Chapter 856: Because I am the Sage Beloved by the Fool's Dream!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 856: Because I am the Sage Beloved by the Fool's Dream!
"Hmm... that's right. The small-scale promotion experiment for self-generated mana conducted by your research team is indeed reaching its conclusion. From the looks of it, the technique is nearing its mature stage," Dean Mei nodded, chatting casually with me about recent academy affairs.
"It seems Yi Rui and the others have been quite efficient," I remarked with some emotion.
"Are you sure you don't want to go see them? They were incredibly anxious after hearing you had met with disaster."
"Mm... I should find some time to visit them. At the very least, I need to let them know I'm still alive and well." I nodded, agreeing that this was the right thing to do.
Now that my Tree of Great Knowledge had restored its communication functions, I was naturally receiving a flood of messages.
Millian, in particular, had practically gone frantic over this matter, even seeking out Sister Bai several times. I truly needed to report my safety to her.
As one's social circle grows, one can no longer think only of oneself; one must consider the feelings of others.
But there was no helping it. People like Millian had helped me solve so many problems and had created such a harmonious atmosphere for me at the Witch Academy.
They were very important to me, so it was only natural that they cared about my safety.
However... perhaps because I had already accepted the burden of the Fool's Dream clan's destiny, I seemed to have become less resistant to others holding high expectations for me.
I felt a sense of calm, facing it all with a very steady mindset.
The journey from the expansion realm to the Dean's office at the Core World Witch Academy wasn't very long, so the Dean and I didn't have time to cover many topics.
But once we arrived at the office, I knew the main event was about to begin.
"Xiao Han, how were your gains from this trip to the Primitive Dream Realm? After all, you've caused quite a stir again."
"Um... I did report my plans in advance..." I said softly, feeling immensely grateful that I had actually done so.
Though... in truth, whether I reported it or not didn't make much of a difference in the end...
However, no matter how quiet my voice was, Dean Mei Lind could still hear me.
Even one of the witches busy working nearby couldn't help but let out a "pfft" of laughter.
Only Mei Lind's face darkened slightly, though she was the Dean, after all.
"Since you say you reported it, why don't you tell me what exactly you reported... and then, what you actually did?"
"Uh... I reported... that I would be conducting experiments for the Dream Life subject?"
"And what did you do?" Mei Lind asked.
"Well... I experimented on the normal contents of the Dream Life subject..."
"Pfft... Hahahaha!"
The witches nearby who overheard my conversation with Dean Mei finally couldn't hold it back anymore and burst into laughter, showing no fear of the Dean's status.
"What's so funny! Have you made any progress? Or are you just here to enjoy the show?" Dean Mei snapped.
"We've been working ourselves to the bone for so long, can't we have a little break? Hmm~? Would you like a cup of black tea, our Great Dean Mei?"
"......Give me a cup. And make sure you brew it yourself."
Mei Lind hesitated for a moment before giving in. After that little outburst, the atmosphere suddenly lightened significantly.
In truth, Mei Lind didn't really intend to blame Xiao Han. It was in a witch's nature to cause a stir, and besides, hadn't the matter been "settled" now?
There was no need to settle scores over things that had already passed, especially not with Xiao Han.
But some things couldn't be brushed aside so easily.
"Here~ your black tea~"
"Thank you."
Mei Lind took the tea and took a gentle sip. She didn't have much experience in tea tasting, but... after drinking enough of it, she could naturally tell the good from the bad.
"Back to business," Mei Lind said, her tone less sharp than before. "I can overlook the events of this experiment as an 'accident.' After all, it's already happened. What matters is that so many Transcendents were lured to their deaths."
Seeing that Dean Mei didn't intend to dwell on that matter, I breathed a sigh of relief, and my expression relaxed.
"But don't get happy too soon. I won't pursue that, but there's another matter I need to ask you about properly. Xiao Han... you know what it is, don't you?"
"Uh... what matter?"
"Still playing dumb with me?" Mei Lind seemed almost amused by my feigned ignorance. She then reminded me, "Xiao Han, how many Great Spellbooks do you have left now?"
"Uh..." Since the Dean had brought it out into the open, there was no point in being timid. "One left."
"And what about the one I gave you?" Mei Lind set down her teacup and rested her cheek on one hand as she asked.
She used the word "gave," not "invested." Mei Lind didn't want this to become an unpleasant confrontation, but since it involved a Great Spellbook, she needed a formal explanation.
It was like the Great Glacial Throne Technique back then; it had fulfilled its purpose, and it didn't matter if the final plan failed...
But Xiao Han... Xiao Han was different. If Xiao Han had really just torn it apart for fun... she... she really wanted to give Xiao Han a good spanking!
After thinking for a long time, that was the only punishment Mei Lind could come up with. After all... she truly couldn't bring herself to punish Xiao Han. Compared to Xiao Han, a Great Spellbook was just an object.
The important thing was never the Great Spellbook, but Xiao Han herself.
"Um... I dis... dismantled and deconstructed it!"
"Tell me why." Mei Lind sighed. She hadn't expected that once she finally asked the question, she wouldn't feel as angry as she had anticipated.
"Because I felt that the [Transcendent Knowledge] constituting the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art... perhaps becoming a Great Spellbook wasn't its ultimate destiny."
"Oh?" Mei Lind let out a soft sound of surprise. She had never expected Xiao Han to give such a response. "Quite the bold claim, isn't it? Just tossing words around? I don't mean to discourage you, but are you saying you're questioning the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art?"
"......Yes." I slowly closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly before giving that firm response!
If my ideas couldn't even pass the Dean's scrutiny, then how could I be worthy of carrying the destiny of the Fool's Dream clan!
"I remember you once asked me about the name of the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art. I told you then that the name was the most accurate description of it. I also gave you all the research data regarding the spell. If you had read those, you shouldn't have come to this conclusion." At this moment, Dean Mei Lind's tone became serious. This was, after all, a debate in a professional field!
As the Dean, she was more than qualified to discuss this!
"I have read them, and I understand them."
Though... I had used the Tree of Great Knowledge to deconstruct and perceive that data, which wasn't quite the same as a deep analytical study of the theories, I understood the logic Dean Mei used when she created the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art.
"Then you should have even less reason to dismantle it. Or have you found a better inspiration? Tell me, since you reject the name 'Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art,' what name have you given to your new inspiration?"
"A name?"
I was momentarily stunned by the Dean's question. A name is a definition of what one intends to do, a summary of a framework, and a reflection of one's control over the process.
But... I rarely did things that way.
"There is no name. If I must give it a definition... then it is the Fool's Dream clan itself."
"You gave that power to the Fool's Dream?" Mei Lind frowned for the first time. "What meaning does that have for you?"
"Researching low-threshold promotion techniques for self-generated mana also has no personal meaning for me."
"Those are clearly two different concepts!" Mei Lind countered.
She understood perfectly well what the self-generated mana technique meant for the witch race.
But the Fool's Dream?
And to sacrifice a piece of [Transcendent Knowledge] for it!
She had only wanted Xiao Han to try and evolve the Fool's Dream into life, not to throw everything away for it!
She wanted two Primal spell sequences, but they didn't necessarily have to be from the Fool's Dream!
She didn't even necessarily need that return on investment!
In her eyes, Xiao Han was putting the cart before the horse. At least at this stage, the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art and its various derivative abilities were extremely useful. Why be in such a hurry to dismantle it?
"Xiao Han, do you know? I'm very angry right now!" Although Mei Lind said this, it was more of a profound disagreement with Xiao Han's actions.
"Sister Mei... don't be angry~ Let's cool down first? You should know that I never do anything foolish." Seeing the Dean like this, I realized my attitude had been too stubborn and my reasons hadn't been convincing, which led to her change in demeanor.
"I researched many things in the Primitive Dream Realm, and the most important among them is the Dream Domain, which is built upon my Self-Awakened Body Cultivation and the [Transcendent Knowledge] of two Great Spellbooks."
"And?" Seeing me change the subject, Dean Mei was momentarily taken aback.
But upon hearing me mention the Dream Domain, she forced herself to be patient. Based on that achievement alone, even as a Dean, she had to respect Xiao Han's strength within the Primitive Dream Realm.
She quickly recalled what the witch named Aina had told her about the "principles" of Xiao Han's self-created "Dream Domain."
She had to admit... based on that description, even she, the Dean, couldn't achieve such a thing.
"And then, naturally, came the understanding of [Transcendent Knowledge]. But it wasn't just that. In Fool's Village, the [Transcendent Knowledge] of the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art was called a Holy Relic by the Fool's Dream. Many things happened there that I won't bore you with."
"So what are you trying to say?" Dean Mei asked.
"What I'm trying to say... what I'm trying to say is that I haven't failed to live up to the value of this [Transcendent Knowledge]. I know Sister Mei is looking out for me, but... I also have my own thoughts and the right to express them. Sister Mei, you said the Great Spellbook you created is called the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art. Then... do you know the definition of wisdom?"
Before Dean Mei could speak, I waved my hand and unfurled a magical light screen.
It was covered in dense rows of documents and data!
"This is what I extracted from the materials you gave me, Sister Mei—the simplest version of a definition of wisdom from a Transcendent perspective."
"And?" Seeing my posture, Dean Mei seemed to gradually become less urgent.
There was even a faint hint of anticipation.
"This isn't a definition. What kind of definition requires such a long-winded discourse? This is merely a composite concept described from various angles and personal perceptions."
"And?"
"And so... wisdom has no single concept that can directly define it, but a combination of other concepts can describe certain aspects of it. Just like my Wisdom Granting technique—in that technique, my definition of wisdom is consciousness and memory. That is a generalization for life."
"But my definition for the [Transcendent Knowledge] of the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art... is the symbiosis of life and knowledge."
"Life refers to the Fool's Dream clan; knowledge is my Tree of Great Knowledge."
"I want to give the Fool's Dream the best... and this is also my way of interpreting the meaning of 'Wisdom Enlightenment' from another perspective."
"I never said the name of the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art was wrong. It is very correct—so correct that no single concept can define it. Its concept is too vast, so vast that after it became a Great Spellbook, it was jokingly called the most useless Great Spellbook..."
"And now, I have found the perfect home for it."
When I finished speaking, not only did Mei Lind fall into silence, but so did the other witches.
They were shocked by the leap in the little witch's thinking. Although her words were profoundly moving, they carried a streak of wishful, almost arrogant self-confidence.
Once, they too were witches with wild, soaring ideas—until they suffered through the hardships of researching Great Spellbooks. Only then did they see the absurdity of those ideas.
Gradually, they lost... no, they actively discarded those naive fantasies and walked the path of research step by step.
Hearing such a line of thought again, their instinct was to avoid it, to deny it, to correct it.
But... the little witch before them was a miracle in her own right!
She had crafted a Great Spellbook (albeit incomplete) with her bare hands and shaped a domain (prototype) before even becoming a Transcendent.
In these short one or two years, she had created many miracles and achieved many impossibilities.
Were they truly qualified to judge her?
"Sigh..." Mei Lind remained silent for a long time before letting out a sigh. "Then... Xiao Han, what about yourself? Or do you intend to train the Fool's Dream clan to be your sharpest blade?"
"No... when they become life, I will grant them the freedom that life deserves to enjoy."
Another silence followed my words. "Returning their freedom... Xiao Han, I'm starting to find you incomprehensible. Can you tell me why you're doing this?"
"Well... because I am the Sage who carries the destiny of the Fool's Dream clan and is beloved by all of them."