Chapter 515: Returning to the Witch Academy
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 515: Returning to the Witch Academy
After enjoying Sister Bai’s enthusiastic service, she began drying herself off and stayed by my side at the sunbathing area, chatting with me for a long while.
Our topics were many and fragmented, yet Sister Bai was perfectly content to keep the conversation going. It wasn't until the area began to fill with more witches that we finally decided to leave.
While chatting with Sister Bai, we also discussed my plans for this party. The event was only scheduled to last a few days. Though called a "party," it was really just an opportunity for witch sisters who hadn't left their homes in ages to let loose and enjoy themselves. There was no fixed itinerary; you could do whatever you wanted. The presence of "older sisters" from other races to provide a bit of exotic flair was merely the icing on the cake.
Once the party concluded, I planned to head back to the academy.
The Witch Academy was my final sanctuary in the Main World, so returning there was the natural choice. More importantly, I wanted to find the Academy Dean to discuss the feasibility of the Great Knowledge Seed proposal and gauge the academy's level of acceptance toward such matters.
As of now, I had only attempted a transaction with Lucianne. One or two instances could be considered a private trade between consenting parties, but if the scale increased and the authorities ultimately forbade it, the nature of the situation would change entirely.
I had discussed this with Sister Bai as well. She was supportive, agreeing with my idea of using this method to get others to "work" for me. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
After all, that seemed to be the way of the witch race. The fact that other races often said, "Never believe a word a witch says unless it's written into a Witch Contract," was proof enough of how much trouble witches had caused everyone else.
Sister Bai also predicted that if the Great Knowledge Seed were to be promoted... it would be highly feasible in other worlds or among other races, as they were easy to fool. However, to spread it within the witch race itself, the best solution would be to establish a Witch Contract to guarantee the basic rights of the witches involved.
At this stage, the students within the Witch Academy weren't yet true Transcendent Witches. The Academy Dean would almost certainly take my side, as this was a "downwardly compatible" process of mutual benefit. It was a fair trade that didn't involve any Transcendent Witches. As for whether they would become Transcendent Witches in the future?
That was a bridge to cross when we got there.
With Sister Bai’s analysis and encouragement, my confidence grew significantly. Once again, I witnessed the internal solidarity and inclusivity of the Transcendent Witch community. This innate racial cohesion was something other races both envied and feared.
* * *
Time flew by, and a few days later, the party drew to a close.
During this time, I experienced many interesting things. For instance, when we encountered massive waves, several witches suggested trying our hand at surfing. Surfing amidst such colossal tides was a rare experience, after all.
Later, while passing through a deep-sea fishing ground, Lin Yi invited me to try boat fishing. I heard that one witch had secretly dived underwater to hook fish onto the lines of the witches on the boat, only to be discovered... and actually hauled up by a hook.
The enraged "fishing fanatic" witches then used their thickest fishing lines to hang her from the yacht as a warning to others...
I have to admit, the party was incredibly lively. It was the most memorable one I’d attended so far. However, it was merely an interlude in my vacation; it couldn't last forever.
Of course, Sister Bai and I hadn't just been idling away the time in pure indulgence.
Sister Bai spent time socializing and building rapport with the other witch sisters. Her social skills were far superior to mine, after all.
Meanwhile, I made some light contact with other students. Once I confirmed the feasibility of the Great Knowledge Seed with the Academy Dean, I intended to promote it—especially to Tan Han and Ninglan Qiuyue. As Children of Destiny, they were the ones I valued most.
As for whether making them work for me would lead to a backlash from their destiny—such as some miraculous encounter allowing the Tree of Great Knowledge to escape my control—I wasn't worried. As long as I maintained my own pace, I was confident such a thing wouldn't happen.
Furthermore, if they truly tried to sever their connection with me, they would be resisting the spell effects of a Great Spellbook. It would be like trying to resist the Main World Great Weakening Spell. While I admit my power couldn't compare to the Great Weakening Spell, the Tree of Great Knowledge still held the rank of a Great Spellbook.
* * *
After leaving the yacht, Sister Bai and I returned to our original villa, changed back into our regular clothes, and prepared for the journey back.
There were many ways to return to the Witch Academy. Even though the academy was isolated by the Curtain Wall, there were many channels connecting it to the metropolis of Magic City, aside from the one I had used when I first enrolled.
The Witch Academy was built by layering spatial spells like the Curtain Wall over Magic City. It felt somewhat similar to the False World Space Great Witchcraft used by wizard academies, yet there were fundamental differences.
To be honest, despite living in the Main World for so long, I had never actually visited Magic City for fun. Applying to the Witch Academy was truly the choice that changed my life.
On our way back, Sister Bai took me on a long tour of Magic City, the most developed place in the Main World, letting me see a side of the world I had never glimpsed before.
"I get the feeling you're still not quite ready to leave, Xiao Han?"
"I definitely haven't had enough fun yet. But... I suppose it's time to go back, right? How are we getting there this time?" I sighed, finally casting aside that lingering bit of mindless hedonism, and looked at Sister Bai.
"There are actually many special spots in Magic City where you can open the Curtain Wall to travel to and from the Witch Academy. They're hidden all over the city. In fact, students out on missions usually leave the academy through these points."
"Sounds very mysterious..." I remarked.
"It certainly is to ordinary people. The outside world's fantasies about the Transcendent are often accompanied by a sense of mystery. Even though Transcendent incidents of various sizes happen all over the world, they remain out of reach for most people," Sister Bai explained patiently.
"Is it really that rare?" I truly didn't know much about what she was describing. For the old me, the academy, my home, and the road connecting them had been my entire world.
But thinking back to my time in school, news of Transcendent events happening somewhere was always a hot topic during breaks. Those who were well-informed could list those rumors off like the back of their hand.
I followed Sister Bai into a cafe. Judging by the interior decor, it looked remarkably similar to... the Witch Cat Cafe in the academy?
I wondered if it was just an illusion, but when I used my Spirit Vision to look through the Curtain Wall at the space layered over this location, I realized this place actually corresponded to a Witch Cat Cafe within the academy!
"Xiao Han, want a cup before we go back? Though the coffee here is pretty much the same as the academy's," Sister Bai asked with a smile.
"Sure. I'll try Magic City's coffee before we leave and see if there's any difference in taste." I readily agreed to her suggestion.
After ordering at the counter, Sister Bai didn't immediately look for a seat. Instead, she walked over to a young girl in a cafe uniform who looked quite busy.
"What can I get for the two of—" The girl started to ask habitually, but when she looked up and saw Bai Yu, her pupils suddenly constricted. "My apologies, I was busy with something just now."
She stood up quickly, a smile spreading across her face—one that carried a hint of fawning. "Are you two looking to return to the academy?"
Her voice was low, just loud enough for the two of us to hear. I could sense that her physical fitness was quite high, and there were clear traces of Witchification, though she currently lacked a Mana Source.
It was easy to guess who she was: likely a senior sister who had already graduated.
"Yes," Sister Bai nodded, wasting no words.
"Um, I still need to verify the off-campus application..." she began as she realized I was returning as well.
"No need. I am a teacher, and she is my teaching assistant," Sister Bai interrupted.
"Oh, a teacher..." A flash of surprise crossed the girl's face. Usually, mentors from the Witch Academy wouldn't enter through such a formal route. They had many other methods, the simplest being tearing through space with spatial spells to teleport or blink.
In the minds of students, a mentor's time was precious. Who would go out of their way to take the long route?
And yet, she had run into exactly that today!
"My apologies... I didn't recognize you. Um, teachers, are you leaving immediately?"
"We'll have a cup of coffee here first. Just tell us where the channel opens. It's my first time at this location."
"The channel is in the back. You can call me whenever you're ready, and I'll lead you there."
"Alright, that's all for now."
Sister Bai nodded and said nothing more. Throughout the entire exchange, the other customers didn't notice a thing, as if the conversation had never even happened.
Sister Bai pulled me over to a window seat.
"Sister Bai, is that really it? It feels... so casual..." I asked curiously, taking a small sip of my coffee.
"As long as things are made clear, it's fine. There's really nothing mysterious about it. Don't go having any overly stylized fantasies about this, Xiao Han, or the process becomes a real headache," Sister Bai said nonchalantly.
She had been a student at the Witch Academy once, so she had naturally left the academy this way many times. It was just that there were so many channels between the academy and Magic City that she simply hadn't been to this specific one before. The process, however, was largely the same.
"Besides, if you're a student, you need proof of an off-campus application to return. Otherwise, it's considered 'stowaway' behavior, and you'll be punished. But for mentors and teaching assistants, that requirement doesn't apply."
"I see, it's quite a hassle... By the way, that shopkeeper—she's a senior sister who graduated from the academy, right?"
"Indeed. Many graduated students choose to help out in the academy's businesses. You could call it... a job placement program after graduation. The pay and benefits are quite good. However, generally speaking, you aren't allowed to use Transcendent powers in the outside world after graduating, so she likely sold her spellbook and Mana Source."
"I see..." I nodded. I really didn't know much about these things. Looking at it this way, a Transcendent academy was much better than an ordinary university. After all, upon graduation, you could immediately reach a higher platform, step into the Void, and see a much wider world. And if you chose to leave the academy after failing to graduate, they even provided job placement.
I didn't know how other academies handled their non-graduating students—or if they even had such a concept—but the benefits at the Witch Academy were truly excellent.
No wonder the Witch Academy had such a poor reputation outside, yet so many girls still volunteered to apply. Those girls certainly had a good eye for opportunity.
After tasting the hand-ground coffee of Magic City, I couldn't say much about the flavor, but it was certainly refreshing. I hadn't slept much on the yacht over the past two days and had felt a bit of fatigue after leaving, but this cup of coffee chased most of it away.
We didn't linger.
Led by the shopkeeper, we arrived at a passage in the back of the cafe, and then... we ended up in the employee restroom.
"Wait... the restroom?" I looked at the shopkeeper skeptically, my face full of disbelief.
"Um... haha, I'm really sorry. I don't get to decide the location. I don't know which mentor had the wicked sense of humor to set it here, but... it is very discreet. Do you need any help? Or do you two know how to operate it?"
"I know how to work it. No need to trouble yourself, thank you for leading the way," Sister Bai said dismissively, sending the shopkeeper off.
"You find it strange, don't you, Xiao Han?" Now that only the two of us were left in the restroom, Sister Bai spoke up.
"Yeah... what a weird teleportation channel..." I grumbled. However, I could indeed sense something off about the place; there seemed to be a permanent teleportation channel fixed here.
"You probably haven't seen the weirder ones. There are channels like this in many inconspicuous spots in Magic City: nursing rooms in public areas, phone booths, public restrooms, and so on. None of them are particularly strange. If you'd seen those, you wouldn't be making such a fuss about this one."
"That really is... strange! Too strange."
"The Witch Academy is an independent space built on top of Magic City. These simple teleportation channels have to be opened in a way that doesn't interfere with the city's normal operations. You have to consider both sides. You can't exactly teleport onto the middle of a main street, can you? You'd scare the passersby. More importantly, it's to avoid unnecessary trouble. Never underestimate an ordinary person's curiosity regarding Transcendent phenomena."
"I mean, the logic makes sense... I just wanted to complain a bit..."
I watched as Sister Bai reached out and parted the space before us. A rift-like existence connected Magic City to the Witch Academy.
"Let's go. Since we've chosen to return, it's time to move. If you want to go out and play next time... you can try going out on your own."
"Mhm."
I nodded and watched Sister Bai step through. Then, she reached her hand back toward me. Without further hesitation, I took her hand and stepped into the Witch Academy.
"Phew~ I'm back." The moment my feet touched the academy's grounds, I felt instantly revitalized.
Stepping out from the passage, I found myself in the Witch Cat Cafe I had seen earlier.
"Eh? It's Sister Xiao Han! I didn't expect you to come here, Sister Xiao Han! I'm so happy~!"
As soon as I appeared, Fool's Dream, who was in the cafe, spotted me and ran over joyfully.