High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 783: Chapter 131: Unexpected Visitor_1

It was Saturday, and Zheng Qing had originally planned to finish his morning class, then join the rest of the hunters from the Absolution Hunting team to head to the soon-to-open D&K, to continue cleaning up and getting things in order. But due to the morose chat during breakfast in the dorm, this young fully-funded student has decided to tweak his schedule a bit.

He decided to take the little elves to the Abnormal Life Research Institute first, for a routine checkup with Doctor Du Zemu. In his view, regardless of whether the potion Du Zemu had concocted earlier was about to lose its effects, as long as the checkup results for the little elves were still normal, there was still room for things to work out.

Although it was the most bustling commercial street off-campus, being a Saturday morning, most of the students—after a week of hustle and bustle—were still buried in their dorms, snoring loudly, making up for the vitality that they’ve missed out on over the past five days—especially now that it’s winter, with the freezing cold outside the room, the howling northern wind, yet a warm spring atmosphere could be enjoyed inside the room. The question of whether to stay tucked in bed, playing checkers with the Duke of Zhou in your dreams, or to go exile yourself in the cold and shiver, was a question that didn’t require an answer.

So, when Zheng Qing was carrying the box house of the elves along the pedestrian street, few figures could be seen. Even the few students who were passing by in a hurry, with heads down and ears covered, wishing that they could have every inch of their exposed skin covered with thick fur.

Thanks to the tacky warming Talisman he was wearing, Zheng Qing didn’t need to bundle up in thick clothing. He was still wearing the uniform of Jiuyou Academy, only now, he added a dark red wool scarf around his neck.

This scarf was a Thanksgiving gift from the elves—in fact, every wizard in Dorm 403 received a gift from the elves. They gave Zheng Qing a scarf, Xin Fat Man a pair of knitted gloves, Xiao Xiao a pair of knitted arm warmers, and Mister Wolfman a knitted hat.

Initially, when they received these gifts, all of the wizards in Dorm 403, including Xiao Xiao, were startled, especially Zheng Qing. Even though he has always firmly believed that the little elves are truly beings of wisdom and has actively advocated for them, his considerations was merely from the perspective of logical behavior abilities and equal moral perspective—the longer he stayed at school, the more unsure he was about his initial persistence—Xiao Xiao’s comment on this was ”You’re kind of having trouble distinguishing between sympathy and rationality.”

However, the gift received on Thanksgiving, in a way, had given renewed momentum to Zheng Qing’s efforts. He no longer thought that he was just working hard for a group of ”AI’s”, but was firm in his belief that the little elves were beings with souls, equal to wizards.

And so, starting that day, whenever Zheng Qing again brought up things related to the little elves, the other young wizards in Dorm 403 no longer adopted a condescending, disdainful attitude. They also started to think seriously, to strategize for the identity of the little elves.

Of course, at present, above all else, the most important thing was to keep the little elves, who were napping in Zheng Qing’s arms, safe and healthy throughout the winter.

The paper house in Zheng Qing’s arms was not as simple as the one given to him by the witches of Astronomy Class 08-1.

The four walls of the paper house were covered with various charms for warmth, wind resistance, and noise reduction. The young fully-funded student took half an hour every night to ensure that these little guys were comfortable in the house, sticking new talismans on the paper house.

In the paper house, there were wooden beds carved from redwood by Xin Fat Man, copper components added by Xiao Xiao to reinforce the house, few small potted plants, and even Dylan, who reportedly dismantled his cousin’s toy, added a dressing table with a mirror to the room for the little elves.

All in all, lots of changes have been made, young wizards all hoped that the little elves could enjoy their stay in this room more.

The Abnormal Life Research Institute was located deep within a narrow, old alley in the East Zone of Beta Town. This was one of the oldest settlements in Beta Town, so the houses that Zheng Qing saw along the way all looked a bit old.

As it was when he came here in summer and autumn, this alley was as quiet and deep as ever, like an old man on his last legs, with nothing to stir its curiosity or frazzle its nerves.

However, different from the summer and autumn scene, in winter, there were no lush mosses in the corner of the walls, no quivering antennae of mousewives in the cracks, no lush leaves of ivy on the walls, and not even the shadow of grass spirits appearing and disappearing among those leaves – their big eyes vigilantly watching the visitor’s movements.

All that was left was a stark, cold stone world.

The iron gate of the Research Institute was not closed but left half ajar. Through the crack of the door, two familiar voices wafted out faintly.

”...You can’t just use this kind of magic potion casually, it’s illegal.” Dr. Du Zemu’s tone seemed a bit hurried, full of unease in his voice, ”And, how did you use it so quickly? This is not magical at all...”

”Just relax, relax!” Another witch comforted nonchalantly, ”I’m not a child, I know what I’m doing... I just did a few small experiments.”

”...Anyway, I will only provide you with a single dose for one person per week.” Doctor Du Zemu apparently wasn’t moved by the comforting words of the witch, speaking very firmly, ”If you’re willing to give me a more detailed usage report, then I agree to formulate a more appropriate medication plan for you...”

”One dose it is, then! It’s barely enough.” The witch interrupted Doctor Du Zemu, cheerfully agreeing, ”Then it’s decided! Of course, there won’t be a usage report... You’re not going to rat on me to my family, are you!”

The last sentence was said in a slightly louder tone, as if warning Doctor Du Zemu.

Doctor Du Zemu made no reply, but stayed silent.

Just then, a slightly aged voice broke the awkward silence.

”Miss Jiang, young master, we have a new guest... Now that it’s winter, it’s very impolite to let Master Zheng Qing stand outside in the cold.”

Upon hearing this, Zheng Qing was startled, stepping back a pace as the heavy black iron door screeched open before him.

At the end of the hallway was Jiang Yu, draped in a red velvet shawl, dressed in a long dress, looking surprised at what she saw outside. Doctor Du Zemu was still in his worn-out black and grey wizard’s robe, with still no tie around his neck, as always.

The door was opened by Doctor Du Zemu’s old servant, Constantin.

”Good morning, Master Zheng Qing.” The old servant greeted the young wizard very politely, bowing slightly, ”Please come in... You came just in time, the young master was just about to see Miss Jiang to the door.”