Chapter 439: Incident Resolved
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 439: Incident Resolved
"Sorry, sorry! I know I just left, but here I am bothering you again."
Using the Reverse Summoning Spell, I reappeared in Sofiri’s plantation. I was a bit surprised to see she was still here; she really was dedicated to her work.
"It’s fine, no need to apologize. But what did you mean over the phone when you said things were too complicated to explain? You sounded quite urgent," Sofiri said, waving off my apology before quickly pivoting to the matter at hand.
"It’s more trouble regarding the Fool's Dream Drink... Sigh..." I summarized my thoughts and let out a heavy breath. I certainly hadn't wanted anything like this to happen to the Fool's Dreams.
I had originally thought that with the monthly exams over, I could settle the matter of the Fool's Dream Drink and finally have some free time to do what I wanted. I hadn't expected such an unforeseen development, though fortunately, it didn't seem too difficult to resolve.
"Trouble with the Fool's Dream Drink? What happened? Did you run into obstacles launching it at the Witch Cat Cafe?"
"Sigh... if it were just a simple launch obstacle, that would actually be easy to fix. The problem now is that the Fool's Dream Drink has become an urgent necessity. You haven't been to the cat cafe lately, have you?"
"No, I haven't. I mostly haven't had the time, and to be honest, those social settings don't really suit me. But the cats there are definitely cute, and so are the Fool's Dreams. I like sitting there alone and petting them, though I’ve only ever held those adorable Fool's Dreams once."
"Only once? That’s a shame... But a serious problem has cropped up. Those Fool's Dreams are sick, and only the Fool's Dream Drink can save them." As I said this, it felt a bit strange. To her, the Fool's Dream Drink probably sounded like some kind of mixed fruit juice... Could something like that really cure an illness?
But that was the reality of the situation, even if it wasn't exactly a 'disease' and the drink wasn't exactly 'medicine.'
"What? They’re sick?!"
Upon hearing this, Sofiri’s reaction was even more intense than mine.
"My only fantasy about the Witch Cat Cafe involves those cute Fool's Dreams! Is the cafe overworking the cat-girls?!"
"Calm down, calm down. It’s nothing like that. It’s an issue with the Fool's Dreams themselves. Did you forget I told you they come from a Witch Secret Realm?" I quickly reached out to settle her down and began to explain. "For them to live properly, they need the Fool's Dream Drink to sustain them. It’s similar to how humans can't live without food. That’s the gist of it."
"Is that so? Then isn't the situation dire? I have no idea when the next batch of fruit will ripen, and the ones currently being bred haven't fully condensed yet... and I don't know any methods to accelerate the breeding process..." After listening to my explanation, Sofiri quickly grasped the core of the problem and realized where the bottleneck was.
"It’s okay. I didn't come here to make you anxious. I know the shopkeeper of the Witch Cat Cafe; she’s one of the mentors at the Witch Academy, Mentor Dinah. She’s going to help find a solution. She mentioned she’d call over a mentor who specializes in plant growth acceleration."
"Oh, so a mentor is already backing us up?" Sofiri let out a sigh of relief once she understood, but then she had a realization. "Why don't you tell Mentor Dinah not to bother? Since this already involves Transcendent teachers, I can try asking my own mentor. She’s quite nice, it’s just... she doesn't look after me much... but if I beg her, she probably won't leave me hanging."
"Oh! I almost forgot." I realized I had been a bit too hasty. I’d nearly forgotten that Sofiri’s mentor had literally given her an entire plantation!
That witch, whom I hadn't really met, had to be a mentor with significant research in botany, right?
"Actually, maybe we should forget it. Would it be bad to call in two Transcendent mentors for this one thing?"
"This isn't exactly a small matter! Do you have any idea how popular those Fool's Dreams are...?"
"Wait, I thought you hadn't been there in a while? How do you know so much about them?" I interrupted.
"Uh... I watch short videos. The big data algorithm on the academy phones has been pushing nothing but Fool's Dream content to me. I was originally planning to wait until your monthly exams were over and the Fool's Dream Drink was finished... then I’d head over and see if I could 'fish' for a Fool's Dream... I mean, go over to feed them. After all, you told me they drink it too..."
"Fair enough..." I slapped my forehead with one hand and didn't stop Sofiri from calling her mentor for backup.
I had done everything I could for now. My main reason for coming was to give Sofiri a heads-up so she could cooperate when the time came. Whether it was the so-called breeding or the growth acceleration, those were things beyond my current abilities.
At most, I’d be useful during the final mixing of the Fool's Dream Drink—and even then, Mentor Dinah might master the process just by looking at it once. The terrifying capabilities of a Transcendent Witch always exceeded my imagination.
Finding myself with a rare moment of leisure, I pulled out my phone to kill some time, only to find the dormitory group chat filled with wailing.
"Hmm... is it their turn now?"
I opened the chat to lurk. They were likely discussing the monthly exams.
They had probably expected the same format as the last exam, not realizing this time would be my personal 'gatekeeper' special. They had been so smug earlier, thinking they wouldn't run into me, only to have an 'ultimate move' dropped right in their faces and suffer a crushing defeat.
The loudest one in the group was Hong Chenyi. She was the only other person in our dorm who had the morning assessment—the other being me, of course.
Hong Chenyi might have been beaten into a state of self-doubt.
However, seeing how active she was, jumping back and forth between the dorm chat and the class chat with such excitement, she seemed to be doing just fine.
While I was happily browsing the chats, a sudden ripple of energy surged through Sofiri’s plantation. My senses, now quite keen, immediately picked up the anomaly.
When I looked up, I saw two figures appearing inside the plantation.
"Mentor!" At Sofiri’s cry, I realized one of them was the big shot she had summoned.
But when I put my phone away and my eyes met the newcomer's, I froze on the spot.
This person... shouldn't she be in that Small World?
My thoughts raced back to my time in the Small World. She had been part of the Void Witch exploration team led by Dean Bev Alanna.
I hadn't asked her for much information back then because she was rarely at the guesthouse; she seemed to be the type who loved field research, so I hardly ever saw her.
But that wasn't the main issue. While I was on familiar terms with her, what was Dinah doing following behind her?
Don't tell me the Mentor Dinah went to find was the same person as Sofiri’s mentor...
What kind of coincidence was this?
No, perhaps it wasn't a coincidence. As they say, the capable are always busy... When someone is preeminent in a specific field, they are the first person everyone thinks of when a problem in that field arises.
Sofiri thought of her mentor, Dinah thought of this witch, and Dean Bev Alanna took her along to explore a new Small World.
She was likely there to survey the botanical aspects of the new world.
Come to think of it, that Small World was centered around plant technology... it was a perfect match for her expertise. She should be incredibly busy; why was she back?
And she actually came just because Sofiri called her!
Her return signaled one thing: a man-made channel had been opened between that Small World and the Main World. Otherwise, she couldn't have traveled back and forth so easily.
In that case... if I wanted to go back, I might not even need to use the Reverse Summoning Spell.
"Oh? Xiao Han is already here?" Dinah didn't seem surprised to see me; instead, she greeted me warmly.
At this moment, both witches turned their gaze toward me. Even the one Sofiri called 'Mentor' only gave her student a brief glance before looking at me.
"Hello, teachers," I greeted them politely.
"I told you, call me Sister Dinah. And this is Sister Aphra~"
"Uh... okay. Hello, Sister Dinah. Hello, Sister Aphra."
"Stop fooling around with Dinah. Just call me Mentor Aphra. Sofiri has mentioned you to me; I didn't realize you were that Xiao Han. I was wondering why I’ve been hearing about so many students named Xiao Han lately."
"It just shows how amazing Xiao Han is. She’ll be a very powerful witch in the future," Dinah said with a smile. "Looking at you two... it seems your relationship is a bit more familiar than just having heard a name? Where have you met?"
"Yes, we’ve met a few times," I said, before quickly trying to steer the conversation back to the main topic. Now wasn't the time for small talk. "Um... Mentor, about the Fool's Dream Drink and those fruit plants..."
"I know. I didn't want to come originally, but this one was being incredibly annoying, and then there’s my 'dear' student..." Aphra turned her head to look at Sofiri, who had her head bowed so low she didn't dare look up. Aphra looked like a frustrated parent whose child had failed to live up to expectations.
Sofiri had completely lost the confidence she’d had while making the phone call. It seemed she was the type who was terrified of her mentor.
Then again, that seemed to be Sofiri’s personality in general, though she was quite cheerful with people she knew well.
"You’re going to save the Fool's Dreams at the cat cafe, right? For the sake of the Fool's Dreams..." Aphra’s tone sounded reluctant, as if the Fool's Dreams had more 'face' than everyone else present combined.
At that moment, I realized that Sofiri’s earlier assessment of the Fool's Dreams' importance... had actually been an understatement.
While I was thinking this, Aphra had already led Sofiri to the breeding area.
I followed along, hoping to witness the techniques of a Transcendent Witch.
"Is this all?"
Led by Sofiri, Aphra arrived at the breeding plot. Looking at the half-bred seeds, her frown deepened. "Sofiri, come here. Is this how I taught you to breed plants?"
"Eek! Eek! Mentor, have mercy!"
Sofiri cried out, but she didn't dare dodge. She just closed her eyes and let Aphra pinch her ear.
From what I could see, the force was quite light. If it had been Betty’s mentor, she might have actually gotten serious.
Watching Aphra lecture her, Mentor Dinah and I watched with great interest from the side.
After finishing Sofiri’s 'education,' Aphra took direct control of the breeding nursery.
I looked at the pitiful-looking Sofiri and thought to myself that I must comfort her later. She had been willing to endure this for the sake of the Fool's Dreams; she really was suffering for the cause...
With Aphra taking action, the seed condensation that Sofiri couldn't do quickly was now completing at a speed visible to the naked eye. The speed exceeded my expectations; I had thought it would take a long time.
"These seeds aren't even Transcendent plants; they’re just plants with simple Transcendent energy adaptability. Have you still not mastered the condensation techniques for this level of plant?" Aphra lectured, giving Sofiri a flick on the forehead for good measure.
"I understand... I’ll go back and review immediately..."
"By the way, do you have any other projects lately? If not, use these plants as your research samples. Don't just sit around doing nothing. You haven't even fully utilized this plantation yet; don't let my efforts go to waste."
"Ugh... yes..."
"I’ll leave the rest of the cultivation to Sofiri."
"Wait! Aphra, I personally invited you here, and you can't even give me the goods today?" Dinah quickly grabbed Aphra’s arm and asked.
"Give them to you today? What do you think plants are? If it were ordinary grass, I could make it grow out of the top of your head right now. But these are plants involving Transcendent power. It’ll take a few days at least. Do you really expect me to personally accelerate the growth of fruit that isn't even fully Transcendent?"
"It’s not like you haven't done it before. What’s one more batch? Just help me out until the end?"
"No."
"How about I give you a custom Cat Card from the cafe? A Fool's Dream custom card back? I’m planning to release those soon."
"Deal."
I stood there blankly, listening to the two witches' conversation. Something felt a bit off...
Custom Cat Cards?
Fool's Dream card backs?
What kind of operation was this?
"What’s wrong? If you want one, I can get you one too. A limited edition version," Dinah said, walking over to me with a smile after having settled the deal.
"Th-thank you." I eventually accepted. After all, no one can refuse the words 'limited edition.'
"That’s more like it. Xiao Han, I saw that you and Aphra seemed to know each other? How did you meet?"
"Um... do I have to say?" Since it involved the Small World, I didn't want too many witches knowing I had been there before the exploration team. It felt a bit too showy.
"You don't have to. But... can you teach me the technique for mixing the Fool's Dream Drink? I see traces of magic potion brewing in it. I think it might give me some inspiration for my own magic potion work."
"Sure. I was originally planning to teach the technique to the Fool's Dreams anyway, since it belongs to them. If Sister Dinah wants to learn, of course you can."
"What a good child. I’ll thank you in advance then~"
"By the way, Sister Dinah~" Seeing that the timing was right, I quickly called out to her to bring up the idea of promoting the Fool's Dream Drink at the Witch Cat Cafe.
"Is there something else? Hmm... let me guess. You want to promote the Fool's Dream Drink throughout the Witch Cat Cafe?" Seeing my expression and considering my previous actions and hints, Dinah had already guessed it.
Or rather, Dinah knew that even if I didn't bring it up, she would have. The Fool's Dream Drink was now vital for the Fool's Dreams; it was like giving them a welfare benefit.
"So Sister Dinah already knew..." I shifted my weight slightly, intentionally acting a bit embarrassed.
"Of course. It’s definitely possible. In fact, even if you didn't want to do it, I would have tried to convince you."
"I see... then I’ll leave everything to Sister Dinah’s judgment. I don't know much about these things..." I said, scratching my head.
"Aren't you afraid I’ll take advantage of you? Just handing over full authority like that?"
"Uh... I trust that Sister Dinah won't screw me over, right?"
"That’s not necessarily true, you know? Hehe... just kidding. You’re lucky you ran into me this time. You’ll have to be careful in the future; being this naive is a good way to get yourself sold off by someone else."
"Alright~ that’s enough talk. Someone will come to sign a contract with you regarding this later. You’re a freshman, right? If you’re short on money, you can tell me. Though I don't think you’ll be lacking for money after this."
"As long as I have enough to spend, I’m fine... Um, if there’s nothing else, I’ll head back first. I want to see how those Fool's Dreams are doing. I’m a bit worried about leaving them there."
"Go ahead. Say hello to the Fool's Dreams for me. By tomorrow at the latest, we should have enough raw materials."