Chapter 937: Secret Realm Clearing Master
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 937: Secret Realm Clearing Master
"Alright... I should get going. I can't waste any more time here." Xing Anlei checked the time and shook her head instinctively.
In a club environment where everything revolved around profit, her relationship with Ming Xueming could actually be considered a close friendship. Of course, it had started as a senior-junior dynamic. If this incident hadn't happened, Ming Xueming could have safely remained President until graduation, eventually retiring to become a club elder.
As Xing Anlei was about to leave, she brushed past another figure. Upon seeing her, Xing Anlei instinctively turned her head, meeting the woman's gaze.
Nicola. If there was anyone who wanted to see Ming Xueming fall, she was certainly at the top of the list.
"What are you doing here?"
"Do I need to report to you to come here? Are you that bored? Such a massive incident occurs in the club, and the Vice President entrusted with overseeing the Secret Realm is found derelict in her duties... Oh, I almost forgot. I heard your President was beaten so badly by a monster that she was forcibly ejected from the Secret Realm. How pathetic~"
"..."
Xing Anlei didn't bother engaging further. With that aggressive tone, she felt that for every word she said, the other woman would have three insults ready.
Nicola felt the same way. She ignored Xing Anlei and walked straight into the infirmary.
"Well, if it isn't the President of our Jack-of-all-trades Club. This is the first time I've seen someone with Immortality needing to be hospitalized. Or have you... simply given up on yourself?"
"Nicola..." Ming Xueming’s expression darkened the moment she saw her.
* * *
While the Jack-of-all-trades Club and the Witch Secret Realm Club were in turmoil, a group of "abandoned" people remained within the Glacial Throne Secret Realm. These were the individuals currently excavating the laboratory ruins.
At this moment, no one was informing them of the situation outside. Bound by their contracts, they could only continue digging. However, they were finding it increasingly difficult to accept the reality: the ruins seemed to be completely empty!
There were no leftover experimental subjects, no precious materials—it was as if the place had been scrubbed clean. All that remained were piles of paper documents, all of which bore traces of having been recently flipped through.
Even more galling was the realization that someone had beaten them to the punch! During the excavation, they had inevitably stumbled upon the underground tunnel Tan Han and her group had used.
This massive discrepancy caused the team to fracture once again. Those who had been pacified earlier, believing there were treasures inside, finally reached their breaking point.
But as soon as they erupted, they were immediately shouted down by others.
"What are you doing?! Don't break those instruments! Don't you understand that this place is full of experimental data?"
"Keep your hands off... If you need to vent, do it somewhere else!"
"You're treating these pieces of junk like treasures! These things wouldn't even fetch a few cents as scrap metal! Who do you think you are?"
"Leave the professional work to the professionals! Why are you destroying the site for no reason? Do you have any idea how expensive these instruments are? These are experimental tools that only Transcendent Witches are qualified to use!"
"Exactly! Even if these instruments have been sitting here for ages, their black market valuation is enough to buy your head several times over."
"What did you say? Say that again! Believe it or not, I’ll rip your head off right now!"
The atmosphere exploded instantly. Everyone present was either a Heavenly Chosen from their respective academies, a seasoned veteran, or the hope of their family. Their pride was naturally sky-high. They were already suppressed by a bellyful of rage, forced by a contract to dig in these ruins without even being allowed to leave.
Faced with this scene, many of the "old foxes" took a few steps back, clearing space for the brawlers. In this freezing wasteland, why not enjoy a bit of entertainment? They weren't from the same academy, and a significant portion of them hadn't come here of their own volition. Since they were just "laborers" working outside their expertise, why not slack off?
However, these people didn't yet realize that before long, a disaster would sweep through them all!
As the infighting escalated, the members of the Witch Academy suddenly received a message. It was transmitted through their Knowledge Seeds.
The message was sent in the name of the club, instructing them to withdraw from the Secret Realm as quickly as possible. Unknown changes had occurred within the realm; to ensure safety, they were to terminate their contracts peacefully, declare the exploration over, and evacuate.
But looking at the group currently at each other's throats, the Academy members felt a massive headache coming on.
Was that even possible?
Earlier, when the Ancient Remnant Ice had rioted, someone had suggested bypassing the contract to end the binding agreement, but clearly, not everyone was willing. After all, the Witch Contract was the only guarantee that everyone could fairly distribute any valuable items found in the ruins. Even if the lab lacked rare materials, the experimental data itself was something worth fighting over. No one wanted to let someone else walk away with all of it.
Unsurprisingly, when the Witch Academy faction proposed the idea, it was swiftly rejected. It even led to them being isolated and pressured.
By now, the group had completely disintegrated due to various factors. The harsh weather, the difficulty of movement, the clash of different races, conflicting demands, varying abilities, and the ugliness of human nature—all of these were colliding and festering under the pressure of a single contract.
Unnoticed by the brawlers, the wind and snow grew even more violent. The deep pit they were expanding toward the perimeter required constant shoveling just to keep them from being buried alive.
The worsening weather finally made even the most belligerent individuals realize something was wrong. The blizzard intensified until visibility was so low they couldn't see from one side of the excavation pit to the other.
A massive silhouette loomed within the storm, yet even now, no one had noticed it.
"You all can leave now. If you don't, you might not get another chance," I said, looking at the four people in front of me.
"We're leaving now? But we didn't get anything! I feel like this whole trip... uh... was just suffering," one of them muttered.
"That's how Witch Secret Realms are. Often, you wander around and come out with basically nothing. It just means this realm wasn't a good fit for us," Tan Han remarked with a sigh.
"But... this trip wasn't without its gains, was it? At least we collected most of the fragments of the Great Spellbook," Tan Han added, glancing at the massive figure behind me.
"I guess that's true. And we thwarted the plans of those club members and the other academies. I feel like... we came out ahead?"
"Yeah, we did."
"Are you all really that attached to this miserable environment?" I asked. "I know I kept you busy for nothing, but once we're out, I'll do my best to compensate you. Or should I just say I owe you a favor for this incident?"
The moment I said that, their chatter stopped instantly.
"Xiao Han, the lack of gains is our own problem. It has nothing to do with you. Aren't we in the same club? Talking about compensation is going too far," Tan Han said. Her pupils constricted when she heard the words "owe a favor."
However, her rationality guided her response. Whether from emotional attachment or long-term rational interest, Tan Han felt that saying this was the right move.
"This expedition cost you the Staff of Absolute Cold, the Ice Sealed World, and all those other fragments you could have kept for yourself, you know?" I was a bit surprised by Tan Han's response, but I reminded her to be sure.
"I'll explain everything to the Shopkeeper when I get back. Besides... the things involved in this incident are already beyond our level of concern, aren't they?"
"Fine. If you insist, I won't press the issue. But if you need anything, you can go straight to Millian. I'll let her know in advance," I said.
Lately, Millian had been expanding the scale of the Baking House within the Academy—specifically, the Baking House's shop. While selling pastries and desserts wouldn't make a fortune or earn high-end currency like Red Copper or Mithril, things had to be done one step at a time. Being overly ambitious is the greatest taboo in the starting phase.
Of course, Millian wasn't handling the shop's daily operations personally; she had more important things to do.
After sending Tan Han and the others away, the stage was finally mine.
I had to admit, I felt a slight twinge of guilt toward Tan Han and her group. Not just her, but everyone who had entered this Secret Realm—all their hard work had essentially become my "wedding dress," ultimately benefiting only me.
I didn't feel that way about the others, though. What did their failure have to do with me? They were simply outmatched. But Tan Han and her team... as she had just said, we were in the same club. I needed to look out for them.
The Baking House Club was just starting out, and Millian kept emphasizing the importance of a solid foundation. But putting down roots in a place like the Academy and owning club-owned industries was incredibly difficult. Even with massive resources, throwing money at the problem yielded little result.
But was the Baking House truly without connections?
No. For instance, the core staff—the original members of the Xiao Han Fan Club—were Millian's foundation. Then there was Yi Rui's group; my relationship with them was excellent. Now, Yi Rui's group was taking off, having joined an Academy-level experimental project regarding Self-Generated Mana. Other groups who were on good terms with Yi Rui had followed suit, creating a network of connections.
And the one inheriting those connections was Millian.
This was a Transcendent Academy. Studying didn't turn students into bookworms; it turned them into extraordinary individuals possessing vast knowledge of transcendent arts. Such people were constantly being recruited by various factions within the Academy. Specialized alchemy items, potions, custom magic medicines, rune engravings—these things were common, but once the quality reached a certain level, they became priceless and rare.
And there was one more crucial point.
The Expansion Realm.
Specifically, the Ninglan Territory within the Expansion Realm, and the City Lord of the core city, Ninglan New City—Ninglan Qiuyue. Her relationship with me required no explanation. Whether it was her previous promises or her invisible assistance... she was no ingrate. Then there were the legends circulating in the shelters outside the Ninglan Territory.
These were all part of the foundation.
Once the Academy opened the passage between the Expansion Realm and the Academy and established a permanent portal, the Baking House would truly take flight. So, while Millian was busy, she was mostly conserving her strength and maintaining communication with the Expansion Realm. After all, Ninglan Qiuyue also possessed a Great Knowledge Seed that I had given her.
That was the current state of the Baking House Club. It could be described as... having a promising future.
Ending my reflections, I turned my gaze back to reality.
"It's over."
With a single command, the power of the Glacial Throne awakened countless Ancient Remnant Ice. This method was similar to summoning, but with a fundamental difference. These Ancient Remnant Ice creatures rising from the depths of the ice were the very clansmen who had originally sacrificed themselves! They were willing to rise again to fight for their King.
Absolute loyalty. Absolute obedience.
This behavior reminded me of ants, or perhaps the Zerg—a hive mind where the entire swarm serves the Queen. Not all races are born yearning for peace or freedom; those definitions don't apply to all forms of life. And there was no need for humans to force those concepts upon them.
The sudden, massive upheaval immediately put the people at the laboratory ruins on high alert. But by the time they reacted, they were already surrounded by a vast army of Ancient Remnant Ice.
If their first instinct was to resist, all hope vanished the moment those mountain-like figures leaned down to look at them. They suddenly realized they were like ants in a hole, utterly helpless against a cruel child.
"I will give you one chance. Leave the Secret Realm, or leave your corpses here."
* * *
"We're... we're out!" Shi Ruizhi felt the long-lost sunlight and warmth of the outside world, and a sense of profound relief washed over her. She unzipped her snow-covered thermal gear and took a deep breath of the mild air.
Truly, one can only appreciate the beauty of the ordinary after experiencing hardship.
Tan Han and the others felt much the same, though they weren't quite as dramatic as Shi Ruizhi.
As the four of them "escaped" from the Secret Realm, people quickly approached. However, upon seeing their faces, the onlookers hesitated. Generally speaking, people who had to resort to emergency measures to tear through space and save their lives shouldn't look this "relaxed."
Furthermore, once they were recognized, it turned out they were Tan Han's group—the very people everyone had been warned about!
"Quick! Someone! Don't let them leave!"
After all, most of the "mess" that had happened in the Secret Realm was blamed on these few. Both the Jack-of-all-trades Club and the Witch Secret Realm Club had issued internal "wanted" notices for them. Any consequences would be handled by the clubs.
However, because a major incident had just occurred within the clubs, there was no one of sufficient status present to actually intimidate Tan Han and her group. They only dared to shout while quickly reporting the situation to their superiors.
"Let's go. If you don't want to get tangled up in trouble, leave now!" Tan Han was the first to react. She nudged the still-dazed Shi Ruizhi and hurried to leave.
Even though they were back at the Witch Academy, it didn't mean people wouldn't try to use force. At worst, getting into a fight would just mean being caught by the Discipline Squad. But if they were acting on behalf of a club, how could the club let its members suffer?
Besides, how many members of the Discipline Squad had murky, unspoken ties to the major clubs?
For these clubs, making life difficult for someone without connections within the Academy was incredibly easy. Of course, this was also because Transcendent Witches generally didn't care to interfere in the petty squabbles of those below the Transcendent level.