Chapter 480: Collection of Fortune Data
Without any hesitation, Tan Han directly reached an agreement with the other party, starting by controlling the distribution of water resources. She could easily guess how significant her advantage would be; no wonder they had approached her directly.
As for the troubles and accompanying issues that might arise, Tan Han could naturally foresee them, but troubles are meant to be solved.
Thus, Tan Han understood that she must go in person this time.
Just as Tan Han was preparing to set off, I also flew away from the island where the Witch Academy was located, riding my flying broomstick.
My departure was certainly not aimless; after all, the duty of a patrolling teacher is to inspect everywhere. This responsibility granted me immense power and freedom, allowing me more opportunities to reach the truth I wanted to know.
It was just like every time I fought others in the past, I would think about what I could gain from it. Now, without a strict patrol route imposed on me, I naturally leaned more toward thinking about what I truly wanted to do.
In fact, I could arrive at what I wanted to do by elimination. The patrolling teacher cannot initiate challenges without a proper reason, so I had no suitable opportunity to continue iterating and updating commonly used spells; burdened by the duties of a patrolling teacher, I didn’t have personal time nor could I just sit idle in some random place. Therefore, my research on the Great Knowledge Tree had stalled completely, which also included the updates on the Earth Vein Identification Technique, the exploration of Knowledge Seeds, and the derivative inspirations from the Great Knowledge Tree and Spellbook Rack Spellbook.
I found myself at the core of the script, with the Children of Fortune nearly gathered, so… what could be more convenient than studying Fortune?
From the moment the joint examination began, I could see the agitation among the fortunes, as if they had already taken the stage to engage in tentative games.
Thus, I believed it was necessary to touch upon the information of these Children of Fortune one by one, treating it as a data analysis related to fortune.
Actually, when I initially decided to study fortune, I was quite ambitious. I attempted to delve into the root system of fortune just like I did with the earth veins.
As expected, I failed. I was not a Child of Fortune, which felt just as unpleasant as when I realized I had cut off the Earth Vein Shackles.
Although fortune does not possess the “regional” isolation that Earth Vein Energy has, and even ordinary people can touch upon this power, fortune is different from Earth Vein Energy; it does not have the same carrying capacity and will not hold various pieces of effective information. Thus, my Great Knowledge Tree also could not extract any information from these powers of fortune.
This awkward situation only ensnared me for a while.
First and foremost, I must admit that while fortune indeed cannot carry and disseminate such vast information like the earth veins, as long as a concept exists, it is still perceivable information—Spirit Vision taught me this long ago.
Fortune cannot carry direct information, but its existence itself embodies intent, meaning that it acts as a “transcription” of information.
I am not concerned with whether fortune reflects the actions of the Children of Fortune or if the actions of the Children of Fortune mirror the flow of fortune. Both perspectives do not deny one fact: the direct correlation between fortune and the Children of Fortune.
Identifying anomalies, observing appearances of things, summarizing operational laws…
This is the most basic utility humans have, and this primitive method can almost be applied anywhere, including in extraordinary realms where logic does not prevail.
So what I am doing now, essentially, is to summarize a correlational table to forecast the movement of fortune. If fortune itself does not provide additional information, then I will assign corresponding information to it to form a representational understanding.
I have included this idea in the planning of “Fortune Observation Technique,” which means… a spell to observe fortune.
As to whether it falls within the category of spellcraft… my answer is affirmative.
This is undoubtedly a spell; spells are not such inconvenient things. They are created to achieve specific magical effects, only that their usage threshold is somewhat high, requiring Spirit Vision or realistic sight to observe deeper levels of fortune for effective application.
The effect of this spell is based on acquired fortune information, inputting spell effects, and deducing a surface phenomenon caused by fortune.
It feels… more akin to a spell art, even resembling prophetic techniques in mysticism.
Both seem to obtain certain information through some means, perhaps inspiration or ritual, then deduce answers according to this information and some laws.
It’s just that what I am deducing relates to the script.
But isn’t that enough?
I do not have much understanding of mysticism, and I do not wish to delve into it at this stage. I prefer methods that have been completely deciphered by me—clear understanding and rational processes—because that makes it easy for me to grasp and aligns with my mindset while possessing the Great Knowledge Tree.
If someone told me this is mysticism, I would punch them in the face. If the learning process of mysticism is meant to eliminate the mysterious and unknown, then it should not be called mysticism but rather basic science…
Once I thought about this, I stopped pursuing it further, as I realized that I was engaging in something quite dangerous. I was defining a realm that I had yet to reach; such an act evidently shows arrogance.
Just as when I first enrolled in the Witch Academy and had my own insights into the extraordinary, I considered that denying the so-called extraordinary world shouldn’t merely involve stacking Magic Sources and acquiring Spellbooks, nor should there be limitations such as spell slots.
If there are restrictions, it indicates that I am acting within a framework constructed by others.
Once I began to question, I was left with the process of “walking over, picking it up” to find an answer. I was ready to accept new understandings, so when I reached the truth, my experience was one of shock followed by acceptance, rather than disbelief leading to doubt.
At that moment, various islands began to show a white figure, moving quickly as if they were a diligent patrolling teacher—arriving, observing, and leaving.
No extra actions or excessive communication took place.
Each time I arrived at an island, I would leave a teleportation mark for quick return.
However, even with that, my gains were rather sparse.
Because these candidates from different academies did not directly encounter each other, the Children of Fortune also had little interaction.
Only on islands with two or more academies did I gain some returns.
During this time, I also dealt with numerous trivial matters, such as those who voluntarily eliminated themselves, which required me to escort them back to their respective temporary settlement points in the real world.
It is hard to imagine how busy I would be during large-scale battles, though dying early would be better, saving me from a lot of hassle.
However, during this period, I also discovered some rather nasty tactics from the Wizard Academy.
That is, individuals killed in the grand spell of the false world, although their real bodies were not included in the grand spell anymore, their bodies still remained in the false world… While the effect of that body was essentially a “fake” constructed from the replicated bodily information of participants, it was not something ordinary people could readily discern.
Everything in the false world is fake, but the experiences are real; everything done inside will not affect the outside world.
And the most critical aspect is that this matter was not disclosed to the students.
I still vividly remember when the first instance of “d*ath” occurred, the atmosphere of the joint examination immediately changed. The fear of d*ath, the discomfort of others killing one’s teammates, the sorrow of losing companions… were vividly expressed.
Some even complained to me, asking why I had not appeared sooner, claiming that if I had, they wouldn’t have to d*e…
At that moment, I looked toward the deliberately highlighted live broadcast lens, and I suddenly realized the significance of live broadcasting.
Because it was genuinely entertaining, but as a participant, I found it hard to smile, for the emotional displays of the people I was facing were real.
Then I watched as many of them completely lost their will to fight, with some even actively requesting to withdraw from the joint examination, and I naturally obliged their wishes.
As for whether they would regret learning the truth after exiting… that was not my concern, because… at that moment, they were the ones truly enjoying themselves.
As the time for the joint examination passed, night enveloped the land. Tomorrow would actually be the first real day of the examination, and all actions today were merely an adaptation. Adaptation to what?
Perhaps the environment, perhaps the time difference, or perhaps something else; precisely because of these unfair aspects, the difficulty of the initial islands also varied, constituting a kind of dynamic difficulty balance, and a little mercy after the four extraordinary academies.
However, mercy also brings trouble, just like today has passed, the last preparation time has run out.
The students from the four academies occupying the small islands played a game of map exploration, while candidates from other academies played map exploration and real-time online PvP, engaging in bloody confrontations, which were genuine clashes where a single slash could possibly splatter bl**d everywhere.
They would recognize and understand the truth of this joint examination and the fragility of life much earlier, eliminating those with weak minds in advance, and leaving more time for them to accept the harsh reality.
Humans need to adapt. Spending a semester in a nurturing environment like the extraordinary academy, directly engaging in intense challenges at the end of the term suddenly left them dazed.
Of course, all of this was merely a prelude, just like how the Witch Academy had added practical tests to the monthly exam, creating many new channels for gaining power.
And this was further paving the way for an impending chaos in the main world.
The collision between the small world and the main world would occur during the holiday, and the new semester had yet to begin; everything would change.
“Teacher! Take me away! I don’t want to d*e… I really don’t want to d*e! I need to leave; I can’t participate in the competition! Please take me away; I don’t belong here! I truly don’t belong…”
Seeing the nearly incoherent Beast-eared Boy, half-beastified, his clothes completely torn, fur covering his body, his fur stained with bl**d, and a section of muscle sliced off his arm, bl**d soaking his entire arm.
The pain had driven him to madness; upon seeing me, with my contrasting style and the badge representing a patrolling teacher, he crawled toward me as if grasping at straws.
Looking at the tail behind him, I recognized his beastified race, seemingly canine, though I couldn’t discern if he was from the Dogman Academy or the affiliated academy of the Beast Academy. As for the Beast Academy Combat University… well, they probably wouldn’t be this pathetic, but I couldn’t say for sure.
At this moment, it wasn’t just him; several others around him were in a similar state. It appeared both academies on this island were of the beast type, and their resource point was centrally located, making competition unavoidable.
Upon confirming that there was water resource within the resource point, they understood that this sacrifice was inevitable. Though I speculated they might temporarily cooperate in the end, as unnecessary consumption would only plunge both sides into a final contest, the initial conflict and laying of sacrifices were also necessary; these people belonged to the group being sacrificed.
Watching their unwilling struggle against each other, I couldn’t help but marvel at the rigid hierarchy of the Beast Academy and their obedience to orders. This absolute control over their own students was even more outrageous than what Tan Han would gather later in a support team.
Indeed, these Beast Academies seem to favor such bloody tactics, although “bloody” refers to the sacrifice of the weak.
But the Beast Academy is probably the one that emphasizes the survival of the fittest the most, right…
Now that data collection was complete, even though the Children of Fortune had not engaged in combat, conflict among the fortunes had already occurred, which was a rare situation, and I had obtained considerable information samples.
All the academies participating in the joint examination had one or more Children of Fortune, which I could only say was not surprising at all.
“Since you have spoken about elimination and withdrawal, I will take you away,” I said, stepping aside as the Dogman Boy closest to me tried to grasp my hand, then I spoke blandly.
“Teacher… do you have healing spells? I’m going to d*e… really going to d*e…”
“Nothing will happen after withdrawal,” I replied simply, waving my hand as several boys and girls gathered around me, “Let’s confirm—everyone has given up, right?”
Seeing them nodding repeatedly, I stopped wasting words and directly took them away from here.
In the next moment, we appeared on the Bobapop Islands in the real world.
These 13 affiliated islands in the real world were momentarily closed to the public, as this became the place for various academies to send back eliminated students.
Eventually, even if they arrived at the main island, the eliminated ones would still end up on their respective islands in the real world.
And the preemptively eliminated students had no right to linger on the Bobapop Islands to enjoy life; they would merely be sent back to their academies by various means.
After this joint examination ended, there would also be an Easter egg: students who fully survived this joint examination, that is, those who did not actively or passively eliminate themselves and leave the false world, would gain the opportunity to travel to the Bobapop Islands, with all costs covered during this period.
This was a direct benefit for teachers and teaching assistants, while for students, it was something they had to fight for.
As for whether students valued it or not, that was another matter. The academy also had no policy of mandatory tourism.
“I… I’m out!”
Feeling the change in the surrounding environment, those I brought out instantly erupted in joyous screams, as if they were beasts venting their joy of escaping that hellish cave.
But soon after, they realized their injuries, bloodstains, and everything else had disappeared.
Joy and excitement made many feel as if they had been reborn, but at that moment, someone finally noticed the anomaly.
“My wound is healed! I’m not disabled anymore! Not disabled… no… no way! This is fake! Everything is fake, right! We won’t d*e!”
“My injury is gone… what are you saying? What’s fake?”
“We won’t d*e… we were deceived! This joint examination wouldn’t lead to d*ath at all! Injuries are all fake! We… ah!”
That boy quickly grasped the key to it all, his tone filled with regret, but before he could finish speaking, a massive fist came crashing down onto his head.
“Now the injury on your head is real. What a pathetic thing to say, you’re embarrassing all of us from the Beast Academy!” At that moment, a muscular man walked over, smacking the boy’s head, then turned to me, “Please bring them all over.”
“It’s nothing; it is my duty,” I shrugged. Since their mentor had arrived, I had completed my handover.
I might still bring a few more batches; the conflict that occurred here would indeed eliminate many.
