High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 291: Chapter 215: What’s the Value of Face?

Wednesday night deep into the night.

Jiuyou Academy, room 101 in the office building.

The Jiuyou Branch of the First University Professors Conference is holding an informal meeting in this conference room.

To be precise, the meeting is not exactly informal.

On every last Wednesday evening of the month, professors would convene a regular meeting in this conference room to summarize the work results of the month and arrange the teaching tasks of the next month - only that most of the time, many professors burdened with heavy research workload would make excuses to decline such a formalistic meeting.

But this time is different.

Vice Principal Ruoyu, who is also the Deputy Principal of the First University, responsible for the school labor committee and presiding this month’s professor joint meeting, personally sent out the summons letter, demanding all the listed professors to attend punctually; those late without good reason would be punished.

Such a stern attitude obviously could explain a lot.

Furthermore, September is the busy month when school starts; October particularly is the traditional ’Moon Hunting’ month of the First University, with a variety of arrangements being even more messier.

So the professors tied to Jiuyou Academy rushed to this large conference room as soon as it began to grow dark, hoping to occupy a comfortable spot and discuss with others some annoying ’minor things’ in the academy recently.

Like, for instance, the she-demon that ran into the cabin of the special plane for student pick-up at the beginning of the month;

And then, those interesting good seedlings among this year’s freshmen, as well as those clan children who are incredibly arrogant;

And also, some wild beasts that sneaked into the academy - especially that bunch of Sand Hours trapped by the school labor committee.

The professors were all gossiping secretly that this bunch of little bugs spewed out a huge bucket of Sand Hour sap, enough to bathe a grass spirit with, yet they had no idea where the stingy school labor committee hid these precious experimental materials.

”We must make those old stingy bastards cough up some blood this time,” an overweight wizard was panting and shaking his hat, sitting on a tall-backed chair, grumbling in low breath, ”my experiment on the ’Resonant State Particle Energy Release Stage in a Downscaled Environment’ is on the brink of completion, only a bit more King Sand Hour sap is needed as a buffer... and they actually told me to write a report! Preposterous, when has doing experiments in the academy ever needed so much fuss?!”

”The school labor committee is in charge this month, you’d better behave.” The short wizard sitting next to him tried to persuade him with a pacifist attitude, ”If they lower your KPI this month because of this small conflict, affecting the progress of your experiment next month, there will be nowhere for you to cry!”

”Those bastards are too much!” The fat wizard was extremely furious, but involuntarily lowered his voice, ”Is this a school for wizards or a school for school laborers...Back when the old principal was here, such a thing never happened!”

”And there lies the key to all the trouble.” Old Yao stood behind the two wizards seemingly out of nowhere, and sighed upon hearing their words, ”Our beloved principal has gone on vacation who knows where... when he comes back, I’ll report your opinions to him.”

The two wizards who were whispering to each other were startled and looked fearfully at the smiling middle-aged man in front of them.

”Dean Yao,” the fat wizard wiped the sweat off his forehead anxiously wringing his hands, and said in a soft voice, ”There’s no need to bother the principal with such a trivial matter... we were just discussing privately... we will definitely submit a report to the academy if necessary!”

”Don’t call me Dean... call me Professor Yao, or Old Yao is also fine.” Old Yao kept shaking his hand, stopping the two professors’ greetings, and at the same time, gave the short wizard a very noticeable look.

”Then you guys continue talking, I remembered that I have a project to discuss with Zhang Yu regarding schedule arrangement,” the short wizard looked at the two with a pleasant smile, nodded, then lightly tapped his foot and quickly slipped away towards the depth of the conference room.

The fat wizard wanted to cry but had no tears, looking helplessly at his departing colleague, but dared not walk away under Old Yao’s gaze.

”Did you sort out that issue you were talking about just now?” Old Yao raised an eyebrow, seeming very surprised, ”Won’t it affect your experiment?”

”No, no impact at all!” The fat wizard kept shaking his hands, with a determined tone, said, ”This is just a small difficulty, it will be overcome with gritting of teeth...”

”So, you’re simply spreading hate speech on purpose then,” Professor Yao fished out his large pipe from his pocket, stuffed it with tobacco, lit it up, and took a leisurely puff.

The pale blue smoke slowly drifted up, obscuring and distorting his smiling face.

He looked like a beast ready to devour.

The overweight wizard was left tongue-tied.

Spreading hate speech on campus was a not-so-light-but-not-so-heavy offense.

If it wasn’t serious, it was because most cases required the subjective belief of individuals, and the severity of the speech could be adjusted by the investigators; but if it was serious, any statement that could destabilize the school under the governance of the university and its four colleges fall under the ’crackdown’ category.

”You say,” the chubby wizard finally understood something, wiped the sweat off his forehead, looking helpless: ”What should we do?”

”That’s the spirit,” Old Yao smiled brightly, patted him on the shoulder, and whispered into his ear: ”I heard your newly uncorked wine from the Return Soul Poplar is quite good, how about bringing a hundred and eighty pounds....just for tasting.”

”Hundred and eighty pounds!” The chubby wizard looked at him in astonishment and exclaimed: ”Are you robbing me? Even bathing wouldn’t require so much!”

The scream drew the attention of many wizards in the conference room.

Old Yao hurriedly held his shoulder and lowered his voice: ”Well, you’ve guessed it... it’s for bathing... don’t be so hasty, just wait.”

He glanced around.

Upon seeing no one watching, he whispered: ”You know the male student who joined the academy this year, didn’t you?”

”You mean that kid who draws good talismans and scared Miss Zhang silly?” The chubby wizard wrinkled his eyebrows with effort and muttered: ”Ah... I heard about it, it was all over the place yesterday about how he fainted during Emma’s class...now that you mention it, the Return Soul Poplar wine indeed has special effects on the soul.”

”Exactly.” Old Yao clapped his hands in approval, forgetting he was still holding a pipe.

The pipe was shaken, issuing a cloud of heavy blue smoke and a string of golden-red sparks.

It looked like a fire dragon sneezing.

”Geez!” The chubby wizard rolled his eyes wearily and spread his hands: ”With this wine, you can just wipe over the body to soothe the soul, no need to bathe in it... This might spoil him, and even if I were willing to give it, I don’t have that much in stock... This year’s production is only about thirty pounds.”

”Then give me twenty pounds!” Old Yao took advantage without a hint of hesitation.

”Hehe...” The chubby wizard forced a laugh, raising a round finger.

”Ten pounds?” Professor Yao frowned, looking unwilling: ”Ten pounds is too little... I’m afraid it won’t last long.”

”Are you planning to use this home remedy as a standard treatment?” The chubby wizard weakly rebutted: ”Moreover, it’s not ten pounds... it’s one pound... everything else has been reserved by everyone, and there’s no more left.”

”One pound!” Old Yao turned his bizarre eyes, ready to get angry.

”One pound it is, one pound is enough.” Professor Li of Potion Studies pulled back Old Yao from behind, repeatedly dissuading: ”Keep appearances, don’t make a fuss here.”

”Appearances?” Professor Yao scoffed, his face full of dismissal: ”What’s the point of appearances? Who in this room doesn’t know who’s who? If I can fix that damn little brat by losing a bit of face, I’ll tear off my own face and use it to mop the floor for everyone... I’ll tear off the right side if the left isn’t enough!”