Chapter 327: A Lesson from Sister Bai~
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 327: A Lesson from Sister Bai~
Click~
As the door within the dream opened, Tan Han’s weary figure stepped out into the corridor. Her eyes held a trace of loneliness and confusion, but my words still echoed in her ears.
That’s right… since she had decided to resist, she had to learn to grow. This was a good start; it forced her to recognize just how difficult the path she had chosen truly was.
Outside the hotel, it was pitch black. The glow of the Ley Lines had been obscured, much like the truth Tan Han had just learned—all she could see was darkness. Yet, a Ley Line so massive and radiant would always leak a few rays of light through the holes in the shrouding curtains. Tan Han believed she would seize that sliver of opportunity.
"No way to escape it, then..." A golden glint flashed in Tan Han’s eyes, and her gaze turned resolute.
Clutching a blank Apprentice Badge from the Beyonder Research Base, she hurried back.
This badge was different from a standard one; it was a dream badge exclusive to Scholar Xiao Han’s apprentices and could not be forged. There were two types: the reality badge, held by the Fool's Dream users working as apprentices in the base, and this one, which granted residual status within the dream. Its function was simple: it allowed the holder to legally own a resettlement house in the Underground District.
This was the treatment afforded to scholars in the Underground District. You might see many people sleeping in tents on the streets, but you would never see a scholar homeless. In fact, they could stay in a different place every day without repeating a location. This was common in the Underground District—after all, one mustn't forget who controlled the resources down here.
Watching Tan Han’s retreating back, I leaned halfway out the doorway. Although I had said earlier that I didn't care about those people and that Tan Han didn't care either... well, what one says and what one does are two different things.
Besides... with this, Tan Han wouldn't be blocked by the guards the next time she came to the Beyonder Research Base.
Even if she wanted to force her way in, they wouldn't be able to stop her anyway.
However... what I cared about more was her ability. It seemed to be a power granted by the Luck Seed: the Spirit Eye. To some extent, it was a total cheat.
But looking at it from another perspective—if one considered the Witch Academy and all other Transcendent Academies as outsiders independent of the Script—Tan Han’s ability to see through the Luck Threads was the greatest obstacle for anyone delusional enough to try and manipulate the Script.
"A revelation from the Spirit Eye? Heh..."
I let out a soft chuckle. Tan Han’s previous excuse about risking her life to enter this place for a friend was clearly just a cover. The real reason was a revelation from her Spirit Eye; she knew she would find the answer to what troubled her here.
She thought that answer would come from me, but as it turned out, it didn't... So, who was it?
Even I was getting curious.
It couldn't be the Academy Dean herself coming to talk to her, could it?
After all, the Spirit Eye’s ability to interfere with the Script could be a massive hindrance to maintaining control over it.
I suppose... it’s a "cheat" the World Consciousness gave to its own child.
That kind of favoritism is something I could never reach, yet Tan Han didn't even want it.
Who would have thought... before today, I hadn't sensed these thoughts from Tan Han at all.
Perhaps I really have had too little contact with her.
Not long after Tan Han left, the door to Sister Bai’s room across from mine was pushed open.
"Sister Bai, she’s gone. Quick, wasn't it?" I greeted her with a smile.
"I know. Do you mind telling me what you two talked about?"
"Eh? You weren't listening, Sister Bai?"
"Well, I heard quite a bit, but I wasn't trying to. My hearing is just very good, especially after your Soundproofing Spell wore off..." Sister Bai said helplessly.
"Ah? Were we that loud?"
"An ordinary person wouldn't have heard, but I’m not exactly ordinary," Sister Bai explained.
"Fine. And yet you still ask me what we talked about." I pulled a long face, pretending to be annoyed, and pushed Sister Bai back into her room.
After all, this wasn't the kind of topic to discuss openly in the hallway.
"Xiao Han, I don't really want to criticize you, but... as an outsider..."
"You're no outsider to me, Sister Bai. If you have something to say, just say it." Once inside her room, I closed the door and immediately flopped onto her bed, imprinting my shape into the neatly made sheets.
"Sigh... Xiao Han, don't mess up my bed."
"I'll smooth it out for you later. Just speak your mind, Sister Bai~" I rolled over on the bed to face her.
"To be honest, while I have some idea of how you talk to people, I still didn't expect you to..."
"Uh... was what I said that bad?" I sat up and looked at her tentatively.
"It wasn't that it was 'bad'..."
"Then it's fine, right?"
"It was extremely harsh!"
"Eh?"
"Xiao Han, she’s a girl. You didn't have to be so mean, did you?"
"Mm..."
I pursed my lips and seriously reflected on what I had said earlier. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with it—at most, a few slips in word order because I was excited, and perhaps my words hadn't perfectly conveyed my intent.
My tone... might have been a bit cold, but...
"Xiao Han, are you even listening to me?" Seeing me hanging my head like a student pretending to listen while remaining unrepentant, Bai Yu raised her voice slightly.
"Ah? Yes! I'm listening! I'm definitely listening!" I nodded vigorously.
"Xiao Han, do you blame me for speaking to you like this for the sake of someone else?"
"Eh?" Snapping out of it, I was momentarily stunned by her sudden question.
"How could I? But... Sister Bai, you really don't need to worry like that. I'll listen to any advice you give me, and I won't blame you. You don't need to use 'it's for your own good' as an excuse. I'm a very straightforward person; if something is right, I'll find a way to convince myself. If I fundamentally disagree, I probably won't change no matter how many times you say it..."
"Xiao Han... oh, you." Hearing my answer, Bai Yu pressed a hand to her forehead. "Fine... then let's talk. Let's start with your conversation with Tan Han."
"Yes!" I sat up straight, ready to learn.
"First, you must understand that no one is perfect, and no one will live or speak exactly according to someone else's expectations." As Bai Yu spoke, she drew upon her own knowledge. As a scholar of the Ordinary Subject, she had a deep understanding of people. The Ordinary Subject could not be separated from humanity, and as long as one was human, one could not escape flaws. Humans are made whole by their flaws, yet they spend their lives chasing perfection.
It is precisely because of the differences between people that the art of communication exists. Language has weight; it carries emotion and infects others. Words and conversation can give someone strength, but they can also wound invisibly.
"Oh... I naturally understand that people are different, and I understand the generation gap..."
"It's good that you understand, Xiao Han. I know you understand many things, but you must realize that those are just your thoughts. Thinking too much leads to problems; doing more leads to answers. You know you're not good at chatting, right? Actually, you are good at it, but you think too much. You overthink everything. You aren't having a dialogue with others; you're having a dialogue with yourself. The moment you find that someone's response deviates from what you predicted, you think it's their problem. But... Xiao Han, have you ever considered that it might be your problem?"
"My... my problem?"
"If you cannot tolerate even a hint of stupidity, self-deception, or arrogance in others, then there will be a chasm between you and everyone else that you can never cross."
"But... why should I tolerate it?" I asked, rarely contradicting her.
"I'm not trying to persuade you to do anything. I'm just pointing out your contradiction. Xiao Han... you long for friends, don't you? A friend you can talk to easily, just like when you use your Illusion Clone, right?"
"Mm... that... is very relaxing..."
"Yes, it's relaxing. But while you crave the outside world and friends, you build high walls around yourself and filter everyone out. It's just like when you joked with me about how society's screening mechanisms only filter out the scum. If you screen your friends and conversation partners like this, what will you be left with in the end?"
"I..."
"Let's put it another way. How is this screening behavior any different from arrogance? Xiao Han, you also told me that weakness and ignorance are not barriers to life, but arrogance is. I want to give that sentence back to you. I don't know where you heard that very sensible quote, but I think it fits you perfectly right now."
"Ugh..." I lowered my head, not daring to look at Sister Bai. Was I just hit by a boomerang of my own making?
Is there anything more painful than this? And to be called out on it by Sister Bai...
"Alright, cheer up. I just hope you can become a bit more lively..." Seeing my dejected state, Bai Yu quickly moved to comfort me.
"No... I just got hit by my own boomerang. I need a moment to recover..." I muttered softly.
"Phew... recovered."
"That fast?" Bai Yu looked at me, surprised that I had gone from deep reflection to high spirits in a single second.
"Yeah, it's just that much. It doesn't have a huge impact on me." I smiled in response.
Sister Bai was right about one thing: thinking too much leads to problems, while doing leads to answers. When you stop caring about the problem, there is no internal friction. When you stop caring about the negative feelings brought by emotions, you won't be unhappy.
It seems I still need to pay more attention to my cultivation of the Unity of Knowledge and Action. I fell into this state of internal friction again over such small things.
"As long as you're okay..."
"By the way, Sister Bai~"
"Is there something else?"
"It's dark, and the hallway is so scary... Can I sleep here with you?" I clutched the blanket, looking at her expectantly.
"Xiao Han, you... sigh... you're not allowed to use that excuse next time!"
"Then what about this time?"
"This time... fine."
* * *
"Eh? An Apprentice Badge given by Scholar Xiao Han? Well, it's the first time I've seen one that couldn't be obtained through normal channels. I'll arrange a resettlement house for you."
"Thank you."
The old man in charge of the resettlement housing led Tan Han to her new quarters. Though it was called "resettlement housing," it wasn't small.
Of course, it couldn't compare to the villas at the Witch Academy. There weren't many guest rooms, but it was at least much more spacious than their previous cramped room.
After registering the room's usage rights, Tan Han didn't waste any time and headed back.
She looked up at the Ley Lines obscured by the dome. She hadn't expected "nightfall" in this place to be so simple and unadorned.
"Sister Tan Han, you're back?"
"Hmm? Hettie? Why are you out?" Tan Han was a bit surprised but asked anyway.
"Oh, I came out to check the surroundings for any danger."
"Come back with me first. We're moving."
"What? Why are we moving?"
"Thank our Sister Xiao Han. She heard about our situation and got us a house. It's not huge, but it's much bigger than where we're staying now."
"Yay! Really? I knew Sister Xiao Han wouldn't give up on us! Even though we haven't seen her face yet, we're already reaping the benefits!"
"Mm. Let's go back and tell the others."
Once Tan Han brought the group of girls to their new home, they could finally manage a decent night's sleep.
"Sister Tan Han, aren't you going to sleep?"
"I can't sleep. You girls go ahead," Tan Han said, shaking her head. Although this trip hadn't given her the answers she expected, it had made her more resolute in her own ideas. She had to admit the blow was heavy; even though she was exhausted, she couldn't drift off.
"I can't sleep either, Sister Tan Han. Let's talk... I can tell you've changed a bit since you got back."
"Is that so? Is it that obvious?" Tan Han subconsciously touched her face.
"You can't really see it on your face, it's more your vibe. It feels like every time you go to see Sister Xiao Han, you get rebuffed. Honestly, you don't have to go that far..."
"No... you don't understand. Some things are worth it, even if you get rebuffed."
"Fine... I won't meddle in your business then. By the way, Sister Tan Han, what do we do next? We can't hide here forever, right?"
"Mm."
"Sister Qiuyue was taken by the City Guard. Even though she said it was fine, we can't just walk away with a clear conscience."
"I know. That's why we came here to find that sliver of opportunity. Don't lose your cool. We just need to wait for events to unfold. Our greatest advantage is our combat power within the dream. This means that if the people of Ninglan New City want to eliminate those dream demons, they'll need our help."
"Will that guy named Ninglan Qiuyu succeed?"
"Don't underestimate his ambition. Even if we hadn't arrived, that careerist was already itching to kick his father off the throne. We just need to follow the plan... and make contact with the Beyonder Research Base. The base here is the most critical strategic location in Ninglan New City. The Beyonder Killing Weapons they possess will be a massive help to us as well."
As Tan Han spoke, she opened her hand to reveal the badge. With this, she could save a tremendous amount of effort.
No wonder Xiao Han chose to teach runes there back then. Was she already laying the groundwork even then?
Realizing the importance of Beyonder Arts, she had used her knowledge of runes as a foundation to easily enter the Beyonder Research Base during the period when relations between Ninglan New City and outsiders were still relatively calm.
And she had even achieved a position of such high importance.
"Sister Tan Han, what's that?"
"An Apprentice Badge for the Beyonder Research Base. It's also the goal of our trip. It seems Xiao Han has already paved the way for us."