Chapter 914: You Can Cross the Rules, But Never Trample Your Bottom Line
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 914: You Can Cross the Rules, But Never Trample Your Bottom Line
"Hmm... what kind of combination is this?"
My emotions fluctuated only slightly before I spoke up to ask.
Sister Bai had told me before that she’d had a fair amount of contact with this Rebel Witch, but this was the first time I had seen the two of them appearing together in the villa.
The last time we met, I had maintained a stance of respectful distance toward this Rebel Witch, but now...
"What? Finding it hard to believe, are you?" It was Sheryl, the Rebel Witch, who spoke. She seemed quite satisfied with the look on my face as I took in the scene.
"Indeed... when did you hit it off with my Sister Bai?"
"Hit it off? That’s a bit of an inappropriate choice of words, isn't it? I detect a hint of jealousy in your tone. Don't worry, I'm not going to steal your girlfriend from you~"
"You haven't answered my question yet," I repeated, sitting down on the sofa next to Sister Bai.
"Alright, alright~" Sheryl stood up from the long sofa and moved to a single armchair on the side, a gesture to show she had no such intentions.
"Actually, I made contact with Bai Yu quite a long time ago—around the same time I first met you."
"That early?" I frowned. This answer was somewhat outside my expectations.
"Yes~ Surprised?" Sheryl was in a very pleasant mood. "But Xiao Han, can you guess why we’re meeting in this manner this time?"
"I don't know," I said bluntly. Even if I did know, I didn't feel like answering right now.
I knew very well what had been achieved through my interactions with this Rebel Witch over the past few days.
"You really won't even try to guess~ Actually, I told your Sister Bai what you're planning to do next. It was quite a surprise to me; I didn't expect you wouldn't mention this to your dearest Sister Bai. When I brought it up, she was absolutely shocked~"
"Uh... what?" Being put on the spot like that, I suddenly snapped to attention!
I instinctively looked at Sister Bai beside me, only to meet her gaze, which held a faint, knowing smile.
"Um... Sister Bai..."
"I naturally believe in you, Xiao Han, but for something this important, you really should have discussed it with me first." Sister Bai’s voice was very gentle, as if she didn't mind at all; even her tone was one of understanding.
"Ugh... I know I was wrong!" But the more she acted like this, the more I felt I had let her down.
"Don't be like that~ Xiao Han, I didn't call you over just to hear you apologize." Bai Yu reached out and scooped me up.
Because this clone was of the petite variety, Sister Bai found it effortless to pick me up.
"Sss..." Sheryl, watching from the side, shifted her posture and let out a soft hiss.
She realized she was being blasted by a wave of PDA!
At that moment, I was being held in Sister Bai's arms, sitting right between her legs.
"How long has it been since Xiao Han took a bath? Have you just been using Cleaning Spells to stay tidy?" Sister Bai suddenly asked.
"Well... it's not like there's a difference... besides, this is just a clone, sigh..." I whispered, then felt my hair tie being pulled down from behind.
Usually, my hairstyle was a matter of chance—as long as it wasn't flying everywhere, I’d leave it loose. Occasionally, I’d tie it in the middle or at the ends just so it wouldn't be too unruly.
After all, I preferred the relaxed feeling of having it down; I didn't find the tight constriction of a ponytail very comfortable.
"Even a clone should maintain good habits~ There are many things in life that magic cannot replace... you need to experience these things for yourself." Sister Bai had the hair tie looped around one finger while her other hand gently threaded through my silver-white hair.
Feeling that familiar softness and silkiness, she couldn't help but marvel at how much she loved the texture of Xiao Han's hair.
"Yeah, yeah... I know, I know."
Watching the interaction between the two figures before her, Sheryl realized she wouldn't be getting any entertainment out of this.
This was the first time she had felt a conflict she instigated being met with a unified front that pushed back against her without hesitation.
Shouldn't a couple be questioning each other at a time like this? Shouldn't the weaker party give in, followed by mutual forgiveness?
Instead, they were completely united against the outsider. How could anyone deflect a conflict like this? 😫...
She had to admit, she could smell the "stench" of a happy couple in the air... the kind that even a Rebel Witch like her found hard to stomach, especially since it felt like a targeted attack on a single person like her.
"Are we done? Could you perhaps consider my feelings?" Sheryl spoke up.
"I think we're considering them quite well. As for you, you went and gave my Xiao Han a terrible idea for no reason."
"A... a terrible idea? What? You looked like you weren't opposing it just a moment ago!"
"I don't oppose it because it doesn't threaten Xiao Han's life; I'm treating it as a trip for fun. But that doesn't mean it won't have other consequences."
Bai Yu's tone was now sharp toward Sheryl. It wasn't that she had found a way to kill her, but rather that her contract with Sheryl had ended.
Before Sheryl even had the chance to do anything, Bai Yu had already completed what she needed to do.
Even if she were to tell the Academy Dean right now that this Rebel Witch's target had been Xiao Han from the start, it wouldn't matter, because Sheryl would no longer take any "deliberate" actions regarding it.
"So after all that, your eyes are still fixed on this Main World? What consequences could there be? It's just that Old Mei Po is afraid of trouble~"
"Old Mei Po..." Bai Yu's lip twitched instinctively at the nickname. "Where did you learn that name?"
"From that Dean Bev Alanna~ If she can use it, surely I can too? Besides, I found that I get along quite well with that Dean. It's a real shame she didn't become a Rebel Witch; she has a very sharp eye for Witches!"
"Fine..."
"Don't worry about it. If you want to break the influence a Witch has over you, start by changing how you address them. You'll gradually discover a whole new world," Sheryl said to us in a seductive, coaxing tone.
The Rebel Witch certainly had the charisma to back it up.
While I wasn't led astray by her, I had to admit she wasn't entirely wrong.
However, for me, the respect I held for certain people came from the heart. Even if it had been a long time since I’d seen my counselor, I would still gratefully call her Teacher Ji Niang upon meeting her.
Right now, I tilted my head back slightly, leaning into the fragrant, soft embrace. Sister Bai was braiding my hair—an experience I rarely got to enjoy.
Perhaps... I hadn't lived a normal life in a long time. But when I craved it, when I wanted to do it... I found I had lost the ability to simply enjoy it.
If there was anything left in this world that could make me completely drop my guard and let go of my restlessness, it seemed to be only Sister Bai's embrace.
It felt as though I could accept setting aside my experiments for any length of time.
After that bit of introductory banter, the conversation finally shifted toward the main topic.
"I've more or less made the arrangements, Xiao Han. There might be a bit of a time difference while you wait, but it won't be long. So, do you have anything you need to prepare? Like... a tent or something? So you don't end up sleeping on the streets when you get to that world."
Sheryl cracked a joke as she said this.
If I arrived in that world and spent the first night on the streets, "miserable" wouldn't even begin to cover it.
"Speaking of which, can't you tell me anything about the situation in that game world?" I asked.
"Of course... not." Sheryl chuckled, then flatly refused my request. "Who asks for a strategy guide the moment they start a game?"
"But this game doesn't even have a tutorial?" I said, shrugging.
"Really? Are you truly completely ignorant about the game world?" Sheryl's smile widened, as if she already knew that I knew something.
"..."
"You actually do know? I'm starting to get curious about your source of information. You've been in the Main World this whole time, haven't you, Xiao Han? You barely even leave the academy."
"Are you guessing?"
"Just a bluff. I didn't expect you to actually know anything. It seems you have quite a few little secrets of your own~" Sheryl teased with a light laugh.
"I don't know much," I said casually with a shrug.
I was just relying on that Player clone of mine—the one with almost zero presence—to gather information while hiding among the players...
I had only gone as far as learning the language of their world.
The players' cross-language correction system was a bit tricky to deal with and annoying to learn, but it was nothing I couldn't handle.
However, that small amount of information certainly wouldn't be enough for my descent into that world.
It was a real shame this Rebel Witch refused to reveal anything.
"So, how am I supposed to get there?" I stopped pressing her on dead-end topics and took the initiative to ask another question.
"Using your Reverse Summoning Spell, of course~ I told you before, didn't I? Just make sure you don't make a mistake and teleport your main body there~ Hahaha, if that happened, your Sister Bai and Old Mei Po would be chasing me down with knives."
" I'm not about to make such a rookie mistake," I huffed, showing my disdain.
"It seems you've put a lot of research into the application and derivation of the Reverse Summoning Spell, Xiao Han~"
"Basic stuff."
"I have something here that I got from that Witch Ji Niang. It's about the derivative applications of the Reverse Summoning Spell." Sheryl didn't find my humble-bragging off-putting; she saw it as the natural right of a genius. She calmly presented a... Shared Rune.
That's right, it was a Shared Rune created by my own derivative, the "Great Knowledge Sharing Spell"!
"Huh? How did you get that?" This time, I was genuinely shocked!
"I told her I was Xiao Han's friend and that Xiao Han was facing some difficulties with the Reverse Summoning Spell and wanted something to reference. Then she just packaged this up for me."
"That's a bit far-fetched... why didn't Teacher Ji Niang just send it to me directly?"
"It just shows I have good people skills~ If I didn't have the 'Rebel Witch' label, I'd actually be a very popular type of Witch."
As Sheryl spoke, she pushed the rune toward me.
I didn't stand on ceremony and immediately began decoding the information within.
However, I was slightly surprised during the analysis because this Shared Rune was actually an encrypted share!
But after identifying my information, it opened automatically.
It seemed I was the only one who could open it.
I suddenly found myself interested in this encryption method. While implementing encryption technology for Shared Runes wasn't difficult, Witches could really do wonders with even a simple encryption method!
But now was clearly not the time to get obsessed with that.
I skimmed through the information and the table of contents. The amount of data was so vast that it took me several seconds just to look through the directory.
I was becoming increasingly curious about what Teacher Ji Niang's [Transcendent Knowledge] actually was.
If this could be made into a Great Spellbook... the effect would be terrifying!
"Well? You're staring blankly. Are you satisfied?"
"Ahem... yes, very satisfied." I coughed lightly to hide the embarrassment of my momentary distraction, then spoke up. "By the way... don't you think it's a bit late to give me this now? Do you expect me to learn it and use it on the fly?"
"I certainly believe in your ability to learn, but I believe even more in your ability to create. You must have had derivative applications for this spell for a long time now, right?" Sheryl said with a smile. "I still remember the most famous threat among the students... 'Don't mess with anyone holding Xiao Han's business card, because she might just reach through the card and stab you at any moment.'"
"It's a pity~ I wasn't there when you made that strike. If I had witnessed it with my own eyes... it must have been a truly breathtaking blow."
"That's enough to prove that your use of the Reverse Summoning Spell isn't limited to yourself anymore, right?"
"You really didn't need to learn so much about me..." I grumbled.
"Knowing you is just basic respect." Sheryl didn't think much of it. It had been a long time since she had tried to understand a Witch so deeply, let alone a Little Witch.
But she felt it was worth it.
"Ugh~ fine. I have one last question. When I go over there, who exactly is cooperating to summon me? How am I supposed to face the person who summons me?"
"That... is a secret!"
"Huh?"
"Some things need a bit of mystery. You can only know what a 'surprise' is after you've experienced it for yourself!" Sheryl flatly refused to answer.
"I hope it's not a 'shock' instead..." I grumbled irritably.
Usually, in these situations, there was a high probability of it being a massive trap.
"Of course it won't be a shock, it's a surprise! So, you should happily accept the carnival I've prepared for you~ There are no so-called restraints there. You can do things you've never done before!"
"The only thing that can stop you... is your own bottom line, Xiao Han... Remember, whether you are a human or a Witch, you can cross others' rules as much as you like, but... never trample your own bottom line."