Chapter 417: Qiu Ruxin's Troubles
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 417: Qiu Ruxin's Troubles
After waking up, Qiu Ruxin remained in a state of high spirits, her excitement lingering for a long time.
Perhaps it was the changes brought about by her witchification that made her appear more delicate and refined. After all, no girl could refuse the chance to become more beautiful, and Qiu Ruxin was no exception.
Everyone has a heart that loves beauty, let alone a young girl who had just reached adulthood today.
Although Qiu Ruxin was overjoyed, I knew that she had only gained the qualification to become stronger, rather than becoming stronger instantly. The road ahead was still long, so I found myself unable to fully empathize with her joy at this moment.
Back then, because I was originally a guy, I had the added bonus of novelty when I eventually turned into a girl. Qiu Ruxin was even more excited than I had been, and she had been in this state for quite a while.
However, I didn't stop her. Precisely because I didn't know why she was so happy and excited—though there must have been a reason driving her—it was rare to see her this happy, so I naturally let her be.
"Alright, alright, go take a shower. It's best to clean your body after witchification. Didn't you get some cream on your clothes while eating cake earlier?"
Once Qiu Ruxin's enthusiasm began to wane—likely because her energy was mostly spent—I spoke up to persuade her.
As for minor mishaps like getting cream on herself, for someone with her level of bad luck, it was practically a daily occurrence.
"Did I? Okay, I'll go wash up then." Having passed the peak of her excitement, Qiu Ruxin was very obedient, heading back to her room to gather her bath supplies.
"Take a spare showerhead with you, just in case the other one breaks again," I reminded her.
On our first day here, when it was Qiu Ruxin's turn to use the shower, the showerhead had broken. Luckily, I had gone first; otherwise, I would have had to use spells to wash.
Since then, I had prepared extra supplies for emergencies.
After reminding her, I looked up at the ceiling light from before. It was time to replace the thing. As I canceled my spell, the light fixture fell straight down, and I caught it with one hand.
Just as I was about to grab a new light to swap it out, I noticed something slightly off about the mana source inside Qiu Ruxin's body.
"Hmm? Strange... I couldn't be seeing things, could I?" I rubbed my eyes. My Spirit Vision talent occasionally interfered with my normal sight, which was a bit of a nuisance, but I had grown used to it.
"Qiu Ruxin, hurry up and wash! I have a gift for you afterward," I called out.
"Huh? Oh! Got it! I'll be quick!"
"Mm."
The gift I mentioned was, of course, a spellbook. I had acquired quite a few spellbooks—some as compensation from the academy, some "sponsored" by others, and some I had won fair and square.
I didn't care much for them.
Moreover, I had several duplicates, especially of the basic consumption spellbooks, such as... the Fireball Spellbook.
It was a very fundamental spellbook. Since Qiu Ruxin only had one mana source right now, I naturally wouldn't give her a spellbook she couldn't use.
As for her self-defense, I didn't mind using alchemy to solidify some minor spells that consumed less than a point of mana for her to use; at least she could use them a few more times.
Because the damage of current spellbooks was severely excessive without the suppression of the Great Weakening Spell, minor spells were just about right for the current Qiu Ruxin.
Time passed quickly, and Qiu Ruxin walked out of the bathroom wrapped in a bath towel, bringing with her a cloud of steam and a fresh fragrance.
"Sister Xiao Han, I'm done~ Where's my gift?" Qiu Ruxin walked over expectantly, one hand pressing the towel against her chest, her eyes looking at me with anticipation.
"I'll give it to you once you've put your clothes on." I turned my head away, forcing myself not to let my imagination run wild.
Qiu Ruxin already had a good figure, and the changes from witchification had elevated her temperament and appearance to a whole new level.
If a man were here, he probably wouldn't be able to restrain himself.
"Sister Xiao Han, am I so unsightly that you won't even look at me?"
"Look at you..." Startled by her words, I paused for a moment before turning back to study her carefully.
"And then?"
"And... and then..." Caught off guard by my blunt response, Qiu Ruxin didn't know how to follow up. My eyes studied her entirely without a hint of emotion, but that wasn't the reaction she had hoped for.
In that moment, she seemed to suddenly snap out of it. Feeling the massive chasm between herself and the person before her, that sense of distance felt like a mountain peak she could never hope to scale.
She seemed to realize she had done something wrong.
"I... I'm sorry..." Qiu Ruxin said instinctively.
"It's nothing. You just became an adult today, it should be a happy day. You're an adult now, so you need to be responsible for your actions, okay? Go change your clothes, and be careful the towel doesn't fall off."
Seeing her apologize for no apparent reason, I quickly put on a gentle smile and urged her to change.
"Mm." As if nothing had happened, Qiu Ruxin turned and ran off.
Once she entered her bedroom, I took out an object that looked like a book. This was a carrier used to hold a spellbook. If a spellbook left the body—or rather, left the Ley Line Shackles within a person's body—it would continuously dissipate. Thus, spellbooks were very "fragile" creations.
This was a Fireball Spellbook, and its power was terrifying. It could kill those Secret Diggers in one hit even if they used shields; I had tested this personally.
In a moment of crisis, if Qiu Ruxin encountered danger while alone, she could at least use this to intimidate others and then use a summoning ritual to call me during the opening.
"Sister Xiao Han, I've changed~"
Qiu Ruxin emerged from the bedroom, now dressed in new clothes and radiating youthful energy.
"Just in time. Come try this." I stood up, took the spellbook out of its carrier, and handed it over.
"What is this?" Qiu Ruxin curiously took the glowing orb, unsure of what it was.
"It's a spellbook. As long as you have this... well... you should be able to cast spells... right?" After handing it over, I suddenly realized something: Qiu Ruxin didn't know the Witch Meditation Method yet!
Without the Witch Meditation Method, and without refining her mental power into mental power threads, how was she supposed to drive the spellbook?
"How do I use this?"
"Oh... I almost forgot. Just press it into your body." I snapped back to reality and explained.
"Like this?" Qiu Ruxin tried to press it into her body. It was a magical sensation as the spellbook merged into her. "But... I don't feel anything?"
"You haven't practiced the Witch Meditation Method yet. Only by practicing it and refining your mental power into mental power threads can you use the threads to operate the spellbook."
"Really? Then can I go on a rampage against those Secret Diggers like you do, Sister Xiao Han?"
"Well... your current strength isn't high enough for that. Don't be so ambitious yet. I'll teach you the Witch Meditation Method first," I comforted her.
"Mm, I understand. I'll take it slow." Qiu Ruxin immediately realized she was being too impatient and apologized.
"It's fine. Everyone wants to become strong. As long as you aren't blinded by power, any pursuit of strength is worth encouraging. Let's talk about the Witch Meditation Method. If you have good talent, you should be able to learn it in a few days. And... I've prepared a special teacher for you."
"A special teacher? Who?"
"My Illusion Clone," I said with a smile. Then, with a snap of my fingers, a rune surfaced in my eyes and quickly vanished.
Qiu Ruxin, who was looking at me, was instantly caught in the spell.
"What?" she asked curiously, not understanding what I meant.
"It's me. From now on, I will be the one teaching you the Witch Meditation Method." At that moment, a figure with a voice identical to mine appeared behind Qiu Ruxin, giving her a fright.
"Who?! S-Sister... two Sister Xiao Hans!" Hearing a third voice, Qiu Ruxin spun around and saw a girl exactly like me standing behind her, making her jump.
"I am an Illusion Clone. Simply put, a clone. That person over there is my main body. I don't want to explain too much to you; just understand it for yourself. If you don't get it, you don't get it. I can't be bothered to say much, but you can ask me plenty of questions regarding the Witch Meditation Method." My Illusion Clone spoke with a slightly cold tone, as if blaming me for dumping this troublesome task on her.
But there was no other way. I didn't have a book for the Witch Meditation Method, and it wasn't in my memory bookshelf—that was from a long time ago. So, I had to let the Illusion Clone do the work "personally."
"Okay... then, please look after me." Qiu Ruxin returned to her previous slightly reserved manner, likely because the clone's aura was a bit forceful.
I silently watched the Illusion Clone's behavior, taking note of her attitude.
"Study hard with this clone. If you run into any problems or trouble, just come find me," I instructed.
"Mm, I'll work hard!" Qiu Ruxin nodded heavily, giving me her promise.
After a brief farewell to Qiu Ruxin, I returned to my bedroom. I had my own business to attend to.
However, to be honest, I didn't have much of a lead on researching that plant technology.
Based on my deductions regarding that transcendent item, it should have an ability that constantly "radiates" a certain special effect, causing the technology of this world to develop rapidly. Furthermore, the closer one was to Qiu Ruxin, the stronger this effect should be. This would explain why Lanas Island was so full of talent, and why even geniuses from other countries could shine here.
"Maybe... I should just borrow that transcendent item from Qiu Ruxin and see what its function actually is. Even if I can't figure out the specific effect, the information shouldn't lie..."
I muttered to myself, but ultimately decided not to go right now. Qiu Ruxin was still learning the Witch Meditation Method; I'd wait for next time. I wasn't in a rush, and rushing wouldn't help when I had no clues anyway.
I might as well take this time to look through the knowledge I had recorded in the Ley Line System.
I activated the Ley Line System and began searching for content related to alchemy. After all, alchemy was a skill I couldn't afford to lose; I needed to review it frequently and, ideally, get some hands-on practice.
After some time, I suddenly felt a disturbance from my Illusion Clone. Something seemed to have happened with Qiu Ruxin.
I sighed, bookmarked the content I was reading, and then turned off the Ley Line System before heading to the bedroom door.
Coincidentally, Qiu Ruxin's voice and a knock came from outside the door at that exact moment.
"Sister Xiao Han! Something terrible has happened!"
"What's wrong?" I pushed open the door and saw a frantic Qiu Ruxin.
"The spellbook! The spellbook is disappearing!"
"What do you mean disappearing? Did you take it out of your body?" I asked, frowning.
"No! It's inside me, but it's slowly breaking!"
"Inside your body and it's breaking? How is that possible?" I asked in disbelief.
As long as Qiu Ruxin hadn't been foolish enough to take the spellbook out of her body, it shouldn't be damaged. Moreover, she hadn't learned the Witch Meditation Method yet, so she couldn't use the spellbook, meaning she couldn't have broken it through use.
But the fact remained. I extended my mental power and pulled the spellbook out of Qiu Ruxin's body. The once-dazzling orb of light had become dim and lackluster. Using Spirit Vision, I could even see the chaotic state of the internal runes. This was clearly the appearance of a spellbook self-destructing after being away from its carrier for too long!
But that wasn't the point. The point was... this spellbook was too easy to take out!
I had pulled it out with just a slight probe of my mental power. What did that imply?
It was like being in a duel at the Witch Academy where an opponent used a spellbook to attack me, and I simply used my mental power to snatch their spellbook away. How could that be possible?
It was fundamentally impossible! At the very least, it should be extremely difficult. At this point, the spellbook was completely ruined. Even if it hadn't fully collapsed, it was easier to replace it than to try and fix it.
"How could this happen?" I still couldn't believe it. Even if Qiu Ruxin was a Child of Destiny, she shouldn't be this special, right?
Or was the spellbook from the Main World "incompatible" with this world?
Impossible!
I understood spellbooks. Rather than incompatibility, I was more inclined to believe that Qiu Ruxin didn't have Ley Line Shackles in her body!
Wait... no Ley Line Shackles?
"Qiu Ruxin, don't move. I want to test another possibility." I spoke softly to comfort her. After all, this was a gift I had given her, and seeing it destroyed right in front of her must have been upsetting.
"Mm..." Qiu Ruxin nodded with a whimper. It seemed the destruction of the spellbook had been quite a blow to her.
With her consent, I immediately began my test.
The thought that had flashed through my mind was truly shocking, but if it were proven true, it would explain why she couldn't retain a spellbook and why she was so unlucky.
But there was another problem: Qiu Ruxin was a Child of Destiny. If she didn't have Ley Line Shackles, how could she be a Child of Destiny?
Or was it that a Child of Destiny could still be one even if their Ley Line Shackles were severed?
I wasn't entirely sure about any of this. I might very well be a special case. Perhaps when the Main World Consciousness gave me the Luck Seed, it knew I wanted to sever my Ley Line Shackles and used the seed to bind me. Perhaps even if I severed the shackles back then, I still couldn't escape the script...
Wait... I suddenly realized something else. If she didn't have Ley Line Shackles, then there shouldn't be any way for her to carry a mana source either!
I tentatively extended my mental power toward Qiu Ruxin's mana source, and I pulled it out just as easily... This mana source only had a tiny connection with Qiu Ruxin, barely allowing her to carry it. Perhaps it was because of the initial witchification that she could hold this one mana source without issue, but if I gave her a second one, she wouldn't be able to keep it.
"She really... doesn't have Ley Line Shackles?" After testing it this way, I finally let out a sigh.
Ever since my "little trip" to the River of Ley Lines, my Spirit Vision could distinguish the data of ley lines from Ley Line Shackles. But I could find no trace of Ley Line Shackles in Qiu Ruxin's body...
This is trouble...
Without Ley Line Shackles... could the misfortune Qiu Ruxin suffers be the same kind of bad luck curse I have?
But... if that's the truth, then what is the side effect—or rather, the price—of that transcendent item?
In an instant, a string of questions flooded my mind. This discovery completely overturned my previous assumptions!