Chapter 438: We Need More Fool's Dream Drink
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 438: We Need More Fool's Dream Drink
Back when I first brought the Fool's Dream to the Witch Academy, their arrangements were no longer something a mere student like me could interfere with.
Later, Mentor Dinah took the initiative to find me, settled them in, and found them jobs within the academy. However, Mentor Dinah didn't force all the Fool's Dream to work at the Witch Cat Cafe; they were free to choose other paths.
But given the Fool's Dream's simple nature and lack of experience, most of them still chose to work at the cafe. After all, who could resist the temptation of free room and board? Not to mention the stark contrast to their previous life in the Ninglan New City underground; they were eager to support themselves through their own efforts.
Their current residence was a standardized dormitory arranged by the academy, though it was a far cry from the accommodations provided to the students.
Upon arriving, I spotted several peculiar humanoid creatures. One look told me they weren't students, reminding me of the various other beings that existed within the Witch Secret Realms.
Hadn't Sister Bai mentioned that many such creatures lived within the academy? I usually didn't pay much attention, but now I was seeing them everywhere.
I observed them with curious eyes. They didn't seem nervous at all, appearing quite accustomed to the gazes of students—a bunch of seasoned veterans, it seemed.
"It's just up ahead! That's where we Fool's Dream live. We heard Sister Dinah fought to get us such a nice place. Even though other guys bully us sometimes, we stick together so they don't dare touch us!"
The two Fool's Dream had regained some of their energy and were now buzzing around me, sharing stories of their wonderful new lives. Because I had been in a hurry earlier, I'd hopped on my broom and had them point the way. It was a pity the Fool's Dream couldn't read maps, or I would have tried teleporting directly.
"What kind of things are bullying you?" I asked. "Next time it happens, come straight to me and tell on them. I'll take you back there and bully them right back, okay?"
Hearing that the Fool's Dream were being picked on, I didn't quite know what to say, so I immediately started teaching them the fine art of calling for backup.
However, the Fool's Dream declined my offer. They felt they shouldn't trouble me over such trivial matters.
I could only sigh at their response as they guided me into the dormitory area.
As soon as I arrived, I caught a faint, strange scent. Within that subtle aroma, there seemed to be a trace of mana.
Mana—a power that only students or mentors should possess. Had someone cast a spell here?
Driven by a slight sense of urgency, I followed the trail of energy and pushed open a door.
I froze for a moment at the sight of the rather sparse interior. The first thing that caught my eye was a massive, bubbling cauldron set up in the center of the room, looking much like an ancient alchemical furnace.
Then, I noticed the person standing beside it, stirring the liquid with a long-handled ladle... Mentor Dinah?
"Oh? Isn't this Xiao Han? I didn't expect you to show up here." Dinah looked up and glanced at me, appearing somewhat surprised. Her gaze quickly returned to the vat of strange, viscous liquid bubbling before her.
"I heard the Fool's Dream weren't doing so well, so I came to check on them. Mentor Dinah, are you... brewing a magic potion?" I frowned at the pot of strange liquid, my eyelids twitching instinctively as the bubbles popped.
I could feel a violent surge of mana churning within that murky concoction, suppressed but volatile. It felt like a massive mana bomb that could detonate at any second.
"Yes, I'm brewing a potion. These poor little things seem to be ill, and I'm trying to save them in my own way." Dinah sighed, her voice tinged with frustration. She set down the book she was holding—I could just make out the words "Magic Potions" on the cover. She seemed genuinely heartbroken over the Fool's Dream's plight.
I stared blankly at the pot of unidentified sludge. This was a magic potion... a craft involving ritual attunement that required immense mastery over mana. Generally speaking, high-quality magic potions could only be brewed by Transcendent Witches.
I looked over at the Fool's Dream lying on tiny, miniature beds. Even in sleep, their strained expressions proved that their dreams were far from pleasant.
At that moment, Mentor Dinah clearly wasn't focused on me.
From what I knew of her, she was incredibly observant and possessed a fair amount of psychological insight. Standing before her often gave me the illusion that she could see right through me. If she noticed the state of the two Fool's Dream at my feet, she would likely put two and two together.
"Sister Dinah! Sister Xiao Han already found a way to cure us, so you don't have to look so sad anymore!" one of the Fool's Dream chirped.
Hearing the Fool's Dream call her "Sister" felt a bit bizarre. I hadn't thought much of it when they mentioned "Sister Dinah" earlier, but the witch before me was of an indeterminate, likely ancient age, yet these Fool's Dream still called her "Sister." And since I was "Sister Xiao Han"... in the Fool's Dream's eyes, was I now on the same level as a Transcendent Witch?
"What?"
Dinah's hand froze, the ladle stopping mid-stir. A look of shock crossed her face. Immediately, I felt the mana within that strange liquid lose its balance, teetering on the edge of a terrifying mana riot.
In the split second before the potion could explode, Dinah waved her hand, vanishing the cauldron and the flames beneath it instantly.
She cleared her throat, trying to mask the embarrassment of her blunder.
I suspected that the exploding pot had probably just gone off in some isolated pocket dimension... I thought to myself.
"Xiao Han~ were you thinking something rude just now? Is it so wrong for the Fool's Dream to call me 'Sister'?"
"No, no, no! Of course not! Mentor Dinah is eternally young."
"Hmm?"
"Sister Dinah is eternally young!" I corrected myself hastily.
Internally, I couldn't help but complain: Why does every witch love being called 'Sister' so much?
"Next time, try not to let your thoughts show so clearly on your face," Dinah said, elegantly smoothing out her appearance. "I heard you found a way to cure these little ones. Care to tell me about it? After all, I haven't even managed to produce a decent sample with my potions yet." As she spoke, her eyes drifted to the two Fool's Dream by my feet, her belief in the claim rising by a few notches.
"It's Fool's Dream Drink—a mixed fruit juice the Fool's Dream used to brew themselves," I explained, pulling out a small, sealed bottle.
Since Mentor Dinah hadn't had any luck with her potions, making such a bold claim without physical proof might lead to a misunderstanding. It was better to just show her.
"Fool's Dream Drink?" Curiosity flashed in Dinah's eyes. "Mixed fruit juice?"
"Yes, this is it."
"May I see?" Dinah reached out, seemingly certain I wouldn't refuse.
"Of course."
"I see..." Dinah's eyes widened slightly as she examined the bottle. "It actually has the essence of a magic potion. A brewing ritual... and you say this was made purely from fruit juice?"
"Yes. From the fruits that grew where the Fool's Dream used to live." My gaze drifted to a nearby counter, where several strange fruits were laid out. It looked like the Fool's Dream had bought them themselves. More importantly, these were fruits brimming with transcendent energy.
They were likely trying to brew Fool's Dream Drink by instinct. Most likely, they had failed.
"No wonder... little creatures that pursue life will always follow their racial instincts to make the most correct choices." Dinah shook her head with a smile and popped the cork. The fragrant, fruity aroma of the Fool's Dream Drink wafted out. Within moments, the Fool's Dream resting in Dinah's arms twitched its nose and slowly opened its eyes, which had been shut in deep slumber for a long time.
"It seems I don't even need to test it." Seeing this, a flash of joy crossed Dinah's face. She instinctively stroked the Fool's Dream's head, a smile playing on her lips.
She carefully poured out a small portion of the drink. The liquid hovered near the Fool's Dream's mouth; before it even touched its lips, the creature eagerly stuck out its tongue to lap it up.
Soon, Dinah watched as the Fool's Dream in her arms visibly brightened with energy.
"Mmm... Sister Dinah! Did you cure me? Oh! Sister Xiao Han is here too!" Having regained some strength, the Fool's Dream struggled to sit up.
"Go on, then. Go thank your Sister Xiao Han. I didn't really help this time; it was your Sister Xiao Han who brought the good stuff~" Dinah didn't stop her, gently setting her down.
"Mm-hmm!" I quickly scooped up the Fool's Dream as she ran toward me. She had only just woken up, her eyes still blurry and her eyelids heavy, yet she still hurried to my side.
"Thank you, Xiao Han. It would have been painful to watch these little ones sleep away like this," Dinah said warmly.
"No, I should be the one thanking you, Mentor Di—I mean, Sister Dinah! You could have just stood by, but you were willing to brew potions for them. That cauldron of potion... must have been expensive, right?"
"What do you mean 'stood by'? Do you not approve of my relationship with these Fool's Dream? I didn't realize you were so possessive, Xiao Han."
"Eh? No, no, not at all! It's all thanks to you that the Fool's Dream have a place to stay in the academy."
"As long as you know. These Fool's Dream are my most important employees now; it's only natural for me to care for them." Dinah paused. "But enough of that. Do you have more of this Fool's Dream Drink? Given their current state, they're going to need a lot of it. Otherwise... well, you know the situation, don't you?"
"That's the thing..."
"Is there a problem?"
"There's an issue with the raw materials. The original ingredients were destroyed along with the Fool's Village Secret Realm. I only have seeds left. One batch of fruit has just ripened, but the rest needs to be cultivated. In terms of timing... we might not make it."
"Cultivation? That shouldn't be a problem. I know a witch who is an expert in Medicine Stone Alchemy. She grows most of her own medicinal ingredients and is very skilled with general transcendent plants."
"Really?" I looked at Dinah in surprise. Mentor Dinah really did know everyone. This was the advantage of having a wide network; you could ask for help with things you couldn't handle alone.
"Don't hesitate. Don't you want to save these Fool's Dream?"
"I do!"
"Then it's settled. Tell me where you're growing these seeds. Is the cultivation up to standard?" Dinah asked, a hint of urgency in her voice. After all, anything involving her "cats" was her business.
"Well, I've entrusted them to a Senior Sister. She's very skilled and hasn't made a single mistake so far. She even has a plantation within the academy."
"It's not you doing the growing? Well... that's the right choice. Leave professional matters to the professionals. Since she has a plantation, send me the address. I'll go find that witch."
"Oh! Okay, sure." I took the bottle of Fool's Dream Drink back from Dinah and quickly opened the academy map to set a pin... "Uh... wait. I don't think I have your contact info, Sister Dinah."
"Ah... I didn't give it to you?" Dinah slapped her forehead. She had been so worried about the "cats" lately that she was becoming scatterbrained.
"I don't think so..."
"Here's my contact. Send me the location in a bit. You said a plantation, right? Can a student really afford to lease an entire plantation..." Dinah spoke briskly, without a hint of hesitation, though her last remark was just a casual mutter.
Once everything was settled and Mentor Dinah had departed, I breathed a sigh of relief. The Fool's Dream crisis was temporarily under control.
Thinking back to the trial the Academy Dean had mentioned... that was a close call. If the Fool's Dream had suddenly reverted to being mere dream creatures because of this, how could I have fulfilled my promise to turn them into true living beings?
But there was no use worrying about the past; what's done is done.
"Here, this is the last of my Fool's Dream Drink. Take this and look after everyone. I'm going to work with Sister Dinah to make more so everyone can get better. Once you're all well, I'll teach you how to make it yourselves, okay?"
"Mm-hmm!"
The Fool's Dream I had "entrusted with this heavy responsibility" nodded vigorously, clutching the nearly full bottle tightly.
"Oh, right. If you run into any danger, use this. Just press it, and Sister Xiao Han will appear to protect you."
After some thought, and remembering what they said about being bullied, I felt uneasy. I handed over one of my few remaining Reverse Summoning Ritual alchemical items, just in case.
With that done, I picked up my phone. It looked like I was going to have to keep Sofiri busy again. I hoped she wouldn't mind too much.
As for promoting Fool's Dream Drink at the Witch Cat Cafe, I wasn't in the mood to think about that right now. That could wait until this mess was resolved. Besides, even if the cafe didn't launch the drink, as long as the Fool's Dream were around, there would always be a need for it.
To ensure these little ones could live normal lives, I was more than willing to spend a bit of money on them regularly.
I dialed Sofiri's number again.
"Hello... Sofiri? Sorry, I'm bothering you again. Could you help summon me over? There are some things that are hard to explain over the phone."
"Did something happen? Alright, Xiao Han. Just a moment."