Chapter 769: Rebel Witch, Academy Dean, and Truth Witch
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 769: Rebel Witch, Academy Dean, and Truth Witch
On the way to the experimental zone.
Hmm... no, that’s not right. I really should integrate the mechanism of this self-sealing spell into the consciousness firewall instead. As I was pondering this critical issue, I was once again interrupted by those stray thoughts shared with Sister Bai.
It made me realize that my control over my own memory and cognition was still somewhat lacking.
While I could maintain a constant "Sage Mode" to suppress my desires, this physical state also stifled the divergence of certain creative thoughts.
Thus, I began considering how to refine the consciousness firewall within the Tree of Great Knowledge.
Originally, that firewall was designed to guard against infectious information and knowledge, as well as the impact of massive data dumps on my cognition. However, I hadn't actually needed to use it much until now, so I planned to expand its functionality.
After living in a state of "amnesia" for a few days, I discovered that the presence or absence of specific memories had a profound impact on a person's cognition, state of mind, mood, and emotions.
So, I wondered if the Tree of Great Knowledge's firewall could help me filter specific memories, allowing me to secondary-screen for my desired mental state.
I thought it was a brilliant idea, especially since the firewall itself was already a derivative application of the self-memory sealing spell.
"Note this idea down in the memo... well, I'll wait until the next time the Tree of Great Knowledge undergoes refinement to deal with it."
Life is always like this; wonderful ideas and inspirations can strike at any time and place, but one must still live life according to a plan.
For instance, right now, I had an appointment to meet Tan Han at the experimental zone, and I had arrived early.
"Seems I'm a bit early... I hope Tan Han is the type to arrive early too." I checked the time and found that even though I had walked here on my own two feet, I was still quite ahead of schedule.
"Maybe I should leave a teleportation mark and head to the lab first..." I looked around and saw no one. It seemed Tan Han wouldn't be appearing anytime soon.
Just as I was about to head inside, I caught a glimpse of a figure standing under a tree not far away. I wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but our eyes met.
In the next instant, her figure vanished from the spot and reappeared right in front of me.
"Uh..."
Faced with this sudden appearance, I instinctively prepared to offer a polite greeting. But once I saw her face, my eyes widened in shock!
This witch, who looked like a mentor, actually matched the description of someone I knew!
Serena Politzer... the Academy Dean!
"You... You are Dean Serena?!"
The witch I recognized as the third Academy Dean didn't immediately answer my question. Instead, she reached out, dangling an exquisite decorative pendant before my eyes.
"This is your Dungeon World. Keep it safe."
"This is..." I stared wide-eyed as Dean Serena handed me the tiny trinket.
If she hadn't explicitly stated it was a Dungeon World, I never would have connected this to the previous world fragment.
The world fragment sealed by witchcraft had been taller than a person, but this was only the size of a bead. It had even been thoughtfully crafted into a pendant!
Its central structure resembled a Celestial Chaos Pendulum, with several rings of varying sizes orbiting it. They moved rhythmically along axes of different angles, and at the very core lay what looked like a miniature continent.
"Take it. This is the Dungeon World Mei asked me to refine for you. It’s been a while since I’ve made such a delicate little thing. I’m only getting it to you now that school has started."
"Thank... Thank you, Sister Serena!" I took the Dungeon World and hurriedly expressed my gratitude.
"Calling me 'Sister'... well, let it be then." Serena paused slightly, then offered a smile. However, it wasn't a smile of joy, but rather one of casual indifference.
"Are you heading to the laboratory... to conduct research on Self-Generated Mana?"
"Yes. Are you interested in this as well, Sister Serena?" I nodded quickly and asked.
"It is not my area of expertise," Serena said, shaking her head. "How is your progress? Have you found a lead?"
"Progress... I'd say we're in the late stages. What we lack now is a first successful case other than myself, but I believe the probability of success is very high." Of course, I was being modest. To say it was a "done deal" wouldn't have been an exaggeration.
"It has already reached this stage..." Serena murmured as if to herself, not really asking me. Then, she looked at me and asked another question with great solemnity. "Why are you so obsessed with promoting this ability? You could have kept this advantage for yourself and spent more time on your own self-improvement."
"Well..."
"Because Xiao Han is spontaneously walking the path of a Truth Witch's Truth Dedication. This is a realm that you old fogies will never be able to reach."
Before Serena Politzer could receive my response, another voice cut in abruptly.
Serena’s gaze sharpened the moment she heard it.
I, however, recognized the owner of that voice immediately. It was the Rebel Witch—Sheryl!
"You walk the path blazed for you by the Truth Witches while selfishly advising others not to be such 'fools.' That is exactly why you will never reach, or even touch, the realm of a Truth Witch!"
"That is not what I meant." To my surprise, Serena Politzer didn't get angry. Instead, she defended herself against the most "insignificant" part of the accusation.
"If that's not what you meant, then what is? The fact that you can even ask such a question... is proof enough that you don't have the answer in your heart. Otherwise, why would an Academy Dean like yourself personally make a trip just to ask a Little Witch face-to-face?" Sheryl remained relentless, seemingly unafraid of the Dean standing before her.
"Uh... that... actually, it's not really such a serious issue, is it? I just want to understand more deeply what Self-Generated Mana actually is..." I hurriedly tried to explain.
I wasn't sure why this Rebel Witch dared to talk back to an Academy Dean like this, but I felt that if this continued... the atmosphere was going to become incredibly oppressive!
"See? What a simple answer. 'I just want to understand more deeply what Self-Generated Mana is.' This spirit of seeking knowledge despite one's limitations is exactly the trait you lack." Sheryl mimicked my tone as she repeated my words, taking another jab at Dean Serena.
I watched from the side, completely stunned...
Was Dean Serena's temper really this good?
This forced me to re-evaluate this self-proclaimed Rebel Witch. Her existence seemed even more terrifying than I had imagined!
But thinking about the group that Rebel Witches belonged to, it didn't seem that far-fetched. After all, any witch who could become a Rebel Witch... was undoubtedly powerful.
"I suppose this counts as our first meeting? I didn't expect you to be an Otaku Witch as well. You weren't intentionally hiding from me, were you?" Sheryl’s tone shifted, losing the aggressive edge it had a moment ago.
"I suppose..." Serena Politzer replied, though her words were vague. It was unclear if she was confirming she was an Otaku Witch or if she had been avoiding Sheryl.
But none of that mattered now.
It was obvious that Dean Serena had no desire to continue chatting with Sheryl.
"Let's exchange contact info~ This is my first time in the Main World, and I'm quite interested in you."
"That won't be necessary. I have no wish to be remembered by a Rebel Witch."
"If you don't give it to me, I really will be thinking about you every single moment, you know?"
"..."
Serena fell silent after Sheryl spoke. I couldn't tell if she was rendered speechless by the sheer absurdity of it, but it was highly likely.
Finally, she tossed out something that looked like a business card as a form of compromise.
Before I could see what kind of contact information was on it, Sheryl snatched it out of the air. But before she could even say thanks, Serena Politzer’s figure vanished.
"Eh? Such a sore loser?" Sheryl complained, then reached out to lightly stroke the air where the Dean had been. "Tsk... she even smoothed out the space. She left so cleanly."
I watched in silence. This was the first time I had seen an Academy Dean of the Witch Academy get so annoyed that she left without saying goodbye.
I hoped Dean Serena wouldn't take out her frustration from encountering this Rebel Witch on me... after all, she only ran into her because she was delivering this Dungeon World to me.
Thinking of this, I instinctively looked at the Dungeon World in my hand. I remembered that this thing couldn't be put into storage equipment, so I tied it to my person and added a spell marker just in case I accidentally dropped it.
"Xiao Han~ We meet again~" Seeing that the other person was gone, Sheryl turned her attention to me.
"Hi... Hi, Sister Sheryl." I offered a strained greeting, then debated whether I should call Sister Bai over.
Although I had promised Sister Bai that I would contact her if I met this Rebel Witch again, this woman wasn't even afraid of an Academy Dean... Could Sister Bai really handle her?
"You look quite shocked. Aren't you going to say thank you for helping you out?"
"Uh... thank you?" I complied helplessly.
I didn't really think of it as "helping me out," but I didn't want to dwell on it. If I couldn't afford to offend her, I might as well play along~
Besides, if I really thought about it, Sheryl was likely stalking me. I didn't believe for a second that her appearance was a coincidence.
"Haha~ Just kidding, no need for thanks. Actually, I just wanted to meet that Academy Dean. It would be a pity to be in the Main World for so long without meeting her once." Sheryl explained with a laugh. Then, her gaze landed on the Dungeon World in my hand. "Is this the Dungeon World refined from the world fragment they extorted from the Wizard Academy?"
"Yes."
"My, my~ It seems they treat you quite well~ In that case, I'll give you something good too~" As Sheryl spoke, she pulled something out.
"This... this is! That thing!"
The moment I saw the crystal in Sheryl's hand, I recognized it.
It was the thing used by that teaching assistant named April during my battle with Tan Han... the Ice Sealed World!
"Oh? You recognize it?"
"How... how did it end up with you?" I asked instinctively.
"I asked for it, of course~ That witch named Chris wouldn't want this thing, and that teaching assistant April isn't qualified to own it, so it ended up in my hands. Here~ it's yours~"
"But... Sister Sheryl should know that I don't need this, right?"
"Do you really not need it? Or are you just worried because this thing is bound to Luck?" Sheryl asked with a smile.
"..." Of course I was worried about its connection to Luck.
And to this day, I still didn't know what this thing was actually for.
"If I told you that this [Transcendent Knowledge] fragment has become a redundancy in the World Script... oh?" Sheryl was about to say more when she suddenly looked up as if sensing something. "My, my~ It looks like the person you're meeting is here. Never mind~ You might not believe me even if I told you now. Let's save it for next time~"
Without waiting for my reaction, Sheryl tossed the "Ice Sealed World" to me and vanished just as the Dean had.
"This..."
I looked at the "ice crystal" in my hand, unsure of what to do.
But I soon realized who Sheryl was talking about.
It was Tan Han, currently flying toward me on her broom from the distance.
"She sensed her accurately from so far away..." I was slightly surprised, but I ultimately put the [Transcendent Knowledge] fragment of the Ice Sealed World away.
Since I already had two Hearts of the Cold Wave, having one more was just adding to a debt I already couldn't pay.
However, I was still quite bothered by Sheryl's unfinished sentence. It was truly frustrating how she cut it off right there; she definitely knew something but refused to say it.
Was Tan Han's arrival really a reason to stop?
I had every reason to suspect... that Sheryl might want me to possess a third Great Spellbook.
After all... she seemed quite obsessed with me becoming a Truth Witch. But idle speculation was pointless.
Who knows... maybe one day I'll just give all these things to Tan Han?
Actually, I was quite looking forward to seeing what would happen once all the fragments of this [Transcendent Knowledge] were gathered.
"Tan Han~ Over here!"
Seeing that Tan Han was about to fly headlong into the spatial barrier of the experimental zone, I quickly waved to signal her.
It would be quite a mess if she accidentally blundered into a space maze...
"I'm here... Sorry, am I late? Did I keep you waiting?" Tan Han descended from the sky, quickly smoothing out her skirt as she spoke.
"It's fine. You're actually a bit early, so don't worry about it. However, I should warn you that this experimental zone is protected by overlapping spatial barriers. If you try to force your way in without permission, you'll get trapped in another layer of the space maze. You have to be careful."
"I didn't know there were such restrictions. It's a good thing you arrived early, Xiao Han."
"It's fine. Once I grant you permission, you'll be okay. Let's go. I'll take you to the lab and introduce you to some senior sisters. They are all very pure scholars; I hope you all get along well."