Chapter 822: Rebel Witch Sheryl’s True Goal
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 822: Rebel Witch Sheryl’s True Goal
To make the Soul Depiction experiments more convenient and efficient, I selected an open area within the dungeon world. There, I solidified specific rituals and sketched out the ritual nodes and structures. Since most of the materials had been prepared in advance, it didn't take much of my time.
With the assistance of these solidified rituals, using Soul Depiction became much more streamlined.
Initially, I thought Soul Depiction would be simple.
However, after conducting the life experiments, I realized there were far too many variables to consider. In fact, if it weren't absolutely necessary, I wouldn't even want to use this technique on others. The process of soul sublimation through Soul Depiction involves an overwhelming number of variables—it isn't as simple as just managing "memory."
But... the Fool's Dream race inherently possesses very few concepts, so there wasn't much to worry about. They only have their own "consciousness" and the "memories" I stripped for them from the Primitive Dream Realm using the [Transcendent Knowledge] Fragments. Combined with the "wisdom" I intended to grant them and the aid of Soul Depiction, their soul essence would be born.
Thus, the conceptual composition of a Fool's Dream consists only of "consciousness," "memory," "wisdom," and "soul."
Humans are always so self-absorbed, imbuing themselves with an incomprehensible complexity, believing their own infinity cannot be described by concrete, finite concepts. When a person is defined, their life instinctively rebels; this stems from the pursuit of an infinitely complex essence inherent to all life.
But objectively speaking, is a person really that complex?
Not necessarily.
Take the Fool's Dream, for example. To me, they aren't complex either, yet I still want to give them the very best.
As my number of lab mice grew, I cordoned off a small additional area nearby to serve as their enclosure. I used the Consciousness Communication Spell to engage in simple communication with them. Though they lacked language, they possessed instincts.
This way, after completing the Soul Depiction, I could compare the differences between their "before" and "after" states.
It was exactly as I had previously speculated: the essence of life is a highly complex concept. It encompasses too many things, including but not limited to wisdom, memory, racial concepts, bloodlines, and physical information. Many of these things cannot be "depicted" because I cannot define them.
However, life can complete itself.
This was a concept I realized back in the Void Expansion Realm while perfecting the Wisdom Granting technique. Wisdom isn't limited to "consciousness" and "memory," but those two make up the vast majority of the concept. Life naturally fills in the missing pieces on its own.
This is the plasticity and regenerative nature of life.
At this point, I had collected about as much data as I could from the lab mice. The Tree of Great Knowledge was working at full capacity to analyze the significance of the data.
"There are still so many mice left... I really did get too many." I shook the beast-trapping box; there were still over a hundred mice inside.
"Maybe I should try a mass Soul Depiction on them..."
The moment that thought surfaced, a flurry of ideas followed.
Mass Soul Depiction...
This was originally intended as a convenient method for dealing with entire ethnic groups. But I thought of another possibility: "Soul Linking" between individuals.
It didn't seem particularly difficult to achieve. I only needed to graft a "medium" onto the souls of independent individuals during the Soul Depiction process to act as a bridge. For the architecture and theoretical basis of this bridge, I could reference the Consciousness Communication Spell.
With that, I could create... a hive mind?
That seemed a bit terrifying.
Unless absolutely necessary, I generally wouldn't use such a technique on anyone. After all, with the Consciousness Communication Spell, everything seemed sufficient. But if it were used on these lab mice, it was acceptable—they were experimental consumables, after all.
After a series of experiments, I "recycled" the remaining mice for this purpose. For the time being, I planned to keep them in the enclosure to see what changes would occur in mice sublimated into soul essences over a longer period of time.
"Wait, is it almost evening already?" I looked up at the sky. After adjusting for the time difference, the day-night cycle of the dungeon world now matched the outside world.
I hadn't expected the life experiment process to be so time-consuming.
"Let's call it a day. Yulan—you all should get some good rest. I'm going to find Sister Bai."
"Mhm~ Bye-bye, Sister Xiao Han~"
* * *
The Villa.
"How about we play a game?" Sheryl suggested, her gaze fixed on Bai Yu, carrying a hint of playfulness.
"What kind of game?" Bai Yu asked, her brow furrowed.
She hated how the conversation was entirely controlled by the other woman's rhythm, but she felt she had no choice but to follow along.
"I will reveal my purpose for coming to the Main World to you, and you cannot tell anyone else. Those are the rules. We sign a contract, the game begins, and you... can decide freely whether or not to participate."
"Your purpose... What is your goal in telling me this? Why choose me?" Bai Yu asked directly, demanding an answer.
"Sign this contract, and I'll tell you." Sheryl picked up a contract. The contents were simple, reflecting exactly what she had just said: she would reveal her purpose, and Bai Yu would be bound not to disclose it, directly or indirectly, by any means.
"What is the point of this?"
"Because that fellow Mei is too boring. So... I sought you out instead."
"That reason isn't even slightly credible."
"So... will you sign? If you don't, no one in the Main World will ever know my true objective. If you do, you will be the only witch who can try to stop me."
"..."
Bai Yu took the Witch Contract. The binding power within it was more terrifying than any she had seen before. Clearly, the Rebel Witch before her was an expert with deep attainments in the field of Witch Contracts.
Sheryl didn't rush her as she remained silent, simply watching her with interest.
Sheryl couldn't think of a single reason why the other woman would refuse. Even if she did, it wouldn't matter much. In a way, even without the contract, her purpose was already becoming obvious.
The Rebel Witch community was generally quite sincere. If a problem could be solved through communication, she would never choose a more costly method. To do otherwise would be nothing more than grandstanding... though there were indeed some Rebel Witches with a twisted sense of humor who did exactly that. She, however, would not—at least not regarding this matter.
"You seem quite certain I'll sign."
"It seems you already have the answer in your heart as well."
Sheryl replied smoothly. This was her first time dealing with a Heart-Sensing Body Cultivation Witch. Such witches trusted the truths they perceived above all else. Because they could easily sense sincerity and hypocrisy, they lacked the enthusiasm for social pretenses.
Such a Body Cultivation Witch and a sincere Rebel Witch were actually a very good match.
"I choose to sign, if only to verify the suspicions in my heart." Bai Yu calmly picked up the quill handed to her and signed her name.
The next moment, the parchment dissolved into sparks of light, and the contract split into two parts, entering the bodies of both parties.
"See, this is why I love dealing with witches like you~ Sincere to the point of being adorable. If it were that fellow Mei, even if she guessed my goal, she'd be too lazy to sign a contract just to verify a hunch~" Sheryl was clearly delighted by Bai Yu's decisiveness.
"Fulfill your end of the contract," Bai Yu said, her words as concise as ever.
"Of course, of course~ Then I'll speak plainly. I came to the Main World for... Yang Yuehan."
The moment Sheryl said those words, Bai Yu understood why she had been chosen. It was because... she was the only witch truly close to Xiao Han.
Although Xiao Han seemed to get along with many witches and was even on good terms with the Academy Dean, there was always a barrier. A barrier where honorifics and formal speech were used even in casual conversation.
Sheryl had seen through this, which was why she approached Bai Yu. In her eyes, Bai Yu was the only "unstable factor" regarding Xiao Han.
"You don't seem surprised at all~ Did you know? That fellow Mei still thinks I came here to seize control of the Main World. She's been worried sick that I'll ruin their plans or something. It's honestly hilarious~" Sheryl couldn't help but chuckle as she spoke.
Bai Yu, however, did not share the sentiment.
"Seizing the Main World is a trivial matter they could handle themselves; it's just a question of time. Only their attitude toward Xiao Han is something that time cannot fix."
"And so..."
"And so, I am going to correct them!"
"Why? What exactly is wrong with how they treat Xiao Han that requires you to intervene personally?" Bai Yu asked, puzzled.
"How should I put this? Let's take their attitude toward that game world as an example. Mei's stance is that she doesn't want Xiao Han to touch it because it's too dangerous. I believe the exact opposite. Xiao Han should face these difficulties head-on. Mei even promised to let Xiao Han harvest the game world herself—she should be supporting her even more!"
"A conflict of philosophies..." Bai Yu summarized.
"Exactly! A conflict of philosophies! They still treat Xiao Han like a child! But in my view... lifespan and age aren't capital for them to act like overbearing elders. They rest on the laurels of Xiao Han's achievements, enjoying her innovations, and then restrict her to the Witch Academy under the guise of protection..."
"You're twisting the facts."
"See~ you can still tell what's important, can't you?"
"But do you really think keeping Xiao Han perfectly protected is beneficial for her?" Sheryl didn't mind the rebuttal at all. "Think about the days you spent with Xiao Han outside the academy. Wasn't she happy? Wasn't she free? Didn't she gain so much? According to your own words, after that, Xiao Han's advancement to Transcendent was guaranteed, and she even made a leap in her Self-Generated Mana research..."
"What about the risks? Blindly taking risks without discussing the potential consequences will only hurt Xiao Han!" Bai Yu remained deeply concerned about the word "risk."
"Fine~ I admit that's an unavoidable hurdle. Risk... but if she can't even handle risk..." Sheryl dropped her playful tone, her expression turning serious and intensely pressuring. "Then, on behalf of the Rebel Witch community, I will be the first to refuse to recognize Yang Yuehan's eligibility for the highest honors of the Witch race!"
"..."
"The highest honor of a witch—the title of Truth Witch. Bai Yu, you wouldn't want to cut off Yang Yuehan's path, would you? Perhaps the Truth Dedication required to become a Truth Witch doesn't strictly require the recognition of the Rebel Witches, but if the entire Rebel Witch community refuses to acknowledge her... it would be a massive blow."
"Are you threatening me?" Bai Yu asked, her lips thinning.
"No, I'm making you accept reality. The reason I said you've made no progress... is because you've never learned to look at the long term. Achieving something isn't just about working hard once you reach a certain stage; it's a long-term plan."
"If Xiao Han gains my recognition while she's still a Little Witch, I will spread word of her deeds throughout the Rebel Witch community. She will gain their approval. All you have to do is follow this path, and you'll have secured the most difficult group in the Witch race—the Rebel Witches. It's a win for you, and a win for Xiao Han, isn't it?"
"..."
"My patience is limited. Emotional persuasion, rational analysis... perhaps this is hard for you to accept, but I am only expressing what I believe to be right. So, when you don't know how to choose... why not ask your Xiao Han?"
"Just like... back during the freshman competition when Xiao Han first enrolled, and you asked her if she was willing to step into the struggle for Luck. Perhaps her answer will be just like it was then—beyond your expectations."
"You even looked into that?"
"Of course~ Because when it comes to Xiao Han... I am serious," Sheryl said with absolute gravity.
In truth, Sheryl knew this was merely an evaluation. With the Rebel Witch community backing this event, how could anything truly irreversible happen? But clearly, Bai Yu, who had only recently become a Transcendent Witch, didn't know the inner workings of such things, and Sheryl didn't mind facilitating this situation.
It was just like how the Witch Academy used to scare new students, telling them they might die in the freshman competition, while conveniently failing to mention that Resurrection Spells were common in the Transcendent world.
"It looks like you still need... Wait, ah~ what bad timing..."
Sheryl was about to say more when she suddenly sensed something. In the next instant, her figure vanished from across Bai Yu.
Before Bai Yu could figure out what was happening, the next event provided the answer.
A spatial rift suddenly tore open inside the villa, and the white figure that stepped out was none other than the familiar Xiao Han!
"Sister Bai! Hehe~ I knew you'd be at the villa!"
Returning from the dungeon world, I appeared at the villa immediately, guessing Sister Bai would likely be here.
"Xiao Han? Why are you back so suddenly?!"
"What do you mean? I was bored, of course~ They don't need me for the Self-Generated Mana experiments anymore, so I came back!"
I lunged into Sister Bai's arms, recharging my "Sister Bai energy," but a moment later, I snapped my head up, sensing something. Sniff, sniff... "There's the scent of another woman!"
"Xiao Han, your nose..."
"It's the scent of that Rebel Witch!" I identified it instantly. "And it's fresh! Did that woman break into our villa again?!"
"I'm sorry, Xiao Han..."
"No need to apologize... Her strength is ridiculous, so just don't do anything impulsive, Sister Bai~ Let's just go back to the dungeon world. She can't get in there~" I interrupted her immediately.
"...Alright, let's go." Bai Yu blinked, then quickly nodded.