Chapter 656: Understanding of Totem Studies
Sister Trix left.
The noise of the tavern became the main melody of the moment; no one realized that conversations had taken place here during this time.
I also stood up, holding the coin.
Having spent such a brief time with Sister Trix, even I was somewhat surprised by the information she revealed to me.
Even now… I still feel a bit dazed.
The main issue remains the Fortune Seed; it is still with me, and that is what gives me a headache.
Does that mean all my previous efforts have been in vain?
“To question the significance of past efforts based on the current results, don’t you think that’s boring?”
“That’s true… at least I’ve expressed my choice to the world.” After being reminded by the Knowledge Shadow, I managed to clarify a lot of things in my heart.
Many things can only be understood through personal experience; the same applies to past occurrences.
Even if I had known the truth of this moment back then, I would still have unhesitatingly made the same choice. Since I have no regrets, there’s no need for self-doubt now.
“So, how is it? In the end, we circled back, right? You know what I’m talking about.” At this moment, the Knowledge Shadow spoke again.
“Mm-hmm, maybe.”
I casually responded twice and then left the place.
I had initially planned to spend the night here, but after experiencing this incident, even though I had understood many things, I still chose to step outside and enjoy the night breeze to calm my thoughts.
After feeling the night wind, I indeed calmed down a lot.
The main emotion that had troubled me earlier was still related to Fortune; it was just too haunting.
Of course, there was also the awareness of the Main World, which felt disgusting.
However… once I accepted the concept of “What I want to do is none of your business,” I quickly gained clarity.
When the levels are different, the weak have no choice; presently, I am weak and have no choice, I acknowledge that.
Then when I become strong, you will have no choice either; you must acknowledge that, which is fair.
This isn’t me accepting external judgment standards; it never has been!
I am just repaying the other side in this way. If the other side can endure in silence, I might even develop respect for her; if the other side gets anxious, then she deserves it.
“Ah~ It seems I forgot to ask one thing. I really don’t know what the world consciousness is. If I become strong in the future… I must make that world consciousness work hard for me.”
Having made this determination secretly, I took out the Box of Books and flew swiftly in the night sky while absorbing the nutrients of knowledge to fill the emptiness of the night.
The only solace of the night was that thankfully I still had a clone in the bed accompanying Sister Bai…
Time passed slowly, and a new day quietly arrived in the darkness. With a ray of sunlight shining down from the distance, it announced that a new day had indeed come.
I rarely closed the book in my hands, watching the sunrise. Although this was a normal and regular natural phenomenon, it still contained countless intentions.
Perhaps it represented a new beginning, or it might welcome unknowns…
Of course, my many sentiments today naturally had reasons; after traveling in the Expanding Realm for such a long time and witnessing so many sunrises and sunsets, why was this time so profound?
Because I had spent the entire night studying Totem Studies.
This knowledge of Totem Studies had been warned about by several Witch Sisters, which was enough to demonstrate its difficulty.
And I chose to start learning it now primarily because many things had already reached a conclusion for me.
Rune Literature, Soul Drawing Arts, Wisdom Endowment Techniques, even Fortune.
If I had to say there were still urgent matters… it seemed there were none, so interacting with some new knowledge in this state was actually a very good choice.
The concept of Totem Studies is very ancient, and according to the information I have gathered, the concept of totems is considered the enlightening phase on the path of researching the extraordinary in life.
This also means totem studies preceded the rune system.
Moreover, the book depicted the original appearance of totems using various world examples. The original form of totems was viewed as symbolic patterns. For newly born and ignorant life, totems also represented a mysterious worship of the extraordinary.
Most would be made into totem poles for worship.
With the birth of this act, totems and rune systems diverged.
Totems represent the objective mystery of the void and the reverence for life.
Worship represents life’s understanding of the unknown and the rites performed.
This ritual is interpreted and utilized by life, while runes are the subjective interpretation and depiction of extraordinary power.
However, because of differing angles of interpretation, the responses obtained are also different. Therefore, as the rune system has developed to this point, new rune concepts continue to expand.
And this discovery will persist for a long time, as there are countless angles to interpret the unknown.
However, it seems Totem Studies has “stagnated in development”; it interprets mystery with mystery and describes the unknown with the unknown.
Yet even now, Totem Studies still has profound guiding significance for Rune Literature.
Some books even describe Totem Studies as a discipline that studies and understands the roles totems play in related systems such as spells, magic, life, and social structure.
Moreover, there is an extraordinary system closely related to Totem Studies, which is the mysticism of the extraordinary realm.
In fact, when trying to understand the definition of Totem Studies, I was equally perplexed; Totem Studies runs through every corner of the extraordinary system, yet I did not notice the presence of totems in spells…
However, after going through most of the materials on Totem Studies, I began to understand the reason.
General spells are established on the rune system, but that doesn’t mean these spells have nothing to do with totems.
By tracing back the origins of the spell, one can discover the influence of totems on that spell.
The existence of spells cannot simply rely on Totem Studies for support, but the rune structure within spells can indeed receive enhancement from totems.
In these research books, I came across a very vivid metaphor.
If a spell is like a sentence made up of runes, then the act of “tracing back” is about fully understanding the meaning of that sentence, analyzing the grammar of that sentence, the context of application, the meaning expressed, and the expected feedback, etc.
And the enhancement by totems is like translating this sentence below with the “totem” language, along with annotations.
The meaning expressed by this sentence is the rune system, while the annotations below are the totem system.
Combined, it is: a spell ceremony with added totems.
The reason spells cannot be expressed using totems alone, just as a sentence cannot omit its subject and rely on annotations below to convey its meaning.
Because if that were the case, others wouldn’t understand the meaning of the sentence, corresponding to the case where the caster cannot release the spell based on their understanding of it.
Thus, the significance of Totem Studies for spells is one of “enhancement,” not the subject.
Unless we are not life but the void itself, otherwise we cannot comprehend the full meaning of totems.
Yet even so, totems are still a discipline revered by those pursuing higher limits. It is also a system with a higher ceiling than runes and has a broad future.
During this period, I also crafted a few palm-sized totem poles using some extraordinary materials, but according to what was recorded in those notebooks, none of these totem poles displayed a single hint of extraordinary power.
Even the most ordinary rune, when engraved somewhere and guided with extraordinary means, would trigger extraordinary power fluctuations, unless the rune was a composite meaningless rune.
These few totem poles did not respond at all, even when I guided extraordinary power.
This can only indicate one simple truth: totems are different from runes.
The fundamental way of thinking with runes is that extraordinary power condenses runes to produce effects; it is summarized and concluded.
Thus, clearly, totems do not comply with this method; they do not produce effects and cannot be summarized.
I flipped through the book roughly again but found no useful records for me; after all, these books on Totem Studies are all attached to the Rune Literature notebooks, and there is only so much content. Given my speed of learning and understanding, I could grasp it in just one night.
I estimate that Witch Belika and the others have certainly researched much more; from the failed records in the notebooks, it is evident she omitted many meaningless attempts and studies, ultimately recording some thought processes in these notebooks.
I have to say these thoughts have indeed inspired me a lot, and they also included many prototype drawings of totems.
However, in my brief study, in addition to absorbing the analogous ideas of “language,” “translation,” and “annotation,” I was thinking about other issues.
The most troubling thing about learning is preconceived notions; they become shackles we impose on ourselves.
Since the materials I have are products of research mishaps, continuing to follow them would be counterproductive.
So, these contents should only assist my understanding; once I comprehend them, I should discard them and establish my own cognitive system.
Since Sister Belika and the others have emphasized the importance of expressing talent, it indicates that conventional learning methods do not apply to Totem Studies.
Why not try a different approach?
Thus, after gaining a “superficial” understanding of Totem Studies, I prepared to construct a simple cognitive framework around it.
I planned to discard all analogies related to hieroglyphs, pinyin, and the like, and approach the relationship between totems and runes from a different angle.
After preliminary contact, I realized that the rune system seems similar to applied technology; once extraordinary power intervenes, it results in corresponding reactions.
So, what role do totems play?
Totems are more like a theoretical foundation; they provide guidance for applied technology but cannot exist independently.
Just like relying solely on formulas and theorems, we cannot directly create actual products; totems need to be combined with practice to realize their true value.
So, what is practice?
The rune system is the practice of totems, a manifestation of life understanding and applying the extraordinary.
Therefore, I define totems as… “knowledge.”
I define runes as “power.”
Knowledge should correspond to fields of knowledge, and power should have spaces to manifest. Based on my current “personal definitions,” expecting a reaction from totems under the intervention of extraordinary power is foolish.
Thus, what I need to try now are two directions: one is to attempt a “trace back” of spells, and the other is to understand how totems “form.”
Once I grasp these two aspects, I believe that will be the correct way to unlock Totem Studies.
Although it seems quite arrogant to hastily draw conclusions just after starting to study Totem Studies, can cautious, step-by-step research truly push the development of Totem Studies?
If one lacks confidence in doing something, how can they even think about having the motivation to practice?
Regardless of right or wrong, only through experiencing and practicing can one continually correct their path; no one can achieve it all without attempting anything.
Much like my Great Knowledge Tree, I have never fully grasped its “Extraordinary Knowledge”; I still do not fully understand it, but I am constantly exploring its characteristics in practice, continually improving it according to my expectations.
At this moment, I thought of many things, as if the accumulation from the past had pushed me forward at this moment, solidifying my choices.
“Sister Xiao Han? Hey—! Excuse me, are you Sister Xiao Han?”
With this call, I detached from my sense of time, and the swiftly flying broom gradually slowed down.
In the distance, a figure that I had pulled far away from my view slowly flew back into my line of sight.
“You are…” I only spoke after the person approached me, though I was quite surprised; I didn’t expect someone to notice my rapid flight in the Expanding Realm. What were the odds of that?
Moreover, I discovered that this person, like me, had white hair, and since she could call my name… it felt like I was encountering someone from my support team?
“Are you… really Sister Xiao Han?” Once the other person got closer, she wore a look of disbelief, “It shouldn’t be anyone impersonating you, right?”
“Unlikely, I don’t think anyone would impersonate me.” After saying this, I felt something was off.
“That’s not certain! That’s not important… Are you really Sister Xiao Han? I… I’m just too excited! I can’t believe I’m meeting you here! Do you remember me?” The girl looked at me with anticipation, as if praying I still remembered her.
Just as I was about to use the Earth Vein Identification Technique to see in which occasion I had met her unnoticed, I suddenly found this girl somewhat familiar…
“Luo Yun?”
“You really remember me! I’m so sorry, last time, I failed to recognize you and mistook you for another senior from the support team… I was pointed out by others after I posted it on the academy forum…”
The girl named Luo Yun covered her face in some embarrassment; during our first encounter, she hadn’t recognized her idol! Nothing could be more embarrassing than that!
She was nearly teased by those sisters so much that she wanted to find a hole to hide in!
“Sister Xiao Han, you really didn’t say a word that time…”
“But I also mentioned that if we met again, it would be fate, so you just didn’t seize the opportunity.”
“Right! Right! By the way… I remember you said that if we met again, could I leave a contact… Ah, I didn’t mean it that way; actually… actually…”
“Here, meeting in the vast Expanding Realm is indeed a form of fate.” I handed her a business card, as for its value… that’s for her to discover later.
At this moment, Luo Yun looked at the exquisite business card as if she might faint from joy; if she weren’t riding a broom in the sky with some instinct, she might have fallen.
“Thank you, Sister Xiao Han! Thank you! I… I actually got Sister Xiao Han’s business card! Ah…”
I watched the girl’s reaction and smiled with satisfaction. Through Heart Sense, I could feel the intense emotions and power emanating from her, which also provided me with new insights.
After she freely expressed her joyous emotions without holding back, Luo Yun finally realized her outburst.
“I’m sorry… I was just too excited!”
“I understand, so there’s no need to apologize.”
“Mm-hmm… um, Sister Xiao Han, may I ask where you’re going?”
“Back to Ninglan New City.”
“Can… can I go back with you? You don’t know how much has changed in Ninglan New City while you were away! Also, Sister Xiao Han, your support team is thriving in Ninglan New City! Um… do you need me to explain it to you?” Luo Yun immediately began to consider my needs eagerly.
“Sure, that would be great.
