Chapter 857: The Faith of the Fool’s Dream, Pure and Flawless
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 857: The Faith of the Fool’s Dream, Pure and Flawless
"Sage..."
Mei Lind had also heard from the witches who returned from Fool’s Village that the Fool’s Dream folk called Xiao Han their "Sage."
"Xiao Han, how long do you plan to play this role-playing game? I hate to burst your bubble, but everything you’ve said sounds... well, it sounds like a childish game of make-believe to us. It’s boring and meaningless."
"So..." Mei Lind continued, not giving me a chance to cut in, "what exactly did you see in the Fool’s Dream that made you choose this?"
In truth, there was something Mei Lind hadn't said out loud: Xiao Han never did anything without a reason. Even regarding the technique of self-generated mana, Mei Lind had learned a thing or two through her conversations with Bai Yu.
If Xiao Han were truly doing this out of pure selflessness, she wouldn't have handed all the actual work over to Yi Rui and the others afterward just so she could run off and do something else.
During that transition, Xiao Han must have "gained" something.
Once the experiment was no longer helpful to her, she delegated it entirely to Yi Rui. Her management of time and energy was incredibly tight, and Yi Rui and the others were happy to oblige, just as they always had been.
As for what Xiao Han gained from the experiment, no one knew for sure, but Mei Lind guessed it was likely a concept related to self-generated mana.
However, Mei Lind wasn't entirely certain what that entailed.
But the concept of "Prototype Self-Generated Mana" and the "Infinite Mana" hypothesis were indeed products born from the deep research into self-generated mana—the greatest harvest of this entire experiment.
At this moment, facing Dean Mei Lind’s inquiry, I was also thinking about how to respond.
What did I see in the Fool’s Dream?
It was a feeling that language couldn't quite describe. The connection between me and the Fool’s Dream—the most direct and profound aspect of our relationship—was a form of top-down maternal embrace, but also a kind of appreciation. it was the most sincere expression one has when facing something cute and beautiful.
Perhaps even I hadn't realized that my yearning for beautiful things was so genuine.
Perhaps the old me would have been like most ordinary people: when faced with something beautiful, I would have felt ashamed, avoided it, refused to look at it directly, or felt timid and afraid. Then, that would turn into annoyance, shame, and resentment... until finally, I might even try to destroy it.
That is the moment of one's greatest impotence—the helplessness of encountering the thing you crave most, where the only thing your hands are capable of is destruction. And then, one contentedly enjoys a moment of peace in the gutter.
So, my feelings for the Fool’s Dream are a way of making up for a desire from the bottom of my heart. When I reached out my hand, I discovered... I could actually offer them comfort.
More importantly... they call me Sage Sister!
I feel like they are a group of innocent little angels living in my heart right now.
Of course, they are definitely not like those birdmen from the Holy Angel Academy. Those guys don't deserve the comparison.
A person’s strength comes from the strength of their own heart. This was what I had been pursuing. I said goodbye to my native family and walked out of the shadows of the past, but I still lacked a form of healing for the damage all of that had caused me.
Since I want to pursue higher heights, I need a strong heart. What is called "personality" in the strong is called "weakness" and "sentimentality" in the weak.
No one can grant me redemption except myself. The Fool’s Dream is more like a vessel for my yearning for beauty; they represent the innocence I lacked in this life.
"Sister Mei, before I enrolled, I was a mental patient. Even I believed that. I just happened to be able to take care of myself. After I gradually came into contact with the Fool’s Dream, I saw so many things in them that I envied."
"It was everything I missed in my childhood: innocence, frankness, sincerity, trust, optimism, curiosity... They embody everything I long for. There is no space for these things in reality, but I can provide it."
"Now, all the Fool’s Dream folk have built the Fool’s Village of their dreams within my soul dream. They have built countless homes beneath my Tree of Great Knowledge, swimming in the ocean woven from the power of knowledge."
"Playing make-believe isn't childish, and the title of Sage isn't just a title. It is the recognition given to me by all the Fool’s Dream folk, and it is a responsibility I have actively chosen to shoulder."
As I spoke, a strand of pale gold thread spiraled around my fingertip. This was the anchoring of every Fool’s Dream member to me within the dream, and the recognition each of them held for me.
I didn't know what this illusory power was. It was weak—so weak that it couldn't accomplish anything at the moment. It couldn't even compare to a minor Fireball Spell.
But right now, this recognition from the Fool’s Dream was far more important to me than its practical use.
"The Power of Faith?!"
The four words Dean Mei Lind blurted out with wide eyes caused the office to fall into an instant silence.
"What?"
I froze for a moment, looking at Dean Mei in surprise. What did she mean... Power of Faith?
This thing in my hand... is the Power of Faith?
My thoughts instantly flashed back to the scene where Dean Mei Lind had discussed how to handle the Fool’s Dream with me.
I didn't have much contact with the concept of the Power of Faith.
After all, I had deep-seated stereotypes about it—concepts like faith being poisonous, faith being exploitative, the harvesting of believers, and so on.
Those ideas didn't fit my worldview, and I didn't want to apply them to the Fool’s Dream.
But now, the Dean was saying this power was the Power of Faith?
"You’ve harvested the Power of Faith from the Fool’s Dream?"
"..." I looked at the Dean in silence. I didn't like the word "harvest."
Nor did I like my actions being described as something so lowly.
"Sorry, that was a poor choice of words." Seeing my expression, Mei Lind immediately realized she had phrased it wrongly. However, her own understanding of faith and gods was also heavily colored by stereotypes.
"Many faith systems in the void operate on a harvest model. But Xiao Han, you must understand that 'harvesting' is merely a subjective definition of the act by living beings. That is the relationship between a god and their believers. But a faith system isn't limited to just gods and believers."
After seeing Xiao Han display the Power of Faith, many things no longer needed explaining. Mei Lind roughly understood the relationship between Xiao Han and the Fool’s Dream.
Faith systems were truly subjective and difficult to define.
Those who saw it as power treated it as a path to advancement.
Those who saw it as a vow valued it more than their own lives.
Those who saw it as a contract treated it as a lifelong commitment...
"I see how you intend to do this now. I didn't expect you to walk this path by accident. Since you’ve given your answer, I won't pursue the matter further."
"What?" I looked at the Dean, bewildered. So, after everything I said, it wasn't as persuasive as this single strand of faith?
"Wait... the Fool’s Dream and I aren't in that kind of relationship! I just..."
"I get it, I get it. Trading one Great Spellbook for the faith of a rising race carrying [Transcendent Knowledge] is not a losing deal. Not to mention you will eventually grant them true life. I have to say, Xiao Han, your idea... I can only rate it as 'mediocre.'" Mei Lind smiled at me.
Did Mei Lind not understand the relationship between Xiao Han and the Fool’s Dream? After hearing that long speech, she naturally understood. Now, she was simply giving Xiao Han a graceful way to end the conversation.
The main point of this talk was to "provide a reasonable explanation." Once that was done, she wouldn't press further. Ultimately, she didn't care about the explanation itself, but the formalities had to be observed.
She was doing this for Xiao Han’s sake. After all... if she dismantled a Great Spellbook for no reason, what would the other Transcendent Witches think?
You have to realize, some of them haven't even touched a Great Spellbook!
At most, they’ve touched a Great Knowledge Seed, which barely counts.
"The Fool’s Dream and I really aren't in that kind of rel—"
"Xiao Han, it’s fine..." At that moment, Bai Yu stepped forward and stopped me from explaining further. Bai Yu naturally understood what Mei Lind meant.
I understood too, but... I just wanted to make it clear!
Pretending to be confused while knowing the truth—I suspected the Dean was just holding a grudge because I tore up her Great Spellbook.
"Alright, alright... Sorry about that, Dean. Since the matter is settled, I’ll take Xiao Han and head out."
"Mm, take care. I won't see you out." Mei Lind waved them off. She really didn't know what else Xiao Han might blurt out if she stayed.
After all, Xiao Han had even talked about being a mental patient in the past. Was there anything she wouldn't say?
But speaking of being a mental patient... Mei Lind did take note of that.
The reason she ended the topic so quickly was primarily because she had tested the waters—Xiao Han was never going to back down on this.
If those Fool’s Dream folk were Xiao Han’s own mental construct and a form of self-redemption, then Mei Lind knew there was no stopping it.
It was like trying to snatch a cat away from a patient suffering from depression.
Initially, she was just afraid that Xiao Han had too many good things and wouldn't cherish them. The value of a Great Spellbook was an extremely rare resource, even in the relatively closed Main World.
* * *
"Xiao Han~ don't be mad at Dean Mei. She actually understands."
Bai Yu comforted Xiao Han as they walked. She liked it when Xiao Han radiated such intense emotions, because that version of Xiao Han felt more real to her.
No matter the time, Xiao Han usually kept her emotions suppressed deep inside. Whether she was happy, angry, or sad, she wouldn't let them out. She even felt a sense of resistance toward praise from the outside world.
And then there was this reunion...
Even though she usually went along with whatever Xiao Han wanted, she felt that this suppression wasn't right.
Even if it was just the anxiety and defensiveness shown during a small misunderstanding, for Bai Yu, who possessed Heart Sense, it allowed her to feel a much more vivid Xiao Han in that moment.
From the moment Xiao Han began her explanation and started rebutting Dean Mei, Bai Yu had felt the intense emotional fluctuations in Xiao Han’s heart. From that point on, she knew that what Xiao Han was doing could no longer be judged by objective standards of right or wrong.
"I know she knows!" I subconsciously bit my lower lip, gradually calming down.
I also knew that this matter was officially behind us.
However, this conversation alone had brought me a lot of new trouble.
For example... the Power of Faith.
I never imagined this would be the Power of Faith.
Perhaps I should reshape my understanding of faith. It turns out faith can be something so pure...
I won't view it as a source of power. That would defile the purity between me and the Fool’s Dream, and it would remind me of the unspeakable relationship between faith, gods, and believers.
Because the birth of divine faith originates from the ignorance of believers and the deception of gods.
That was my stereotype of faith systems, and I didn't want the Fool’s Dream to be like that.
But looking at it now, faith itself is incredibly pure; it’s the people who use it who aren't necessarily so.
Sister Bai comforted me for a long while. Although I had already worked through it, I still tirelessly soaked in her comfort over and over again.
As we chatted, we eventually moved on to the topic of where to go next.
"By the way, Xiao Han, do you have any plans?"
"Hmm... yes, a lot. I’m going to be quite busy. Wait... I should have asked Dean Mei for another laboratory just now!" I suddenly remembered this and felt a bit of regret for leaving so quickly.
After all, the lab in the Experimental Zone was still occupied by the self-generated mana project, and the other labs were the same. To be honest... I did have a renovated private lab in the basement of my villa.
But it was a bit cramped there.
The main reason I wanted a school lab was that if anything uncontrollable happened during an experiment, it could be resolved quickly without affecting others.
In my villa’s lab, there were people living right next door.
"Should we go back now?"
"Forget it, forget it~ let’s not. No need to turn back for that. I haven't figured out how to face Dean Mei again yet. I’ll wait a while until this blows over."
"I could go talk to the Dean for you."
"No! You have to stay with me!" I immediately rejected Sister Bai’s suggestion.
It had been so hard not having Sister Bai around lately. Now, I needed to properly recharge my "Sister Bai energy"!
"Alright~" Sister Bai smiled slightly, seemingly very happy with that answer. "So, are you going back to your old routine? Experiments every day and such?"
"Uh..." Hearing Sister Bai say it like that, I realized the problem. Was that how I looked in her eyes?
"Not anymore... I’ll spend time with you, Sister Bai. And... the Fool’s Dream. You have no idea, they’ve already settled into my soul dream! They’re so cute! I really want them to come into reality..."
"If you want to, then do it~ I’ll support you!"
"It’s going to be a massive project... there are so many of them, and..." And I had dismantled the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art. Currently, I hadn't had time to figure out how to use it. Without the "Spellbook" platform, I could no longer rely on the spellbook model to understand how to use it. It would take time to adapt.
"Forget it~ let’s not talk about that for now. When I arrived, I heard the Dean mention the self-generated mana project. I’m still a member of the research team, after all. I’ve been offline for so long; I should go check on them."