Free Web NovelChapter 789: The Truth of the Destiny Layout
“Uh… Big Sis Bai told me…”
“Is that so?”
Although Academy Head Mei was equally surprised to receive this answer, she didn’t inquire further.
She merely glanced at Bai Yu and then looked back at me.
“Let’s answer that question of yours then. I’m not clear on those fellows’ little movements, but looking at their actions, they indeed want to gather that piece of [Transcendent Knowledge] together.”
“But… Why go through such great trouble? Has [Transcendent Knowledge] really become precious to that extent for them?”
Then… What about the many pieces of [Transcendent Knowledge] being researched by those witch sisters in the Witch Academy I learned about before?
“Xiao Han, have you seen too many good things and started thinking they aren't expensive? [Transcendent Knowledge] itself is a very precious resource, enough to make many people fight over it. It’s just that [Transcendent Knowledge] that can be successfully utilized and developed is even more precious, that’s all,” Academy Head Mei spoke.
“Uh… sorry… I truly hadn't thought about that…”
“It’s fine. But this matter is indeed as you said; it is very strange for a piece of already-shattered [Transcendent Knowledge] to be fought over again.”
“Could it be the Destiny stained upon it?”
I guessed.
This was the only possibility I could think of.
Otherwise, what other added value could it have?
“Destiny is only one of the factors, and it’s not the kind of value you envisioned either.”
Academy Head Mei shook her head, effectively negating my conjecture.
“Ah? Then what is it?”
The only factor I thought of was only one of them, and it wasn't even the value I envisioned?
Academy Head Mei’s words truly caught me by surprise.
“Do you really want to know, Xiao Han?”
“Mhm! Of course I do!”
I responded with a direct nod.
“Um… I should be allowed to know, right?”
“Of course Xiao Han can know, but there are deeper reasons involved in this. I need to explain it to you slowly.”
Academy Head Mei didn't look like she was hiding anything, she merely briefly described the complexity of the matter.
“Which entry point should I start from…… how about we start with this [Transcendent Knowledge] that has become fragments. Do you know why there is Destiny on it, Xiao Han?”
“Uh… I'm not quite sure. Could it be a method of a Destiny Alchemist?”
I shook my head to indicate I didn't know, and then gave a guessed answer.
“Humph humph I won’t deny that a powerful Destiny Alchemist might have such means, but those few in the Witch Academy… are very mediocre. They can’t do it. Destiny Alchemists only claim they can toy with destiny, but wanting to rely on destiny to achieve anything is a pipe dream.”
“Then how was it done?”
I followed up curiously.
“Because this Destiny was linked with this [Transcendent Knowledge] from the very beginning, because it belonged to the Main World’s original [Transcendent Knowledge] from the start.”
“Like that?”
Hearing this answer, I was first a bit startled, and then I slowly accepted it.
This reminded me of that small world where Qiu Ruxin used to be.
That world also had a piece of [Transcendent Knowledge] that was linked to destiny, the script, and the world will, and ultimately even gave birth to a unique transcendent item that could not leave that small world!
So the Main World had once possessed such legacies too?
The only pity was that I couldn't look back at past history.
Those tragedies and bloodiness had completely dissipated forever along with the shattered earth veins.
Or rather, even if there were some remains, in order to maintain the Main World’s transcendent status, they would erase the history of the past.
“Yes. Precisely because this [Transcendent Knowledge] belongs to the Main World, the link of Destiny represents that the Main World’s consciousness has not given up on it yet. That is where its significance lies.”
“But… if that is its value, then why would Transcendent Academies like the Wizard Academy give this to the Game World? Isn’t that equivalent to completely severing the link with the Main World?”
I still asked in confusion.
“Then, Xiao Han.”
Hearing my question, Academy Head Mei chuckled softly and then continued to explain to me, “Have you ever thought that this is exactly the result they are hoping for? They do not wish for the existence of such a thing that can establish a link with the world consciousness to appear.”
“This… Why again? Surely it can’t be to prevent the Main World’s consciousness from escaping control?”
“You guessed right. To prevent the Main World’s consciousness from escaping control is one of the reasons. But more importantly, they are guarding against our Witch Academy.”
“Guarding against the Witch Academy…… Does the Witch Academy possess some means that can threaten their status in the Main World?”
I asked in confusion.
“Yes they are afraid of us finding one thing.”
“What thing?”
“The Umbilicus Mundi.”
“The… Umbilicus Mundi? What is that?”
I asked curiously, waiting for the Academy Head's explanation.
“I should have told you about the relationship between the world and the Void earth veins, right, Xiao Han? The world is like a fruit on the main trunk of the earth veins. The Umbilicus Mundi is the bridge between the world and the main trunk of the earth veins, just like the umbilical cord between a life and its mother when it is being conceived and born. So the name Umbilicus Mundi is very vivid, right? It has many other names; terms like the ‘World Spout’ all refer to this object.”
“As long as one masters the Umbilicus Mundi, many things can be done. But unfortunately, the existence of the Umbilicus Mundi has been hidden away. The Three Great Top-tier Academies—the three transcendent races that first invaded the Main World—they hid the Umbilicus Mundi. We of the later Witch Academy didn’t get a share of that pie.”
After revealing this truth, even the Academy Head couldn’t help but sigh.
“So… this [Transcendent Knowledge] was originally used to lock onto that thing called the Umbilicus Mundi using Destiny? Then… this plan failed once before, right?”
Being told this, I also connected many events together.
However, this also proved another thing: that the Great Snow Throne Spell was indeed an attempt by the Witch Academy, but it definitely failed.
“Xiao Han, you know quite a lot, don't you?”
Academy Head Mei chuckled and didn’t press further.
Instead, she began to briefly narrate for me.
“Indeed, that [Transcendent Knowledge] was secured by our Witch Academy, and then we used its characteristics to make an attempt. In fact, this happened not too long ago, and the Great Snow Throne Spell was the product of that plan.”
“But unfortunately, you know the result. The Wizard Academy saw through our thoughts. We didn’t locate the position of the Umbilicus Mundi. The Great Snow Throne Spell was destroyed. Even then, in order to more thoroughly terminate this plan, they tried to destroy the [Transcendent Knowledge]. But unfortunately, breaking it into fragments was their limit.”
“Then why didn’t they snatch it away? Instead they tried to destroy it? Even after it shattered, they didn’t even collect it themselves?”
I raised a curious question.
This question might even explain why the Wizard Academy didn’t hold the Frozen World fragment but instead casually gave it to an ordinary family.
“Because letting them take it away was our original plan. That way, we could locate the Umbilicus Mundi through this method. But they weren't fools either. Even if the Grand Spellbook shattered, they didn’t dare gamble on whether we had any other backup plans. That’s why they wouldn’t hold onto this thing. But unfortunately, we indeed had no backup plans.”
“So that’s how it is?”
Sure enough, this [Transcendent Knowledge] was a hot potato for other Transcendent Academies.
No wonder…
“Yes, so it’s a pity.”
“Then Big Sis Mei, you all haven’t given up on finding that Umbilicus Mundi yet, right?”
I continued to inquire.
Unconsciously, I had even become somewhat curious about this problem, to the point that my purpose for coming over was about to shift.
But…… understanding the Umbilicus Mundi, [Transcendent Knowledge], Destiny, and such also truly belonged to one of my purposes for coming here?
“Of course. Our thoughts about the Umbilicus Mundi have never been severed. The next plan… mhm-hmm Xiao Han, you should also be considered one of the personal participants.”
“Ah? What?”
I stared with wide eyes, somewhat incredulous, not knowing what this meant.
However… if the shattering of the Great Snow Throne Spell happened during the period when Shop Manager Xia Li was still in school, then the subsequent time span had already reached the stage of my enrollment?
“Didn’t expect it? Child of Destiny, Child of Destiny. Aren’t you curious, Xiao Han, how a Child of Destiny is born when Destiny is dispersed under the kind of destiny allocation ritual that covers the entire world during the college entrance examination?”
“Uh…… so, Tan Han’s status as a Child of Destiny was actually also single-handedly controlled by you and the other Academy Heads?”
I asked somewhat incredulously.
“I suppose you could say that.”
The Academy Head nodded, and as if thinking of something, she sighed again.
“The meaning represented by a Child of Destiny is very important. Following the development of the script to complete the destiny ritual of the script and advance to a Child of Heaven's Mandate—that is the final destination of a Child of Destiny, and also an existence that can establish a link with the world consciousness. Therefore, theoretically, a Child of Destiny could also help us locate the Umbilicus Mundi.”
“But…… surely this plan hasn't failed as well? Or is it still ongoing?”
I asked tentatively.
“I really want to say it hasn't failed yet, but wanting to succeed is truly difficult now… first of all, the Child of Destiny Tan Han was unexpectedly kidnapped to our Witch Academy… originally we were thinking of letting her be snatched and nurtured by another academy. The growth process of a Child of Destiny could also assist us in locking onto the position of the Umbilicus Mundi.”
“Ah this……”
Hearing this, I thought of Shop Manager Xia Li.
For Tan Han to appear in the Witch Academy, Shop Manager Xia Li had made a huge contribution.
And… the last plan regarding the Great Snow Throne Spell, Shop Manager Xia Li had also participated in the whole process.
Although she might not have witnessed the gambling at the transcendent level, she had brought the largest fragment of [Transcendent Knowledge] back to the Witch Academy once again…
“Actually, it’s nothing. With the Child of Destiny in our hands, the impact isn't that large. We have the confidence to nurture her into a powerhouse and complete the script ritual to let her advance to a Witch of Heaven's Mandate. That way, she could similarly help us lock onto the Umbilicus Mundi……”
“Uh… surely it wasn’t me who disrupted this plan……”
I asked somewhat sheepishly.
“No, Xiao Han, don’t think like that. Your appearance was indeed very unexpected to us, but you weren't wrong. Or rather, before that, the other Transcendent Academies had already made countermeasures. They overdrew the world's foundation and manufactured so many other Children of Destiny; that was their countermeasure. Once there are many Children of Destiny, without distinguishing true from false, the Struggle for Destiny destined a single ending.”
“No one can advance to a Child of Heaven's Mandate?”
I followed up and supplemented.
“Yes. Unless Tan Han kills all the other Children of Destiny, she will never be able to advance to a Child of Heaven's Mandate. And wanting to achieve that is very difficult. Other Transcendent Academies won't let us do that either. So the plan for the Child of Destiny has also been shelved for now. Tan Han’s upper limit of potential will ultimately only be at the level of a Child of Destiny. However, Tan Han, with Destiny upon her, doesn't have low potential either; she’s worth nurturing, that’s all.”
“So that’s how it is……”
When Tan Han first enrolled, the academy valued her so much that she even mastered so many spellbooks upon enrollment.
And among those, that "Ancient Glacial Ice Transformation Spell" was itself an object of destiny too, right… after all, its predecessor also belonged to a [Transcendent Knowledge] fragment.
If I hadn't learned the general situation of the fragments at the Hawthorne Family, I truly wouldn't have noticed that this spellbook was one of the fragments as well!
But with the appearance of more Children of Destiny, the academy’s support for Tan Han had visibly decreased.
Back then, a mentor had told me that once Tan Han was no longer the only one, her value was greatly reduced.
At the time, I thought it was the value of uniqueness, but I didn't expect there were deeper considerations.
True… otherwise, would a Child of Destiny truly be very important to transcendent races that had already mastered toying with destiny?
“Are you feeling a bit sorry for Tan Han?”
“A little bit, I suppose…”
“There’s no need to feel sorry for her. In a way, she has also shaken off the fate endowed upon her by Destiny this way, hasn't she? The prerequisite is that she must be able to walk out of the shackles of the Child of Destiny status herself; only then can she go higher and further.”
Speaking to this point, Academy Head Mei paused.
“However, I also don't hope for you to tell Tan Han about this, Xiao Han. Is that okay?”
“Mhm, of course. I will comply.”
I nodded.
“That’s good then.”
Speaking to this point, Academy Head Mei’s tone even lightened up a lot.
“Then next, let me tell you about the plan we are currently conducting.”
“Eh? There’s another plan?”
I asked with some surprise.
“Of course. Just now I said that we have never given up on searching for and locating the Umbilicus Mundi because it is simply too important.”
Academy Head Mei said firmly.
“Guess what our next plan is?”
“Uh… this… I really am not too sure…”
I scratched my head and said.
“Let me give you a hint: this plan is still related to you, and it’s strongly related!”
“Ah?”
“Alright, Mei, stop teasing Xiao Han and just say it.”
At this time, those witches busy with the Destiny Gazing instrument chimed in.
“This plan is to use a higher-precision and iteratively upgraded Destiny Gazing observation instrument to locate the Umbilicus Mundi through the world’s Destiny. This method has been theoretically confirmed to be highly likely to be feasible.”
“Eh?!”
I turned around and looked at the group of witches busy with the Destiny Gazing instrument, feeling somewhat shocked!
“This is the reason they were so excited as soon as you came over just now. Because you are the creator of the Destiny Gazing Technique spell prototype. We want to iteratively update it to complete a Destiny Gazing instrument of the degree that can observe the Umbilicus Mundi through world Destiny. With your help, it will be even more than twice the result with half the effort.”
As Academy Head Mei spoke, she also came to my side, placed a hand on my shoulder, and spoke with a sincere tone.
“Eh? Me?”
