Chapter 612: Ownership of the Calamity Shelter
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 612: Ownership of the Calamity Shelter
Walking into Ninglan Township Castle, I spotted Ninglan Qiuyue in the most prominent spot—the central assembly hall.
She was currently standing beside her massive desk, her back to me, listening to a report from another official. A thick stack of documents was piled in her hands.
Being here felt like walking into a very casual workplace; the low hum of constant conversation was the primary melody of the room.
"Teaching Assistant Xiao Han, I’m so sorry. Please follow me to the reception room first. I’ll go inform City Lord Qiuyue immediately."
"Mm, go ahead." I nodded, not wanting to make things difficult for her. After all, I had been invited. If Ninglan Qiuyue were truly too busy, she wouldn't have asked me to come in the first place.
Still, it was clear that as City Lord, her administrative workload was immense.
Of course, it was likely because the recent developments in Ninglan New City were so massive. There were countless reports to read; managing the information of an entire city was no small pressure.
Then again... for someone like Ninglan Qiuyue, who possessed a Great Knowledge Seed, this shouldn't have been an issue. She could have gathered all the information from those reports instantly using the Ley Line Identification Art.
But I couldn't be bothered to figure out what she was thinking. Once I reached the reception room, I picked a seat and sat down. I ordered a black coffee and started snacking on the fruit platter nearby.
However, these fruits... didn't seem to be local specialties of Ninglan New City. I had thought the fruit arrangements in Ninglan Township Castle would have kept up with the times.
I peeled an orange and popped a segment into my mouth, feeling the sweet and sour flavors explode. I focused on the stimulation the juice provided to my taste buds while lightly inhaling the fruit's fragrance.
This was cultivation for my Taste Sense and Smell Sense.
I hadn't eaten much these past few days. I’d had one good meal when I left Ninglan New City, but after that, I’d just made do with whatever while focusing on my research—mostly wild fruits from the surrounding area and some rations from my storage equipment.
Those never-before-seen fruits provided a fresh experience, and they had also opened up a new mode for my Five Senses Cultivation.
Namely... trial eating.
A single "blind" tasting was enough to provide a brand-new, anticipation-filled cultivation experience for all five senses at once.
From the initial discovery to the act of plucking it, then the light sniff before it entered the mouth, and finally the taste and the crisp sound of chewing.
Ordinary external stimuli no longer seemed to do much for my Five Senses Cultivation. The rising threshold during my progress made it impossible to find new discoveries in repetitive daily routines.
Perhaps the flora of the Expansion Realm was the breakthrough I needed. If I got the chance, I even wanted to see if there were subtle differences in the meat of various Variant Beasts.
After waiting for a while, Ninglan Qiuyue finally arrived at the reception room, just before my black coffee did.
"I’m so sorry to keep you waiting, Sister Xiao Han."
"It hasn't been that long. But looking at you, you seem to be buried in work."
"Yes. The recent movements in Ninglan New City have been too large. Most of it is coordinating the operations."
"If you don't mind me asking, don't you plan on using the Great Knowledge Seed to assist with these affairs? It should save you a lot of time," I suggested.
"Of course, I use it constantly. But when facing the information sent by those officials, if I tell them I understand everything without them seeing me do anything, it creates unexplainable misunderstandings. It’s not that they can’t comprehend the power of spells; it’s just a matter of basic mutual respect. At least within Ninglan New City, that mindset is hard to change overnight."
"Fair enough. I can see you’re exhausted. Since you’re so busy, you didn't call me here just for a chat, did you? That would be a waste of time."
"I don't consider chatting with someone who can directly change the grand scheme of things a waste of time. On the contrary, it might save me a lot of trouble." Ninglan Qiuyue gave a light chuckle and sat down beside me.
"Is it really that serious? I haven't done anything. At most, I’m just like any other student, right?" I shrugged.
However, I did agree with her sentiment. Anyone capable of altering the environment was worth understanding. As they said, an unstable factor must be taken into account, even if she was just sitting there doing nothing.
"Sister Xiao Han, you’re being too modest. Your reputation in Ninglan New City is quite significant now. As the founder who established the first ultra-large-scale shelter outside the city, once that Calamity Shelter is complete, it will be enough to house all the refugees outside Ninglan New City. I expect it won't be long before the Calamity Shelter and our Ninglan New City become the two rising stars of the Expansion Realm."
"You have that much confidence in the Calamity Shelter? It seems your ambitions aren't small. But there’s no need for such flattery. I don't believe for a second that you don't know how the Calamity Shelter was actually built," I said, waving my hand dismissively.
"I know, of course. But the name being sung in the outside world is yours. It doesn't matter who actually built it; what matters is who the people are praising."
"And then you push me to the front as a mascot or a shield? While you lot reach out to harvest the greatest benefits, leaving me to shoulder all the hidden risks?"
So that was the most disgusting part, wasn't it?
They take all the benefits and leave me with a mess to clean up. I had felt uncomfortable from the very first moment I interacted with them, so I naturally speculated on their intentions with the most cynical thoughts possible.
"That... how could we! Sister Xiao Han, it won't be like that!" Ninglan Qiuyue stood up abruptly, her expression one of shock.
"Just sit down and talk. If you don't believe me, then don't. Just like me—I can't even be bothered to ask what they’ve done to the Calamity Shelter. I’ve handed full authority to the seven managers there. I don't even care if they betray me."
"This... do you really intend to ignore everything? Then what if students from other Transcendent Academies come to you for cooperation?" Qiuyue asked.
"Other Transcendent Academies cooperating with me?"
"Yes. You know that we aren't the only ones pioneering the Expansion Realm; other academies are doing the same. However, the Transcendent Mentors seem to have an agreement not to interfere personally. Therefore, the other academies must establish stable portals to connect with their home campuses, much like the link between Ninglan New City and the Witch Academy. If you are the first to build a large-scale shelter, that will be their first choice."
"But I’m from the Witch Academy, aren't I? Would they dare use it?"
"There is nothing in this world that interests cannot solve. The Witch Academy already has Ninglan New City as a teleportation hub. The shelter you built does not belong to the Witch Academy—unless you publicly declare that you are voluntarily placing it under the academy's jurisdiction."
"I see. So, it seems you’re all very curious about what I’ll choose, aren't you?" Hearing her explain it so clearly, I could guess her intent. They were curious about my move.
Would I choose profit and ally with other Transcendent Academies, or would I cooperate and bring it under the Witch Academy?
It seemed that no matter what I chose, they stood to gain; only their methods of handling it would change.
If I directly announced it was an asset of the Witch Academy, then as students and teaching assistants of the academy, they could rightfully stick their hands in.
If I cooperated with other academies... they would likely use their "funding" as leverage to bicker over the distribution of profits. After all, by promoting their funding and support of the Calamity Shelter, they could easily undermine my prestige. I hadn't actually done anything; I just had the title. It wouldn't be impossible for them to stab me in the back later.
Otherwise, why would they be spreading my name right now? Isn't it just to push me off the ledge at the critical moment?
And in their eyes... I seemingly had no way to fight back. Because it was the truth. I couldn't exactly go around killing them all, could I?
That would only make things harder to explain, and it would violate the Witch Contract.
Furthermore, they had high-level channels of communication with the refugees who were about to move in. If they used those refugees to stir up public opinion once they were inside the Calamity Shelter, it would be a nightmare to deal with.
After all, those people would be the primary population of the shelter. It would be a classic case of the dove usurping the magpie's nest. In the end, the seven managers I chose probably wouldn't be able to command any respect.
They had been in contact with those seven for a while now; they surely realized those people didn't have much leadership ability. They were just ordinary people who happened to be pushed to the forefront by the tide of events.
Once I was no longer recognized by public opinion, those seven would have no status left.
Eventually, those teaching assistants would step in to finalize cooperation with other Transcendent Academies. As long as they didn't touch my bottom line—the Omni-Link Main Network Tree—they were confident they could "settle" the matter.
By then, they would even have the right to interfere with the portals of other academies. At the very least, their intelligence gathering would be incredibly accurate.
If I were them, thinking from their perspective, I think I would take it to that extent.
"Choose?" Ninglan Qiuyue was stunned for a moment, then quickly reacted. "I’m sorry, I didn't mean it that way. I just wanted to share the information I have and talk with you. I hope you don't misunderstand."
"Whatever." I glanced at her; she did seem sincere. "But I don't care about the things you mentioned. The Calamity Shelter won't belong to me. It won't belong to the Witch Academy in name, either, nor will it cooperate with other academies at my request. Can't the Calamity Shelter simply belong to the people of that civilization? We are rebuilding a civilization, not building a cage for it."
"Belong to... them?" Qiuyue was profoundly shocked. She couldn't imagine Sister Xiao Han having the sheer audacity to give up such a massive interest.
"Yes, why not? Just like you—why can't Ninglan New City belong to your people? At least in name, the Witch Academy only helped you rebuild it. It isn't a part of the Witch Academy. This close cooperation exists only because the City Lord of Ninglan New City—you—is a student of the Witch Academy."
"Sister Xiao Han... honestly, your words have moved me deeply. And thank you for giving me an answer that I was almost beginning to ignore..." Qiuyue spoke finally, after a long silence.
Under the constant help of the Witch Academy, Ninglan New City had almost lost itself. Even the newly appointed officials were full of praise for the academy, as if they had already accepted their status as subordinates, wagging their tails for the academy's scraps.
Many seemed to have forgotten the rights Ninglan New City had fought for in the beginning—the things they had sacrificed to ensure their autonomy. Now, these people were actively throwing those things away in exchange for profit.
And she had finally realized her own value. The reason the Jack-of-all-trades Club and the Witch Secret Realm Society were backing her... what was it really for?
But could she say "no" now?
It seemed she couldn't. Ninglan New City was developing at breakneck speed; she couldn't just call a halt.
Those she once considered friends and connections—in this moment, she saw their bared fangs. But she had already swallowed the sweet candy they had offered.
Was this an equal exchange of value?
No. Therefore, backing out was the absolutely correct choice—but not right now.
Because the moment she backed out, she would be burning bridges. The current Ninglan New City was not yet strong enough to withstand the retaliatory impact they could unleash.
She was now dancing on the edge of a blade, though she hadn't been cut to pieces just yet.
Because she knew it wasn't harvest time. Not yet.
"You seem to have realized something. Forget it, I’m not interested in the details. Let’s talk about something else. How far have you explored the surrounding area?"
"Mm." Qiuyue nodded, not dwelling on the previous topic. "We’ve explored a very large area. With the power of the Great Knowledge Seed, as you know, it’s very convenient. We can obtain the terrain and features directly..."
"True, a basic ability of the Identification Art." I nodded, unsurprised. In fact, I could see exactly where they had explored through the Tree of Great Knowledge. However, I didn't know much about the other Transcendent Academies that didn't have the seeds.
"Did you find anything particularly strange?"
"Well... Dream Overlap. Are you aware of that, Sister Xiao Han? It happened after you left Ninglan New City. That Dream Magic spell you created has helped a lot of people."
"I know." I nodded. I even knew that many of the teaching assistants who learned the spell hadn't credited me for it. Their motive was obvious: they didn't want my reputation to grow any further, making me harder to push around later.
"Then your thoughts on this matter..."
"Not interested. Let’s talk about something else."
"Uh... alright. Then... Sister Xiao Han, are you familiar with the Omni-Link Main Network Tree? I heard your recent research was about that... it seems there isn't just one."
"Oh? You found a second one?" I was a bit surprised. Based on the root network currently spread by the Omni-Link Main Network Tree, I had confirmed that the other trees were very far from here. Given the range they could explore using the Great Knowledge Seed, they shouldn't have been able to find a second one yet.
"Oh, no. We only heard news of it from those people. Even the name 'Omni-Link Main Network Tree' came from them."
"Then forget it. Let’s talk about something else." I waved my hand, having no intention of diving deeper. I also cut off Qiuyue’s attempt to use the topic to probe into the status of the tree I had been researching.
"Alright. Then, Sister Xiao Han, have you heard of the... Seed Vault left behind by that civilization?"
"Seed Vault?!"