Chapter 733: An Investment from the Third Dean
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 733: An Investment from the Third Dean
The scenery within a World Fragment wasn't actually that rare; seeing it was mostly just for the sake of novelty.
Thus, after taking a lap around the area with Dean Mei and the other Witch Sisters, we all made our way out.
The primary purpose of this trip was for Dean Mei to help me clear out those spatial markers, cleaning up the mess left behind by the Wizard Academy within the fragment and resolving the risk of its spatial coordinates leaking.
However, the fact that Dean Mei could lock onto and erase over ten thousand spatial markers so quickly proved that a Transcendent Witch’s perception had reached a level where it could cover an entire World Fragment. Considering these markers were scattered across various specialized zones of the fragment, the sheer scale of such power was terrifying.
Even so, Dean Mei had hinted that I might find residual Elemental Spirits among the flora within the fragment. This likely meant there were indeed spirits overlooked by the Wizards hiding somewhere inside.
Still, one or two wouldn't make much of a difference. I’d just treat them as a pleasant surprise to stumble upon at some point in the future.
"After taking a look around, have you thought about how you want to utilize this World Fragment, Xiao Han?" Dean Mei asked. "Or do you not have any good ideas yet?"
"I... I really don't have any good ideas yet," I said, shaking my head.
After all, the Ley Lines of this World Fragment couldn't handle much stress. Naturally, that made it difficult to perform large-scale terrain modification or vegetation clearing.
Because of that, the list of things I could actually do inside the fragment was significantly shortened.
As for raising livestock or planting crops to generate economic value... that didn't seem very feasible either.
"I do have some other thoughts, but they're still in the conceptual stage. I want to try planting the Omni-Link Main Network Tree here and see if I can modify it into a form that protects the Ley Lines. I still feel like the Ley Lines in this World Fragment are a bit too fragile," I explained.
I had other ideas as well.
I wanted to plant seeds from my Plant Technology here. If it worked, this place would likely become a botanical garden for Plant Technology—or perhaps a tech park?
Of course, I could also try introducing some Variant Beasts from the Expansion Realm—the kind that had undergone the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art. Perhaps they could provide me with research materials for Wisdom Granting techniques and the derivation of the Great Wisdom Weaving Seed.
That specific technique and its derivation... ever since I’d partially perfected them back in the Expansion Realm, I’d almost forgotten about them.
It was mainly because I lacked experimental subjects, and I really had been far too busy lately.
"The Ley Lines within World Fragments are indeed very fragile. That’s a common ailment of fragments; essentially, they are consumables that require constant maintenance." Dean Mei nodded, acknowledging that this was indeed a problem.
"However, Xiao Han, if you can use the Omni-Link Main Network Tree to maintain the Ley Lines of a World Fragment, I believe a vast number of Witches will come seeking your cooperation for that technique."
"Eh? Is it possible that such a technique doesn't exist yet? Doesn't the Witch world already have standardized procedures for pioneering World Fragments?" I asked, somewhat incredulously.
"Such techniques do exist. Looking at the Witch race as a whole, there are quite a few categories of such skills. However, there are many problems to solve. For instance, the most common issue is that they are difficult to popularize, and then there’s the cost. In the end, it’s often better to just replace the fragment entirely or ask a Stellar Alchemist to help repair it."
"I see. Well, I don't have much energy to focus on that right now anyway." I sighed, dropping the subject.
"So, for the time being, you plan to leave this World Fragment idle?"
"Pretty much. Is something the matter, Sister Mei?" I asked in return. I had a feeling Dean Mei had something else she wanted to say, using this topic as a lead-in.
"Xiao Han, have you ever thought about refining this World Fragment into a Dungeon Space?" Dean Mei asked.
"Eh?"
"Surprised? Currently, this World Fragment still uses Wizard techniques. A World Fragment this massive and clunky is not only inconvenient, but it also can't be stored in ordinary storage equipment."
"Ah? This can't be put into storage equipment?"
But storage equipment can hold other storage equipment... I grumbled inwardly.
"Of course. While you can nest storage equipment like Russian dolls, trying to fit a World Fragment inside is a different story. This involves some important theories regarding spatial dimensions. If you're interested, I can recommend some books on the subject."
"I... I see. But what did you mean just now, Sister Mei, about refining it into a Dungeon Space?" I asked curiously.
I also wanted to ask what Dean Mei had used to carry the World Fragment earlier, but I ultimately held back. It was likely some specialized storage device or perhaps a spatial Sealing Art.
"By using the Alchemy that Witches are most familiar with to encapsulate this fragment, of course. The Witch race's Dungeon World Alchemy is far superior to this Wizardry. At the very least, once it's refined, it won't be so large." Dean Mei looked at the bulky Wizard Tool beside her with a hint of disdain.
"Can it be put into storage equipment then?" I asked.
"Mhm... if it's the main body, still no. A World Fragment, no matter what, cannot be placed inside ordinary storage equipment. However, its main body can be crafted into an accessory that fits Witch aesthetics, which you can wear on your person. Are you sure you don't want to try?"
"Then I definitely want to try." Hearing how convenient it could be, why would I refuse? "But... how do I do it? Should I find a Stellar Alchemist Witch Sister to help?"
"If you trust me, I can handle this for you," Dean Mei said.
"Really?"
"Of course. As for Stellar Alchemists—while they are indeed rare and mostly out on the Void borders pioneering small worlds—the Witch Academy isn't without them. At the very least, many Stellar Alchemist Witches are involved in the Main World Ley Line repair techniques."
"Then, to hire a Witch Sister like that, I would need to..."
"Xiao Han, do you always have to define value so clearly?" Dean Mei suddenly interrupted my question. "Many things cannot be measured by the value of ordinary objects."
"Ah?"
"I'm joking. If you really wanted to pay an equivalent price to earn the qualification for refining a Dungeon World, I'll be blunt: you don't have that kind of foundation yet."
"You saw it just now—the Witches who went in with us don't have their own Dungeon Spaces. Although they clamor about being 'broke Witches,' they are still Transcendent Witches with terrifyingly deep pockets. The intangible value they possess—their knowledge, experience, insights, techniques, and even experimental products and byproducts—is immeasurable."
"So..." I asked hesitantly.
"You can look at this as an investment from her. How about that?"
"An investment?"
"Yes. Just like my investment in you—that Great Spellbook. I almost regret being so hasty in asking you for those two Primal Spell sequences of Fool's Dream back then." Although Dean Mei said this, her expression didn't show much actual regret.
Did she lose out?
By investing in a Xiao Han with such infinite potential and only asking for two Primal Spell sequences in the end...
Not at all.
Mei Lind knew very well that those two Primal Spell sequences were merely the equivalent collateral at the time. The current Xiao Han didn't yet understand the concept of Primal Spells, but later... she would welcome Xiao Han repaying those two sequences in any way she chose.
Either way, she wouldn't lose.
However, measuring her relationship with Xiao Han in terms of profit and loss was ultimately too distant, so she generally didn't bring it up.
"Alright..."
Hearing it was another investment, I lowered my head and accepted it. In the past, I hated being in debt; as soon as I had the ability, I would repay it immediately.
But now... I had so many debts that I’d stopped worrying.
Aside from the Great Spellbook invested by Dean Mei, which was the most obvious, the debts of gratitude I owed the other Witch Sisters manifested in every aspect of my life. They might say I owed them nothing, but the sentiment was real, and I would always remember it.
Not to mention the Witch Sisters who had gathered to help me for free when I was researching the Great Spellbook, or the Omni-Link Main Network Tree laboratory established later in the Expansion Realm, and then the research team for the Power Network...
The people who had helped me along this path were basically all Transcendent Witches at the minimum. I vaguely remembered the second Dean I met, Bev Alanna. At first, I thought she was stern and cold, but she eventually left me with an impression of being hilarious and bellicose. But that was only from my perspective—it was the favoritism she showed me. In the eyes of other students, she was still the same domineering Dean I first met!
"Um... I'm curious, who is this Stellar Alchemist Witch Sister who wants to invest in me?" I asked.
Since she wanted to invest in me, I at least needed to know who she was.
"Her name is Serena Politzer. You should have heard of her; I believe I've mentioned her to you."
"Serena..." Hearing the name, I thought for a moment and quickly matched it to a certain Witch. "It's her! That Dean!"
Wasn't she the third Dean I knew of?
And... and she had even accepted my Great Knowledge Seed!
"So you do remember?"
"That Dean is actually a Stellar Alchemist?" Even now, I was a bit surprised.
"Yes. The more senior a Witch is, the more they tend to accumulate techniques that aren't commonly used," Mei Lind explained.
"In that case, I'll have to trouble you this time, Sister Mei."
"You're agreeing so quickly?"
"Yeah." I nodded. Since many things seemed predestined, I didn't need to worry so much.
At least for now, my journey had been quite smooth, hadn't it?
Being able to build a good relationship with a Dean was never a losing prospect.
Thus, I quickly made my decision on this topic without much hesitation.
Dean Mei also promised that, based on her experience, the Dungeon World should be delivered to me around the start of the next semester.
I had to admit, the Wizard style of sealing World Fragments into Wizard Tools really didn't suit me. Such a massive thing was only good for being kept in a fixed location, with the coordinates recorded for teleportation.
Thinking about it that way, the sheer number of spatial markers in the original World Fragment was actually understandable.
After bidding farewell to the Dean and the others, I prepared to head back to the laboratory.
I wanted to spend the next couple of days recording all my ideas to give to Yi Rui and the others.
Although the experimental incubation rebirth spells and the improvement of the Mana Source Body Cultivation method were the branches they were responsible for, I was the one in charge of the overall Self-Generated Mana project.
Logically, I only needed to continuously experiment with Awakening Body Cultivation and Self-Generated Mana, exploring the relationship between the two and summarizing the ritual methods for their birth and architecture. However, because I didn't quite trust them to handle it alone, I still wanted to provide as much help as possible.
Furthermore, Sister Bai was also participating in the experiments for the Mana Source Body Cultivation method.
According to Sister Bai, she didn't have much to do during the break. Aside from her necessary daily cultivation, she mostly just focused on accumulation—self-studying Runology, reviewing Truth Editing technology, and so on.
So, she decided to do something more meaningful, like helping me attempt the creation of this brand-new Body Cultivation model.
Sister Bai was, after all, a Transcendent Witch with a very deep foundation in Body Cultivation. With her background, she had absolute authority to guide a group of students.
Even if Sister Bai couldn't provide many new ideas in terms of innovation, it would be easy for her to ensure they didn't make any common-sense mistakes.
After all, no matter how you looked at it, Yi Rui and the others were just newbies who had only recently touched the basics of Body Cultivation.
As I was planning this out, I found myself walking out of Dean Mei's office in a daze.
"Huh? Strange..."
I let out a soft exclamation, feeling a bit odd. Logically, I should have chosen to teleport directly back to the laboratory.
But it was only after I sensed the anomaly that I realized something was wrong.
"Luck again."
Frowning, I pulled a Luck Thread off my person. I had to admit, if you weren't paying attention, it was easy to get caught in the snares of Luck. But once you were aware of its existence, it became nothing at all.
Originally, I thought it was just Luck pushing me into some Script, but I was currently too lazy to deal with that nonsense; I had more important things to do.
That was until I discovered the anomaly of that Luck Thread.
This thread didn't seem like the kind that floated on the shallow layers of Luck; it felt more like... a manual refinement.
And in my knowledge, there was only one person who could refine Luck: that Luck Alchemist, Sister Teryx.
I grabbed the Luck Thread, feeling a bit helpless but also a bit expectant.
After all, the refinement of that Lucky Coin Luck Alchemical item that Sister Teryx had tested on me... was it considered a success?
I didn't know if it counted as a success. In any case, it had reached the final stage, but it hadn't become an alchemical item. Ultimately, because of my "willfulness," it had turned into a Transcendent item instead.
To this day, I still didn't understand what kind of effect that "Inauspicious" Lucky Coin, glowing with crimson Luck, actually had.
Compared to alchemical items, using a Transcendent item required paying an equivalent price.
Whatever... I hoped Teryx could accept it. Regardless, I had simply made the choice I believed was right.
Holding that strand of Luck, I followed it to a... cafe.
"Oh? You're here~ When I felt the Luck Thread snap just now, I thought you weren't coming~" At a booth in the open area of the cafe, a familiar figure sat leisurely.
She seemed somewhat surprised that I had actually arrived on time.
"Sorry, Sister Teryx. I'm still not quite used to these encounters driven by Luck. I thought the World Consciousness was trying to push me into a Script to act as manual labor again," I said apologetically as I sat down across from her.
"Then that's my fault~ I'll be more careful next time. I almost forgot that Xiao Han is a child who can see Luck as well." Teryx spoke with a mix of frustration and apology. "Maybe next time I'll just write an invitation using Luck. I originally thought these chance encounters could bring more unexpected joy to our lives, but it seems my attempt at being clever backfired this time."