High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 928: Chapter 276: Xuanhuang Wood

The Black Prison is a prison where the Mage Alliance detains captured demons.

Although the vast majority of demons are killed by wizards during the hunting process, there always are some who survive for various reasons, such as special abilities, unique bloodlines, rare intelligence, or simply because their life is tough, and so on.

All these surviving demons are imprisoned by the wizards in the Black Prison.

Even if some wizards’ magic experiments involve the use of living demons, they can only use the fully enclosed laboratories set up within the Black Prison. According to the regulatory rules on experimental safety at the First University, it is prohibited for any living demons to be used in laboratories outside of the Black Prison—this was why, when a Wild Demon appeared at the academy, it triggered a red alert and eventually led to a series of disciplinary actions and personnel transfers.

But the Black Prison is not a nursing home.

The demons in the Black Prison won’t live to see their natural death. And with the continuous daily arrival of captured demons from the outside, the prison accumulated a massive amount of demon corpses.

Some corpses, unique in bloodline or in good condition, could still be recycled by the wizards. Many others, because of damage, poor condition, or low utility, had very little value for recycling.

”...That ancient tree is the Black Prison’s final solution for recycling demon bodies,” the Captain of the Mist Ship said, his gaze moving past the shoulder of the Female Demon to look out the window at the vast sea, his tone growing increasingly profound, ”Every few hundred years, when the tree is ’well-fed and hydrated,’ it will flower and produce a few fruits. These fruits are not particularly useful to wizards, but for demons, especially high-level demons, they hold a lethal allure...”

At this point, Nikita couldn’t help but hold her breath.

The ancient tree mentioned by the captain was not unfamiliar to her.

The long history of the First University had passed down numerous fantastical and captivating rumors, which were passed from one generation of students to another. Xuanhuang Wood was just one of them—it was the name students coined for that ancient tree in the Black Prison.

It is said that Xuanhuang Wood is extremely old, counting sixty years as spring, and sixty years as autumn, making two hundred years add up to one ring of growth, and the Black Prison was built within the root system of this ancient tree.

It is said that Xuanhuang Wood feeds solely on demons, regardless of the type—whether Witch Demons, Sea Demons, or any other bizarre species; as long as they are demons, they are nourishment for that ancient tree.

It is said that every ’year’ of Xuanhuang Wood, it blooms once and bears fruit once. Like a night-blooming cereus, the interval between the flowering and fruiting of Xuanhuang Wood is very short—of course, this ’very short’ is calculated relative to Xuanhuang Wood’s timeline. For wizards, the interval between the ancient tree’s blooming and fruiting ranges from a few months to nearly half a year.

It is said that the fruit of Xuanhuang Wood can help high-level demons advance.

Thinking this, the eyes of the Female Demon gradually brightened.

The captain of the Mist Ship lowered his eyelids, his lips curving up slightly. The reaction of the Female Demon wasn’t beyond his expectations. For the demons, advancing their bloodline and following in the footsteps of the True Ancestor was an instinct engraved deep in their blood.

”Initially, we just planned to gather some like-minded allies to break into the Black Prison and steal a few fruits from that ancient tree,” the captain of the Mist Ship continued, ”In this endeavor, timing is extremely crucial. If some old-timer is still hanging around the school, then our plan would have to be reported to Lord Sea Demon King, only then could it possibly be realized.”

”Fortunately, that old man has gone out... So, the next step, knowing when that ancient tree will bear fruit, is very important,” he said.

At this, the captain of the Mist Ship stopped again.

Nikita was startled, her back bristling with sudden sweat—she suddenly realized a terrifying possibility, that the captain needed an inside man in Black Prison, so he was explaining so much to her. She knew very well what kind of place Black Prison was. The young Female Demon didn’t believe she could survive in such a horrific place.

But the Captain of the Mist Ship’s next words reassured her.

”You are not the best choice for an insider,” the captain pulled at the corner of his mouth, ”This was evident from that initial specialized plane plan for entering the school.”

Nikita quietly swallowed her saliva, and her wildly beating heart also eased a bit.

”Just by ourselves, the Four Seas Demon King, we are not enough to break through the First University. But if we tell this to those Demon Kings, the final distribution of the fruits will be troubling... At this time, a message came from the Dark Council.”

”They will send people to help us break through the outer defenses of the First University.”

”The condition is that boy.”

The Female Demon inhaled softly, her gaze returning to the newspaper she was holding. In the photo, the young face under the spotlight seemed restrained, somewhat nervous, and looked quite ordinary, without a standout presence.

Why did the Dark Council want that boy?

The Captain of the Mist Ship did not explain further.

Instead, he explained to the Female Demon the purpose of his words: ”I told you all this because you are a very remarkable key.”

A key? Nikita pondered the word in her mind, feeling that she vaguely grasped something.

”You always bring me some new surprises... just like a key, opening door after door concealing treasures.” The Captain of the Mist Ship added unhurriedly: ”That Ancient Tree, this boy... Though it seems each matter has little to do with you, your figure always seems to appear in them.”

”In the study of Divination, this is called ’related effect,’ or it could also be called ’Destiny’.”

”If you want to maximize the effect of the related effect, the best plan is to let the associated person, that is you, continue making new choices.”

”Now, I am giving you a new choice.”

”Disembark as a senior crew member of the Mist Ship, whether you want to go to New World, Silent Forest, or Black Prison, we will satisfy your wishes... Or, continue being a cook, staying under the deck of the Mist Ship.”

The logic of the Captain of the Mist Ship seemed a bit peculiar, but to Nikita, it was very easy to understand—constantly dealing with mysticism, wizards, or demons, always gave due respect to some profoundly mysterious connections.

The captain’s idea was merely to use the Female Demon’s choices to provide new parameters for their planning’s divination work.

”I choose to stay on the ship.” Nikita hesitated for a long time before finally gritting her teeth and making her choice.

Although she very, very much wanted to go ashore, she also knew her own capabilities.

The outside world was too dangerous, better to honestly stay on the ship and be a cook.