Chapter 451: Sister Bai’s Protective Streak
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 451: Sister Bai’s Protective Streak
"The Tree of Knowledge?"
"That’s right~ Should I tell you how powerful this spell is, Sister Bai—"
"That’s enough, Xiao Han. You should keep secrets regarding your spells to yourself. There’s no need to reveal everything to others, not even to me." Bai Yu interrupted me directly. "Knowing the name of the spell is enough for me."
"Alright..." I nodded obediently. Even though Sister Bai had become a Transcendent Witch, she still maintained such strict secrecy regarding spells. This was a signal to me.
It meant the Void outside the world was not nearly as harmonious as I had imagined. Then again, it made sense; I had almost been lulled into a false sense of security by the peaceful atmosphere of the Witch Academy.
I seemed to have asked Teacher Ji Niang a similar question before. At the time, I wanted to determine whether the environment of the Void meant I should prioritize exploring the Transcendent or gaining power.
Clearly, most of my current actions were focused on exploration, because the Witch Academy I resided in was a relatively peaceful environment.
However... before long, the Main World would likely fall into chaos as well. That small world was about to collide with us.
Still... I was quite curious about what a collision between worlds actually looked like.
I couldn't imagine a scene I had never witnessed. Or rather, I had never truly been to the Void to see the true form of a world within it.
"By the way, Sister Bai, I wanted to tell you something. I’m not sure if you’ve heard?" I stood up, kneeling with one leg on my chair and resting both hands on Sister Bai’s desk.
"What is it?"
"It’s something related to the Main World."
What I wanted to talk about was, of course, the matter of that small world. Sister Bai had been busy promoting to a Transcendent Witch and had just missed the start of these events. But since it was going to happen soon anyway, telling her now would only mean she found out a little earlier.
"Something related to the Main World?" Bai Yu became curious. Was something else about to happen?
"Yes. The Main World is about to be struck by a small world," I stated. I cast a brief glance at Mentor Stacy; I wasn't trying to hide this from her while speaking to Sister Bai.
Judging by her reaction, she was clearly paying close attention to our conversation.
"A small world? Striking the Main World? Are you sure?" Sister Bai’s eyes widened. She truly hadn't known about this, nor had she ever experienced or even seen such an event.
"Do you mind if I jump into this conversation? I also apologize for my abrupt interruption earlier, but I must ask—where did you hear this news?"
Stacy stood up again and approached me. Her tone was no longer as frantic as before. Having had a moment to compose herself, Mentor Stacy was beginning to accept the current situation and her new setting.
"Um... does Mentor Stacy think I’m joking?"
"I don't mean to discourage you, but this actually falls within my field of expertise. You mentioned the Main World just now, but do you understand its unique nature?" Stacy’s tone became confident, taking on the air of a teacher giving a lecture.
"Yes, I know a little bit," I said modestly with a nod.
"Good. But unfortunately, the Main World’s position in the Void is very awkward. I’ve read the relevant literature, and I can say with absolute certainty that no worlds of any form exist in the vicinity of the Main World’s Void domain. Therefore, the probability of a small world naturally colliding with the Main World is practically zero."
"Huh? No worlds exist near the Main World?" This was the first time I had heard this.
Wait... if there were no small worlds near the Main World, then the probability of me being reverse-summoned by a world outside using my Luck as a beacon meant it had to be that specific small world, right?
After all, that small world was the work of the Abyssal Demons. According to the Academy Dean, it was their "entry ticket" into the Main World.
So... the Dean actually had a lot of room to maneuver regarding my "otherworld experience"...
But knowing this now didn't seem very useful. The event had already happened, and I hadn't lost anything.
"Exactly. If this is some rumor you heard somewhere, it’s most likely false," Stacy said firmly.
"Hmm... so what the Academy Dean said might be false too?"
"The... the Academy Dean?" The certainty on Stacy’s face flickered into stiffness, though she quickly masked it. "Is that so? Then it implies there might be a hidden hand behind this..."
"The Dean told me it was the work of Abyssal Demons. Mentor Stacy, you just arrived at the academy, so you might not be aware, but our year has been full of twists and turns since the start of the term. The shadow of Abyssal Demons lurks behind many of these events."
"Abyssal Demons?" Stacy’s expression turned grave at the mention of the term. It seemed she knew something. However, she quickly shifted back to a gentle expression and looked at me. "Then it’s not surprising. Xiao Han, do you know any other news? Although I’ve been at this academy for a few days, I still don't know much about what’s been happening. Could you tell me more?"
"Um... well..." I instinctively looked at Sister Bai to see her reaction.
"Xiao Han is just a student, after all; she doesn't know that much. A lot of information regarding the academy isn't made public to students. If you listen to Xiao Han’s personal speculations, it might lead to a biased misunderstanding. If you have the chance, you should interact more with the other witches. They’d probably be happy to share whatever gossip or entertainment they’ve picked up," Bai Yu spoke up.
"True. But I’m not very good at striking up conversations with other witches. How about Xiao Han just tells me some interesting anecdotes? I’m curious to see what the academy’s events look like from a student’s perspective. Of course, I won't ask for free. How about I give you a spellbook?" Stacy asked with a smile, a spellbook suddenly appearing in her hand.
"Oh, sure~"
Seeing how generous this mentor was—tossing out a spellbook just for some talk—I wasn't about to refuse. Regardless of the spell's power, even a single-use Evocation spell could be turned into something spectacular in my hands.
Besides, it was a gesture of goodwill from the teacher. She’d find out about these things sooner or later anyway, so getting a free spellbook wasn't a bad deal. Even if the information I revealed was valuable, I didn't have any other way to monetize it.
"What does Mentor Stacy want to know? If I know it, I’ll basically tell you everything!" I said, briskly taking the spellbook.
I instinctively used my Identification Art on it, but the result was unexpected.
The information it returned was very blurry, and there was very little data recorded about it in the Ley Lines. I guessed this mentor hadn't used it in this world yet. Of course, the fact that it originated from outside the Main World was likely a major factor.
I tucked it into my Spellbook Shelf and felt it out for a moment. The internal notes appeared: it was a two-digit consumption Evocation spell. Not bad, but nothing extraordinary.
Then, I turned my attention back to Stacy. After all, I had accepted her gift.
"Right. You said things have been turbulent since the start of the term and that the Abyssal Demons are behind it? So, are the Abyssal Demons the biggest force moving things in the Main World right now?"
"Pretty much... but I think the even bigger force is the World Script."
"The World Script? You know about that too?" Stacy was slightly surprised. Didn't she remember that information regarding Luck and Scripts was not supposed to be circulated in the Main World?
"Yeah. That was also the work of the Abyssal Demons. During an incident that affected several Children of Destiny, they got angry and leaked the information out of spite."
"Did the Academy Dean not do anything about it?" Stacy asked with a frown. She couldn't understand this; leaking such a concept surely did more harm than good.
"Um... no. The academy just gave it the cold shoulder."
"The cold shoulder... does the Dean have some deeper meaning for doing that..." Stacy muttered to herself.
Afterward, I told Mentor Stacy about some recent events, but most of it was limited to what I had heard before going to the small world.
As for what happened after that, that was for Sister Bai’s ears only.
"Sister Bai, it’s getting late. Why don't we go grab something to eat? Let’s call it dinner," I suggested, checking the time on my phone.
"Sure, let’s go. Where do you want to eat, Xiao Han?"
"Hmm... the cafeteria? How about that? I honestly don't know where else to go, and the cafeteria is at least affordable."
"The cafeteria it is, then." Sister Bai nodded and led me straight there.
"Xiao Han, you didn't really have to tell her all that. If you need spellbooks, you can just ask me. I can give them to you."
"Oh, it was all just trivial information," I said dismissively.
"The point isn't whether the information was trivial... fine, it’s nothing. At least you have me."
"Um... Sister Bai, is there something wrong with that mentor, Stacy?" I was starting to realize I might have spoken too much earlier. Perhaps it was just a desire to show off?
It seemed I had another habit I needed to watch out for.
"I don't know if there’s anything 'wrong' with her. Even after being around her for several days, I still don't know much about her. That’s the real problem."
"Well, is it possible she’s just like she said—not good at striking up conversations?"
"It’s possible. But Xiao Han, you must remember: whether it’s a person or a witch you’re meeting for the first time, you must maintain a degree of caution. Don't let small gains tempt you, or you might end up paying a heavy price."
"Oh, I know I messed up," I immediately apologized, lowering my head. Once I realized I was wrong, I was quick to admit it. "Then this meal is on me~ I’ve actually found a pretty good source of income lately."
"A good source of income?" Bai Yu suddenly became alert. "What kind of source? Xiao Han, you haven't started doing any... strange part-time jobs, have you?"
"Sister Bai, what kind of bad things are you thinking about? Why does the topic turn weird the moment it comes out of your mouth? Oh~ are you being protective of your food?"
"You can call it being protective if you want, but I’m mostly worried about you straying onto the wrong path," Bai Yu said seriously.
"Don't worry~ I’m not going to throw myself away~" Seeing how serious Sister Bai was, I realized this wasn't the best topic for jokes. "It’s actually about Fool's Dream. Remember the specialty Fool's Dream Drink? I’m collaborating with the Witch Cat Cafe using that. But the raw material supply has only just gotten on track, so I haven't actually received any money yet."
"Oh, so that’s what it is..."
"Yeah. What did you think it was, Sister Bai?"
"What’s your cut?"
"Um... I didn't really pay attention to the percentage..."
"Xiao Han, you should learn to fight for your own interests more," Bai Yu said with a sigh.
"I know... but I feel like as long as I have enough to spend, it’s fine. Besides, that money isn't Red Copper or Mithril or anything..."
"Sigh... I understand. You just don't have a concept of money yet. In the Transcendent world, resources are incredibly important. If you don't grab what you deserve now, you won't be able to hold onto anything later."
"Mhm... I get it..." I muttered with a pout. I had clearly heard her, but whether I had actually taken it to heart was another matter.
Soon, we arrived at the cafeteria. As I said, I paid the bill, and we picked a corner to sit down.
"Huh? Xiao Han, what are you doing?" Not long after we sat down, Bai Yu watched as my chopsticks reached over and stabbed the largest piece of meat on her plate.
"Sister Bai, didn't you say you were protective of your food? Why aren't you doing anything?"
"Eh?" Bai Yu blinked, quickly realizing I was teasing her about our earlier conversation. She let out a soft chuckle. "I am protective of my food, you know. If you take that meat, you’ll have to pay a much higher price to settle the debt later."
"Well~ I’m already in deep, so you can settle the debt however you like, Sister Bai. Even if I have to... pay in 'flesh'~" As I spoke, I held the piece of meat up between our eyes, as if the "flesh" I was referring to was just this piece of meat.
"Then it’s a deal?" Sister Bai showed a meaningful smile, her tone carrying a hint of anticipation.
"Yeah, we'll see about that later. But Sister Bai, aren't you curious about what happened to me after you left? And... about that small world hitting our Main World."
"You know about it? Don't tell me you were involved in that too?"
"Aww~ you guessed it already? How boring. So, while we eat, would you like to hear about that small world?" I asked, before stuffing the "stolen" meat into my mouth. I chewed slowly, as if trying to see if the meat from Sister Bai’s plate really did taste better than mine.
"As long as you’re willing to tell me, I’m happy to be your listener," Bai Yu said with a smile. Then, a Soundproofing Spell enveloped our small corner.