Chapter 632: A World Where Only the Consumables Get Hurt Is About to Be Born
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 632: A World Where Only the Consumables Get Hurt Is About to Be Born
"Why are you back? Didn't I tell you to wait for Yang Yuehan?"
"Waaaah... I found her, but we couldn't get her to come with us."
"Exactly. She really is back at the Witch Academy, but after we met her, she completely ignored us."
"Yeah, she wouldn't listen to a word. She just told us to get lost..."
"Explain yourselves clearly. Did she ignore you, or did you do something to offend her?" Seeing them framing everything from their own biased perspective—and sensing that if she let them continue, they’d likely try to absolve themselves of all blame—the Teaching Assistant was forced to interrogate them sharply. "So many people in Ninglan New City are counting on you. You can't be so dense that you don't understand the gravity of this! Don't try to be clever with me. Recount the entire conversation word for word. I want you to mimic her exact tone."
"Yes... Yes, ma'am!"
Rebuked by the Teaching Assistant, they didn't dare gloss over the details anymore and hurriedly began to reenact the scene.
"We were waiting outside Dean Mei's office until Assistant Xiao Han appeared..."
The group chimed in to reconstruct the encounter, but the more they spoke, the deeper the Teaching Assistant’s brow furrowed.
Assistant Xiao Han had things to do... she even had a Mentor accompanying her. Such treatment was truly enough to incite envy and jealousy.
They were both Teaching Assistants; why was the gap between them so vast?
Of course, what made Assistant Xiao Han even more enviable was her background—or lack thereof. She came from a family of... ordinary people.
Even now, they didn't know exactly what kind of family she had, but it was certainly a common one. Her family relations were somewhat tragic; she wasn't on good terms with them.
Because of that, she was qualified to stand united with the Witch Academy, through thick and thin.
But they couldn't. They had families behind them. They could never be truly one with the Academy.
In the Witch Academy, the powerful upperclassmen were almost exclusively students with family backgrounds from the outside world. It wasn't that students from ordinary families couldn't be top-tier; they existed, but they were rare.
Against the social backdrop of high birth rates, the only way for an ordinary family to rise in status was to pin their hopes on a gifted child entering a prestigious Transcendent Academy. However, children born into such families lagged behind those from established families or those with connections in every objective category.
So, while powerful students with ordinary backgrounds did exist in the Witch Academy, they were usually scouted.
Established families would recruit them for the sake of their own growth, using lures like Transcendent materials, worldly wealth, and social mobility. After all, every student eventually had to graduate. If they encountered a particularly "tough nut to crack," families would even go as far as allowing the student's younger siblings to marry into the family.
Perhaps this system had functioned well enough in the past, but under the current climate, it was... insufficient.
Now, there were Players acting as undercover agents in the outside world, secretly stirring up public opinion. There were even protests and marches in regions where the populace had been incited.
Such an unstable society was a massive headache for them, and it made the Transcendent Academies doubt whether these families still had the capacity to manage the outside world effectively.
They had to consider their families' interests. If the Transcendent Academies decided to thoroughly "rectify" the outside world—just as they had with the Expansion Realms—then these families would be seen as nothing but obstacles!
If that happened, they would be completely finished!
The Transcendent Academies didn't mind if the outside world fell into total chaos for a time. Much like the world where the Expansion Realm had descended, Transcendents had all the time in the world to wait for society to rebuild its order.
As the Teaching Assistant listened to the report, her communicator rang.
"Hello? What is it?"
"Flash report. First, the fifth Heart of the Cold Wave, designated Number 5, has appeared and been intercepted by the Descendant Sect. Second, a riot has broken out in the Horasso Region, a territory under the Wizard Academy's radiation. There are heavy traces of Player involvement; it could trigger a regional independence movement at any moment. The Wizard Academy claims they can handle it and has refused our assistance. Third..."
"Right. I understand."
Closing the communication, the Teaching Assistant sighed. Between the outside world and the Expansion Realms, they were failing to please either side.
What a mess...
* * *
Back at the laboratory.
Upon returning, I immediately took the three spirits of Fool's Dream and threw myself into the cultivation experiments for the Knowledge Seeds.
Because the Fool's Dream spirits had undergone a metamorphosis of life, the Dual Tree Structure within their Dream Sea required adjustment.
Afterward, I personally conducted tests and made contact with the students participating in the experiment, confirming that the progress was indeed proceeding without issue.
However, my connection with these Knowledge Seeds had grown slightly weaker. Nevertheless, it was undeniably an application of a technique under my Great Knowledge system.
After testing the Great Knowledge Seed used to condense the Knowledge Seeds, I found it could still be used normally.
Currently, every Great Knowledge Seed used for seed condensation was part of an experiment that relied on Consciousness Crystals to simulate a Sea of Consciousness.
The condensed Knowledge Seeds felt more like a "fragmentation" of the Knowledge Seed.
In other words, the Tree of Knowledge nurtured by a Knowledge Seed had a limited number of times it could condense a Knowledge Seed.
Based on this trait, it seemed I could use the Great Knowledge Seed to split it directly, bypassing the "nurturing" process and decomposing the Great Knowledge Seed into multiple Great Knowledge Seeds...
However, the total volume of seeds obtained through direct splitting differed from the total volume obtained through cultivation.
So... was this a matter of utilization efficiency, or did some stage of the cultivation process allow for an increase in the upper limit?
Between these two hypotheses, I leaned toward the latter.
After further research, I became even more convinced. The nurturing of a seed requires nutrients. This was true for the first-generation Great Knowledge Seeds, and it was equally true for the second-generation Knowledge Seeds.
This led to another conclusion: the optimal environment for the "Mother Tree of Knowledge" to condense seeds wasn't a simulated environment like a Consciousness Crystal. It was a person—or rather, a lifeform with a Sea of Consciousness.
Because humans possess endless knowledge and memories to serve as nutrients for the Great Knowledge Seed, the condensation of Great Knowledge Seeds could theoretically become a self-sustaining cycle once the acquisition rate of these nutrients reached a certain threshold.
As soon as I proposed this, the "Knowledge Seed Plantation" plan that the Witch sisters had been organizing was immediately scrapped.
Naturally, they had no use for a Knowledge Seed with a fixed limit on seed condensation.
"So, is there a difference between a Mother Tree of Knowledge used for seed condensation and a standard Tree of Knowledge grown from a Knowledge Seed?" one of the witches asked with concern.
After all, these Great Knowledge Seeds were meant to be rolled out across the entire Witch Academy.
According to their plan, the Great Knowledge Seed would eventually replace the Academy’s dedicated smartphones entirely, and the Academy Network would be integrated with the Knowledge Seeds.
If the Mother Tree of Knowledge couldn't be used normally, who would be the "unlucky guy" to host it?
"Theoretically, there isn't much of an impact. Most abilities can be used normally. However, since it hasn't undergone systematic or long-term testing, I can't say for sure. There is a possibility of unknown accidents during the condensation period," I explained.
"So there's still a risk. To summarize, the current seed classification is: Great Knowledge Seed, Great Mother Tree of Knowledge Seed, Great Knowledge Seed, and the still-theoretical Secondary Great Knowledge Seed. Is that right?"
"Yes, that's essentially it. The Great Mother Tree of Knowledge Seed was originally a peer to the Knowledge Seed—something only I can condense. But due to the condensation trait, an unknown fragmentation of abilities occurs. Still... compared to the Knowledge Trees used by students, it still holds a crushing advantage."
"Then what do we do about the Mother Tree? It needs to remain in the Witch Academy long-term. Whether it's a student or a Mentor, no one can guarantee they'll stay here forever. And the Mentors who do stay are the backbone of the Academy; they won't want to get mixed up in this..."
For a moment, the witches fell into deep thought. This was indeed a tricky problem.
"What if I change my approach and continue using Consciousness Crystals to simulate the environment? We can keep working on the nutrient problem. It's just a matter of acquiring knowledge and memories, right?"
"Speaking of which, how about we seal some unlucky bastard in the Witch Academy to help us condense Great Knowledge Seeds? I think... those Abyssal Demons would be perfect. They're disgusting, they have long lifespans, and they're very suitable to be used as consumables."
"That's a brilliant suggestion! It solves the current problem immediately. A world where no witches get hurt has been achieved!"
The more the witches discussed it, the more excited they became, completely indifferent to the life or death of the "consumables" they were talking about.
It was truly... a bit of a "hell joke."
But from a witch's perspective, it actually seemed like a fantastic idea. The Witch sister who came up with it must be a genius!
While the witches were debating the specifics of the operation, my phone suddenly rang.
"Mm-hmm. You sisters keep chatting; I need to take this." After a brief word, I didn't disturb their enthusiastic discussion and quietly stepped aside to answer. The Great Knowledge Seed instantly projected an image that only I could see, and a familiar figure appeared before me.
"Sister Bai!"
I spoke excitedly. I had been so busy that I hadn't seen Sister Bai in quite a while. We only exchanged the occasional "goodnight" via call or text. What bothered me more was that Sister Bai hadn't used the Reverse Summoning Spell to pull me into her bed even once!
And here I was, making sure I was prepared every single night...
"Xiao Han~ How have you been these past few days? I heard you were back at the Academy, but you didn't come to see me right away~"
"I'm sorry~ I'll make it up to you. I've just... I've just been a bit too busy!" I immediately acted spoiled. Whenever I faced Sister Bai, I could always cast aside the things I used to worry about and act like a real girl—acting cute, leaning on her, and feeling the sense of security she brought to my soul.
"Make sure you get some rest. You're not allowed to exhaust yourself like this."
"Mhm! I've been keeping a healthy schedule!"
"I also heard that as soon as you got back, you pulled off something huge. A Reincarnation Rebirth Spellbook... The research group I'm in has been talking about nothing else for days."
"Eh? Has it spread that far? I hope it hasn't caused any trouble for you, Sister Bai," I asked with concern.
"No trouble, though I've somehow become the center of their conversations. By the way, Xiao Han, are you free now? I've prepared a little gift for you."
"A gift? Hmm... Oh! Sister Bai, did you succeed? That Fireball Spellbook?!" I thought for a moment and quickly remembered.
"Oh my, you guessed it? It is indeed the Fireball Spellbook. But... it can't compare to your Reincarnation Rebirth Spellbook..."
"Hehe~ That was just a modification of an existing spellbook framework. Besides, the Dean and the other Witch sisters did most of the heavy lifting; I just provided the idea~ I happen to be free now, so I'll head over. By the way, Sister Bai, where are you?"
"I'm at the usual gathering spot for the Real Editing Technology study group. I'll send you the location."
"See you soon then. I'll just finish up some trivial matters here and be right there~"
"Okay, I'll wait for you. Oh, one more thing."
"What is it?"
"It's just... if any witch asks you to do something you don't want to do, refuse them boldly. I've got your back. Though you might not necessarily need it..."
"How strange~ Well, let's leave it at that for now. I'm hanging up~"
I nodded vaguely, not wanting to spend more time on that topic.
"Well~ sisters, I don't think there's anything else I'm needed for here. I just got a call and have something to take care of, so I'll take my leave for now~"
"Mhm, we've got it from here. You can leave with a clear mind, Xiao Han~"
"We'll let you know once we've made a decision."
"Yeah, I still think tricking an Abyssal Demon Lord into coming over would be best. At least they're sturdy."
"The Endless Abyss certainly isn't lacking in life. I'll go handle the negotiations later."
"Wait... sisters, are you really going through with that plan?" I couldn't help but chime in.
"Of course~ You don't know the situation in the Endless Abyss, so it's natural you're confused. Don't worry, as long as there's a solution, we'll execute it~ Didn't you say you had things to do? Go on, get busy~"
"Alright, alright. I won't worry about it then. I'm off."
* * *
Meanwhile, on the other side.
"Bai~ Little Bai~ Just say some nice things to your little girlfriend for us~ You know how it is for us witches; it's so rare to find something that actually interests us. I really, really want the data on that Reincarnation Rebirth spell..."
"Getting Xiao Han to come here is already the most I can do. But let me be clear: if this makes things difficult for her, I will be the first one to help her refuse," Bai Yu said.
"It's fine, it's fine! I heard Xiao Han is the cutest and loves to share! Once I finish the basic architecture for the Reincarnation Rebirth spell, how about I add her name to the published paper? I'll even mention her in the acknowledgments at the end!"
"Look, you're my senior, but I really can't make decisions that compromise Xiao Han's interests in advance." Although Bai Yu said this, she was slightly tempted. After all, the witches at the Academy were all highly capable, and their published papers carried significant weight. Xiao Han was still junior in terms of experience, so Bai Yu was naturally interested, but she ultimately held her line.
"It's okay! I'll prepare a gift for our first meeting! I won't let her lose out. So~ Little Bai, could you tell me what Xiao Han actually likes?"
"What she likes..." Bai Yu paused instinctively.
She suddenly realized that there weren't many things Xiao Han seemed to like. In fact, Xiao Han herself might not even know. Items suitable for gifts were even scarcer.
However, from her perspective, even if she couldn't give a specific suggestion, she could secure the most valuable things for Xiao Han.
"Xiao Han's attitude toward most things is 'as long as it's enough.' Money, Transcendent materials, spellbooks, mana sources—it's all the same to her. While she doesn't turn things down, there is only one exception: knowledge. She needs knowledge—vast amounts of it, novel knowledge. Ideally, common knowledge or insights regarding runes, alchemy, spells, or Transcendent levels."
"Also, she... she lacks friends. Not necessarily deep connections, just friends she can talk to."