High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 330: Chapter 254: 2.5D Butterfly_1

As the banquet in the Grand Hall was nearing its end, Nicholas packed up his books to leave the library. The vice-chancellors of the First University, and their department chairs, found themselves buried under piles of paperwork in their respective offices.

When the moon, partially obscured by a thin veil of mist, feebly shed its moonlight.

When this day was about to end.

A black butterfly fluttered its wings and rose from the lakeside of Bell Lake.

A flicker.

Another flicker.

It disappeared into thin air.

Without sound or warning, not disturbing a single ripple.

When it reappeared in this world, it was already over ten thousand miles away, hovering above a calm sea.

It danced gracefully, landing on a blue, delicate fingertip.

”News from the First University?” The Mist Captain twirled the black butterfly wings in his hand.

Fluttering scales fell, forming a cryptic symbol.

This was an ancient script often used by demons, cryptic and powerful, only able to be made solid by demonic energy. Legend has it this was a blessing bestowed by the True Spirit which created everything.

Nikita, holding the Captain’s afternoon tea, watched all this with curiosity.

”I can sense your astonishment.” The Mist Captain seemed to be in high spirits, he lazily looked toward the side at the female demon, ”Your naive heart’s whispers are somewhat loud in this room...”

Nikita’s arm that held the tray trembled slightly, but she still bravely voiced her doubt: ”Did... did it fly here from the First University?”

”Bingo!” The Captain snapped his fingers, his tone full of admiration, ”But there are no rewards.”

”Impossible!” Nikita’s eyes widened in shock, ”The protective formation of the First University can isolate anything... it shouldn’t have been able to slip out!”

”Do you think it looks fragile... therefore it is incapable of breaking through the formidable Guardian Array of the First University?” The Captain smirked, clearly amused by the incredulous expression on the female demon’s face, ”But you overlooked a very important principle... from nothingness comes being, difficulty births ease.”

This is a True Word from the Taoist Scripture, Nikita knew.

But the meaning behind the Captain’s words was elusive.

After all, each sentence in the Taoist Scripture has seventeen or eighteen different interpretations.

The female demon stared at the Captain blankly, blinking her translucent red eyes.

Perhaps it was because he had just received good news, or maybe it was because he had just enjoyed a tasty dessert.

The mood of the Mist Captain seemed exceptionally good. He patiently explained to the female demon:

”There’s no denying that the Guardian Array of the First University is the most powerful guardian formation in this world, or should I say, in this universe.”

”To such an extent that it can shield the school from the prying eyes of higher-dimensional beings.”

”However, no matter what, this defensive formation is primarily designed to deal with three-dimensional creatures... whether it’s you, or those fools outside, even though you are all ’ferocious demons’ in the mouths of wizards, amongst you you have a single nose, single mouth, three to five eyes, seven to eight legs... you can never break free from the basic concept of space-time in this universe.”

”But this butterfly is different.”

The Mist Captain spoke and flicked his finger.

The fluttering scales seemed to gather like an illusion and merge back into a black butterfly.

The butterfly seemed to still remember what had just happened to it and flapped its wings desperately, trying to stay away from the blue finger.

But all its attempts were futile.

No matter how it struggled, its petite legs stuck stubbornly against the Captain’s fingertip.

”Create life!” Nikita covered her mouth in shock.

The ability to create life at your fingertips, even if it is the most insignificant ant, is an extraordinary achievement.

As far as the she-demon knew, even the senior professors of the First University, let alone the chancellors, were not capable of this.

Perhaps only the beings in legends, those who surpass great wizards and great demons, may grasp the mystery behind this feat.

”No, no, no, it’s not quite ready... it’s just a bit of minor trickery with space-time.” The Captain waved his finger modestly, looked with delight at the fluttering black butterfly on his fingertip and asked gently, ”Do you know about Koch’s snowflake?”

”A fractal curve first described by the wizard Koch, which exhibits infinite length within finite space, giving it the name snowflake due to its appearance.” As a former top student of the First University, Nikita remembered these basic concepts, ”Similarly, there’s the Sierpinski triangle, constructed by wizard Sierpinski, its area tends infinitely towards zero when it changes.”

”Very good, if I were teaching at the First University, I would definitely award you extra points.” The Mist Captain clapped softly, laughing, ”So, are these constructions one-dimensional lines, or two-dimensional planes? Like the Sierpinski triangle you just mentioned, it’s a bit difficult to call it a two-dimensional figure since it practically doesn’t have an area... but it’s very obviously not a collection of one-dimensional lines.”

”It’s between one and two dimensions.” Nikita seemed to be back in the college classroom, a rare seriousness appeared on her face, ”So... is this butterfly likewise?”

”Very sharp, little creature.” The Captain held his finger out before the female demon, showing her the black butterfly, ”It’s not a plane...but it infinitely approaches a plane, it is a being that exists between the second and third dimension.”

”While the protective array of the First University can resist the higher dimensional beings’ probing, and repel the demons’ attacks, it fails to effectively counter these beings that surpass conventional concepts... those bareheaded ascetics call this ’Cognitive Obstructions’.”

Orange sunlight shone through the small window onto the Captain’s desk.

Ray after ray bypassed the obstructions, scattered between the wings of the butterfly.

Colourful halos glimmered, for a brief moment, Nikita thought this flapping little creature was merely a painting.

”Does it have a name?” The female demon, fascinated by the scales flowing in the sunlight, asked further.

”Name?” The Mist Captain finally fell into contemplation.

After a long time, he nodded and said, ”Let’s call it the 2.5-Dimensional Butterfly.”

A rigid smile hung on his face.

Faced with this terrible name, Nikita had no idea how to respond.

”These are your pastries. Please enjoy.” She forcefully changed the subject and presented the tray in front of her.

”These pastries taste good,” The Captain used his black, sharp fingernail to pick up the last bite of pastry from the plate, put it in his mouth and nodded satisfactorily after a taste, ”I seem to detect the mellow flavor of ’memories’.”

”You are absolutely right,” The female demon responded with her head lowered, ”These pastries are made from dried brains, ground into powder, topped with your favorite liver ragout...”

”Indeed, everyone has their value.” The Captain picked up the white silk napkin from the tray, wiped his fingertip and smirked, ”Hiring you as my ship’s cook was one of the best decisions I made this year.”