Chapter 281: The Image of the Fool's Dream and the Placement Problem
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 281: The Image of the Fool's Dream and the Placement Problem
"Wait... what?!"
Hearing me turn the tables like that, Bai Yu froze for a good two seconds. The small teaspoon she was using to stir her coffee fell with a sharp clink.
"Xiao... Xiao Han, what are you talking about? Haha, you're joking again, right? What kind of nonsense are you spouting?" Bai Yu looked restless, her eyes darting around as she struggled to maintain her composure.
"If you keep saying things you don't mean, this opportunity might just slip away, you know?" I kept my head down, stirring my coffee and avoiding Sister Bai’s gaze. She had already practically confessed with her reaction; did I really need to say more?
She couldn't possibly think I was that blind. Honestly, if Sister Bai had actually spoken up just now, I might have truly agreed.
"I don't understand what you're talking about, Xiao Han. Let's... let's change the subject..."
"Alright then..."
I sighed. I had finally plucked up the courage, only for things to end up like this.
But perhaps I should be relieved as well. I didn't exactly know how to be a good boyfri—oh, right, it should be girlfriend now.
Still, this little probe had confirmed Sister Bai’s feelings and her psychological expectations. At the very least, whatever happened in the future wouldn't catch me too off guard.
"Sister Bai, you pick the topic. You know I'm not great at small talk; I'm more of the passive type."
I leaned my right arm on the table, slumping my weight onto it as I looked at her sideways. My words carried a hidden meaning: this was the only time I’d have the courage to take the initiative. In the future... there wouldn't be another chance like this.
"You want me to find a topic..." Bai Yu looked at me slumped there like a salted fish. Although she wanted me to relax, seeing me like this made her let out an involuntary laugh.
"Haha... but speaking of topics... I don't know what to talk about either." After her light laughter, she fell into thought. Even though she felt she knew me well, she realized she had never truly understood me on a deeper level.
"Well... how about we talk about Runology? Last time, I heard you say you’d started studying runes systematically..."
"Stop, stop, stop!"
Before I could finish, Bai Yu cut me off. "That's a terrible suggestion. Do you really think this atmosphere is suitable for talking about that?"
"Hmm... I guess not. Then... let's talk about the Fool's Dream. Sister Bai, do you like them?"
"Those Fool's Dream... they really are adorable. So tiny and a bit silly." At the mention of the Fool's Dream, Bai Yu immediately recalled the days we spent living with them. It had been a pleasant time; girls truly have no resistance to such cute things.
Moreover, the Fool's Dream currently inhabited bodies that looked like rare and lovely Flower Elves. They were born to be mascots.
In my heart, their cuteness was second only to adorable cat-girls.
"They really are. But after the Fool's Village Secret Realm completely collapsed, they all died. Well, strictly speaking, they didn't die; they just continued to exist in a different form. As long as I provide them with shells, they can be resurrected. The Dean gave me the right to customize their bodies, but I haven't decided what kind of forms to give them yet."
"Is that how it works?"
"Yeah. Sister Bai, help me think of something?" I said quickly.
"Based on what you said, they should naturally look however you want them to. Why not ask the Fool's Dream for their opinion?" Bai Yu suggested after a moment of thought. Being asked so suddenly, she couldn't give a perfect answer either.
"Ask them? That might not work. Right now, they're in their most primal state. They've lost their original memories and past cognitions," I said, shaking my head.
The growth of a Fool's Dream is essentially the accumulation of cognition and the erosion of Nightmares. Nightmares are their memories and cognitions; if the Fool's Dream want to maintain their current state, they need other means.
Yu Hu's idea was naive—wanting to coexist with Nightmares. But I understood clearly now that it was useless. That was just following the old path of dream creatures, not becoming true life.
Only by discarding the Nightmare portions, shedding their dream essence, and enlightening their wisdom in the form of Fool's Dream could they be qualified to walk the path of becoming true living beings.
Looking at it this way, the Dean removing Yu Hu's memories was also for her own good. Walking the wrong path only leads further astray.
It was better to cut ties with the past and start a new life on a new path.
"I see... then it really is all up to you. Xiao Han, what do you like most?"
"Me? Well... I like kittens. But I'm still more used to humanoid forms for the Fool's Dream. How about... using a cat-girl template for their design?" I suggested. If it were up to me, I’d likely choose this option. I just didn't know what Sister Bai would think.
"You like kittens too?" Bai Yu became interested. "Though, liking cats in the Witch Academy seems to have become the most common thing in the world."
"Yeah, true." I nodded. Many senior sisters also loved the derived cat-girl culture. You could tell just by the fact that there was more than one Witch Cat Cafe in the Academy.
"Oh... let's not get off track. Sister Bai, what do you think? Is it a bit... hasty to just decide on cat-girls for the Fool's Dream's image?"
"Hasty? Not at all. Hesitation only makes decisions harder. Let's go with little cat-girls then. By the way, there are so many Fool's Dream; have you thought about where to put them?"
"That... not yet." I shook my head.
There were over a hundred Fool's Dream. Even if I brought them to my villa, they wouldn't fit. Besides, the villa wasn't mine alone; the others had their own lives, and I couldn't just make a decision like that.
"Sister Bai, does the Academy have vacant houses for rent?" I asked expectantly.
"There are definitely houses, and plenty of them. The Witch Academy is much larger than you imagine. But the key issue isn't just giving them a place to stay. Settling them in won't be easy. Are you planning to support them for the rest of your life?"
"So... Sister Bai, you mean I should teach them to be self-reliant?" I asked curiously.
"That's the gist of it. There are actually many such existences in the Witch Academy. Many creatures brought out from secret realms end up proliferating here and eventually becoming part of the Academy. Have you seen any?"
"I... don't think so?"
I thought for a moment and shook my head. My life at the Witch Academy had been too much of a straight line between two points. I really hadn't gone anywhere else. I truly didn't know the Academy had creatures from secret realms. Maybe I’d seen them, but I hadn't paid attention.
"This is one of the unique features of the Witch Academy, Xiao Han. You didn't know? You really should take a good break and walk around the Academy more, okay?"
"Alright... I will." I lowered my head slightly in shame. Was I really that much of a shut-in?
"Anyway, back to the topic. What do you plan to have those Fool's Dream do?"
"I'm not sure... they can't just sell cuteness, can they? And I really want them to have those tiny, petite bodies like before... they were so cute..."
"You're just making things harder for yourself, Xiao Han. But... if it's just about being cute... maybe you could try collaborating with a Witch Cat Cafe?"
"Eh? Collaborate with a Witch Cat Cafe? Wouldn't that... wouldn't that be stealing the jobs of the cats there?"
"It's called diversifying the services. Think about it: if a Witch Cat Cafe was full of cat-girl Fool's Dream and kittens, would you want to spend money there?"
"Oh... I'm starting to feel the urge to spend already... But... I don't know the owners behind the cafes... and I don't know how to operate it or how to collaborate..."
"Don't back down before things are even settled. There's a first time for everything. Did you forget that Gold Cat Card you were given? If you're willing and show your own value, I think that person would be very happy to meet you. Besides, your request isn't that high, is it? You just want to find a way for those Fool's Dream to support themselves."
"Right... that's true." I nodded, thinking the idea was quite good.
The Fool's Dream, with no memories, were like blank sheets of paper. They truly didn't know how to do anything, but they would make excellent mascots.
Sister Bai was right; I couldn't support them forever. Even the Dean had just left them to fend for themselves in a secret realm. Why couldn't I try something similar?
I didn't need total control over the Fool's Dream, nor did I have the inclination for it.
If my desire for control was too strong, by the time they became true living beings, I’d probably be the first person they’d rebel against.
Even if I gave them life, I couldn't guarantee the "loyalty" of every Fool's Dream. So why not let them be "free"?
Besides, before they became true living beings, they would still be extremely dependent on me. Even after they became true life, I would already be the one who understood them best. If they wanted to develop, grow, or gain power... they still wouldn't be able to do it without me.
Though this might be thinking a bit too far ahead, it was a real possibility.
So, this matter needed to be resolved quickly.
Furthermore, I had many things to discuss with the Dean. Not just the Fool's Dream's bodies and placement, but also other matters... like the situation with the Great Spellbook.
I couldn't protect the Great Spellbook on my own. The only ones who could were likely at the Dean's level. It wasn't just a matter of the Dean saying the word so I could keep it safely.
Rather, until I became a Transcendent Witch, the only way I could hold the Great Spellbook was through an "Exchange Contract."
I would lend the Great Spellbook to the Dean via a contract, letting her bear the pressure for me while I remained the true owner.
Once the storm passed and I had the ability to research the Great Spellbook, the Exchange Contract could be dissolved.
This was currently the optimal solution.
The only reason for this compromise was that I lacked the strength to suppress everything. Strength was indeed vital.
One could say that ever since I obtained the Great Spellbook, the pressure I carried far exceeded that of my peers, or even the senior sisters.
Perhaps Sister Bai was right; I really needed to learn the meaning of work-life balance.
Now and the next few days would be my time to catch my breath. The Dean had to deal with enemies from outside the world; she told me it would take a few days, though she wasn't sure exactly how many. Once she returned, many things could proceed.
For now, I still had a few things to do. For example... I wanted to "recreate" my favorite mixed flavored juice from the Fool's Village Secret Realm: the Fool's Dream Drink.
I had intentionally collected seeds from those plants before. I’d originally planned to plant them when I got back, and I’d even learned the technique for mixing the Fool's Dream Drink from the Fool's Dream.
Now it seemed that the technique I possessed and those seeds were the only legacy left of the former Fool's Dream.
I planned to pass this skill back to them once they got their new bodies. It would be like the master teaching the disciple, and the disciple teaching the master in turn.
"Xiao Han, where are you planning to go?"
Walking out of the cafe, I had already switched back to my disguised appearance. After all, my original form was a bit too well-known now. Even Teacher Ji Niang had told me to keep a low profile. On the Academy Network, those few guys were spreading rumors that the secret realm explosion was my doing. Many senior sisters were already waiting for the Academy to post a compensation notice.
Unfortunately for them, that notice was never coming.
"Hmm... I plan to use these free days to do the things I want to do."
"Things you want to do?" Bai Yu raised an eyebrow, surprised that I suddenly had a goal. "I'll go with you. What is it exactly?"
"Okay. Sister Bai, do you remember the most memorable drink you had in the Fool's Village Secret Realm?" I asked with a smile.
"Hmm... was it the... Fool's Dream Drink? You told me that drinking it lets you see 'revelations' more clearly."
"Exactly! The Fool's Dream Drink! I want to recreate it. Once the Fool's Dream race is settled in the Academy, I plan to give this skill back to them."
"Ah? But the fruit needed for that drink... oh... you collected those seeds. Did you foresee this?"
"How could I? I don't know any prophecy spells. I just wanted to bring some seeds back to plant. Those fruits taste great even on their own."
"That's true." Sister Bai nodded. In Fool's Village, besides her own rations, she had mostly eaten the various fruits there.
"So where are you going now?"
"Me? I met two senior sisters in the secret realm before. We only met once, but one of them seemed to have a contracted plantation, and she's a Planter herself. I don't think she'd refuse to cultivate new seeds." I thought back to those two. I remembered saving their contact info. That Planter senior sister was named... Sofiri?
Even if it wasn't convenient for them, Planters surely had their own circles. Maybe they could recommend another senior sister to me.
"A senior sister you know?"
"Yeah, why?" I looked at Bai Yu, puzzled by her tone. She couldn't be jealous, could she?
"I met them when I tried going to a secret realm for the first time. We formed a temporary team just to experience it. It was a low-level one with a Red Copper Threshold." I offered a brief explanation.
"Xiao Han, call me next time you go to a secret realm. Teaming up with strangers is dangerous, understood?"
"I know, I know~ Honestly, Sister Bai, do you have some weirdly specific control issues?"
"Con... control issues? No, I'm just worried you'll be taken advantage of. You're going to find that senior sister now, right? I'll go with you. Someone who can contract an entire plantation... they must have some skills and connections. She might be managing it on behalf of her mentor, with the rest of the space at her disposal."
"Is that how it works?"
"Of course. When you reach your fourth year and choose a mentor, you must be careful."
"Mhm, got it~" I promised. Though, according to what Teacher Ji Niang said, if nothing unexpected happened, my mentor would likely still be her.