High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 685: Chapter 33 Struggle of the Decline_1

”Compared to you proud sons of heaven who really entered the First College through exams, my talent is not as remarkable. You’ve been tutoring me in Talisman Studies, so you should understand this point... In fact, over the past hundred years or so, the rate of Gypsy witches’ promotions has been decreasing.”

”Three hundred years ago, we could send a delegation of hundreds of registered wizards to attend the collective meetings of the Wizard’s Alliance; a hundred years ago, it was difficult for us to send a delegation of even thirty... Now, no one knows how long it’s been since the witch delegation has appeared in the Wizard’s Alliance.”

”As far as I can remember, most of the Gypsy witches in the tower are not up to the level of registered wizards. There are even many tricksters. It’s just because we have mastered some unique techniques in the long history that we can barely pass on in this current environment... plus, a very, very long time ago, our ancestors reached an agreement with the Wizard’s Alliance, which allows them to stay in the tower without being sent to the North District of Beta Town.”

”But it’s getting harder and harder.”

Elena turns away from Zheng Qing, gazing out over the shimmering Lin Zhong Lake, staring at the white tower in the middle of the lake, her voice becoming thinner as it tears away in the breeze, ”I don’t know if you’ve ever been to the North District of Beta Town... My grandmother says that if our witch delegation continues like this, in less than fifty years, everyone will live in the North District of Beta Town.”

Zheng Qing takes a light breath without saying a word.

The North District of Beta Town is the slum of Beta Town, the largest trickster settlement in the Wizarding world. There are also many wizards who do not meet the requirements of the Alchemy Factory and live quietly there—due to the restraint of the Wizard’s Code, these wizards with weak magic power are forbidden to casually interact with the non-magical world, making it very difficult for them to improve their lives.

A few weeks ago, Xin the Fat Man had done an interview about the North District of Beta Town, which had depressed him for most of the month.

”...Tattered clothes, dirty faces, scrawny children, elderly people gasping in the corners...” The corners of the Gypsy witch’s mouth turn up into a bitter smile: ”We often say there’s nothing magic can’t do. But in fact, poverty and wealth, talent and mediocrity, there are too many things in the world that even magic can not eliminate.”

”The rich have expansive fields, the poor have no place to stand... it’s a systemic issue.” Zheng Qing clears his throat, speaking softly in agreement, ”Human society is inherently selfish. We can’t expect all people to suddenly see the light and grace the world.”

Perhaps sensing their conversation was becoming heavy.

The Gypsy witch is silent for a moment before reopening the conversation: ”...Regarding the decline of the witch delegation, some speculate that we are being rejected by the World’s Will due to our excessive use of spells like divination and mediumship. In other words, we’ve been cursed by the heavens. Of course, many more people believe that the decline of the witch delegation is simply due to our increasingly closed-off environment compared to the outside world.”

”So, we were sent here this year. Everyone is pinning their hopes on us.”

”Even after taking a three-month preparatory course, our learning progress is still unable to fully meet the requirements of the First College. If we go on like this, we definitely won’t be able to pass the registered wizard’s examination in four years.”

”So I must seek other alternatives.”

With that, the witch weighs the marble column in her hand, lifts it up before her and softly says,

”When I was very young, with the help of my grandmother, I made contact with a mysterious entity in another world. According to it, it was a Moon God of some world, whose shattered body is sealed deep within the First College campus.”

”It promised me that if I freed its real body, it would bestow me with the glory of a saint. I’m guessing that amounts to the level of a senior registered wizard. For me, that’s enough...”

”You agreed?” Zheng Qing finally interrupts, sounding somewhat anxious: ”Even though I don’t know much, Xiao Xiao has repeatedly warned me ’don’t talk to people whose brains you can’t see’, let alone making any pacts with them!”

”Do I seem that stupid to you?” The witch shoots him a look, finally showing a trace of a smile: ”Doctor Xiao is absolutely right about that. However, I didn’t make any agreement with it.”

She lifts up the column in her hand and whispers, ”But that doesn’t mean I can’t do something.”

Zheng Qing stares blankly at the pillar, trying to decipher the meaning behind the witch’s words but soon gives up. Magic represents infinite possibilities; no one knows how a thousand-year-old witch delegation would deal with a sealed god.”

But he feels Elena has left out a crucial detail: ”So... why do you look so much like it?”

”That’s a prerequisite for mediumship.” Elena patiently explains: ”Personality, appearance, bloodline, and so on; if you want to communicate with some unseen entity, you must meet a certain requirement of that entity... In other words, because we look similar, we’re able to establish a link in the dark.”

This explanation seemed farfetched, but Zheng Qing had seen stranger magic requirements, so he didn’t find it hard to accept. Perhaps this was why Gypsy witch magic doesn’t have a broad influence.

”Just put it away.” Zheng Qing sighs, staring at that column, muttering: ”No matter what, walking around carrying this thing, what if it breaks and it really gets out... The school should have sunk it to the deepest part of the sea in the first place.”

”You don’t really believe that the real body of the Moon God is sealed within this column, do you!” Elena can’t help but laugh.

Zheng Qing scratches his head, laughing awkwardly too.

He had indeed thought so just now— and he was even secretly criticizing the wizards for their reckless acts, casually placing such a sealing artifact in some lounge. If it were up to him, surely he would have sunk that balcony to the deepest part of the Mariana Trench.

”A powerful sea demon sleeps in the Mariana Trench. If we went with your plan, that big sea monster would be very grateful to you.” The witch laughs as she puts away the column, meanwhile explaining: ”This piece of marble was once stained with the blood of seventy-two elves, so the wizards used magic to carve the balcony, using an array to condense their essence.”

”I just want to try and see if I can use its blood to enhance my mediumship.”

Zheng Qing gives an enlightened look, nodding repeatedly.

Although he thought the witch’s final explanation was rather vague, it didn’t matter, he had come to understand more about her than anyone else.

This was a significant advancement.