Chapter 825: Reporting the Primitive Dream Realm Experiment
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 825: Reporting the Primitive Dream Realm Experiment
A soul in a dream state... This hypothesis of mine was born primarily from the "unknown substance" that constructs consciousness.
Consciousness cannot emerge from nothing, and a soul is not the only "medium" capable of carrying it; soul essence can do so as well.
As someone who has mastered Soul Depiction, I am well aware of the connection between soul essence and the soul itself. It is through specific means that one can achieve the sublimation of soul essence into a soul.
So, what is the precursor to soul essence?
It is the "transcendent materials" of the physical world, or rather, a composition of the World Three Source Elements.
Since the consciousness of the Fool's Dream is carried within the Primitive Dream Realm, can the concept of the Primitive Dream Realm be viewed as... Dream State Soul Essence?
After all, it can give birth to consciousness—even if that consciousness is a dream consciousness rather than a reality-based one.
In that case, can Soul Depiction be used within the Primitive Dream Realm to shape the Primitive Dream Realm itself into a dream soul?
It would be as if the technique remains Soul Depiction, but the raw materials have changed. If the properties of the materials are compatible, one should be able to achieve the same result despite the difference in ingredients.
To test this, I would need a stable patch of the Primitive Dream Realm to serve as my raw material for a personal trial.
Attempting such an experiment within this dungeon world might cause collateral damage, so it cannot be conducted here.
Furthermore, I don't just need the Primitive Dream Realm as an experimental site and material; I also need dream creatures to serve as test subjects!
I certainly couldn't bear to use the Fool's Dream as experimental consumables. For an uncertain experiment, dream creatures should be the ones to fill the void of the unknown!
"Sister Xiao Han?"
At that moment, the three Fool's Dream—Yulan, Yu Yun, and Yu Guo—huddled in front of me, calling out tentatively.
"Ah—sorry, I made you worry." I snapped back to reality. Looking at the Fool's Dream gathered before me, I reached out to smooth their hair and stroke their bouncy ears. The soft, supple texture immediately soothed my mood.
"Come on, let's go see the Dean. It's time to continue our experiments," I said, standing up.
The experiment I was about to undertake was somewhat beyond the norm; even I wasn't sure what would happen.
Using the Primal Dream as experimental material...
The last time I heard of an experiment using the Primitive Dream Realm as material was when the Primal Witch used Great Power to seize a patch of the Primitive Dream Realm and refined it into the current Primal Dream.
I hadn't expected to reach this stage myself, though the scale of my experiment would be nowhere near as massive as that of the Primal Witch.
After a brief display of force to intimidate the transcendent creatures within the dungeon world—warning them not to cause trouble—I led the three little Fool's Dream out of the dungeon world.
Now that these three had the Great Knowledge Seeds and were connected to the academy's Root Network and Power Network, they had become qualified assistants capable of helping me.
They could even use the Floating Spell from the Power Network to stay by my side, ensuring they wouldn't get lost. Even during spatial teleportation, I could bring them along instantly.
Unfortunately, the Power Network ceased to function once we entered the dungeon world, as neither the Root Network nor the Power Network had been laid there.
As for the Omni-Link Main Network Tree I had planted in the dungeon world, it had now been renamed the "Tree of Heya."
Similarly, this tree had returned to its original botanical state, becoming a tree that simply grew at an extremely rapid pace.
I did this in the hope that it would become a symbiotic plant, mutually beneficial to the dungeon world's ley lines, rather than a parasitic one that only knew how to drain them. The dungeon world couldn't withstand the strain of an Omni-Link Main Network Tree.
Arriving at Dean Mei's office, I gave a symbolic knock on the door to announce my arrival.
"Come in~"
After a moment, Dean Mei's voice drifted from inside.
"Oh? Xiao Han? You came over without a word. Is something the matter?" Mei Lind looked at me and then at the Fool's Dream following behind me, her expression curious.
"I do have something I need to trouble Sister Mei with. Are you still calibrating the Qi Observation instrument?" I looked at the Dean, who had just stopped her work, and then at the heavily modified instrument. I hadn't expected that perfecting this device and updating its functions would take so much time; it still wasn't finished?
"Indeed. It's quite a hassle without your help, Xiao Han. As you know, the core of Qi Observation is built upon the information presentation framework provided by your Floating World Level Spirit Vision. We can only use this method to obtain information feedback, whereas you only need to look to understand what needs to be done." Dean Mei was clearly still in a busy state of mind, immediately launching into an analysis of the simplified operating principles of Qi Observation.
"So, are you here to help us? I heard earlier that you left the experimental team for your Self-Generated Mana project. Do you have other things to attend to now?"
"Um... I do have some things to take care of." I nodded quickly. Though I felt a bit guilty for not being able to help right now, I truly had something important to do.
"I came here mainly to report to you, Dean. My next experimental project might cause a bit of a stir... Also, I'd like to apply to conduct the experiment in the Expansion Realm."
"Oh? What kind of experiment would cause such a stir that you have to go to the Expansion Realm?" Dean Mei asked, surprised.
"It's a Soul Depiction experiment."
I had mentioned Mimic Souls and Soul Depiction to Dean Mei before, so she understood the general concept as soon as I brought it up.
"I plan to conduct the experiment within a Primitive Dream Realm environment, and I may need a large number of dream creatures as experimental material during the process."
"Oh? You've started on life creation? No wonder you brought the Fool's Dream with you. Do you have a lead?"
"Yes, I have some ideas, so I need a lot of experiments to continuously verify my hypotheses," I said with a firm nod.
"Turning the Fool's Dream into true life is incredibly difficult. Regarding the promise I made back then, I didn't even intend for you to try until after you ascended to Transcendent status because the difficulty is simply too high. What you're trying to do is break the barrier between dream and reality! Do you realize what you're doing? Are you sure this isn't just a sudden, impulsive thought?"
Mei Lind spoke at length; it was clear she felt that my attempt to turn the Fool's Dream into life recognized by the Void was somewhat unrealistic, leading her to fire off several questions in a row.
"I know what I'm doing. I have clearly sensed just how solid the barrier between dream and reality is, but I intend to take an unconventional path to try a new possibility."
"I see..." Seeing that my expression and tone were far from joking, Mei Lind stopped pressing me on that point and shifted her perspective.
"However, regarding your wish to go to the Expansion Realm... are you sure? Every academy has teleportation channels leading there. While the various Transcendent Academies have a tacit agreement to let the Expansion Realm develop freely, if they discover you are there alone, there's no guarantee that Transcendents won't come to assassinate you. You should understand how much those people want you dead."
"That is indeed a problem, but it's easier to access the Primitive Dream Realm there, and dream creatures are most easily obtained in that region," I said, feeling a bit conflicted.
In the Core World, the Primitive Dream Realm and reality have reached a state of stability. Although I can use my domain to create localized dream overlaps, this "abnormal state" is quickly smoothed over by reality—I tried this back at the Hawthorne family estate in Monopeng City.
Furthermore, dream creatures are almost never seen in the Core World, which makes things very difficult.
I was thinking that with the current unrest in the Expansion Realm and dream creatures still wandering about, it would be the ideal testing ground.
"True. Based on what you've said, it is indeed your most ideal location, even if I don't fully understand what you're planning to do."
"So... I can't go?" I asked, disappointed.
"It's not that you can't go. The Expansion Realm is our Witches' territory, after all; there's no reason a student of ours shouldn't be allowed there. However, to prevent unnecessary accidents, it's best if you don't go too conspicuously. It would be ideal if no one knew you had gone to the Expansion Realm at all."
To my surprise, Dean Mei actually agreed to let me go!
"Really? I promise to go quietly. No one will know I'm there!" I vowed.
"You plan to just... go like that?"
"Uh... yeah? Is there a problem?"
"Didn't you say you need to conduct experiments there? You don't need equipment assistance, personnel help, or a laboratory with a controlled environment?"
"Is... is that necessary?" I blinked, somewhat confused.
I can hand-craft equipment assistance; the Root Network spans that entire world!
Personnel assistance?
Who could possibly help me with life and dream experiments? Anyone with that kind of ability would have to be at least a Transcendent Witch, and one with deep expertise in the Great Soul Subject at that. Having a Witch like that act as my assistant—are we serious?
I'd be better off using my Clone Skill to create a clone that shares my mind.
As for laboratory conditions like constant temperature and humidity, I don't have much need for them. What I need is the environment of the Primitive Dream Realm; by the time I'm deep into it, I might not even be in reality anymore.
"Ugh..." Mei Lind covered her face with one hand, looking like she had a headache. "This is my fault for not letting you taste the sweetness of having fully equipped facilities for your experiments... Don't tell me you plan to rely entirely on hand-crafting equipment, spells, and techniques to set up your experimental environment?"
"Is that not allowed?"
"Do you think this is some 'lost in the wilderness' survival challenge? Even a Transcendent Witch lost in a special world in the Void would only face conditions about as harsh as what you're describing."
"..."
Seeing Dean Mei's dead-serious expression, I didn't know how to explain. How could I express that I wasn't familiar with the standard operating procedures for those machines? Even if I knew them, I wasn't proficient, so those things wouldn't be as fast or convenient as the ones I could manifest myself.
"Sigh~ if you insist, I won't force you." Dean Mei sighed, then looked back at the massive Qi Observation instrument.
Look at this instrument!
It pushed the effects of a simple spell like Qi Observation to the absolute limit!
She wanted to say that... but then she remembered that Xiao Han didn't just have Qi Observation. Combined with the Tree of Great Knowledge and Floating World Level Spirit Vision... those abilities together really weren't inferior to this machine.
Their instrument used a Great Knowledge Seed as a carrier, Qi Observation as the core, and Xiao Han's perfected Floating World Level Spirit Vision information-capture techniques as the framework...
Tsk... as expected, in the most cutting-edge and precise fields, instruments still can't compare to a Witch herself.
And the ones who took this trait to the extreme among the Witch race were the Truth Witches.
"Do you need me to notify Ninglan Qiuyue? Although the fewer people who know you're in the Expansion Realm, the better, she could provide you with significant assistance there."
"Maybe just let her know, but I'll pass on using her resources for now. If I truly need something, I'll go find her myself."
"That works. You mentioned your experiment might cause a stir, right? Notifying her will ensure they aren't caught off guard when something happens." Dean Mei agreed to the plan.
"Then it's settled?" I asked tentatively.
"Yes. I'll notify her and tell her not to spread the word unless necessary." Mei Lind nodded, then looked at me again. "Since we have some time, I can chat with you a bit more. Besides reporting this to me, did you have anything else?"
"Anything else?" I tilted my head. My main goal was just to inform the Dean so I wouldn't cause a scene that was hard to clean up.
As for other matters, I hadn't really thought about them; I'm the type whose thoughts occasionally jump from one thing to another.
But since she asked, I did have a question.
"Um... I have some doubts I'd like to clear up. I wonder if the Dean could enlighten me?"
"Ask away. If I know the answer, I'll tell you. Is it related to helping these little Fool's Dream?"
"Yes." I nodded. "Sister Mei, have you ever had the experience of creating a completely new life?"
"No. I've tried, but the lives I created weren't a new race; they were just living beings," Mei Lind said, shaking her head. "So, regarding the Fool's Dream becoming true life, I can't offer you any direct help. Moreover, there's no precedent for the Fool's Dream's situation. All I can say is, if you're stuck, perhaps... you could try to understand the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art. After all, it is closely linked to the Fool's Dream."
"The Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art..." I nodded. I had been studying that Great Spellbook, though my understanding of it remained somewhat superficial.
From the Fool's Dream's primitive runes to the Enlightenment Meditation Art, then to Sequence Derivation, the Great Wisdom Weaving Seed, and the derived Wisdom Granting techniques...
Including the understanding of the soul, Mimic Souls, and Soul Depiction—all of these were inextricably linked to the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art.
I truly had looked into it deeply.
"Yes. That Great Spellbook surely holds many secrets, but it isn't my area of expertise. Even when I shaped it into a Great Spellbook, I only understood its surface-level knowledge—just enough to meet the threshold for its creation. And even that was accomplished under your revelation."
"I built the platform of the spellbook; I hope you can make full use of it."