Chapter 470: The Information Gap Between Teaching Assistants and Candidates
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 470: The Information Gap Between Teaching Assistants and Candidates
"Once we arrive at the Bobapus Archipelago, you'll need to participate in the maintenance of that so-called False World Space Great Witchcraft. After all, during the Joint Exam, the archipelago will be swarming with tourists. It wouldn't be good if Transcendent power accidentally leaked and affected ordinary people. You'll also be expected to settle any farces or trouble arising from that."
"It sounds like a lot of busywork. But is such an important spell from the Wizard Academy really just opened up for us to maintain?" I listened to Sister Bai’s explanation, feeling it sounded a bit troublesome, and I had plenty of questions.
"Do you think this kind of witchcraft knowledge is precious? Many Academic Witches in our academy don't even need to see the spell structure or the accompanying Wizard Tools; they only need to understand the intended effect to create a spellbook with similar results. The reason we're using the Wizard Academy's version is simply because they hosted the previous Joint Exams that used this format."
"I see..." I nodded. "Then what does the Witch Academy provide during all this?"
"We provide the candidates~" Sister Bai said with a smile.
"Huh?"
"Is there any contribution more important than providing high-quality candidates for a Joint Exam? If you insist on another contribution... well, that would be the Ley Line live streaming and broadcast permissions." At this point, Sister Bai paused to organize her thoughts before continuing. "Our Witch Academy has the most superior methods for utilizing Ley Line information. Because of this, we don't need battlefield reporters for live broadcasts during the exam. This technology—real-time streaming with adjustable Ley Line viewpoints—is just like the broadcast during the Dream Exchange Competition. That, too, borrowed the power of the Dream Ley Lines."
"It's that powerful?" My eyes widened. I hadn't expected this nearly overlooked ability of the Witch Academy to be so formidable.
But then again... it made sense. Even I, who hadn't yet advanced to the Transcendent level, could touch the domain of Ley Line energy. It went without saying for those Transcendent Witches.
However, while I could currently utilize Ley Line data, if I wanted to achieve such large-scale real-time broadcasting, the Identification Art of my Tree of Knowledge definitely wasn't up to the task yet. Perhaps I could do it later once I derived related abilities, but certainly not now.
As expected, the methods of Transcendent Witches were truly powerful. By comparison... didn't my Ley Line Information Identification Art seem a bit ordinary?
"Of course. However, extracting Ley Line visuals on such a large scale requires a clear Ley Line environment. This requires people who have researched Ley Line energy to perform maintenance in case of emergencies; otherwise, visuals in certain areas might be lost." Sister Bai nodded confidently, though she also pointed out the technical limitations.
"Oh! So, a live stream network security officer!"
"Haha, yes, something like that. But it's a dual test of physical stamina and skill; it's not something just anyone can handle. Generally speaking, Teaching Assistants shouldn't expect to do that. TAs mostly help with trivial matters, supply drops, and guiding or receiving eliminated students."
"Receiving eliminated students? Right, I haven't looked into the student elimination mechanism yet."
"Elimination means 'dying' within that False World spatial spell. Their main body will be repelled from the spell's effect and return to reality."
"So, there's actually no risk of death in this Joint Exam at all, right?" I asked. It felt similar to the effect of the Primal Dream, except this was being done in the real world. Of course, the degree of freedom couldn't compare to a place like a dream that could be fabricated at will.
"Yes, but that fact hasn't been revealed to the students yet. In fact, the Joint Exam notice explicitly states it carries a high risk of death." At this point, a playful smile played on Sister Bai's lips.
I couldn't help but laugh along. Alright, alright, so that's how we're playing it?
"Wait, that's not right! Since this kind of Joint Exam has happened before, the Wizard Academy and the other schools should already know!" I reacted immediately.
"Those are the previous students. If the current candidates can learn about this from their seniors, then that's their own skill and falls within the rules. Besides, the Joint Exam rules don't explicitly state this. Do you think students would gamble with their lives?"
"I guess you're right..." I nodded, my heart starting to stir.
It seemed like participating in this Joint Exam wasn't such a bad idea after all.
"Oh! There's one more thing I forgot to mention." Sister Bai seemed to suddenly remember.
"What else?"
"This trip to the Bobapus Archipelago is, in a way, a vacation on the public dime. The teachers and TAs participating in the exam can enjoy a resort holiday there. After all, the Bobapus Archipelago is a famous tourist destination, and it perfectly bridges into the upcoming mid-term break."
"Really! Then... then are you going too, Sister Bai?" I asked excitedly.
If I could go on a trip with Sister Bai, I didn't care where it was!
Besides, the name Bobapus Archipelago immediately brought to mind images of beaches, the ocean, beauties, Sister Bai in a bikini... Cough! My blood was starting to boil! If the one wearing that was Sister Bai...
"Me? Naturally, I'm going." When asked, Sister Bai seemed to think of her own responsibilities. A sharp, formidable aura flashed for a split second—so fast it felt like an illusion—before she quickly changed the subject. "Xiao Han, were you just thinking about something inappropriate for minors?"
"No! Not at all!" I waved my hands frantically, denying that I was fantasizing about Sister Bai wearing a bikini and getting all cozy with me on the beach.
"Really?" Sister Bai’s hand pressed against my waist, rubbing against the thin fabric of my clothes.
"Hiss—Really!" Feeling the stimulation against the tender skin of my waist, the stinging pain from the ointment also flared up, forcing me to focus on controlling my physical senses.
"Um, Sister Bai, what are you going there for? It can't be... that something unexpected will happen during this Joint Exam, right?"
"Yes, there will indeed be some 'little surprises' during this exam. We need some martial force to act as a deterrent, to prevent a surprise from turning into a scare." Sister Bai admitted it quite openly. Only then did she move her hand away from my waist, giving the soft flesh there a little squeeze before finally withdrawing it with satisfaction.
"I'm... really not surprised by that at all," I said, ignoring her teasing. I wasn't sure if I was referring to the "little surprises" or her taking advantage of me—probably both.
She had already had her fill of "tofu" while applying the ointment earlier...
Afterward, Sister Bai explained the specifics of other matters to me and told me to open the academy system to apply.
After my status as a Teaching Assistant was recognized by the academy, my system had been updated. My default identity was now set to TA.
To contribute to this multi-school Joint Exam, one had to apply. The application required a description of one's abilities, and tasks would be assigned accordingly.
After all, this was an assessment area covering islands, the sea surface, the seabed, reefs, and various other terrains. Naturally, the more hands on deck, the better.
Similarly, we had to guard against petty tricks from other academies. One should never underestimate the "quality" of the opposition. This Joint Exam would involve nearly all the Children of Destiny. I refused to believe there wasn't some "Script" involved.
And the "little surprise" Sister Bai mentioned earlier was likely an arrangement within the scope of the Script.
In the struggle for Luck, playing a few tricks was perfectly normal, which was why Sister Bai kept emphasizing that I should be careful.
If I encountered a Transcendent from an opposing academy playing tricks, I was to run immediately and report it; other Transcendent Witches would handle it. Generally, Transcendents wouldn't act personally; otherwise, a single report brought into the open could trigger a full-blown Transcendent War.
So, if there were any tricks... they would most likely be pulled by the TAs.
Other academies had similar roles—academy management who hadn't yet achieved Transcendent status. They were mostly selected from the students, though the selection criteria varied slightly between schools.
Sister Bai used the Three Top Academies as examples to explain this to me.
For instance, the Afuhemi Academy had the World Tree Guardian Team, also known as the Mother God Guard. To become a member, one had to possess the absolute confidence to advance to Transcendent before graduation.
Once they joined, they received a massive tilt in resources. It was quite different from the nature of a TA at the Witch Academy. After all, only true geniuses could join the Guard. The Witch Academy's TAs were much more casual; if you failed to become a Transcendent, your TA status was simply revoked, but you could still graduate normally and take your time afterward.
Then there were the Wizard Tower Floor Lords of the Wizard Academy, who took orders from the Transcendent Tower Lords. This was somewhat similar to our TAs, helping the Tower Lord manage the Wizard Apprentices—the students who could join the Wizard Tower.
Finally, there were the Preaching Angels of the Holy Angels, which were even more impressive. To hold this position, one needed innate talent. Furthermore, Preaching Angels were responsible for Holy Light churches all over the Main World, spreading the Holy Light Will. There was a reason why there were so many Holy Light believers and Ascetics in the Main World.
These non-Transcendent groups were also one of the main forces in this Joint Exam. When Sister Bai told me this, her implication was clear: while this was a struggle between lower-year students, was it not also a game between the seniors?
It was just that this game had entry barriers like the TA role, as Transcendents found it inconvenient to step onto the field.
This was a comparison of Luck. All the academies were trying to expand the struggle for Luck; it shouldn't be limited to freshmen, nor just the lower grades.
The seniors in the higher grades possessed great power. They, too, could become catalysts for the Script, enough to make the collision between the Script and the struggle for Luck even more intense.
But according to my understanding... wasn't this just like the "connections" battle of a protagonist in a novel?
If the protagonist can't beat someone, calling for backup is a mandatory skill.
So in the end, I was still dragged into it.
But the current me was no longer afraid of this Script. The leap in my level allowed me to look at many things without fear.
Moreover... I was quite interested in the power of Luck. The driving force of Luck and the Script was truly terrifying; it was scary to watch, but I also coveted it.
Back in Ninglan New City, I had used the power of the First Generation City Lord and Transcendent items to manipulate Luck. I had experienced its terror firsthand. The perfection of my Dream Rewriting Spell, Nightmare Spells, and so on—the power of Luck was indispensable. That was one of the fundamental reasons I craved it.
If possible, I wanted to use the power of Luck to give my Tree of Great Knowledge a push. After all, if I hadn't appeared back then, the Academy Dean had a backup plan for the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art: introducing it into the Script and using the Script's momentum to perfect it.
I just wanted to do something similar to what the Dean did. I wasn't doing anything wrong. The Script was right there; it dragged me in, so why shouldn't I use it?
So, I had many reasons supporting my decision to go to this Joint Exam. But ultimately, the main reason was that Sister Bai was going. I couldn't refuse a private vacation with her. It was a perfect way to spend the mid-term break and make up for the regret of not having her with me during my world tour in that small world.
Hmm... I feel like I can start preparing beach gear now. Let's see, what do I need?
Parasol... lounge chair... sunscreen... essential oils... swimsuit... Something strange seemed to have slipped in there, but it didn't matter. I didn't lack money, and I certainly didn't lack storage space!
After finishing today's Tactile Sense cultivation, Sister Bai finally let me go.
After becoming a TA, the academy had issued me a residence in another independent villa. However, they hadn't canceled the room card for my original shared villa, so I could still live in my old place.
Before I went to see Sister Bai today, I had heard Hong Chenyi say she was going to a temporary class meeting and asked if I wanted to go. Naturally, I had declined.
At the time, I could have guessed with my toes that it was about the Joint Exam. Back then, I was still immersed in the mindset that I didn't have to participate, so there was no need to know. But now... I felt it was necessary to look into it and see what discrepancies existed between the information the students received and what Sister Bai had told me.
Of course, as a TA, I wouldn't reveal any of that information.
It was just that I hadn't told the others in my dorm about becoming a TA yet. Thinking about it now, there was no need to hide it, so I might as well take this opportunity to explain.
With that thought, I turned on my phone.
Instantly, countless messages popped up.
A quick glance showed that most were private messages asking if it was true that I had become a TA, while some were direct congratulations.
The class group was also full of cheers, and the Mutual Aid Group was absolutely exploding.
I didn't have time to reply to the private messages one by one, but I had time to check the dorm group. In the dorm group, Hong Chenyi was in a state of shock, spamming the chat, leaving Dongli Yiren and Guan Qiuling completely bewildered. It wasn't until Yu Yuetian explained things to them that they understood the situation.
"Tsk—exposed? Don't tell me Teacher Ji Niang just blurted it out during the class meeting..." I massaged my temples, feeling a bit caught off guard. But it was fine; at least having this identity out in the open would save some trouble.
Looking at the dorm chat, they seemed to be back. I was just about to head back myself, so I'd come clean with them then.