Chapter 608: The Expansion Realm Gradually Finds Its Rhythm
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 608: The Expansion Realm Gradually Finds Its Rhythm
A week after the first batch of students arrived at Ninglan New City, the second wave of applicants gradually began entering the Expansion Realm.
For most, things were finally starting to fall into place.
With the help of the Great Knowledge Seeds, the first group of teaching assistants to master the local common tongue had already begun deep communication with the refugees to understand their situation.
The areas surrounding Ninglan New City, including various crystal mines, were collectively designated as "resource points." They were numbered and underwent systematic data surveys.
The City Defense Commander of Ninglan New City had initiated professional training for the troops, implementing standardized mining procedures for areas rich in transcendent materials.
Mining techniques for energy deposits were also becoming widespread. Specialized alchemical items designed for specific energy levels were now for sale; by using these items, workers could resist energy radiation within designated mining zones, allowing for safe resource extraction.
With the introduction of these alchemical tools and standardized regulations, the majority of people in the Expansion Realm had secured stable "employment."
An even more significant change occurred in the disaster relief tent zones set up outside Ninglan New City. The refugees no longer had to sleep in the rough; at the very least, they could retreat into tents at night to escape the biting winds.
Medicines began to circulate, allowing minor ailments like coughs and colds to be treated, while those with severe injuries started receiving surgical care.
After receiving this aid, the refugees heard even better news regarding another landmark structure not far from Ninglan New City: the Omni-Link Main Network Tree.
A teaching assistant named Yang Yuehan had established a shelter there. She was coordinating the manpower and resources of various organizations, including the Jack-of-all-trades Club and the Witch Secret Realm Club, to help complete the shelter's construction.
Furthermore, they promised that once the Calamity Shelter was finished, it would be large enough to house all the current refugees. They would no longer have to live in tents and could return to a normal, modern lifestyle.
This undoubtedly gave the refugees hope for survival. Such is human nature: even after surviving a disaster and receiving aid, if the future remains a blur, the aid only sustains the body while the spirit remains trapped in the trauma. Only by providing hope and a reason to live can their eyes regain vitality and drive, even amidst the ruins of a catastrophe.
During this period, the teaching assistants communicating with the refugees learned the name of the giant tree: the "Omni-Link Main Network Tree." It was a vital pillar of their civilization.
However, after gaining a basic understanding of it, the assistants lost interest. It was essentially a hub that used a root-based plant network—a base station for their civilization's internet.
According to refugees who had been there, they had lost the means to communicate with the Omni-Link Main Network Tree. Their plant technology devices, which functioned like mobile phones, could no longer connect to the network.
Moreover, they weren't professional maintenance personnel and had no idea how to repair it.
The various devices once used for communication were now nothing more than decorative bricks, unable to even draw Ley Energy for a charge.
Naturally, the teaching assistants had no interest in this information. They had the Academy Network, after all. They even had missions to establish Academy Network base stations outside Ninglan New City to facilitate communication between students in the field.
They speculated that Assistant Xiao Han’s research into that tree was a thankless task. Did she think the Academy Network was insufficient or inconvenient?
What was the point of helping these people rebuild their so-called "plant network"? By the time the plant network was functional again, they wouldn't even know how far the Academy Network would have already spread.
While the students of the Witch Academy were operating at full throttle, students from other transcendent academies steered clear of the witches' territory, heading toward more distant regions.
They had no desire to clash with the Witch Academy. Although the resource points didn't officially belong to anyone and no one had the right to stop others from mining, working in the same area would inevitably lead to friction. Anticipating that the Witch Academy would likely cause trouble for them, they consciously moved away from the vicinity of Ninglan New City.
Their primary goal was to use Ninglan New City as a springboard to facilitate the transport and trade of supplies.
Initially, they had been ambitious, dreaming of building a city comparable to Ninglan New City to gather refugees and establish a stable portal to their own academies.
But now... due to various factors, they had to compromise with reality and the Witch Academy.
From the very beginning, the Witch Academy had exerted pressure on them from all sides—the kind of pressure where, even if they tried to argue, they wouldn't necessarily be in the right.
These were standard tactics. Had the positions been reversed, their own methods might have been even more ruthless.
Thus, they had to start from scratch, building shelters to gather refugees. As the saying goes, dreams are grand, but everything must be built brick by brick.
One couldn't forget that they only had one semester. And with so many days wasted before things officially began, they didn't even have a full semester left.
As for their plans for the following year, nothing was certain. But they knew one thing: if they couldn't establish a stable teleportation channel to their own academies and maintain a functioning surrounding infrastructure, their academies would be permanently cut off from this Expansion Realm.
Their burden was heavy.
Not only that, but they also had to deal with the constant threat of Dream Overlap crises.
In the few days since they had arrived in the Expansion Realm, three Dream Overlap regions had already appeared outside Ninglan New City, and they were continuously spreading.
Fortunately, Mentor Elena in Ninglan New City was willing to teach anyone. She even taught Dream Magic to students from other academies. For a moment, they all felt that the mentors of the Witch Academy possessed a much greater breadth of spirit than they had imagined.
* * *
Meanwhile, at the Calamity Shelter.
Over the past few days, the people gathered here had witnessed too many miracles. The extraordinary power to shape earth and bend metal with a wave of a hand left them dazed.
These were the students of the Witch Academy who specialized in construction-type spells, belonging to dedicated clubs.
After the players had devastated the Magic Capital before the start of the term, it was these same students who had rushed to rebuild the infrastructure and repair the buildings.
They had achieved such miracles in the shortest possible time.
Now, they were here again. After all, professional matters were best left to professionals.
In the realm of infrastructure and construction, they were the gold standard.
The Group of Seven was also incredibly busy during this time.
As the appointed heads of the Calamity Shelter, they had to communicate with the witches and take responsibility for everyone in the shelter. They held power, but they also bore the weight of that responsibility.
Even if they were completely out of their depth, they had to do their best. If they didn't understand something, they found someone who did. Since there were no construction experts among the refugees, they requested Ninglan New City to select architectural talent to coordinate with the witches.
As communication between the Calamity Shelter and Ninglan New City increased, a road connecting the two territories began construction. After all, the logic that "to get rich, one must first build a road" was always sound.
If the Calamity Shelter wanted to develop, it had to lean on Ninglan New City, as all the materials for the new buildings had to be transported from there.
"Those women all call themselves witches... even though we represent the heads of the Calamity Shelter... their attitude is just... it's just..."
"Put away your desire to show off. We aren't on the same level as them. Right now, we're basically beggars. Do you really expect to act all high and mighty while asking them for money?"
After seeing off the witches' representative, one of the seven in charge of the Calamity Shelter immediately began to complain.
"Rayne, don't put our own people down like that. They need us too, don't they? Being needed means you have value to be utilized. Haven't you ever worked in a corporate environment? Even among humans, my old company... heh, the gap was wider than that between a man and a beast. Not to mention the absolute gap in strength between us and them."
"Was your company really that inhuman?"
"Well, I've escaped that company now, haven't I? I've never felt so free." The speaker was the only woman among the seven.
Her name was Zhuang Ru. She carried the air of a "strong woman," but it was mostly a facade.
"It's great. The world has been reshuffled, and all the old orders are..."
"We're just the lucky ones. The unlucky ones are already dead. If someone else heard you say that, you'd get cursed out."
"I know my own worth. By the way, after interacting with those witches, did any of you feel them trying to recruit you? I get the feeling they aren't on great terms with the Calamity Witch. They were dropping hints, trying to drive a wedge between us."
"You too? Same here. But as soon as I asked if they could give me a way to harness transcendent power, they shut up."
"Are you crazy... saying that here? That's..."
"I haven't betrayed anyone. I just used that as a way to reject them. They've never looked at us as equals. Although the Calamity Witch... well, you all know, but at least she gave us the chance to harness transcendent power! Only the seven of us!"
"Speaking of transcendent power... that Meditation Method and Meditation Art on the system... have any of you succeeded?"
"The Meditation Method hasn't shown any results. I've been trying for days, but I can't feel this 'Mental Power' thing at all. As for the Meditation Art... honestly, it's hard to even start, and I can't see what it's for, though I do feel refreshed after using it."
"What a coincidence. I'm in the same boat."
"I see. However, I've actually made some headway with the Meditation Method. Look at this."
As the others were venting, one of them spoke up. The others turned to look. The man, Wan Zhuang, bent down slightly and pressed his palm to the ground before slowly lifting it.
"Look at what?"
"This! Ley Energy! I can control Ley Energy now!" Wan Zhuang explained, his voice tinged with an irrepressible hint of boasting.
After all, he was the first to succeed!
It had happened by chance. The previous night, he had stayed up late, sitting cross-legged on the ground to try meditating again. To his surprise, he succeeded. In his excitement, he went to stand up, bracing his hand on the ground. The tiny bit of Mental Power he had cultivated from the Meditation Method sensed an abnormal fluctuation beneath the surface. Combined with the system's automated prompts, he realized he could manipulate Ley Energy.
Though the amount of Ley Energy was minuscule, it didn't change the fact that he had achieved mastery over a transcendent power!
"Holy crap! Wan Zhuang, how did you do it?" Wan Zhuang's success immediately ignited the spirits of the others. If one of them had succeeded, it meant they could too!
Amidst the clamor, Wan Zhuang soaked in the praise before beginning to share the power he had mastered.
He was still very weak; the Ley Energy he controlled probably couldn't even charge a phone. However, at the group's urging, they decided to try charging a phone anyway.
"Whoa! It worked! It worked! It actually turned on!"
"Your control over Ley Energy is pretty good. If you charge it too fast, will the battery board explode?"
"Don't jinx it, okay?"
"Wait! Holy shit, the phone actually has a signal? Damn, is the Omni-Link Main Network Tree still working?"
Rayne pointed at the display on Wan Zhuang's phone. There was actually a signal bar.
"Hey, hey! Try going online. Post something and see if anyone replies."
"How is that possible? We've been in this world for so long. There are no Ley Energy charging ports, and the Omni-Link Main Network Tree has mutated and can't be connected to. Who would we even find?"
"Just try it! What if?"
"Yeah, yeah! You only have a little Ley Energy left. Check it before it runs out."
Urged on by the others, Wan Zhuang connected to the network and tapped an app. But before they could ask anything, the screen flickered, and a video feed forcibly popped up.
"Eh? Wait, what's happening? Is the phone lagging? Or is it broken?"
Shortly after he spoke, a figure appeared on the screen.
"I was wondering where that signal came from. So it's you guys. Using Ley Energy to charge a phone... which one of you has learned to harness Ley Energy already? That was fast."
As that familiar voice rang out, everyone instinctively shuddered.
"Lord Calamity Witch! You... you're..."
"I'm remodeling the Omni-Link Main Network Tree. I'm a bit surprised your phone signal could reach here. I don't have time for small talk. Since someone has already successfully developed Mental Power, come to my location immediately. Those without Mental Power, keep working hard. Alright, I'm hanging up."
The screen returned to normal, but only for a few seconds before the Ley Energy was exhausted and the phone died.
"This... this..."
Wan Zhuang didn't know what to say. They had actually connected directly to the Calamity Witch?
"Wan Zhuang, go ahead. Scout the way for us. If you master even greater transcendent powers... don't forget your brothers."
"Yeah, don't forget us. Good luck!"
The others stepped forward and patted his shoulder. For a moment, it was hard to tell if their expressions were of envy or relief.
Transcendent power always came with danger. Even though they were obsessed with it, they couldn't ignore the risks. Now that someone was stepping forward to lead the way, they could only offer their blessings.
They had to offer them. Deep down, they truly hoped Wan Zhuang would succeed—because if he didn't, it meant their own chances of success were slim to none.