Apocalypse Forecast

Chapter 580: Chapter 487: Testing_1

How should one regard the young man before them?

This new colleague, before even taking up his post at the Ivory Tower, had stirred considerable upheaval, with rumors about him swirling long before that.

Many believed this marked the fall of the Ivory Tower, a surrender to the vulgar idol culture of society, while others worried that the arrival of the Beheading King of Jinling would affect the ethos of the Ivory Tower, introducing even more struggle and conflict into an institution meant to educate and teach.

Logically speaking, if a thug from the Jurisdiction Bureau wanted to gild his reputation, why not find a better place?

This is a university; what’s he doing here? We are not lacking in the ability to protect ourselves; do we really need a thug?

Let him teach? What can he teach? Can a young man who has just turned eighteen really be qualified to have his own classroom here, do a teacher’s job well, and take responsibility for it?

Having a resume is one thing, but having experience is another. Regardless, this decision was simply too rash.

Most think that the principal has completely lost his mind.

But it’s not the first time he’s been muddled, and erratic behavior is nothing new for him.

There was nothing anyone could do.

However, Andrea, who had had dealings with him before, was full of praise for the Prince of Paradise at the meeting, inspiring some confidence in this Judge among the fence-sitters.

Maybe he could really make it happen?

Even more surprising was the normally intransigent vice-principal, who traditionally never rubber-stamped the principal’s whims; this time, he did not exercise his veto power, maintaining an unsettling and incomprehensible silence throughout the meeting.

Neither for nor against.

Yet he didn’t relax the standards and requirements.

Only after the resolution passed did he publicly declare that if Huai Shi proved unsuitable, he would be the one to kick him out.

He would handle it strictly by the book.

This caused the normally indifferent Ye Su to start wondering, collecting various materials in an attempt to create a profile of this colleague he had yet to meet.

An observation of humanity.

But the result left him feeling helpless and bewildered.

It felt as if two distinct individuals had been forcibly merged into one, possessing completely different facets.

One was illustrious and coldly decisive, like a Hero bestowed by heaven, commanding respect and admiration. The other was melancholic and overly sensitive, weak and passive, like flotsam in the Sea and Wild Grass on land—also possessing admirable Talent and beauty, yet seemingly standing in total opposition to the former.

Lacking sufficient information, it was difficult to draw a conclusion.

Following the principal’s orders, he decided to check things out for himself.

He had nothing better to do, after all.

And so, in an encounter that was anything but coincidental, they met in the White City’s rest area.

Among them were a fugitive wanted across the entire territory, a psychopathic murderer unable to control his homicidal urges since the age of six, a band of devious Cultists with ulterior motives, two Rome Elector servants in civilian clothes on a mission, a God thief renowned in the Border, four Archaeological Team Officers escorting a secret treasure, a single mother, a Teenage Girl consumed with hatred and seeking revenge, an old Mercenary about to retire... and many more travelers too numerous for him to bother profiling one by one.

It was like stuffing a barrel with vast quantities of gunpowder, then tossing in several sparks and shaking it all up madly.

In the eyes of the onlooker Ye Su, on more than six occasions, the entire rest room teetered on the verge of explosion. But then, the imminent frictions would rapidly dissipate, leaving the situation to settle quietly and almost imperceptibly once again.

It was as if... something inexplicable was forcibly preventing it.

Sometimes it was a strange coincidence, sometimes an unintentional slip of the tongue, but more often than not, it was due to that supremely calm-looking young man.

He appeared to be a tourist unaware of the situation, but upon sitting there, he became like the elephant in the room, impossible to ignore.

And gradually, almost without anyone realizing, he became the central axis of everything.

Like an experienced conductor, no discordant note escaped his eye. A mere glance from him could exert tremendous pressure.

Even if the joys and sorrows of people did not intersect.

Unconsciously, he had taken control of the entire room.

If he wished for calm, then everything would be calm, functioning as he desired, even if only temporarily.

This pure, terrifyingly potent instinctive charm and charisma made the observing Ye Su unable to restrain his curiosity any longer. Concealing his own identity, he approached and struck up a conversation.

Unsurprisingly, they got along well and even played cards together.

After all, the other was just a young man who had recently come of age, and winning his favor was not difficult.

What unsettled Ye Su was that in achieving this rapport, he had not used any clever talk or techniques. And without being aware, he found himself admiring and trusting Huai Shi.

It was all so natural.

——Only upon realizing this did he once again feel the Power hidden beneath that smiling face.

Ye Su had seen such people before.

Like the principal, like the orator Yegor, the Secret Keeper of the Existence Institute, the Xuan Niao of the Dongxia Genealogy, the Crownless King of the American Genealogy, the tyrants of Rome, and so on.

They often possessed an aura and charisma similar to or even stronger, more domineering, or more admirable than his, capable of winning trust and reverence with just a few words, making people want to follow them.

Such people weren’t uncommon.

Among more than eighty billion lives, there were always those who transcended their era and were unattainably extraordinary.

They stood aloft, leading the way, possessing a Power that inspired admiration. But that Power wasn’t a reflection of physical strength, Source Substance, or the existence of a Soul. Instead, it came from the heart, an indelible will, perhaps pain or anger, or maybe just pure love and Pieta...

These people often had different faces, sometimes compassionate, sometimes cold, but this was by no means a disguise. It should be said that this was just a trivial part of their nature.

The reason they seemed entirely different was that a more substantial and complex outline remained unnoticed, thus leaving people to perceive them as polar opposites.

Like an iceberg in the Sea, only seen from its small edges, it’s hard to imagine the massive entity resting in Deep Sleep below.

After enduring so much pain and hardship, never being knocked down, and refusing to admit defeat, even when facing the sorrows of the whole world. Only such people would possess such sparkling Souls and gazes.

But before him was just a young man who had just turned eighteen.

Even if it was just an outline and silhouette, it still shocked and surprised him. If it weren’t for the fact that Huai Shi’s background couldn’t have been falsified, he might have thought he was facing a monster that climbed up from the Abyss.

That’s why he decided to test him with a rumor that, while primarily circulating among the upper echelons of the Astronomical Society, was not entirely obscure.

Indeed, the result pleased him.

Even the most extraordinary individuals might find such incredible news hard to accept, right?

It was only at this moment that he could tell from Huai Shi’s dumbstruck expression: Ah, indeed, the one standing before me is still just a teenager.

A prank.

Rarely, Ye Su found himself feeling a long-lost childlike playfulness in front of a teenager.

”Didn’t expect that, did you?”

He smiled mysteriously. ”Here in the Ivory Tower, not many people know this... Although there are indeed many rumors, few actually know whether the rumors are true or false.”

”Are you sure?” Huai Shi still couldn’t believe it. ”Why... Fate, cough cough, I mean the Book of Fate, would it be here?”

”After all, this is the Ivory Tower, once part of Utopia. After the fall of the Heavenly Kingdom, the Ivory Tower was the first department to reach the scene. Because of that, most of Utopia’s legacy could be preserved... Although most of it is now meaningless, it is still a commemoration of the past.”

”That’s not right.”

Huai Shi finally reacted. ”Wouldn’t the Astronomical Society take it? That is the Book of Fate, the Source and symbol of the Heavenly Kingdom Genealogy... Can the Astronomical Society really let it fall into outside hands?”

”Eemmmmm... Actually, I heard this from the principal,” Ye Su instinctively lowered his voice, saying, ”The Book of Fate isn’t actually the property of the Astronomical Society. To be precise, it should be a private possession passed down as a gift by past Presidents.

”Traditionally, it should belong to the Astronomical Association President. Because apart from the Astronomical Association President, no one else could use it.

”But since the division of Utopia and the disappearance of the former Astronomical Association President, the Astronomical Society hasn’t elected a new Astronomical Association President... For various political reasons, that position has remained vacant. The specific management has been handled by the Jurisdiction Bureau.

”Unable to elect an Astronomical Association President, coupled with opposition from many former members, and the fact that the Book of Fate had never responded to anyone’s communication, it has completely become just a Mascot.

”Moreover, the Heavenly Kingdom is gone; the Book of Fate is of no use anymore, right?”

Ye Su explained, ”Thanks to the principal’s strong advocacy and unwavering attitude, the Book of Fate was kept in the school’s library, where every teacher granted a formal academic position has the opportunity to see it.

”This is not a big secret, but people generally don’t like to talk about it much. After all, past glory is also today’s shame, so you absolutely mustn’t go around mentioning it outside.”

”Hmm?”

Huai Shi widened his eyes, scrutinizing the middle-aged man in front of him with suspicion.

He felt like the man was smirking.

”Then why tell me?”

”Isn’t it because I don’t see you as an outsider?”

Ye Su’s smile was warm. ”Just think of it as guidance and care from an old Predecessor, right? Besides, aren’t you also a member of the Heavenly Kingdom Genealogy? You would have the chance to see it sooner or later. Consider this me giving you a heads-up and doing you a favor.”

As a worldly-wise adult, Ye Su had no shame in concealing his recent prank and his mischievous desire to tease the newcomer.

I’m doing this all for your own good!

Huai Shi always felt there was something not quite right.

But his mind kept lingering on the news Ye Su had told him, glancing surreptitiously at the Raven. The Raven also glanced at Huai Shi without leaving a trace.

Huai Shi thought: What in the world is going on? What are we supposed to do? This situation is absolutely critical!

And the Raven’s response was even more concise.

—Don’t know, no clue, no hope, wait for death, adieu.

Meanwhile, Ye Su had already risen with a smile, picking up his luggage.

”We’ve reached our stop.”

He said, ”Let’s get off the train quickly.”

With the opening of the train doors, the rowdy noise from outside flooded in.

As Huai Shi carried his suitcase towards the exit, he saw the surging crowd in the square. The university life he had never seen before, along with the startling revelation from moments ago, came at him so suddenly and overwhelmingly.