Chapter 925: Qi Observation Art and Luck Summoning Art
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 925: Qi Observation Art and Luck Summoning Art
"The last... King of the Elves. It is time for your life to give off its final glimmer."
I walked toward the Fallen Elf. In the beginning, the demon's curse had only lightly corroded him, forcing this Forest Elf to transform into a Fallen Elf.
The reason he hadn't been fully assimilated by the Abyss's will was entirely thanks to the final legacy left to him by his world, which allowed him to hold onto a last shred of faith.
Unfortunately for him... he ran into me, an Emotion Body Cultivation practitioner. I suppose one could call it a cruel twist of fate.
Now, only a final spark of consciousness remained within him, but it was no longer the protection of the World Will that kept it alive.
He had grown. Relying on pain and regret, he had whipped himself every second of every day, carving out that last spark of clarity from within the demonic curse through sheer force of will.
But it was all too late.
I held a Great Knowledge Seed in my hand, though it was slightly different from the one I had given Tang En.
This one wouldn't grow into a Tree of Knowledge, but a Mother Tree of Knowledge—specifically designed to birth more Knowledge Seeds.
Under the restraint of the Seal Annotations, the Fallen Elf no longer had any power to resist.
"I will give you one last chance. Leave your name. Your race may vanish entirely into the void with your passing, but your name can have the honor of remaining within my Tree of Great Knowledge as proof that you once existed," I said.
I hadn't found his name within the "legacy" I had plundered from him, nor could I find it by searching his person with Information Appraisal.
This meant that the moment his world was destroyed, he had locked his name deep within his heart.
I vaguely recalled that the surnames of pure-blooded elves were the names of their World Trees.
For example, Afuhemi was the name of the academy, the surname of that elven clan, and the name of their World Tree.
"Abe... Nathaniel." The voice was so faint I could barely hear what he was saying.
In his weakest moment, he foresaw his end. Perhaps the moment he spoke his name was the moment his spirit truly died, leaving behind nothing but a hollow shell.
"Abe Nathaniel... Hm, a decent name. I'll look after your legacy for you."
At that moment, the Ley Line Identification Art finally recorded his name. It didn't matter how low or indistinct his voice was; the moment he decided to speak it, the information was logged.
With that, I thrust the special Great Knowledge Seed into his sea of consciousness.
Compared to a standard Great Knowledge Seed, this one was far more aggressive.
It was primarily designed for subjects who were uncooperative, modified for "forced growth."
It would even forcibly extract memories as it grew. Doing so would lead to severe consequences, but... no consequence could be more severe than becoming a Witch's experimental subject.
Should I feel pity for this elf?
I didn't think it was necessary. I thought back to his arrogant words from before and his shameless sneak attack.
I didn't need to define him as "evil," nor did I need to convince myself that this was "poetic justice."
It was simply a matter of him acting without thinking of the consequences.
As the seed took root in his mind and began to sprout, continuously draining his memories and cognition to fuel its growth, a satisfied smile played across my lips.
After all, the experiment was a success, wasn't it?
Even though he was in the depths of agony, he couldn't make a single sound.
Thinking about it, it was actually quite terrifying.
With just a few modifications, a Great Knowledge Seed could inflict such immense suffering.
However, this alone wasn't enough to change my plans for the Tree of Great Knowledge. There was no need for it to develop offensive capabilities.
After all... there was no need to put the cart before the horse.
I set up a Permanent Sealing Spell Needle within the suite to trap the elf there, then ignored him.
Permanent Sealing Arrays were used to compensate for the instantaneous nature of regular spells. They lasted longer and could even be reactivated repeatedly. Aside from needing periodic maintenance, they almost rivaled the effects of a Great Spellbook in terms of utility.
Of course, a permanent spell could never truly replace a Great Spellbook.
Having dealt with the Fallen Elf, I now had to handle the legacy he had left behind.
Curiously, his legacy was also a seed.
It carried the blessing of the World Will.
Rather than saying the blessing was for that pathetic elf, it was more accurate to say it was for this seed.
This was a World Tree Seed!
And that elf had actually planted it inside his heart.
I didn't understand the logic, but I was greatly shocked.
However, this seed wasn't a physical object, much like my Great Knowledge Seed.
Otherwise, after I had crushed his heart earlier, I would have been holding a physical seed instead of nothing.
This seed was a non-physical entity woven from those final motes of light.
This was the first time I had ever seen a World Tree Seed.
I wondered if the elves of Afuhemi in the main world would lose their minds if they found out?
After all, those elves even tried to interfere when other races raised wood spirits. If someone planted another World Tree, wouldn't the entire race come charging in for blood?
Looking at the World Tree Seed, even though it lacked a material body, I could still see blood-red patterns woven across it, surrounded by demonic power.
"This red isn't blood... and it won't rub off... as for this demonic power..." I tried using purification, but found that no matter how I tried, I couldn't disperse it.
It was like a demonic curse. Even after using every derivative of purification magic I knew, it remained unaffected.
"Heh? There's actually something like this?" I lay back on the sofa, holding the seed between my fingers and examining it under the luxurious lighting.
Dispersal spells were the most effective means against curses. The fact that they didn't work was truly unexpected.
"Let's try the Power of Order," I continued.
Under my main body's intentional guidance, the extension of Order represented by my clone grew increasingly powerful.
The knowledge gathered by the Power of Knowledge transformed into effects of dispersal and purification under the Annotation technique.
"It really works. I guess I should expect nothing less from a Domain Order that relies on brute force."
Under the Power of Order, which only those in the Saint Realm could achieve, the curse on the seed finally showed signs of movement.
However, while purifying it, I felt the vitality within the World Tree Seed beginning to throb.
It seemed that because the Domain Power contained the Order of the Tree of Great Knowledge, it had triggered the concept of "plant growth."
First came the forceful purging by my Power of Order, followed by the seed's own internal vitality rejecting the curse.
The combination of these two forces greatly accelerated the removal of the curse.
Even so, it would take some time to completely wipe out the demonic curse.
I wasn't in a hurry. I hadn't decided where to plant this seed yet anyway.
The game world was definitely unsuitable; it was just a resource used to repair the main world.
My dungeon world... was also unsuitable. I still needed to use the Tree of Heya as a blueprint to create a technique that could stop the ley lines of the dungeon world from withering.
As for the main world?
If I planted it there, Afuhemi Academy would probably declare war on the Witch Academy the very next day.
So, I hadn't decided how to handle it yet.
However, the fact that this World Tree Seed still carried a faint trace of the World Will piqued my interest.
It should be considered the World Will, right?
This was the first time I had observed the World Will so directly.
It was clear that in their world, the incarnation of the World Will was the World Tree that governed the birth of the elves.
I wondered if the World Consciousness of the main world was the same...
Regardless, I would eventually have to deal with the World Consciousness of the main world.
The Great Glacial Throne Technique was merely a catalyst. I didn't even know what the final outcome would be.
Therefore, I needed the Misfortune Coin as a second layer of insurance.
The layout of the Glacial Throne was more like... an opportunity.
And I lacked the means to seize that opportunity.
But now, I realized I seemed to have another shortcut that would allow me to master the means to seize it.
That was... the derivative of the Reverse Summoning Spell: the Luck Summoning Art.
Previously, I had used the Luck Summoning Art to track players across the network and confront them in reality. I had to admit, the results were excellent.
The surface city of Igesuo had declared independence, yet the headquarters of the Terminal of Myriad Worlds hadn't made a peep. This was enough to show that the higher-ups of the game world were intimidated.
Unknown methods were the most terrifying, making people afraid to act rashly.
They hadn't even cut off the power to the city's energy relay station, despite that "wireless perpetual motion machine" thing.
I wasn't sure if they were wary of my power, cared about the city's population, or were simply unable to cut it off, but the fact that they hadn't cut the city's energy was truly surprising.
Returning to the Luck Summoning Art—it still functioned within the framework of the Reverse Summoning Spell.
However, under the guidance of Luck, it didn't require the other party to subjectively open a summoning ritual.
And that was the shortcut I mentioned.
Was the Luck directly controlled by the Script actually the result of interference from the World Will?
According to the shared data, "unclaimed" Luck that wasn't tied to a specific individual usually resulted in a failed reverse summon, or a random location if it succeeded.
But... was it possible... that this was simply because they couldn't see the World Consciousness?
Regardless, it was an experiment worth trying.
* * *
Primitive Dream Laboratory.
While I was conceptualizing the Luck Summoning Art, the Dean and the others had already moved the equipment for the Qi Observation Art over.
Since I had agreed to the Dean's request, they were prioritizing efficiency.
However, when I saw the Qi Observation Art, other thoughts came to mind.
Qi Observation Art! Luck Summoning Art!
Could the Qi Observation Art assist the Luck Summoning Art in observing the World Consciousness?
"Um... Sister Mei, did you move your entire laboratory's inventory over here?" I asked hesitantly.
"Did I? These are just the peripheral devices for the Qi Observation Art equipment," Dean Mei said casually.
If this laboratory didn't have so many empty areas, it really would have been hard to fit this behemoth.
When I saw this instrument in the Dean's office earlier, it hadn't seemed this massive.
Now that it was here... the size was truly exaggerated.
And Dean Mei wasn't the only Witch who came; several other Witches from the office had come along as well.
According to Dean Mei, one Witch couldn't handle this machine; it required multiple Witches to operate it simultaneously.
If the Qi Observation Art was so complex that even a Witch's multi-threaded consciousness couldn't keep up, it was clear just how much the Dean and the others had "modded" it.
"We're counting on you now, Xiao Han~"
"That's right, that's right~ I've urged Mei several times, and she's finally willing to let you step in, Xiao Han."
"You flatter me. A project of this scale is the result of everyone's hard work. It's not a matter of 'counting' on me," I chatted modestly with the Witch sisters.
Next, I prepared to reveal my idea to Dean Mei.
After all... when I agreed to help her optimize the conversion model for Luck information in the Qi Observation Art, I had been considering the Luck Summoning Art.
Whether the two could create a synergy was something I had to test to find out.
"The equipment is here. We'll have it assembled in a moment. Don't feel pressured, Xiao Han. For them, it's just a change of scenery for their work. You should also plan your time reasonably," Dean Mei said as she saw me walking toward her.
Looking at Dean Mei, I got the feeling she felt a bit guilty for asking me to do this, though my Heart Sense couldn't quite pin down the reason.
However, if the other Witches nearby knew my question, they would certainly know why.
It was because Mei Lind had previously said she couldn't let that Rebel Witch look down on her, only to come looking for Xiao Han shortly after.
And she had asked while Xiao Han was already busy... naturally, she felt bad about it.
"Don't worry, I won't let myself get overworked~" I replied politely. "As for time management, I have a plan. I came to see you, Sister Mei, mainly for something else."
"Something else?" Hearing my request, Mei Lind was a bit surprised. "Tell me. If you need anything, just say it. No need to be a stranger."
"It's just that, after I finish perfecting the Qi Observation Art, can I perform some personal experiments? I want to test a few things."
"Test things... Do you have more strange ideas? Do you mind telling me about them?"
"It's nothing much, really. I was just thinking, since the new Qi Observation Art is designed to observe and lock onto the World Navel, I wanted to use it in conjunction with the Luck Summoning Art to observe some other things."
"Luck Summoning Art? What's that?" Clearly, Dean Mei wasn't very familiar with Teacher Ji Niang's derivatives of the Reverse Summoning Spell. She had likely been too busy to keep up with Ji Niang's research.
After all, if I hadn't paid attention to this derivative spell, its name would have just remained a line in a research catalog.
"Oh, it's just a special derivative of the Reverse Summoning Spell from Teacher Ji Niang. Since the name includes 'Luck,' and names usually aren't chosen randomly, I thought I'd use the Qi Observation Art to take a look."
"Oh~ That's fine then. Use it however you like!" Hearing my explanation, Mei Lind quickly judged that there was no issue and agreed readily.