Chapter 952: Gardening? I’ve Got Plenty of Experience Planting Trees!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 952: Gardening? I’ve Got Plenty of Experience Planting Trees!
"This! This is definitely enough!"
Millian’s mind was racing. The turn of events had been so sudden it left her head spinning.
If she had known about this sooner, she could have been far more aggressive in her approach! She could have started positioning herself in the Expansion Realm long ago.
More importantly, the impact this news would have once it got out would be nothing short of seismic. When that happened, she would have plenty of other options. Why would she stay here at the Academy, settling for everyone else's scraps, when she could establish a real foothold elsewhere?
"Looking at you, it seems you're ready to show the world what you can do. I won't micromanage you on that front; I’ll leave it to your discretion. If you want to use my influence or my name, go ahead. Just give it your all."
"Thank you for your trust, Sister Xiao Han!"
Millian knew exactly how much weight those words carried. She was more determined than ever not to let Sister Xiao Han down.
"Hmm... if possible, try to reach out to Yi Rui and the others. If it’s inconvenient for Yi Rui to go personally, just take whichever of the others want to go. Transcendent arts in the Expansion Realm are still in their infancy..." This reminded me of the transcendent research lab my clone set up in the Expansion Realm shelter. The goal was to let them develop their own transcendent system rather than blindly relying on the power network.
"I understand!" Millian caught on instantly. She knew the industries in the Expansion Realm were different from those in the Core World; transcendent arts were currently booming there.
Mastering the techniques meant having a first-mover advantage. Whether that led to a monopoly, partnerships, or licensing would depend on the situation.
"Sister Xiao Han, when do you plan to head to the Expansion Realm? I’ll need some time to prepare the roster for this trip and handle the handover of my other duties here at the Academy."
"We can leave whenever. Naturally, the sooner the better."
"I see. In that case, I’ll try to wrap things up in three... no, two days..." Millian calculated the absolute limit of how quickly she could settle her current responsibilities. She squeezed it down to two days. It would be a rush, but with the Great Knowledge Seed, she could still coordinate things remotely.
"There’s no need to be in such a frantic hurry. Haste leads to mistakes. Aim for perfection without errors."
"I’ll keep that in mind!"
"Oh, right. The main reason I brought this up was to have you do something for me once we reach the Expansion Realm. Once that’s done, then you can focus on your own grand plans." I finally steered the conversation toward the main point.
"What is it? I’ll do my absolute best to get it done for you, Sister Xiao Han!"
"It’s nothing major, really. I need a massive factory. You don't need to source any equipment; you just need to find a large enough space. I’ll hand-craft the equipment myself—it’s the only way, really. You just need to have the materials ready for me at all times."
"Is... is that all?"
"Yes, that’s all," I said with a nod.
It sounded simple, and in truth, it was.
Once this factory was built—or even before it was finished—a massive number of witches would likely flock to help.
Transcendent Witches!
Just the title of "The First Large-Scale Production Factory for Dream State Soul Essence" would probably be enough to bring crowds of witches over to see what was going on. Even the witches who were currently just watching from the sidelines might decide to jump in.
As for hand-crafting the equipment, my clones could handle that. I didn't need to worry about it. The only part that required my personal touch was breaking down the core technology of the Incubation Purification Method into an automated, systematic assembly line.
I went into more detail with Millian on this than on any of my other ideas. Millian nodded repeatedly. While it sounded simple, executing it in the Expansion Realm would indeed be straightforward.
This was the source of Millian’s confidence. After all, the Sister Xiao Han she followed had incredibly deep connections.
However, after we finished discussing the factory, Millian brought up a few issues that needed attention.
Specifically... the Jack-of-all-trades Club wanted to hold Tan Han and the others accountable for the "malicious destruction" of the Glacial Throne Secret Realm.
And they were already escalating it into a matter of principle.
The Academy usually didn't interfere much in conflicts between clubs or students, acting as a neutral arbitrator at most. They would review the case based on Academy regulations, basic ethics, and the terms of any contracts involved before delivering a verdict.
"They actually dare to come after us? Do they not know whose side the Academy is on?"
"Sister Xiao Han... um, maybe we shouldn't say something so biased out in the open? Besides, it’s not like we don't have a leg to stand on."
"I happened to run into Ming Xueming not long ago, and she mentioned this to me. Since you haven't come to me for help yet, I assume you have a plan?"
"Yes. The Jack-of-all-trades Club is pursuing this mainly because their own progress in the secret realm was pathetic. They were the ones who blew the whole thing out of proportion in the first place, so they have to follow through now, or they’ll lose face."
"All for the sake of appearances... fine." I chuckled dismissively.
"Right. Also, we learned from some mentors that the Jack-of-all-trades Club and the Witch Secret Realm Club have been spreading rumors that the Glacial Throne Secret Realm belongs to their club. It was just verbal misinformation they used to mislead people."
"The Glacial Throne Secret Realm has always been an Academy asset. It was simply handed over to the club for development indefinitely, and their autonomy was much higher than the realms they merely maintain and operate."
"Plus, they did some probing and felt the Academy had completely washed its hands of that realm. That’s the only reason they dared to claim a Witch Secret Realm belonged to a club."
"So many convoluted schemes... and in the end, it’s not even theirs. What a petty little trick."
I felt like I could probably just ask Dean Mei for a retroactive exemption for destroying a secret realm for experimental purposes right now...
After all, if a realm is destroyed, the Academy is the one that should hold me accountable. If the Academy says I’m exempt, what right does a club have to complain?
As for the club's usage rights, they didn't have any prior contract stating what could or couldn't be done. Tan Han and the others were even invited guests. The club tried to play by their own "unspoken rules" without a Witch Contract as a final insurance policy, thinking their status as hosts would keep everyone in line. If the table got flipped on them, they had no right to whine.
The logic of the situation was clear enough, but there were plenty of gray areas. If the Jack-of-all-trades Club decided to be difficult, they could probably drag this out for a long time.
They would demand accountability first to save face, then stall until everyone stopped paying attention before quietly settling the matter.
That was the conservative approach. If they chose to be aggressive... well, they probably didn't realize what they were about to face.
"Since you already have a plan, stick to it. If things go south or you feel like you're being bullied, let me know. I’ll turn their secret realms into a fireworks show."
I had already told Millian about the Ancient Remnant Ice King within the Glacial Throne Secret Realm, and I hadn't told Tan Han and the others to keep it a secret from her either.
Hearing my definitive response, Millian felt a surge of excitement!
Going head-to-head with top-tier clubs without a hint of fear—this was the absolute confidence that came from absolute strength!
After finishing the briefing, Millian went off to execute her tasks with high efficiency.
Meeting with Millian had been part of the plan all along.
Time passed, and night fell.
The entire Witch Academy seemed to suddenly come alive, as if the dark of night allowed more hidden agendas to be put into motion.
With the news Millian was carrying back and her blatant actions, the entanglement of interests was about to be set ablaze.
Millian had already asked; there was no need to hide this matter, though there was no need to broadcast it to the world either. Anyone qualified to know about it would certainly be someone of significant status.
This was destined to be a massive earthquake that would leave certain people in the Academy sleepless tonight.
But none of that had anything to do with me right now.
At this moment, I was enjoying dinner with Sister Bai at an all-you-can-eat barbecue place.
Although the restaurant had a wider variety of seasonings, the quality of the meat was far inferior to what Sister Bai usually prepared herself.
However, with the "grilled by Sister Bai" buff applied, the flavor seemed to jump up an entire level.
"Sister Bai... what do you think we should do for the next few days at the Academy? To be honest, I really don't know how to kill time."
If it were just about killing time, scrolling through social media or short videos would be the fastest way, but I had already broken those habits—or rather, optimized them away.
The information gain from short videos was nowhere near as fast as the data I could pull from my Tree of Great Knowledge.
Consequently, I didn't get much pleasure from gathering information anymore, and watching low-quality videos didn't offer me anything.
Perhaps this is what happens when your perspective shifts; the drive to acquire meaningful thought becomes an instinct, preventing you from doing useless things.
Even if an activity brought so-called "happiness," I wouldn't consider it meaningless.
"There are plenty of fun things to do in the Academy," Sister Bai suggested.
"But those are just 'fun' in a descriptive sense. They don't spark any real passion or longing in me."
"Then what should you do, Xiao Han? Every living being has a basic set of desires that drive their choices. Could it be that your self-control is too strong? Especially with that Emotion Body Cultivation, and those concepts like the 'Unity of Knowledge and Action' you mentioned before... have they stifled your pursuits?"
Sister Bai could only offer this analysis. She had seen Xiao Han like this many times before.
She was supposed to be resting, yet she seemed listless, as if she had lost her soul.
"Hmm... that’s actually quite possible. Passion is like a natural bloom, but I’ve grabbed hold of it so tightly that I can't let it flow freely anymore. Sister Bai..."
"Yes?" Sister Bai responded instinctively when she heard me call her name.
"Do you think... I should cultivate a habit? A hobby to balance out my bloated career ambitions?"
"That’s a good suggestion. Is there anything you want to do?" Sister Bai asked. "Like gardening, painting, singing, dancing... hmm, you probably wouldn't like those much. How about baking? Cooking? Or even... casual alchemy? Puzzle-solving spell arrays? I can teach you any of those."
"Hmm..." Looking at the list Sister Bai provided, a few of them did pique my interest.
But as for something I would do from the heart, out of pure instinct...
"How about gardening?" I said.
After all, I wasn't exactly inexperienced when it came to planting things.
Moreover, I currently had the Tree of Great Knowledge and the Tree of Fool's Dream planted within my soul dream.
The same was true in the Expansion Realm, and in the game world, I had planted a tree that had already spread its branches and leaves...
"Okay! I didn't expect you to be interested in that. Planting..."
"Mhm. After all, I do have some insights when it comes to planting." After all, in the Witch Academy, almost every student had a Tree of Knowledge planted by me in the sea of consciousness within their heads.
"Planting" didn't have to be such a narrow concept.
...
Meanwhile, in the game world.
The Omni-Link Main Network Tree was fully extending itself, its root network now completely covering the Igesuo Surface City.
Communications between the inhabitants, routed through the Knowledge Seeds, had completely eliminated any possibility of being eavesdropped upon.
With the widespread distribution of the Knowledge Seeds, the truth about the power network—which functioned similarly to the players' system—could no longer be kept under wraps.
"Acquiring this power is like handing over your own leash! Once the Association accepts this charity, you will become nothing more than that witch's lapdogs!"
Many within the Association were well aware of what was happening.
The man named Tang En had been so generous that it seemed anyone could take a seed from him.
Too many people in the Association had already privately accepted this gift of power. This was transcendent power!
Rather than waiting for others to protect them, having power in their own hands provided a much greater sense of security.
Even if it meant becoming that witch's dog, so what?
The other Outsiders didn't even deign to offer them power!
They were members of the Real Protection Association, people who had been hidden in the shadows from the very beginning. They had endured too much humiliation, misunderstanding, and resentment.
They were used to working for others. What did it matter if they served this witch who had never known defeat?
Who actually felt any loyalty to the Association anyway?
As long as there was profit, benefit, and protection—and as long as they were treated like human beings—what reason was there not to follow her?
"We cannot just sit here and wait for death! That witch... her methods are too terrifying. We must eliminate her. She has grown beyond our control!"
As these words were spoken, the room fell into a heavy silence—the most direct form of rejection for such a proposal.
"That elder's view is a bit too radical. I wonder, since you're so worked up, do you actually have a comprehensive plan?" a high-ranking member of the Association asked.
"We use the strength of those Outsiders to corner the Calamity Witch. A witch's combat power is great... but if she’s besieged by a dozen, or even dozens of people, she won't be able to handle it."
"What a joke. You think those Outsiders will listen to you? Dozens of them? Who do you think you are? You're talking nonsense because you don't understand the situation."
"You're the one who doesn't understand! Those Outsiders have factions behind them too. And as it happens, they all loathe the existence of witches."