Chapter 865: The Value and Application of a Controlled Primitive Dream Realm Descent
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 865: The Value and Application of a Controlled Primitive Dream Realm Descent
After giving me a thorough earful, Mei Lind seemed to have finally vented her frustrations. After all, her anger mostly stemmed from Xiao Han’s penchant for stirring up trouble.
What the Main World Witch Academy needed right now was stability. Moreover, the heat from the accident involving Xiao Han’s self-generated mana experiment hadn't even died down yet. If another incident occurred, would she, the esteemed Academy Dean, be reduced to nothing more than a glorified clerk handling Xiao Han’s trivial messes?
She didn't have many clones to spare, and her Clone Technique operated on a completely different logic than the one Xiao Han used. Xiao Han could maintain hundreds or thousands of autonomous clones without a hitch, but for Mei Lind, it was a different story.
Each of her clones consumed her mental energy and divided her attention. The only reason her main body and clones could handle affairs so flawlessly was due to her immense foundation and strength. She relied on sheer power to force her way through, providing enough support for such a high-intensity multi-threaded mode of operation.
Now that she had finished venting, Mei Lind stepped further into the laboratory.
The moment she had reached the entrance, she felt the area being enveloped by a dream. As she stepped inside, she felt as though every stride was taking her deeper into a more profound layer of the Primitive Dream Realm!
The scale of this transition was even more terrifying than the dream buffer zones in the Expansion Realm!
If the dream invasion in the Expansion Realm was like an ocean where the depth increased gradually, then this... this was a sheer underwater abyss!
After all, how much ground did a single laboratory cover?
From the perimeter to the central area, the environment jumped directly from a shallow dream to the deep Primitive Dream Realm! To call this a "cliff-like" progression felt like an understatement to her.
Consequently, after entering the lab, she stopped advancing. she simply stood a distance away from that small patch of "Primitive Dream Realm," observing it.
However... even just by looking, the information originating from the Primitive Dream Realm seemed to be tugging at her consciousness, trying to pull her under.
"Um... Sister Mei? Sister Mei? Could you give me a chance? I can really explain! Look... my experiment is basically a success... and there’s no danger right now... right?"
Amidst the repeated calls of "Sister Mei," Mei Lind finally shifted her gaze back. However, the look she cast toward the Primitive Dream Realm was now tinged with a hint of wariness.
"Are you so certain it won't spiral out of control? You must realize this is an Experimental Zone. Many witches are conducting long-term research here. If your experiment ends up affecting them, can you shoulder that responsibility?"
Mei Lind was much calmer as she spoke. She wasn't trying to scare Xiao Han; if Xiao Han didn't have the confidence to withstand the pressure, it would be better to end the experiment as soon as possible.
Witches often did things that exceeded their current capabilities. What allowed them to persist was their confidence—their unwavering belief that they would not let the outcome lead to the worst-case scenario.
If Xiao Han expressed a firm willingness to take responsibility without hesitation, Mei Lind might just let her continue this "nonsense."
After all... she had witnessed Xiao Han’s stance within the Primitive Dream Realm before.
That form... it truly evoked the same sense of shock and helplessness an ordinary person felt when facing a Transcendent in the Saint Realm.
"Ah, well..."
Hearing the Academy Dean use this to pressure me... I had to admit, even if one was absolutely confident that no accidents would occur in an experiment, they could still happen.
After all, an accident is called an accident precisely because it is so utterly unexpected.
It was just like the mishap with the self-generated mana experiment. Neither Yi Rui nor I—nor anyone else—had expected that to happen.
"If you lack the confidence to bear the consequences, then there is no room for negotiation."
"No! I can do it, I really can!" I blurted out. I hadn't expected Dean Mei to be so blunt, so I hurried to explain. "This Primitive Dream Realm descent experiment really is controllable! This Primitive Dream Realm is being stabilized by a double layer: my reality-based Order and the Dream Domain within the dream itself. I guarantee it! If it truly starts to go out of control, I will sever the connection between the dream and reality before it can spread any further!"
"You’ve already mastered the technique to force an invading Primitive Dream Realm back to its source?" Mei Lind asked, somewhat skeptical.
One had to remember that the Dreamscape Calamity in the Expansion Realm had yet to fully recede. Ordinary people there could still be swept away by the Primitive Dream Realm at any moment.
Only in areas further away had the "dream tide" begun to ebb, reaching the level of a shallow dream where dream magic could be used to maintain consciousness.
"Er... not quite... Wait! Let me finish! I haven't mastered large-scale dream receding yet, but for the one in my lab, making it disconnect from reality is actually quite simple!"
"Are you sure you aren't lying to me?" Mei Lind asked casually.
Generally speaking, a non-Transcendent could almost never lie in front of a Transcendent. The Real Time mastered by a Transcendent allowed them to see through such falsehoods clearly.
But... Xiao Han was a Body Cultivation specialist. That made things uncertain.
"Absolutely not!"
"Then what do you plan to do with this small patch of Primitive Dream Realm?"
"Well... observe dream consciousness, search for Dream State Soul Essence... study the informational composition and the deposition of negative concepts within the Primitive Dream Realm... It’s mainly to help Fool's Dream evolve into a life form..." I said honestly.
"That’s all?"
"Uh..." My eyes met Dean Mei Lind’s. Although she didn't say anything, her gaze seemed to be asking me: Isn't this like using an anti-aircraft gun to swat a mosquito?
In that instant, I scrambled for a better response.
"How about... how about I open up the access permissions for the Primitive Dream Realm? I could let the senior sisters who are interested in the Primitive Dream Realm join my lab?"
I knew very well that I was usually busy and wouldn't be using the Primitive Dream Realm all the time. I had set this up to have a channel for practical verification at critical moments.
In that case, why not bring more witches "on board"?
This would ensure the continued stability of the experiment, and no one would dare try to shut it down. Furthermore, with more witches involved, their research into the Primitive Dream Realm could indirectly help me understand it better!
That, in turn, would allow me to optimize my Dream Domain even further.
In the Expansion Realm, under such complex and dangerous conditions, so many witches were willing to risk their lives to study the Primitive Dream Realm in person. I didn't believe those curious about the Primitive Dream Realm would be uninterested in a controlled descent.
At the very least, those witches who had previously been trapped in the Primitive Dream Realm would definitely come—like that witch I was quite familiar with, Aina.
"You..." Hearing my suggestion, Mei Lind’s words caught in her throat. She knew exactly how many witches would flock to this opportunity if Xiao Han made it public.
Ultimately, entering the Primitive Dream Realm in person was simply too dangerous.
Think about it... she herself had only entered because she possessed a Great Spellbook. That madwoman, the Rebel Witch, had been trapped in the Primitive Dream Realm multiple times without one. If her luck had been even slightly worse, she wouldn't have lived to see her in the Main World.
If other witches were told there was a controlled, small-scale Primitive Dream Realm descent here, it was hard to imagine how irresistible the attraction would be for those constantly delving into the Great Soul Subject.
"It’s okay, right? It should be fine!"
As long as the benefits were sufficient, so-called danger was merely a price within an acceptable range! At least, that’s how I felt.
And Mei Lind... thought the same.
With the outbreak of the Dreamscape Calamity in the Expansion Realm, more and more witches—whether they majored in the Great Soul Subject or just researched the Primitive Dream Realm—were applying to her to enter the Expansion Realm’s Primitive Dream Realm for a "close-up experience" (or a death wish).
Currently, because of the danger, even Transcendent Witches faced restrictions on entering the Expansion Realm. The only ones left there were the Transcendents executing the "rescue" plans.
Yes, even now, the other academies had still not recovered all of their Transcendent consciousnesses.
If Xiao Han had this controlled Primitive Dream Realm, it could solve a lot of headaches...
"It’s possible... but I have conditions."
"Yes, yes, yes! As long as it’s possible, anything is fine!" Hearing Dean Mei relent, I knew the matter was settled!
By shifting the focus, once the Dean agreed, it was equivalent to my current actions being officially sanctioned.
"Really, anything?" Hearing the boast I made in my excitement, Dean Mei asked back with a hint of playfulness.
"Uh..." I was choked up again, only managing an awkward retraction after a long pause. "Just... as long as it’s not too outrageous..."
"Fine. It’s not actually that outrageous. Primarily, this section of the laboratory needs to operate under oversight."
"Oversight... er?" I looked at Dean Mei in confusion.
"Did you really think the academy doesn't have witches who are deeply specialized in the Primitive Dream Realm? The ones involved in the Expansion Realm incident weren't all of them."
"Oh, oh, oh! I understand." I immediately straightened my posture. I didn't see any problem with this.
Witches were still witches, after all. Besides, the higher the level of the witches involved, the greater the benefit for me! When the time came, I could just ask them about anything I didn't understand. After all, I was just a little witch exploring the Primitive Dream Realm; I had to learn to be humble.
"Anything else?"
"Furthermore, the witches participating in this controlled Primitive Dream Realm descent must pass an academy audit—meaning, I will vet them. You have to realize that not many witches know about your Dream Domain. Once they get involved, they’ll have to be told. I will handle that conversation with them when the time comes."
"Oh! Right... that was an oversight on my part. I’m troubling Sister Mei again~"
"So you realize you're troubling me. I’m just begging you now to stop doing so many earth-shattering things. Don't do anything that hinders the peaceful development of the Witch Academy, understood?"
"Understood!" I said firmly.
"Heh... I must be senile, asking you directly. Who knows if you're brewing something even bigger for me."
Mei Lind knew very well that this controlled Primitive Dream Realm was just the "appetizer." Xiao Han was doing all of this to turn Fool's Dream into a true life form!
While she wasn't sure how much of a stir that would cause, the Primal birth of an entire race certainly wouldn't happen in silence.
With Dean Mei speaking like this, the nature of the matter was settled. If possible, Mei Lind didn't want too many unexpected events to spiral out of control. If a problem could be transformed into something beneficial for the witches, she would naturally consider it.
It just meant her workload was going to increase again.
Just as Mei Lind thought the matter was temporarily concluded, she noticed that quite a few witches had gathered outside the laboratory to watch.
In the Experimental Zone, not every witch was constantly buried in high-intensity experiments, oblivious to the outside world. Most of these witches were just there to see the commotion.
The descent of the Primitive Dream Realm onto the Dream Core earlier had caused quite a stir. Any Transcendent Witch dealt with the Great Soul Subject, so they were naturally sensitive to fluctuations in the Primitive Dream Realm.
To address this, Mei Lind had to offer a brief explanation.
Upon hearing that this was another of Xiao Han’s antics, many of the witches took it as par for the course, offering little more than an "Oh~" in response. Some only just noticed that Xiao Han even had a laboratory in this area.
Ultimately, the event was written off as a disturbance caused by "Xiao Han’s experimental accident." The witches, their curiosity satisfied, began to disperse.
Of course, some remained, curious about what exactly Xiao Han was up to.
Unfortunately for them, they were destined to be disappointed. What I was doing couldn't be made public... Access to the lab was now restricted to prevent any potential exposure of the Primitive Dream Realm.
* * *
Dormitory Villa.
Shi Ruizhi instinctively looked up. She felt a strange ripple wash over her heart, but the sensation was faint, as if felt only through raw instinct.
"An illusion...?"
Shi Ruizhi checked again, but the feeling didn't return. She decided to ignore it.
"Did you notice something, Senior Sister?"
"Ah? No... nothing." Shi Ruizhi seemed to snap out of it. Looking at the figure beside her, she felt a sense of helplessness.
The figure was, of course, Yue.
Yue had already applied for housing with the academy. The temporary housing application was approved quickly, and Yue would be spending the next period of time in this villa with her. Regardless, there were plenty of guest rooms in the villa, and she didn't mind having an extra junior sister around.
But she still felt it was a bit ridiculous... the girl had followed her all the way to her dormitory!
Was this... really okay?
It had been nearly a day since she returned to this so-called dormitory. She was adapting to places that were once familiar to her.
For instance... her bedroom.
She also had a general idea of who her roommates were.
Originally, there were six of them, including herself. But after eight or nine years, only three remained—and that was only if she counted herself.
With Yue added, there were barely four people.
The others had left one after another a few years after enrollment, either seeking a better living environment or for other reasons.
After all, while this dormitory was an independent villa, students weren't strictly required to live there. Some preferred living alone and moved out; it was all a matter of personal habit.
However, there was still one problem: even though two other roommates remained, they were both strangers she only vaguely remembered. At most, she had managed to learn their names.