Chapter 657: Return to Ninglan New City and the Celebration Ceremony
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 657: Return to Ninglan New City and the Celebration Ceremony
"Ninglan New City has become the landmark of the Ninglan Territory. Its influence doesn't just cover the city itself, but extends to the surrounding areas, including three shelters and three sanctuaries. Together, they form the united region of the Ninglan Territory."
"I heard that thanks to the rapid development of Plant Technology, the pace of growth within Ninglan New City is already comparable to the Magic Capital where our Witch Academy is located."
"And another thing... with the implementation of manned airships, the flow of resources between the major shelters and sanctuaries has accelerated. We've even begun attempting communication and resource exchange with shelters outside the Ninglan Territory..."
"Um... Sister Xiao Han, I heard that you were the one who helped so many of those shelters in the Expansion Realm. Is that true?"
"In a way," I explained. "I just helped them plant an Omni-Link Main Network Tree, that's all."
"Just... how is that possible? The Plant Network is buzzing with stories of your deeds. It’s a greatness that can't be summarized by just 'planting a tree'... Wait... could it be that someone is using your name, Sister Xiao Han..."
"No, it’s hard to explain. If you must have an answer, you can just think of them as my clones."
"Clones? How could such a terrifying Clone Technique even exist? To be spread across the entire Expansion Realm... Wait! Does that mean the explorers who claimed to have met you recently actually met your clones?" Luo Yun made the connection, her voice filled with disbelief.
"Perhaps. My clones have indeed been spotted by quite a few people," I said with a nod. "But that’s not the point. Is there anything else new in Ninglan New City?"
"Oh! There’s also..." Seeing that I didn't want to dwell on the subject, Luo Yun immediately shifted gears.
"Sister Xiao Han, you have no idea how much your fan club has grown in Ninglan New City. So many people absolutely idolize what you've done."
"Of course... because of your strength and the way you keep creating miracles, the Xiao Han Fan Club has become a massive organization, powerful enough to rival groups like the Jack-of-all-trades Club within the Ninglan Territory. If you were willing to return and lead everyone, I’m sure they would follow... Though, as you know, Sister Xiao Han... some things shouldn't be rushed..."
"What, telling me not to rush... is the fan club being suppressed that badly?"
"No, it’s not like that... The fan club, while founded in your name, isn't an official club organization by nature. It’s more of a loose collective."
"However, thanks to Senior Sister Millian’s initiative, the fan club has established deep cooperative relationships with many other clubs. If you suddenly decided to take full control, it might cause discomfort among the internal members. After all, many of them are merchants who use your reputation for business, and their moral compasses can be... flexible."
"I have no intention of returning to take full control of those affairs; I’m simply not interested," I interrupted, my tone making it clear I truly didn't care.
"Really? Thank you for understanding, Sister Xiao Han." Luo Yun seemed a bit surprised. "There were rumors that you approved of the fan club using your name, but we never had direct proof... Do you mind it?"
"I don't mind. As long as they don't do anything stupid, I won't interfere." I looked at Luo Yun, sensing she was overly concerned about this. "Luo Yun, you seem very invested in the future of this group—enough to ask me so directly."
"Ah? Is that so... Was I that obvious?" Luo Yun realized her lapse in composure. "Sorry, I just really hope the fan club can keep going, but I was also worried it would cause you trouble. As a member, I’m afraid of everyone’s hard work going to waste..."
"If you're afraid, it just means you haven't done well enough."
"You're right, Sister Xiao Han. But... actually, there’s another reason the fan club’s development has been slow lately: it lacks your official recognition. Although someone started a rumor that you acknowledged our existence, no matter how far a rumor spreads, it can never compare to a single word of confirmation from your own lips."
"You want me to return to Ninglan New City and publicly acknowledge it, is that it?"
"Yes! We in the fan club have been waiting for this day for a long time! If... if you're willing, Sister Xiao Han!"
"I don't mind, provided you don't disappoint me," I said.
As Luo Yun and I continued our casual conversation, a sight in the distance soon caught my eye.
Looking down from above, the area that had once been a mere patch of vegetation had developed into a sprawling, interconnected urban district. The road construction reflected the steady progress of civilizational reconstruction.
As we drew closer, I could see manned airships forming orderly queues in the sky, traveling to distant shelters and cities beyond the Ninglan Territory to exchange resources.
The closer we got, the more student witches I saw wandering the skies on their brooms.
During the time I hadn't been paying attention, the news of my appearance in the Ninglan Territory had spread rapidly across the Plant Network.
Consequently, when I arrived at Ninglan New City, I was met with the grandest of welcomes.
The people greeting me were from the fan club, of course, but upon hearing the news of my return, various other clubs had also sent members to act as a welcoming committee.
After all, my reputation was currently impossible to ignore. I had spread the Omni-Link Main Network Tree across the entire Expansion Realm and used the Plant Network to interconnect nearly every human settlement. I had provided an undeniable impetus for the reconstruction of civilization in the Expansion Realm!
As long as one wasn't a fool, no one would dare go against the tide at a moment like this.
Before long, the City Lord of Ninglan New City, Ninglan Qiuyue, held a massive welcoming ceremony for my return.
Such a grand event was honestly shocking, and it made me realize just how significant my actions had been.
In truth, at the beginning, I was only looking out for myself.
The mere thought of controlling the flow of information for an entire Expansion Realm was exhilarating, not to mention the knowledge and nourishment it would provide to the Tree of Great Knowledge.
Furthermore, I had spread the order of my own domain across the entire Expansion Realm. To say I completely dominated the Expansion Realm would only be a slight exaggeration.
However, the things I had done had also brought convenience to everyone. This was an undeniable achievement, so I could accept their praise.
Still... these tedious and grand ceremonies were a hassle. Even so, my mere presence was considered a great show of respect.
Naturally, the organizers of this welcome ceremony weren't just the Ninglan New City administration, but also various clubs, academy factions, and my fan club.
They had reached a rare consensus to use this opportunity to build a platform where various groups could gather and communicate.
Whether it was large clubs wanting to establish a connection with me, student groups from other academies, or small groups and individuals just looking to expand their networks—they all capitalized on my dislike for trouble to pull off this ceremony. I only showed my face for the duration and hardly said a word, yet no one dared to say I was being disrespectful. In fact, they preferred it if I didn't say anything at all.
As the city-wide welcoming ceremony concluded, several explosive pieces of news began to circulate.
First and foremost: Teaching Assistant Xiao Han had officially recognized the Xiao Han Fan Club.
There were no guarantees, no follow-up actions. Some might find it confusing, but those in the know understood that this was the greatest promise Teaching Assistant Xiao Han could give!
By granting them an official name, she signaled that the fan club was under her protection. Even without promising anything specific, no one was stupid enough to think she wouldn't back them up. However, if the fan club ever truly reached the point where they needed her personal intervention to survive, it would also signal the group's final collapse—because Teaching Assistant Xiao Han had no need for a group that was nothing but a burden.
The fact that she didn't issue any subsequent orders for the fan club also meant she was granting them maximum autonomy.
This was why many within the fan club breathed a sigh of relief. They were all adults; interest-based cooperation was the only thing that lasted.
Teaching Assistant Xiao Han was famously indifferent when it came to the distribution of interests. It was only natural for some in the fan club to have concerns.
After all, no one wanted to be the one left holding the bag.
While that only concerned the fan club, the next matter was far more significant for the long-term development of the Expansion Realm.
It concerned the maintenance permissions for the Omni-Link Main Network Tree... and the inheritance of civilizational information.
In truth, there had been a fixed team maintaining the Omni-Link Main Network Tree during this period, but they only had temporary authorization.
Now that the issue had been formally raised, a professional and official team was required.
Of the two Omni-Link Main Network Trees in the Ninglan Territory, one was currently under research by a group of mentors, while the other was the one that needed maintenance. However, with the advancement of manned airship technology, it wouldn't be long before maintenance personnel would need to travel all over the Expansion Realm.
No one considered this a thankless job. The title of being among the first batch of Plant Network maintenance personnel in the Expansion Realm was prestigious enough. Moreover, as the Plant Network opened up and developed, the network workers and their derivative industries would hold immense profit potential.
Although many questioned what right Teaching Assistant Xiao Han had to authorize maintenance permissions—arguing she was "just a tree planter"—no one dared say it to her face. They only dared to post anonymous essays on the Plant Network.
These people were promptly called out, and various memes and jokes mocking them began to emerge.
For example: Xiao Han is just a tree planter.jpg
Furthermore, the official statement they expected from the mentors never came. In the eyes of the uninformed, the Omni-Link Main Network Tree was a creation of the mentors working together, and only they had the right to grant authorization.
From my perspective, that was true to an extent. I had built the framework of the Omni-Link Main Network Tree, as well as its basic system and order, but the subsequent content and the functions for different domains had all been refined by those mentors.
Regardless, the matter eventually passed amidst wave after wave of trending topics.
Meanwhile, I was busy inquiring about this year's College Entrance Exam.
After all, it was time to settle certain matters.
The College Entrance Exam was the most important period of the year in the Main World, bar none.
It was a unified assessment for the entire world. Every region influenced by a Transcendent Academy would designate numerous testing sites and dispatch professional senior students to set up the venues in advance.
During the exam, anti-cheating measures weren't limited to simple proctoring or signal jammers; they involved multiple layers of transcendent methods.
At the very least, senior students were required to cover the entire testing site with their mental power.
Beyond that, the proctoring methods depended on the specialties of the local Transcendent Academy.
For instance, the Witch Academy would provide domain spellbooks capable of monitoring the entire site, along with Ley Line Operating Systems to record ley line information in real-time, ensuring no one cheated.
These methods were never made public. Ordinary people taking the exam had no idea how to circumvent them, and even if they did, they lacked the means to do so.
Furthermore, the transcendent students responsible for proctoring had to sign a Witch Contract, completely eliminating even the slightest possibility of collusion.
"Sister Xiao Han, why are you suddenly interested in the College Entrance Exam?"
The members of the fan club were quite confused by my request for information. After all, it was a grueling and thankless task.
While it was an official academy mission with decent rewards, it wasn't something top-tier students usually bothered with.
In fact, many teaching assistants looked down on these missions.
"There’s someone I care about in this year's batch. I plan to go take a look," I replied somewhat vaguely.
Still, I was very satisfied with the intelligence they gathered for me.
If I had searched the Academy Network, I would have only found official procedures. Many of the finer details and practical experiences weren't described. Even with the Ley Line Identification Art, searching for such broad, unanchored information within the ley lines would have been quite a hassle.
The person speaking to me was a member of the fan club's intelligence group.
It was quite fascinating that the fan club had spontaneously formed its own intelligence group, though such a function was indeed vital for a large organization.
They were willing to serve me exclusively, even setting aside a dedicated team within the intelligence group to provide me with information, bound by a "loyalty" in the form of a Witch Contract.
In return, all I gave this small team was a Great Knowledge Seed.
"Sister Xiao Han... regarding the College Entrance Exam, one must sign a strict rule contract for the entire duration. If you're planning to use your position to provide convenience for that person... I’m afraid it’s impossible..."
"I’m just going to watch. How could I not know the gravity of the exam?"
"I spoke out of turn."
"It’s fine. Your reminder was correct. There shouldn't be anything else left to do in Ninglan New City, right? If not, I plan to head back to the academy. By the way, which mentor is in charge of assigning the proctoring missions? Would she mind if I went to see her?"
"The mentors who arrange these missions are usually the rotating grade deans for the lower years. Of course, if you don't know them, Sister Xiao Han, you could go find your previous Teacher Lina. As you know, she was the grade dean who taught you; she might be able to help."
"Thanks."
I stood up, preparing to find Teacher Lina. It had been a while since I’d seen her.
My most vivid memory of her was when she approached me to discuss the World Script theory.
Back then, I had felt as though I were facing a great enemy, and Sister Bai had been busy helping me with all sorts of preparations... but in the blink of an eye, all of that seemed like nothing now.
"Oh, Sister Xiao Han!"
"Is there something else?"
"There is one more thing. A teaching assistant came by recently with one of your business cards. She hopes to invite you for a meeting when you have time. Her name is Fu Xinglan, and she’s from the same batch of teaching assistants as you."
"Fu Xinglan... oh, her." Hearing the name, I quickly remembered. We had compared answers during the written exam. She was a member of the Jack-of-all-trades Club, though she was likely a pillar of the club now that she had become a teaching assistant. I wondered if Tracy from the Witch Secret Realm Club had been as lucky as her in becoming one.
"Since she’s looking for me, I’ll go see her. Could you help arrange it?"
"Of course. It would be my honor."