Chapter 749: The Grudge Between Dean Mei and the Rebel Witch
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 749: The Grudge Between Dean Mei and the Rebel Witch
Mei Lind’s office.
"I’m not trying to nag, Mei, but what exactly is the point of you all opening a Witch Academy here in the Main World without saying a word to anyone? Are you trying to recreate the glory of the Main World?"
On one side of the office, a figure leaned forward against an experimental table, pressing most of her body weight onto the surface. Her toes tapped the floor in a rhythmic cadence, showing a complete lack of professional decorum as if she didn't consider this to be another witch's office at all.
"I don't think discussing this topic with you is a wise choice. I have no desire to personally experience the methods of you Rebel Witches." Mei Lind shot a glance at the figure. She didn't exactly dislike her, but there was a flicker of wariness in the depths of her eyes.
The witch addressed as a Rebel Witch was, naturally, Sheryl.
Any witch capable of becoming a Rebel Witch was no pushover; they had to be formidable, at the very least. If Mei Lind still had her former Great Weakening Spell in her current state, she was confident she wouldn't fear the woman before her. But now... it was better to play it safe.
"The methods of a Rebel Witch... Oh my~ You make it sound like I’m going to do something wicked."
"Are you saying you won't? Do you dare sign a Witch Contract? If you sign, I’ll let you do whatever you want in the Main World," Mei Lind said, shaking a document infused with Luck.
"Eh? Wait... you actually prepared a contract?" Sheryl snatched the parchment, inspecting the contents with feigned curiosity. "Let me see what exactly you want to stop me from doing..."
"Oh~ the very first clause is—"
"If you aren't going to sign it, give it back. This is a template specifically designed to keep you Rebel Witches from causing us trouble." Mei Lind snatched it back.
"There’s actually a template? Where did you find this... the Primal Dream? Is there really a witch out there with that much free time?" Sheryl asked with a laugh, seemingly indifferent. "Do you need me to help you check for loopholes?"
"Forget it." Mei huffed, rejecting the proposal.
This template was updated periodically on the exchange boards of the Primal Dream. This was proof enough that no matter how restrictive a Witch Contract was, those Rebel Witches would always find an unexpected loophole to give some "lucky" witch a massive surprise.
Sometimes, Mei Lind truly felt that the "Rebel" in Rebel Witch stood for "rebellious against the heavens."
"By the way, you’ve been wandering around the Main World for quite a while now, haven't you? How about I see you out? Having the Dean herself escort you should be enough to save you some face," Mei Lind suggested.
"Eh? Giving me the cold shoulder already? Please~ the Main World isn't your personal property yet. You’re treating this like your back garden? If the only transcendent race in the Main World were us witches, I might actually believe you," Sheryl said with a smile.
"It won't be long now."
"Hmm? What did you say?"
"I asked how much longer you, a Void drifter, plan to stay in the Main World. If you want to use our Main World’s fixed Void Teleportation Array as a springboard to get somewhere in the Void, I can see you off."
"Ehhh~?" Sheryl dragged out the sound. After all, the cost of using a fixed Void Teleportation Spell capable of projecting across the Void was immense.
Teleporting within a world was generally easy, but once the scale shifted to the Endless Void, things became incredibly troublesome.
Considering the environment of the Void, where even long-distance communication between worlds was impossible, one could only imagine the cost of teleporting a physical living being.
Of course, the more powerful the being, the lower the cost of the teleportation—but that "reduced cost" had to be physically endured by the traveler themselves.
"I’ve been in your office for so long, yet you keep dodging the real topic and trying to kick me out. How much do you hate having me here?"
"Seeing you flaunting yourself in my office just irritates me," Mei said bluntly.
"How can you say I was flaunting myself?" Sheryl moved to Mei Lind’s side with a look of exaggerated heartbreak. "Actually, seeing as you still have your charms, Mei, I thought I might find a satisfying romance here or something. But from start to finish, all I’ve received is your prejudice against Rebel Witches~"
"Why can't it be a prejudice specifically against you?" Mei Lind looked disgusted, as if she were genuinely nauseated.
"Because I haven't done a single thing in the Main World that you people would classify as 'bad' yet~" Sheryl said, smiling.
"Really? So the leaking of the Game World's coordinates wasn't your doing?"
"No... is this the best you can do to bait me? Or has the easy life in the Main World dulled your sharp edges? Come on, show me some of that fire~" Sheryl turned and reached out, attempting to stroke Mei Lind’s cheek.
In the entire Witch Academy, this Rebel Witch was likely the only one who would dare to act so recklessly.
"You are truly annoying. If you have nothing else to do, can you please leave?" Mei slapped the hand away.
"Is that so? If I leave this office, will you really be at ease? There aren't many witches in this academy who interest me. For example... that little witch named Xiao Han. I find her very interesting~"
"I suggest you keep your thoughts off her." At the mention of "Xiao Han," Mei Lind’s tone shifted instantly.
"Wait... are you so afraid I won't realize how important that little witch is to you?" Sheryl said with a sigh, seemingly exasperated by the Dean's reaction.
"She is inherently important. You came here for her, didn't you? I can't think of anything else that would attract you more than a little witch who, in your words, 'might become a Truth Witch,'" Mei Lind stated with absolute certainty.
"Oh my~ it seems that witch named Bai Yu has been asking around about my background?"
"If you touch her, I guarantee that the witch you call Bai Yu will hunt you to the ends of existence. I admit she hasn't been a Transcendent Witch for long, but she was once only a hair's breadth away from ascending to the Saint Realm. Perhaps you don't understand how terrifying it is to be hunted by a Body Cultivation Witch who has mastered Time Sense."
"Actually, I do know~ The Dragon Blood Academy, was it? I don't remember the names of non-transcendent academies very well. Anyway, I was the one who egged her on to go back and slaughter a few more transcendent Wyrmkin. I was right there on the scene, so I’ve witnessed the horror of Time Sense firsthand. Thinking back... I’m still a little spooked~"
"You don't look spooked at all." Mei Lind shook her head and finally sighed. "In any case, I’ve made the stakes clear. Do not cross certain lines."
"Fine, fine~ I won't touch her~" Sheryl shrugged, quickly changing the subject. "Then let's talk about that Game World. I’m quite interested in it~"
"Oh? Interested in what?"
"Interested in... hehe~" Sheryl dragged out her words, fiddling with something in her hands. "This is a Great Knowledge Seed, right? The little toy that little witch made is truly fascinating. Through this, I discovered a very interesting scene."
"I’m starting to think giving you a Great Knowledge Seed was a mistake."
"How can you say that~? Don't you want to promote this to the entire witch race? Combined with the Great Knowledge Sharing Spell, you could establish a Void-wide communication network dominated by witches. You were even so impatient that you’ve already completed the Void tests. Don't keep the data so hidden~ How about letting me see? I can promise to be a good girl in the academy for... seven days. How about it?"
"No."
"Fine, back to the main point then." Sheryl wasn't upset by the rejection; to her, teasing Mei Lind was a game in itself. "I know that back then, you wanted Xiao Han to go and harvest that Game World, right?"
"What if I did?"
"Relying on what? That Reverse Summoning Spell? Honestly, any ability related to [Transcendent Knowledge] is absurd~ That Reverse Summoning Spell can actually cross short distances in the Void for inter-world travel? I recall that piece of [Transcendent Knowledge] had something to do with you, didn't it? And now you’ve handed it over to that witch named... Xi Lan to research?"
"Why do you insist on knowing so many things that have nothing to do with you?" Mei Lind frowned, questioning Sheryl.
"Oh~ it’s mostly because the Witch Academy is too peaceful and boring. Plus, I got this Great Knowledge Seed toy. You can't suppress my childlike curiosity to explore it, can you?"
"Heh..." Mei Lind responded with a look of utter speechlessness.
"By the way, do you still plan on having Xiao Han harvest that world? If she does, I remember that world also contains a piece of [Transcendent Knowledge], right?" Sheryl said with an exaggerated expression, then began counting on her fingers. "So... after that, she’ll have... one, two, three... a total of four. If you add the Great Glacial Throne Technique from your script, wouldn't that be five? And that includes the [Transcendent Knowledge] of your Great Weakening Spell. I’m curious why you haven't taken that one back."
"Why are you so curious about everything? Don't you know curiosity killed the cat?"
"But curiosity is one of the fundamental traits of a witch~ Tell me~ Are you really going to let that little witch carry five Great Spellbooks at once? That’s not how you create a Truth Witch~"
"Of course not." Mei Lind huffed, seemingly annoyed by Sheryl’s pestering. "I will take back the [Transcendent Knowledge] of the Great Weakening Spell, but not now. Furthermore, the [Transcendent Knowledge] of the Great Glacial Throne Technique in the script is already bound to the Luck weapon; Xiao Han won't want it anyway."
"So, the fact that Xiao Han dislikes Luck is something you deliberately guided? That seems to make sense~ Since you don't want to follow the script, then don't touch the things belonging to the script." Sheryl acted as if she had figured everything out, nodding to her own deduction.
"That is merely your baseless speculation."
"Fine, fine~ I won't ruin your relationship with Xiao Han. Since you value that connection so much... you wouldn't happen to be trying to use Xiao Han’s hands to help you reshape your Great Spellbook, would you?"
"..."
As Sheryl continued to probe her boundaries, Mei Lind stopped speaking entirely. A powerful sense of pressure began to permeate the office, focusing heavily on Sheryl.
"Alright, alright~ You really can't take a joke~ And you call Serena Politzer an old fossil? I think you’re just like her~"
"You went to see her?"
"Couldn't find her. I suppose rigid-minded witches like you all don't appreciate a witch like me~ But... that is the very reason we Rebel Witches exist~"
"I don't think the purpose of a Rebel Witch is to annoy your own kind and bring endless trouble along with it," Mei Lind retorted.
"Oh~ a little annoyance is just to push you out of your comfort zone and break your existing perceptions..." Sheryl said with a smile, as if the content of her words didn't matter—only the fact that the person in front of her felt annoyed did.
"Forget it, I’m done talking to you. I’m going out to find some more fun. I heard... that Xiao Han has been working on a project regarding self-generated mana lately... Hehe~ I have to go see if she’s succeeded~"
* * *
Inside the laboratory.
After initially refining the prototype for the Mana Source Body Cultivation Method, the next step was continuous experimentation.
Having reached this stage, the research was no longer divided between Yi Rui’s group and my own branch; instead, we needed to collaborate to develop and perfect this cultivation method together.
However, after that, at their request, I prepared to formally categorize and summarize the series of concepts related to the Mana Source Body Cultivation Method and... rename them.
They felt that "Mana Source Body Cultivation Method" sounded too direct and lacked style.
And it wasn't just the cultivation method; the ritual framework used to shape self-generated mana also needed a formal name.
I was indifferent to this. Perhaps for most people, every breakthrough could be considered an achievement to be named and celebrated.
But in my view, these names served little practical purpose other than adding unnecessary difficulty to theoretical exams.
Ultimately, for the sake of convenience in promoting self-generated mana, I agreed to their suggestions.
First, the Mana Source Body Cultivation Method was officially renamed the Mana-Infused Body Cultivation Method, avoiding technical terms like "Mana Source."
The prerequisite for the Mana-Infused Body Cultivation Method was the previously named Mana-Infused Remolding Rebirth Art.
The core ritual of the Mana-Infused Body Cultivation Method was dubbed the Self-Generated Mana Shaping Ritual. This was a name I approved of; at least it was easy to understand.
The body arts practiced in conjunction with the Mana-Infused Body Cultivation Method were called the Mana-Infused Ritual War Dance. The name was a reference to the "Ritual War Dance" tempering method. Since the body arts used for this cultivation didn't have many unique features and were primarily designed to complement the ritual, calling it a "Mana-Infused Ritual" was accurate.
As for why it was called a "War Dance"... that was because the Body Cultivation Witch sister who helped create the art had readjusted it, adding some extra movements that didn't interfere with the ritual but made the sequence much more fluid, like a dance...
And so, it became the Mana-Infused Ritual War Dance.
I heard that the reason for this artistic adjustment was mainly because that witch sister wanted to open a course to teach this art, just so she could watch (admire) the students in her class performing the dance...
Setting aside the ritual and its effects, the movements of this art were indeed... light and elegant, yet without losing a sense of power. It fit the aesthetic of witches perfectly.
Regardless, with the addition of the broad category of Body-as-Spell Type Body Arts, the system formerly known as the Mana Source Body Cultivation Method was now officially complete and fully named.