Chapter 634: The Prototype of Runes: Primal Totems
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 634: The Prototype of Runes: Primal Totems
"So you're saying that while the Witch World Great Library makes it easy to get started, if you want to climb higher and master more specialized powers, you're on your own?"
"Of course. There’s no such thing as a free lunch. Once you become a Transcendent Witch, even if you know absolutely nothing, the Witch World Great Library will ensure you have the power to get started. It’s a perk of being a Transcendent Witch. But if you want to go further, you have to rely on your own hard work."
"Generally speaking, the number of spellbooks available for sale at the Great Library drops off sharply once you get past the Myriad Methods Book level. Basic spellbooks are incredibly common—you can trade a single Mana Source for one. Many newly established Witch Academies in the Void will go on massive shopping sprees at the Great Library if they’re looking to stock up on spellbooks. It provides a foundation for the academy's operations and helps the library clear out its inventory."
"Myriad Methods Books... wait, does the Great Library also categorize spellbook grades based on mana consumption?" I asked curiously. This seemed... different from what I had learned before.
Wasn't that supposed to be a tradition unique to our Main World Witch Academy?
"Spellbooks don't have a very specific grading system because there’s no unified standard. It looks like Xiao Han already knows that mana consumption isn't always proportional to a spellbook's power, right?"
"Don't worry. Once you get to the Witch World Great Library, you'll see that all the spellbooks you can buy are common types. Most of them follow the rule that mana is proportional to power. Then there are the ones where the power can't keep up with the consumption—those are affectionately known as 'defective spellbooks.'"
"Uh... okay, I get it. If the ratio of mana to power doesn't fit the general rule, it's either a defective product or a high-quality spellbook that's already been snatched up?"
"Exactly! That’s the idea. So, the spellbooks you can actually buy basically follow the rule that higher consumption equals greater power. Don't sweat the details."
"Then my Reincarnation spellbook would be considered a high-quality one?" I continued to probe.
Now that I understood what they were ultimately after, I didn't mind steering the conversation in that direction.
"Of course! And it’s more than just high-quality. The Reincarnation spellbook is the kind of thing that’s priceless but virtually impossible to find on the market. Its appearances at the Witch World Great Library can be counted on one hand!"
"Is it really that rare? But Sister Mei said mine is still technically a defective version. Because of the threshold for certain techniques, I won't be able to perfect it until I learn Real Editing myself."
"It is incredibly rare!" Belica explained excitedly, her tone turning a bit bashful. "So, Xiao Han... I heard you were the lead on this Reincarnation spell. I was thinking... you must have a lot of insights into this spell, right?"
"Yes, quite a few. Though, the Reincarnation spellbook wasn't exactly my original goal. You could say it was a byproduct of what I was trying to achieve midway through..."
"Not the goal... just a byproduct... Xiao Han, you really... I don't even know what to say..." Hearing my words, Belica felt like she’d just taken ten thousand points of critical damage!
"Is Sister Belica interested in the Reincarnation spell? I'm sorry, but I still need it to complete something very important. Also, because it lacks many key techniques, it has a very high barrier to entry. Even Dean Mei can't use it; if forced, it only functions like a standard Resurrection spell."
"Oh! Xiao Han, you misunderstand. I’m not trying to take your spellbook. I mainly want to learn about your insights into the creation process. Not long ago, I brazenly asked Dean Mei for her portion of the data, and it left me itching to know more... so..."
"So, Sister Belica wants my insights?" I asked.
Internally, I marveled at how fast she was. How long had it been?
Since returning from the Dean's office, I had spent a considerable amount of time in the laboratory researching the Knowledge Seed. It had been less than a day. Since I was directly sharing information with the Tree of Great Knowledge, it was easy to sync up with the progress of the other Witch Sisters, but her efficiency was still staggering.
"Yes!" Belica nodded repeatedly. She hadn't expected me to bring it up first, so her embarrassment vanished. At the same time, she mentally gave Bai Yu a thumbs-up, feeling that the deal was as good as done. "Is that okay? I want everything, including the information on those specialized techniques. In exchange, I’m willing to pay any price I can afford!"
"Uh... that... there's no need to be so dramatic," I said, quickly trying to calm her down seeing how determined she was.
I hadn't expected her to be this obsessed.
"Then what do you want? As long as I have it, I'll consider trading it! Rare Transcendent materials? Mana Sources? Spellbooks?"
"Well... honestly, I don't really need those..." I said, waving my hand dismissively.
Although I had heard that a complete Reincarnation spellbook costs upwards of 500,000 mana, I wasn't at the point where I needed to trade my insights for Mana Sources.
As for spellbooks... I really wasn't lacking in that department. I already had plenty, and with all their derived variations, they were as numerous as ox hairs. They covered too many fields already—Teacher Ji Niang's Reverse Summoning Spell, the Crystallization Art Dean Bev Alanna gave me, and so on. I barely had enough time to study the specialized spells I already possessed.
"Then what do you want? Knowledge! How about knowledge and books? I know you have the Tree of Great Knowledge and the Great Knowledge Seed, Xiao Han, so you don't lack conventional knowledge. But I have many 'goodies' that you wouldn't normally have access to yet. Would that work?"
"Of course," I agreed readily.
Trading knowledge for knowledge—nothing was fairer than that. Besides, I had no intention of ripping her off.
"Eh? You're agreeing just like that?" Belica hadn't expected such a quick yes.
She knew Xiao Han was generous when it came to sharing, but if she had known I was this generous, would she have needed all that preamble?
In the past, whenever she saw something she liked and went to visit the owner, she often had the door slammed in her face. After all, when you're the one asking, the other party usually holds all the cards in an equivalent exchange.
"Yes, it's a reasonable proposal. I don't see any reason to refuse," I said with a smile. "Sister Belica, are you overthinking things? I don't really understand all those convoluted social maneuvers. I prefer a more direct approach."
"Great! I love your way of communicating, Xiao Han! Direct is good! Then... shall we talk about it now? Uh... these ladies here are also interested in the data and insights regarding the Reincarnation spellbook."
"Sure. Are these sisters interested as well?"
"Yes, I'm quite interested too," one of the other Witch Sisters spoke up. "Though I probably won't study it as deeply as Belica. I'd like to add it to my personal portable library."
"Shall we also trade with equivalent knowledge?"
"Certainly." I nodded. Knowledge was, after all, the most priceless thing of all.
"Then, Xiao Han, what kind of knowledge are you looking for? My collection covers many fields, including things you won't necessarily find in the Witch Academy's library."
As Belica spoke, she manifested a corner of her collection from an independent space. Even so, the bookshelves, neatly packed with volumes, crowded the space behind her.
"I heard you've dabbled in Alchemy. I have many Alchemy Notes here, most of which I wrote myself. I guarantee most of the content can't be found in the academy library. Whether it's Medicine Stone Alchemy, Energy Alchemy, or Biological Alchemy, I have a complete set."
"Wow..." Looking at those books, I was instantly tempted.
However, I restrained myself from using the Ley Line Identification Art to "leech" the contents of those books for free.
"Or these..." With a wave of Belica's hand, the books on another shelf lined up. "These are studies related to Runes. I heard you're quite the scholar in Runology, Xiao Han—that you've even learned to manually cast spells by self-studying and deconstructing spellbooks."
"Yes, I am very interested in Runes," I said quickly. My interest in this was far greater than in Alchemy!
Runology was the foundational discipline that had supported me this far. My understanding of Runes had reached a point where I no longer feared most things.
It felt as though as long as I understood the Rune Rituals and the laws of Composite Runes, I could accomplish anything!
Given enough time, no problem was unsolvable!
That was the confidence Runology had given me.
The Runes I currently knew were mostly common ones. I was even used to many Composite Runes; I could tell what they represented at a glance. What I needed now was to understand the "boundary" Runes and the more "peculiar" laws of Composite Rune formation.
Since Sister Belica said these weren't in the Witch Academy's collection, their value was such that I would have been willing to beg her for them!
But just as I was about to choose that, my eyes landed on a specific book.
"Hmm? This one... Primal Totems? What is this?" I asked, pointing curiously.
"Huh? Did I pull that one out by mistake?" Belica looked surprised but followed my finger. "Primal Totems. Oh, that. Totems... how should I define them? You can think of them as something similar to Rune Rituals, but they aren't the same thing."
"What do you mean? Are Totems also made of Rune combinations, like a more complex version of Composite Runes?" I asked.
"No. Runes are not Totems, and neither is composed of the other. It’s better to say it like this: Totems are the prototypes of Runes."
"Wait... prototypes?" I was even more confused. "Could you elaborate on that? I think I'm getting interested in Totems."
"Well, alright~ I didn't expect you to take an interest in Totems, Xiao Han." Belica shook her head with a smile. "I've studied Runology, but I really couldn't wrap my head around Totems. So, I don't have many research notes on them, and they aren't even complete. Because there's so little research, they haven't been compiled into a systematic field of study like Runology."
"Xiao Han, you understand what Runes are, right? Runes are often called the 'script of the Void.'"
"Yes." I nodded, familiar with the concept.
"But that description isn't entirely accurate. It’s better to say that Runes are a language of the Void that can be perceived and recognized by life consciousness. Something that can be recognized and utilized—that is a Rune."
"To be recognized means to be categorized. Knowing which Rune corresponds to which effect is recognition. Spells composed of Runes, Alchemy utilizing Runes, Transcendent Arts... these are all forms of utilization."
"But Totems are called the most direct language of the Void. They do not change because of the life forms within the Void. A Totem might be interpreted, recognized, or utilized, but that is only a tiny fraction of what it is. The parts that are interpreted happen to exhibit characteristics similar to Runes. That’s why saying Totems are the prototypes of Runes isn't an exaggeration."
"Huh?" I froze for a moment, needing time to process the explanation.
"I have another analogy that might help you understand," Belica said, organizing her thoughts.
"Yes, please go ahead."
"Are you familiar with different types of writing systems? Take two examples: one is a phonetic script made of letters, and the other is a pictographic script evolved from imagery. Do you understand that concept?"
"Yes, I do." I nodded.
"Let's compare the Rune system to a phonetic script. Each basic Rune unit is like a letter. Each letter can represent a meaning, and when combined, they form a word—much like a Composite Rune. Letters have meanings, and words have corresponding, more complex meanings. That is a very vivid representation of the Rune system."
"Now, let's compare Totems to pictographs. The most primitive pictographs are the closest to the actual image of the thing they represent. They are the most literal, yet also the most abstract. We can recognize what a primitive pictograph means at a glance because we have a basic cognitive understanding of the things in our world."
"However, we do not understand the Void. Therefore, we know nothing of Totems."
"But as we learn within the Void and continuously come into contact with the Transcendent, we gradually gain a basic understanding of the Void. Only then can we form vague guesses or realizations about specific Totems. But everyone's understanding is different, the fields they involve are different, and thus their interpretations differ. Do you understand?"
"Only by deepening your understanding of the essence of the Void do you earn the right to a deeper understanding of Totems. The barrier to learning Totems is everywhere; it tests not only your ability but also your innate comprehension!"
"Do you see now? Runes and... Totems. If you insist on being interested in Totems, I can only suggest you dabble lightly. If your first attempt yields nothing, it simply means you lack that specific spark of comprehension."
"If you lack that spark but still insist on studying Totems, you'll have to rely on sheer accumulation, which is a matter of twice the effort for half the result. My advice is that if you don't have the knack for it... at least don't touch Totems again until you become a Transcendent Witch. I wouldn't want you to get so bogged down by Totems that you fail to ascend to a Transcendent Witch. I'd feel terrible if that happened."