Chapter 396: A Crude Study of Reverse Summoning Spells
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 396: A Crude Study of Reverse Summoning Spells
Of course... the result of my attempt was nothing more than a pipe dream.
After casting the spell, I couldn't even sense the teleportation landmarks, let alone connect to them.
It seemed that ordinary teleportation spells were incapable of crossing between worlds. But why?
And... why could summoning spells achieve inter-dimensional transport?
Was summoning inherently more powerful than simple fixed-point teleportation?
Unfortunately, there was no one around to answer these questions. I was on my own.
Setting aside these impractical musings, I began to sift through the contents of the Memory Bookshelf Spellbook.
I knew back when I used that rune to complete the spellbook that I didn't fully understand it, but I told myself I would eventually. That "eventually" was now.
I had no choice but to figure it out. To make matters worse, I didn't have a dreamscape to serve as a space for infinite trial and error this time.
Even using a Nightmare Spell to enter a dream was useless. Since the dreams here hadn't invaded reality, they weren't anchored to the physical rules or transcendent laws of the real world. Any experiment conducted within them would be meaningless. I could destroy a planet with a single fireball in a dream, but would that have any practical reference in reality?
Certainly not.
The only thing I could do now was repeatedly observe the process the Academy Dean used to complete the spell, meticulously deducing the underlying principles.
However, my persistent desire to find a shortcut kept me wondering if there were any other tools that could help as I reviewed my memories.
For instance... the Ley Line System?
I still had the Portable Ley Line Operating System that Teacher Ji Niang had given me. It was currently gathering dust in my storage equipment.
I pulled it out and powered it on. A light screen flickered to life in front of me. If this worked, it would be a massive victory!
I really should have studied the principles of the Ley Line System more thoroughly back then. If I had, I wouldn't be standing here clueless, offering up metaphysical prayers that the system would actually function here.
It was like a person transmigrating to another world with a smartphone and immediately checking if they could connect to the Wi-Fi. If Teacher Ji Niang or the Academy Dean saw me doing this, they’d probably laugh themselves silly.
But the Ley Line System was powered by Ley Lines, and every world had them. It was worth a shot.
I waited for the system to boot up. The process felt agonizingly slow, and for a moment, I drifted off.
"Is it done?" I sighed softly.
A Black Spirit Cat manifested beside me. It possessed no true sapience, being merely a magical effect produced by a spell, but at this moment, it was my only source of entertainment. I reached out to pet it. Who would have thought that such a docile-looking cat had claws capable of killing an ordinary person in a single strike?
For now, petting the cat was the only way I could relax without losing my focus.
Once the Ley Line System finished loading, a prompt popped up: "Ley Line Link Mismatch."
"As I thought... this system is built on the Ley Lines of the Main World." I sighed. I recalled the Academy Dean mentioning that world fusion would cause Ley Lines to graft onto one another. Perhaps I’d be able to use the system once that happened.
Just as I was about to shut the system down and clear the prompt, it bypassed the error and entered the standard operating interface!
"Huh? Wait... if the link doesn't match, then how... Oh, I see. Can the Ley Lines provide power even if they can't provide network services?"
I tested a few things—multi-terminal linking, information queries, Academy system login, library searches—none of them worked.
So... the Ley Line System had effectively become an offline device.
Still... it wasn't entirely useless.
I tried opening the virtual software I had used to construct the spellbook, and to my surprise, it opened. It even had the cached structural models from my previous work on the Fireball Spellbook.
Looking at that old fireball model from my current perspective... it really was quite crude.
At the very least, this proved that my vision and technical skills had improved.
"I guess there really is always a way~"
I began to operate the system with renewed joy. With the assistance of the Ley Line System, my pace quickened.
Back when I was researching with the Academy Dean, she had prioritized efficiency and rarely used the Ley Line System, preferring to perform all calculations in her head. I had struggled to keep up with her rhythm.
Now, without the Dean looming over me, I actually felt much more relaxed.
Of course, I ran into many hurdles I couldn't clear, but for some reason, I was starting to fall in love with the feeling of facing a challenge. Using everything I had learned to solve a problem provided a sense of accomplishment that was pure bliss!
Perhaps this was a shift in my mindset. With the Memory Bookshelf, the things I perceived became part of my knowledge reserves, but they were just that—reserves. Sometimes it felt like a pile of clutter just sitting there. It was only when I put that knowledge to use to solve a difficulty or a problem that I truly felt the knowledge belonged to me.
Using spells to cheat is indeed too fast; there's no time for the knowledge to settle.
If I had enough time to let things sink in, I wouldn't be so mentally unstable.
Time slipped away, and soon it was noon. I had finally made some headway in my research on this Reverse Summoning Spell.
It was unlike any spell I had ever encountered, and I had no related references or literature on summoning to guide me.
Consequently, progress was slow.
But it wasn't non-existent. For example... I had figured out the spell's operating mechanism. Though I hated to admit it, this summoning spell was also a form of fixed-point summoning. In my understanding, it was essentially a teleportation spell wearing the skin of a summoning spell.
Yet, this summoning spell was undeniably superior to standard teleportation. That was just how the mechanics worked; it used a higher-level mechanism to achieve an effect similar to teleportation, effectively stealing the latter's thunder.
My next task was to actively condense the summoning rune for this spell. Mastering this was the entry requirement for the Reverse Summoning Spell—the threshold I had to cross.
It was similar to the entry requirement for the Memory Bookshelf Spellbook, which required the user to construct a personal magical space and the bookshelves to store memories.
The Academy Dean created this spellbook and didn't mention a word of this to me.
I was certain now that she knew, she just chose not to tell me!
There’s being cryptic, and then there’s whatever she’s doing...
I sighed and temporarily set aside my research on the summoning spell.
During my study session, I had heard various noises from outside. The soundproofing in this hostel was terrible; I could hear sounds from the next room and even the room beyond that. I could even hear a couple fooling around in bed, let alone the commotion outside.
The fact that so many Secret Diggers were fighting in such a remote place showed just how brazen they were. And yet, this was just daily life here. No wonder there were so few people on the streets during the day, while the nights and early mornings were crawling with homeless men and thugs. They were just taking shifts, weren't they?
Clearly, those thugs knew exactly who not to mess with, which was why they only dared to come out at night. But could they really collect protection money in the dark? I had my doubts. Surely they weren't mugging the homeless?
But the living conditions of those at the bottom of society truly had no floor. Every time I saw it, it shattered my preconceptions.
Back in the underground district of Ninglan New City, those people could at least pitch tents; they had something resembling a home. The homeless in this world just slept on the ground in alleyways. And those were the lucky ones; some just wrapped themselves in rags and found a corner out of the wind to survive the night.
I pushed open my door and went to see Qiu Ruxin again. I wasn't sure if she was awake yet, but since it was noon, I figured I should bring her some food and water.
My pockets were empty. I really needed a way to get some money. Resorting to robbery felt wrong and inefficient... unless I robbed the wealthy. But then I’d have to deal with a large amount of "dirty" money, which would be a hassle to process.
I shook those thoughts away and pushed open the door.
I found Qiu Ruxin already out of bed, looking at the door with a wary expression. When she saw it was me, she finally relaxed.
"Sister Xiao Han, it's just you."
"Yeah. You don't really need to be that guarded. I carved a spell onto the door; an ordinary person won't be able to open it."
"I'm just worried about the 'what ifs'..."
"Anyway, let's leave it at that. How are you? Did you get some rest?"
"I'm okay. At least I don't feel completely drained," Qiu Ruxin said, rubbing her head. It was obvious she hadn't slept well. After going through such a traumatic event, who could sleep soundly? Who knew if they would just die in their dreams and never wake up?
"Fair enough. So, what are your plans for today? I'm planning to get a bit of money to improve our living situation. Do you have any leads?"
Money was the key to getting things done in this world. With money, we could go wherever we wanted, buy phones and other devices, and connect to the Plant Network. It would make learning the local language and script much easier.
I finally realized the importance of money. Speaking of which, I still had quite a bit of Orichalcum and Mithril. Logically, these precious metals should be exchangeable for currency, but I didn't want to trade such valuable materials for this world's money. The exchange rate would be terrible.
You could say we were currently lacking the "primitive accumulation of wealth" needed as startup capital. They say the first pot of gold is always stained with blood and tears; it seemed that was true.
"Earn money?"
"If it's a slow, step-by-step way to earn money, forget it..." I looked out the window. I had already deactivated the Soundproofing Spell in Qiu Ruxin's room, so the sounds of fighting outside piqued my curiosity.
"By the way, those Secret Diggers... they're so blatant. Does no one stop them? Doesn't your Detective Team go after them?"
"They do, but... it's mostly for show. The Detective Team on Lanas Island is just a facade. There hasn't been a war on Lanas Island for a long time. Neither the military nor the Detective Team has much combat experience, and their salaries are low. Why would they risk their lives against those people?"
"Oh... so they bully the weak and fear the strong?" I asked with a smile.
"Exactly."
"What if they mess with the local tycoons? If they crack open their private stashes or loot luxury stores, do they still do nothing?" I continued to probe.
"Of course they don't care; they can't afford to. But if the Secret Diggers actually did that... they wouldn't be facing the Detective Team. They'd be facing professional international mercenaries hired by the wealthy, or even their own private armies. Those guys don't just put on a show."
"Mercenaries? Private armies? Your world is quite a mess. But... can those Secret Diggers really be suppressed by a fully armed military? They don't seem that strong then..."
"It takes an entire squad to suppress a single individual or a small group, and even then, there are heavy casualties. So, the mercenaries and such are mostly a deterrent. If a conflict actually breaks out, it means the... Secret Diggers are absolutely certain they can pull off the job. Usually, a compromise is reached. After all, the value of the goods often doesn't cover the cost of death benefits and compensation."
"That's... hard to describe." I sighed. I had to admit, this place felt like a paradise for criminals. The rich even had their own private armies?
"Actually, most Secret Diggers have international warrants out for them with high bounties. It's just that, in most cases, no one dares to provoke them for a bit of reward money."
"Warrants and bounties? Now that's interesting!" Hearing Qiu Ruxin's addition, my interest was piqued.
Suddenly, a flurry of plans I wouldn't have dared to consider before began to flood my mind.
"By the way, do those Secret Diggers have any obvious identification? Aren't they afraid of people impersonating them to go on looting sprees?" Since I hadn't seen a Secret Digger with my own eyes yet, I didn't know what they looked like.
"That... shouldn't be possible. The methods used by Secret Diggers are very unique. Anyone trying to imitate them would be seen through instantly."
"Unique methods? Can you tell me more?"
"Um... you're not planning to impersonate a Secret Digger, are you?" Qiu Ruxin asked cautiously.
"If I can, I'd like to. If we want to change our current situation, we need that primitive accumulation. And the acquisition of startup capital is often bloody and dirty."
"Okay. But please, be careful. I don't want to lose..."
"Of course," I answered decisively.
At the same time, I was surprised by how quickly Qiu Ruxin had agreed. I had been thinking of how to convince her to join me.
I hadn't expected her to be so resolute.
It seemed this girl, who was a person of few words but many thoughts, was also quite "ambitious." It was just that her lack of strength currently prevented her from showing her inner colors.
Actually, when she spoke of killing and took action herself, I should have realized that Qiu Ruxin wasn't an ordinary girl. She was stronger than I had anticipated, though she still showed the vulnerability of a young girl. She was just weak for now.
But if I brought her into the Witch Academy, she might perform better than most of the students!
I wasn't sure if the Witch Academy was still accepting students, but I now had the ability to implant a Mana Source into someone!
I just didn't know what the consequences would be. She was this world's Child of Destiny, after all. If she were assimilated into a Witch, would the World Will... go insane?
Furthermore, I still couldn't confirm if this world was the one destined to merge with the Main World. If it was, I didn't think there would be any concerns.
If it wasn't... the fact that she was a Knowledge Seed and restricted by Ley Line Shackles meant she could never reach the Witch Academy.
Even if she could, the price would be immense. And I didn't know how the Academy would handle a Prospective Witch who couldn't attend in person. So... for the sake of caution, it was best to do nothing for now.