Chapter 852: One Willing to Be Mad, One Willing to Play Along
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 852: One Willing to Be Mad, One Willing to Play Along
"This! This is that! That Great Spellbook?!"
The two witches standing nearby naturally didn't possess something as rare as a Great Spellbook. In fact, this was the closest they had ever been to one in their entire lives!
"What’s happening? Why is Xiao Han’s Great Spellbook detaching from her body on its own?"
"I don't know..." Bai Yu shook her head, equally uncertain about the situation.
However, she could see that the Great Spellbook before them was gradually deconstructing!
As someone who had mastered Real Editing Technology, she knew exactly what a spellbook deconstruction looked like. She had witnessed many spellbooks crumble and collapse in her own hands.
But this time, she was witnessing the deconstruction of a Great Spellbook.
"Why is this happening?" Bai Yu stepped forward anxiously, ignoring the obstruction of the swirling Power of Knowledge.
But when she attempted to take hold of the Great Spellbook, she realized that the editing techniques used to create it were far beyond her current understanding.
After all, this Great Spellbook was a masterpiece that Mei Lind had spent over a century perfecting. It wasn't something Bai Yu, who had only recently begun practicing Real Editing, could immediately grasp.
"Wait..."
Forcing herself to calm down, Bai Yu quickly noticed something amiss.
A Great Spellbook would never spontaneously collapse or deconstruct. Even without a physical vessel to host it, a spellbook wouldn't self-destruct that quickly.
Yet, the deconstruction before her was proceeding with systematic speed. Looking closer, she realized that Xiao Han's own Power of Knowledge was methodically taking it apart.
"Bai Yu? What's going on?"
At that moment, the other two witches hurried over, their voices laced with anxiety.
If something happened to Xiao Han, they would be in deep trouble! They had promised the Academy Dean that they would ensure Xiao Han’s safety at all costs...
"Um... shouldn't we try to force the spellbook back into Xiao Han's body?"
"I agree... I have a bad feeling about the state of this spellbook. This is a Great Spellbook, right?"
"Yes... but..." Bai Yu responded, her anxiety mounting. She didn't know what to do.
She hadn't wanted this to happen, but Power of Knowledge was the Domain Order Xiao Han commanded; it represented her absolute control.
And yet, it was this very power that was dismantling her own Great Spellbook!
Bai Yu knew exactly how important a Great Spellbook was to Xiao Han.
However, she hesitated. Xiao Han occasionally did things that defied all logic.
This time, even Bai Yu couldn't be sure of the situation. If it was Xiao Han... she really might be the type to intentionally tear down her own Great Spellbook.
Should she just stand by and watch?
No... perhaps there was another way!
Bai Yu quickly thought of a solution: she could simply ask Xiao Han through the Great Knowledge Seed.
To be safe, Bai Yu decided to slow down the deconstruction first. While she couldn't help Xiao Han repair the Great Spellbook, suppressing Xiao Han's Domain Order was something she could do with ease.
After all, she was a genuine Transcendent Saint Realm expert.
If this wasn't Xiao Han's intention, she would be saving her from a catastrophic loss. If Xiao Han truly intended to dismantle it, a short delay wouldn't hurt.
This was the only thing she could do for now, and the choice she felt was least likely to result in a mistake.
"Shouldn't we try to save it? This is a Great Spellbook! Are we really just going to watch it be destroyed?"
"I am stabilizing it," Bai Yu said, even as she sent out a message.
Though the message was sent, the "time difference" between reality and the dream realm was highly unstable. Even she didn't know how long she would have to wait for a reply.
But while Bai Yu was still hesitating, a reply arrived almost instantly!
It didn't come through the special communication channel between reality and dreams, but rather as a temporary signal through the docking permissions of the Root Network that spanned the entire Expansion Realm.
Bai Yu hesitated for a moment before opening it.
Sister Bai, I’ve docked with the Root Network in reality to make it easier to stay in touch.
I’m currently testing some rather radical ideas. I’m not sure what will happen in reality—things might get a bit messy—but please don't interfere too much.
You said my Great Spellbook is deconstructing... that’s normal. I’m restructuring my power system. Even a Great Spellbook cannot be allowed to hinder me...
Bai Yu stared at the messages, stunned.
The last sentence in particular—"Even a Great Spellbook cannot be allowed to hinder me!"—shook her to the core.
If it were her, she would never have the confidence to say such a thing.
Her first instinct was to talk Xiao Han out of it, knowing full well the value of a Great Spellbook. But halfway through typing her warning, she stopped.
She deleted the words of caution. Taking a deep breath, she typed a new message.
Good luck, Xiao Han. Sister Bai supports you!
After checking that the message was appropriate, she sent it.
Then, her hands went still.
"Wait, Bai Yu, why did you stop? If you don't keep going, the spellbook is going to be ruined!"
"...This is Xiao Han's decision," Bai Yu explained softly.
"Huh?"
The two witches clearly didn't understand. What did she mean, it was Xiao Han's decision?
Did Xiao Han mean she didn't want the Great Spellbook anymore?
If she didn't want it, she could just give it to them! They certainly wouldn't mind!
"Wait... you... uh, you talked to Xiao Han?"
"Yes. This is the choice Xiao Han made. I support her."
"But she's destroying a Great Spellbook! A Great Spellbook!"
"I understand the value of a Great Spellbook better than you do! But don't forget... Xiao Han isn't your average little witch."
"I know you have many questions," Bai Yu said, cutting them off. "This has nothing to do with you. If the Academy Dean asks for an explanation later, I will take full responsibility. This is my choice to indulge Xiao Han's recklessness."
"What? No... Bai Yu, you... you!"
"Why go this far? Xiao Han is just a child, a little witch..."
"But Xiao Han created the Tree of Great Knowledge on her own," Bai Yu's words silenced the two witches once again. "Xiao Han has her own ideas, and she has the strength to bear the consequences of her choices."
"Fine, fine... you're both lunatics..."
"Perhaps calling Xiao Han a lunatic is a compliment."
"The lunatics I'm talking about are the two of you! One is willing to be mad, and the other is willing to play along. Pity us two normal witches... sniff..."
"Then... how about I tell you more about what happened to us in the Expansion Realm?" Bai Yu asked tentatively.
"Really?! Quick, quick! Tell us everything!" Upon hearing this, the two witches' expressions flipped instantly.
The look of horror they had while calling the pair lunatics vanished without a trace.
* * *
Primitive Dream Realm.
After getting in touch with Sister Bai and convincing her not to block my decision, I officially began my plan.
Even I hadn't expected Sister Bai to agree to such a risky move so easily.
I had to do a lot of mental preparation just to work up the courage to commit to this.
But Sister Bai just... agreed!
And she even supported me!
I have to say, being trusted like that by Sister Bai felt amazing. It gave me a sense of security, knowing I had someone to lean on no matter what.
If even Sister Bai hadn't understood me, this attempt might have failed at the very start.
But now that she was behind me, the last shred of hesitation in my heart vanished!
I felt a surge of motivation to get to work. My productivity was through the roof.
As I dismantled the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art, I began to feel the imbalance in my own Domain Order. However, this imbalance didn't affect the Primitive Dream Realm.
After all, the Dream Domain within the Primitive Dream Realm was reconstructed using my own Self-Awakened Body Cultivation and two fragments of [Transcendent Knowledge].
So, what did the deconstruction of the Great Spellbook have to do with [Transcendent Knowledge]?
In reality, my Domain Order fell into instant imbalance. The order of my Power of Knowledge developed gaps, and I even began to lose control over the Great Spellbook.
But what I didn't know was this:
As the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art collapsed, the Void Rifts within the Great Spellbook suddenly went berserk!
An unmatched tearing force erupted, unleashing the most dangerous power of the Void.
Bai Yu reacted instantly. She stopped gossiping and immediately led the other two witches away from the area to avoid the danger.
A moment later, the temporary facility where they had been staying was obliterated by the rampaging Void Rifts!
The eruption triggered a terrifying shockwave, but the nature of Void Rifts meant their destructive power couldn't spread indefinitely.
Once things began to settle, one of the two witches spoke up in shock.
"Holy... crap. So that's the power of a Void Rift? I guess I can say I've experienced it now?"
The two witches clearly hadn't grasped the full extent of the danger they were just in. They were just using bravado to cover up their lingering terror.
"Wait! Xiao Han! What happened to Xiao Han?"
The three witches looked toward the center of the Void Rifts. Nothing was left. For a moment, they panicked.
Their first thought was that the Academy Dean was going to skin them alive!
But Bai Yu showed no emotional fluctuation.
Only after the aura of the Void Rifts had completely dissipated did Bai Yu step forward. The other two witches hesitated before following her.
Bai Yu reached out and made a gentle swiping motion, as if adjusting the progress bar of time itself. The surrounding buildings, torn apart by the Void Rifts, began to pull themselves back together like a film playing in reverse. It wasn't just the buildings; every blade of grass, every tree, and... that figure appeared before her once again.
But Bai Yu knew that the figure before her was merely a shell. The real Xiao Han was still within the Primitive Dream Realm.
And she... she knew every inch of Xiao Han's physical structure as clearly as the back of her hand.
Her purpose here was to stand guard, waiting for Xiao Han's return.
Seeing this miracle of restoration with their own eyes, the two witches' jaws practically hit the floor.
"Is... is this the Time Sense of a Body Cultivator?!"
"Yes."
While Bai Yu was easily handling the disaster in reality, I began my move within the Primitive Dream Realm.
At this moment, the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art had returned to its most primal state—the form of [Transcendent Knowledge].
I recalled my original understanding of [Transcendent Knowledge] and the concepts they represented.
The Tree of Great Knowledge represented "Plant Growth," while the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art represented... "Life."
Guiding all my known concepts of Fool's Dream toward Life.
That was my explanation for it, the definition I bestowed upon it.
Perhaps its destiny was never meant to be the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art.
I looked at the [Transcendent Knowledge] glowing with transcendent brilliance in the Primitive Dream Realm, then looked at the "Seed of Fool's Dream" in my other hand.
What I had to do now was simple.
I would merge these two "homologous" entities into one!
"There's nothing left to hesitate about..." I slammed the two together.
Of course, this wasn't just a crude physical joining. Even if they were "homologous," one was the concept represented by [Transcendent Knowledge], while the other was the meaning derived from that concept. The relationship and balance between the two required absolute precision.
When I shoved them both into my Soul Dream, it meant I had taken the destiny of both upon myself.
My consciousness sank into my Soul Dream.
Currently, it seemed only the Tree of Great Knowledge, representing the Sea of Consciousness, remained in my Soul Dream.
But it didn't matter. In my vision, on the opposite side of the Tree of Great Knowledge, a single seed sent faint ripples through my Soul Dream.
This was the "Seed of Fool's Dream"!
To make such a seed sprout, it didn't need the same memories that the Great Knowledge Seed required.
The Seed of Fool's Dream carried its own memories.
Therefore... it didn't need extra nourishment. All it needed was "soil" to host it, a place to unfold the memories it carried!
My consciousness gradually sank into the Seed of Fool's Dream. Using the shared memories between the Fool's Dreams and myself as anchors, I finally "activated" the seed's "vitality"!
It began to sprout, its branches stretching out bit by bit...
As the leaves unfurled, a reenactment of memories began!
In the next moment, those memories seemed to come alive. A phantom leaped out from the memories, opening its innocent eyes and looking at me with curiosity.
"Sage... Sister?"
"Mhm! It's me, Sage Sister~ What are you doing here, little one?"
"I... I don't know..." A sense of helplessness, as if it had strayed from a set script, flickered in the Fool's Dream spirit's eyes. It seemed to fear the confusion brought by absolute freedom.
"Then, would you like to play with Sage Sister? We can go find more friends together~" I reached out my hand, offering a sincere invitation.
"Mhm!" Seeing my outstretched hand, the Fool's Dream spirit seemed to find its anchor. After hearing my words, its gaze filled with a newfound determination.
Play with Sage Sister... and... find more friends!