Chapter 536: Actively Entering the Script
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 536: Actively Entering the Script
After obtaining the research materials related to the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art from Mei Lind, the primary objective of my trip was essentially complete.
As for the refinement of the Qi Observation Art, I wasn't particularly concerned. In fact, once Dean Mei showed such keen interest in it, I knew I didn't need to invest much more energy into it myself. After all, that thing was merely a product of a sudden burst of inspiration; I hadn't even made any long-term development plans for it. What the Dean valued was simply the flow of Luck observed through the Qi Observation Art, backed by my Floating World Level Spirit Vision.
At this moment, perhaps out of a desire to leave Natalie cooling her heels a bit longer, Dean Mei chatted with me about many other things. For instance, she expressed concern about what I was currently busy with and advised me not to overwork myself, noting that my recent pace had been quite intense.
Of course, it might also be because I have now touched upon the core of Luck and Scripts. The Dean hoped I would venture out more and accomplish something significant. After all, she had already explained the current situation to me.
Nowadays, there are numerous Children of Destiny, causing Luck to be dispersed. Each Child of Destiny receives relatively little favor from the World Consciousness, making their actions seem like minor squabbles. This dispersion is unfavorable for the observation and refinement of the Qi Observation Art.
Fortunately, the Witch Academy’s introduction of those Players from the game worlds has unintentionally helped the situation.
Those Players descend upon the Main World using [Transcendent Knowledge] fragments as their core and Luck as their medium. In a sense, these Players can be considered pseudo-Children of Destiny, as the Luck they capture cannot be seized through conventional means.
The Witch Academy hopes to use these lawless fellows to stir up chaos in the Main World.
As for the consequences?
The worst-case scenario would simply be a reduction in the number of Children of Destiny in the Main World, leading to a higher concentration of Luck.
Indeed, as the Script progresses, this specific Script Node has developed to the point where even a Child of Destiny is no longer immune to death.
"By the way, Xiao Han, have you heard of the Horace Swamp?"
"Horace Swamp?" The name sounded familiar, and I quickly recalled the details. "Oh, I know it. I heard a massive spatial rift tore open there?"
"Correct. Do you know where it leads?"
"Um... it should be related to that small world that's colliding with us, right?" I guessed.
I had learned previously that if a small world encounters an accident during its integration with the Main World, it can affect the social stability of the Main World.
Earlier, Dean Mei Lind had even tried to bluff me, saying these spatial rifts would open up all over the world and throw everything into chaos.
"Yes. Xiao Han, are you curious about how that small world will eventually become part of the Main World?"
"Uh, of course I am," I nodded immediately.
Since the Dean brought it up, it meant she was about to enlighten me with some new common sense.
"Xiao Han, you should remember Ninglan New City, right? That miracle built upon ruins. Have you ever seen those ruins in any corner of the Main World?"
"No. So, Ninglan New City... is it on another planet? No, that doesn't seem right..."
"It would be more accurate to say it's in another layer of space. A complete world is composed of multiple overlapping spatial layers. If you want a similar analogy, it's like the relationship between the mundane city and the Witch Academy layered on top of it. We are currently in the Core World, the innermost core of the Main World, and its final pure land."
"An overlapping layer of space?" Reminded by the Dean, I reacted quickly. "Because they are in an overlapping state, any disturbance on a spatial level causes a collision, which then opens a passage between the two spaces. So, the spatial rift above the Horace Swamp is a natural passage to that world, right?" I fired off my thoughts in a string of questions.
"Correct," Dean Mei nodded.
"Is Ninglan New City there too?" I asked again.
"Yes. That world is known as the Expansion Realm outside the Core World. Beyond the Expansion Realm lies the Void Frontline World. You can probably infer their nature from the names, right? These overlapping spaces reach closer to the boundaries of the Void the further out they go."
"The essence of these overlapping worlds is to protect the Core World from damage. Furthermore, they serve as natural strategic depth to counter Void invasions."
"So that's how it is." This was the first time I had heard of this; I had naively assumed that beyond the world lay the vast universe.
"Mhm. I won't go into further detail directly. I'll organize the information and share it with you through the Tree of Knowledge later to satisfy your curiosity. I can see you're not much for small talk; you probably want to head back, don't you? I've kept you here chatting for so long, it's time to let you go."
"It's... it's not that serious..."
"It's fine. My office has been turned into such a mess that I won't get any peace anyway. Next time you want to visit, just come over. No need to give me advance notice, understood?"
"Mhm, mhm!" I nodded hastily in agreement.
After being seen out by the Dean, I breathed a small sigh of relief.
As I left, I saw Natalie sticking to her again. I had to admit, that level of persistence was... impressive.
However, considering she was doing it for my sake, I couldn't really say anything.
Instead, during my walk back, I took the time to look over the basic common sense regarding the world and the Void.
The common sense shared by the Dean wasn't extensive, but it was somewhat difficult to grasp, especially without many prior related concepts in my head.
The information recorded the three basic layers of a world. The Core World is the initial layer; worlds that only possess a Core World are generally called small worlds. The Expansion Realm is a transitional stage, a layer of space that paves the way for the Void Frontline World, and is one of the criteria for a small world transitioning into a medium-sized world.
When the Void Frontline World is fully formed and interfaces with the Void, and the world gives birth to Transcendent level life capable of entering the Void, only then is it called a large world.
As for the Void... it isn't just "outer space" as I understood it. The Void is a level where there is truly nothing. Because all material foundations are captured and cycled by worlds, they do not dissipate into the Void.
Therefore, the Void has almost no material particles, and even... almost no concept of material space!
In other words, anything relying on material observation—including material space itself—does not exist there.
Yet, the Void is still defined and exists because what lies outside the world is the Void, not Nothingness. What is missing is material space, not other forms of space.
Consequently, if an ordinary, non-Transcendent life form were to enter the Void, they would see nothing. The ability to observe light based on material space does not apply to the Void. Without material space, there is naturally no light, making it nearly impossible to perceive anything. It's not just vision; none of a biological creature's senses would perceive anything. Thus, to a non-Transcendent life form, the Void is indistinguishable from Nothingness.
Furthermore, if a non-Transcendent life form enters the Void, their life level cannot withstand the Void's erasure. Their material body would dissipate and be captured by a nearby world, returning to that world to re-enter the cycle of matter and soul essence.
Transcendent beings, however, possess a life level that allows them to enter the Void without dying. This is one of the reasons why Transcendent life can leave their world. To navigate the unseeable and unperceivable Void, one must observe it through "Real Time." Real Time is a concept that exists objectively, independent of material space, and its Real Five Senses are not limited to the material world.
Thus, the realm beyond the world is a Transcendent world, and the bonds between worlds are the communications between Transcendents.
If a person ascends to the Transcendent level and observes the Void, they will discover that it is not actually empty. The boundless Void has no visible borders; one can only see the River of Ley Lines spanning across it. Like a network of veins, it weaves a brilliant picture within the Void, resembling a starry sky. The extension of the ley lines allows worlds to be distributed throughout the Void, for worlds are the fruits borne by the ley lines within the Void.
Reading the Dean's description of the Void's wondrous scenery filled me with yearning, further strengthening my resolve to ascend to the Transcendent level!
Once this surge of excitement passed, I suddenly realized something. As my understanding of the world and the Void deepened, the value of the Reverse Summoning Spell I possessed seemed to far exceed my imagination!
It appeared to have moved beyond teleportation within material space and into the realm of Void-level transport!
It seemed I truly knew too little; I had to keep learning.
However, the things I wanted to learn likely weren't recorded in the Witch Academy's library, unless I reached a higher platform.
So, for now, while I had the time, I needed to solidify my foundations. I had been a bit flighty recently, constantly overdrawing my potential to produce results.
As for the Fool's Dream Meditation Method, it seemed I couldn't rush that either.
I currently had two things waiting for me to master: first, the basic books from the Witch Academy library, and second, the research materials on the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art I got from the Dean.
But just sitting around and learning slowly step-by-step wasn't my style. That kind of study and accumulation could take months or even longer. Looking back at my time since enrollment, whenever I tried to settle down for "secluded study," when had it ever lasted that long?
I knew my own limits.
The main point was that the Dean had once again said I was too rushed. Although she acknowledged my focus on the research of the Great Spellbook, even Transcendent Witches give themselves time to rest when researching such things.
Perhaps I should listen to the Dean's suggestion and choose a way to live my life that balances work and leisure.
Witchification is a long process. To become a true Witch, I would have to stay at the Witch Academy for a very long time.
But when I thought about what the Dean recommended for me, it felt a bit... uh... improper?
The Dean advised me to appropriately participate in the Script to stir the pot, setting traps for those Players and eventually harvesting them. I could even use the Tree of Great Knowledge to record the footage and bring it back for them to see. After all, Transcendents are not allowed to interfere in this Script.
Just a moment ago, those Witches who went to collect data were accused by other academies of flagrantly breaking the agreement. It took a long explanation before the matter was settled.
For some reason, when the Dean put it that way, I felt like I was the sole designated streamer on the Tree of Great Knowledge platform...
Transforming into a Script battlefield reporter to record various situations, stirring the pot for fun when bored, and then saying, "Don't forget to follow, and please tip the streamer with some knowledge, thank you sisters..."
Just thinking about that scene was enough to make my eyes bleed, okay?
But... it wasn't entirely out of the question?
It felt like... I hadn't looked for fun in a long time. For various reasons, I seemed to be suppressing my own nature, using the suggestion of self-improvement to tell myself that everything I did was meaningful, thereby ignoring my feelings about my surroundings.
Recalling when I hadn't yet touched the Transcendent realm, I was so naive and full of longing. I would even actively seek out fun, helping wayward boys (and girls) through the enrollment process.
Now I've become stronger, but everything seems to have been hollowed out by power, making me no longer the person I was. I have no friends around me. When I enrolled, I fantasized about starting a new life, but this new life still has no friends.
I look at my fellow students and the senior sisters with an air of superiority, looking down on everything. A sense of aloofness and disgust has spontaneously arisen within me.
One of the most painful things in life is realizing that the traits you despise have appeared in yourself.
It's reached the point where I can't get along with anyone. I even said those things to the girls in the bakery that day. Although I still don't regret what I said, I am contemplating more important matters.
"Going with the flow... perhaps the moment I felt a rejection reaction toward the Script, it was destined that I would become an outlier disliked by everyone within it."
As I said this, I was silently doing one thing: accepting the trend of Luck...
I admit I accepted the Dean's proposal, even though the ultimate goal was to fulfill my promise to her to harvest that game world.
But there was no doubt that if I wanted to come into contact with those Players and integrate into the Script, entering the game was the most convenient plan.
"Let me think..." I took out my phone and briefly explained the situation in the group chat.
This group chat was created for the research project related to the Tree of Great Knowledge. Since I was temporarily putting aside my research on the Tree of Great Knowledge, I had to let them know first. After all, except for the project related to the Fool's Dream Meditation Method, basically everything else was on the right track. Even if they encountered problems, they could contact me directly.
Of course, what I said to the two Witch sisters in the Fool's Dream Meditation Method project was a different story. I already had some ideas and was steadily progressing in my own way; in short, I told them not to worry.
They showed great tolerance for my temporary hiatus from research. After all, it was a rare holiday.
This actually surprised me a bit, but on second thought, it made sense. These Witches weren't like those followers who held a morbid expectation of me. I had simply overcomplicated things.
"Everything is mostly settled. Now I have plenty of time. Hmm... let's see how Luck will arrange things for me once I've entered the game."
At this moment, I cleared my mind, letting various thoughts echo in my head. Ignoring the presence of that Luck and yielding to a part of it, I soon felt a strange "throb."
"Oh... I remember now. The Shopkeeper still owes me a gift. Let's go see her. Since it's a fated encounter, the Shopkeeper should be in the bakery right now. Hehe~ I wonder what interesting things will be triggered?"