Jiang Han thought Du Ningzhuang's research was incredibly valuable, even though there was a spell in this world called the Anywhere Door.
But no matter what, Anywhere Doors had fixed locations once set up, and had to be placed somewhere safe.
The Space Tunnel Du Ningzhuang had envisioned was far more powerful. As long as you didn't hit a Spacetime Anchor, you could go anywhere in the vast world. With further research, they might even develop an entire series of spatial creation techniques.
For example, they could create large spaces for things like biosphere cultivation.
So, in truth, the most valuable part of the idea was the technique for "blowing up the Spacetime River."
Chu Yujun, sitting off to the side, said:
"From the way you describe it, it sounds like you want to create something like a portal?"
"Exactly. A convenient portal, small enough to install in everyone's home, like a fireplace... That's the kind of portal I have in mind," Du Ningzhuang said honestly.
Chu Yujun suggested, "Why are you so fixated on portals? Your idea is essentially to build a transfer station in space. If you aren't limited to the concept of a 'door,' couldn't you make something more like a computer program?"
...A computer program? Now that was clever... Jiang Han almost thought Chu Yujun was a fellow transmigrator. That was a pretty ingenious idea.
But wasn't that too difficult? Jiang Han felt that if they managed to create a program that could open portals, it might be the beginning of a whole new story... Like an ordinary shut-in from another world suddenly getting the program and traveling here, or something like that.
Of course, it was more likely that the witches of the Witch World would rejoice and launch an expedition to another world...
"A program... I think I might be able to make it work. When the time comes, could you all help me test it?" Du Ningzhuang said.
Surprisingly, turning the spell into a program didn't seem to pose any technical problems. Jiang Han was a little surprised, then said:
"I'm in."
Chu Yujun chimed in, "So am I."
Chen Ligu and Tang Wen agreed as well.
It gave Jiang Han the feeling that they were all "joining forces to make a grand plan." She smiled and suggested:
"Why don't we form a club for this spell?"
Clubs were an important part of witch social life. Hundreds of odd clubs were formed every day, such as the Broom Golf Club or the Long Live Fireball Spell Club. They were made up of like-minded friends.
Tang Wen grinned, clearly enjoying the chance to join in, and egged them on:
"If we form a club, we might even get a grant."
She had a point. Club grants had long been a way for bureaucratic witches to line their own pockets. Every year, a few lucky applicants managed to bet on the right people and develop something useful, which then became part of those witches' political achievements.
What she didn't know was that, on paper, this club's lineup would be intimidating... Jiang Han couldn't exactly tell her, "We've got four giant light bulbs." At least, by Jiang Han's perception, all four of them—including Jiang Han herself—glowed brilliantly with magic.
A grant... Du Ningzhuang's eyes immediately lit up. Like any ordinary researcher, she nodded eagerly the moment she heard those words.
"Ladies, I agree that this is a great idea. We're both comrades and colleagues, and applying for a club would also give us a shared mailing address."
Clubs had shared mailing addresses, so they wouldn't have to give out their home addresses to receive mail... which meant fewer advertisements, at least.
More importantly, clubs could enter competitions, take part in hunts, and rent all sorts of convenient services under the club's name.
There were plenty of other benefits too. They could apply for a "points ledger" like the Witch House and store their knowledge in a repository for later sale, or turn into a club with more privileges like the Dream Garden had.
That didn't mean forming a club had no drawbacks, though.
The drawbacks were an annual fee to keep it running and a monthly report of group activities... In short, whether they went on a spring outing together or threw a party at a bar, they had to prove every month that "your club is a positive force, not some suspicious organization."
And Chen Ligu was only fifteen! She was a minor, so their monthly activities not only had to be reported, but also supervised by a witch with official ties to make sure there was no underage drinking or anything like that.
It was a hassle, but the advantages of forming a club outweighed the disadvantages. Jiang Han immediately chimed in:
"I agree. Forming a club with you all has to be better than dealing with strangers."
Chen Ligu raised her hand and said:
"If I get to manage the finances, this club will be much more meaningful to me than joining some 'dance club' with my classmates."
Chu Yujun said leisurely:
"I can organize comfortable, elegant monthly activities, and I can cover the cost of forming the club. So I nominate myself for president."
They already had someone willing to pay and someone willing to do the work... Witches really were a race with astonishing initiative. A few sentences were all it took to settle on "working together on something big"... Jiang Han quipped to herself, then added what she could contribute:
"I can contribute an Ice Bear as the club mascot..."
The other witches all looked at her strangely. In the end, Chu Yujun, who had already successfully "seized power," made the call:
"Miss Jiang Han will serve as our mascot. Miss Tang Wen will handle external relations for the club. Miss Du Ningzhuang will serve as vice president and lead technical development. Miss Chen Ligu will manage the finances and invest and oversee our shared assets."
In a way, Chu Yujun had made the right call... especially by smartly assigning Tang Wen to handle external relations. After all, this club... ahem. Jiang Han looked like a shut-in, and Chen Ligu did too. Chu Yujun went without saying—she was a hardcore shut-in. Du Ningzhuang was a technical specialist, so she was a shut-in too. In a sense, this was a support group for shut-in kids...
If everyone wasn't a shut-in, why had they never joined a club despite being this old? Why were they forming one themselves?
But witches being shut-ins was normal. They all loved reading, and people who loved reading usually hated dealing with outsiders. Someone lively like Tang Wen was much rarer.
Once everything was settled, Chu Yujun asked:
"So what should we call the club?"
Tang Wen said, "How about the Dimension Society?"
Chen Ligu shook her head. "Dimension doesn't sound right. We're colleagues from the Witch House. Why not call it the Witch House Union?"
Unsurprisingly, Chu Yujun rejected such a bizarre name.
Du Ningzhuang came up with a name too, one as long as a formal spell name... You couldn't expect a technician to come up with something sensible.
Jiang Han racked her brains as well. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck her. The club was inspired by the technology Du Ningzhuang was researching—a way for witches to roam through space whenever and wherever they wanted, like Daedalus from Greek mythology, who made wings from feathers so people could fly...
How about Daedalus?
Not great. It sounded a little unlucky...
Feathers... wings...
She lightly tapped the table to get everyone's attention, then asked:
"Our club was inspired by the technology that would let us soar freely through space. Why don't we call it..."
"Wings."
The Dragon Transformation spell was level 7, 8, and 9, and cost 1,200, 1,300, and 2,000 mana, respectively.
That meant you only needed 3,600, 3,900, or 6,000 Coulombs of mana to cast Dragon Transformation. Elite instructors commonly had 8,000 Coulombs of mana. Witches weren't creatures whose mana increased the more they learned.
Having less mana had its own advantages, of course... but having more mana was still better. Witches born with more mana were quite a bit stronger than those with less.
Take Jiang Han, for example. Although she only knew spells up to around level three, her mana pool let her easily beat elite witches who could cast level-four or level-five spells by simply outlasting them.
Before you continue