Chapter 387: The Strange Young Girl in the Dream World
“Headmaster?”
After Teacher Ji opened the door and saw the figure, her whole body instinctively froze. She had thought of many possibilities, but never this one!
“Xi Lan, are you surprised to see me?” Mei Linde approached the laboratory with a slight smile, and Teacher Ji instinctively stepped aside to let her in.
“Yes, I am indeed surprised. Did the headmaster come to check on our progress in [Extraordinary Knowledge]?” After her initial surprise, Teacher Ji quickly greeted her with a smile.
“This laboratory has only been in your hands for a few days. How could I come to check the progress? It’s impossible! I just had a feeling you’ve stirred up quite a commotion.”
“A commotion?” Teacher Ji looked at Mei Linde with suspicion, unsure of what she meant.
“Yes, I was bored, so I casually tried some divination and found that Xiao Han seems to be up to something. When I learned you brought her here, I wanted to come take a look.”
“Bored? Divination? If you consider such things a game to entertain yourself, it’s going to cry.” After learning why the headmaster had come, Teacher Ji was a bit lost for words. Was the headmaster really that idle?
Looking at the headmaster in front of her, it was a clone… Oh, then there was nothing to worry about.
“Your own skills are meant to be used. Quick, tell me what Xiao Han has done.”
“She extracted a nearly systematic rune from [Extraordinary Knowledge], a part of a self-forming spell structure. That’s about it.” Teacher Ji explained helplessly.
In truth, Teacher Ji wasn’t particularly close with Mei Linde. Though both were Extraordinary Witches, Teacher Ji felt the gap between them was still quite significant, which is why she always approached their meetings with a sense of awe and seriousness.
However, it was clear that Mei Linde wasn’t being polite with her at all. After all, they now had a common topic: Xiao Han.
Teacher Ji realized she had underestimated the headmaster’s concern for Xiao Han.
“Then you must be quite fortunate. How much would this reduce your methodical testing?”
As Mei Linde spoke, she wandered around the lab. After circling around the rune in front of [Extraordinary Knowledge], she lost interest and finally stopped at a particular rune.
If I were to make a comparison, [Extraordinary Knowledge] is like a difficult-to-mine gold mine, and this rune, which has been extracted, is a massive gold nugget, while the Great Spellbook is equivalent to establishing a factory for mining gold in this gold mine.
“Unmeasurable.”
“Indeed, there hasn’t yet been progress in the study of [Extraordinary Knowledge], and there’s already a derived spell as a reference. I’ve never seen a start as ludicrously advantageous as this, but… is this a summoning spell?” The headmaster pointed at the rune and asked.
“Yes, it is a summoning spell based on spatial structure, and it carries the shadow of a self-forming spell, so its effectiveness seems a bit impractical.” Teacher Ji nodded in agreement. From her description, it was clear that she had a deeper understanding of this rune.
“But it should have other peculiar features, right?”
“Yes, that’s what confuses me.” Teacher Ji nodded in agreement and added, “Moreover, Xiao Han, having become the bearer of the spell’s effects, experienced characteristics such as dreams, emotions, and so on. While there may be some discrepancies in description, it certainly does not resemble a proper spatial characteristic summoning spell.”
“That’s what makes it interesting, Xi Lan. Would you like to let me participate in your research on [Extraordinary Knowledge]?”
“This…”
“I’m only interested in this; it’s temporary.” While Teacher Ji was still hesitating, Mei Linde pointed at the rune and added.
“Alright.”
Upon hearing Mei Linde say this, Teacher Ji naturally agreed. Who in the Witch Academy wouldn’t want the headmaster’s assistance?
Moreover, this was merely a clone. Since she said she was only interested in this rune, Teacher Ji didn’t have to worry about the headmaster trying to dominate her position in the entire group. Besides, as headmaster, Mei Linde would naturally have her own plans. It was even possible that what she was doing now was part of Mei Linde’s plan; Teacher Ji was more than willing to do this favor.
After all… she could gain this [Extraordinary Knowledge], and this headmaster, Mei Linde, could definitely be said to be… “indispensable.”
…
At this moment, I, who was already in the meditation room, was unaware of what was happening with Teacher Ji.
I was immersed in the aroma of incense, beginning my daily meditation.
Meditation is a very tedious and energy-consuming task. When I successfully meditated for the first time, I understood the essence of the Witch Meditation Method—it is about placing mental power and one’s own will in a special dream world to begin honing and refining.
With Spirit Vision, I even possess a unique “perspective” within this meditative dream, allowing me to utilize my memory to construct creations within the dream.
This seems somewhat similar to the Dream Rewriting Spell I initially created; however, the difference is that the Dream Rewriting Spell achieves its effect through those special dream rules, while the state after meditation is simply a dream illusion generated by the relationship between dreams and memory.
As I calmed down to slowly meditate, my awareness sunk into the meditative dream. However, an unexpected incident nearly forced me to break my meditation state.
“This! This…”
Looking at the rune even condensing within the dream, I had to lament its resilience.
“What exactly are you? Do you believe I will directly disperse you with a purification spell? So pushy.”
In the dream, I didn’t need to care too much and began to mutter to myself; after all, no one could see.
However, it was clear that the entity before me was not one that could comprehend what I was saying but rather an emotionless rune.
I sat down in the dream, watching the rune before me. The environment I had just crafted with memory dissipated, and I found myself surrounded by a void of dreams.
This rune was making me contemplate life, but after calming down, I realized I might have overreacted.
Since discovering this, far too much of my thoughts and emotions have been stirred by this thing; I even felt like I was losing myself.
So, after reflecting on it, I began trying to study what characteristics this rune would have within the dream.
I reached out my hand. This time, instead of scattering it directly as I had done in previous attempts, I gently touched it, but the rune had no physical form.
It was merely a special ritual. According to Teacher Ji, it was the language of the void.
“The language of the void… So, can you tell me what you want to say to me?”
In an instant, my gaze fixed on the rune, and I felt a faint sense of confusion as if the rune before me became blurry.
When I refocused to clear my vision, a strange piece of information flashed within the rune!
“What was that?”
I instinctively asked, but no one would provide an answer.
I reached out and grasped the rune before me, and at once, the rune disintegrated, transforming into information that scattered away in the dream. The strange piece of information I had captured with Spirit Vision was now revealed.
“Got you! Playing hide and seek with me in my dream?”
I seized the source of that piece of information, which gave me a familiar sensation; it was precisely because of this familiarity that I had detected it so keenly.
“Let me see what you really are. I bet this is the connection between this rune and me?” Confidently, I opened my hand, watching as the information hidden in the void seemed to use this rune as a medium to reach me in a way I wasn’t even fully aware of.
“Hmm?”
As I tugged it out, a thread-like object was drawn from the dream’s void, and as it glimmered with a familiar golden light, it became the only color in this void of dreams.
Seeing this familiar yet troublesome golden thread made my scalp tingle!
I was even on the verge of a stress response!
But the intense emotion was subdued in an instant. As I pondered why this thread of fortune was connected to me through the rune, I sensed that the rune began to glow under the essence of fortune.
At that moment, I felt my dream start to shatter. Even within this void, the limits being reached, everything began to fracture—then the rune radiated brilliantly. I could feel my body falling, a sensation of weightlessness exciting my consciousness.
Until a moment later, I instinctively opened my eyes. After recovering, I noticed that I was still in the dream world, and my current body was also a product of the dream.
The sudden anomaly had indeed taken me by surprise, but I understood that the more such situations arise, the calmer I must be. Only by remaining calm could I formulate a strategy.
I looked around at my environment; if I weren’t sure I was in a dream, I would think I had crossed over.
Here was an unfamiliar world, under a gloomy sky, where it seemed to be raining, but the rain passed through my body without “collision,” splashing onto the ground.
The damp and oppressive environment conveyed a sense of sorrow, as if the rain was falling like tears, leaving a slightly salty bitterness in the air.
The world before me was ravaged, and looking back revealed nothing but ruins. This world seemed to have lost its color, leaving only black and white.
Countless black lines sketched out the remnants of walls that twisted and swayed, the ruins danced in the wind and rain, presenting a tragic yet absurd beauty unique to dreams.
Everything reflected in my sight was unprepared, and this dream no longer stirred even slightly in accordance with my will.
At that moment, the same thread of fortune that had made my scalp tingle floated before my eyes, standing out in this absurd world.
I instinctively followed it.
With each step I took, my stride was not large, yet the scenery around me seemed to slide away like a slideshow, as if with each step I crossed a thousand miles to arrive at… the center of this world.
It was another ruin— a figure crouched on the ground, with her head buried in her knees, tightly hugging her shins, curling into herself.
At this moment, the sound of sobs accompanied heavy breaths seemed to resonate with my heartbeat, every sob pulling at my emotions.
At that moment, the thread of fortune withdrew from before me, swirling around her like a guardian.
So… I was mistaken; this fortune belonged to the young girl.
I walked up to her, filled with too many questions I wanted to ask her: Who is she? Is she also a Child of Fortune?
Where is she? Why does she connect with me? Everything, until I stood before her wanting to voice my questions, yet I found myself unable to speak.
It felt as if we were both victims in this scenario, unable to bear any blame towards each other…
Of course, the main reason was still that profound sense of resonance with her emotions; every impression existing in this world seemed to suggest the girl’s helplessness and sorrow. My journey felt as if I had directly experienced her inner world, and at that moment, everything made me empathize with her.
Just as I hesitated, the girl before me seemed to sense something. She slightly moved her toes, then hesitantly lifted her head.
At that moment, I gazed into her eyes, but our gaze averted as she instinctively avoided looking at me.
“May I ask… what is your name?” I softened my tone and asked gently.
However, she did not respond immediately. She simply stared blankly down at my toes, as if pondering who she was… and why, in this black-and-white world, she had such vibrant colors that both attracted and frightened her.
I watched as her gaze slowly rose, yet she still dared not meet my eyes. Soon, a barely audible voice emanated from her.
“What?”
I strained to catch her meaning, but I realized I couldn’t; yet she seemed to sense something, and her voice raised slightly.
This time… I heard it and understood.
But… I couldn’t comprehend.
I froze for a moment, quickly realizing…
Language barrier!
How is that possible?
This was my first reaction; the language of the main world has long been unified. Even in the ruins of Ninglan New City, it would just be a bit awkward like a “dialect,” not completely incomprehensible.
“Wait… wait!”
At this moment, she seemingly realized something, and the entire world began to tremble. The black-and-white world started to twist, the black and white began to intertwine… mixing, until it turned into a chaotic gray.
Then, this gray world began to crack, shattering like glass…
And that figure gradually blended into the gray tones, leaving only a silhouette in my view, until it completely vanished.
The familiar sense of weightlessness returned. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back in the meditation room.
I instinctively looked toward the small incense burner; the incense had already burned out, leaving only a lingering scent in my nostrils.
“What just happened?” I instinctively touched the corner of my eyes. This time, no tears flowed down, just a slight moisture in my eyes.
The emotions that weren’t mine dissipated at that moment, and my will regained dominance over my consciousness and body.
At that moment, the rune before me actively shattered, and then that thread of fortune weakly drooped before me, slowly drifting down to the ground as if hoping someone would catch it.
I instinctively reached out to touch it, and the thread of fortune seemed to stir to life, slowly tying a bow around my wrist.
The bow made of the thread of fortune had one corner disappearing into the void afar.
It felt like a mark, incredibly fragile, even a gentle touch on the other corner would easily break this connection.
This thread of fortune, compared to those I had encountered before, lacked aggression and initiative, as if imploring me to treat it as the last glimmer of hope it desperately clung to.
It felt to me that untying the bow would not simply remove the thread; instead, it would lead to its complete disintegration.
