Chapter 607: How Important a Health Bar Is to a Player!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 607: How Important a Health Bar Is to a Player!
"Sister Winnie, is it really okay to do this? We’ll likely need to collaborate more with that Teaching Assistant Xiao Han later, especially since the language barrier alone..."
"Hmm? You must be a newcomer who hasn't followed me for long. It’s fine. In our eyes, Teaching Assistant Xiao Han is an unstable factor. We can cooperate with her, but she is by no means an indispensable partner. It’s best if she stays right there researching her tree and wastes the entire semester on it. As for the language issue, the Witch Academy isn't lacking in people who understand the language of this civilization."
With that, Teaching Assistant Winnie Baker fell silent.
She was right; the Witch Academy indeed had more than one person who understood that language. Miss Qiu Ruxin, for instance, was currently being well-looked-after by the Jack-of-all-trades Club. As long as they didn't openly fall out with Xiao Han, Qiu Ruxin remained quite easy to manipulate.
But more importantly... there was the Great Knowledge Seed.
While they were rarely circulated among students or even teaching assistants, they weren't non-existent. As long as one's mentor had some degree of capability, a bit of pleading with a soft-hearted mentor could usually secure one. After all, these things were practically standard-issue for the mentors themselves.
They had also learned from their mentors that for a Transcendent Witch, the Great Knowledge Seed was... nothing more than a "toy."
With a Great Knowledge Seed, learning a language didn't take long. Once you memorized the vocabulary and grammar, the rest was just a matter of constant communication and practice. They didn't need their speech to be beautiful or poetic; they just needed the refugees to understand them.
They certainly didn't need to beg Teaching Assistant Xiao Han to use her Knowledge Shadow spell. Although the Knowledge Shadow produced by a Great Knowledge Seed couldn't be cast on others, using it on oneself was more than enough.
They admitted that Xiao Han was capable—her research topics were worthy of discussion with mentors—and they even knew she possessed a "Great Spellbook," something far beyond their reach. They didn't care how she got it; they only knew that her having it was enough to make them burn with envy.
Precisely because of this, they were itching to get their hands on the piece of [Transcendent Knowledge] currently within reach.
They knew the main body of that [Transcendent Knowledge] was with Tan Han. That didn't matter; Tan Han couldn't use it. As for the remaining components, like the Heart of the Cold Wave, they were already plotting. There wasn't just one or two Hearts of the Cold Wave, but many. They didn't need to fuss over every single one; they just needed to know where they were. The rest was just a matter of going and taking them—simply a question of the price to be paid.
Until all the carrier components for that [Transcendent Knowledge] were gathered, fighting over them prematurely was pointless. It would just be a game of the items changing hands repeatedly.
However, setting aside the [Transcendent Knowledge], this trip to Ninglan New City was a move they absolutely had to win.
Why?
Civilization reconstruction. The reconstruction of a civilization meant the functioning of a society, which represented the opening of a market. Even if the initial investment was massive, it didn't matter. The market in the Main World was basically fixed, but the Expansion Realm was a blue ocean waiting to be developed.
For them, only those who knew how to play the game were qualified to reach out here.
And the clubs of the Witch Academy were the groups most qualified to do so.
Besides, it wasn't as if they had been idle these past few days.
The Witch Academy couldn't swallow the Expansion Realm alone, which was evident from the exchange students sent from other transcendent academies.
Furthermore, they had managed to squeeze some information out of those exchange students.
Those transcendent academies had sent people primarily to gain a foothold in places like Ninglan New City, and then carve out similar territories in the Expansion Realm to establish stable channels linked to their own academies.
Therefore, the people from the Witch Academy had to move fast. With the first-mover advantage on the line, they couldn't afford to waste a single second.
Of course, if possible, they didn't mind making things difficult for the guys from the other transcendent academies in the process.
They had also learned that Transcendent Mentors would not interfere in this journey to the Expansion Realm. Because of this, the other academies had gone to such great lengths to use the Witch Academy's side to let their exchange students establish teleportation channels.
By the same token, they knew that the mentor backing Xiao Han would not interfere with their normal negotiations.
* * *
While those people were busy scheming against others, I was carrying out my experiments step by step.
As for what those people were actually thinking, I had no interest in knowing. Everyone has their own ideas; there's no need to correct them.
However... I was forced to learn a bit about the current situation through the Tree of Great Knowledge.
While others were plotting, did they think I wasn't?
During these past few days, no one knew exactly what I had been doing.
Since the old Omni-Link Main Network Tree died and the newborn Omni-Link Main Network Tree took its place, it had been growing continuously. Its roots spread beneath the earth, forming a brand-new root-based Plant Network.
The most important aspect of a network is its connection points. The main body of the Omni-Link Main Network Tree isn't omnipotent, but it can interface with many things.
The "computers," "phones," and "televisions" of that former civilization's plant-based technology, and even the ley-energy-driven lightbulbs and appliances I had used, were all interfaced through the Plant Network. These were the modern infrastructure of a civilization.
And what the current Plant Network could interface with was... the roots of any plant!
Even if that plant was just a weed... even if doing so seemed meaningless.
But that was only because a weed had no inherent function. When the Plant Network spread across the entire Expansion Realm, who could guarantee that a weed wouldn't have a role under human intervention?
If one wanted to know how to quickly move a world-spanning human population from a state of savage starvation into a regional, unified social structure...
The answer was to have a leader capable of making all dissent vanish, someone who could unite everyone.
And how could that be achieved?
By granting them power.
It didn't matter if such a person was good or bad; as long as they could gather people and establish a stable, functioning social group, they were a good leader.
Only after a society moves past the stage of basic survival does it have the luxury to judge who is "good" or "bad."
But even then, it wouldn't be up to me to judge. It would depend on the refined values of this civilization and society. One must not forget that this civilization's lineage hadn't been broken; they would make their own choices.
And right now, I was taking the most important step.
Giving those people a path to master power. The rest was simply a matter of planting the Omni-Link Main Network Tree... across the entire Expansion Realm!
Power is just a tool, and "game players" are just a format. I wasn't trying to turn this civilization into something exactly like that game world.
I would give them a chance, which is why I didn't forcefully interfere in these matters. If they lacked confidence in their own culture and turned around to fully embrace my concepts while discarding their own civilization entirely, then that civilization had no potential for development. They would deserve to fall into my hands to be toyed with.
But it was still too early for all that. After all, if I wanted to realize these visions, I would certainly encounter resistance.
Didn't those other witches have their own visions? Conflict was inevitable.
And now... it was time to test my Power of Knowledge.
Integrating the Power of Knowledge into the Omni-Link Main Network Tree was a troublesome task. Key technical problems cropped up one after another, seemingly without end. Even with Sister Agnes helping me, I still had many unresolved issues.
Nevertheless, I was ready to let those people try it out. I mainly needed "experimental samples" to test the "product."
Of course, these were some "minor discoveries" I had made while integrating the Power of Knowledge into the Omni-Link Main Network Tree system.
As the saying goes, only a practical foundation can support a burst of inspiration. Theory is theory; practice is practice.
The Power of Knowledge was the manifestation of my domain's order, and the Omni-Link Main Network Tree was a derivative technique under my Tree of Great Knowledge system.
My source of inspiration was the "dungeon tragedy" caused by those players earlier. Why did the order of the domain have to be limited to myself?
The Omni-Link Main Network Tree paired with the Great Knowledge Sharing Spell was simply a perfect test subject!
First, it must be understood that the Power of Knowledge generated by the dual tree structure was not a "sharing of my power." It should be considered an extension of my order.
Because the system of the Power of Knowledge belonged to me, the Witch Sisters only treated it as a "tool" for studying the Tree of Great Knowledge, rather than a power system that a learner could master and control.
But... was the Power of Knowledge a power system?
Yes, but it belonged to me.
No one likes power that doesn't belong to them, unless it's a very useful tool that can be discarded at any time.
But the players I granted power to didn't need to worry about this issue—they didn't even need to know the truth. That's why I said the power granted to them was a tool.
If they truly used it to establish a social power system... I wouldn't mind becoming the pillar of their civilization's power system, as long as they didn't mind.
"How does it feel?"
I looked at the seven people before me.
None of these seven had been able to resist the temptation of extraordinary power—or perhaps they were simply prepared to pay the price for it.
How they felt didn't matter.
"It feels great." Several of them checked their bodies, seemingly finding no issues.
Not long ago, they had come here with trepidation to receive the so-called gift of extraordinary power.
And the other party had fulfilled the promise, plucking a fruit from that newborn Omni-Link Main Network Tree.
After they ate it, there didn't seem to be any obvious changes. Even the excruciating pain they had expected never came.
"No sensation at all?" I asked.
"Um... no... wait..." The man leading them was about to speak when his vision blurred. He instinctively rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things. "There! There's a change! An information box appeared in front of my eyes!"
"Yes, that's it. What about the rest of you?" I nodded, looking at the other six.
It seemed it was still similar to the beta version Agnes had personally tested.
However, this version was even more "brainless" to use. Many things didn't even require mental power to control; instead, they were operated through simpler conscious actions, linked by techniques related to the subconscious Knowledge Shadow.
"I can see it too. This is extraordinary power?"
"This! This is the 'System' from the novels!"
"System?" Clearly, some of these people didn't read much fiction.
"You know, the protagonist's 'golden finger' in novels! The thing that makes you omnipotent!"
"If it helps you understand, you can indeed think of it as a system, but it's not some illogical thing like in a novel." Seeing their excitement, I didn't hesitate to pour cold water on them. "However, it can indeed help you master extraordinary power."
"Really? How do we master it? Do we just click it and whoosh, we know it?"
"If that's the kind of 'something-for-nothing' attitude you have, I'll have to reconsider whether you're fit to wield extraordinary power."
"I'm sorry! I'll fix my attitude right now!"
"Go back and explore the functions of this system yourselves first. Mastering transcendent power doesn't happen overnight; it also depends on your own comprehension."
After sending them away, I returned to Sister Agnes.
The reason I hadn't taught them how to master the Power of Knowledge yet was because the technology in that area hadn't fully broken through.
After all, how many days had it been?
I wasn't that fast. Even the simplest technology required time to polish.
But it would likely show results in a few days. Until then, I'd let them fumble around on their own. Besides, I had left some useful things for them.
A very basic meditation method to strengthen mental power, and...
"Xiao Han, did you add the Enlightenment Meditation Art to their skill bar and teach it to them?" Agnes walked over and asked.
"Yeah. After all, they're starting very late. The meditation method is just to get them to the basic threshold of wielding extraordinary power. The Enlightenment Meditation Art is what will actually enlighten their wisdom. Don't forget, Sister Agnes—if the game qualifications are rolled out and so many people use them, how much experience feedback will that bring me? Perhaps a single unconscious inspiration from one person could be the breakthrough I've been searching for."
"That's true. Once your Power of Knowledge is officially shared through the Omni-Link Main Network Tree, it really will be..."
"I told you~ it's not sharing. Each individual is an extension of my domain's order," I corrected her.
One thing I didn't mention, however, was that the spread of the Enlightenment Meditation Art was truly important to me. it was related to the progress of my Great Spellbook, the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art, and was a crucial experiment to test a certain hypothesis!
I wanted to promote it on a large scale to verify whether spreading wisdom truly acted as a catalyst for the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art.
"Alright, alright~" Agnes just smiled and didn't comment further. "Do whatever you think is best. Oh, by the way, I had an inspiration recently. Xiao Han, what do you think about adding a mana bar and a health bar for those players?"
"Mana and health bars?" I looked at Agnes in surprise. It was an unexpected but perfectly logical suggestion.
"Yeah! I also want to use the Ley Line Identification Art to display the health bars of enemy targets. Xiao Han, you don't play games much, so you have no idea how significant it is for a player when an enemy shows a health bar!" Agnes tried to explain the importance of adding health bars to enemies, but I grabbed her hand.
"No... I know," I said firmly. "No matter how many difficulties we have to overcome, we must get the design of the enemy health bars right!"
"I knew it! You do understand, Xiao Han!"
"Mhm! But let's solve the problem we're facing now first, and then we'll research health bars together, okay?"
"Of course! Quick, I can't wait!"