Chapter 628: The Problem with Mimicry Souls
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 628: The Problem with Mimicry Souls
Witch Academy.
Research Laboratory.
"Hi~ everyone! I’m back for a little while," I called out, unable to resist greeting the familiar faces of the witch sisters as I returned.
"It’s Xiao Han! Why the sudden return from the Expansion Realm?"
"Exactly. You caused such a stir a few days ago; how do you have the heart to come back now?"
The laboratory immediately bustled with life as the witches gathered around. During my absence, they had been working fervently. Some witches had left the team, while new ones had joined.
Most importantly, the primary experimental project—the technique for the Tree of Knowledge to condense Knowledge Seeds—was essentially complete! The Tree of Knowledge, sprouted from a [Transcendent Knowledge] Fragment, could now autonomously condense seeds on its own.
"So, it was a success? Have you started the experiments yet?" I asked curiously.
"We’ve had successful simulations within consciousness crystals. Once we perform a few real-world simulations, collect the data, and make some adjustments, it’ll be ready."
"Real-world simulations?"
"Yes. We’ll post tasks, and volunteer students will come to assist with the experiment. Once the simulations succeed, we’ll move to adjustments and then mass production."
"I see. You can actually post tasks for this?" I asked, somewhat surprised.
"Of course. We post the tasks and corresponding rewards based on the risk level. With a mentor overseeing everything, even if the experiment fails, we can use Resurrection Spells to bring them back. If there’s an unforeseen accident, there’s also mental compensation and the like," one witch sister explained casually.
Looking at her, it seemed she had done this quite often before joining my lab...
I hadn't realized there was a group within the Witch Academy that essentially offered themselves up as test subjects for mentors' research. Just how short on money were they?
"Alright, another one signed up. That’s twenty-three in total. That should be enough, right? I’m taking the task down."
"How many? Twenty-three? You’re using that many people for the experiment?" I asked, stunned.
"Naturally. We need multiple control groups. We’re very confident in our success, so we recruited a larger batch at once for the next stage of comparative testing."
"We originally wanted to find a hundred to make it a round number, but since the Expansion Realm opened, fewer people have been signing up."
"I see..."
I nodded and didn't pry further. Since they had their own plans, there was no need for me to interfere. Besides, I had my own experiments to conduct.
I had notified Fool's Dream before arriving, so when I reached the designated independent laboratory, I found them waiting.
"Sister Xiao Han! It’s Sister Xiao Han~"
"Sister Xiao Han, why has it been so long since the last time? I haven't heard anything from you."
"Well, didn't I tell you? I found a new breakthrough in the Mimicry Soul Technique and needed to conduct deeper research." I leaned down and patted Yulan’s small head, rubbing their furry cat ears as I did. They were incredibly soft and cute.
Though I had lied to them previously, I had managed to turn that lie into reality through a combination of my own strength and a stroke of luck.
"So, Sister Xiao Han, you succeeded this time?"
"In a way. The Mimicry Soul Technique is more or less perfected, but this technique alone isn't enough to turn you into true life forms," I said with a sigh.
"It’s okay, it’s okay! Sister Xiao Han is amazing. You’ll definitely succeed in the future!"
I nodded, and amidst the chorus of "Sister Xiao Han" from the three Fool's Dream girls, I began the experiment.
Of course, rather than an experiment, it was more of a simple spellcasting. Up until now, I had only tested Mimicry Soul on myself; I had never tried it on the Fool's Dream girls.
It was only when I attempted it on them that I discovered a problem.
Using Mimicry Soul on the Fool's Dream girls required a vital casting material: Soul Essence.
When I used it on myself, I was already a soul by nature, so the spell inherently included both the target and the "material." But the Fool's Dream girls were different. They were dream-based entities with no biological foundation. How could they mimic a soul out of nothing?
"Wait a moment, wait a moment. I think I’ve found the issue." I quickly calmed the girls and immediately used the Tree of Great Knowledge to deduce a ritual that incorporated the necessary materials.
It didn't take long for the ritual to be finalized.
Next, I took out several Soul Stones. These were high-concentration Soul Essence crystals I had collected in the Expansion Realm—extremely precious, yet now they were merely materials for me to expend at will.
Then, I took out several pieces of Orichalcum to serve as auxiliary materials for the alchemy, using them as a medium to sketch the ritual array. The brilliant golden hue of the Orichalcum traced out ritual runes that shimmered with the literal glow of wealth on the floor.
The tradition of drawing ritual arrays directly on the ground exists because it allows for better contact with the Ley Lines, utilizing the Ley Line energy's capacity to ensure the ritual doesn't "dissipate." In truth, this was a custom born from an era when spellcasting techniques were less refined.
Nowadays, if a caster's technical skill is lacking, they usually use specialized transcendent materials as a ritual plate. Relying on Ley Line energy is considered quite primitive. As for those with high technical mastery, they can draw wherever they please; the floor is simply a matter of convenience.
Since I had severed my Ley Line Shackles, I had completely lost my affinity for Ley Lines and could no longer communicate with their energy. However, my research into rune rituals was quite advanced, placing me firmly in the second category.
Once the ritual was sketched, I placed several Soul Stones on the array to serve as nodes. Finally, I activated the ritual and released the Mimicry Soul Technique.
The three little Fool's Dream girls simultaneously felt a strange shift, as if their consciousnesses were being pulled from their shells. Normally, as dream-based entities, they could not manifest in reality.
But here, even without a Dream Overlap phenomenon, their consciousnesses left their bodies and appeared before me!
"It worked!"
Seeing their consciousnesses manifest in reality, I trembled with excitement. This was the joy of success! I had completely bridged the gap from the void of dreams, bringing meaningless dream essences across the boundary of reality!
I looked at the three girls. Currently, they possessed a nature similar to Soul Essence, yet superior to it—approaching the state of a soul, yet not quite being one. They seemed unfamiliar with this form and appeared somewhat lost. It took a good while before they finally adjusted.
Having left their shells, they now existed in reality via Mimicry Soul. They tried to speak, only to find they couldn't make a sound.
Their current state was analogous to death; when a soul leaves its shell, the deceased can no longer produce sound. Unless one masters specific soul-vocalization techniques, they cannot be heard by those in reality.
However, I possessed Spirit Vision. As I continued to acquire and perfect the Ley Line Identification Art and interpret Ley Line Data, my mastery over Spirit Vision had become increasingly formidable.
Initially, Spirit Vision had presented me with two "dilemmas." One was that it allowed me to see information from "Real Time" that exceeded my cognition, meaning I couldn't understand it. The other was that the sheer volume of information from "Real Time" was so massive that my consciousness couldn't withstand it.
As I integrated Spirit Vision into every aspect of my life, my tolerance for massive amounts of data increased, and my subconscious ability to filter that data improved. Furthermore, the perfection of the Ley Line Identification Art allowed me to actually understand the information Spirit Vision provided.
Thus, for me, the Ley Line Identification Art served as another channel for information retrieval: Real Time. Spirit Vision was no longer a burden but a boon; it gave me an extra "channel" for information and expanded my "cognition" of that data.
So, even though the Fool's Dream girls couldn't speak, I could "see" what they wanted to say. Their thoughts were expressed as information, and since it was presented as data, I could read it. If I mastered the languages of other worlds, I would be able to understand what people from those worlds were saying even in this state.
"It’s alright. Take it slow and get used to this state. This is Mimicry Soul. You did it! You’re all wonderful!" I said, comforting them.
"Sister Xiao Han..."
"It feels weird... dizzy... want to go back..."
I "watched" the girls speak. Though they looked happy, their current condition wasn't great.
"Then hurry back to your bodies. Staying as a Mimicry Soul without a vessel for too long does feel strange." I nodded quickly, having experienced it myself.
However, just as I thought the matter was settled, something went wrong.
"Sister Xiao Han, it’s weird. I can’t get back in..."
"I can’t go back. I can’t establish a connection with this body..."
"What’s wrong?" I hurriedly checked the situation. "You can’t get back? How is that possible? Is it just that you haven't mastered the method? Try to feel your own body, then return to it, slowly reclaiming the sensation of controlling it."
"Ugh... it’s still not working..."
"How can that be?" I frowned.
I had mastered the method of soul projection long ago while experiencing the boundary between dream and reality. I used many techniques, such as Dream Magic, Resurrection Spells, and closing off my senses through Self-Awakened Body Cultivation. Most importantly, it relied on derivatives of the Resurrection Spell, which is designed to reshape a perfect shell and guide Soul Essence or a soul back into the body.
Thinking the girls simply lacked experience, I directly used a soul-guiding derivative of the Resurrection Spell to forcibly shove their Mimicry Souls back into their shells.
But... I failed.
"How is this possible?!"
That was my first reaction. How could a shell fail to host a Mimicry Soul? A shell can host Soul Essence or a true soul; why would a Mimicry Soul, which sits between the two, be rejected?
I subconsciously swallowed. A feeling of tension I hadn't felt in a long time began to spread through my heart. I forced myself to suppress it, knowing that panicking wouldn't help. I needed to stay calm and analyze the cause.
Could it be... that the bodies are incompatible with Mimicry Souls?
It was similar to how a Prospective Witch’s body undergoes a metamorphosis upon ascending to a Transcendent Witch, gaining talents like Self-Generated Mana...
But overthinking yielded no results. These bodies had been created for them by Dean Mei. If there was a problem, I should ask her.
Yes! That seemed like the best solution. This wasn't a problem that could wait, and I didn't have the luxury of time to research it slowly.
Ask Dean Mei!
Having made up my mind, I scooped up the three bodies from the ritual array and stood up.
"Yulan, Yu Yun, Yu Guo—come with me. We’re going to see the Dean," I said, turning to their Mimicry Soul forms.
I opened the door and left the independent laboratory. The three girls followed behind me in their translucent, Mimicry Soul states.
As I exited, I saw the witch sisters outside, along with several young girls who looked like students. I didn't have time to explain.
"Sisters, I have to go out for a moment!"
My figure vanished in a flash as I bolted from the lab, the three Fool's Dream girls floating through the air behind me.
"Eh? Where is Xiao Han going in such a rush?"
"Were those three behind Xiao Han the Fool's Dream girls? Did I see that right?"
"Wait, aren't Fool's Dream creatures dream beings? Why did I see their dream consciousnesses in reality? What did Xiao Han do?"
I had only offered a brief greeting, and the busy witches only caught a fleeting glimpse, but they immediately sensed something was wrong. They looked toward the now-empty space where I had been, unable to snap out of their daze for a long time.
"Um... was that Sister Xiao Han who just ran past?" one of the students waiting for an assignment asked curiously, seeing the dramatic reaction of the teachers.
"Yes, that was Xiao Han. You all sit down and wait a bit. Once everyone is here, we’ll begin the experiment."
"Right. You were quick to grab this task. Consider the experimental subject a sneak peek for you. Sign these Witch Contracts first." Another witch walked over, handing out a stack of contracts.
* * *
Expansion Realm.
Seed Vault's Second Large Shelter.
Not long after I left, a large number of students suddenly converged on the location. They had all come to visit the "Teaching Assistant Xiao Han," bringing many lavish gifts.
However, they soon found themselves empty-handed.
There was no sign of the teaching assistant. They questioned the indigenous residents, including the eighteen people in charge of the shelter's construction, but no one knew where she had gone.
The group, who had come seeking help to eliminate the Dream Overlap phenomenon, felt the full weight of the assistant's "malice."
Some left immediately to report the situation, while others, likely under strict orders, stayed behind to wait for her return.
Upon hearing the news, everyone sighed. As expected, that Teaching Assistant Xiao Han was a free spirit... no one knew what went on in that person's head.
Classifying her as an "unstable element" was truly no exaggeration.
But regardless of how hard she was to find, they had to find her. Their Ninglan New City would soon be affected by the nearest Dream Overlap region. According to the terms of the Dream Magic they studied, they were responsible for the safety of all Ninglan New City residents.
For the sake of the residents and themselves, they had to find her and resolve the problem.