Free Web NovelChapter 823: The Hardship of Becoming Life
Watching the two figures disappear within the villa, Cheryl’s form also manifested once again.
“Truly a relationship to envy for a witch...”
Cheryl sighed slightly to herself, yet did not show even a hint of an envious expression.
“Time to do some proper business. I’ll go see that witch named Xi Lan again, and incidentally see how Xiao Han’s Self-generating Magic Power experiment is doing......”
Cheryl muttered this to herself, and subsequently, her figure disappeared from within the villa.
Dungeon World.
“Xiao Han, Xiao Han! This is bad! Over there! That place suddenly has so many mice!”
“Hmm? Ling Yi is back? I didn't see you just now, were you off playing somewhere again?”
I looked at this Flower Fairy who seemed slightly panicked, but I wasn't too urgent to explain.
“Um... well, it really is quite boring staying in one place all the time, but that place! That place suddenly had a huge swarm of mice appear!”
Ling Yi was still quite concerned about the “foreign species” that had appeared in that spot, fearing these fellows would have an uncontrollable impact on the surrounding environment.
“Relax, that's an enclosure I set up. Those white mice are all my test subjects. They won't cause any harm here. In a while, I’ll be disposing of them.”
“Eh? Dis... disposing of them?!”
Hearing my words, Ling Yi instinctively showed a look that didn't seem quite right.
“What’s wrong? Or are you unwilling, wanting to let these guys run free in this world? Waiting for the day these mice gnaw through all these plants? Maybe when you wake up after a night, a mouse will be lying right next to you.”
“No... that's not it! Just dispose of them then...”
Ling Yi hurriedly shook her head and spoke to me.
“Hmm, Ling Yi’s expression looked a bit off just now. Is something wrong?”
“Um... it's about the disposal...”
Ling Yi seemed to recall past events she didn't want to think about, “Those hateful wizards! They exploited us elves. If we didn't work hard, they... they would dispose of the lazy ones...”
“It’s okay, it’s okay. Isn't that all over now?”
“But those sisters I knew...”
“It will be fine...”
I was somewhat surprised; it turned out I had touched on Ling Yi’s sore spot.
However, I still spent a bit of time comforting Ling Yi and incidentally had Fool's Dream mix a cup of Fool's Dream Drink.
Only then did Ling Yi manage to step out of her melancholy.
“Be good, it's fine. Take a nap, and these sad things will be carried away with the dream.”
“Mhm... Xiao Han, Little Bai, are you two sleeping here together tonight again?”
“Of course.”
After comforting Ling Yi, I also entered the small cabin with Big Sis Bai.
As for the Fool's Dreams... we had long since arranged a small cabin for them to settle down in nearby.
The style of the house was somewhat similar to the type from the Fool's Village Secret Realm back then.
Additionally, we prepared comfortable small bedding for the Fool's Dreams so they wouldn't sleep uncomfortably at night.
Though the Fool's Dreams stated they didn't mind such things.
For the Fool's Dreams, the act of sleeping... in essence, was the consciousness returning to the Primal Dream State.
They naturally didn't care about the comfort of their physical bodies in reality.
The reason Big Sis Bai and I built a separate Fool's Dream cabin was because this wooden cabin was a private place belonging solely to me and Big Sis Bai.
Of course, occasionally some scenes not suitable for minors would happen at night, which naturally couldn't be seen by others!
As for when “occasionally” was, for example... tonight.
“Xiao Han, those mice Ling Yi mentioned just now, what did they mean? Are you going to do something again?”
Big Sis Bai closed the wooden door of the cabin.
A layer of Soundproof Spell automatically rose within this room.
Any commotion made inside the house would not be transmitted outside, although external noises could still come in.
This kind of one-way soundproof barrier had been inscribed on every single wooden board when this cabin was constructed.
“That's right. Today I ended my involvement with the Self-generating Magic Power experiment because that experiment no longer needs me to preside over it. Yi Rui and the others can help me complete it.”
“Not continuing?”
Big Sis Bai didn't ask why I gave up halfway, only being curious as to why I wasn't continuing.
“Because the main purpose of this experiment is to promote Self-generating Magic Power, which is a matter that brings me no benefit. Once I have solved all the hurdles they couldn't cross, the remaining part... is actually their own responsibility to themselves. I have more important things to do.”
“So that’s how it is.”
Big Sis Bai thought back to when I first proposed this experiment.
She hadn't understood why I would do something so thankless that brought me no benefit.
But looking at it now, I seemed to have achieved what I wanted, which was why I let go.
“Then your more important matter...”
“Of course it's to fulfill my promise to the Fool's Dreams and the Academy Head. This is an investment related to my Great Wisdom Enlightenment Spell: creating true life, letting the Fool's Dreams become true lives.”
“So those mice are actually the life experiments you are currently attempting, Xiao Han?”
Big Sis Bai quickly made the connection.
“Yeah I’m using white mice as experimental subjects for practice, sublimating their souls through Soul Depiction. After all, I only perfected Soul Depiction not long ago. Without collecting sufficient experimental data, I naturally can't just do whatever I want.”
“Then is it going smoothly?”
“How should I put it? I can only say... it's up to fate? After all, I’ve never understood what the definition of true life actually is.”
I looked up at Big Sis Bai, “Big Sis Bai, do you know?”
“I... sorry, I don't know much either.”
Big Sis Bai also shook her head as she spoke.
Regarding projects related to life, she had also tried to learn about them in her capacity as a Transcendent mentor.
After all, this was something I cared about, so she would naturally have the heart to look into it.
However, most of what she learned was content related to the Interpretation of Life.
Regarding the essence of life, there were currently two main schools.
The old school held firm to soul-substance, while the new school, led by witches, promoted the fourth Interpretation of Life with the “soul” as the essence.
However, this has not yet spread throughout the entire Void.
As for creating life... Bai Yu had learned about the Deep Abyss Great World.
That place was a cradle of life—or it was originally supposed to be.
But the life growing wildly there became bizarre and grotesque.
Those weird lumps of flesh could not even be called life.
Yet, under such disorderly collisions, recognized lives were likely being born within the Deep Abyss Great World every single moment.
But if you asked how they were born, no one knew.
This was the uniqueness of the Deep Abyss Great World.
Furthermore, as life was born in the Deep Abyss Great World, new racial categories gradually solidified.
Newly born lives could almost never give birth to a brand new Primal Progenitor.
This meant that although the Deep Abyss Great World continuously intervened to give birth to new lives through unconventional methods, these lives were all races that had already appeared.
Such lives could not be called Primal, nor were they the ancestors of a race, and they would not give birth to a Primal Spell Prototype.
Nevertheless, the Abyss remained the most famous life marketplace in the Void because one could wantonly customize all sorts of life there.
One could even invest in creating a brand new Primal Progenitor, but the resources, time, and energy required were far beyond ordinary imagination.
The information she had learned had long since been synchronized with me within the Great Tree of Knowledge.
Therefore, creating a brand new race truly relied 99.9% on luck!
And wanting to use dream creatures as a template to grant them life... was something unheard of.
“Big Sis Bai since you don't know... then don't think so much.”
My hand rested on my own clothes.
With a light stroke, the spell-woven garments became thin and light.
“It's rare that I'm not very busy right now. So tonight... What style of nightdress does Big Sis Bai want to see me wear?”
“So suddenly?”
“Is it sudden? Isn't tonight exactly that kind of day?”
“Then... a black translucent one.”
“A black translucent one... hmm... how about this one?”
As the effect of the Dress-changing Spell enveloped my body, a layer of fine, thin black gauze was draped over me.
The straps on my shoulders traced downward into a deep V-neck revealing cleavage.
My armpits and collarbones were set off very alluringly under the orange ambient lighting.
The front-slit skirt design, with a light lift, allowed one to see the vista from below the chest down to the lower abdomen.
The irregular hem draped from both sides over my buttocks, swaying gently along with my movements.
“Very beautiful...”
Big Sis Bai looked at this nightdress of mine, which was as good as wearing nothing, and her gaze was also slightly dazed.
“This set is so lewd Hehe I remember Big Sis Bai helped me pick this one out, right? I recorded it well... mngh...”
Before I could finish speaking, Big Sis Bai had already extended her wicked hands, wantonly letting her most primitive desires dominate her instincts as she pushed me down onto the bed.
“Too impatient, isn't it? It hasn't even...”
……
The next day.
Accompanying the white smoke rising from the chimney of the cabin on the island in the lake, a breakfast made by Big Sis Bai’s own hands was just about ready.
“Truly nice, the breakfast Big Sis Bai made personally tastes really good.”
I swung my legs, sitting on a wooden chair while enjoying the cooked meat porridge with Big Sis Bai.
The cabin here was quite well-equipped with utensils, even in the kitchen area, and there were also regular supplies of preserved food.
After all, for an important matter like eating, it wasn't strictly necessary to go to a restaurant or cafeteria.
Occasionally doing it yourself truly provided a different kind of flavor.
“If Xiao Han likes it, I’ll make it for you every day in the future.”
“That won't be necessary. I won't be able to take it if I eat it every day!”
I hurriedly shook my head and spoke.
“Then how about taking turns?”
“That would be fine...”
Hearing this suggestion from Big Sis Bai, I was able to accept it.
As for the question of whether I could cook... following a recipe was enough.
My Great Tree of Knowledge contained a considerable portion of tutorials for specialty breakfast recipes, so there was no need to worry.
“Then it’s settled. However, Xiao Han, is your body doing alright now? How about the matter of the life experiment... start it tomorrow instead.”
“My body? Hehe Big Sis Bai, why are you so eager to ask for a beating? My body is perfectly fine now. I vaguely remember back then I couldn't even get out of bed the next day. As for now.”
“Xiao Han is asking for a lesson, isn't she?”
Big Sis Bai’s movements paused as she looked at me with a slightly dangerous smile.
“No, no geez, just kidding!”
After finishing breakfast, Big Sis Bai also left the Dungeon World.
Because Big Sis Bai still had classes today.
Furthermore, with the application for the Body-transformation Spell course, Big Sis Bai still had to spend quite a lot of time on the academy’s course arrangements.
Ultimately, I was the only one left here.
But this didn't have much impact on me.
After feeding those extraordinary creatures within the Beast-Trapping Boxes, I pushed open the wooden door of the cabin, intending to go to the place where the white mice were kept to see how their situation was.
“Ah Xiao Han! Are you going to see those mice? How about taking me along!”
At this moment, Ling Yi, seeing my movements, proactively stepped forward to follow me.
After all, she had been scared by those mice yesterday.
So she intended to go back and save face!
“Alright.”
I reached out to catch the flying Ling Yi.
She perched on my shoulder while the three Fool's Dreams followed behind me.
When we arrived at the place where I had previously kept the white mice, I suddenly discovered that the white mice in this area didn't seem to be messing around wantonly or waiting quietly for death as I had expected.
They had actually begun to pile up the soil in an organized manner!
I leaned against one side of the spell barrier, perceiving the situation inside.
I found these mice had dug right through the soil under the ground.
The soil from underground was being piled into mounds against the spell barrier, obstructing the view from the outside.
Fortunately, this spell barrier was completely sealed on all sides, even underground.
Otherwise, these fellows would have already “jailbroken” after just one night!
And the one organizing this premeditated action wasn't a single white mouse.
It was a certain cluster of white mice!
It was the Soul Linking I had attempted during the collective Soul Depiction previously!
I quickly realized that the collective consciousness of the white mice had become the absolute core of this “Mice Tribe.”
Under the Soul Linking, they coordinated seamlessly.
Within the swarm, they possessed a natural group advantage.
Thus, in just one night, they completed the integration of the swarm and formulated a “jailbreak” plan.
If I were to grant these white mice Wisdom's Enlightenment, they might really pull off something big.
However, they were only stronger than average white mice and lacked any extraordinary abilities.
Thus, facing the spell barrier, their ultimate end remained unchanged.
Taking advantage of this moment, I also began to collect data on them.
Perhaps I admired everything they had done, but this still could not change their destiny as mere test subjects.
“These guys... they've turned the soil into this state! Truly disgusting creatures!”
“Hmm?”
I looked at Ling Yi.
For those words to come from a Flower Fairy... felt somewhat out of place?
“Um... well...”
“It’s fine. I’ll be disposing of these fellows in a while, but before that, I need to collect the data I need first.”
After explaining, I devoted my entire mind to this task.
Regarding these hundred or so white mice, their data was of limited use to me, but it helped in building the framework for the life experiment.
This was, after all, a practice run of an experiment.
I always had to first figure out exactly what I was going to do.
As for what to do after disposing of these white mice, it would naturally be to conduct more life experiments.
After all, all those extraordinary creatures inside the Beast-Trapping Boxes had to show their value, didn't they?
Otherwise, did they expect me to keep raising them forever?
Absolutely impossible!
