my coffee in agreement.
Then, I couldn't help but stick my tongue out. It had been a long time since I'd had coffee, and jumping straight into sugarless black coffee was so bitter my mouth couldn't take it.
"What's wrong?"
"So bitter..."
"Sigh, here, you can have my remaining sugar cubes." Seeing my erratic train of thought, Sister Bai couldn't help but chuckle and shake her head as she pushed her sugar over.
However, seeing Xiao Han stick out her tongue like that was such a rare and adorable expression. She had never seen it before.
As expected, Xiao Han was better suited to being a girl. It would be nice if she could be a bit more carefree.
"No, no, it's fine. A bit of bitterness is good; it helps me stay sharp."
"Stay sharp? You've just gone through an entire Secret Realm and experienced such a major event. You should be resting!" Bai Yu's tone rose slightly, especially on the words "resting."
"But... weren't we resting the whole time in the Fool's Village Secret Realm~?" I weakly countered.
"Was that resting? Although I'm not sure exactly what you did, it must have been much harder than what I saw. Whether it was practicing meditation, the 'revelations' you mentioned, or magic-modifying meditation techniques—all of those require a massive amount of energy. Don't act like it was nothing, okay?"
"But... I don't know what else to do..."
"Don't you have to take care of the Fool's Dreams? I'll help you. At the very least, let's get their food and housing sorted and slow down the pace of life, okay? The Witch Academy isn't like other Transcendent academies. Don't push yourself so hard. No one is forcing you except yourself. Don't always live in your own world, and don't overthink things or assume too much, okay? Whatever you do, I can be there with you..."
"Mm..." I looked at Sister Bai. She was speaking so earnestly, as if I really were that way. "Am I... really pushing myself?"
"Yes. Aren't you very obedient to your Sister Bai? Listen to me; I won't lead you wrong."
"Mm." I nodded. It felt like I had understood many things, yet also like I hadn't thought of anything at all. Then, I suddenly looked up and gazed at Sister Bai with a smile.
"Sister Bai, you care about me so much... are you starting to have feelings for me?"