Chapter 587: Circulation and Sharing are Reflections of Knowledge’s Value
After some understanding, I got a general idea of the Self-Sealing Technique, a category of sealing magic.
In simple terms, this niche category of sealing magic was initially not classified according to the sealing target. It was not until that Truth Witch of the Soul completed the puzzle of the Self-Sealing Technique that a more complete classification was established in the field of sealing magic, namely the “Self-Sealing Technique Category.”
Sister Natalie told me that it is rumored that this Truth Witch found the **Extraordinary Knowledge** related to the “Self-Sealing Technique” and gradually improved it.
However, regardless of the guesses, one category within the Self-Sealing Technique has indeed gained significant attention, namely the “Self-Consciousness Sealing Technique.”
That is the type of magic I really need.
While I was discussing this information with Sister Natalie, I had already confirmed through the information organized in the Great Knowledge Tree’s library that, as Natalie said, there is very little recorded about this topic in the library.
Although not completely devoid of records, the extent is minimal.
It can only be used for reference.
“By the way, can I ask out of curiosity, what do you want this type of sealing magic for? I’ve tested this sealing magic, and it can seal thoughts and even discordant voices in the mind. However, this type of magic is mostly used for conditions like incurable schizophrenia, which is a relatively extreme measure. Xiao Han, do you really seem to need this?”
“Oh, I actually want to see if this can be applied to the Great Knowledge Tree. I want to build something like a cognitive firewall. This idea has been around for a while but hasn’t had a good lead. Natalie should also know that some information or knowledge carries cognitive hazards and can even be a contagious pollution, right?”
“A cognitive firewall… Oh!” Upon hearing what I said, Natalie immediately reacted and realized the significance of the matter, “So it’s such an important issue! You should have told me earlier! My verbal explanation doesn’t do it justice; I thought you were merely curious… I will look for my notes from when I studied sealing magic.”
“I remember that I should have recorded some information about the Self-Sealing Technique because this type of magic can also be applied to sealing one’s own items, abilities, skills, and so forth. It’s truly too abstract.”
“Ah?” After hearing what Sister Natalie said, I also found it quite abstract. Self-Sealing Technique… isn’t that akin to a conceptual god?
In the concept of self-sealing magic, if I think the whole world is a part of me, can’t I seal the entire world?
However… I feel that this should be quite improbable. After all, achieving this is incredibly challenging, and even if I wanted to do such a thing, there should be a more direct method—why go about it this way?
“It’s quite abstract, right? I’ll dig through my old stuff. It has been some time since I learned sealing magic, but I’ll try my best to help you find it; just wait a bit.”
“Hmm.”
I nodded, not saying anything too troublesome, but quietly waited.
During that time, I also took the opportunity to visit the three students brought by Natalie.
After all, I mastered some simple alchemical methods and just happened to want to learn a bit.
There was nothing embarrassing about this. From the moment Teacher Stasi could put her pride aside to request that I let her into my laboratory, I understood that true desire to learn should not be hindered by status.
Moreover, my relationship with Stasi is separated by an extraordinary level, while with the three of them, it’s merely a gap in status.
After discussing with them for a while, I also gifted them three Great Knowledge Seeds as a token of gratitude.
Currently, the Great Knowledge Tree is only known among the group of Extraordinary Mentors due to its terrifying effects and has not yet been widely circulated among students. Only a few related students received it, like those from the All-purpose Association and a few that I gifted.
I estimate that once the information grading of the Great Knowledge Seeds is completed and my Seed Cultivation Technique breaks through again, I will conduct small-scale tests and eventually promote it to the entire school.
I even haven’t given the Great Knowledge Seeds to those from my former dorm.
At that time, I thought it would be better to wait until the Great Knowledge Seeds completed their updates and iterations, specifically the completion of information grading.
However… upon reflection, it actually doesn’t seem necessary.
Every moment in life has its own opportunities. I estimate that my chances of contacting them again in the future will not be many, but I have promised not to forget them. At the very least, I value that promise.
After all, this dormitory was something I worked hard to establish, from the initial Dongli Yiren I took over from that senior, to the adjusted Guan Qiuling, and finally to the purist Hong Chanyi, and lastly the faith-centric recluse Yu Yatian.
One by one, they are all interesting characters.
At this moment.
After teaching them how to use the Great Knowledge Seeds, I left them first. After all, they still had assignments assigned by Natalie, and I felt bad interrupting them again.
While waiting, I also tried to understand the materials related to the Self-Consciousness Sealing Technique in the academy library. Though the content was scarce, it helped me understand what this Self-Consciousness Sealing Technique truly is.
The more I learned, the more I found that this magic indeed seemed very fitting to be included in the cognitive firewall system of the Great Knowledge Tree!
Additionally, I discovered that not only the Self-Consciousness Sealing Technique but there are also other sealing techniques that are quite interesting!
For instance, within the Self-Sealing Technique, there is a typical case on how to define an external object as falling within the “self” category. However, the book did not record how the witch who conducted the experiment managed to do that. She classified an **Extraordinary Item** as belonging within her self-owned domain, and then used the self-object sealing technique to seal the “side effects” of that **Extraordinary Item**, allowing it to achieve effects without any cost!
Then, upon turning the page, I discovered that this case was fabricated…
She couldn’t actually categorize an external object as belonging to herself, but she sealed the side effects the **Extraordinary Item** had on herself, effectively sealing the side effect indirectly.
Alright… that is indeed a brilliant thought process. There really are no true difficulties in the world, only solutions that one hasn’t thought of.
I admire this witch who stops at nothing to achieve her goal. She isn’t confused by the essence of the problem but instead focuses on the fundamental issue causing her distress and solves it from both her needs and the abilities she possesses.
Then, I waited for over an hour. It looked like Sister Natalie truly had a plethora of books.
This reminded me of a rumor I heard earlier somewhere.
Most of the library in the Witch Academy is open to students. Even the so-called grading is not meant for the Extraordinary Mentors to see.
Every Extraordinary Mentor has their own mobile library containing mysterious knowledge inaccessible to students.
Sister Natalie must be in such a situation, I think.
I can sense that at this moment, Natalie is no longer in the alchemy room, likely in another space.
Witches have very long lifespans; they experience myriad things throughout their lives, acquire vast knowledge, and witness many events.
Thus, travel experiences, study notes, rare and out-of-print publications, and even accounts of civilizations after a world’s destruction can become their collections.
With this in mind, I suddenly realized the necessity of establishing good relationships with those extraordinary witches, as each one of them is a treasure trove of undeveloped knowledge!
If I could enter their storage areas to see with my own eyes, I can’t even imagine what that scene would be like.
Just as I pondered this, Natalie came up, dragging a large box.
“Xiao Han, this should be about it.”
With a thud, Natalie set the big box down on the floor and then cast a sealing spell to unlock it, opening the lid.
“Inside are the notes I left when I self-studied sealing magic.” Natalie couldn’t help but pat the dust off the top and, with a cleaning spell, cleared away all the dust. “There are quite a few; for convenience at the time, I made simple records in a categorized manner in each notebook. Now I’ve almost forgotten which notebook contains what. Should we search together?”
“Sure.” I nodded and agreed to Natalie’s suggestion.
Actually, with so many books, I could directly use the Earth Vein Identification Technique to record information from all the books.
However, this can be considered Natalie’s hard work, and such a “hasty” action would also show disrespect toward her efforts.
Of course, there’s also the fact that holding these tangible notebooks and books feels genuinely different.
Moreover, I’m not in a hurry now; slowing down the pace of life isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
So, Natalie and I, two (young) witches, spent quite some time categorizing the contents from that large box.
“Ah! In the blink of an eye, so much time has passed.” Natalie picked up a notebook and patted it for nonexistent dust, then sighed.
To ensure that ordinary paper items like these notebooks and books last longer, each in this collection is maintained with spell runes to guarantee the paper quality, preventing it from oxidizing, weathering, getting eaten by bugs, and so on over time.
“By the way, Sister Natalie, have you ever thought of backing up those notebooks and books into the Knowledge Tree?”
“Backup? That sounds like a hassle! My books might be far more than you expect, most are my personal records or research materials, and… never mind, mostly it’s just too bothersome.”
Natalie originally wanted to say that the feeling of holding physical books or notebooks can’t be compared to these simple data records, but realizing that Xiao Han merely suggested backing them up, she held her tongue. Deep down, she was also contemplating if she could backup those books that were on the verge of falling apart or even damaging.
Even if she no longer needed them, she wouldn’t want to let them deteriorate.
“Too bothersome? Then Sister Natalie can directly use the Earth Vein Identification Technique. The identified books can extract content information from the Earth Vein, and the information can be categorized with Knowledge Shadow, saving a lot of time.”
“Earth Vein Identification Technique can be used like that? Wait… you have that ability… Then why are we wasting so much time sorting through these old books?!” Natalie was initially stunned by my suggestion.
After all, she indeed hadn’t thought of directly acquiring book content through the Earth Vein Identification Technique, but once she realized Xiao Han clearly has that ability and is wasting time sorting through books she no longer wanted, it felt like finding trouble for no reason!
Xiao Han doesn’t seem like someone who has that much free time.
Moreover, for her, these books have only remained in the realm of collection and memory, and she doesn’t mind including them in the Great Knowledge Tree to share with Xiao Han; knowledge achieves its value when shared. She has no qualms about sharing her knowledge.
“Um… perhaps, I respect Sister Natalie’s hard work and the value of this book knowledge?”
“Knowledge only has value when it circulates and is shared!” Natalie schooled me, “However, it’s good that you didn’t hastily use the Earth Vein Identification Technique to acquire this knowledge. After all, not every witch is as selfless as I am. Many witches view that knowledge as their own wealth. If you were to acquire that knowledge rashly, it would be akin to stealing her wealth, and you would be held accountable. You should be cautious with other witches.”
“Hmm, I understand. In fact, my motivation was also out of this consideration. At least not doing it wouldn’t be a mistake,” I quickly agreed.
“Since that’s the case… then we don’t need to waste so much effort. You can directly record it.”
With Sister Natalie’s permission, I promptly processed the recording of the contents of these books while Natalie tirelessly recounted stories related to these notes.
“I still remember this one because I tested the sealing technique with it. When I tried it directly, I didn’t remember the unlocking key correctly, and it ultimately broke open with brute force, leaving some traces of a repair spell on it.”
“This one… wow~ the contents recorded in this book led me completely astray on the road of sealing magic. It’s a rather cursed sealing technique, a bizarre and convoluted method of reverse use, and at that time, I found it quite intriguing.”
But not long after, I had already recorded all the books.
“Hmm? You were that fast?”
“Yeah, pretty quick. After all, a lot of things just require efficiency.”
“That’s true, the faster you are with efficiency, the better. Since I’ve given you what you wanted, it shouldn’t be that troublesome. I hope my research can contribute to improving the Great Knowledge Tree. I must say, your Great Knowledge Tree’s abilities are really impressive!”
At this moment, Natalie couldn’t help but express her admiration. After all, the information gathered through the Earth Vein Identification Technique sometimes serves as an excellent tool for data recording and observation, primarily due to its convenience!
Not to mention it is unaffected by subjective factors and adds an observation dimension while observing, allowing for more data comparisons.
The most critical point is that the Earth Vein Identification Technique of the Great Knowledge Tree bypasses the process of “managing Earth Vein energy,” directly observing and obtaining information, leading to very low external interference with the Earth Vein and naturally resulting in more precise data.
Natalie believes that not only herself but also any witch who has experienced the Earth Vein Identification Technique must have personally experimented and compared its effects. This cross-era skill is simply an instrument born for extraordinary experiments!
Once this Great Knowledge Seed is popularized throughout the alchemy zone, it’s likely that the buildings in this area may need significant renovations, perhaps even additional techniques to stabilize the Earth Veins covering the entire alchemy zone.
After all, the more stable the Earth Veins in this area, the more accurate the data retrieved by the Earth Vein Identification Technique, resulting in lower interference rates.
No one would doubt the importance of this ability for the skill of alchemy.
“Let’s go; there’s still plenty of time left. For today, let’s start working together on the foundational characteristic tests of your Knowledge Power. After that, I can also begin the first phase of transforming the Box of Books.”
“Hmm, okay.”
