Chapter 296: A Metaphor Concerning the World
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 296: A Metaphor Concerning the World
At this moment, I followed the Dean obediently. Though I had no idea why she’d sought me out, her initiative usually signaled that trouble was brewing for me once again.
But as we walked, I couldn't help but wonder—how could such a prominent figure as the Dean pass by all these senior sisters without a single one of them sparing her a glance?
"It’s strange, isn't it? They can't see me." The Dean seemed to read my confusion and took the initiative to raise the topic.
"Yes..."
I nodded. The Dean’s form felt slightly ethereal, yet she also felt tangibly real. Was this another clone? Or perhaps something like an illusion clone?
"You’ve probably realized it by now, haven't you? The one meeting you is a clone. I’m very busy, especially right now, so I can only meet you this way. Can you guess what form this clone takes?"
"Uh... an illusion clone? But my Spirit Vision sees information that suggests a real existence... Is it a derivative effect of an illusion clone that makes you invisible to others?" I ventured.
"No. The illusion spell sequence doesn't have a spell effect that creates a physical clone. It seems your symbiosis with Spirit Vision has made you unable to distinguish the boundary between false and Real Time. Otherwise, you should have been able to tell immediately."
"This clone exists in Real Time?!" I reacted quickly to her answer.
"Correct. A clone created within Real Time is essentially invisible to students who only possess Spirit Vision at the Foresight or Imaging levels. They might catch a fleeting glimpse by chance, but most would dismiss it as a hallucination. It seems you haven't even realized the extent to which your Innate Spirit Vision affects you."
"Is that so..."
"It’s fine. I was merely curious about some of the properties of Innate Spirit Vision. Let’s get back to the main topic. Consider this compensation for my abrupt test of your abilities: I will answer the questions you’re currently facing."
"Dean, didn't you say you were busy? Why are you so leisurely explaining these things to me?"
"The main body is busy, but the clone is not. This clone was created specifically for this purpose. Ask whatever you wish to ask."
"Then... may I ask why you are so busy?" I asked tentatively. My intuition told me this likely had something to do with the deaths in the recent Nightmare Incident.
"I am dealing with the Abyssal Demons—a Transcendent Race that wants to seize the Main World. I am currently countering their erosion. Do you... need me to explain a few things regarding the Abyssal Demons?"
"Yes." I nodded. Many things were beyond the reach of someone at my level, but since I had the chance to learn, I naturally wouldn't pass it up. The more I knew, the better I could connect the dots.
"To use an analogy, the Abyssal Demons are much like the elves of the Afuhemi Academy or the Transcendent Wizards of the Wizard Academy—they are an entire Transcendent Race. Currently, between the three top academies and the Witch Academy, there are four Transcendent Races in the Main World. The Abyssal Demons want to become the fifth, but we won't let them. Consequently, they’ve chosen to use various means to force their way in. It just so happens that the Script has appeared, so the struggle is manifesting within the Script itself..."
Following the Dean’s explanation, I gained a general understanding of the current landscape of the Main World and the nature of the Abyssal Demons.
As expected, this world was far from peaceful. It was just that the form of the struggle was invisible to ordinary people. The masses only saw the surface—a world of tranquility...
"Then... this Nightmare Incident... the deaths... that sort of thing..."
"It’s related, but complicated. How should I put it? Among the Abyssal Demons, there is a class called... Dream Demons. They are beings that can physically traverse places like the Dream Sea. Quite a violation of the rules, isn't it? Before the Soul Truth Witch appeared, Dream Demons were the beings with the greatest hope of exploring the boundary between dream and reality. To this day, we still don't know if Dream Demons are true life forms or dream creatures assimilated by the Abyss."
"So, the Dream Demons are behind all of this?"
"Yes. They caught the scent of Luck and entered the dreamscape. It was our oversight regarding the protection of the Main World’s dreams. However, if they think they can use Dream Demons to invade the Main World from the dreamscape, they are daydreaming. You can rest easy on that front."
"I see." I nodded, though I couldn't rest easy at all. They were literally knocking on the front door, weren't they?
Perhaps even the Dean felt this was a major blunder. What was supposed to be a planned distribution of Luck had been hijacked by the Abyssal Demons.
"Then... Dean, you didn't come find me just to tell me all this, did you?"
Having learned about the existence of Dream Demons, I understood the situation. Since the Dean had said the nightmare itself wouldn't harm people, then the only thing capable of killing was a Dream Demon.
I stopped beating around the bush and got straight to the point.
I knew very well that the Dean had no obligation to come here and give me a history lesson. In all likelihood, she wanted me to do something. And I hadn't forgotten about escaping the Script... To do that, I had to follow the Dean’s arrangements.
In truth, I didn't really have a choice, did I?
"Of course. Didn't I send you a text message earlier? You want to escape the Script, and the situation before us is an excellent opportunity."
"But... Dean, didn't you say the way to escape the Script was to sever the Ley Line Shackles?"
"They aren't mutually exclusive, are they? I know you have many questions—what are Ley Line Shackles, how do you sever them, and what does this have to do with going into the dreamscape? Just listen, and I’ll explain it slowly. This is exactly why I created this clone; every detail of this matter must be explained to you in person."
I nodded and felt my urgency fade. If even the Dean wasn't worried, why should I be?
Once I calmed my mind, many things became simpler.
"Last time, I only briefly introduced the concept of Ley Line Shackles. But that is merely a name. Although we call them shackles, they are also a form of protection for you. The Ley Lines carry the operation of the world and the flow of Soul Essence. The flow of the world's Soul Essence represents the birth and death of life. In death, Soul Essence returns to the Ley Lines to circulate; in birth, the Ley Lines condense Soul Essence to bestow life. This is the most fundamental life cycle of the world’s operation. To you, the Ley Line Shackles are equivalent to... an umbilical cord. That’s the best metaphor I can give, and I hope you understand it."
"It guarantees the necessary conditions for you to live in this world, and it serves as proof of your relationship with this world."
"From a developmental perspective, a person will eventually leave the mother’s body and cut the umbilical cord. This represents severing the Ley Line Shackles and leaving one's world. However, looking only at the present, if you choose not to be 'born'—that is, not to leave this world—then cutting the cord is not a necessity."
"I use the metaphor of mother and infant only so you can understand your relationship with the world. If you do not cut the cord, it means you still have a connection to the mother, and thus the mother has total dominion over you. This dominion includes... life and death."
"The World Consciousness is analogous to the mother’s consciousness. The Script is like prenatal education, designed to select the best child to be born. But not all children are qualified for this prenatal education. The Luck Seed is that qualification. You understand the situation with the Script now—the qualification for prenatal education has been fragmented, but only one can be born. This means everyone else will become nourishment for the one who survives until the end. Children who aren't even qualified for prenatal education should feel honored just to become nourishment, because without external help, those children could never leave this world."
"So... the Son of Destiny is the only being permitted by the world to leave it?"
"Yes. But to be precise, they are the being that must leave. Because that is the result of the World Consciousness’s choice. If the world chooses for you to go out, you must go out and strive, rather than continuing to live off the mother’s resources. That’s the general idea."
"So the Son of Destiny is a worker chosen by the World Consciousness to provide for her in her old age? Then how does the World Consciousness ensure that a Son of Destiny, once outside her control, will repay her?"
"That is why the prenatal education must be done well. That is the significance of the Script’s existence," the Dean explained.
Similarly, because the Son of Destiny is the child chosen by the World Consciousness, the child’s actions can influence the World Consciousness’s decisions. Controlling the Son of Destiny is the first step in changing the Main World from a Soul Essence-based world to a Soul Essence-nature world.
However, there was one thing Mei Lind didn't say: what role people like her—those who invaded the Main World to interfere with the Script—played in all this.
If one had to say... they were probably the villains.
Interfering with prenatal education, grooming the world's child... they provided the resources to ultimately control the Son of Destiny. The fact that the world did not resist them represented a form of tacit consent. It was as if the World Consciousness was "selling its child." They were villains through and through.
Furthermore, the Witches, as outsiders, and the other races had even deeper connections with the world, but those were things that could not be said directly.
"It seems I’ve wandered off-topic. Let’s talk about how to sever the Ley Line Shackles. The process of severing them is actually a process of gambling against the World Consciousness. Only the Son of Destiny can leave the Main World, as they have the World Consciousness’s approval."
"Everyone else merely provides an environment for the Son of Destiny to survive. For someone like you, your existence to the World Consciousness is merely a resource circulating within its body. Your departure represents a loss of the world's resources. The stronger you are, the more resources you take with you, and the greater the resistance you face. Therefore, if you want to leave, you must at least provide an equivalent resource from outside the world to exchange for yourself. But generally speaking, the World Consciousness will demand more than the resources you personally represent."
"It must be resources from outside the world?" I asked, though I already had an inkling of the answer.
"Of course. Any resource you currently possess belongs to her in the eyes of the World Consciousness. It’s meaningless. It’s like taking your parents' money and saying you want to use it to buy your freedom. Would your parents agree? No, because that money was theirs to begin with, and even you are considered your parents' asset. This is reality; this world is a parent without emotions."
"That sounds like a huge hassle. Doesn't that mean it's impossible for me?"
"That’s why I’m here, isn't it? I will naturally help you with what I’ve promised. I will provide the resources sufficient to make the World Consciousness agree to the exchange. To me, those things are essentially trivial anyway."
"Thank you, Dean."
"It’s nothing. You don't need to thank me, because compared to what you need to achieve yourself, this is nothing." The Dean shook her head and continued.
"The World Consciousness generally does not communicate with the outside world. Do you know what that means? It means that if there is no communication, you could have all the resources in the world and still not be able to trade for your freedom, because it cannot understand the concept that these resources are meant to be exchanged for you. You need to obtain... the qualification to communicate with the World Consciousness. Even passive communication, or simply catching its gaze, would suffice."
"Then... is it also this difficult for the senior sisters who graduate to sever their Ley Line Shackles?"
"Of course not. For you, 'graduating' means becoming a Transcendent Witch. The Transcendent level itself, based purely on the level of life, can accomplish many things. Although the world will still try to block them from leaving, the world can understand their intent to depart. When you prove your determination and pay the equivalent resource or price, the World Consciousness will weigh the pros and cons. As you offer more chips, the World Consciousness will eventually make the choice to let you leave. It’s a transaction. But you don't have the qualification to do that. Ultimately, it’s because your strength is insufficient—and by strength, I don't mean combat power, but that your life level has not yet reached the point where you can negotiate with the World Consciousness."
The Dean patiently explained the reasons behind it. The principle sounded simple, and in practice, it was, but ultimately it was a game of qualifications. Strength was the qualification to conduct this transaction.
I lacked the qualification, so I had to pay more.
"Then... couldn't you also help me with that, Dean?" For instance, if the Dean wanted to take me out of this world, the World Consciousness would surely understand her intent. I didn't ask this directly, however.
"Yes, and quite easily. But if I do that, you must be prepared to face the consequences."
"Consequences? What consequences?" I was slightly surprised. I hadn't expected her to be so blunt.
"Then you would owe me an extra favor. Debts of gratitude are very hard to repay; surely you know that? Right now, there is a way for you to do this without owing me a favor. How will you choose?"
Hearing the Dean say this, I froze for a moment. Just a favor?
But I quickly realized that the Dean had calculated everything. She made it seem like I was striving for myself, but I would undoubtedly be helping her complete something in the process—for example, resolving this Luck struggle.
If I chose the favor and owed her, she would probably still have me complete this task anyway. All roads led to Rome... she had me cornered.
It was like me begging the Dean to help me sever the Ley Line Shackles and saying I’d do anything, only for her to tell me to rely on my own efforts to sever them...
It was a choice between being a proactive tool or a passive one...
"Alright... Dean, what do I need to do?" I spread my hands and looked at her, accepting the reality of the situation.
"It seems you understand perfectly. Intervene in the Script and sabotage the Abyssal Demons' plan. You must not let them obtain the Luck. And during this process, it would be best if you didn't obtain any Luck yourself. That is what you need to do."
"What if I accidentally obtain some?"
"Then die once to return the Luck to the world. Leave the rest to me."
"Die... die once?"
"It’s not true death, just changing to a different shell. Or are you still somewhat attached to your current body?"
"Change bodies... this..."
"So you still have some reservations, I see."
"No, no." I shook my head. I was a Transmigrator; I certainly wasn't the type to be overly concerned about my physical body.
"Good. If you’re truly worried, then just don't touch the Luck, and we won't have to go through all that trouble."