Chapter 296: A Metaphor About the World

At this moment, I obediently followed the Academy Head.

Although I didn't know why she had found me, since she had taken the initiative, it meant I was in for more trouble.

But along the way, with such a prominent figure as the Academy Head, didn't any of the passing senior students even glance at her?

“It’s strange, isn’t it? They can’t see me.”

The Academy Head seemed to have noticed my confusion and took the initiative to bring up the topic.

“Mm…”

I nodded.

However, the Academy Head’s figure felt a bit illusory, yet at the same time, it felt real.

Was it another clone, or a form similar to an illusory clone?

“You should have noticed, right? The one who came to see you is a clone. I am very busy, especially now, so I can only meet you in this way. Can you guess what form this clone is in?”

“Uh… an illusory clone? But my Spirit Vision can see real information… could it be a derivative effect of the illusory clone, so others can’t see it?”

I guessed.

“No, the Illusory Clone spell sequence does not have the effect of creating a physical clone. It seems your symbiosis with the ability of Spirit Vision has made you unable to distinguish between the boundaries of false and true time. Otherwise, you should have been able to tell at first glance.”

“The clone exists in true time?!”

Hearing the Academy Head's answer, I quickly reacted.

“Yes, a clone created in true time. For students with Foresight and Imaging level Spirit Vision, they basically can't see my existence. Perhaps they might catch a fleeting glimpse, but most would think it's an illusion. It seems you yourself may not have realized the influence your innate Spirit Vision has on you.”

“Is that so…”

“It’s fine. I was just curious about some properties of innate Spirit Vision. Let's get back to the main topic. As compensation for my abrupt test on you, I will answer the questions you are currently facing.”

“Academy Head, didn’t you say you were very busy? Why are you still so leisurely explaining these things to me?”

“My main body is busy, but the clone is not. This clone was created for this purpose. Ask whatever questions you have.”

“Then can I ask why the Academy Head is so busy?”

I asked tentatively.

My intuition told me this might be related to the recent death in the Nightmare event.

“Fighting against the Abyssal Demons, a transcendent race that wants to invade the main world. I am currently dealing with their erosion. Do you need… me to tell you about the Abyssal Demons?”

“Mm.”

I nodded.

Many things were beyond my current level to access, but since I had the opportunity to learn, I naturally wouldn't give it up.

The more I knew, the more I could connect the dots and understand things.

“To make an analogy, the Abyssal Demons are actually similar to the elves of Aphrodite Academy or the transcendent wizards of the Wizard Academy—a complete transcendent race. Currently, the main world has four transcendent races in total, including the three great top-tier academies and the Witch Academy. The Abyssal Demons want to become the fifth, but we won't allow it. So they have chosen to use various means to attack by force. It just so happens that the script has appeared, so the game is being played out on the script…”

Following the Academy Head's explanation, I roughly understood the general situation of the main world I was in and information about the Abyssal Demons.

As expected, this world was not peaceful.

It was just that the form of conflict was not visible to ordinary people.

Ordinary people could only see the surface, a peaceful world…

“Then… this Nightmare event… the death, this kind of thing…”

“The difference is not much, it’s a bit complicated, how should I put it? There's a type of demon among the Abyssal Demons called… Nightmares. They are beings that can travel through places like the dream world with their main bodies. It’s a rule violation, right? Nightmares were the most hopeful beings to explore the boundary between dreams and reality before the appearance of the Soul Truth Witch. To this day, we still don’t know if Nightmares are life, or dream creatures assimilated by the Abyssal Demons.”

“So, this is all the work of the Nightmares?”

“Yes, they smelled the scent of destiny, so they entered the dream state. It was our negligence in protecting the main world’s dream state. But it's a pipe dream for them to invade the main world from the dream state through Nightmares. You can rest assured about that.”

“Mm.”

I nodded, but I couldn't feel reassured at all.

Weren't they already at our doorstep?

Perhaps even the Academy Head felt that this matter had gotten out of hand.

It was supposed to be a planned distribution of destiny, but it was interfered with by the Abyssal Demons.

“Then… Academy Head, you came to find me, it shouldn't be just to tell me these things, right?”

After learning about the existence of Nightmares, I roughly understood the situation.

Since the Academy Head had said that the Nightmare wouldn’t cause harm to people, then only the Nightmares could kill people.

So I stopped beating around the bush and got straight to the point.

I was very clear that the Academy Head had no obligation to come and educate me about various things.

It was highly likely that she wanted me to do something.

Don't forget about escaping the script… to escape the script, I needed to follow the Academy Head’s arrangements.

Actually, I had no choice, did I?

“Of course. Didn’t I just send you a text message? If you want to escape the script, this is a very good opportunity.”

“But… Academy Head, didn’t you say the way to escape the script was to sever the Earth Vein Chains?”

“It’s not a conflict, is it? I know you have many questions, such as what the Earth Vein Chains are, how to sever them, and what this has to do with going to the dream state. Just listen to me slowly. This is the reason I created this clone. This matter can only be explained to you in detail face to face.”

I nodded and didn't feel so anxious anymore.

After all, even the Academy Head wasn't in a hurry, so why should I be?

Calm down, and many things become that simple.

“Last time, I only briefly explained the concept of the Earth Vein Chains to you, but this is just a name. Although it is called a chain, it is also a form of protection for you. The Earth Veins carry the operation of the world, the flow of soul-substance. The flow of the world’s soul-substance represents the birth and death of life. Death, the soul-substance returns to the Earth Veins to circulate. New life, the Earth Veins condense soul-substance and bestow life. This is the most basic life cycle of the world’s operation. The Earth Vein Chains are equivalent to… the umbilical cord for you. That’s probably the metaphor. I hope you can understand.”

“It guarantees the necessary conditions for you to live in this world, and it is also proof of your relationship with this world.”

“From a developmental perspective, a person will eventually leave the mother's body and cut the umbilical cord. This represents severing the Earth Vein Chains and leaving one's own world. But just looking at the present, if you choose not to be born, that is, not to leave this world, then whether you cut the umbilical cord is not necessary.”

“The metaphor of the mother and the baby is just to hope you can understand your relationship with the world. If you don't cut the umbilical cord, it means you still have a connection with the mother's body, then the mother can have complete control over you. This control includes… life and death.”

“The world consciousness is analogous to the mother's consciousness. The script is similar to prenatal education, selecting the best child to be born. But not all children have the qualification for prenatal education. The Seed of Destiny is that qualification. Now you understand the situation of the script. The qualification for prenatal education is scattered, but only one will be born. In other words, everyone else will become nourishment for the one who survives to the end. Children who are not qualified to receive prenatal education should feel honored to even become nourishment, because without external help, those children can never leave this world.”

“So… the Child of Destiny is the only existence that has been approved by the world to leave the world?”

“Yes, but to correct you, it is an existence that must leave. Because that is the result of the world consciousness's choice. If it chooses you to go out, you have to go out and strive, not stay in the mother’s body and be a freeloader. That’s roughly the meaning.”

“So the Child of Destiny is the worker chosen by the world consciousness to provide for its old age? Then how does the world's consciousness ensure that the Child of Destiny, who is out of its control, will repay it?”

“So this requires doing a good job of prenatal education. This is the meaning of the script’s existence,” the Academy Head explained.

Similarly, it was precisely because of this that the Child of Destiny, as the child chosen by the world consciousness, the child's behavior could also influence the world consciousness's decision.

Mastering the Child of Destiny was the first step to changing the main world from a world of soul-substance to a world of soul essence.

But there was one more thing Mei Linde didn’t say, and that was what role people like them, who had invaded the main world and interfered with the script, played.

If one had to say… probably the bad guys?

Interfering with prenatal education, cultivating the world's children, they were responsible for providing resources, and ultimately controlling the Child of Destiny.

The world did not resist them, which represented a tacit approval.

This was equivalent to the world consciousness "selling its children," which was simply the act of an absolute villain.

Even as outsiders, the witches and other races and worlds had a deeper relationship, but these things could not be said directly.

“It seems we’ve gone a bit off-topic. Let’s talk about how to sever the Earth Vein Chains. The process of severing the Earth Veins is actually a process of gaming with the world consciousness. Only the Child of Destiny can leave the main world, that is through the approval of the world consciousness.”

“Others are equivalent to providing a living environment for the Child of Destiny. Just like you, your existence to the world consciousness is just equivalent to a self-circulating resource within the world’s body. Your departure represents a reduction in the world’s resources. The stronger you are, the more resources you take away, and the greater the resistance you will face. So if you want to leave, you need at least an equivalent exchange of resources from outside the world. But generally, the world consciousness will ask for more resources than you represent.”

“Must it be resources from outside the world?”

I asked, but I already had a rough answer in my heart.

“Of course. The resources you think you possess, to the world consciousness, all belong to her. This has no meaning. It’s like you taking your parents’ money and saying you want to redeem yourself. Will your parents agree? They won’t, because that was originally hers. Even you yourself are your parents’ asset. This is reality. This world is such an emotionless parent.”

“So troublesome? Then isn’t it impossible for me to do it?”

“So isn’t that what I’m here for? I will naturally help you with what I have promised. I will provide you with the resources sufficient for the world consciousness to make an exchange. Anyway, for me, it’s basically nothing worth mentioning.”

“Thank you, Academy Head.”

“It’s nothing. You don’t have to thank me, because compared to what you need to do yourself, these are nothing,” the Academy Head shook her head and continued.

“The world consciousness generally does not communicate with the outside world. Do you know what that means? It means that if you can’t communicate, you can’t exchange yourself out no matter how many resources you have, because it can’t understand that these resources are for exchanging with you. You need to obtain a… qualification to communicate with the world consciousness, even if it’s passive communication, even a noticed glance would do.”

“Then… is it also… so difficult for those graduating seniors to sever the Earth Vein Chains?”

“Of course not. For you, the graduating seniors are those who have achieved transcendent witch status. The transcendent level itself can do many things just by relying on the life level. Although they will still be blocked by the world when they want to leave this world, the world can understand their intention to leave. When you have proven your determination and paid the equivalent resources or price, the world consciousness will judge the pros and cons. As you offer more chips, until the world consciousness makes the choice to let you leave, this is a transaction. But you don’t have the qualification to do so. In the final analysis, it’s because your strength is not enough. This strength does not refer to combat power, but your life level has not yet reached the level to game with the world consciousness.”

The Academy Head patiently explained the reasons to me.

The principle sounded simple, and it was indeed so in practice.

But in the end, it was a game of qualifications.

Strength was the qualification to conduct this transaction.

I had no qualification, so I needed to pay more.

“Then… you can actually help me with this kind of thing, Academy Head?”

For example, if the Academy Head wanted to take me away from this world, the world's consciousness could also understand what the Academy Head wanted to do, but I didn’t ask it out loud.

“Yes, and with ease. But if you do that, you have to be prepared to bear the consequences.”

“Consequences? What consequences?”

I was a little surprised.

I didn’t expect the Academy Head to say it so directly.

“In that case, you will owe me an extra favor. Favors are hard to repay, you wouldn’t not know that, right? Now there’s a way in front of you that doesn’t require you to repay a favor. How will you choose?”

Hearing the Academy Head say this, I was stunned for a moment.

Just a favor?

But I quickly reacted.

The Academy Head had it all planned out.

It seemed like she was letting me strive for it myself, but she would definitely have me help her with something along the way, such as resolving this dispute over destiny?

If I chose the favor and had to repay it, the Academy Head might still ask me to help her with this matter.

It was the same destination by different routes… anyway, she had me cornered.

It was probably like me asking the Academy Head to help me sever the Earth Vein Chains, and I would be willing to do anything, but in the end, the Academy Head would have me rely on my own efforts to sever the Earth Vein Chains…

It was like letting me choose to be a tool person actively or passively…

“Alright… Academy Head, what do I need to do?”

I spread my hands and looked at the Academy Head, accepting this reality.

“It seems you see it very clearly. Intervene in the script, destroy the Abyssal Demons’ plan, and don’t let them obtain destiny. In the meantime, you’d better not obtain destiny yourself. This is what you need to do.”

“What if I accidentally obtain destiny?”

“Then die once and return the destiny. Leave the rest to me.”

“Die… die once?”

“It’s not a real death, just changing a body. Or are you still reluctant and attached to your current body?”

“Changing a body… this…”

“So you still have some concerns, right?”

“No, no.”

I shook my head.

I was a transmigrator, definitely not the type to care about my own body.

“It’s good that you don’t. If you’re really concerned, you won’t have to go through so much trouble if you just don’t touch destiny.”