Chapter 858: A Taboo Experiment Touching the Essence of Life?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 858: A Taboo Experiment Touching the Essence of Life?
Mei Lind’s office.
"That Xiao Han... she really doesn't make things easy for me, does she?"
Mei Lind sighed softly, then manifested a clone to begin handling the academy's administrative affairs. Her main body, however, needed to focus entirely on the Qi Observation Art project.
This was an endeavor she considered highly promising. As for the World Navel, the witches were naturally determined to claim it.
"Oh, please—you’re just spoiling her. You let her run wild everywhere. If you were a bit firmer, our progress wouldn't be this slow. Xiao Han is a teaching assistant, after all! As the Academy Dean, can't you at least put her to work? You certainly have no trouble ordering us around!" one of the witches nearby teased.
"That’s enough. Once you’ve finished your black tea, let’s get started. As for Xiao Han... do you really think I can just 'order' her? She’s only a teaching assistant in name; the academy doesn't even pay her a salary."
"Mei Lind, that’s going too far!"
"Too far? If we really want to settle the accounts, do you think her net worth is enough to cover the commotions she’s caused? Don't be so petty. She has a girlfriend to pamper her; you lot have nothing."
"You—you! Believe it or not, I’ll quit right now!"
"Triggered already? Don't be like that, sisters. If you're jealous, you could always... hm?"
Mei Lind stopped mid-sentence. Her expression shifted as her clone suddenly discovered something deeply concerning.
"What is it?" The other witches, still enjoying the tea party, remained unperturbed, though they could tell something had caught Mei Lind’s attention.
"Tsk... something’s gone wrong with Xiao Han’s Self-Generated Mana project."
* * *
After leaving the Academy Dean’s office.
Since the small-scale pilot experiment for Self-Generated Mana was being conducted at an indoor training ground, Sister Bai and I headed straight there.
I had discussed this matter with the Academy Dean on our way back, and now I naturally had to see the situation for myself. Along the way, I wanted to check on the progress of my roommates.
Specifically Hong Chenyi; the "Association Method" she proposed was quite intriguing.
While a new line of thinking brought new uncertainties, in my eyes, it was merely a question of which foot to lead with—not a major issue.
According to the Academy Dean, their experiment was nearing its conclusion. This meant that out of the 147 participants, at least half should have succeeded by now, right?
From my perspective, this was merely a refined technique. But a technique is ultimately just something to be mastered and disseminated; the vital theoretical research and the truths and knowledge behind it had long since been tucked away in my pocket.
When Sister Bai and I arrived at our destination, I was slightly surprised by the scene at the training ground.
The area seemed to be in a state of upheaval. I casually pulled aside a girl passing by. "Excuse me, classmate, what’s happening here?"
"Huh? I don't know. I was just heading over to see for myself."
"You don't know?" I watched the people rushing past and realized I didn't recognize the girl.
When did this venue become open to the public? Since when were other students allowed to come here and gawk?
Filled with doubt, I moved forward with Sister Bai.
Amidst the crowd, I immediately spotted Yi Rui and the others. They seemed to be at the center of the commotion, their faces masks of anxiety and helplessness.
Furthermore... I saw Mentor Danielle. And she wasn't alone; several other witch mentors were also present.
"Excuse me, coming through. Let me in." I pushed through the crowd to reach the front. "Wait, what’s going on here?"
"Hm?" Danielle’s stern expression faltered for a moment. Upon seeing me, a flash of shock and disbelief crossed her eyes, but she spoke nonetheless.
"Xiao Han? What are you doing here? Weren't you still in a coma?"
"Oh, I just woke up... Mentor Danielle, can you tell me exactly what happened?"
Following Mentor Danielle’s words, the surrounding crowd finally realized who stood before them. Naturally, the most excited among them were Yi Rui and her group!
"Xiao Han!"
"Sister Xiao Han! You’re finally here!"
"Easy, don't get worked up. Can someone tell me the situation?" I instinctively scanned the area, finding no obvious signs of a disaster.
"I’ll explain," Danielle said, stepping forward in her capacity as a mentor. "There was a minor issue with the Self-Generated Mana experiment. It has been forcibly terminated."
"A minor issue?! That was a living person!"
"Exactly! This experiment left someone wishing they were dead! How can you call an accident like that a 'minor issue'?"
"All of you, shut up!" Danielle snapped. Seeing the students' fierce rebuttals, she released a chilling, terrifying aura that instantly silenced everyone.
Did these people, who weren't even Transcendent, truly think they could question a Transcendent Witch? Danielle certainly wasn't going to give them any face.
"A problem with the Self-Generated Mana project? How is that possible?" Hearing Danielle’s explanation, my first instinct was disbelief.
I knew exactly how the architecture for Self-Generated Mana worked; how could it possibly fail? The few potential risks had emergency countermeasures in place; there shouldn't have been such a violent reaction!
Moreover, even if someone died... what about Resurrection?
"I know you might find it hard to believe, but the facts speak for themselves. The student involved has already been moved," Danielle said, her tone sounding almost consoling.
"Impossible... I am intimately familiar with the experimental process for Self-Generated Mana. Within it..."
"Xiao Han, do you know? At first, I really admired how calm you were regardless of the situation. Was that all an act? Or is it that you only appear cold because those things didn't involve you personally?"
"My apologies," I responded calmly. I hadn't actually been frantic; my seemingly urgent denial was merely my most objective skepticism.
However... the incident had indeed occurred. I couldn't deny that.
"Can you tell me the specifics? Was there a fatality, or...?" I spoke in as measured a tone as possible to avoid further friction. The current situation was unfavorable to me; there was no need to force a confrontation.
"It is something far more serious than a fatality. Xiao Han, your Self-Generated Mana experiment... it was a taboo experiment that touched the essence of life, wasn't it? The condition of the student involved cannot be remedied even by death and resurrection. What went wrong was her Soul Essence."
"Soul Essence?!" Hearing this, my frown deepened.
It was true; my experiment did indeed delve into the essence of life. Without touching that domain, how could one possibly obtain such a constitution?
Everyone starts as an ordinary person, beginning as an infant. Bodies generally follow a universal form; the essential differences between creatures below the Transcendent level are minimal, mostly determined by postnatal development.
As I fell into contemplation, the others were more focused on the phrase "taboo experiment" Danielle had used. After all, the word "taboo" was incredibly intimidating.
"This is a taboo experiment? This was actually a taboo experiment? How could the academy allow such a thing to exist!"
"Exactly! Why wasn't there a prior announcement?"
"Shouldn't something like this have been disclosed beforehand!"
In an instant, the surrounding students descended into panic, directing their spearheads at the experiment, the researchers, and... me.
"Enough! Is there even such a concept as a 'taboo experiment' within a Witch Academy? If so, is the Great Soul Subject in the witch curriculum also a taboo experiment? Is the Self-Generated Mana obtained after ascending to a Transcendent Witch also a taboo experiment? Do any of you use your brains before you speak?"
At that moment, Bai Yu stepped forward forcefully. For the second time, a terrifying aura swept through the area, instantly silencing everyone.
In that moment, everyone felt as if an invisible, nameless fury was pressing down on them, targeting every single person equally!
This was the absolute right to speak granted by absolute strength.
The students present could only shut their mouths in frustrated silence. After all, what did they know? Some of them hadn't even touched a witch project yet; they were just here to watch the drama and had ended up being scolded for it.
But one couldn't blame Bai Yu for being so agitated. With her Heart Sense, she could feel the malice directed at Xiao Han more clearly than anyone else! Xiao Han had acted out of kindness, yet now she was being blamed. Bai Yu felt she had to stand up for her!
Furthermore... Bai Yu looked at the witch Danielle again. Sheryl’s words echoed in her mind. This witch... was suspicious.
"You see? You get scolded because you'll argue over anything. 'Taboo experiment' was just my way of putting it. If you're afraid of everything, I have to wonder if you're even qualified to be students of a Witch Academy!"
Danielle chimed in at the right moment, her tone dripping with disdain for the students. Perhaps to most Transcendent Witches, this was exactly how students should be treated.
"What are you all still standing around for? Everyone uninvolved, leave immediately!" Danielle issued a harsh order to disperse.
In an instant, the students scattered like startled birds. Having been suppressed by the auras of two mentors in a row, they no longer had the stomach for gossip. Right now, they just wanted to go share the news.
After all... the Self-Generated Mana experiment was a massive, trending topic!
Ever since the students led by Tan Han completed the experiment and gained the Self-Generated Mana talent, they had shone brilliantly in the Arena. This had drawn an immense amount of attention to the experiment.
If something had gone wrong with it, it was indeed a monumental scandal! There would be no shortage of people eager to feast on the drama.
I watched the departing students with a cold expression. Facing such a situation, my first reaction was that someone was setting me up. However, since I hadn't seen the victim yet, even I couldn't make a definitive judgment.
I knew very well that according to my experimental process, there were virtually no points where an accident could occur—but that couldn't account for people with a death wish!
As for the fallout this would cause, that was a problem for later.
As for whether this would affect the promotion of the Self-Generated Mana experiment... to be honest, I no longer cared.
The moment I handed the experiment over to Yi Rui, I stopped caring about its success, because Yi Rui and the others wanted it to succeed more than I did.
The moment I presented the experiment to the Academy Dean, I stopped caring about its promotion, because the Academy Dean and her peers wanted to promote it more than I did.
Right now, I remained calm, coolly processing the situation.
I thought for a long time, wondering if it was some faction among the students trying to sabotage me, or if it was a group of Transcendent Witches who opposed the promotion of Self-Generated Mana techniques to non-Transcendent individuals.
But in the end, I realized it didn't really make a difference.
"The crowd has been dispersed for now. Since this has happened, the experiment is suspended. I’ll go report this; wait here for further notice." Danielle broke the silence, leaving immediately after she finished speaking.
I watched her walk away, feeling an indescribable sense of oddity.
"Xiao Han..."
"Sister Xiao Han, what do we do? Why... why did this happen?"
"Exactly, all the previous subjects were fine... why her...?"
Seeing me, Yi Rui and the other girls seemed to find their pillar of support again.
"It’ll be fine. I don't believe our experiment could produce such a problem. Let’s wait quietly for the academy’s notice," I said, offering words of comfort.
An incident like this was undoubtedly a massive blow to them. I could only keep reassuring them. Even though they were upperclassmen who had experienced much at the Witch Academy, they were still just girls.
Through my comforting, I gradually learned the details of the situation. This included... why the area had been cordoned off and why so many uninvolved students had been there.
Because the experiment was in its later stages, most of the testers had already completed the architecture for Self-Generated Mana.
With Tan Han’s sudden rise in the Arena—using her massive mana pool and recovery rate, combined with the peculiar method of turning herself into a spell to crush upperclassmen and teaching assistants—the Self-Generated Mana experiment zone had drawn even more eyes.
The area was crowded every day, putting immense pressure on the security detail. Even the risk of personal data leaks caused by the high information density couldn't deter their enthusiasm.
Thus, to meet the students' expectations, promote the experiment, and reduce external pressure, the restrictions had been gradually lifted. Yi Rui had felt that since they were in the final stages—mostly just the Perfecting Ritual and some architecture rituals—it would be fine.
But no one expected something to happen at this critical juncture.
"So it happened after it was opened to the public... Did you not use the Ley Line Information to check who did it?"
"We did... but the Ley Line records showed that no one tampered with anything..."
"No one tampered with anything..." I frowned, finding it hard to believe. However, I didn't doubt the truth of their statement; no idiot would commit a crime on the spot where they could be caught red-handed.
"I’ll take a look at the Ley Line records myself. If that doesn't work... take me to see the person involved. One way or another, we should take responsibility for her," I said.
"Xiao Han, you really don't need to care about these things," Sister Bai said, stepping closer and speaking tentatively.
After all... it was just one student. In Bai Yu’s eyes, there was no telling whose pawn this person was.
"It’s fine. Consider it a learning experience. If it’s a frame-up... well, that’s just another life experience," I said with a smile, my tone suggesting I wasn't overly concerned.
With a wave of my right hand, I connected my Ley Line Identification Art to the Ley Lines and the Root Network. After locating the node of the event, a phantasmal image gradually materialized in reality.