High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 253: Chapter 177: Cautioning Magic_1

”You mean the gypsy girl?”

”She’s already been taken away by someone from their Tower of Wizards.”

”...I don’t know anything...”

”I only saw a white shadow... A white shadow... Even when the silver bat flies, it’s still a white shadow. I can name seventeen or eighteen animals that are white shadows when they fly without even using my brain!”

Old man Ferna frowned, gruffly voicing his complaints, his tone somewhat dissatisfied.

Zheng Qing and his friends stood not far from the old man.

Clearly, Old Ferna was extremely annoyed at a certain witness’s inability to clearly identify the culprit.

Now, the old maintenance worker was holding his long wooden stick, carefully poking at the bushes in the woods, trying to find some overlooked clues.

Around him, dozens of workers in grey robes were lined up neatly, meticulously searching the lawn next to the muddy pond inch by inch.

Even the young longevity tortoises that were originally sunbathing in the pond were chased out, turning them over one by one, revealing their clean bellies. Two teaching assistants in black robes used engraving knives and paints to carve runes on them.

Zheng Qing dishearteningly glanced at the empty square, his heart filled with disappointment.

His only purpose of coming here was to console the frightened Elena - an excellent opportunity to gain recognition and goodwill.

Regrettably, he was too late.

Since the beauty had already left, what was the point of staying here?

”I see that the withered tortoise has been taken away, right,” The scholarship student glanced at Thomas, trying to make a light joke: ”It seems we’ll be out of a job as soon as we arrive...if there is no need for assistants anymore, shall we leave first?”

”Why leave?” Thomas turned his head, looking utterly confused.

He has just been whispering with a few other black-robed assistants and wasn’t paying attention to the situation here.

”Elena has already left!” Zheng Qing emphasized, then added: ”And that withered turtle has also been taken away...you called us here to clean up the site, right? Since the turtle has been taken away, there is no point for us to stay here, so...”

He shrugged his shoulders, shooting a glance at the back garden of the academy.

”Everyone’s hungry now,” he explained in the end.

”Oh, she’s not here when you said so.” There was a trace of a smile in Thomas’s green eyes, although he denied it firmly: ”That doesn’t mean we can leave!...As for the meal, you can count on Old Ferna.”

Before Zheng Qing could object, his former interviewer held up three fingers to make a point.

”Firstly,” Thomas put down one finger, glanced at the belly-up spirit tortoise by the mud pond, and emphasized: ”The tortoise victim is a 300-year-old ’Longevity Tortoise’, not just any turtle... This point is very important.”

By the mud pond, several older longevity tortoises stretched their necks, barking proudly twice.

Zheng Qing forced a smile.

”Secondly, I just asked you to clean up the scene, not to dissect the victim... Also, you do not yet possess the academic level needed to deal with ’key’ evidence.” The assistant professor took down his second finger.

”So what are we cleaning up?” Xin Fat Man asked with a blank face.

”Like them.” Thomas gestured to the side not far away.

Zheng Qing turned his head to look at the grey-robed workers who were flipping through the grass inch by inch under the scorching sun, and his face gradually turned pale.

”That’s also cleaning up the scene?” Zhang Ji Xin’s originally reddish face grew even redder.

”That’s exactly what cleaning up the crime scene entails.” Thomas corrected: ”The autopsy, and the magical tracking you conjectured in your little heads, are areas that only higher-level wizards would dabble in.”

With that, he gestured a vast distance with his two fingers to illustrate the gap between ’them’ and ’the advanced wizards’.

It was a gap that could drive ants to despair.

”Thirdly,” Thomas lowered his last finger, swinging his clenched fist, emphasizing: ”And the most important point... The school has entrusted the task of handling the scene entirely to Old Ferna... So... if you want to leave early, you need Old Man Ferna’s approval.”

Zheng Qing chuckled, but said nothing.

Who would agree to flip through bushes in such torrid heat, only someone with a hole in his head.

He subtly signaled to his companions.

Xin Fat Man blinked subtly.

Zhang Ji Xin cleared his throat.

Duan Xiao Jian quietly swallowed his saliva.

Only Xiao Xiao continued to bury her head in her notebook, paying no attention.

Anticipating Zheng Qing’s thoughts, Thomas added: ”You should be aware that the area around Lakeside of Bell Lake is still under martial law, and any unauthorised cross-walking risks severe reaction from warning magic.”

The last glimmer of hope to sneak away was dashed.

”What is warning magic?” Zheng Qing struggled in desperation.

”Non-lethal, attack-type magic,” Xiao Xiao suddenly lifted her head and explained in a calm tone: ”The purpose of such magic is to neutralize the target’s threat potential, and it isn’t greatly limited in its method. Common warning magics include ’passive transformation spells’, ’Charms of Five Sounds and Colors’, and some magic books even include ’Petrification Curse’ in warning magic... Of course, since this type of spell still carries a certain degree of harmfulness to those on whom it is used, any use of warning magic must be reported to the relevant department in advance, and the range of use, time of use and authorizing type of this magic must be publicly declared.”

”So you’re the Doctor known among the newbies,” Thomas praised, gently applauding: ”Your reputation is indeed deserved.”

”He’ll be even more famous starting today.” Zhang Ji Xin grumbled.

Zheng Qing laughed helplessly.

Thomas either didn’t notice the subtle interplay between the youngsters, or he noticed it but didn’t understand it.

But that didn’t prevent him from giving a more detailed explanation to the first-year students.

”The authorization type we received is the ’Passive Transformation Spell’,” the assistant professor with green pupils gave a mysterious smile: ”For the specific type of transformation, you can refer to the owner of this pond.”

Zheng Qing glanced at the slow-moving reptiles in the muddy water and couldn’t help but shiver.

Xin Fat Man let out a wail and sat on the ground.

”The range of warning magic is by the Lakeside of Bell Lake, from the mud pond in the east to the corridor in the west, from the square in front of the Book Mountain Library to the south and the square in front of the main teaching building to the north.”

”And the time,” Thomas took out his timer and nodded: ”Until three o’clock in the afternoon; that is to say, you can’t leave here until two hours and thirty-one minutes and forty-eight seconds from now.”

”According to your principle of maximizing the marginal efficiency of your time, I suggest you accept Old Ferna’s task; you may even earn some academic points.” After giving his final suggestion, the hypocritical assistant teacher left gracefully.

Leaving just the newcomers behind, drowning in sorrow.