High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 507: Chapter 176 Visitors_1

Contrary to Zheng Qing’s expectation.

The art hunting exhibition was crowded with many spectators – he had originally thought such an overly ’artistic’ event would have few followers among the younger wizards. But the reality was not so. In the venue, apart from the students of the First University dressed in various colored college robes, there were many off-campus wizards wearing all sorts of weird cloaks, with a large audience gathering before every artwork.

The young scholarship student adjusted the wide brim of his hat before his forehead, hiding his face more tightly, fearing that some madman would rush up to him and shout ’draw out your law book, youngster!’

Under the guidance of the paper crane, Zheng Qing, after manoeuvring through the crowded crowd, finally found Xiao Xiao and others under a large landscape painting after looking for a long time.

It was a refreshing oil painting.

To the right of the painting was a vast plain. Above was the azure sky, scattered clouds, rolling green mountains in the distance, a flat river valley nearby, and a curved blue and white river, like a yoke. Half of the oil painting presented a refreshing and natural feeling.

The left side of the painting was a mountain ravaged by a storm. The thick dark clouds and the heavy rain seemed to merge into one, pressing from the sky to the top of the mountain, hazy, giving people a feeling of depression when they look at it. The pine and cypress shrubs on the top of the mountain were twisted by the storm, but miraculously revealed a vibrant aura.

A tall and thin old wizard with white hair was standing in the crowd, explaining the various aspects of the painting in a very slow tone.

”...As you can see, the famous wizard painter of the nineteenth century, Thomas Cole, created this amazing work with his extremely delicate brushwork.”

”In this painting, he expresses some opinions about nature, wizards, and even philosophy and belief in a subtle way... In particular, I hope you can pay attention to the different styles on the left and right sides of this painting: tame and wild.”

”This is an eternal topic in the wizarding world.”

”Master Cole also hopes to use this painting to promote to all known or unknown wizards that as long as the composition and brushwork are appropriate, ’static paintings’ can also express the connotation and vitality that are not inferior to ’vitalizing art’.”

Xiao Xiao was holding a notebook, his pen flying across the paper, seemingly wanting to take note of every sentence the old wizard said.

The Xin Fat Man was holding a newspaper, chuckling to himself, looking very pleased.

”Why didn’t you guys wait for me at the entrance!” The young scholarship student complained in a low voice, squeezed between the two of them, glanced at the notes written by the Doctor, muttered: ”I originally thought that the art exhibition of wizards would have a slightly different style... I didn’t expect it to be so boring.”

”Boring?” The Doctor stopped his brush, looked up, adjusted his glasses, and asked in surprise: ”Just a little bit of oil paint can express a wonderful mood beyond magic... why do you think it’s boring?”

Zheng Qing twitched the corner of his mouth.

”Maybe I don’t have such a high level of appreciation.” The young scholarship student shrugged, looked around: ”I remember Dylan said that you can see some famous hunting team’s competition paintings at the art hunting exhibition – the kind that can move – but why do I see that all the paintings displayed in this hall are static?”

After he finished, he couldn’t help but add: ”These paintings are like the paintings I saw in the ordinary human world.”

Perhaps because ever since Zheng Qing squeezed in, this small corner has never been quiet. Several girls around who were seriously listening to the old wizard’s explanation couldn’t help but turn their heads, glaring fiercely at a few male wizards.

In the end, the Doctor gave up his plan to quietly take notes and dragged his two companions back out of the crowd.

”To appreciate, you must behave as an appreciator... Respect the quality! This hall now is not only filled with people from the First University.” Xiao Xiao admonished earnestly.

Zheng Qing blinked, his right fist heavily hammered into his left palm: ”Mist grass! I finally remembered!”

His whispered exclamation startled the Doctor, but the Fat Man seemed unaffected, still holding that newspaper and chuckling to himself, daydreaming.

”What do you remember?”

”I’ve been feeling like something wasn’t right... you said so, and then I realized.” Zheng Qing said uncertainly, but asserted confidently, ”This is the First Hall, right?”

The professor didn’t speak, he just flipped his eyelids and glanced at the scholarship student over the rim of his glasses.

This look contained a mix of shock, disappointment, and the impression that he was dealing with a fool. Normally, if he could read so many meanings in someone’s eyes, Zheng Qing would definitely complain.

But now, he had to suppress the urge to complain from the bottom of his heart and instead focused on repeating his question.

”This is the First Hall!” Zheng Qing repeated excitedly, speaking rapidly, ”How can people from outside get into the school? I mean, those from outside... I remember the interviewer, Assistant Thomas, said that the school’s Protection Array only opens once or twice a year... How did they get in?”

”They were invited in,” the professor dryly explained.

”Yeah... I know they were invited in. What I’m asking is, with the Protection Array closed, how did they manage to get inside the school?”

”They, were invited in?!” Xiao Xiao repeated his previous answer.

Zheng Qing squinted at him, feeling a throbbing pain in his teeth.

”Either you’re stupid or I’m a fool,” the young scholarship student muttered in a somewhat powerless tone, ”Can you please explain a bit more...how they were invited in...”

”The school sent out invitation letters, and they got in with those letters,” Xiao Xiao explained helpfully.

”What about the Protection Array? Isn’t it closed? How did they get in?!” Zheng Qing was somewhat frantic.

The fat man, who had been sitting idly by with a newspaper, seemed to have finally noticed the argument between his two roommates. He slowly lifted his head, shifted his eyelids, and showed an expression of displeasure on his face.

”Why are you suddenly concerned about this?” He huffed.

Zheng Qing hesitated for a moment before finally explaining, ”I thought of the kitten that Jiang Yu raised...the one that was killed on that big blue stone near Bell Lake.”

Xiao Xiao pursed his brows and nodded.

”If, I mean if, people from outside can enter the school, does that mean...”

”No, that possibility doesn’t exist.” Xiao Xiao finally understood how to explain the situation, ”The guests invited to the school aren’t the same as us... their actions will be restricted by the invitation letter.”

”For example, a guest who only has ’Visit the Art Show on Monday from 6 to 9 PM’ on their invitation can only appear in the Art Gallery from 6 to 9 PM—they can’t even step out of the gallery.”

”And for guests who received the ’Opening Ceremony of the School Hunt Invitation’, they can only follow a designated route, observe the exhibits of the school’s Moon Hunting Show, and then watch the opening ceremony performance at the No.1 Hunting Ground.”

”Su Shijun seemed quite free,” Zheng Qing quietly doubted, ”She even brought her maid.”

”Councilor Su is not only a council member of the Under the Moon Council, but also a senior researcher at the First University Magic Research Institute... Of course, ever since she became a Grand Wizard, her title may have been updated, and she might even be the director of a department now.”

Zheng Qing’s mouth dropped open, and he was speechless for a while.

In the end, he decided to jump back to the previous topic: ”What exactly do the terms ’Vitalizing Art’ and ’Static Portrait’ that the old wizard mentioned earlier mean?”