High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 325: Chapter 249 Crash_1

Although the opening ceremony has ended, the atmosphere in the First Hall has not yet cooled down.

The speaker flowers surrounding the hall have not yet completely wilted. A few large speakers hang on the half-wilted vines, still attempting to puff up their wrinkled petals, spitting out indistinct ballads.

The fairies dressed in grass skirts are scrambling in and out of the group of newcomers, bouncing around gleefully, grinning and asking for gifts. This causes the gray-robed janitor to chase them away with his long-handled broom.

The professors have already left one after another. The young wizards, now without restrictions, gather together in groups of three or five. Seizing this rare opportunity, they hold a lively party in the hall - a tradition of the first university to welcome newcomers.

The staff of the Student Association have brought in crates of Green Bees and various mouth-watering snacks, all piled in the center of the hall, available for anyone to take.

The blue elves in various colored gauze skirts are holding fruit plates and carrying wine bottles, shuttling back and forth among the newcomers, filling every empty glass with drinks, and stuffing fruit into the mouths of every young wizard.

Zheng Qing stands in the center of the crowd, stroking the wine glass in his hand, watching the golden medal circulate among different hands, sincerely hoping that it will never return to his own.

But this, after all, is just wishful thinking.

Under the scrutiny of all, no one would dare to steal a hero’s prize.

Soon, Doctor Xiao took the Merlin Bronze Medal back from the hands of the last onlooker and slipped it into Zheng Qing’s pocket.

The medal slid down the smooth silk. Zheng Qing felt his robe sink, as if pulling his heart down with it.

”You seem a bit down?” Xiao Xiao raised his eyebrows, seeming a bit curious: ”Is it because you weren’t satisfied with the speech just now?”

Zheng Qing managed a smile but said nothing.

He really didn’t know how to explain.

”Here’s a suggestion for you,” said Doctor Xiao, pointing around, ”Lift your head and look at the people in this hall. What do you see?”

The young public student raised his head in confusion and looked around.

In Alpha’s team, Lin Guo was riding his Black Mountain Goat, ambling around a column, looking up at something; the young master of the Taylor family was still surrounded by many flattering faces, as casual as ever, allowing the gemstone rings on his fingers to dazzle the eyes of the other young wizards.

Comparatively, the newcomers from Atlas were much more restrained. They were either sitting in silent meditation, honing their tranquility amidst the bustling environment, or gathered in groups of three or five, exchanging insights. Zheng Qing also saw a familiar figure, a little monk named Shi Yuan he had met on the plane, was pressing a small demon’s head, expounding on Buddhist principles with spit flying, completely indifferent to the small demon’s distressed expression.

Perhaps the liveliest was the Starry Sky Academy. A large group of newcomers formed a big circle, and the two people inside were beating each other with their fists and yelling, teeth and flesh flying, sweat and blood mingling. Not only did the seniors not intervene, they even jokingly opened a betting pool, inviting other newcomers to place bets.

”Isn’t that against the rules?” Zheng Qing’s eyes finally regained some of their vitality. He looked at a slightly higher position in the hall with surprise.

Between the second and third floors, there were many patrolling team members holding notepads; even on the upper terrace, there were a few teaching assistants leaning on the railing, smiling and watching the party below.

”What?” Due to the loud noise, Xiao Xiao didn’t hear Zheng Qing’s question clearly.

”I mean, the people from Starry Sky Academy are actually gambling?! Doesn’t the school’s Inspection Team care?” Zheng Qing asked in a shocked tone, ”There are absolutely no rules restricting... it’s utterly disappointing to this school...”

”That’s betting, not gambling.” Zhang Ji Xin’s large hand patted Zheng Qing’s shoulder and he laughed heartily, ”As long as you don’t abuse divination abilities when you place bets, anyone can go up and try their luck... For a wizard, there’s nothing more attractive than good luck.”

”Crafty.” Zheng Qing snorted at this explanation, even maliciously guessing whether the patrolling wizards had taken bribes from Starry Sky Academy, allowing them to gamble so blatantly.

The words Old Yao said last night, the commendation speech the host professor gave today, the heavy honor on his chest, and the dress that was still in his dormitory — all these bothersome matters choked him, causing him to feel nauseous and dizzy.

The news of Starry Sky Academy gambling in broad daylight seemed like a catalyst, making it almost unbearable for him to suppress his inner shame and indignation.

”It’s utterly lawless!”

”Don’t wizards have any sense of morality at all?”

”Don’t their consciences hurt?”

His mind was filled with these words and roars, so much so that he didn’t hear Xiao Xiao’s question clearly.

”All you saw was the gambling?” Doctor Xiao repeated in a tone of extreme disappointment, ”What else did you see? Did you see anything else?”

The young funded student finally came to his senses.

He looked around restlessly, shaking his head randomly.

Xiao Xiao eventually gave up trying, taking a deep sigh.

”Do you see any issues?” Zhang Ji Xin was very curious about the unresolved matters from Doctor Xiao, and couldn’t help but ask, ”What else can there be in the hall besides the reveling crowd, the withering speaker flowers, the fairies being caught and hit? Could some hidden ghosts have slipped in... that’s not possible!”

”That’s exactly the problem, people’s vision always remains on what they are willing to see, what they want to see.” Xiao Xiao spoke with a helpless tone, ”The truth is, there are a lot of problems in the hall... a lot of problems... enormous problems that everyone tends to ignore, thinking it’s just natural!”

Zheng Qing, listening to these words that had nothing to do with himself, strangely felt sympathy and nodded repeatedly in agreement.

To him, the school seemed to have been eroded by the twisted moral and standard atmosphere, yet it seemed that no one had noticed this.

”Where is the problem? Who has a problem?” Zhang Ji Xin, increasingly curious, surveyed the scene with a furrowed brow: ”What’s the problem?”

”You, me, him... everyone has a problem.” Xiao Xiao waved his hand holding the notebook and made a large circle, including all the people in the hall, ”The problem is this university.”

”I feel the same... this university is sick...” Zheng Qing couldn’t help but chime in, not noticing that his sentence sounded extremely odd.

Zhang Ji Xin looked at the two in horror, with a strange expression on his face.

”The First University was originally intended to establish a university that eliminated barriers and tolerated a coexistence... but now we don’t see any signs of harmony.”

Xiao Xiao didn’t care about the strange looks from the people around him but waved his arms, quickly explaining, ”Just like what you see... even at the party, the four academies are still clearly separated, each academy has its own power area... no one from any academy dares to cross that invisible chasm, entering the world of the other academies.”

Zheng Qing sighed in disappointment, feeling that Xiao Xiao didn’t really see where the real problem laid.

Zhang Ji Xin let out a sigh of relief.

”You scared me to death...” His face was nearly violet from shock, seemingly ready to faint at any moment, ”From your description... I almost thought the end of the world was coming.”

Xiao Xiao spread out his notebook over his face, staying silent.

”Excuse me, make way...” From outside the crowd came the confident shouting of Xin Fat Man, ”Zheng the Great Hero, is this your dog?”

”A fox... it’s a fox.” Zheng Qing corrected him weakly, ”And, don’t call me that stupid nickname.”

”Stupid? It should be quite cool... girls ask me most often about you.” Xin Fat Man squeezed his way back, holding two ’plush toys’ that he just snatched from the pile of girls – the little fox Poseidon and the dormitory’s orange cat – his round face covered in sweat.

He pouted his lips, and mimicked in a strikingly accurate manner: ”How old is Zheng Qing this year? Is he dating Elena? Do you really stay in the same dormitory with him? Do you know what kind of girls he likes...”

Zheng Qing, looking constipated, took Poseidon from him.

It was swaddled in thick saris and a bow was even tied on the tip of its tail.

The little fox was dying of shame.

From its expression, it seems like it would rather chop off its own tail.

On the other hand, Zhang Ji Xin was still discussing the previous topic with Xiao Xiao.

”If you believe there are... fractures between the academies.” Zhang Ji Xin’s square face almost crumpled into a round shape as he searched for the right words, ”why don’t you do something to fix it? For example, we can invite some acquaintances from other academies to join our party!”

Xiao Xiao held his notebook, his eyebrows almost raised up to his forehead.

”Hello, sir,” Nearby, Zheng Qing greeted an apparition that had just appeared in the crowd.

His voice was somewhat tense, and his face a bit pale.

Because the black-robed wizard that came to him was an assistant and his interviewer when he entered the school.

The real hero of Great Ming Pavilion, Thomas.