High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 830: Chapter 178 Elena Ties up This Thread

Just as the state-funded student looked up, lost in thought, somewhere in a secluded corner of the campus’s Book Mountain Library, a Gypsy witch was also staring blankly at a withered branch outside the window.

Not a single leaf was left on the winter branches, and the chatter of birds and Tree Elves was nowhere to be heard. The grayish tree bark trembled haphazardly under the white sunlight, blown by the cold wind.

It reflected the witch’s messy mood.

She was hesitating whether to go to the Pedestrian Street or not.

Today was Saturday, and the Absolution Hunting Team—or rather, Zheng Qing—had opened a new shop on Beta Town Pedestrian Street, seemingly selling some simple talismans, potions, and small creatures like mice and insects.

This was no secret; any wizard who cared even slightly about campus affairs knew about it.

The reason was not just that it had caused a stir amongst the students of Ninth-Grade Astronomy Class 08-1 at Jiuyou Academy; the news had sparked discussions in Jiuyou Academy and even other institutions.

On one hand, the figure at the center of this event was the ’upstart’ of Jiuyou Academy this year, a freshman who secured the Merlin Medal; a mere half-year into school, he was able to amass enough capital with his own hunting team to open a shop on Beta Town Pedestrian Street, which, from any angle, was no simple feat.

On the other hand, there had never been a clear stance from the university on whether its students could engage in business activities outside of class. To most people, including the professors and parents outside the school, the main task for the students was to study. While some practice-oriented projects were not excluded, the curriculum was definitely not supposed to include doing business outside of school.

However, since the school always encouraged students to work hard and live frugally, and the distinction between this and doing business was very subtle, both the school and the students had mixed opinions about the actions of Zheng Qing and others.

Luckily, Zheng Qing was a state-funded student with a Merlin Medal and his grades were decent, so for the time being, he did not feel any real pressure from the school.

But I digress.

Elena had been aware of Zheng Qing’s shop opening for quite some time.

The young state-funded student had mentioned this more than once in their paper crane communications.

The invitation for the grand opening had arrived in the witch’s hands weeks ago, and Elena was convinced she must have been among the first few to receive it. But that was also the main reason for her hesitation.

Lately, she had been trying to avoid any contact with the young state-funded student.

The reason for this was that she felt things were getting a bit out of her control.

Elena’s initial acquaintance with Zheng Qing was not due to his status as a state-funded student. Admittedly, from any perspective, the status of a state-funded student at First University was a shining plaque, naturally attractive to the vast majority of witches at the school.

But what the witch valued more was the warlock’s proficiency in Talisman Studies.

She needed that proficiency badly.

Whether it was to break the complex seal deep within the academy, to find the reason behind the continuous decline of The Gypsy Witch Coven, or even just to complete her studies at First University, she needed to master a great deal of talisman knowledge.

A lot, even more than a registered wizard could grasp.

Up to now, the only wizard she had access to who had this knowledge and wouldn’t harbor any prejudice or doubt towards her was Zheng Qing alone—and it wasn’t that she hadn’t thought about seeking help from some black wizards at Wandering Bar. But aside from their expensive fees and dubious skills, the sheer risk of dealing with black wizards had caused her to abandon this idea early on.

If she had a friend who could help, why seek help far afield?

Yes, friend.

Elena genuinely considered Zheng Qing a friend.

However, she hadn’t, nor would she completely open up to the warlock, revealing everything about herself.

That was impossible.

Besides the great risks involved in her activities, requiring strict confidentiality, the Gypsy wizards’ natural repulsion of sincerity was also a very significant factor—as a group of wizards known for producing mediums and diviners, Gypsy witches were very good at dealing with dark creatures like the devil. As a result, they were gradually affected by those lower beings.

For instance, being articulate and charming.

To put it in plain language, it means having an attractive appearance and being skilled in speech.

The skill mentioned here does not solely refer to lying. While lying is certainly one manifestation of eloquence, other methods—such as communicating effectively, convincing others, stirring emotions, and setting traps in conversation—also embody aptitude in language use.

Elena didn’t feel that she was lying to Zheng Qing.

She simply chose to tell him only part of the truth, and what she spoke was indeed true!

The reason the witch felt things were slipping beyond her control was that she sensed her relationship with the warlock had surpassed the boundaries of mere friendship and was sliding towards a direction that made her uneasy—a direction a true Gypsy witch would not casually engage in.

And the more they interacted, the faster it seemed they were falling.

This frightened her somewhat.

”We are just good friends,” she comforted herself at heart, and then she couldn’t help but recall a day when heavy snow fell, the calm surface of the lake, and his lips, cold and his complexion somewhat pale.

”He was just helping me... We are just helping each other,” she said to herself, as if to boost her morale.

The warlock helped her learn Talisman Studies, and she—?

The witch fell silent for a moment, recalling a dirty serpent she had discovered at school. For certain special reasons, on the very first day she saw the cobra, the witch identified its true nature.

”That serpent must bear him ill will... I’ll watch his back for him!” Elena thought to herself, feeling a sudden relief at heart—As for warning the cost student about the serpent, there was no need to even think about it.

On one hand, after giving a warning, she would lose this ungrounded reason to assist; on the other hand, she didn’t know how to explain her findings to the warlock or handle a subsequent school investigation.

So, watching his back for him would suffice.

With that thought, the witch turned her head to look out the bright window.

Outside the window, by the lakeside.

A robust Bell Lake Fishman had just shattered the lake’s thin ice layer and climbed ashore. It carried a huge fishskin bag on its shoulder, moving slowly but with an unyielding stride towards the direction of Pedestrian Street.

The Gypsy witch recognized that fishman; it seemed to be named Iseni, a part of the Lake Lingzhong Fishman Tribe’s younger faction.

She remembered that Zheng Qing, when telling her stories of the freshmen competition, had mentioned this fishman, seeming to say that they had assisted each other in the Hunting Ground, even became comrades-in-arms.

”Everyone has gone there,” she sighed deeply, closing the notebook in front of her. After sorting out her thoughts, she became less resistant to interacting with Zheng Qing.

After standing up, she hesitated for a few seconds before eventually pulling a small bottle out of her handbag.

The bottle was small, roughly an inch tall, made from transparent glass with not a single mark, pattern, or sign upon it.

Inside the bottle, there was less than half a bottle of pinkish liquid, continually bubbling with tiny bubbles.

Clutching the small bottle, the witch stared at the liquid inside for a long while.

”One last time,” she muttered to herself as if to bolster her courage, ”Never again after this...”

With that, she gently pressed the atomizer on top of the cap.

Under the pressure, the pinkish liquid shot up through the straw into the atomizer and then transformed into a fine mist of droplets, falling onto the witch’s hair tips and the edge of her robe.

A rich aromatic fragrance then spread out from her.