High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 221: Chapter 145 Fish Hook_1

Although the First University imposes many restrictions on the use of escape techniques within the campus, these restrictions are mainly aimed at preventing the evil forces from outside Buji Island from invading the campus, and they all target large-scale, long-distance translocation spells.

Using small-scale, short-distance teleportation magic within the Guardian Array is not among the restrictions.

Thus, during the long history of the university’s establishment, many magic techniques, such as the ’hundred-meter escape’, ’ten-meter flash’, ’super precision positioning’, etc. that meet daily needs, have gradually evolved within the First University campus.

However, not every member of the First University can master these unique magic chants.

Besides the professors, only many other staff, researchers, assistants, and even some highly skilled students in the school may be able to master the improved ’hundred-meter escape’.

The indigenous residents of Lin Zhong Lake Fishman Reserve obviously do not have this ability.

So, when the three black-robed wizards had a minor squabble at the edge of the lakeside forest, the Fishmen hadn’t yet had a chance to review the cause of their failed trade that day.

In the opposite direction of the three wizards, five Fishman were scattering, rushing towards Lin Zhong Lake.

They have not yet escaped the patrol’s pursuit.

The speed of their two legs, after all, could not compete with the speed of casting a spell.

For the first time, Iseni, whose mind was a bit chaotic, felt an emotion similar to ’envy’ for those muddy wizards.

If he also had the mysterious power of the priests, everyone would certainly get safely back to the bottom of the lake tonight. With this in mind, it clenched its fist unwillingly.

As the person responsible for tonight’s trade between the tribe and the wizards, this tall and muscular fishman was more worried about whether his tribe members could successfully escape the patrol’s pursuit than about the lost goods.

Because it and its companions secretly landed without being notified by the University’s Staff Committee nor approved by the priests. To put it in more fashionable words, their trading behavior could be described as smuggling.

According to the ”Management Measures for the Preservation Area of Lin Zhong Lake Fishman”, any fishman who comes ashore for a long time must have a fully and reasonably justified reason, then obtain the permission of the First University and be issued a ’Shore Visa’ by the Staff Committee.

The unauthorized landing behavior, according to the provisions of the Wizard’s Code, is the same crime as the native residents of the New World trespassing into the wizarding world, both are illegal and criminal.

Once caught, this matter would no longer be seen as some naughty prank by a few little fishmen.

Principal Stone of the First University, who is as resentful as an enemy, would definitely escalate this matter to a diplomatic dispute.

Although Iseni hasn’t received the inheritance from the priests, and is not a wise elder of the tribe, his experience of dealing with wizards for a long time still allows his intelligence to be well trained.

His instinct told him that he must not be caught by the patrol team.

As long as he was not caught by the patrol team, the trade on the clearing in the forest could be glossed over for a variety of reasons.

For example, hallucinations, mirages, framed by evil demons.

Even if the elders of the tribe learned the reason afterward, as an immature young fishman, he would at most be hung on a coral tree and whipped, losing a few layers of scales.

But if he were caught, he would at least be confined to the bottom of the lake, with no chance of tribal leadership; at worst, he could be banished by the First University, becoming a pitiful nomadic fishman.

Painful stories passed down by elders told Iseni that a nomadic fishman could hardly survive in the dangerous wizard world without the power of the tribe and the priests.

Let alone an immature fishman.

With this thought, a lot of new energy was suddenly injected into Iseni’s somewhat tired body.

It fluttered its dorsal fin, trotted through trees and shrubs, careful not to step into the mud in the grass nest, opening its mouth wide to draw a little moisture from the dry air.

However, as a water-borne creature, the land environment was too dry for Iseni, and the low air pressure also made him, who was accustomed to water pressure, extremely uncomfortable.

This resulted in a significant decrease in his running efficiency.

Fortunately, the lake was not far from here. The lakeside air has always been very humid and its robust body could still hold on.

Although he was extraordinarily tall, Iseni was a fishman who was not yet twenty years old. For most fishmen who can live for more than two hundred years and take over fifty years to reach maturity, he was still considered a child.

As a child, he naturally had many problems common to the juveniles of intelligent beings.

For instance, being naive, innocent, self-righteous, and the impatient mentality of wanting to get rid of humiliation as soon as possible after being teased by peers.

Iseni’s impatience came from a desire for success.

He very much hoped to achieve something that would shock his companions, to wash away the disgraceful connotations associated with his name, and to make all those who joked about him tighten their gills.

Iseni’s name came from a rusty fishhook.

Although the waterborne fishmen held a sense of superiority towards the land animals, it did not affect their love for, and even worship of, the fine works from the land.

After a newborn fishman hatches from its egg, the tribe’s priests would always present many items from the land for it to freely grasp with their tender webbed fingers.

The baby fishman would be named after the item they picked, and it would serve as their lucky charm.

And the item that Iseni got on his hatching day was a fishhook.

A shiny one, short and stout throughout, with a barb on the hook tip. This fishhook now hangs at the root of the highest fin on his back.

For a fishman, this lucky charm indeed seems somewhat humorous.

But for an outstanding and ambitious fishman, this isn’t very amusing.

Iseni didn’t like his companions always teasing about his name.

Someday, you will sing praises of this name and offer me golden fishhooks.

With this mentality, the young fishman took a step on the land, intending to establish his own new world outside the sphere of control of the old fogeys.

Then, some wizards in black robes found him.

They hoped to buy some of the wizard’s items that had fallen into the water from the fishmen at a low price.

As a standout among the fishman tribe, Iseni had heard many snippets of secretive deals between the wizards and the adults in the tribe.

For instance, helping the wizards collect fruits and leaves of magical underwater plants, helping the staff drag the powerless little boats on the lake surface, or helping some specific wizards retrieve their accidentally dropped items.

Clearly, those wizards, who acted mysteriously and spoke strangely when dealing with him, did not appear to be the type to be helping others out of kindness.

They hoped to buy more sunken items.

”If you are willing to help us collect those muddy, seaweed-covered items, the wizards will not owe their friends anything”, the negotiating fat wizard casually played with the exquisite glass ornaments on his side, subtly tempting the not-yet-grown fishman: ”In the name of friendship, consider these items as gifts from us to you.”