Chapter 502: In-depth Communication and the Spark of Friction Inspiration~
“Alright~ What is that thing?”
At this moment, Sister Bai also didn’t hesitate and asked expectantly.
Although she admitted that she hadn’t researched extraordinary-related talents, and had not achieved much in spellbook research, alchemy was also half-hearted, and she hadn’t been in contact with rune literature for long, her contribution might only be her extraordinary level of life and the more advanced sensory perception of real time.
“It wasn’t originally a standalone spell effect, and I didn’t intend to use it that way. It’s called Knowledge Leaf, and it’s a leaf from my Knowledge Tree.” As I spoke, an illusionary leaf floated into my hand.
Then I lowered my voice, “But ever since that last trip to the small world, the name of my Knowledge Tree spellbook has changed. You should know what Principal Beif asked me to do back then, right?”
“Mm.” Sister Bai nodded; that trip was when I took on the role of acquiring Extraordinary Knowledge.
“Now, my Knowledge Tree spellbook…” As I spoke, I snapped my fingers, and a soundproofing spell surrounded me and Sister Bai, “It should be called the Great Knowledge Tree now.”
“Xiao Han gained so much this time?” Bai Yu’s eyes flickered with a hint of shock, but she didn’t immediately question the truth of this statement because she knew Xiao Han wouldn’t lie to her about such matters.
But then she realized something even more shocking… If Xiao Han’s derived spell became a great spellbook, didn’t that mean… Xiao Han now had two great spellbooks?
After all, she had received blessings from Xiao Han last time, the timing didn’t match up, so… could it really be possible?
An unremarkable Xiao Han had obtained a great spellbook that even extraordinary witches did not possess, and now she had two of them!
Although she didn’t have a deep understanding of the significance of the great spellbook or what it represented, it didn’t mean Bai Yu didn’t know its value!
Once she realized this, Bai Yu felt a wave of fear…
Because this was truly a case of “bearing the crime of possessing treasure!”
“Xiao Han, you haven’t told anyone about this, right?”
“Of course, I wouldn’t actively say anything. However… I know that the two Academy Heads I’m acquainted with each know about it… They are aware of this matter, after all, my possession of a great spellbook is closely related to these two Academy Heads. During that incident in Fool Village Secret Realm, during that small world adventure… those Academy Heads should have also been informed; it’s inevitable.”
“Does the Academy Head know too?” After hearing my words, Bai Yu breathed a sigh of relief. If the Academy Head was aware, given the strong connection with the Academy Head, the trouble related to this matter would be significantly reduced. At least until now, there hadn’t been any trouble, which was enough to indicate the key issue.
“Don’t be so nervous~ I am a favored investor of Principal Mei, as long as I don’t act out, no one will trouble me, so Sister Bai can relax for now~” I said with a smile.
“If you’re feeling so pressured just from sharing this minor issue, then I wouldn’t dare to confide in Sister Bai anymore~” I looked at Sister Bai, whose expression had turned slightly serious, and reached out to scratch her nose.
“How could it be? It’s just that I haven’t encountered much in my life.” Bai Yu took a deep breath, allowing my hand to scratch her nose, as she recognized her own problem.
She wanted to be Xiao Han’s listener, someone to share the pressure, not to become a source of pressure for Xiao Han. She realized she was too anxious, as this was not about sharing pressure but merely doubling it, thinking she was helping when, in fact, it was meaningless.
However, Xiao Han’s adventures and growth truly surpassed her understanding, and she was also unaware of how Xiao Han was perceived by the Academy Head.
After pondering for a while, Bai Yu finally spoke again.
“Even though I haven’t seen such a scene, at least I have the strength. If Xiao Han encounters trouble, learn to rely on me, alright?”
“Got it~ If someone has bad intentions towards me next time, I’ll just snuggle into Sister Bai’s arms and pester you, saying that person is bullying me, how about that?”
“Sounds good~” Sister Bai also responded with a smile, although I doubted whether I could actually do something like that.
“Then it’s settled! But really, with Sister Bai’s interruption, I nearly forgot the main point.” I shook the floating illusionary leaf in my hand, which was adorned with countless flowing runes, giving it a very impressive visual effect, and indeed, it was just that.
As a part of the Great Knowledge Tree, Knowledge Leaf was planned as a temporary substitute for Knowledge Seed. This was a completely different concept from the simple Knowledge Shadow spell effect released during the joint exam.
First, Knowledge Leaf inherits the eternal effect of the great spellbook; at any time, I can control Knowledge Shadow to facilitate the flow and exchange of information, as well as experience the knowledge and information within the Great Knowledge Tree.
My three Fool Dreams that follow me probably benefit from this; having received the blessing of Knowledge Leaf, they can engage in foundational learning in extraordinary knowledge through Knowledge Shadow.
On the other hand, a regular Knowledge Shadow, once it leaves my control, is akin to a variant illusionary clone, unable to share my understanding and the knowledge within the Great Knowledge Tree. Its existence also relies on the subconscious of the caster.
But to say how this state of Knowledge Shadow differs from an illusionary clone… it’s that it is somewhat more controllable and offers many other conveniences in inconspicuous ways.
The most important point, I believe, is “knowledge sharing.” If paired with the Earth Vein Identification Technique, it could be a preliminary complete concept.
Then came the issue of dissemination and promotion.
“Here~ this is Knowledge Leaf.” I shook the leaf and explained to Sister Bai, “Upon use, it will create a symbol-like tattoo at the site of use. Sister Bai, where would you like to apply it?”
“It will also form a rune tattoo?” Bai Yu was a bit surprised, not that she was opposed to tattoos.
In fact, in the extraordinary world, extraordinary powers often influenced individual lives; the gathering of power would similarly rely on such rune marks.
The manifestation of runes on living bodies is fundamentally similar to tattoos, and some life forms are born with their race’s runes, known as innate runes, carrying the powers or information of their race.
“Since this is the most important thing to Xiao Han, can I place it here?” Sister Bai pondered for a moment before unbuttoning the first button of her blouse, and as the button loosened, a glimpse of fair skin captured my full attention.
“I want to place this important item on my chest; is that okay?” Sister Bai asked again at this moment.
“Sure, of course!” I felt a flush of red creeping onto my face, but I readily agreed, “Then I won’t be polite~”
Then I hesitated no more; after all, I had been under this thing before, so I proceeded with ease.
As the Knowledge Leaf seamlessly integrated into Sister Bai’s chest, a turquoise rune appeared between that fair skin.
That color shone brightly against her pale skin, making me want to… cough…
I wanted to check and see if there were any issues.
After ensuring everything was fine upon inspection, I reluctantly helped Sister Bai button her blouse back up.
“Alright~ Sister Bai, give it a try! The ability granted by Knowledge Leaf is to summon Knowledge Shadow, just like the illusionary clone spellbook you originally gifted me. Now that spellbook has become a part of the Great Knowledge Tree as a derived consumable; Sister Bai won’t blame me, right?”
“How could I? Something given to you, how you choose to utilize it is up to you.”
With my explanation, Sister Bai began to experiment without needing me to teach her, successfully summoning Knowledge Shadow; after all, it was just a matter of thought.
Sister Bai marveled at this Knowledge Shadow, a silhouette that differed slightly in temperament from Xiao Han, as if this version of Xiao Han was closer to her fantasies…
Just with this simple attempt, Bai Yu roughly understood the function of this spell effect. Knowledge Shadow seemed to be under Xiao Han’s control, yet its formation was also influenced by her own subconscious recognition.
“Sister Bai, are you thinking of something strange? Don’t do anything weird to the illusionary clone, okay? I’m aware of everything!” I reminded jokingly.
“Xiao Han, you know? Then what’s the difference from doing it directly to you?” Sister Bai stood up at that moment, circling around Knowledge Shadow, though she knew it was an illusion, merely existing in her mind’s eye, its presence felt incredibly real!
“Sister Bai, is there something you need? If you’re planning to make a move on me, my real self is right there. Let me whisper it to you~ My real self is always ready; even if you push her on the sofa right now, she will only respond with a few flirtatious remarks, leaving only those teasing thoughts in her mind~”
“Really~ Xiao Han?”
Hearing such bold words from this Knowledge Shadow, Sister Bai also displayed an expression of surprise, then turned sideways toward me, looking at me along with Knowledge Shadow.
“How… how is that possible! This is probably just Sister Bai’s own fantasy! And as for Knowledge Shadow! What are you all about!”
“Sister Bai’s side! I’m here delivering support~ If you have things bottled up inside that you can’t express, I can help you with that. This is only possible in front of Sister Bai, right? You’re thinking just like that, aren’t you?” Knowledge Shadow unabashedly “exposed” me.
However, on the surface, I could only pretend to be angry…
Deep down, I hurriedly gave a thumbs up; well done, Knowledge Shadow!
So true to the subconscious me.
But… since she could speak so openly, it also indicated that Sister Bai harbored similar thoughts.
“Xiao Han, your spells aren’t listening to you, huh?” At that moment, Sister Bai moved closer to me, smiling as she said, “Looks like I need to give it some proper training.”
“Mm, definitely needs some training.” I nodded quickly while understanding deep down that Knowledge Shadow followed my commands too well; training Knowledge Shadow was essentially training myself… cough, well—
“So how do I cooperate with you? From the current view, it seems your ability is merely a variant of the illusionary clone.” Sister Bai simply asked based on what she could see.
“Well… she can share knowledge and information within my Great Knowledge Tree, and… the information you acquire can also be recorded back into the Great Knowledge Tree.” I explained immediately.
“Oh?” Sister Bai paused at that moment, quickly grasping the terrifying aspects of this ability!
Knowledge sharing! Information recording!
She remembered that Xiao Han had mentioned the Knowledge Tree spell being derived from the Memory Shelf spellbook; thus, this spell should have inherited its effects. Considering the current methodology… Xiao Han was no longer satisfied with previous means of acquiring knowledge and was now directly seizing it?
However, Bai Yu was very eager about this means of acquiring and sharing knowledge.
But soon she thought of another issue; the Memory Shelf spellbook also had its limits; knowledge could not be acquired infinitely. If knowledge was obtained through this method, it would be inevitably backfired by an overload of knowledge!
“Wait, Xiao Han, wouldn’t your way of acquiring knowledge be too fast? I mean if the knowledge exceeds some limit, it could backfire!”
“Eh? You’re worried about me this early?” Upon hearing Bai Yu’s words, I was a bit surprised by her quick reaction, “This issue actually troubled me a long time ago~ But now it’s basically resolved; my speed of acquiring knowledge is far below the speed of expanding the limits~ After all… this is the Great Knowledge Tree!”
“I see; Xiao Han, you’re truly impressive.”
Understanding that her worries were unnecessary, Bai Yu breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that her concerns were unfounded, which was quite nice.
She didn’t delve further as she knew it wasn’t a field she could grasp in a short time; after all, she recognized she wasn’t a specialist.
“Yes! I’m super amazing!”
I relished a moment of confidence; nothing wrong with that given I was next to Sister Bai.
“And I plan to continue improving the abilities of Knowledge Leaf; it should be able to do even more things, and I have ambitions— the limitations of Knowledge Leaf are too great; I can’t rely on this method to promote it.”
“Thinking about dissemination, huh~” Sister Bai listened attentively.
“Yes~ That’s how to maximize benefits; limited by the Great Knowledge Tree itself, I hope to derive a form that doesn’t carry costs as significant as Knowledge Leaf to spread the effects of this spell; I’m currently stuck at this stage…”
“Don’t worry, Xiao Han is so smart; you will definitely find a solution.” Sister Bai comforted me, gently stroking my head.
“Mm… such matters can’t be rushed, and Knowledge Leaf isn’t fully refined yet. Can’t we experiment with something else? Aren’t you curious about the so-called Earth Vein Magic I’m supposedly mastering? This is also related to the Great Knowledge Tree~”
“This is related to it too?” Bai Yu appeared even more shocked.
“Yes, the Great Knowledge Tree spellbook; this was my decision as the core focus of my future extraordinary development after I derived and created it~ It truly embraces everything, and it even allowed me to experience a miracle that’s beyond words! Yes! It is truly a miracle!”
“Is that so? Shall we start improving it now?” Sister Bai tentatively asked.
“No rush, Sister Bai, we still have a long time ahead—one holiday, we have an entire holiday of freedom to allocate…” I interrupted Sister Bai’s thought to continue, turning around to pin her down on the sofa.
I pressed one hand on Sister Bai’s shoulder, while the other supported myself on the back of the sofa, kneeling on the soft cushions, with that leg positioned between Sister Bai’s thighs…
Then I spoke again, my tone laced with a hint of charm and anticipation.
“Many things can’t be rushed, and a lot of things require inspiration. I feel like I need a complete release to alleviate the numbness of my mind and body. Perhaps between in-depth communication with you, we might spark the friction of inspiration~ Such a thing is rare; are you willing to try with me? Right here…”
“…Alright!” Sister Bai froze for a moment, then reached out to wrap her arms around my waist, while the other hand waved, pulling the villa’s curtains closed, soundproofing spells enveloping the entire villa, adding a subtle romantic atmosphere to the somewhat dimmed surroundings.
Ultimately, that soft “okay~” echoed in my ears, stirring the ripples in my heart.
The nearby Knowledge Shadow promptly sensed the situation and vanished from sight.
In the vast and dimly lit villa, only two entwined figures remained intertwined.
