High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 285: Chapter 209 Astronomy and Miss Emma_1

The Tuesday afternoon was time for an astronomy class.

Unlike in the common world, the study of the distribution and movement of celestial bodies such as the sun, moon, and stars in the universe is called astrology; astronomy, on the other hand, is the abbreviation for ’Sky Script’.

In the ancient wizard’s notes, astronomy is also referred to as ’magic script’.

As the ancients described it, ’This is a kind of magical script’.

When first introduced to the concept of astronomy, Zheng Qing was briefly confused.

”This astronomy sounds like it should be similar to runes, doesn’t it?” He rubbed his scalp, comparing the ’Sky Text·Freshman Year’ and ”Basic Runes·Freshman Year” in his hands, feeling a mess in his mind: ”Both are magical scripts, why do we need to learn two sets?”

”Are these the Chinese language and foreign language of the magic world?” The young student compared the completely different symbols on the two books with a gloomy face, feeling a sense of deep despair, ”I always feel like I’m going to fail this class.”

Xiao Xiao had most of his head hidden behind his notebook, his eyeballs moving rapidly, but this did not prevent him from giving Zheng Qing a simple introduction to magic:

”Although the way you put it is somewhat inaccurate, but there is some merit to it... to be accurate, runes are the script that wizards use, and the astronomy is the bridge for communication with other civilizations or races.”

”Among the countless worlds, with all their wonders and abnormalities, the only constant is the starry sky that supports the existence of these worlds.”

”Astronomy is derived from the timeless starry sky.”

”If runes are the language wizards use to communicate with nature, then astronomy is the language wizards use to communicate with other worlds.”

”Runes have the innate bonus of wizard civilization, and any non-wizard species cannot accurately understand its meaning... you can understand it as some sort of pact between the wizard and the source of magic.”

”While astronomy also has magic power, its most basic use is for communication...communication between different civilizations and races.”

”Devils in hell, gods in the sky, strange species from beyond the stars, any intelligent life form, wizards can use astronomy to communicate with them...in a way, mastering astronomy is a necessary stepping stone for a wizard to reach further, which is why the Wizard Alliance includes this class in the basic education that a registered wizard must complete.”

This perspective made Zheng Qing very curious.

”Who invented the Sky Script?” He flicked through the textbook in his hand with great interest, very intrigued by the civilization that was able to spread this script, and couldn’t help but speculate, ”Could it be that there’s something like ’Mei Di’ in the Wizard World?”

”What is Mei Di?” Doctor Xiao finally raised his head, looking puzzled, ”Sounds like a great inventor...but Sky Script doesn’t need to be invented, any sufficiently powerful race can perceive these symbols from the source of the stars.”

Zheng Qing twitched his mouth, but did not explain to Xiao Xiao the meaning of Mei Di in the common world.

He just once again expressed his confidence in learning astronomy:

”I wasn’t good at foreign languages back then...on the contrary, I was very good at Chinese. I had originally thought I wouldn’t have this kind of trouble after coming to the Wizard World, but it seems bad students can always deeply feel their inherent attributes.”

In a blink of an eye, Zheng Qing’s college life had already entered its fourth week.

Just as he had expected.

As a scholarship student, Zheng Qing’s performance in Miss Emma’s class was not outstanding—of course, this conclusion was primarily obtained by comparing him with another scholarship student, or comparing his performance in the rune class.

In fact, if graded by the standards of an ordinary student, Zheng Qing’s performance in the astronomy class was up to par.

At least Miss Emma was satisfied with his performance.

Miss Emma is the professor of the astronomy class.

She is a serious-looking, short, fat old lady.

In Jiuyou Academy, there are many legends circulating about her.

For instance, this lady would require her students to enter the classroom an hour before class, assign them weekly quiz, and collect a sheet of astronomy practice every day, submitted by the class monitor.

Correspondingly, in the classes taught by Professor Emma, the vast majority of students reach the minimum standard for registered wizards.

These contributions have earned her widespread respect in Jiuyou Academy.

As a result, in the Academy, the universally accepted term for Miss Emma among the red robe wizards is ’Boss A’—this term carries neither derogatory nor sarcastic meaning, but rather is full of admiration; after all, in a school where exam scores determine everything, a professor who can bring better scores to students will always receive more recognition.

During the first astronomy class, Zheng Qing felt the aura of this mega boss.

Just like the rumors suggested, this lady arrived earlier than any student, standing at the podium flipping through a thin roll of student names.

She looked like a plump old lady, rosy-faced, with deep folds always visible along the edges of her chubby cheeks. Her fluffy, curly red hair piled on top of her head. Her black robe was neat and crisp, giving a simple and efficient impression.

She wore a pair of oversized black-rimmed round glasses. Through the thick lenses, her eyes seemed a bit larger, making them protrude slightly. In some respects, this made Ms. Emma’s gaze appear much more stern.

Seeing the frantic figure of Zheng Qing, Ms. Emma glanced at the roll in her hand and sternly ordered:

”Hurry into the classroom!”

She swept her eyes around the room, saw Xiao Xiao’s disheveled black hair and large notebook at the back of the room, and Zheng Qing hurried away with her head lowered.

”What are you doing?” Barely sitting down, Zheng Qing, panting for breath, casually asked Xiao Xiao, while looking about.

Everyone had their heads buried in their desks, quietly flipping open their textbooks, completely void of the usual lively and relaxed pre-class atmosphere.

”Writing a poem.” Xiao Xiao seemed somewhat irritable, fiddling with the brush pen in his hand, turning it over and over, and writing something on the paper at hand from time to time.

”Huh?” Zheng Qing opened her mouth, but before she could make a sound, she felt a wave of pressure spreading around her.

Piercing eyes swept across the classroom from the podium. The gradually building tension cooled instantly. Zheng Qing lifted her head, seeming to feel the prickling sensation in that gaze. Anxiously, she lowered her head.

Once the last student entered the classroom, Ms. Emma immediately closed the roll in her hands and shut the classroom door with a wave of her hand.

All along, the stick figure behind the door stood silently as if it had gone mute.

”From today on until the end of your college days, I will be your teacher for the Magic Script course. We will learn together.”

”Before class begins, I want to stress my concept of time: starting from the next class, everyone must enter the classroom one hour ahead of time. Any student that is late must complete an additional Magic Script exam question to be added to next day’s assignment to be turned in.”

”Unlike other professors, my classwork must be submitted daily. From Monday to Friday, the class monitor will collect and submit it to my office. Saturday and Sunday’s work will be combined with Monday’s to be submitted.

”Any objections?”

No one spoke.

With her head down, Zheng Qing lamented the end of her blissful college days.

It was evident Miss Emma was very satisfied with the silent approval in the classroom. Her tone sounded kinder:

”Magic Script is rationality without passion!”

”If you learn Magic Script with a great desire, you will become slaves to Magic Script! Only by discarding the unessential and focusing on the necessary can the true Magic Script be learned.”

”Unlike astronomy, although talent occupies a certain position in your entire Magic Script learning journey, it is not a decisive factor.”

”Some people can effortlessly master three hundred sixty-five standard characters in a year, while some can barely master the forty-nine standard characters required for graduation, even after four years—this is a difference in talent.”

”But, hard work can make up for lack of talent.”

”If you study strictly according to my schedule during your four years of college, then by graduation, I can guarantee that everyone will be able to master the necessary hundred eight standard runes for registered wizards.”

”So, always remember, not to waste time in my class!”

”Now, any other questions?”

The classroom was silent.

”Teacher, our course is astrology. Are you in the wrong classroom?”

A student in the corner was heard asking in confusion.

Zheng Qing subtly smacked her lips.

She wouldn’t even ask such a common-sense question.

”Magic Script is Astronomy. Magic Script is what I’m accustomed to. You should get used to it too!” Ms. Emma’s eyes dropped behind the thick glasses, and her tone became hard: ”Remember, to speak in my class, you must first raise your hand! Are there any other questions?”

No one raised their hand anymore.

Just like that, a group of quails was easily quelled by Boss A.