Chapter 946: Oh~ Bai Yu Wants... That~
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 946: Oh~ Bai Yu Wants... That~
“You really don’t treat me like an outsider, do you? Telling me everything,” I asked with a teasing lilt in my voice.
While it was true that I could find these things out on my own if I wanted to, the fact that she was proactively disclosing them to me changed the context and significance of the information entirely.
Moreover, I hadn't expected this news to travel so fast—to the point where even the families were already aware of it on a large scale.
Ming Xueming’s family was pro-witch, but the Witch Academy wouldn't just tell them these things for no reason. This meant the information must have been shared through the intelligence networks of families aligned with the other academies.
“Well, that’s the only way to show you my sincerity,” Ming Xueming replied, acting as if she were merely chatting about trivial matters. Her intent, however, was crystal clear.
“So, what do you want?”
“No, I don’t want anything for the time being. But… if you’re willing to accept the favor, that would be for the best,” Ming Xueming said with a smile. “That being said, the reason I brought this up is that another matter is somewhat related to it.”
“Oh? What else?” Now I was genuinely curious.
“Since the families already know your Main Body has left our world, your level of deterrence has naturally weakened.”
“They want to cause trouble for me?” I interjected.
“Something like that. After Nicola became the President of the Jack-of-all-trades Club, she’s been unable to conquer the Glacial Throne Secret Realm for a long time. To distract from that failure, they need to find something else to balance the scales.”
“After rethinking their strategy, they’ve decided to hold the ‘culprits’ of the incident accountable.”
“Meaning Tan Han and the others. Since those girls are also members of the Baking House, they might even target your club directly with provocations.”
“It sounds like if the Jack-of-all-trades Club really goes through with this, you—as someone who wants to help the Baking House—must be under a lot of pressure too, right?” After hearing Ming Xueming’s explanation, I had a rough idea of what they were up to.
Basically, they wanted to stir up trouble while I wasn't around.
“Indeed. I wonder how Teaching Assistant Xiao Han views this?”
“Are you asking for yourself, or on behalf of the Jack-of-all-trades Club?”
“What if it’s for myself?”
“Then… I don’t care. Just don’t drag the trouble to me. As for the rest, as long as Millian doesn't come to me, she can handle everything on my behalf.”
“And if I were asking on behalf of the current President?” Ming Xueming continued, seemingly curious about the difference in my response.
“If she actually dares to do that, she’s courting death. Tell her to get ready to watch the fireworks at the Qunluosen Wasteland,” I said bluntly.
The Qunluosen Wasteland was where the core of the Glacial Throne Secret Realm was located. As for what would be "setting off fireworks" in that wasteland… that would depend on their own choices.
My Ancient Remnant Ice Clone was nearly finished with its current stage of research.
To go any further, it would inevitably have to leave the Secret Realm. Whether it was the Soul Depiction that required my personal touch, the merging of the Great Spellbooks, or the tearing of Void Rifts and the study of that process—none of it could be done inside the Secret Realm.
A Secret Realm was merely a severed slice of material space. Even an entire world couldn't withstand the tearing of a Void Rift; it could only slowly heal after the rift was smoothed over.
This was a testament to just how terrifying a Void Rift truly was.
Transcendent beings without the proper means might even perish within one.
However, hearing my resolute threat, Ming Xueming was quite surprised.
In her eyes, the only threat… from beginning to end, was my Main Body. She believed my clones were nothing to fear.
After all, the gatekeepers of the Ladder Ranking Tournament were my clones. Many people had encountered them and felt they had a solid grasp of their strength.
“You have a way to make an entire Secret Realm… Oh! I’ve said too much.” Ming Xueming started to say something but immediately corrected herself upon realizing it was inappropriate. “…My apologies. However, I will relay those words to Nicola exactly as you said them.”
“Do as you wish. Honestly, I’m almost hoping they’re brainless enough to try it.”
With that topic concluded, Ming Xueming’s walk with me came to an end.
It was like a minor interlude that no one else saw, and I soon put the matter out of my mind.
I arrived at the Academy’s Central Teaching Area.
I hadn't informed Sister Bai of my arrival beforehand, as I intended to give her a surprise.
However, this meant I didn't know exactly where she was at the moment.
Still, I had a general idea of her routine. At this time, she was most likely teaching!
Even though the semester had ended, students could still attend classes at the Academy. These were simply voluntary, self-initiated courses.
After wandering through the training rooms and teaching areas Sister Bai frequented without finding her, I had no choice but to head to her office.
When I pushed the door open, I only found the two witch sisters, Miao and He.
Sister Stacy’s usual spot was empty; it looked like she was away on some temporary business.
“Uh… sorry to disturb you, sisters.” I looked at the two figures who were already cuddled up together in one chair and offered an embarrassed apology.
“Ah~ it’s fine, it’s fine~ It’s Xiao Han! It really has been a while, hasn't it?”
“Yeah, it’s been a bit. I didn't expect you two to become even closer. If I may ask, do you know where my Sister Bai went?”
“Your Sister Bai… Hmm, I’m not entirely sure. If I remember correctly, she should be in class? Even though the semester is over…”
“I looked for her. I checked her usual spots, the classrooms, the training grounds—couldn't find her.”
“That’s strange. Xiao Han, why don’t you just ask her directly?”
“Oh, I was planning to surprise her, so I didn't ask. Now that I can't find her… it’s a bit awkward.”
Furthermore, Sister Bai was a Transcendent. Even with Qi Observation Art, it was difficult to lock onto an outsider who lacked a Luck anchor.
If all else failed, I’d have to use Ley Line Identification Art to interface with the Root Network to track her down.
But Sister Bai didn't have Ley Line Shackles. If she intentionally obscured her Ley Line Data—or even if she didn't obscure it but simply disrupted it—it would cause me a massive headache.
“I see… In that case, we really can't provide much useful information,” Miao said, shaking her head regretfully.
“Wait!” He suddenly seemed to remember something. “Didn't someone come looking for Bai Yu earlier? I think it was about the Expansion Realm?”
“The Expansion Realm? What does Sister Bai have to do with the Expansion Realm?” I asked curiously.
“Now that you mention it, I think I remember. The Expansion Realm is about to open, right? The Academy has been conducting surveys on the situation there. Although the ban on Transcendent Witches entering the Expansion Realm was lifted long ago, it hasn't been opened for the general student body yet.”
“And?”
“And so, Bai Yu most likely went along with them.”
“Huh?”
I spoke with a hint of disbelief, but after a moment of reflection, I began to understand.
I recalled mentioning the Baking House and my concepts for the Expansion Realm to Sister Bai.
That was a conversation my clone had with her. She couldn't have taken it to heart and gone there because of that, could she?
“I see… Well then, I won’t disturb you two anymore, Sisters Miao and He~”
After a somewhat hasty farewell, I left the two witches to continue "discussing problems" with each other.
Things had gone a bit beyond my expectations. If Sister Bai really was there, it looked like I wouldn't be able to give her a surprise. Just in case, I decided to try communicating with her first.
* * *
Meanwhile, in the Expansion Realm.
This was the Witch Academy’s first official visit for non-Transcendent groups. If this were the Core World, the Witch Academy wouldn't bother at all.
However, a branch of the Witch Academy was soon to be established in the Expansion Realm, so some preliminary investigative work was necessary.
Furthermore, there was still a great deal of controversy regarding the construction format of the Academy. Some argued for a Curtain Wall parallel to the material space of the Core World, similar to the Magic City. Others suggested using a massive area of reality as the Academy grounds to build a sprawling Witch Academy city, much like other Transcendent academies.
Both sides held their ground.
A Curtain Wall would allow for a seamless connection with the real city and keep out external disturbances.
However, some witches felt that with so many undeveloped areas in the Expansion Realm, why not just pick one and build there? They could drive the development of the surrounding region through an Academy City model.
After all, the Witch Academy had originally chosen its current format because the witches had arrived late. By then, the infrastructure of the Core World had mostly returned to prosperity. Building a Witch Academy required an area the size of the Magic City, which was hard to find.
Factoring in terrain and environmental constraints, it had been easier to simply open up a separate space. There were many precedents in the Void of Witch Academies built in created spaces, so no witch had opposed it back then.
And right now…
When the witches who had come to the Expansion Realm on official business arrived, they suddenly discovered something.
Namely… the name "Xiao Han" carried an incredible amount of weight here.
So much so that Xiao Han’s girlfriend, Bai Yu, was extremely popular.
When a person is praised by many, their name easily becomes mythologized. Once it spreads, she becomes a spiritual symbol; even those who have never met her are moved by the tales of her deeds.
Such rumors were even more intense outside the Ninglan Territory.
Even the network they used had been personally "planted" by the figure they spoke of. From the Root Network used for communication to the Power Network that maintained order, there were too many things in the Expansion Realm that bore the traces of that figure.
“Gosh~ I told you! In this Expansion Realm, showing these guys our status as Transcendent Witches doesn't mean much to them. It’s really not as effective as you showing your identity, Sister Bai Yu~ Who knew Xiao Han had such high prestige here? What exactly did she do?”
“I heard she split into many clones and personally led the people who had just arrived in this world to build shelters one by one across the Expansion Realm.”
“Bai Yu, you’re Xiao Han’s girlfriend~ No one here has more right to speak than you! Tell us about it~”
“Tell us~”
“Tell us~” × N
The group of witches suddenly began to clamor, surrounding Bai Yu, waiting for some fresh gossip.
“Alright~ fine~” Bai Yu said, embarrassed by her sisters' teasing. She did, however, know quite a bit about the experiences in the Expansion Realm.
But just as Bai Yu was about to share some stories, she suddenly received a message.
“Hmm? Eh? What’s wrong?”
“Hurry up and tell us! We’re curious!”
“Wait a second!” Bai Yu held up a hand. “Ah… what a coincidence. Xiao Han is contacting me.”
“Eh? Xiao Han? Isn't that perfect? What does she want? Didn't they say she was conducting some confidential experiment? Even we didn't know what she was researching.”
“Exactly~ What is it?”
“Hold on.” Bai Yu replied to the message and then realized the situation. “Sorry, everyone… it’s Xiao Han. She’s temporarily finished her experiment and come out! I have to go find her!”
“Eh? Just… just like that? You’re going to leave your sisters here and ignore us, Bai Yu?!”
“Waaaah… now that she has love, she doesn't care about sisterhood anymore! How cold~”
Seeing Bai Yu change her tune so quickly, the witches nearby immediately acted as if they had been abandoned.
“Don't look at me like I’m some heartbreaker! Xiao Han and I haven't seen each other outside of the lab for a long time. She’s finally out, so you sisters should understand the importance of this, right?”
“Oh~ I get it~ Bai Yu has been away from Xiao Han for too long, so she wants… that~” one witch suddenly teased.
With that opening, the other witches immediately fell into sync!
“I see! No wonder Bai Yu is so excited. She’s already lost her patience~”
“Waaaah~ our Sister Bai Yu hasn't cuddled with Xiao Han in so long, she’s in desperate need of a Xiao Han energy recharge~”
“Haha~ it’s only natural for a witch. Go on, Bai Yu, don't let it build up too much~”
“You guys! You!” Bai Yu’s face was flushed with a suspicious crimson from her sisters' teasing. While she did feel a bit that way, having it pointed out so bluntly was incredibly embarrassing!
They made it sound like the only reason she was rushing to see Xiao Han was for that… how could that be!
“Don't worry, Bai Yu.” At that moment, a senior witch put a hand on Bai Yu’s shoulder and spoke with mock gravity. “I understand you~ Good luck! There’s no need to be shy! You’re the Transcendent Witch who’s going to conquer the legendary Little Witch!”
“That’s right~ Don't worry, sister. I’ll organize the data you asked us to collect and send it over later! I know you prepared it for Xiao Han. I’m definitely giving you this assist!”
Amidst the teasing and laughter of the witches, Bai Yu tore open a spatial channel and was "grandly" sent on her way.
As Bai Yu departed, the laughter gradually died down.
“Well~ the fun’s over.”
“Any of you want to go be battlefield reporters?”
“Not me. I’m not going to be a third wheel.”
“What decent witch would go?~”
“Exactly~”