Chapter 860: Principal: How many papers could be written on this!
“Xiao Han, not every witch studies the Soul Great Topic or the essence of soul material.”
At that moment, Sister Bai quietly reminded me in a voice only I could hear.
“Um… it was my oversight…”
After all, my research on soul material… isn’t that extensive. My focus has mostly been on my own soul research.
I really hadn’t considered the fragility of soul material represented by a living person.
However, I have seen how a regular person dies, and I’ve even used this method to compete for soul material with the cycles of earth veins.
But… not everyone possesses “Mimetic Soul” and “Soul Drawing” techniques similar to mine.
Even I, developing these techniques, borrowed power from the Great Spellbook.
Although my Grand Wisdom Enlightenment Spell has been dismantled for now, the power it represents still maintains some connection with me, so the related techniques can still be utilized.
“Two sisters~ can I give it a try too? I have some means that can help me understand this student’s situation more intuitively.” I approached the two witches and called them sisters, and this address proved to be quite effective.
“Fine… but don’t mess around.”
“Mm! I absolutely won’t mess around!” I immediately promised.
After all, for techniques involving detachment of soul material, my mastery of the “Reincarnation Rebirth” spell and its derived other applications is enough.
Mimetic Soul and Soul Drawing are methods used later on regarding soul material, but as I’m currently unaware of the situation, I can’t rashly draw conclusions.
After taking over the experiment platform, I quickly displayed some professional qualities. After all, I’ve spent time in various laboratories; even though most of the time I acted on my own, this kind of temperament has been subtly cultivated.
So after taking over, the power of the Reincarnation Rebirth spell quickly detached Shi Ruizhi’s soul material, and the body of Shi Ruizhi on the operation table soon quieted down, leaving only the instinctual reactions of the body. However, the bodily anomalies led by the essence of life also promptly slowed down, leaving only some residual undying essence torturing her flesh.
With the success of my technique, the two witches’ eyes were filled with surprise!
They were momentarily unable to comprehend the method I applied.
After all, a Reincarnation Rebirth spellbook is something even Principal Mei does not possess, and naturally, the other techniques derived from it are even harder to identify.
However… what is even more astonishing is the current state of Shi Ruizhi in soul material!
Generally speaking, the state of soul material reflects the original state of the living body; it’s an inert posture arising from self-awareness and belongs to instinct. Even subjective consciousness struggles to alter the posture of soul material.
But now, Shi Ruizhi’s soul material has completely lost the concept of “human”!
It resembles an almost chaotic mass, with limbs, head, and torso… only vaguely identifiable as having “humanoid” characteristics, while her facial area is entirely chaotic.
“This is… Shi Ruizhi’s soul material? Such a twisted posture!” Seeing this soul material, the two witch sisters couldn’t help but speak up.
“My self-generated magic experiment absolutely could not distort a person’s soul material to this extent!” Witnessing this state of soul material reinforced my conviction.
“So… is someone trying to frame you, Xiao Han? Who would have the guts to hinder your experiment? I remember the principal seems quite concerned about this matter…”
“I don’t know… whether it’s framing or not… but ultimately, the victim is just a student…” I sighed helplessly.
“It’s okay, if it’s not your oversight, when this matter is investigated, we’ll help you!”
At that moment, the two witches actively came forward to assist me.
“Thank you, sisters.” I expressed my gratitude politely.
However… there remains a significant issue before everyone present, including the witches.
What should be done about Shi Ruizhi’s soul material?
For a moment, the room fell silent. The two witches had limited research on the realm of the essence of life, after all, they were just here to lend a hand, and in their eyes, Xiao Han… was still just a little witch; what could she do?
“Should we call over some witches? I know a sister who has made great contributions to the Soul Great Topic.”
“But this student is in soul material state; the parts of the Soul Great Topic that relate to soul material are just the earlier stages of soul sublimation, and afterward, it’s all about exploring the branches of the essence of the soul,” one witch retorted.
“That’s better than just staring blankly, right?”
“How about I take over? I have some research on soul material…” I suggested.
“Xiao Han, if you’re not confident, it’s best not to act. If you accidentally k*ll this student… it might be impossible to explain, since from a third-party perspective, it looks like you committed m*rder to silence her…”
“Yeah, from the academy’s side, someone might cling to this matter.”
“Thank you for the advice, sisters. However, I am quite confident in my skills; at least I won’t cause a d*ath…” I reassured, knowing I still had the safety net of my Soul Drawing technique, but… I had only tested this technique on experimental animals and hadn’t much used it on real people.
In the instance realm, many experimental little white mice had sacrificed their lives for this.
“I hope… that’s the case. If it really doesn’t work out, I could help you bear this blame, um… then you’ll owe me a favor~”
Just as this witch spoke, a figure suddenly appeared in the medical room, silently manifesting there, and at that moment, no one even noticed her arrival.
“Ahem… scheming such things in front of the principal isn’t good, is it?”
“Mm? P-principal!” The voice instantly astonished most of the people present and the two witches.
“Sister Mei?” I turned around in surprise upon realizing the appearance belonged to her, “Your… clone?”
“Of course, if it weren’t a clone, would you expect me to come personally? Xiao Han… can’t you save me some trouble?” Principal Mei’s tone carried a hint of helplessness.
“Sister Mei~ this really isn’t my fault. You know my techniques, this accident doesn’t appear to be caused by me at all, does it?” I feigned a wronged demeanor as I spoke.
“However, you can’t deny that this happened during your experiment, can you?” Principal Mei adopted a “business-like” attitude when addressing me.
“This… is indeed hard to refute…” I murmured.
While I could exonerate myself by claiming I wasn’t present, this reasoning held no significance, and it would be equivalent to directly shifting the blame onto Yi Rui.
I can’t do that right now.
After all, Yi Rui is also one of my few friends.
“I’ll step in and handle this. Xiao Han, you need to be more settled lately and avoid causing anymore incidents,” Principal Mei warned, her tone laced with another emotion.
While others might not detect it and might find it slightly odd, I, with my heart sense, and Sister Bai, clearly understood the true meaning of her words.
It meant that the principal would take full charge of the investigation, suggesting her serious concern for this “insignificant” issue within the academy was quite apparent.
Also, it implied another matter, that the principal believes this is not our fault and is willing to help us uncover the truth. She was also reassuring me not to rush or do anything extreme.
Of course… “be more settled” was also a warning to me; after all, given the major events that had just occurred in the expanding realm, returning to the academy and stirring up trouble would show a lack of awareness.
She, as a principal, would become a tool witch specifically cleaning up after me.
“Um… understood…” I cooperatively lowered my head, acknowledging my “mistake,” “but… what should be done about this student Shi Ruizhi?”
“This one… is indeed a hassle.” Mei Linde looked at the girl whose soul material had detached from her body, glancing at her soul material state, I must say this situation is troublesome.
In the past, studies on the essence of life were termed “forbidden experiments,” and even now, it isn’t a light matter.
If this were merely a simple loss of soul material, it could still be remedied, but this was a targeted measure specifically against the properties of soul material, erasing some characteristics that define her as “human.” This is absolutely irreparable.
As the saying goes, destruction is always much simpler than reconstruction; this phrase applies here as well.
“You two have certainly worked hard, so I’ll take over here. Also… if you’re free, you can head back early.” Principal Mei Linde addressed the two witches, then turned to Yi Rui and the others following behind.
“Alright then~ since you personally came, there’s naturally nothing for us to do~”
The two witches were quite “understanding” and departed. There was no point in them staying; after all, they were merely passing by to watch the fun and lend a hand.
“Then… goodbye, Principal…” Yi Rui wanted to say something, but restrained herself, finally saying farewell and preparing to leave.
“Mm, goodbye… wait, Xiao Han! You, stay.” Principal Mei’s face wore a warm smile toward the students, but when she noticed I was about to leave too, her tone abruptly changed.
“Um… oh.”
I froze and turned around, thinking that I was off the hook…
With me staying behind, Sister Bai also refused to leave, while Principal Mei didn’t dismiss Bai Yu.
After closing the door, Mei Linde snapped her fingers, and the entire Special Care Room was sealed off in various senses. However, from the outside, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
“Xiao Han, do you know why I’ve kept you here?”
“Uh… to seek justice?”
“Seeking justice! You can’t possibly tell me this is the mess you’ve created, right?” Mei Linde said with annoyance.
“Absolutely not! This definitely isn’t my fault! Um… so what is it?” I curiously inquired.
“While I, too, focus on branches of the Soul Great Topic, I really find this state of soul material quite hard to handle…”
“Sister Mei, you also study the Soul Great Topic?” I widened my eyes, focusing on this point.
“That’s not the main issue…” Mei Linde shook her head, “The girl named Shi Ruizhi, the soul material is what you extracted, right? If I hadn’t come just now… were you about to start attempts at repairing her?”
“Um…”
“Speak boldly; it’s alright. The main reason I kept you here is to ask you this question. If you really can’t handle it, I’ll just have to use my method.” Mei Linde expressed her helplessness, “My method would involve metamorphic incubation…”
“Can metamorphic incubation cure issues regarding the essence of life?!”
“Of course not.” Mei Linde shook her head, “But I can keep her in a continuous incubation state. This state will prevent her from further deteriorating. If I later make a breakthrough on this spell, maybe I could save her, but not right now.”
“Um…”
“Xiao Han, didn’t you have many other means before? Reincarnation Rebirth, Mimetic Soul, Soul Drawing… that’s about it, right? If there’s any technique that’s inconvenient to make public, I could avoid it.”
“Ah?” I looked at the principal incredulously, having difficulty imagining these words coming from her.
“Does that mean none of them are viable?”
“Ah? Oh! No… that’s not it.” I quickly reacted, “I think, considering her current state, the only hope lies in Soul Drawing… but… I haven’t perfected this technique for long, and I haven’t really used it on people before. Using it on her… I can’t be sure if she’ll still be herself afterward. Moreover… in that case, her soul material’s essence might even spiral into becoming a spirit.”
“……” Mei Linde turned around, looking directly at me, “Do you have any idea how many shocking things you just said?”
“Ah? What did I just say?”
“First of all, without a doubt, for Shi Ruizhi, she’s already beyond saving, as per my perspective. You say you can save her, but the price is uncertain whether she will still be herself. From the vantage of life interpretation, soul material hasn’t changed; this is her, merely without memories or memory disturbances.”
Saying this, Mei Linde took a deep breath before continuing: “Furthermore… you mentioned you would elevate her essence of life into a soul. You’ve bypassed the rules of soul sublimation from the Soul Great Topic, directly attempting to elevate her from a non-extraordinary state to a soul…”
“So…?”
“Do you… do you realize that pulling any of those aspects out will be enough for me to write numerous papers that could be collected by the Grand Library of the Witch World!”
Principal Mei stared at me, her expression combining irritation and amusement as I remained blissfully unaware.
