Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva
Chapter 960 - 87 'The Legendary Adventure of the Songstress

The tranquil days of May saw the special training for six new-generation songstresses come to its conclusion.

In a corner of the Golden Flame Flower Academy, hundreds of carrier pigeons circled through the sky in formation. At times, they dove low, at times flipped midair to form the shape of a crescent moon, and finally, they collectively settled atop the tree crowns by the lakeside, standing quietly.

Unhurried applause echoed from beneath the trees, and a blonde songstress in a blue dress began to speak.

"Not bad. Over this period, you've all made significant progress." Before her stood six girls, each with a unique demeanor. As her applause filled the air, they all opened their eyes, one by one.

The pigeons that had flown in the sky just now had been under their control. Compared to their initial ability to command only one or two, they could now proficiently manipulate hundreds. Moreover, they could simultaneously perceive the world through the perspectives and senses of these pigeons.

"Through this period of training and mastering various skills, I believe you've come to realize something." Idrylia raised a hand, and a blue-and-silver parrot alighted on her shoulder, then began to speak.

"Observe, I'm speaking to you through this parrot." As she said this, the parrot extended one wing and performed a bow toward the group.

"If you can control pigeons, by extension, you can also manipulate other animals. However, with higher animal intelligence and stronger mental awareness, the difficulty increases correspondingly."

"That being said, it's not without solutions. If the animal is extremely familiar with you, if the bond is extraordinarily close, and if it does not resist the establishment of this sensory resonance, you can observe the world through its eyes and even issue certain commands."

"This ability is often found among breeders. However, their usage is quite limited—they need to prepare specific art formulas on a Transcendent Core well in advance, especially during an Extraordinary Animal's sequence advancement, to achieve a similar effect to ours."

After hearing Idrylia's explanation, the six songstresses were intrigued, their minds brimming with ideas they wished to experiment with.

"I wonder if I could give it a try with the fairy dragon my family keeps," mused Ores after some thought.

"An adult fairy dragon, even at the weakest, is at least Sequence 6. If you aim to control it as effortlessly as you do the carrier pigeons, that's no simple feat," Idrylia remarked.

"It's like a child wielding a hammer as heavy as themselves. When the creature's mental awareness is robust enough, even if it doesn't resist you much, commanding and controlling it would still feel clumsy and arduous."

At that moment, Blanchi seemed struck by a sudden thought.

"Teacher, the animals you mentioned... what if it's a human instead?"

Hearing this question, the other songstresses fell silent. Truthfully, this thought had crossed their minds too, but they'd been hesitant to voice it, as the subject felt rather taboo.

Idrylia did not chide Blanchi but instead shook her head slightly and gestured for them to follow her to the tree below.

"Take a seat first. Blanchi's question isn't something that can be explained in just a few words."

Curiosity led them forward. Tilan, dressed today in a white dress with blue patterns, bent down and sat with her knees hugged. Her small calves were partly exposed beneath her hem. With summer approaching, she wore only ankle socks, and the occasional brush of grass against her skin caused a faint coolness and tickle.

Beside her, Audrey took small steps toward Tilan, placed a hand on her shoulder as she sat, and then rested her head naturally on Tilan's lap, displaying a familiar intimacy.

Over this period, their already significant ties had deepened further. Certain unspoken mutual understandings had even sparked Ores' jealousy—not that she would ever admit it.

Seeing Audrey lean against Tilan's lap, Ores, arriving later, could only seat herself beside Tilan. Together, they waited for Idrylia's explanation.

"I imagine that since becoming songstresses, each of you, to varying degrees, has wondered something: Do the abilities of a songstress amount to brainwashing? If they do, would that be inherently evil, a violation of others' free will?"

"First, consider this—since the moment humans are born, they are subjected to an influx of ideas and beliefs, whether moral values, worldviews, or value systems. As long as you live within human society, it's unavoidable to be influenced by the external world. However, this cannot necessarily be called brainwashing, as much of this input is beneficial, objective, and truthful, aiding us in better understanding the world."

"So then, what exactly constitutes brainwashing?"

"Generally speaking, brainwashing is characterized by a strong sense of purpose. To achieve specific objectives, it employs various means to interfere with your cognition. One common strategy is self-deprecation—it makes you see yourself as shameful, incompetent, and worthless, while elevating the other party as noble, moral, and wise. This leads to admiration and dependency. Your value is no longer self-determined but tied to how the other party evaluates you. For their mere compliment, you might go to great lengths, disregarding your own feelings entirely."

"Furthermore, they may employ various forms of punishment to condition you, instilling reflexive obedience until all resistance is eradicated from your subconscious."

"This is the most prevalent form of mental control."

"Another type of brainwashing involves making you obsessively cling to one belief, refusing to acknowledge conflicting facts. This often stems from complex psychological factors. Sometimes, it's not others brainwashing you, but you brainwashing yourself."

"Because without such mental gymnastics, the colossal mistakes of the past would morph into tormenting punishments, and many cannot bear that burden. So, they repeatedly hypnotize themselves, allowing their conscience to rest at ease."

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