Chapter 915: A Chaotic Game World
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 915: A Chaotic Game World
Sheryl, the Rebel Witch, had departed.
She left in a hurry, leaving me feeling a bit like a duck being pushed onto a perch—forced into a situation without much of a sense of participation.
Or perhaps… it was simply that I had never truly given the matter much weight?
"There we go~" Sister Bai released her hold. A simple hairstyle had been born; it remained naturally loose, but a hairband now reined in the unruly personality of the stray strands.
Overall, it looked far more exquisite than the styles I usually threw together with basic standardized spells.
Logically, someone like Sister Bai, who also favored long, straight hair, shouldn't have taken so long. This time, however, she had deliberately dawdled until the Rebel Witch had left before finally, somewhat reluctantly, letting go of my hair.
"So beautiful~"
"Mhm, indeed." Sister Bai nodded, but a question that had lingered in her mind for a long time finally slipped out. "Xiao Han… why do you like white hair so much?"
After all, in the Main World, there was no precedent for white hair being a popular trend. Most associations and anchors for it were linked to the white hair of the elderly—a symbol of frailty and waning strength.
It was only because Xiao Han carried this appearance, combined with her immense strength and influence, that a "white hair craze" had begun to stir within the Witch Academy.
Previously, hair salons hadn't even considered that a student might want to dye their hair white; they didn't even carry the dye for it…
"Perhaps… it’s an aesthetic preference engraved into my soul~" A hint of daze and reminiscence flashed through my red eyes as I explained.
I couldn't exactly tell her it was just an inexplicable XP, could I?
"Oh? Is it that mysterious?"
"If I had to say, I just enjoy doing things others don't. It gives me a distinct personality and sets me apart from the vast crowds. It creates a sense of transcendent mystery, and it carries symbolic meanings of wisdom, experience, and purity…"
"You're explaining this so seriously that I'm starting to suspect you don't even know why yourself, and you're just making up reasons to appease me~" Sister Bai said with a smile.
Bai Yu could sense that momentary lapse of clarity. She realized then that liking something might not require a reason at all, but rather… a feeling.
"I'm not! How could I be? It’s just that others might not necessarily feel the reasons I like it…"
"Then, Xiao Han, tell me… if I dyed mine white, would you like it?"
"Eh?!" I spun around in shock to look at Sister Bai. "No, no, no! I think you look perfect just the way you are, Sister Bai! There’s no need to make that kind of change just to cater to me!"
"Alright, I’m just teasing." Seeing my intense reaction, Sister Bai dropped the idea.
Though she was curious about what she would look like with silver-white hair like Xiao Han’s, since Xiao Han didn't want her to do it, there was no need to force the issue. At most, she might try it out once just to satisfy her curiosity; for a Transcendent Witch, changing hair color was a trivial matter with many methods available.
* * *
A few days later, Long, who was in the laboratory, finally completed the architecture of her own dream order.
According to her, it had taken a bit longer than she had anticipated.
Even so, the time she spent was still shorter than what Sister Bai had required.
With the experiment officially concluded, the Primitive Dream Realm laboratory was finally vacant. The research teams waiting to conduct related experiments immediately formed a long queue.
Before that, however, the requests for Dream State Soul Essence materials began again. It was as if they had timed their arrival perfectly.
After all, for the time being, pure Dream State Soul Essence was only produced in my lab. Many witches were interested in the substance but had no idea where to start, so they came to "take a shortcut."
This made me realize a problem I had been overlooking.
Besides being used to study its properties, what other use did Dream State Soul Essence have?
It was a research material for the Dream State Soul Essence purification method!
This gave me a different line of thought.
I had been stuck in the loop of the existing "Incubation Purification Method," believing it couldn't be popularized.
But… since I wanted a technology that wasn't restricted by Great Spellbook-related skills, why not let other witches help me develop the purification method?
Did I need the technology to be exclusive?
No. What I needed was the related preparation techniques and a massive supply of Dream State Soul Essence!
While it’s true that monopolies bring exorbitant profits, what would I do with all that profit?
Or rather, was I short on money?
Ideological bottlenecks are what truly stifle the expansion of one's thinking.
The truly powerful never fear others learning from them.
It’s just like how anyone can derive new spells; the only question is whether they are willing to put in the effort.
I never feared those in the Academy who targeted me learning professional knowledge, laboring over spell theory, or researching spell derivations. If someone actually did those things, they wouldn't be my enemy.
Therefore… regarding the distribution of this batch of Dream State Soul Essence, I made a major decision: it would be a special grant for purification method research, with only a small portion allocated for other property studies.
Of course, this process was free of charge. My only requirement was the sharing of research data.
Some witches suggested that I didn't need to distribute it for free. At this stage, the value of Dream State Soul Essence was immeasurable; I should at least charge a symbolic fee. Otherwise, some witches would feel too embarrassed to "leech" for free.
But I refused.
One must understand… the free things are often the most expensive!
I was merely sharing something I currently had no use for in exchange for a chance at new techniques. Who was really profiting here?
And so, I extricated myself from the purification method research project.
It really lived up to my old philosophy: if you can entrust a task to someone else, there’s no need to waste your own time on it.
However, the handover of related research data and products was still a hassle.
Processing those research materials took up some of my time, but it was nothing major.
Now, I could finally focus all my energy on Fool's Dream.
"It’s really strange. Sheryl clearly said she was ready, so why hasn't there been any movement?"
Several days had passed since my clone met that Rebel Witch at Sister Bai’s villa.
I had been keeping an eye on my Reverse Summoning Spell, but there hadn't been a peep.
Even though it was only a clone going and not my main body, I still took this operation quite seriously.
To that end, I had even brought the clone to the lab to personally refine some of its abilities.
I also gave the clone a piece of storage equipment packed with everything I might possibly need.
After all… what I was about to do was invade another world!
After finishing these preparations, I went to Fool's Dream’s side.
Though I had neglected Fool's Dream and the others a bit lately, I still made sure to spend some time with them every day.
This was the only thing I could do for now.
Experiments involving life are the ones that can least be rushed.
My Tree of Great Knowledge contained a vast amount of life research data—some shared by anonymous Witch Sisters, some from the old library, but most of it was general knowledge.
One passage in particular had left a deep impression on me: "The beginning of life's incubation: the heart appears on the 21st day, and the heartbeat begins on the 30th, never stopping until death."
This was the limit of what "ordinary people," who had never touched the level of the soul, could grasp. It was also a beautiful depiction of life.
The sentence didn't seem to explain any profound truth; it merely described the birth of an organ within a physical shell. Yet, the meaning it conveyed was far more capable of giving life a sense of purpose and a trace of existence in the world than any indescribable soul concept.
The current Fool's Dream and the others possessed all the concepts required for the birth of life. What they lacked was, perhaps… the very first heartbeat belonging to a Fool's Dream spirit.
The sound of blood pumping is like a knock on the door of this world, asking timidly… May I join the great family of life?
"Yulan~ how are you feeling today?"
"I feel great today too~ Sister Xiao Han!"
"You're as energetic as ever. And the rest of you?" I turned my gaze toward Yu Guo, Yu Yun, and Yuxing.
At this moment, their soul forms were gradually becoming less visible. Because they were about to be born as living beings, their consciousness, their souls, and their wisdom… would all bloom within their physical bodies.
Right now, their bodies were just beginning to develop. I didn't want to interfere too much in this process.
Or rather, I couldn't interfere.
I had never completely observed the birth of a life from zero to one, so naturally, I didn't know every detail.
This would not only be the first time I witnessed the qualitative change of life from nothingness, but it would also serve as the template for Fool's Dream’s future life evolution techniques.
I couldn't afford to modify it recklessly.
"Mhm~ Sister Xiao Han, you don't have to keep all your focus on us. We're very strong!" Yu Yun said after a moment's hesitation.
"Yu Yun, what are you saying? Being too sensible will make my heart ache! Besides, I’ve cleared my schedule now. Your Sister Xiao Han will have plenty of time to stay with you from now on. I will wait until you become true living beings."
"Really! That’s wonderful!" The most excited response came from Yu Yun. As expected… how could Yu Yun not want me around?
It was just my own selfishness; I didn't want the Fool's Dream spirits to "grow up" too fast, nor did I want to suppress their natural instincts.
"That’s right~ I have to say, once I have free time, I always feel the urge to go find something to do. I don't think that’s good, so I plan to spend the coming period with you all."
* * *
The Game World.
Pixels flickered with neon hues, forming holographic advertisements that decorated the chaotic city.
Aircraft existing within the game streaked across the bustling streets, leaving trails behind them—and this was only a small corner of the upheaval.
Such grand scenes were unfolding in many cities across this world. People had no so-called "jobs"; in this overcrowded world, they were indulging in the final pleasures of humanity.
They were fearless, pushing forward against the armed suppression of the Maintenance Officers. Every act of force only served to further ignite the people's rage!
Maintenance Officers were the "police" of the Game World, but their primary role was to maintain the world's order through absolute force…
Since its inception, this profession had stood in opposition to ordinary people, serving as the most direct means of oppression by the upper class against the bottom-layer people.
They possessed the world's most powerful weapons and a terrifying deterrent force. Ordinary people didn't even dare to look directly at the weapons they held.
Because those weapons represented cold, heartless death.
That was, until social contradictions reached their peak… until a group of people who no longer feared death gathered together. Their spirit moved every oppressed soul, prompting them to step out of their rented rooms to fight for their so-called rights. In that moment, whether they were selfish individuals acting for themselves, thrill-seekers, those seeking justice, or those simply swept up by the crowd… every step they took forward contributed to the scenario the oppressors feared most.
Those in power cursed the shameless, wicked acts of these "pariahs."
The direction the crowd was heading was toward the most futuristic, sci-fi branch of the Infinite Group in the city.
The organization that had sparked this city-wide—and nearly world-wide—upheaval was the "Real Protection Association."
Such organizations existed in almost every city.
Just a short while ago, the headquarters of the Infinite Group’s Terminal of Myriad Worlds had defined these organizations as anti-social, anti-human evil cults. However, this only served to further provoke the dissatisfaction of the common people.
The association's members spanned every field of society: hackers, engineers, artists, homeless men, ordinary citizens, and… the largest demographic of all, the game players!
In this world, "gaming" was not a synonym for idleness. It was more like a final profession, a safety net for all the surplus labor in the world.
To the people, the Real Protection Association was a spiritual symbol of those brave enough to raise the flag of rebellion against society.
The biggest conspiracy theory in society was that those game worlds were products of the Terminal of Myriad Worlds' colonial development and invasions of other worlds.
The authorities would never admit to this. Any speculation without concrete evidence was branded as a conspiracy theory.
And the Infinite Group defining the Real Protection Association as an anti-human, anti-social organization was, in a way, a validation of their efforts!
They frantically utilized the technology they possessed to spread these ironclad suspicions across the global internet, resonating with everyone who identified with their philosophy.
At this point, whether someone truly agreed or was just there for the spectacle no longer mattered. They had already created a momentum that no one could stop.
The comments and posts shaking the foundations of the Game World couldn't be deleted fast enough.
From the digital realm to the physical city, every place where there was oppression echoed with the cries of resistance.
They had no weapons, but they possessed the courage to resist.
The crowd surged into the streets like a tide, carrying homemade weapons and common tools. Their faces were flushed with excitement—a natural physical response to emotional resonance and the rising instinct to fight back against the Maintenance Officers.
"Make way! Give us some space!"
"Quick! Move aside! Don't get caught in the crossfire!"
Accompanied by a cacophony of noise, several garbage trucks drove in reverse down the wide street. Mottled filth clung to the rears of the vehicles, emitting a pungent, overwhelming stench.
Seeing this, the Maintenance Officers felt a wave of nausea and dread wash over them.