Chapter 646: The Expansion Realm After My "Disappearance"
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 646: The Expansion Realm After My "Disappearance"
After bidding Yi Rui farewell, I tidied up my belongings and left, carrying the signed contracts with me.
My departure left a profound impact on Yi Rui and her companions.
At that moment, Yi Rui had already produced the Fireball Spellbook and placed it upon the Ley Line bearing structure of the Ley Line Operating System they had brought along.
As they gazed at this Fireball Spell, the group felt a flush of heat rise to their faces. This was a domain they had never before touched.
Over the past few days, they felt they had gotten along quite well with Teaching Assistant Xiao Han. Aside from her being a bit blunt and perhaps lacking in social graces, these were common traits among the people gathered here.
Before meeting her, they had wondered how she had earned the recognition of so many mentors. Though they had heard of her exploits, her most famous achievement was the Great Spellbook—something far beyond their reach.
However, what truly earned their respect was when Teaching Assistant Xiao Han produced so many spellbooks and their derivatives!
To be able to research spells to such a degree, even creating derivatives from a spellbook—that was the mark of a "kindred spirit" in their eyes.
Furthermore, the person they were dealing with had been enrolled in the Witch Academy for less than a year.
Enrolled for one year... they thought back to what they were doing during their first year. Comparison truly was the thief of joy, and it only fueled their admiration for such a genius.
They had become fairly well-acquainted over the last few days and had exchanged various philosophies. Perhaps because she was much younger than them, and despite her lack of understanding regarding spell sequences, she showed great interest. They almost felt as if they were mentoring a junior.
Until the birth of this... Crystal Fireball Spellbook!
Only then did they feel the disparity in their levels so viscerally. She wasn't unfamiliar with sequence derivation because of a lack of ability; her capabilities and ideas were equal to, if not far beyond, their own!
"Xiao Han said... the derivation of this spell relies on inspiration, right?" Yi Rui spoke up.
"Yes. It came from a spellbook Sister Xiao Han mastered, combined with inspiration gained from the energy crystal mines outside," a girl beside her added.
"In that case... shouldn't we also try going outside to see for ourselves?" Yi Rui suggested.
"I think that's a great idea. If my mentor found out she sent me to the Expansion Realm only for me to crouch in some corner of Ninglan New City, she'd probably beat me to death when I get back..."
"Uh... surely it's not that serious?"
"I heard it's not that dangerous out there. Just some homeless men and variant beasts. I want to test the difference in mana conductivity between freshly collected variant beast blood mixed with bone meal versus the non-fresh variety."
"Then... let's go on a spontaneous trip! We won't bother Xiao Han with the arrangements this time; we'll just head out."
"Agreed!"
"I haven't finished my experiment yet, but I agree too."
"Let's wait a moment, then. We still need to prepare some supplies."
"Should we also learn a Dream Demon Spell? I heard there's a high probability of encountering dream overlaps out there."
"Good point. Didn't Sister Xiao Han create that Dream Demon Spell too? I'd like to see it for myself."
* * *
I found a relatively empty spot and sat down.
I intended to use this leisure time to sign the contracts.
Although I had confirmed these contracts used a standardized template and contained no traps, I remained cautious, double-checking every single one before signing. This wasn't a lack of trust; it was a precaution against loopholes that neither party might have noticed, which could cause trouble later.
I must admit, signing all these took quite a while. I estimated the next day or two would be entirely occupied with handling the dream overlap issues.
This wasn't out of a sudden stroke of conscience to help them solve their problems; I simply wanted to rid myself of these burdens as quickly as possible so I could finally have time to myself.
Over the next day or two, a string of good news spread through Ninglan New City, sparking excitement within the Calamity Shelter.
Mining operations at the quarries outside the city were gradually restarting. The workers who had been forced to stop due to the dream overlaps were the happiest of all. Otherwise, they would have been forced to compete with the elderly, weak, women, and children for relief food—a loss of face many couldn't bear.
Once the cooperation for dream dispersal was complete, I vanished entirely from the public eye.
This feeling of losing a "monitored" target made many clubs feel quite uneasy. However, as several days passed without any incidents, people began to grow accustomed to it.
Nothing major happened during this period. Everything proceeded according to plan.
For instance, the Calamity Shelter was still being perfected, and an expansion plan had already been initiated.
Another example was the Second Large Shelter, which was gradually taking shape under the high efficiency of the Transcendent Architects.
Due to its geographical features and the massive Omni-Link Main Network Tree serving as its most prominent landmark, many clubs had already begun seeking cooperation for the Second Large Shelter.
Although this place was opened through a partnership between Teaching Assistant Xiao Han and the Jack-of-all-trades Club, the Jack-of-all-trades Club provided the actual labor and reaped the benefits. Currently, the Jack-of-all-trades Club lacked the absolute strength to monopolize such a prize within the Witch Academy.
Thus, accepting cooperation from other clubs was their only choice. However, as the initiators, they still held a great deal of leverage.
Furthermore, Teaching Assistant Xiao Han had appointed Millian as her representative to negotiate the subsequent distribution of cooperation with the Jack-of-all-trades Club.
While Millian represented Xiao Han, she was still nominally a member of the Jack-of-all-trades Club, which made the other clubs quite uncomfortable. Yet, they couldn't afford to pass up the cooperation.
I heard that the progress of other Transcendent Academies was currently quite pathetic. While two large shelters had already been established in the Expansion Realm, they were still stumbling around aimlessly.
In truth, they didn't lack organizational skills. They were also cooperating, planning the joint construction of a third large shelter in the Expansion Realm.
However, site selection remained a problem. Moreover, there were simply too many people from the Witch Academy; a few subtle tricks behind the scenes were enough to give them a massive headache. Since they hadn't caught any direct proof, the third large shelter was still only a prototype, though they had at least claimed the title for it.
As for which academy the final shelter would lead to, that was another issue entirely.
They had been avoiding the question, as they couldn't afford internal strife before succeeding. Nominally, however, they remained stubborn, claiming that three shelters had already been established—just enough for the Three Top Academies—and that the other two simply required some communication.
They even brought up Teaching Assistant Xiao Han's words, saying they would leave the choice to the refugees within the shelters.
The witches didn't refute this, as Teaching Assistant Xiao Han had indeed said such a thing...
However, Xiao Han hadn't shown her face since then. The only person who could nominally contact the elusive Teaching Assistant seemed to be Millian. After all, she had received a commission during Xiao Han's absence to act as her proxy in negotiating the distribution for the Second Shelter. This was a contract, and it couldn't be faked.
What followed was a period of constant bickering and profit distribution. They suddenly realized that without that "unstable factor," the Expansion Realm could actually flow according to their wishes quite smoothly.
But before long, a group in Ninglan New City once again drew everyone's attention.
This group was a club.
The Spell Research Society.
It was a tiny club, with only a dozen or so members in total.
But one look at their roster was enough to terrify anyone!
Among those dozen people, four were Teaching Assistants! The rest were all senior students. A simple inquiry into who their mentors were was enough to shock anyone a second time.
In fact, the dossiers on these people had been collected by various clubs as soon as they arrived in Ninglan New City. Back then, everyone had already gasped in shock.
Furthermore, this group had been personally led here by Teaching Assistant Xiao Han. This was a true headache for the clubs, as they knew these people were not like them!
One unstable factor had brought a whole pack of outliers...
However, the group's subsequent actions gradually put the clubs at ease. With the help of the city's Association, they settled into an abandoned experimental zone within the city.
After that, they stayed there quietly without making a sound. If not for this recent event, people might have forgotten they existed.
This time, they appeared because they needed to travel—at least, that's what they said.
When they mobilized collectively again, it was to find Mentor Elena to learn the Dream Demon Spell.
While others might take a long time to master the Dream Demon Spell upon their first contact, this group learned how to cast it in mere moments. Not a single person took more than half an hour.
However, they still stayed with Mentor Elena for an entire day. Word was they were discussing and researching the spell with her, which left many wondering what there was to research about it.
At that moment, those people felt the aura suppression of these Academic Gods—a deep-seated academic inferiority born from their self-perception as students.
The only thing that put the major clubs in Ninglan New City at ease was that this group would soon leave the city for a field survey of the Expansion Realm.
To this end, the major clubs all made way for them, or provided a certain amount of assistance and funding. This was both to leave a good impression and to sow seeds of karma—and, more importantly, to get them to leave quickly.
If Teaching Assistant Xiao Han was a super unstable factor, this group combined was even more terrifying!
After all, this was a group composed of four Teaching Assistants. Even if one hadn't heard of their startling achievements, one had to consider their backgrounds.
Exploits were used to intimidate the easily swayed masses, but as top-tier Teaching Assistants of the Witch Academy, they naturally understood which people in this academy were not to be trifled with: those who were truly dedicated to academic research.
If anyone laid a hand on them without cause, their mentors would show no mercy! And they were notoriously protective!
As for why they dared to target Teaching Assistant Xiao Han... it was because, deep down, they were unwilling to admit one thing: she was too young.
They were conflicted. They looked down on her because of her youth, yet they feared her strength and couldn't accept that someone so young could possess it.
They were beginning to gradually accept it now... but it would still take time to adjust.
In the time that followed, many noticed that Xiao Han's presence and influence began to fade.
The Expansion Realm was flourishing. Other Transcendent Academies, despite invisible obstacles, began building the prototype of the third large shelter. The Witch Academy continued to explore outward, marking resource points, rescuing homeless wanderers and refugees, and guiding people from small settlements back to the large shelters to help rebuild their civilizations.
In Ninglan New City, the plant technology line was also initiated. Due to an accident, a researcher who was a native of a small world discovered that a Plant Network actually spanned beneath Ninglan New City!
They learned from the Group of Seven, the controllers of the Calamity Shelter, that the Great Calamity Witch had reshaped the Omni-Link Main Network Tree and extended its roots there.
Subsequently, Ninglan New City and the Calamity Shelter established the first and second Ley Energy Interface Platforms!
With this Plant Network and the interface platforms, they gained the confidence to revitalize the plant technology system!
As the slogan for the revitalization of plant technology was raised, the Omni-Link Main Network Tree laboratory at the Calamity Shelter welcomed several more Transcendent Witch Mentors.
The arrival of this team of mentors made many clubs' skin crawl. The sole purpose of these mentors was the Omni-Link Main Network Tree, and the one who had triggered this research wave was Teaching Assistant Xiao Han.
Although her name was rarely mentioned in Ninglan New City now, her deeds were still being passed down.
At the Calamity Shelter, a large, enclosed laboratory had been built around the Omni-Link Main Network Tree, extending outward. It was heavily shielded by isolation spells; the outside world had almost no way of knowing what was happening inside. Entry was strictly forbidden to almost everyone, save for the mentors' clones.
The only Teaching Assistant permitted to enter was Xiao Han.
However, many believed that Xiao Han's disappearance wasn't because she had entered the lab. No one had seen her head there after the final resource point's dream was dispelled. Rumors suggested she had traveled to the furthest reaches of the Expansion Realm to pioneer new territory.
What they didn't know was that inside this enclosed laboratory, a white figure was currently busy collaborating with the mentors.
This figure was me... or rather, my clone.
In fact, when this clone first arrived, Sister Agnes had nearly split it in two.
According to Agnes, she had sensed something abnormal about this clone. Although everything seemed normal—the vital signs were identical, and every sensation was exactly like mine—her Life Perception told her otherwise. Thus, the clone was nearly cut down as some "possessing" monster.
It was only after I explained and used the Great Knowledge Seed to contact my main body for proof that the matter was settled.
However, they then became intensely interested in this clone of mine, because... they had never seen a clone created with such methods!
But after hearing that it was accomplished using the Reincarnation Rebirth Spell combined with derivative spells from the Great Spellbook and various derivative arts, they stopped asking.
When so many spells and arts were involved, further questioning would be impolite.
If it were just a single spell, they would have begged to exchange knowledge for this clone spell to study it, as their own clones could never achieve such "perfection."
But since it involved too many of my secrets, they held their tongues.
This was for the best. Now, everyone in the Omni-Link Main Network Tree laboratory—witches and all—was a "clone."