Chapter 823: The Difficulty of Becoming Life
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 823: The Difficulty of Becoming Life
Watching the two figures disappear into the villa, Sheryl’s form manifested once more.
"Truly a relationship that would make any witch envious..." Sheryl sighed softly, though her expression betrayed not a hint of actual envy. "Time to get down to business. I should go see that witch Xi Lan again, and while I’m at it, check on how Xiao Han’s self-generated mana experiment is progressing..."
Sheryl murmured to herself before her figure vanished from the villa as well.
* * *
Dungeon World.
"Xiao Han, Xiao Han! It’s terrible! Over there! A huge swarm of rats suddenly appeared in that spot!"
"Hmm? Ling Yi, you’re back? I didn't see you earlier. Did you run off to play again?" I looked at the slightly panicked plant elf, not feeling particularly rushed to explain.
"Ugh... well, yeah. It gets really boring staying in one place all the time. But that spot! A massive swarm of rats just popped up out of nowhere!" Ling Yi was still very concerned about the "invasive species" appearing in that area, fearing they would cause uncontrollable damage to the surrounding environment.
"Relax~ That’s a culling pen I set up. Those white mice are my test subjects; they won't cause any harm here. In a little while, I’ll be disposing of them."
"Eh? Dis... disposing of them?!" Hearing my words, Ling Yi instinctively looked distressed.
"What’s wrong? Or would you rather I let them loose in this world? Are you waiting for the day they eat all these plants? Who knows, you might wake up one morning with a rat lying right next to you~"
"No... no! Just dispose of them then..." Ling Yi shook her head vigorously.
"Right. You looked a bit upset just now. Did something happen?"
"It’s just... the word 'dispose'..." Ling Yi seemed to recall a past she didn't want to remember. "Those hateful wizards! They exploited us elves. If we didn't work hard enough, they... they would 'dispose' of the ones who slacked off..."
"It’s okay, it’s okay~ Isn't all that over now?"
"But the sisters I knew..."
"They’ll be fine..." I was a bit surprised; I hadn't realized I’d touched a sore spot.
I spent some time comforting Ling Yi, even having Fool's Dream prepare a cup of Fool's Dream Drink. Only then did Ling Yi finally emerge from her somber mood.
"There, there~ It’s okay. Just sleep, and these sad memories will be carried away by the dreamscape~"
"Mhm... Xiao Han, Xiao Bai, are you two sleeping here tonight as well?"
"Of course~"
After soothing Ling Yi, Sister Bai and I entered the small cottage.
As for the Fool's Dream... we had already arranged a cottage for them to settle in nearby. The architectural style was similar to the one in the Fool's Village Secret Realm. We had also prepared comfortable, small-scale bedding for them so they wouldn't be uncomfortable at night.
Though the Fool's Dream claimed they didn't mind such things.
For a Fool's Dream, sleeping was essentially the consciousness returning to the Primitive Dream Realm; they naturally didn't care about the comfort of their physical shells in reality.
The reason Sister Bai and I built a separate Fool's Dream cottage was that this wooden house was a private space belonging only to the two of us. Naturally, "adults-only" scenes occurred here occasionally at night, and we certainly couldn't let others see that!
As for when "occasionally" was... for instance, tonight.
"Xiao Han, what did Ling Yi mean about those rats? Are you starting something new?" Sister Bai closed the wooden door of the cottage.
A layer of soundproofing spells automatically rose within the room. No sound made inside would leak out, though sounds from the outside could still drift in. This one-way soundproofing barrier had been carved into every single wooden plank when the cottage was built.
"That’s right~ I finished the experiments regarding self-generated mana today. That project no longer requires my direct supervision; Yi Rui and the others can finish it for me."
"You’re not continuing?" Sister Bai didn't ask why I was "quitting halfway," she was just curious as to why I was stopping.
"Because the main goal of that experiment was to popularize self-generated mana. It doesn't benefit me personally anymore. Now that I’ve solved all the hurdles they couldn't cross, the rest is up to them to take responsibility for their own progress. I have more important things to do."
"I see."
Sister Bai recalled when Xiao Han first proposed the experiment. Back then, she hadn't understood why Xiao Han would do something so thankless and personally unrewarding. But looking at it now, Xiao Han had achieved what she wanted and was ready to let go.
"So, your 'more important' task..."
"Is to fulfill my promise to the Fool's Dream and the Academy Dean, of course~ This is an investment related to my Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art—creating true life, and making the Fool's Dream into real living beings."
"So those rats are actually part of a life experiment you're attempting?" Sister Bai made the connection quickly.
"Exactly~ I’m using white mice as test subjects to practice, using Soul Depiction to sublimate their souls. After all, I only recently perfected Soul Depiction. Without collecting enough experimental data, I can't just go around doing whatever I want."
"Is it going smoothly?"
"How should I put it? I can only say... it’s in the hands of fate. After all, I’ve never truly understood what the definition of 'true life' actually is." I looked up at Sister Bai. "Sister Bai, do you know?"
"I... I’m sorry, I don't know much either," Sister Bai said, shaking her head.
Regarding the subject of life, she had looked into it in her capacity as a Transcendent Mentor. Since it was something Xiao Han cared about, she naturally made an effort to understand it, but most of what she found was related to Life Interpretation.
Regarding the essence of life, there were currently two main schools of thought. The Old School held onto "Soul Essence," while the New School followed the "Fourth Life Elucidation" sparked by the witches, which held "Soul" as the essence. However, this had not yet spread across the entire Void.
As for creating life... Bai Yu had some knowledge of the Abyssal Great World.
That place was a cradle of life—or it was supposed to be. However, the life that grew there unchecked became bizarre and grotesque. Those strange masses of flesh could hardly even be called "life," yet through such disordered collisions, recognized life was likely being born every moment within the Abyssal Great World.
But as for how they were born, no one knew. That was the unique nature of the Abyssal Great World.
Furthermore, as life was born in the Abyss, new racial categories gradually solidified. It was almost impossible for newly born life to produce a brand-new Primal Progenitor. This meant that while the Abyss was constantly interfering to create new life through unconventional means, these were all races that already existed. Such life could not be called "Primal," nor were they the progenitors of a race, and they would not produce Primal spell prototypes.
Even so, the Abyss remained the most famous "life market" in the Void. One could freely customize all sorts of life there, even investing in the creation of a completely new Primal Progenitor—though the resources, time, and energy required were far beyond ordinary imagination.
The information she had gathered had long since been synchronized with Xiao Han through the Tree of Great Knowledge.
Therefore, creating a brand-new race really relied 99.9% on luck!
And wanting to use dream creatures as a template to grant them life... that was something unheard of.
"Sister Bai~ Since we don't know... let's not think too much about it." My hand rested on my clothes, and with a light brush, the magically woven garments became thin and airy. "It’s rare that I’m not busy. So tonight... what style of nightgown would Sister Bai like to see me wear~?"
"So sudden?"
"Is it? Isn't tonight exactly that kind of night~?"
"Then... the black semi-transparent one."
"Black semi-transparent... hmm... how about this one?" As the effect of the Change of Clothes Spell enveloped my body, a layer of delicate, thin black gauze draped over me.
The straps on my shoulders traced down into a deep V-neck, and my collarbones and underarms looked incredibly alluring under the orange glow of the ambient light. The front-slit design of the skirt meant that with a slight movement, one could catch a full view of everything from below the bust to the lower abdomen. The irregular hemline draped from my hips, swaying gently with every movement.
"Beautiful..." Sister Bai’s gaze turned slightly dazed as she looked at me in a nightgown that was practically like wearing nothing at all.
"This set is so lewd~ Hehe~ I remember you helped me pick this one out, Sister Bai. I made sure to save the template... mmm..."
Before I could finish, Sister Bai had already reached out her "evil" hands. Letting her primal desires dictate her instincts, she pushed me down onto the bed.
"A bit too impatient, aren't we? I haven't even..."
* * *
The Next Day.
As white smoke drifted from the chimney of the cottage on the island, the breakfast handmade by Sister Bai was just about ready.
"Delicious~ Breakfast made by Sister Bai really tastes the best~"
I swung my legs, sitting on a wooden chair and enjoying the hot meat porridge with her. The cottage was well-equipped, even in the kitchen area, and we had a steady supply of preserved food. After all, eating was an important matter; one didn't always have to go to a restaurant or a cafeteria. Occasionally doing it yourself really did have a unique charm.
"If Xiao Han likes it, I’ll cook for you every day."
"No need for that~ I wouldn't be able to handle it every day!" I shook my head quickly.
"Then how about we rotate?"
"That, I can accept..." Hearing Sister Bai’s suggestion, I found it reasonable.
As for the question of whether I could cook... I just had to follow recipes. My Tree of Great Knowledge contained a significant number of tutorials for specialty breakfast recipes, so it wasn't a worry.
"Then it’s settled. But Xiao Han, is your body feeling alright? Maybe... let's wait until tomorrow to start the life experiment."
"My body? Hehe~ Sister Bai, why are you so eager to embarrass yourself? My body is perfectly fine. I vaguely remember back in the day, I couldn't even get out of bed the next morning. But now~"
"Xiao Han, are you asking for a lesson?" Sister Bai’s hand paused, and she looked at me with a slightly dangerous smile.
"No, no~ Geez, I was just joking!"
After finishing breakfast, Sister Bai left the Dungeon World. She had classes today. With the application for the Body Transformation Spell course, she had to spend quite a bit of time on the academy's scheduling.
In the end, I was the only one left here. But that didn't bother me much.
After feeding the transcendent creatures in the Beast Box, I pushed open the wooden door, intending to check on the white mice in the culling pen.
"Ah~ Xiao Han! Are you going to see those rats? Why don't you take me with you!" Ling Yi saw me moving and proactively stepped forward to follow. After all, she had been quite spooked by those rats yesterday. She was ready to reclaim some of her dignity!
"Sure~"
I reached out to catch the flying Ling Yi, and she perched on my shoulder while the three little Fool's Dream followed behind me.
When we arrived at the area where I was keeping the white mice, I suddenly discovered that they weren't running around aimlessly or waiting quietly to die as I had expected.
They were actually organized, piling up the soil from the ground!
I leaned against one side of the spell barrier, sensing the situation inside. I found that these mice had dug through the soil underground. They were using the soil to build mounds against the spell barrier, blocking the view from the outside.
Fortunately, this spell barrier was fully enclosed, even underground. Otherwise, these guys would have "jailbroken" their way out in a single night!
And the one organizing this premeditated action wasn't a single mouse. It was a collective cluster of mice!
It was the Soul Link I had attempted during the previous mass Soul Depiction!
I realized it quickly: the collective consciousness of the mice had become the absolute core of this "rat tribe." Under the Soul Link, they coordinated perfectly, possessing a natural group advantage. In just one night, they had completed the unification of the swarm and formulated an "escape" plan.
If I were to grant these mice wisdom, they might actually pull off something big. However, they were only slightly stronger than average mice and possessed no transcendent abilities. Facing a spell barrier, their ultimate fate remained unchanged.
I took this opportunity to begin collecting data on them. I might admire what they had accomplished, but that didn't change the fact that they were merely test subjects.
"These guys... they've turned the soil into such a mess! Truly disgusting creatures!"
"Hmm?" I looked at Ling Yi. Hearing such words from a plant elf... felt a bit out of character.
"Ugh... well..."
"It’s fine. I’ll be disposing of them shortly, but before that, I need to collect the data I need."
After explaining, I threw myself entirely into the task. The data from these hundred or so mice was of limited use to me, but it helped in building the framework for the life experiment. This was, after all, a practice run; I had to figure out exactly what I was doing first.
As for what to do after culling these mice, I would naturally move on to more life experiments. After all, those transcendent creatures in the Beast Box had to show their worth eventually, right?
They didn't think I was going to keep them as pets forever, did they?
Absolutely impossible!