Chapter 789: The Truth Behind the Luck Scheme
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 789: The Truth Behind the Luck Scheme
"Um... Sister Bai told me..."
"Is that so?" Dean Mei was also surprised by the answer, but she didn't press further. She merely glanced at Bai Yu before turning her gaze back to me.
"Let's get back to your question. I'm not entirely sure about the specifics of those fellows' little schemes, but judging by their actions, they certainly intend to gather those fragments of [Transcendent Knowledge]."
"But... why go to all that trouble? Is [Transcendent Knowledge] really that precious to them?" If so... then what about all the [Transcendent Knowledge] I'd seen the other senior witches researching back at the Witch Academy?
"Xiao Han, have you seen so many good things that you've forgotten their worth?" Dean Mei said. "[Transcendent Knowledge] is a precious resource in its own right, enough to make many people fight over it. It's just that [Transcendent Knowledge] that can be effectively utilized and developed is even more valuable."
"Uh... sorry... I really hadn't thought of it that way..."
"It's fine. But as you said, the fact that they're fighting over a shattered piece of [Transcendent Knowledge] is indeed strange."
"Is it because of the Luck attached to it?" I guessed. That was the only possibility I could think of. Otherwise, what additional value could it have?
"Luck is only one factor, and it's not the kind of value you're imagining." Dean Mei shook her head, dismissing my hypothesis.
"Huh? Then what is it?" My only guess was just one factor, and not even the primary value?
Dean Mei's words truly caught me off guard.
"Do you really want to know, Xiao Han?"
"Yes! Of course I do!" I nodded vigorously. "Um... I'm allowed to know, right?"
"Of course you can know, but there are deeper reasons involved. I'll need to explain it to you slowly." Dean Mei didn't seem intent on hiding anything, though she emphasized the complexity of the matter. "Where should I start... How about we begin with this shattered [Transcendent Knowledge]? Xiao Han, do you know why there is Luck attached to it?"
"Um... I'm not sure. Is it some technique used by a Luck Alchemist?" I shook my head, offering another guess.
"Heh~ I won't deny that a powerful Luck Alchemist might have such means, but those few at the Wizard Academy... they're quite mediocre. They couldn't pull it off. Luck Alchemists claim they can toy with Luck, but relying on Luck to achieve anything significant is pure fantasy."
"Then how was it done?" I asked curiously.
"Because from the very beginning, this Luck was linked to this [Transcendent Knowledge]. It's because it originally belonged to the Main World's own [Transcendent Knowledge]."
"Is that so?"
I was startled by the answer at first, but I slowly began to accept it. It reminded me of the small world where Qiu Ruxin used to live. That world also had a piece of [Transcendent Knowledge] linked to Luck, Scripts, and the World Will, which eventually gave birth to a unique Transcendent item that could never leave that world!
So, the Main World once had such a legacy as well?
The only pity was that I couldn't look back at that past history. Those tragedies and bloodbaths had vanished forever along with the shattered Ley Lines.
Or perhaps, even if some traces remained, they would have erased that history to maintain the Transcendent status of the Main World.
"Yes. Precisely because this [Transcendent Knowledge] belongs to the Main World, the link to Luck signifies that the Main World Consciousness hasn't abandoned it. That is its true significance."
"But... if that's its value, why would the Transcendent academies like the Wizard Academy give it to the game world? Isn't that the same as completely severing the connection to the Main World?" I asked, still puzzled.
"Well, Xiao Han—" Dean Mei chuckled at my question before continuing her explanation. "Have you ever considered that this is exactly the result they want? They don't want something that maintains a connection with the World Consciousness to exist."
"But... why? It can't be just to keep the Main World Consciousness from escaping their control, can it?"
"You guessed right~ Preventing the Main World Consciousness from escaping control is one of the reasons. But more importantly, they are guarding against us—the Witch Academy."
"Guarding against the Witch Academy... Does the academy possess some means to threaten their position in the Main World?" I asked in confusion.
"Indeed~ They are afraid of us finding a certain thing."
"What thing?"
"The World Navel."
"The World... Navel? What's that?" I asked, waiting for the Dean's explanation.
"I believe I've told you about the relationship between worlds and the Void Ley Lines, haven't I? A world is like a fruit on the Ley Line Main Trunk. The World Navel is the bridge between the world and that main trunk, much like the umbilical cord connecting a newborn to its mother. So, the name 'World Navel' is quite literal, isn't it? It has many other names, like the 'World Gate,' but they all refer to the same thing."
"If one controls the World Navel, they can achieve many things. Unfortunately, its existence has been hidden. The Three Top Academies—the three Transcendent races that first invaded the Main World—hid the World Navel away. By the time our Witch Academy arrived, we didn't get a piece of that pie." Even now, the Dean couldn't help but sigh after revealing this truth.
"So... this [Transcendent Knowledge] was originally intended to use Luck to lock onto that World Navel? Then... that plan must have failed, right?" Hearing this, many pieces of the puzzle began to click into place.
However, this also proved another thing: the Great Glacial Throne Technique was indeed an attempt by the Witch Academy, but it had clearly failed.
"You know quite a bit, don't you?" Dean Mei chuckled. She didn't press me on how I knew, but instead began to explain simply. "Indeed, our Witch Academy got our hands on that [Transcendent Knowledge] and tried to use its properties for an attempt. It actually wasn't that long ago. The Great Glacial Throne Technique was a product of that plan."
"But unfortunately, you know the result. The Wizard Academy saw through our intentions. We failed to locate the World Navel, and the Great Glacial Throne Technique was destroyed. To ensure the plan was thoroughly dead, they even tried to destroy the [Transcendent Knowledge] itself. Unfortunately for them, the best they could do was shatter it into fragments."
"Then why didn't they just take it? Why try to destroy it? And after it shattered, why didn't they even bother to collect the pieces themselves?" I asked curiously. This might explain why the Wizard Academy didn't hold onto the fragment in the Ice Sealed World and instead left it with an ordinary family.
"Because having them take it was our original plan. That way, we could use it to locate the World Navel through them. But they aren't fools. Even with the Great Spellbook shattered, they didn't dare gamble on whether we had a backup plan. That's why they refused to hold onto it. Though, sadly, we really didn't have a backup plan."
"So that's how it was?" As I thought, this [Transcendent Knowledge] was a hot potato for the other Transcendent academies. No wonder...
"Yes, it's quite a pity."
"Then, Sister Mei, you haven't given up on finding the World Navel, have you?" I followed up. Without realizing it, I had become so curious about this that I was almost drifting away from my original purpose for coming here.
Then again... understanding the World Navel, [Transcendent Knowledge], and Luck was technically part of why I was here, wasn't it?
"Of course not. We've never stopped thinking about the World Navel. As for the next plan... mhm~ Xiao Han, you're actually one of the active participants."
"Huh? What?" My eyes widened in disbelief. I had no idea what she meant.
Wait... if the destruction of the Great Glacial Throne Technique happened while Shopkeeper Xia Li was still a student, then the timeline had already moved to the period when I enrolled?
"Surprised? Oh, Child of Destiny, Child of Destiny... Xiao Han, aren't you curious? Given that the Luck distribution ritual during the College Entrance Exam covers the entire world and disperses Luck, how could a Child of Destiny even be born?"
"Uh... so, Tan Han's status as a Child of Destiny was actually orchestrated by you, Dean?" I asked, stunned.
"In a manner of speaking." The Dean nodded as if remembering something, then sighed again. "The significance of a Child of Destiny is vital. Following the Script and completing the Luck ritual to ascend to a Destined Child is the ultimate end for a Child of Destiny. Such a being can establish a connection with the World Consciousness. Therefore, in theory, a Child of Destiny could also help us locate the World Navel."
"But... did this plan fail too? Or is it still ongoing?" I asked tentatively.
"I'd like to say it hasn't failed, but success has become very difficult... First of all, the Child of Destiny, Tan Han, was unexpectedly snatched away by our Witch Academy... We originally intended for her to be taken and raised by another academy. Her growth process would have helped us lock onto the World Navel's location."
"Ah..." Hearing this, I thought of Shopkeeper Xia Li. Xia Li was largely responsible for Tan Han ending up at the Witch Academy.
Furthermore... in the previous plan involving the Great Glacial Throne Technique, Shopkeeper Xia Li had been a full participant. Although she might not have seen the high-level Transcendent maneuvering, she was the one who brought the largest fragment of [Transcendent Knowledge] back to the Witch Academy...
"Actually, that part wasn't a big deal. Having the Child of Destiny in our hands didn't change much. We were confident we could train her into a powerhouse and complete the Script ritual to make her ascend to a Destined Witch. That would still allow us to locate the World Navel..."
"Uh... did I mess up the plan?" I asked sheepishly.
"No, Xiao Han, don't think that. Your appearance was indeed a major surprise, but you did nothing wrong. Or rather, even before that, the other Transcendent academies had already made their move. They overshot the world's foundations to manufacture a multitude of other Children of Destiny as a countermeasure. With so many Children of Destiny, it's impossible to tell the real from the fake. They fight over Luck, which guarantees a single outcome."
"No one can ascend to become a Destined Child?" I chimed in.
"Exactly. Unless Tan Han kills every other Child of Destiny, she can never ascend. And achieving that is incredibly difficult. The other Transcendent academies won't let us succeed. So, the Child of Destiny plan has been shelved for now. Tan Han's potential will ultimately be capped at the level of a Child of Destiny. Still, with Luck on her side, her potential isn't low; she's still worth training."
"So that's the story..."
When Tan Han first enrolled, the academy placed so much importance on her, even giving her access to so many spellbooks right away. Among them was that "Ancient Ice Transformation Spell," which was itself an object of Luck... After all, its predecessor was a fragment of [Transcendent Knowledge]. If I hadn't learned about the fragments from the Hawthorne family, I never would have realized that spellbook was one of the pieces!
But as more Children of Destiny appeared, the academy's support for Tan Han visibly decreased.
A mentor had once told me that once Tan Han was no longer unique, her value plummeted.
At the time, I thought it was just about the value of uniqueness, but I hadn't realized there were such deep considerations behind it.
It made sense... otherwise, would a single Child of Destiny really be that important to Transcendent races that had already mastered the manipulation of Luck?
"Are you feeling sorry for Tan Han?"
"A little, I suppose..."
"There's no need to feel sorry for her. In a way, this allows her to escape the fate imposed on her by Luck, doesn't it? Provided she can break free from the shackles of her identity as a Child of Destiny, she can go even higher and further." At this point, Dean Mei paused. "However, I'd prefer if you didn't tell Tan Han about this, Xiao Han. Is that alright?"
"Yes, of course. I'll keep it a secret." I nodded.
"Good~" Dean Mei's tone lightened considerably. "Now, let me tell you about the plan we're currently working on."
"Eh? There's another plan?" I asked, surprised.
"Of course. As I said, we've never given up on searching for and locating the World Navel. It's simply too important," Dean Mei said firmly. "Care to guess what our next plan is?"
"Uh... I really have no idea..." I said, scratching my head.
"Here's a hint: this plan is still related to you. In fact, it's strongly linked!"
"Huh?"
"Alright, Mei, stop teasing Xiao Han and just tell her." At that moment, one of the witches busy with the Qi Observation Instrument chimed in. "The plan is to use a higher-precision, iterated version of the Qi Observation Instrument to locate the World Navel through the world's Luck. This method has been theoretically proven to have a high probability of success."
"Ehh?!" I turned around, looking at the Qi Observation Instrument the witches were working on, completely shocked.
"This is why they were so excited when you arrived. You are the creator of the prototype for the Qi Observation Art. We want to iterate and update it to the point where it can observe the World Navel through world Luck. With your help, we'll achieve twice the result with half the effort."
As Dean Mei spoke, she came to my side and placed a hand on my shoulder, her voice sincere.
"Wait... me?"