Chapter 412: Preparations Before Returning to the Small World
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 412: Preparations Before Returning to the Small World
Because the idea came so suddenly, I had already run quite a distance after saying goodbye to the Academy Dean before I realized I should just use a teleportation spell to leave her office.
Caught up in the momentum of this thought and inspiration, I couldn't afford to worry about anything else—like visiting Teacher Ji Niang or my roommates. Those plans were temporarily shelved. I even forgot to ask the Academy Dean if Sister Bai had arrived yet... I should have asked that while I was there. I completely blanked.
But knowing Sister Bai, she probably wouldn't be back so soon. Right, maybe... I should leave a message for Teacher Ji Niang or the Academy Dean before I go. I wouldn't want Sister Bai to come looking for me, only to end up crying and making a pitiful scene at the Witch Academy. That would be embarrassing, wouldn't it?
Though, the image of Sister Bai throwing a tantrum... it was strangely hilarious. I could hardly even imagine her making such a face.
After my thoughts settled, it was time to get down to business.
I teleported directly to the landmark at the Witch Academy’s Great Library. After all, if you wanted to know where the most information was kept, the library was the obvious choice.
However, the books in the library generally cost money. For someone like me, who wanted to download a massive amount of data, the cost would be astronomical.
But at this moment, money and knowledge were no longer equivalent in my eyes. Money could be earned again, but time and knowledge waited for no one.
Even I didn't know how often Qiu Ruxin performed her rituals. I didn't plan to dawdle on this trip back; I intended to stay there until the end. Since I had already confirmed that the world was a Small World colliding with the Main World, knowing its background made a huge difference to my peace of mind.
It also allowed me to be there early to receive the Witch Mentors and Academy Deans who were expected to arrive in about a month.
I honestly didn't know how many Academy Deans the Witch Academy actually had. As a student of the academy, not knowing such basic trivia made me feel a bit unqualified.
Still, I didn't go out of my way to search for that information. Compared to knowing the number of deans, the books in the library were far more attractive. Besides, I didn't have much overlap with those deans anyway. If our paths crossed in the future, that was a problem for future me.
Entering the Great Library, I used my permissions to enter the deep storage area.
On the way over, I had roughly planned out what I needed to do. My main goal was to acquire knowledge, which I categorized into two types.
The first was high-volume, less critical knowledge, which I would download and store using the Ley Line Operating System.
The second was lower-volume but highly important content. For this, I would rely on my Memory Bookshelf.
Content viewed through the Memory Bookshelf was essentially hardwired into my memory, and I could pair it with the Practical Learning Spell for immediate application.
Using the Ley Line system now was merely a compromise. I didn't have enough time; I couldn't exactly move the entire Witch Academy library to that Small World, could I?
Once I had more time later, I would go through all the knowledge stored in the system and transfer it into my Memory Bookshelf. After all, in a sense, only the Memory Bookshelf truly belonged to me.
At the library, I paid directly with Orichalcum to facilitate the immediate purchase and download of digital books. The part-time Senior Sister at the front desk stared at me with a look of utter shock, clearly wondering if I’d lost my mind. Using Orichalcum at the library?
Was I planning to leave an inheritance that would last three generations?
Oh, wait. For students who hadn't become Transcendent Witches, there wouldn't even be a next generation...
But I persisted. This habit of treating money like water seemed to have been cultivated in that Small World. Sigh... I’d grown far too accustomed to spending lavishly.
Then again, I couldn't say it wasn't worth it. Paying for knowledge is an investment in oneself. It was a very profitable trade.
What followed was a long and tedious process: waiting for downloads while constantly reading, learning, and comprehending...
This time, I wasn't just looking at detailed explanations of rune rituals. I delved into many other things, such as axioms, theorems, conjectures, and formulas at the Transcendent level.
Similarly, I began to place more importance on mathematics, physics, and chemistry. The more I studied the Transcendent, the more I realized the importance of the basics. Mathematics is an excellent tool for expression, and the process of studying physics and chemistry is also a way to cultivate a specific mindset. Even if they didn't perfectly apply to the Transcendent domain, their underlying logic was worth learning from.
Don't think this is trivial; it’s truly necessary.
Even within the physical realm, the same laws don't necessarily apply to different environments—like the macro versus the micro scale—let alone the gap between surface physics and the Transcendent.
Some laws or concepts are things you either know or you don't; if you don't, you might never think of them in a lifetime.
To me, "foundation" was no longer just a simple accumulation of knowledge; it was the cultivation of thinking and the elevation of ideology. The more widely these basic things applied, the more they needed to be respected. The thoughts and philosophies they contained covered everything from the ordinary to the Transcendent.
But undeniably, the process of learning this stuff was painful. You can force yourself to do most things in this world, but without a bit of talent for subjects like math and science, you’ll just end up staring blankly.
Needless to say, I was the "staring blankly" type. With the Memory Bookshelf, I was a "natural-born liberal arts genius"—I could remember anything. But that didn't help with logic-heavy sciences.
Only the Practical Learning Spellbook offered some help in this regard, but that spell wasn't as instantaneous as the Memory Bookshelf. If your brain was slow, it was slow. Mental agility required training.
I stayed in this state for several days. I gained a lot, but it still wasn't enough.
However, today, I ran into an acquaintance in the library.
"Xiao Han? Hey! It really is you!"
I looked up toward the voice and saw Betty.
"Betty? What are you doing in the library?" I adjusted my glasses slightly, feeling surprised.
"Sigh... I made my mentor angry again. I'm here at the library to lay low for a bit." Betty sighed and plopped down across from me. "By the way, I haven't seen you in days, Xiao Han. What have you been up to?"
"Me? I've been busy with something very important. Sorry, I think I forgot to tell you."
"Well, you don't reply to texts, and nobody knows where you are. I have to say, your social circle is really tiny. When I wanted to find you, I didn't even know where to ask besides checking my phone." She immediately began venting her grievances the moment she sat down.
"That must have been hard on you. I'm not very good at socializing. Too many interpersonal relationships would disrupt the rhythm of my life, so I don't have many friends."
"Then should I feel honored to be your friend?"
"Definitely. Remember to pay the monthly friendship fee, thanks," I joked.
"Huh? A friendship fee? Put it on my tab for now. Can we skip the interest for the sake of our friendship? I'll settle the bill once we aren't friends anymore." Betty didn't miss a beat, laughing as she played along.
"Of course." I managed a rare smile. Joking around like this felt quite nice.
"I'm telling you... wait?" Just as Betty was about to continue chatting, she suddenly noticed the books I was reading. "Math... Mathematics?! Wait, what is your Ley Line system doing? Downloading... books?"
"Yeah, brushing up on the basics. There are some things I really regret not studying properly before. Cramming them now is a real pain."
"Um... stop looking at that stuff... Why don't we look at alchemy? Or runes? Why are we looking at this? Does learning that one fireball plus one fireball equals two fireballs actually help?" Betty said, looking a bit "frightened."
"Something like that. One fireball plus one fireball is a Rapid-Fire Fireball Spell derived from the Fireball Spell, while one fireball plus one fireball equaling two fireballs being launched is equivalent to a Twin-Shot Fireball Spell. The effect is the same, but the essence is different..."
"Wait! Are you still Xiao Han? Give me back my Xiao Han! Have you studied yourself into a stupor?" Hearing my incomprehensible explanation, she immediately stood up, grabbed my shoulders, and shook me.
"How could I? I'm just using the most concise way to express the difference between the calculation process and the result on both sides of the equals sign... Fine, fine. It seems you don't get it, so I won't bore you with it. Anyway, I'm not doing anything useless. You're only confused because you haven't seen through to the essence of things yet."
"Right, right~ Our Xiao Han is just too amazing~ I won't talk shop with you then. By the way, is it convenient to tell me where you've been?"
"How should I put it? I went to a special place to broaden my horizons. Also, in a few days, I might disappear again for a while, and you won't be able to reach me by phone. That's perfectly normal."
"Normal? What do you mean? Can you actually apply for off-campus leave now?"
"Well... in a sense... I guess it counts as leaving campus?" I thought about it and replied.
After all, going to another world should count as leaving campus, right?
"Wow... then you're really something. Usually, it's very hard for a freshman's off-campus application to get approved in the first semester." Speaking of which, Betty seemed to remember something. "Right, since you can go off-campus, you must know about that, right?"
"That? What's 'that'?" I looked up at Betty, confused by her riddles.
"The rumor! I heard from some Senior Sisters who came back that there's a rumor spreading like wildfire outside. They say our world is about to undergo a massive change! The news supposedly leaked from various Transcendent Academies!"
"What do you mean? Leaked from Transcendent Academies? Shouldn't we know more than the outside world? Why even mention the outside?"
"Well... uh, it's just... ugh, anyway, it seems our world is about to have a Void collision with another world! This is insider info, okay?"
"Hmm?" My expression turned serious. I took off my glasses and looked at Betty. "It's already spread that far?"
"Wait! Xiao Han, look at you! Why are you so calm? Don't tell me you knew about this beforehand!"
"More or less," I said vaguely.
I couldn't exactly tell her that I was the lucky one whose progress was currently faster than all the Void exploration teams.
However, since the Transcendent Academies had already started laying the groundwork, it meant the news would likely be officially revealed soon. Besides, when two worlds collide in the Void, it creates numerous spatial portals at the overlap. There was no way to hide it.
"No way! Xiao Han, you knew such explosive news and you didn't tell me? Something this important... I'm so hurt!" Betty put on a show of being deeply saddened by my neglect.
"Keep it down. This is a library, after all." I pressed my index finger to my lips, signaling her not to get excited.
"Mph... I'm just saying, Xiao Han, don't just keep everything to yourself. Doesn't it feel bad keeping secrets bottled up?" Betty realized she’d lost her composure and lowered her voice, glancing around. Fortunately, I was in a quiet corner with few people.
"It's fine. I'm not a gossip, so I can keep a secret," I said. Though, given the situation, the news about the Small World's arrival would probably be announced soon, so it wasn't much of a secret anymore.
"What you're keeping isn't a secret; it's earth-shattering gossip! Quick, tell me, is the news true?"
"It's legit," I said.
"And? What else?"
"A group of Witch Mentors and Academy Deans have personally gone to investigate the situation."
"I knew that, but I didn't expect the Academy Deans to go too. How many went?"
"How should I know? I don't even know how many Academy Deans we have, remember?" I shrugged.
"Fine. Anything else?"
"Well... this event will probably last for several years..."
"Several years? That long? Wait... Xiao Han, you're being sneaky. You don't sound like you're exchanging intel; you sound like you're weighing what you're allowed to tell me. Are you hiding a lot more?"
"If I told you I was going to that world to do a field study, would you believe me?"
"No. Do I look like an idiot?"
"There you go. Just treat this info as something fun to know. When things actually happen, the mentors will step in. We can just sit back and watch the show." I spoke helplessly. Since she wouldn't believe the truth, there was nothing I could do.
"Fine, fine~ Let's leave it at that."
"Yeah, let's. Just don't disturb me. My time is quite precious right now."
"Got it, got it~ Our great scholar Xiao Han can keep studying. I'll just sit here. Don't worry, I won't bother you. I'll just read a book to kill time until my mentor cools off." As Betty spoke, she took out her phone and turned it off to prevent her mentor from calling her back.
When she finally went back, she’d just say she was studying in the library and didn't notice her phone had run out of mana. Perfect.
Betty's arrival was a brief interlude, but I didn't find it annoying.
A few more days passed. The fatigue from high-intensity mental activity was starting to take its toll, so I took the opportunity to temporarily set aside the heavy brainwork and do something else to relax.
As for what I did... naturally, it was refining the rune ritual for my Reverse Summoning Spell. Along the way, I learned how to craft simple alchemy items and enchantment techniques. While I wasn't exactly an expert, having a solid foundation of theoretical knowledge meant I was no longer the amateur I used to be.
I made several small alchemical trinkets for summoning me, intending to distribute them to people I knew—like my roommates, Teacher Ji Niang, Betty, Sofiri, and so on.
Even though I planned to stay in that Small World until the mentors arrived, I had to be prepared for emergencies.
Of course, I told them not to summon me frequently for no reason. If they did it too often, I’d get annoyed.
After finishing these tasks, I went back to my books for one last check to fill in any gaps. I had a feeling that, barring any accidents... Qiu Ruxin was about to perform the ritual.
The moment I felt the guidance of a summons, I reacted instantly. I immediately packed my things and sent out a pre-written mass message to give the people I knew a bit of a heads-up. Having done all that, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Small World, here I come again!"
I teleported out of the library at top speed and found a deserted corner. The Reverse Summoning Spell caused quite a stir, unlike the convenience of a standard teleportation spell, so I didn't want to disturb people in the library.
Once there, I raised my hand. A surge of Transcendent power swelled—the Reverse Summoning Spell was activated!