Chapter 872: After the Dust Settles
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 872: After the Dust Settles
In the end, Ji An took the fall for the accident during the Self-Generated Mana experiment.
When the announcement was posted, even the "melon-eating" students spectating the drama didn't believe it. The Academy Network was abuzz with constant discussion, everyone eagerly awaiting the subsequent disciplinary results.
And reality did not disappoint; the matter was far from over.
As a Transcendent Witch, it wasn't surprising that Danielle was able to extricate herself from the situation. However, the various families involved weren't about to let things go as she hoped.
The "follow-up" the students were so focused on was, naturally, the purging of the students and... teaching assistants who had participated in the incident.
It was almost an exact replica of the previous Final Hunt incident.
The only difference was that this time, the person providing the list of names was Danielle herself.
Danielle had sold out those students and their families.
"Practicing the Rebel Witch's subject, is it? You won't get another chance to use such a lame excuse next time."
Bai Yu softly repeated those words, her expression grim as she left the area.
The incident was technically over. No one had died, but in its wake, many more people were about to be ruined.
Ji An couldn't shield her family from the Dean's wrath; no one could.
The only place filled with cheers was the Academy Network, where countless amusement seekers were shouting, "Let the blood flow!"
Not all students held the so-called families in high regard, and the families were not the sole dominant force in the Witch Academy.
After all, everyone possessed transcendent power. Why should you be considered superior?
It was simply that those who favored the families stayed behind, gathering more and more power within the Main World, while those who favored freedom left this stage for a much larger one.
Back at the level of Transcendent Witches...
This was the first time Bai Yu had felt true hostility toward another witch. Because it was a conflict of stances, it couldn't exactly be called hatred.
However, she knew that a witch even more egregious than Sheryl had appeared in her sights.
If Sheryl made her feel wary, then for Danielle... she felt only disgust.
It wasn't just a matter of her methods, but her attitude afterward.
It was actually quite difficult for "hatred" to form between witches; they weren't exactly mortal enemies, but estrangement and prejudice still existed.
Danielle had touched Bai Yu's sore spot. Even though they had spoken candidly under Mei Lind's mediation, and Danielle had clearly stated she had never targeted Yang Yuehan from the beginning, Bai Yu wasn't buying it.
In Danielle's eyes, the only sacrifice in this entire accident was that prospective witch named Shi Ruizhi, and since the girl had been saved in the end, the matter should have been easy to resolve.
But Bai Yu didn't see it that way. If everything was judged solely by the outcome, then if Bai Yu fought Danielle with the intent to kill and was eventually talked down by Mei Lind, could that be treated as if nothing had happened?
One mustn't forget that Bai Yu was a Saint Realm expert, while Danielle was not. When Bai Yu used that example, Danielle's face had turned incredibly unsightly.
Mei Lind saw it too—these two witches were not on the same wavelength—so she stopped trying to persuade them.
Anything more would be futile; no matter how one phrased it, it would just be a repetition of one's own prejudices.
Even witches, in many moments, would only think from their own perspective.
After leaving, Bai Yu planned to head toward the Experimental Zone.
She had asked the Dean for permission to access Xiao Han's laboratory.
Since she was going to see Xiao Han, Bai Yu naturally didn't want to face her with this kind of mood. Thus, she quickly composed herself and returned to her usual demeanor as if nothing were wrong.
* * *
In the laboratory.
"Sister Bai! You're finally here!"
I welcomed Bai Yu's arrival with great joy. After a brief introduction to the other witch sisters here, Sister Bai began trying to integrate into the lab's atmosphere.
After all... this lab currently looked a bit like a hodgepodge. Almost every witch had her own unique research subject regarding the Primitive Dream Realm.
Yet, they all had to share that one small, special piece of the Primitive Dream Realm.
In truth, some witches didn't stay in my lab often; they only came over to verify data.
After all, who works on a research subject by doing experiments all day and night?
Conducting experiments and collecting data were, in the end, just one part of a subject. So... many of the witches in my lab were frequently pulling disappearing acts.
They had their own labs in the Experimental Zone; they would just "white-bloom" the data collection here and then bolt.
Only witches like Eina stayed behind in my lab, and the reason was simple: they didn't have their own labs in the Experimental Zone.
Since they were doing theoretical research on the Great Soul Subject plus the Primitive Dream Realm, they naturally couldn't apply for a lab at the "Key Subject" level.
Previously, when they heard that the Primitive Dream Realm had descended upon the Expansion Realm, they had been so excited that they rushed there immediately, entering even at the risk of becoming lost.
Now that they had such a "safe and controllable" environment, they naturally wanted to stay.
The data they could collect so conveniently and without risk was something they absolutely craved.
They were also quite struck by the fact that the stronger a person was, the greater their potential contribution to academia. It was simply too easy for them to perform certain experiments—at the very least, Eina admitted she couldn't "hand-craft" a Primitive Dream Realm.
As for Sister Bai staying in this lab, she naturally had her own ideas.
She wanted to try and master the construction of a "Dream Domain"!
Although the conditions for a Dream Domain were extremely harsh, the most unavoidable elements were the power of Self-Awakened Body Cultivation and the foundation of the domain: the sixth sense, "Heart Sense."
Coincidentally, Sister Bai possessed such power. The only pity was that she didn't have a Tree of Great Knowledge to quickly complete the domain's reconstruction. Therefore, Sister Bai's only option was to use her Body Cultivation power to "adapt" to the difficulties.
Furthermore, Sister Bai's Body Cultivation power wasn't the Self-Awakened type; her strength was limited to a single-sense Five Senses Body Cultivation. So, even if she completed a Dream Domain, the influence it would have on the Primitive Dream Realm's information would be biased.
However... regardless of the problems, it couldn't hide one fact: within the Witch Academy, Sister Bai was currently the only Transcendent Witch with a hope of replicating and mastering a Dream Domain.
* * *
The days passed one by one.
But these days were far from peaceful.
Following the clarification of the Self-Generated Mana experiment accident, a large number of students and teaching assistants were implicated.
On the surface, it looked like Ji An alone had caused the accident, but without others interfering, where would she have gotten the energy to plot such a thing? Or how could she have guided public opinion after the fact?
So, lately, the Academy Network was filled with topics and posts about who had been "found out," providing a massive amount of entertainment for the amusement seekers found everywhere in the Witch Academy.
Amidst this environment, another piece of news was released, though not many people noticed it.
The Self-Generated Mana research subject was restarting. However, this time, the experiment wasn't just a group of students and assistants; it now had the guidance of Mentors.
The Mentor's role was merely to soothe the panic caused by the accident. Compared to the worst-case scenario, having Mentors take full charge was already a very good outcome.
A Mentor was a layer of security; the credibility of a Transcendent Witch in terms of transcendent arts was far more convincing than a group of students and assistants.
Moreover, the nominal Mentors were Yi Rui and the others' mentors—namely, Mentor Belica and a few other witches.
It had to be said... Mentor Belica and the others had indeed provided a massive amount of help to Yi Rui's group during the Self-Generated Mana experiments. They were the only ones who truly deserved to have their names on the project; it was a case of mutual achievement between mentors, students, and assistants.
With the restart of the experiment, recruitment for the second batch of small-scale experimental volunteers also opened for registration.
Many students who were closely following this noticed the announcement immediately and rushed to sign up.
Despite the public outcry caused by the accident, some people remained calm.
In their eyes, even if it was a legitimate experimental accident, with only one incident occurring out of over a hundred people, they were willing to take the gamble!
After all, the "Infinite Firepower" style of arena combat led by Tan Han in the first batch had been far too shocking!
When the number of mana sources broke the ten-thousand limit, and when mana recovery was no longer negligible, the performance the contestants gave the audience was a non-stop barrage of firepower from start to finish!
That was the kind of scene they wanted to see!
That was the power they hoped to master!
However, with the lesson of the first experiment learned, the screening for volunteers for the Self-Generated Mana experiment inevitably became much harsher!
This led to a massive number of people turning around and cursing the troublemakers after the truth of the accident came out.
It got to the point where no one on the Academy Network dared to try and "whitewash" the actions of the families.
One had to understand that on the Academy Network, everything was tied to real names. If you posted something that went against the group consensus, you really had to worry about being tracked down and confronted in person by upperclassmen.
Thus, public opinion on the Academy Network was hard to sway, but once it started moving, it was a literal disaster!
And that was just what was happening at the student level. Among the Transcendent Witches, they were also "eating melons."
The "melon" in question was, of course, the conflict between Danielle and Bai Yu.
Many witches had their own views on the matter. Some felt it was nothing, some felt Bai Yu was being too pedantic, and others felt Danielle had started it.
But regardless, an irreconcilable grudge had formed between Bai Yu and Danielle.
Furthermore, there was Danielle's act of protest against the Dean's decision. Many witches saw through it; those who didn't know the details only had to gossip a bit to understand the situation.
The main reason for the incident was still the question of whether the Self-Generated Mana technique should be promoted.
Mei Lind, as the Dean, had actually held a meeting to discuss this. Seeing that the majority of witches had no objection, she had proceeded directly, thereby ignoring the opinions of the minority.
Originally, Mei Lind hadn't expected them to engineer such an accident, but now, she was taking it seriously.
However... in the end, the matter concluded with the opposing witches making concessions.
Since Danielle had done such a thing beforehand, they couldn't say much more. More importantly, they had witnessed Mei Lind's determination in this incident. If they continued to hold opposing views, they could try leaving the Main World Witch Academy.
Of course, it wasn't that no witches left, but they departed quietly, having realized that the Main World Witch Academy was no longer their home.
Alongside the grudge between Bai Yu and Danielle, another matter was spreading among the witches.
That was, after experiencing the recent Expansion Realm Dreamscape Calamity, the Academy had made a breakthrough in the field of the Primitive Dream Realm!
However, this claim seemed even more ethereal compared to the gossip about the grudge.
Because to this day, not many witches knew how the rumor had even started.
But as the days passed, the news became increasingly specific.
The Witch Academy was gradually mastering the technique to control Dream Scape Calamities!
This was undoubtedly a heavy bombshell dropped into the hearts of many witches.
In truth, most Transcendent Witches rarely touched the niche field of the Primitive Dream Realm.
Naturally, they wouldn't even think of entering it.
The Great Soul Subject was an emerging field, and the Primitive Dream Realm was an exploration project derived from it. Witches who could achieve anything in this area were basically academic giants who crossed multiple fields.
It wasn't something an ordinary witch could get involved in.
The Witch Academy was an academy, so the witches gathered there were generally capable. At the very least, they were powerful witches like Dean Bev Alanna. Thus, the witches in the Academy didn't represent the talent distribution of the entire witch race.
While the Primitive Dream Realm seemed like a hot topic for related subjects, that was only within the academic sphere.
Many witches didn't understand the Primitive Dream Realm, but they understood combat records!
The recent Dreamscape Calamity had directly wiped out so many Transcendents; it was truly hard not to be famous.
In that calamity, almost all Transcendents from other academies had perished in the Primitive Dream Realm, yet only the lost witches from the Witch Academy had been found.
Even the witches themselves felt there was something fishy about that.
Now that the "rumor" had broken out that the Witch Academy had mastered the art of dominating Dream Scape Calamities, it naturally had a credible foundation.
Previously, those other Transcendent academies had been clamoring loudly, accusing the witches of being behind the Dreamscape Calamity and trying to push all the responsibility onto them.
But now... with the news coming from within the Witch Academy that the witches might truly have mastered such a technique, they were instantly silenced.
Along with that... even their "rescue" plans were tacitly suspended.
If the Witch Academy really possessed such a technique, they couldn't afford to lose the Transcendents they sent for the rescue as well!