Chapter 810: A Minor Interlude Brought by the Curse of Misfortune
“Indeed, it’s self-generated magic. This is the first time I’ve seen self-generated magic in such a primitive state.”
At this moment, Principal Serena Palizel stood in front of Yi Rui, looking at her with interest and commenting.
For an academy head like her, it was hard to pique her interest unless it was something truly unique.
And this state of self-generated magic was undoubtedly something fresh and new to her.
It was something she had never encountered before.
“But this self-generated magic is still too weak.” Principal Serena shook her head and said, then her gaze shifted to Tan Han, who was watching from the side, before finally landing on me. “This should still be an incomplete stage, right?”
“Yes, there’s a perfection ritual that is still in the exploratory phase.” I quickly explained.
“A perfection ritual… interesting.” Serena’s gaze shifted to the light displays and data being presented at that moment; although she couldn’t understand it, she could analyze the general process.
Just as Principal Serena was keenly understanding the self-generated magic shaping technique, a sudden unexpected event occurred on my side.
Just now, my Great Knowledge Tree received a communication from Millien.
However, at that time, I was busy with Yi Rui’s structural ritual, so I didn’t connect immediately. Now that the call had ended, I simply sent a brief text in reply and did not pay much attention to it.
Now, Millien also replied with a text about the current situation.
The procurement of soul material encountered obstacles; the value of such a precious extraordinary material and the channels for its circulation were far more troublesome than I had anticipated.
Moreover, my procurement timing was too delayed; before the Expanding Realm closed, these resources had already been allocated, and precious resources wouldn’t circulate. The resources available in the outside world were all of very ordinary types.
“Is this a joke played on me by the curse of misfortune in such a short span of time…” I thought helplessly.
I originally thought this matter would be straightforward… and did no one in such a large support group want to deal?
All I needed was the soul material needed to complete the soul drawing of those over a hundred Fool Dreams.
After briefly describing my situation to Millien, I set that issue aside for now.
Since the matter had hit a snag, there was no immediate solution even if I was anxious.
It was better to focus on the current problem.
Since Yi Rui had completed the structural ritual, she could now attempt the perfection ritual just like Tan Han.
Principal Serena Palizel was also very interested in the perfection ritual.
Of course, her interest was only superficial; once she discovered that the shaping ritual was beyond her understanding, she did not intend to delve deeper.
As she said when she arrived, she was just an onlooker, more concerned about the progress of the self-generated magic and its performance.
Not every witch is eager to understand and learn upon encountering something novel.
Thus, after Principal Serena thoroughly understood Yi Rui’s perfection ritual, she left.
The principal departed swiftly, like a spectator satisfied after watching a play.
With her departure, the atmosphere in the laboratory became much more relaxed.
Yi Rui was still utilizing the perfection ritual, and she was using the latest version currently being used by Tan Han.
From Principal Serena’s expression at the time, she seemed quite satisfied with the efficiency of this ritual.
Meanwhile, the other sisters were busy organizing data and chatting about the experiment.
With Yi Rui’s second successful case, each of them was very excited.
If Tan Han was merely a coincidence proving that their path was correct, then Yi Rui’s success was genuine hope!
So they were indeed quite serious about collecting and organizing the information gathered during the recent experiment.
“Speaking of which, Sister Xiao Han, during the experiment earlier, the collar on your neck exploding really scared us. What was that all about?”
Now that the principal was no longer watching, the young girls had less hesitation and brought up something they were very curious about.
“Oh, it’s just an alchemical item that suppresses the curse of misfortune. Did I mention it to you? I severed the Earth Vein Shackles in advance, but I haven’t ascended to extraordinary yet, so I couldn’t resist the curse of misfortune imposed by the world, and ultimately had to rely on alchemical items for suppression.”
“Is that so?” Many were shocked at my explanation, though it seemed they had grown used to my doing unconventional things.
“Well, after all, that collar had been in use for quite a long time, constantly countering the curse of misfortune imposed by the world. Its durability probably ran out. I already have a new one, right?” I shook the woven bracelet on my hand. It was a special alchemical item and had quite a bit of age to it.
“Something given by the principal herself… But it feels like it doesn’t quite fit your style, Sister Xiao Han~”
“I somewhat feel that way too, but compared to such trivial matters, my life is more important. You have no idea how sinister the curse of misfortune is.”
“Really?”
“Of course! If I don’t suppress the curse of misfortune, I might trip while walking, or get hit on the head by decorative lamps in a coffee shop. Although these accidents might not k*ll me, just thinking about facing such troublesome matters all day long can mess with the mind.”
“Ah? That’s so scary! Just hearing about it makes my scalp tingle. This isn’t your personal experience, right?”
“I suppose you could say that? But I didn’t experience too many unfortunate events since I wore that alchemical collar early on~” I shrugged and replied nonchalantly. Everyone just listened for amusement.
So I briefly chatted with them about this aspect of gossip, and the matter passed like that.
Before long, I also awaited Millien’s arrival in the laboratory.
After the principal left, I let Millien come to the laboratory to discuss the matter regarding soul crystals.
This situation felt strange in many ways, and I was reasonably suspicious that it might be a lingering effect of the curse of misfortune.
After all, there are countless ways for this world to make things difficult for a person!
Fortunately, the equipment and layout of the laboratory were quite professional; otherwise, I might have endured the “punishment” of these things, such as light fixtures falling or stubbing my toe on the corner of a desk.
Just thinking about it sent shivers down my spine.
“Millien, over here.” I beckoned and led Millien to my lab cubicle, as the matter we were about to discuss was quite personal.
Although I didn’t mind the other sisters knowing—otherwise, I wouldn’t have chosen to meet Millien in the lab—if the others found out, there would undoubtedly be many uncontrollable factors, considering the network of relationships gathered in this laboratory… Heh.
Even though they generally didn’t interact much with other students and weren’t really the type of scholars thriving in the academy, no one wanted to provoke them.
In fact, many students wanted to curry favor with them!
Let’s not forget what they were studying.
Magic!
Derivation!
They could even shape extraordinarily high-consumption derived spells reaching thousands of points!
Who would dare to provoke that?
I casually closed the door and pulled over a chair for Millien while I nonchalantly sat on another one.
“Let’s talk about what’s going on regarding the soul crystals.” I spoke plainly.
“Alright.” Millien also sat down to start explaining, “This time I returned to collect the soul crystals according to your suggestions, Sister Xiao Han, but I found that we underestimated the rarity of soul crystals. The concept of soul crystals is entirely different from those extraordinary crystal mines. In the past, there was no possibility of obtaining soul crystals through conventional mining channels in the Expanding Realm. The people holding soul crystals are basically strong upperclassmen or teaching assistants, and they almost never let go of such things…”
Millien spoke at length in one breath, also analyzing the current situation for me.
In essence, soul crystals were very precious, with no purchasing channels; everyone was waiting for their value to rise or keeping them for their own use.
Millien had tried to procure them at any cost, but still could only acquire a small amount.
“The support group… they don’t want to help either…” I casually asked.
“Sister Xiao Han, I still hope you don’t place too much hope in the support group. After all, it’s just a loose organization. If we touch upon their core interests, it could easily lead to…”
“I naturally understand this principle, so I’ve never had high expectations for the support group.” I silently added in my heart, all I need is for it to be useful.
The support group was a huge yet “virtual” concept I had built within the Witch Academy; they existed somewhere between existence and non-existence.
When I needed them to act on my behalf, such as creating a buzz online for the academy, they were willing to do so in my name; however, once I touched upon their true interests, they would disperse into thin air.
Perhaps among so many people, there truly were some who supported me, but for the majority, it was still for their own benefit.
The support group was a handy weapon that allowed me to gain a high ground in public opinion and prestige within the Witch Academy; the key lay in how to use it effectively.
If used correctly, it would yield results; attempting to squeeze benefits without giving anything in return was like trying to hold water in your hands—the more pressure, the more it would seep out.
Moreover, I was well aware that there were many family members within my support group; after all, most members who could navigate the Witch Academy were from families, forming a vast network, and they didn’t even need to infiltrate to claim to be part of the support group.
“What are you planning to do, Sister Xiao Han?”
“For the time being, let’s not worry about it. Didn’t you say you could get a small portion of soul crystals? Just bring them all over.” After all, the vast amount of soul material I needed was meant for all the Fool Dreams, but for the experiments, it ultimately fell on the three little Fool Dreams following me.
The amount needed was only four or five portions: three for research, and one or two as backup.
Moreover, I had collected soul crystals before; I had gathered quite a few at the place where the Earth Veins converged. Therefore, the quantity required to support the smooth progress of the experiments wasn’t very large.
“Alright then.” Millien was taken aback by my response. She thought I would be angry or push back but instead chose to compromise?
“The large quantity of soul crystals I need is for other matters, but a small amount is sufficient for the experiment. I can’t be bothered with them over trivial matters; these small issues won’t hinder my experimental progress. You continue negotiating with them to see what they really need.”
“I understand.” Millien nodded in acknowledgment but felt a continual sense of wonder reflected in her heart; indeed, Sister Xiao Han was someone who wouldn’t care about many things for the sake of the experiments.
“However, I do have a rough idea of what they might need. Once I decided to collect soul crystals, the news spread instantly. Even during this time, the All-purpose Association approached me.”
“Oh? Do tell me about the All-purpose Association. Did they reach out to you on their own?” I asked with interest.
The All-purpose Association was a rather contradictory group since it wasn’t driven by the will of a single family but was a product of cooperation among students from many families.
Because of this chaos, the All-purpose Association currently seemed to have divided into two major directions: one side still leaning toward the “conservatives” of the Witch Academy, while the other teetered on the edge, ready to be “recruited” by families from other extraordinary academies at any moment.
My journey to Monopeng City had also made me aware of the schemes of other families; they were still looking to leverage the influence of families around the Witch Academy to obtain fragments of “Extraordinary Knowledge.”
“It was a sister from the support group who took the lead for me…” Millien felt a bit regretful recalling it. After all, she had once been a member of the All-purpose Association.
But since she began following me, everything changed.
Yet she had no regrets about her choice.
Millien carefully recounted the process to me until ultimately, the All-purpose Association expressed their willingness to part with this batch of soul crystals, but they wouldn’t accept any form of universal currency or extraordinary materials as payment.
They hoped to use this batch of soul crystals to recover the Heart of Cold Wave that originally belonged to them.
This was quite an interesting proposal; to some extent, the All-purpose Association indeed was the former owner of the Heart of Cold Wave, but they had failed to protect it, allowing it to become a trophy I seized from a player.
Back then, they had obtained my promise not to transfer it to anyone else, especially not to Tan Han.
Now, seizing this opportunity, they hoped to recover the Heart of Cold Wave in this manner.
This was quite a conscientious offer, considering they had been very clean-cut in the past, not trying to haggle with me over any trivial matters, and now were willing to give up something of extremely high value to reclaim it.
I saw no reason to refuse.
I originally thought this matter would be very troublesome, but I didn’t expect it to be resolved so quickly.
“The Heart of Cold Wave, huh? Very well, I agree.” I said quite readily.
“What?!”
Upon hearing my decisive agreement, Millien was immediately shocked; according to the original development, wouldn’t Sister Xiao Han have refused on the spot?
She stared in disbelief at the Heart of Cold Wave that I took out and handed to her.
“Surprised? This item holds no value for me; this is just one of its fragments. Only when all are gathered does it hold true value, and as for the Heart of Cold Wave… I have two.” I said, taking out another Heart of Cold Wave.
“The precious things are always the last one; the final say remains with me, and this extra piece can also help me resolve my pressing issues, so it’s worth it.”
“Two… two pieces?!”
“Yes, it’s the last Heart of Cold Wave among those twelve that the families are searching for.” I acknowledged quite openly; it didn’t matter to me.
“By the way, the Heart of Cold Wave in your hands is very precious; the families will pay a great price for it, even far beyond its intrinsic value. After all… this is the Heart of Cold Wave I have in hand, and it is the most difficult one to obtain within the Witch Academy, so it carries a high additional value. So please strive to negotiate its worth for me. I only need soul crystals; the rest, I won’t get involved.”
