Chapter 824: Making You Life, Not Life Becoming You
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 824: Making You Life, Not Life Becoming You
"The thirteenth stage... 4096, for a total of 8191. This number is a bit awkward... We could keep going up, but the fourteenth stage is in a non-integer state..."
"This is exactly where the Tenfold Base Resonance Method shows its strength, doesn't it? It can reach a perfect ten thousand. This Association Method is still a bit lacking in that regard~"
Listening to the senior sisters' discussion, Hong Chenyi and the others who had switched to the Association Method midway couldn't understand a word, nor did they dare to speak up.
None of them had expected that in just a week or so, the Association Method would have already progressed to over eight thousand mana sources!
They were practically catching up to the main group!
"By the way, is the advanced Subdivision Association Method almost ready? Has it reached the thirteenth stage yet?"
"Wait a bit longer, almost... This is doubling growth, and it's cumulative! The further we go, the more subdivisions there are. It’s quite a hassle~"
The girls focused on the Association Method were currently completely immersed in their work.
For the advanced techniques of the Association Method, they had originally intended to reference the "Micro-Operation Resonance Method" and create a "Micro-Operation Association Method." However, they found it wouldn't work, so they eventually explored its unique characteristics to complete the "Subdivision Association Method."
Aside from these few special experimental subjects, the other 138 participants had begun to see "successful" cases over the past few days.
This meant they had successfully structured their Self-Generated Mana!
This news was undoubtedly exhilarating!
Those who hadn't succeeded yet silently resolved to redouble their efforts.
As for the previous eight people, plus Hong Chenyi—making nine special experimental subjects in total—they weren't counted among the successes. They hadn't even touched the Shaping Ritual yet; they were still constantly fumbling through the Association Method.
Of those eight, three had chosen to try the Association Method directly, while the other five had yet to make any significant gains.
Driven by necessity, they too had switched to the path of the Association Method.
However, while they hadn't made "significant" gains, it wasn't as if they had gained nothing at all.
At the very least, they had gathered examples of what not to do. After all, this kind of technique couldn't be innovated through simple numerical stacking.
Even with the Association Method, exponential growth was merely the form it took; the core was "association," just as the key to the Resonance Method was "resonance," not the tenfold base increment.
The sisters in the laboratory didn't mock the five for their failure. After all, their willingness to use their own inspiration to create a brand-new path was respectable in itself.
Even if they ultimately failed.
"Mentor Danielle, leave things here to us. We’re about to teach her the Perfecting Ritual. Without it, the Self-Generated Mana in her body will be very difficult to perceive."
"Oh? Is that so? I’m mostly just curious. It really is miraculous... to touch the talent of a Transcendent Witch before even promoting to Transcendent, even if it is still a bit rudimentary."
Danielle seemed to snap out of it and released her hand. She had been probing the student who had successfully completed the structuring ritual. According to the experimental process, the student had already completed the initial prototype of Self-Generated Mana.
"It’s only natural~ According to Sister Xiao Han, this Self-Generated Mana might not be a complete talent. That talent only fully completes itself the moment one promotes to a Transcendent Witch."
"Oh? Is that how it is? A half-finished product?"
"Mhm... a half-finished product... I suppose you could put it that way. But even at this level, it’s enough for us Prospective Witches~"
"Exactly! I heard Sister Xiao Han say that’s only secondary. The main point of Self-Generated Mana is that it ignores the capacity limit the Ley Line Shackles place on a Mana Source. I heard it can go up to a hundred million!"
"Let me correct you: it’s less than a hundred million." As a Transcendent Witch, Danielle quickly pointed out the error. "Even Self-Generated Mana has its limit. Its limit is infinitely close to a hundred million, but it can never reach it! Exceeding a hundred million belongs to an entirely new realm."
"Eh? Really? Then if you add the hundred million from Self-Generated Mana to the ten thousand from the Ley Line Shackles, wouldn't that be over a hundred million? Would that count as the Saint Realm?"
"Look at you all. You aren't even Transcendents yet, and you're already looking for shortcuts? How could there be such a bargain in this world?" Danielle huffed softly, as if scoffing at the idea of such a free lunch.
"The divisions between these levels are very complex. It’s not just a matter of reaching a certain number of mana sources... You should stick to the path honestly. Being overly ambitious is never a good thing!"
"Ugh... we understand."
Having been scolded slightly, everyone immediately returned to their positions and continued their respective tasks.
In this place, no student dared to ignore Mentor Danielle’s words.
After all, given the attitude Danielle displayed, she basically didn't give any student much face except for Sister Xiao Han. And after Sister Xiao Han left, Danielle spoke even less.
If Danielle didn't initiate the conversation, one rarely saw her interacting with anyone.
* * *
Meanwhile, within the dungeon world.
After several days had passed, Lake Heart Island had become somewhat livelier.
In addition to the three little Fool's Dreams and the plant spirit, other creatures had appeared.
For instance, there were the introverted Stone Eaters who disliked moving and gathered rocks to pretend they were decorative hills.
There were water-attribute fairies frolicking on the lake's surface.
There were great-horned deer running joyfully through the thickets...
These were all experimental subjects I had "released" after attempting Soul Depiction.
The reason they didn't suffer the "extinction" treatment the white mice did was because of the mice's innate racial traits... I didn't like them.
Furthermore, they couldn't be communicated with and would cause an uncontrollable ecological crisis within the dungeon world.
As for these Beyonder creatures... there were at most three or four of each species. Some, like the Stone Eaters, were solitary.
Common Beyonder creatures, uncommon elemental beings, even special fairies...
At least their numbers were small, they wouldn't overpopulate, and they were easy to communicate with. Naturally, I allowed them to play around here.
Over the past few days, the data I collected was incredibly complex, but it provided me with a massive amount of experimental data regarding the Soul Depiction technique.
Similarly, it allowed me to understand the limits of what Soul Depiction could achieve.
But no matter how much I experimented, I always felt a bit uneasy deep down.
Because the creatures I experimented on were all "life"—just life with a soul essence foundation.
But the Fool's Dreams...
They weren't even founded on soul essence!
All they had was consciousness.
Therefore, during my experiments, I focused specifically on elemental life.
I used Soul Depiction to continuously strip away their life essence, leaving only the concept of "consciousness" itself.
But I soon discovered that consciousness itself seemed unable to exist independently of a soul...
Perhaps it could, but Soul Depiction couldn't achieve it.
Looking back at the Fool's Dreams, their consciousness might be carried within the Primitive Dream Realm, because they are, in essence, dream creatures.
So... the concept of consciousness cannot exist independently.
Either it must be carried by something, or... it is shaped from something.
Naturally, I hoped for the first scenario.
If that were the case, Soul Depiction could easily shape a soul essence to carry the Fool's Dream consciousness. I would only need to find a method for a seamless transition.
The second scenario, however, was far too complex.
If a Fool's Dream's consciousness was shaped by the Primitive Dream Realm, then shaping their consciousness with a soul would be nothing more than a "rubbing" or a copy of a consciousness, not the consciousness itself.
Even with the Soul Depiction technique, under the original "Ship of Theseus" theory, I couldn't convince myself that a Fool's Dream shaped this way was the original.
But as my understanding deepened, I found that the evidence compiled from my data pointed entirely toward the second possibility...
Even analyzing the consciousness of dream creatures from the perspective of the Great Soul Subject and its connection to dreams, I could only conclude that a Fool's Dream's consciousness is shaped by the Primitive Dream Realm!
No wonder!
No wonder there is such an exaggerated barrier between dream creatures and reality, to the point where not a single case of a dream creature becoming a living being has ever occurred!
If it were that simple... during the height of the Great Soul Subject and the period of exploring the Primitive Dream Realm, the witches would have turned dream creatures into void life long ago!
After all... the Primitive Dream Realm is a treasure trove that has never been properly exploited.
If it were really that easy, would it really be my turn?
Could it be... that the Soul Depiction technique is ultimately just my own delusion...
Recognizing this fact, I couldn't help but let such thoughts surface.
And these thoughts were almost irrepressible.
"Calm down... calm down. I'm a genius. How could I be defeated by a problem like this..."
I closed my eyes, using a form of verbal suggestion I hadn't used on myself in a long time, forcing myself not to be crushed by this psychological gap.
"Sister Xiao Han, what's wrong?" Noticing my sudden behavior, a Fool's Dream immediately came forward to ask.
"I'm fine, Sister Xiao Han is fine." I looked up slightly, meeting the Fool's Dream's concerned gaze, then reached out to pat her little head.
"Then, Sister Xiao Han, you..."
"...I've run into some problems," I said after a moment of silence.
But facing this problem, I truly didn't know where to start.
When the theory is flawed, mindless attempts are nothing more than repeating failure over and over again.
"Yulan... tell me, if becoming a living being meant you were no longer 'you,' would you still be willing to do it?"
"Sister Xiao Han... I'm Yu Yun," Yu Yun corrected me.
"Yu Yun? Sorry, I didn't look closely..."
"It's okay~ Sister Xiao Han, is there a problem with the Soul Depiction experiment?"
"Mhm... a small problem. It's the same question as before: if you became a true living being, but you would no longer be yourself... would you still want to do it?"
"Then, can I understand it as sacrificing me... to allow a brand-new Fool's Dream to be recognized as life?" Yu Yun asked, somewhat confused.
"Sacrificing you... where did you learn that phrasing? I'm saying..." I was about to argue when I suddenly remembered the words I had said to the Fool's Dreams back then—about sacrificing the lives of white mice to pave the way for the Fool's Dreams to become life.
"No, Yu Yun, you've misunderstood. I'm talking about you. I promised you! To make you true living beings, not to sacrifice you to create a brand-new race of life!"
"Is there a difference? As long as the Fool's Dreams become true life, then that is the meaning of our existence, right?"
"...Do you have no concept of the individual self?" I fell silent for a long time. I understood what Yu Yun meant. A Fool's Dream was a Fool's Dream; the collective race becoming true life was something they would give everything for!
Because they weren't life to begin with. They were just a certain moment within the Primitive Dream Realm, an accident, perhaps a coincidence born from a nonsensical dream.
But I preferred to believe they were a stroke of a miracle within the Primitive Dream Realm!
Since they were a miracle, they should create more impossibilities, rather than being used as consumables to serve as the foundation for a newborn race.
If the Fool's Dream race were truly born in such a way, I would rather not recognize such a race at all!
"Sister Xiao Han, it's okay. If you run into problems, you can talk to us. No matter what kind of existence we become, we can accept it." At this point, Yulan also came over to speak.
"You are dream creatures; your consciousness is shaped by the Primitive Dream Realm. If I use Soul Depiction to reconstruct your life in reality... it would be like a rubbing. The 'you' in the Primitive Dream Realm is like a blueprint, and a life named 'Fool's Dream' is born in reality, but they aren't you!"
After I finished my statement, I felt only exhaustion.
Initially, I thought Soul Depiction could help the Fool's Dreams escape their dream essence, but I had confused dream consciousness with reality consciousness. These two concepts cannot be unified... even with the connection between the soul and dreams, the unification of these two types of consciousness cannot be bridged.
"Sister Xiao Han... then, is it possible that we are the blueprints you speak of? Perhaps our mission was to be born in that instant in the Primitive Dream Realm, to pass on the traces of our existence, and to be born into reality in this way..."
"Don't say such things! You have your own consciousness! You are living individuals! You can think! You can perceive! Even if you don't have so-called memories in your essence, your thinking and perception prove the existence of your consciousness! My promise was to make you life! Not to let life become you!"
After I vented my emotions with those words, the dungeon world seemed to fall into a sudden silence.
I only then realized that I had been a bit too intense.
"Sorry... I got a bit emotional..." I closed my eyes, resting my right hand on my forehead. After venting my feelings like that, I found my mind suddenly felt much clearer.
And just now... I seemed to have said something extraordinary.
"Sister Xiao Han... sorry... we made you angry..."
"No... no, wait, I didn't mean to blame you." I quickly waved my hand to show it was okay, my mind frantically replaying what I had just said.
My thoughts were all subjective, but what I had said was from an objective perspective.
The Fool's Dreams... have their own consciousness.
Consciousness is the key to determining their existence.
Then... why can't I define the concept of life myself and expand its boundaries?
Since consciousness is divided into "reality consciousness" and "dream consciousness," and since the Void defined life, then the Dream can define life too!
And the soul... is the bridge between reality and dreams.
Therefore, the soul in the Void is the life essence of "reality consciousness."
Then, can a soul in the Dream also be the life essence of "dream consciousness"?
If the soul in the Void is the soul-state we currently recognize, then within the Dream, does the soul... have a dream-state?