Chapter 692: Distribution of the Knowledge Seeds
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 692: Distribution of the Knowledge Seeds
After saying goodbye to Yi Rui and the others, I double-checked the text message from Teacher Lina. It contained the time and location for this teaching assistant meeting.
Just like last time, I headed over with a casual mindset. However, upon arrival, I realized this was nothing like the end-of-term meeting from the previous semester. Back then, there were only a few people in the conference room, like Lin Yi and Lifaeya.
This time, the meeting was being held in a massive auditorium!
I’m the type who usually arrives a bit early, but even so, there were already people seated.
The scale of this... it was almost comparable to the number of teaching assistants who had gathered when Ninglan New City first opened.
Unsurprisingly, I spotted a familiar face.
Lin Yi.
She was the teaching assistant who, like me, had participated in the lower-grade assessments during the last final exams.
"I didn't expect you to be here so early." I habitually took a seat next to her. After all, sitting beside someone familiar is the default choice for most people.
"I just happened to have nothing to do, so I came early. This is a pretty important matter, after all. It’s more respectful than those who show up at the very last second. Besides, didn't you arrive just as early?" Lin Yi put down the book she was holding and looked at me.
"True. But I’m curious—you actually came back for the finals this time too?"
"Aren't you doing the same?"
"Well, for certain reasons, I owe Teacher Lina a favor, so I came."
"A favor? Alright, I won't pry." Lin Yi was a bit surprised, but she didn't push further. Seeing that I was genuinely curious and seemed somewhat out of the loop, she didn't mind explaining the details. "Actually, it’s not just me. A lot of people are coming. This lower-grade final exam will likely be the joint exam with the highest concentration of teaching assistants ever."
"Why? That seems completely unnecessary, doesn't it?" I was surprised, but looking around the vast auditorium, I chose to believe her.
"Do you really know nothing?"
"What should I know?" I asked, puzzled.
"Remember the last time this many teaching assistants gathered? It was when Ninglan New City opened in the Expansion Realm," Lin Yi began to explain. "What did Teacher Lina say back then? From the start, the mentors said that Ninglan New City would only be open for one semester."
"Right, I think they did say that. So, this meeting isn't just for the finals, but also the final report for the Ninglan New City trip?"
"Pretty much. But Ninglan New City... no, it’s the Ninglan Territory now. After being managed by so many people and developing to its current state, many are unwilling to just walk away."
"Would the mentors even agree to let them stay?"
"I don't know. The mentors' decisions aren't something we teaching assistants can directly sway. But... if this is the unchangeable conclusion, I believe most people will spend their remaining time frantically harvesting and squeezing every bit of profit they can without any bottom line. They’ll stay until the very last second because they need to maximize their gains."
"Would the Academy allow that?" I was taken aback by Lin Yi's words.
If those people used their usual methods to "maximize profit"... would the indigenous people even be able to live normal lives afterward?
Even if they could, the sheer scale of the exploitation would likely leave them unable to recover for a very long time...
"I don't know that either, but that is the attitude of the various teaching assistants. The Witch Academy has never cared about affairs outside its walls. It’s the same for the outside society we live in, and the Expansion Realm is no different. However, the Expansion Realm is currently considered a testing ground for the Academy, so those people want to take a gamble..."
"The teaching assistants are that bold?" To put it bluntly, weren't they trying to force the Academy's hand, hoping to stay in the Expansion Realm to keep profiting?
After all, the Expansion Realm and the Academy were already linked by spatial channels. Even with teleportation spells, one could travel between the two.
For the Academy, closing the Expansion Realm channel was just a matter of a single command, not a limitation of objective factors.
If the Academy didn't agree, even if they used teleportation spells to go there, they would just be "stowaways."
Because of this, they felt this method could be used as a bargaining chip with the Academy.
I chatted with Lin Yi for a good while. She certainly knew many things I didn't, and I once again realized just how annoying the petty schemes of these teaching assistants could be when profit was involved.
From the perspective of a Transcendent Witch, it seemed somewhat childish.
But from the perspective of those teaching assistants, if these little tricks could yield even a sliver of benefit, it was worth it.
"Sister Xiao Han~ Oh my, I can see you even when I arrive this early! I guess I’m still late~"
A slightly exaggerated voice rang out, and a figure nimbly darted over to sit beside me.
Looking at the girl in her cat-girl form, I recognized her as Lifaeya, another teaching assistant I’d met during the last finals. She was the "Review Warrior" who had finished writing her self-reflection review before the proctoring even started!
Her grand entrance immediately turned us into the center of attention. Fortunately, there weren't too many people here yet.
However, with Lifaeya’s arrival, Lin Yi suddenly became much quieter. Lifaeya spent the entire time chatting away.
But compared to the solid information Lin Yi provided, most of what Lifaeya said was just gossip.
As time ticked by, more and more people gathered in the auditorium. During this time, I saw several familiar faces, such as Fu Xinglan and Tracy.
There were also Betsy Payne and Winnie Baker, representing the Witch Secret Realm Club and the Jack-of-all-trades Club.
Finally, Teacher Lina arrived. By the last moment, the auditorium was nearly three-quarters full, and not a single person was late.
"Good. I’m glad you all cooperated and attended this meeting. Today, we will primarily discuss the issues and precautions for the lower-grade multi-school joint exam." Teacher Lina scanned everyone present before giving a brief opening statement.
There wasn't much fluff or formality; she went straight to the point.
"The plan adopted for this multi-school joint exam differs from any previous format. Before we begin, I need to distribute something to each of you."
As Teacher Lina spoke, one of the mentors accompanying her pulled a pile of items from a storage equipment.
I recognized them at a glance.
Consciousness crystals.
A synthetic material used to simulate the medium environment of the Sea of Consciousness. It was also a carrier for the Great Knowledge Seeds and Great Knowledge Seeds.
The nature of these stacked items was now self-evident.
"To give you a brief introduction, this item is called a Knowledge Seed. It is a necessity that we will gradually roll out to the entire Academy. Its primary function is somewhat similar to the special phones issued to every student upon enrollment, but its utility is far more convenient than a phone."
As Teacher Lina spoke, she had the people in the front rows help pass them back.
"Teacher Lina, those of us who already have a Great Knowledge Seed shouldn't need this Great Knowledge Seed, right?" A teaching assistant near the front raised her hand to ask, her tone carrying a hint of showing off.
Her tone only drew looks that seemed to be staring at an idiot, but the question was indeed something a few other teaching assistants wanted to ask.
After all, Great Knowledge Seeds were currently only circulating among the mentors; only a few teaching assistants possessed them. If someone had one, it meant their mentor was powerful or that they had a very good relationship with their mentor. Either way, it was something they felt was worth bragging about.
"You need it. Regardless of what kind of seed you have, take it. Even if you have a Great Knowledge Seed, this Great Knowledge Seed acts as an expansion pack." Teacher Lina glanced at the girl who spoke, then addressed the entire room.
She was well aware that some people here had the connections to obtain a Knowledge Seed, but that was never something to boast about.
However... educating these people was not her responsibility.
As the Great Knowledge Seeds were distributed, Lin Yi, Lifaeya, and I each received one.
Lin Yi and the others didn't have Knowledge Seeds. My own Knowledge Seed's sequence derivation had only been completed after the last joint exam. At the time, limited by production and other concerns, I had no intention of distributing them.
For the next while, Teacher Lina and the other mentors began teaching everyone how to use the Great Knowledge Seed.
Back then, the Knowledge Seed wasn't something you could use the moment you got it. If you didn't understand the method, you could easily damage it.
The Knowledge Seed was much the same.
I looked at the small consciousness crystal in my hand. After I crushed it, the Knowledge Seed was instantly and completely "assimilated" by my Tree of Great Knowledge.
I also recognized the optimizations made to this Knowledge Seed.
It continued to use my structural design for the Knowledge Seed's endosperm, providing the initial energy to catalyze the seed's "growth." This eliminated the need for individuals to use extra energy to catalyze it themselves.
After all, for lower-grade students, their mental power couldn't yet interfere with mana, and they hadn't learned to control other transcendent energies. The energy issue was a hurdle that had to be solved.
Then there was the issue of opening one's personal Sea of Consciousness. If a person's Sea of Consciousness wasn't open, then even if the Knowledge Seed entered their consciousness, they wouldn't be able to "perceive" it.
On this matter, I think Lucianne would have had the most to say.
Clearly, this problem had also been solved by the witch sisters in the laboratory.
I could feel a strong conscious guidance when the seed was placed into the mind, along with triggered information introductions, guiding a person step-by-step to recognize the "existence" of the Sea of Consciousness.
For an ordinary person, the first time they realized the existence of their Sea of Consciousness, they might find it extremely tiny—roughly the size of a single Knowledge Seed. But as the Knowledge Seed grew into a Minor Tree of Knowledge, the Sea of Consciousness would expand along with it.
Before long, almost everyone present had completed the preliminary stage of the Knowledge Seed. Many were curious about this ability and were constantly exploring it.
I also tested just how severe the information grading of the Knowledge Seed was.
First was the Knowledge Shadow, an illusion projection that reflected each person's subconscious. It had now become an "Artificial Retardation" that could only handle Q&A. The essence of this AI was still the individual's subconscious, so its answers could still be quite startling.
Next was the most crucial part: the Ley Line Identification Art. The information grading for the identification art was even more severe. Identification info for many things wouldn't even appear. For example, if used on a person, you couldn't obtain much of their private information; you could only get specific data.
Furthermore, I discovered that people with a Knowledge Seed could set what information would be displayed when they were identified... Yes, this was very beneficial for social interaction.
If you didn't want to show anything, you could set it to private, and no one could obtain your info.
However, these restrictions didn't seem able to bypass my Tree of Great Knowledge. Of course, the Great Knowledge Seed itself... also seemed unable to do so?
"Regarding the Knowledge Seeds, I have distributed them to everyone, and you have all completed the activation. You can explore their functions on your own or ask your Knowledge Shadow directly; it will give you the answers you seek. Next, let’s discuss the rules for this multi-school joint exam."
"This joint exam will take place within the Expansion Realm. The participating academies only include those that have already established stable teleportation channels in the Expansion Realm. Currently, this includes our Witch Academy, Afuhemi Academy, the Wizard Academy..."
"The mode for this joint exam is Hunting Mode. Candidates will face mutant beast swarms in the Expansion Realm, as well as special creatures occasionally deployed by the academies. They will all be marked with scores. The score for each hunting target can be viewed through the Knowledge Seed's identification function."
"Targets that have already been hunted will be marked and cannot be snatched. The hunter has full rights over the prey and can choose to sell it directly or keep it for biological materials, etc. The Academy will provide sales channels and waste recovery channels."
"For the duration of this joint exam, candidates are strictly forbidden from using their own mastered abilities. The Witch Academy will provide mass-produced restriction contracts for every candidate. The only power candidates may use is the special power network provided by the Academy."
"Wait, Mentor, what is this 'special power network' provided by the Academy?" someone asked.
"It is the kind of power you’ve seen ordinary people in the Expansion Realm master—standardized, modeled transcendent power provided through a special power network," Teacher Lina explained simply.
"Mentor, is there any point to this?"
"Point?" Teacher Lina stared sharply at the teaching assistant who asked the foolish question. "The point is to make you realize that some of you are already teaching assistants, yet if you were forced to fight a lower-grade student using only a Fireball Spellbook, you might not even win."
"I know many of you scoff at this and feel it’s unnecessary. But I must remind you of one thing: before you promote to Transcendent Witches, the mana sources and spellbooks you think belong to you have never truly been yours. They are merely useful tools. More importantly, some people can have those tools snatched away by someone's bare hands."
Teacher Lina’s words sent a chill down many people's spines. It likely reminded them of certain... "tragedies" that had occurred in the past.
In the silence that followed, some people instinctively looked toward Liliana in the crowd.
Similarly, some looked at me, then quickly averted their gaze.
"I won't waste any more breath. Educating you is the job of the mentors you follow. Next, we will discuss the finer details of this assessment and introduce the procedures and rules of the power network."
As Teacher Lina spoke, she pulled up a spell projection. Since this was the Witch Academy and there was no Omni-Link Main Network Tree here, the power network didn't cover this area. If she wanted to explain it, she naturally needed a demonstration.