Chapter 926: I’m Going to Plant a Tree in the Heart of the City
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 926: I’m Going to Plant a Tree in the Heart of the City
After the Qi Observation instrument was moved over, the first thing I had to do was... familiarize myself with how the thing actually worked.
Make no mistake, this Qi Observation instrument had been "magically overhauled" to a level that was somewhat beyond my current understanding.
Much of it even involved high-level concepts of Real Time. However, all I needed to do was calibrate it, and my Spirit Vision was more than enough to support that operation.
After all, I wasn't a Transcendent yet. Without the "True Touch" required to reach Real Time, it was difficult for my power to manifest at that level.
Observation and correction were the only things I could manage.
The physical body is an extension of the essence of life. When a lifeform ascends to the Transcendent level and reaches Real Time, the body gains the ability to touch that realm. This was my current limitation.
However, I could see the Floating World level that other Transcendent Witches could not. That was where my value in Qi Observation lay.
Ultimately, the core of Qi Observation was "observation"—observing, recording, analyzing, and converting everything into data that could describe Luck.
The calibration of the Qi Observation instrument proceeded in an orderly fashion. This wasn't the kind of task where I could just carve out a bit of time and finish it in an afternoon. It was a massive, precision instrument; any stage of calibration required a comprehensive system check.
This was to prevent "bugs." The more precise a machine, the easier it was for vulnerabilities to appear. One could never be too careful.
Because I had joined the project midway, I began to feel the difference between collaborating with other Witches and running my own experiments.
The main differences were... efficiency and aggression.
In my own experiments, I wasn't afraid of problems. Even if an experiment failed, I had enough confidence to start over.
But the Academy Dean and the others had to consider many factors from the very beginning. Long years of experimentation had forced them to factor in the cost of time; the sunk cost of a failure was simply too high.
Witches might have eternal lifespans, but that didn't mean they wouldn't break down after a failure.
So, for the sake of efficiency, I had no choice but to follow their rhythm.
* * *
As time passed, my clone in the game world made its second formal contact with the Real Protection Association.
The primary goal of this meeting was to discuss the specifics of further cooperation.
Mainly: what I could give them, and what they could give me.
After a brief conversation—which was essentially a mutual probing of each other's bottom lines—the picture became clearer.
The Real Protection Association wanted to subvert the Old World. But once it was subverted, how did they intend to lead the new one?
Would they continue to use the Terminal of Myriad Worlds as the core?
I had already made my purpose here very clear. Like most visitors from other worlds, my goal was the Terminal of Myriad Worlds.
Since the Real Protection Association was an organization dedicated to opposing "True Games," their plan for the new world would, at the very least, exclude games from the mainstream social framework.
Of course, that was just their claim. I didn't believe a word of it.
They were people of the game world. No matter what they said, it would be difficult for them to jump out of their world's original framework. Besides, would the Association really be willing to just hand over something as important as the Terminal of Myriad Worlds?
No sane person would do that.
It would be like someone trying to overthrow modern society to establish a new order, claiming they would abolish the concept of "work" or marginalize it.
If they actually abolished it, the first problem they’d face is: how does the world keep running?
Still, I accepted their empty promises for the time being.
At least they currently acknowledged that they would give me the Terminal of Myriad Worlds. Since the thing didn't belong to them anyway, why not use it as a bargaining chip?
Moreover, this cooperation agreement wasn't a Witch Contract. In the end, it was nothing more than a scrap of waste paper.
"It has been a pleasure discussing the contents of this agreement with you so amicably. Aside from the issues you raised earlier, is there anything else you would like to propose?"
"There is one more thing," I said.
I didn't like these kinds of agreements or contracts, nor was I good at dealing with word traps. However, with the [Great Knowledge Seed] performing a clause-by-clause analysis, I was able to point out quite a few loopholes and ambiguous pitfalls.
"Oh? And what might that condition be, Miss Witch?" the Association representative asked, barely masking his patience.
He didn't dare show too much annoyance. After all, he was facing a Calamity Witch!
The kind of person who could wipe him out with a flick of her wrist.
Even if she made an outrageous demand, he would have to take it back for discussion; it wasn't something he could decide on his own.
"I need to plant a tree in the central district of Igesuo Surface City," I stated simply.
"Huh?" The man was clearly stunned, thinking he had misheard. "Plant a tree?"
"Yes."
"May I ask... what kind of tree is it? Could you describe it? And does it have to be in the city center? Will it cause any... side effects?"
"That's a lot of questions. I'll answer them one by one." Seeing his look of disbelief, I continued, "I intend to plant a very large tree. When fully grown, it will be taller than the tallest building in this city. I prefer the city center, but if that's impossible, the location can be moved—provided the tree is given enough space. As for the effects... I can tell you its name: the Omni-Link Main Network Tree."
"That... that big? The Omni-Link Main Network Tree?"
"Correct."
I nodded at his shocked expression. To my disappointment, however, the name and concept of the "Omni-Link Main Network Tree" seemed completely foreign to him.
It seemed he wasn't the type who was well-versed in all the intelligence regarding the True Game worlds.
After all, that small world was completely gone. Presumably, the corresponding game had already been shut down.
"What kind of tree is the Omni-Link Main Network Tree, exactly?"
"To be honest, I'm a bit disappointed in you. The Omni-Link Main Network Tree is a special species from a True Game within your world. If you don't understand, go back and look it up yourself. I imagine you'd prefer to trust your own research anyway."
"My deepest apologies..." the man apologized immediately. This was indeed something he hadn't paid attention to. But there were so many True Games; even if he memorized the major world intelligence, he couldn't possibly remember the name of every single tree.
Still... the name "Omni-Link Main Network Tree" did sound vaguely familiar.
"It's fine. If there's nothing else, you may leave," I said, dismissing him.
"Of course, of course. We apologize for the intrusion. We'll leave right away."
The man stood up hurriedly. He glanced sideways at the Fallen Elf sealed in the middle of the living room and shivered instinctively. Then, he quickly led Tang En out of the suite.
They had needed Tang En to act as a liaison, so they had naturally brought him along.
Once they left, the two of them entered the elevator.
"By the way, do you know what the Omni-Link Main Network Tree is?"
"The Omni-Link Main Network Tree..." Tang En mused as he was asked. "If I remember correctly... it should be something from Planet of Sin, which shut down a while ago. That was a strange world of plant technology. The Omni-Link Main Network Tree was basically the equivalent of a network signal tower, I think?"
Tang En kept his explanation brief. He could have gone into much more detail, but he held back.
In truth, he hadn't known what it was either until a moment ago. But he had discovered that the Ley Line Identification Art provided by the [Great Knowledge Seed] seemed to allow him to search for keywords.
And he had found it.
"You actually know?" His companion was surprised. "But if it's just a signal tower... what does this Witch want with it?"
"Maybe she wants Igesuo Surface City to break away from our world's basic communication infrastructure?" Tang En didn't dare guess too much. He had seen the "tree" growing in his own mind.
He certainly didn't think this Calamity Witch's methods were limited to a simple signal tower from some game world.
But he had no obligation to warn the Association. He was already on the Calamity Witch's boat. The more ambitious and disruptive she was, the more excited he became!
He was an ambitious man himself. Now that he had become a formal Vice President of this branch of the Real Protection Association, he had tasted the sweetness of power.
If he wanted to climb higher, he needed to cling even tighter to this patron!
Oh, right—this Calamity Witch was very interested in learning about their world.
He wouldn't mind going back and compiling some information and data that couldn't be found on the general internet. After all, currying favor wasn't about giving the most expensive gift, but the most needed one. That was how you made someone remember you.
Besides, there was a Transcendent gap between them. No matter what "treasures" he offered, she would likely look down on them. Doing exactly what she expected of him was the best way to secure his position.
As the express elevator reached the ground floor, Tang En and the other Association member departed. They needed to organize the details of this contact and report upward immediately.
* * *
Inside the Glacial Throne Secret Realm.
"Damn it... Tan Han, you actually teamed up with these ice crystal monsters to set us up?"
Beneath the ice and snow, a team of Wizards pointed at Tan Han and her group, roaring in fury.
The wind and snow, mixed with their curses, poured into their open mouths. But they had to admit the truth: they had been ambushed by the Ancient Remnant Ice.
"Have you searched them? Any fragments?" Tan Han remained unmoved, merely turning her head to look at Shi Ruizhi and the others.
"Nothing. Not a thing," Shi Ruizhi said, shaking her head.
"Over here... he swallowed it," Lucianne called out from a distance.
"Oh? You found it?"
"Yes. Do you need me to cut open his stomach and dig it out?" Lucianne asked, her tone suggesting there was nothing wrong with the suggestion.
Perhaps this was the lingering cruelty and indifference she had inherited from being a Wizard...
Of course, it might also be because the man she was dangling by the collar was named... Ian Garland.
The guy Lucianne intended to remember for the rest of her life.
"Huh? Can you please not say such terrifying things so casually!" Shi Ruizhi complained from the side.
At that moment, Ian Garland was in a state of suspended animation. Because he had swallowed the Heart of the Cold Wave, the bead had unleashed a cold surge inside him, instantly freezing his body. His skin was covered in a layer of thick ice.
This act couldn't stop Tan Han and the others from obtaining the fragment. Ian Garland knew that; he had simply done it to spite them in his final moments.
In his last seconds, the Wizard Tool he used to tear through the Secret Realm's space had been knocked away by Lucianne. He had no hope of escape.
"Why don't we just take him with us? He's not entirely dead yet. Letting him die here would be too easy on him," Lucianne suggested.
"Let's do that for now." Tan Han didn't dwell on the matter. She was well aware of the grudge between Lucianne and this man.
Right now, they had to clean up the battlefield as quickly as possible. As for the few who were still alive, they were still useful.
Though, that didn't stop them from knocking the survivors unconscious first. Their cursing was getting truly obnoxious.
"The frequency of people coming here is increasing. If this continues, they'll discover the anomaly," Tan Han said.
To perform the coronation ritual, they needed the Ice Crystal Temple. But such a massive structure couldn't be moved.
The only reason Tan Han and the others had been able to hide the building for so long was the abysmal weather.
"The construction of the Ice Crystal Temple cannot be interrupted. Anyone who tries to destroy the temple is an enemy," Lie declared firmly.
"We don't want to interrupt it either, but if we just try to hold them off by force, we won't last long. They'll find the anomaly sooner or later. We must plan for the worst-case scenario."
"Then what else can we do? We can't exactly let these guys go back and tell everyone that there's nothing wrong here, can we?" Shi Ruizhi said, looking troubled. She wasn't much of a strategist, though she was good at playing small tricks. "Or should we set up a massive spell labyrinth here?"
"Hmm..." Tan Han pondered for a moment, then looked at Shi Ruizhi.
"Uh... why are you looking at me? You're not actually going to use my plan, are you?" Shi Ruizhi felt a bit unnerved by Tan Han's gaze.
"You might actually be a genius," Tan Han said. "We certainly can't let the ones we release say there's nothing wrong here. But we can have them bring back information about a much more important location elsewhere."
"Huh?"
"Sister Tan Han, are you planning to leak the location of the Dream Laboratory ruins on the other side?" Xiao You seemed to guess what Tan Han was thinking.
"Yes. They weren't interested in it before because they knew the chances of finding it were slim. But if they get confirmed news—and if they 'escape' by tearing through the Secret Realm while we're 'distracted'—that changes everything."
"Ohhh! Good idea!"
"And about that spell labyrinth you mentioned... while we can't use high-level control spells to keep them away from the Ice Crystal Temple, I remember there's a spell in the Ice element called Giant Mimic Ice Prism. It's perfect for camouflage in this environment. It'll serve as a second layer of insurance."
"Great! That's perfect! So... which of us knows that spell?" Shi Ruizhi asked excitedly.
As soon as she asked, the atmosphere fell into a heavy silence.
No one knew it.
"It's fine. We'll just call for backup," Tan Han said somewhat helplessly. She pulled out a small, brand-new business card.