Chapter 286: The Effects Small Spellbooks Focus On
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 286: The Effects Small Spellbooks Focus On
"Xiao Han, what exactly is your relationship with the Dean?"
As Teacher Ji Niang accompanied me out of the Dean’s office, she finally couldn't help but ask.
Coming here today, Ji Niang never imagined things would play out like this.
A powerful Transcendent Witch holding the position of Academy Dean had actually spent time explaining such profound concepts to a student!
Setting aside the Great Spellbooks, she had discussed the Primal Spell Sequence, the creation of new life, and more.
These were not things a student was supposed to hear.
Even among the research-oriented scholar witches of the Academy, these topics were still in the experimental phase. The Dean’s recent success had those witches celebrating as if it were a major holiday.
Were there many research-oriented Transcendent Witches in the Academy?
Yes, plenty. The number of Transcendent Witches in the Academy was far greater than it appeared on the surface; they simply didn't show their faces often. They held titles as teachers at the Main World Witch Academy primarily to earn the right to stay here, having few other needs.
Some dedicated themselves to Great Spellbooks. If a witch possessing [Transcendent Knowledge] called out, a swarm of Transcendent Witches would rush to offer their assistance.
Others focused on nurturing new life to obtain Primal Spell Sequences. These were hot research topics, alongside many others, including more obscure ones.
In fact, within the Witch Secret Realms, it was common for witches to set up research projects just like the Dean had, though they usually kept a low profile. One only had to search the Academy system for tasks related to the Witch Secret Realms to find a mountain of research-related assignments.
Some witches even engaged in exchange programs and collaborations with other Transcendent Academies. Grudges between institutions didn't interfere with cooperation between scholars. If they did, the Academy would simply replace the leadership; such short-sighted individuals had no business being the public face of a Transcendent Academy.
The Transcendent Academies established in the Main World were essentially hubs for scholars to conduct research in this unique world. The concept of a "school" was merely an additional layer built on top of that.
Because they had discovered the blessings and Spirit Vision bestowed upon the people of the Main World by the World Consciousness, incorporating Main Worlders into their own races had become a form of competition between different species.
Naturally, competition and conflict were inevitable in the Main World, but Transcendent-level powerhouses never personally made a move. Only the students fought. This had become a sort of unspoken rule.
"Just a normal relationship between a student and the Dean... I think," I said with a shrug. Whether Teacher Ji Niang believed me or not, I was telling the truth.
"Fine, if you don't want to say, then don't. I just didn't expect the Dean to go to such lengths for you."
After seeing me out, Ji Niang left me to my own devices and teleported away.
Watching such a convenient method of travel, I felt a pang of envy. Unfortunately, I only had one Teleportation Summoning Spell, which allowed me to teleport others but not myself.
Checking the time, I realized I had spent quite a while with the Dean. The Alchemy course hadn't ended yet, so I figured I might as well head back. After all, I had already paid for it.
When I returned, the teacher shot me a glare, seemingly confirming I was the one who had slipped out halfway through, but then ignored me.
It seems paying in advance really is useful.
"Xiao Han, why are you back?" Bai Yu asked, looking a bit surprised. She had assumed she would be on her own for the rest of the class.
"I finished my business, so I came back. Right, where is the teacher now?"
"Here are the notes I took. Take a look." Sister Bai handed her notebook directly to me.
I took it and immediately recorded the content I had missed into my Memory Bookshelf Spellbook.
The utility of this kind of spellbook was its convenience. However, during my time in the Fool's Dream Secret Realm, reality had taught me a lesson: a spell is ultimately just a spell. At least until I completely mastered the spellbook, the knowledge recorded within it didn't truly belong to me.
Before long, the class ended. It had been a lecture on the basic operations of Alchemy. Foundations were truly vital, including but not limited to standardized movements, mental power techniques, and the spells required for coordination. Much of this knowledge and many of these techniques weren't in books; even the small habits the teacher mentioned in passing were the result of countless trials and accumulated experience.
Indeed, Alchemy was that complex. Or rather, Alchemy was another way to utilize transcendent power, much like how witches used spells or martial artists used body arts.
It was just a matter of different specializations.
Alchemy had many branches: Medicine Stone Alchemy for refining potions, Energy Alchemy which was similar to a mage's spellcasting, Biological Alchemy which resembled the beast-taming path, and Mechanical Alchemy for the mechanical path.
The Alchemy teacher even arrogantly claimed that any skill or use of transcendent energy could be integrated into Alchemy. While that was an exaggeration, Alchemy could indeed achieve the vast majority of effects.
Of course, at my current stage, I didn't need much contact with those specialized branches. The early practice for Alchemy was largely the same; the foundation was universal. Only later would one specialize based on their own circumstances. After all, not everyone who studied Alchemy was a polymath.
Yet, every apprentice just starting out in Alchemy tended to believe they were a genius polymath, only for reality to swiftly slap them in the face.
After class, Sister Bai accompanied me for a meal at the teaching area cafeteria. I planned to spend the afternoon browsing the Academy market.
Mainly, I wanted to buy Small Spellbooks—specifically those useful for Alchemy—though I’d buy anything else that looked decent.
Spellbooks were a scarce commodity in the Witch Academy. The higher the grade, the rarer they were. After all, there was no "wholesale supplier" for these things. They were either part of someone's personal hoard, items left for consignment, or recycled spellbooks.
Thus, prices were negotiable. The value of a spell's effect was highly subjective; some effects were invaluable in specific situations but completely useless to others.
While browsing the market, I finally witnessed just how wild the effects of Small Spellbooks could be.
They truly lived up to their reputation as spellbooks with no internal systematic rituals, only structures. However, I hadn't encountered many Small Spellbooks yet. I saw traces of rune rituals inside several of them, yet they were still categorized as Small Spellbooks.
It seemed the Academy's definition of a Small Spellbook had shifted quite a bit. According to the senior sisters I asked, I discovered that the Cleaning Spell—which I had always thought was a basic spellbook—was actually considered a Small Spellbook, even though it contained an internal ritual.
It seemed they couldn't see through the spellbooks, so their definitions were a bit too crude...
"This... the effect of this Small Spellbook is quite interesting..." I muttered, looking at a handwritten description of a spellbook's effect. My interest caught the eye of the senior sister selling it.
"Junior, are you interested in this Small Spellbook? The target of this spell is a pen. It completely frees your hands so they won't get sore from taking notes in class. Plus, it looks really cool when you use it. You'll definitely be the star of your class~" the senior sister pitched enthusiastically.
I wondered if this spell would have opened up new possibilities if I’d had it back when I was struggling with the Memory Bookshelf's requirement for manual handwriting.
Even though this Small Spellbook felt like it had arrived a bit late, I still planned to buy it. Even with the Memory Bookshelf, it didn't mean I would never need to write with a pen again.
Besides, it wasn't very expensive. It didn't even require transcendent materials; regular money would do. Yes, outside currency.
As expected, these were the normal prices of the Witch Academy. Money would never go out of style as long as the outside world continued to function normally.
"Hmm, can you make it a bit cheaper? If it's cheaper, I'll buy it. After all, it only helps with note-taking. It's definitely not worth several thousand, right?"
"Oh, come on~ this is a spell! You can't measure it solely by its effect. Its inherent value is the main part of the price!"
"Still not worth it. Small Spellbooks are all about pragmatism nowadays. If the effect is mediocre, it's really not worth that much. Can't you drop the price a little?"
"Drop it... fine, I'll drop it... give me a number..."
In the end, the senior sister endured the "pain" and sold it to me at a low price. Although she looked miserable, the fact that she agreed so readily meant she was still making a profit.
I picked up quite a few Small Spellbooks along the way. Their effects and prices varied wildly; some could be bought with cash, while others required Orichalcum.
"How is it? Looks like you've had a good haul," Bai Yu remarked from the side as she watched me fiddle with the spellbooks.
"Indeed. It feels like compared to regular spellbooks, Small Spellbooks focus much more on the effect. Some of the functions are just completely out there."
"That's true. After all, the power of a Small Spellbook can't even match the weakest standard consumption spellbook. Instead of chasing raw damage, it's more practical to focus on unique effects."
"Yeah... but I still have to say, it's amazing. I want to buy every Small Spellbook I see, but then I feel like I might not use them." I observed the Small Spellbooks closely. They gave me the illusion that I could make them myself.
But even a Small Spellbook was still a spellbook. The threshold for creating one required mastering Real Editing Technology.
However, since so many Small Spellbooks were geared toward students, and only Transcendent Witches like the teachers could create them, it meant there was a channel for students to contribute. At the very least, they must collect student feedback for the inspiration behind these effects.
I asked Sister Bai about this and learned that the Academy actually had clubs dedicated to this. Some clubs collaborated with teachers who were bored out of their minds to manufacture these Small Spellbooks. Other clubs were even more impressive—they could take blank spellbooks provided by teachers and create the spells themselves.
My eyes widened when I heard such clubs existed. Sister Bai might not know about Real Editing Technology or what that skill represented, but those senior sisters who could customize Small Spellbooks were definitely geniuses!
They were only one step away from creating true spellbooks: ascending to Transcendent status and mastering Real Editing.
I hadn't expected the concept of "modding" spellbooks to already have a precedent in the Witch Academy. It was just that they focused on Small Spellbooks, while I had started with the Fireball Spell. Perhaps that was the difference in our Spirit Vision.
But setting aside the advantage of Spirit Vision, their accumulated experience and knowledge far surpassed mine.
So... I really shouldn't underestimate those senior sisters, right?
As for the so-called "blank spellbooks," they probably weren't truly blank. The teachers likely wanted to save time and effort, so they set up the necessary prerequisites and let the students tinker with the rest.
Of course, it was also possible the teachers recognized the students' profound talent for spellbooks and were letting them get a feel for creating them in advance.
Thinking of this reminded me of the Real Editing perspective the Dean had granted me within the Great Spellbook. Was that what Real Editing truly was?
It seemed there was still a long, long way to go.
* * *
A few more days passed.
I continued as usual, as if I had returned to a normal academy life, unaffected by anything.
However, my expenses were massive. Not just for the Alchemy course, but also for Runology. The entry fees for these courses were quite steep.
And here I thought I was a wealthy woman after receiving the Academy's resource allocation and all that Orichalcum. The Academy was quickly reminding me that I was still a pauper.
But these courses had to be taken. I didn't attend them haphazardly, though; I self-studied whatever I could and only went to the teachers with questions I couldn't solve.
This method of learning was the best and most efficient for me. I learned a great deal during those days.
It wasn't until the Dean sent me a private message that I realized the matters concerning the Fool's Dream were finally beginning.
I recalled the Dean's description of the Script: it was like acting in a play.
Teacher Ji Niang had previously told me that with the Luck I currently possessed, I could do whatever I wanted. As long as I had Luck as a bargaining chip, I could host any competition in my name, and all the potential Luck Seed candidates would be drawn to me.
But plans change. The Luck I possessed now needed to be given to that "Nightmare" thing. But it didn't matter; the Dean said she had already arranged everything. By transferring the Luck to the Nightmare, the Nightmare would become the next event node in the Script. In nature, it was essentially the same as an exchange competition.
"She wants me to go to the dream equipment... looks like it's time to start."
I looked at the message the Dean sent to my phone and knew I had to get moving. After all, Ji Niang was right about one thing: the Luck belonged to me, and others couldn't just snatch it away. It required a specific process to be transferred.
"Hmm? Time to start what?" Bai Yu asked. Sister Bai had been accompanying me these past few days. She knew I had many secrets, but she never forced me to reveal them.
"It's about the Fool's Dream. I might need to borrow... oh, Teacher Ji Niang set up dream equipment for me in the laboratory. It should be the same."
"The dream... I see. Do you want me to come with you?"
"I'm not sure... it involves the Dean, so I might not be able to bring you along. But don't worry, it's just some small matters."
"Alright then."
Bai Yu didn't press further. Since it involved the Dean, it would be rude for her to force her way in. Besides, she was already satisfied having spent these days with Xiao Han. Although she wanted it to last forever, she knew that was impossible.
"Then, I wish you the best of luck~"
"Don't worry~" I replied with a smile and a nod.
I now understood that when a person truly wants to accomplish something, more people will step forward to help.
Just like now, as I sought to grant the Fool's Dream true life. Even if the idea was far-fetched, it had already begun. This wasn't just my personal trial; the Dean also hoped for my success. Even a small step forward was a giant leap for the project.
The layout was guided by the Dean, the momentum was pushed by the Script, and the ideas were realized by other Transcendent Witches.
The buzz surrounding the Dean's completion of the Great Spellbook had never truly died down; it was just less visible at the student level.
Among the Transcendent Witches, however, the topic was constant. Consequently, I, as the person at the center of the storm, had once again entered their field of vision.
Some sought me out of admiration for the Dean, asking about the Great Spellbook. Others tried to poach me outright, only to be chased away by Teacher Ji Niang.
Of course, there were also teachers who came simply because of my reputation. Some were just bored and wanted to see me, pinching my cheeks before leaving. I had to admit, I still didn't quite understand the world of Transcendent Witches.
Naturally, I was more concerned about the placement of the Fool's Dream after it acquired a body. But now, it seemed those problems were solved.
Among the Transcendent Witches—the mentors—who had been brought in, one identity surprised me: it was the one who had given me the Golden Cat Card at the very beginning!
Only then did I realize that the person behind the Witch Cat Cafe was actually a Transcendent Witch!
I had always assumed it was some graduated senior sister running it in the Academy. I never expected it to be the work of a Transcendent Witch.
I didn't talk much with her, but it was clear she could help me with the placement of the Fool's Dream.
The condition was that the Fool's Dream's body had to have at least some feline physical traits. This coincided perfectly with my own thoughts.
When I asked why she had sought me out, she simply said the Dean had mentioned it to her... fine, this was also the Dean's arrangement.
I had been worrying about how to get in touch with someone at the Witch Cat Cafe who could actually make decisions or discuss a partnership. Now, they had come straight to my door.