Chapter 878: A Sincere Conversation with a Rebel Witch
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 878: A Sincere Conversation with a Rebel Witch
"Wow! It's Sage Sister!"
As soon as the Fool's Dream who was preparing to mix our Fool's Dream drinks arrived, she recognized me instantly, even though I was currently in the form of a clone.
The Fool's Dream who liked to call me "Sage Sister" were, naturally, the ones from Fool's Village. The ones I had first encountered preferred to call me "Sister Xiao Han."
"Hello there. So, how is it? How are you finding life outside Fool's Village? Is it boring?" I flashed a smile, thoroughly enjoying the interaction with the Fool's Dream.
"Not at all! Every day I get to meet different older sisters, and they're all so nice to me. They even give me treats!"
"Is that so? Are there any sisters who come to see you often?"
"Mm-hmm! There are! But... one of them hasn't come around much lately. I think she said... the prices were too high?"
"Really?"
"Yeah!" The little Fool's Dream nodded before turning her gaze toward Sheryl, who was sitting beside me.
"Oh! It's you! I didn't expect us to meet again so soon!"
"It seems fate is on our side," Sheryl replied with a smile, greeting the little creature. This was the same Fool's Dream she had encountered during her previous visit with Dean Mei.
Her name was... Yu Cha, if I recalled correctly.
"Little cutie... your name is Yu Cha, right? I hope I haven't misremembered."
"Hehe! You really do remember me! I didn't know you were friends with Sage Sister! I'm so happy I get to serve Sage Sister today!"
"That's right—we are indeed friends," Sheryl said, her smile widening as she glanced at me. She seemed quite pleased with Yu Cha's "assist."
After all, acknowledging a friendship in front of a Fool's Dream helped, at the very least, to soften the friction between us.
"Yes."
I maintained my smile throughout and didn't offer a rebuttal. The world of the Fool's Dream was pure and simple. While I wasn't sure if others cared much for what a Fool's Dream thought, I personally would never do anything to dampen their joy.
Before long, two glasses of Fool's Dream drinks were prepared.
"Sage Sister, please enjoy! Everyone says my mixing is good, but... this is the first time I've made one for Sage Sister in reality..."
"You should have more confidence, even in reality." I picked up the glass and took a sip.
Yu Cha waited with a mix of anticipation and anxiety, eager for my praise.
Upon tasting it, I found that this Fool's Dream drink was slightly different from the ones I'd had before. I had already confirmed this: every Fool's Dream's concoction had subtle variations. The flavor was excellent—quite unique, to say the least.
"The flavor is very distinct, and it tastes wonderful."
"Yay! Sage Sister likes it!"
Yu Cha cheered happily, drawing quite a few looks from the other patrons.
"Yu Cha... remember to be mindful of the other guests' experience," I reminded her gently.
"Oh... right, right! I understand!"
Yu Cha nodded repeatedly, though she couldn't hide the genuine joy radiating from her.
Eventually, under Yu Cha's lingering, reluctant gaze, she returned to her duties. She was still working, after all, and Sheryl and I had things to discuss. I wasn't sure what they were yet, but I instinctively felt they were matters better left unheard by a Fool's Dream.
"Just now... that Fool's Dream called you 'Sage Sister'?" Sheryl remarked casually.
"Yes," I replied with equal nonchalance.
"Would you mind telling me the story behind that?" Sheryl took a light sip of her drink and pressed further. "If it's inconvenient, just pretend I didn't ask."
"It's nothing much, really. I brought them from the Primitive Dream Realm into reality. They used to address me as 'Lord Sage,' but I didn't care for such a distant title, so they eventually settled on 'Sage Sister.'"
"I see..." Sheryl chuckled softly but didn't push the subject.
This wasn't the story she had been hoping for. She had to admit, this little witch was quite skilled at conversation. Even though she seemed easily distracted or led by a topic, she never actually touched upon anything substantial.
Perhaps this was a natural talent?
Her speech was aggressive in its own way, yet her defense and evasion against being probed were maxed out.
"It seems you truly do adore those little cuties. I heard that for their sake, you even dismantled that fellow Mei's Great Spellbook?"
"You know about that too?"
"Of course. Quite a few witches know. To be honest, many of them find it incomprehensible. However... while I don't know the full story, I think that anyone with the courage to do such a thing must be planning something far from simple."
"You overestimate me. Perhaps... I simply dismantled the Great Spellbook to give the Fool's Dream a home?"
"Isn't that a form of greatness in itself? Greatness as defined by the Fool's Dream," Sheryl said with a smile.
Only witches who had never possessed a Great Spellbook would be superstitious about their power. Although she didn't have one herself, her experiences had long since allowed her to look past such conventional impressions.
What was dismantling a Great Spellbook?
She had seen far more ridiculous cases—like someone turning a fragment of [Transcendent Knowledge] into a Great Spellbook just to understand its properties, only to dismantle it and use that knowledge as a mere consumable for an experiment she wasn't even qualified to witness.
One could say the witch race was never lacking in lunatics.
"Perhaps..." I nodded, not particularly caring whether Sheryl truly understood or was just pretending.
"It seems... you aren't in much of a mood for small talk. In that case, let me take the initiative to find a topic." Seeing my lack of focus after the Fool's Dream left, Sheryl seized the opportunity. "For instance... that Dream Overlap that erupted from the Experimental Zone earlier—that was your handiwork, wasn't it?"
"Well... you could say it was related to me," I corrected.
"Immediately followed by that announcement and the subsequent breakthrough in Primitive Dream Realm techniques... was that a play Mei asked you to put on?"
"A play?" I looked up at Sheryl, puzzled. "Why would you think it was an act?"
"Oh? It wasn't? Then would you mind telling me what actually happened? After all, that place isn't easy for me to enter, so I really don't know the details."
"Didn't you ask the Academy Dean?" I countered.
"Of course I did. But that woman won't say a word. It's a pity. I have a nagging feeling... that there's something going on that she doesn't want me to know."
"Then why ask me? Do I look like the type who would just tell you?"
"Are you unwilling as well? Just because your Dean won't tell me, you won't either? Xiao Han... you should have some independent thought. Why do you have to follow what other witches do?"
"Because generally speaking, I don't like taking the initiative to cause trouble for others."
"Are you sure about that?" Sheryl couldn't help but laugh, likely thinking of how Mei Lind had been running herself ragged because of Xiao Han's affairs.
"I said I don't do it intentionally. Accidents don't count," I emphasized, my expression unchanged.
"Fine, fine. Honestly... well, even if you won't tell me, I have a few theories of my own. Want to hear them?"
"Sure. Go ahead," I nodded.
Having mastered Emotion Body Cultivation, I could prevent my emotions from manifesting outwardly. I wasn't afraid of her reading anything from my face or using mind-reading spells. However, I usually didn't like maintaining this emotionless state; it made my already sparse emotional expression even rarer, and I feared I'd end up permanently poker-faced.
"First of all... since you denied the possibility of it being an act, it means you two likely did create something. Just like when you registered that experiment and ended up creating a Dream Domain... this time, it's probably something even more extraordinary, isn't it?"
"Maybe." I didn't deny it. Verifying that the Dream Domain was "learnable" was indeed "extraordinary." At the very least, the Dean had acknowledged it, even going so far as to stop pursuing the massive commotion Sister Bai and I had caused.
"How sly, Xiao Han. Not even a hint?"
"You're the one sharing your theories. What does that have to do with me giving hints?"
"Alright, alright. I'll continue then. Following the breakthrough in that special Primitive Dream Realm technique, a very unusual phenomenon appeared in the academy: a Body Cultivation craze. And it's one that has affected even the Transcendent Witch level."
"And? What's the connection?"
"The source of this craze points directly to a few Academic Witches in the Experimental Zone. Therefore, this phenomenon is essentially an extension of that 'accident.' And when you talk about Body Cultivation, there is one witch you cannot ignore: Bai Yu."
Sheryl watched me as she spoke, finally mentioning Bai Yu's name. But she was disappointed; she saw nothing on my face—no micro-expressions she could use to glean information.
"So... can I narrow the scope down to this? You and Bai Yu achieved some kind of breakthrough together, with the final result centered on her?"
"..."
"Plus, based on my interactions with Bai Yu over the past few days, my intuition tells me she's undergone a very specific change. Before, she felt guarded and wary. Her eyes were filled with a grim determination—a 'if you touch Xiao Han, I'll die taking you with me' kind of look. Honestly, that kind of gaze is terrifying. It's the type of person I'm worst at dealing with," Sheryl admitted with a hint of helplessness.
She wasn't lying. Bai Yu's archetype was indeed one she disliked handling.
That look of someone who has lost everything important and no longer values their own life, seeking only to drag their enemy to the grave... if she were forced to kill a witch who had become her enemy because of her own choices, it would weigh heavily on her.
But she was a Rebel Witch. When it came to traitors who needed to be killed... she wouldn't stay her hand. It was just that afterward, she would need time to settle her heart.
"The current Bai Yu gives me a different feeling. In that determined gaze, there's now a flicker of... confidence. A confidence that she definitely has a way to drag even me into death."
"And the thing that could kill me... currently, in the Main World, I believe the most likely candidate is... getting lost in the Primitive Dream Realm, right?"
"I suspect Bai Yu might have mastered the Dream Domain. Perhaps it's incomplete, or she can't exert much power with it yet... When I first reached this conclusion, it felt absurd. But I once heard a certain witch describe the cultivation method for the Dream Domain. It was something like... Body Cultivation? Unfortunately, I don't know much about Body Cultivation, but I'm guessing that's the gist of it."
"You collaborated with Bai Yu in the Experimental Zone to replicate the Dream Domain. Bai Yu was the one who caused that commotion. Though the range of influence seemed small and weak... that doesn't matter, does it? After all, the first step is always the hardest."
"..."
"Silence means I've guessed correctly. So it really is true," Sheryl said, shaking her head with a smile. She thought of a certain witch who refused to be ordinary and marveled at the coincidence.
Now, the only lie she had told was finally filled in.
"If that's what you wish to believe, then so be it." I didn't say anything more, though I had to admire her deductive reasoning. She knew far too much.
If she had been missing even a few pieces of information, she might not have been able to piece it together. Then again, she spent her days wandering the academy doing nothing... it was only natural she'd pick up a lot of information.
"There's really no need to be so guarded against me. Regardless of the truth, just as you don't seem to care, I don't care either. What? You don't believe me?"
"I believe you," I nodded. My Heart Sense instinctively picked up on her sincerity.
I had to admit, throughout this conversation, even without intentionally trying to sense her, I could feel a wave of sincerity coming from her. That was why I was willing to sit here and spend time with her.
Sincerity... sometimes it really can move people.
"Then I'll trust that you believe me," Sheryl said cheerfully. "Since I've said I don't care about those things or events... do you know who I do care about?"
"No idea."
"Me... I care about you! Of course, not in the same way your Sister Bai does, but on a different level entirely."
"..."
"What? Silent again? Are you shy?"
"No. I just know that if I don't speak, I at least won't say the wrong thing."
"That's not a great mindset. It instinctively gives off the impression that you're trying to please others. One should speak their mind freely without fear of offending. If you're strong enough, no one will care who you offend."
"I just prefer to win people over with reason." At least when I was in the right, I could strike without hesitation or restraint!
Perhaps... at my core, I was the type who preferred logic and reason. It was just that I often encountered people who wouldn't listen to reason, making it seem like I only knew how to use brute force.
"You like to use reason? That means you're a person of principle. That's a virtue. However... I've looked into your history, and your actions don't quite align with your words."
"Some people don't deserve my reasons."
"Heh..." Hearing my answer, Sheryl let out a satisfied chuckle.
"I like that answer. So... it seems you no longer wish to face the people of this Main World, right? Have you ever thought about... going to a larger stage to show what you're capable of?"