High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 964: Chapter 26 The 1st Wave of Investigators

”Puff puff!”

Several muted explosions rang out at the edge of the riverbank, and five wizards in black robes abruptly appeared in the sight of everyone on the ferry, standing on the bank at the bend of the river, looking across at the pile of rotting mud on the rock from across the ferry.

As soon as the frog monster exploded, Old Xiao Bonar had already propped the boat with a bamboo pole, stopping the ferry in the middle of the river.

Letting the rapid river water rush past, the ferry swayed in the water without moving an inch further.

”Get in, everyone get in.” The old ferryman waved his hand, herding the young wizards into the cabin while placing a hand on Zheng Qing’s shoulder, instructing him, ”You stay.”

After the other students entered the cabin, the old man uttered a spell and the blinds on both sides of the cabin dropped along with the doors at the front and back, shielding the curious eyes inside the cabin and bringing the ferry’s safety level to its highest.

With the Remington in hand, Zheng Qing stood there dumbly, staring at the pile of rotting mud on the riverbank rock, filled with a cacophony of silent roars and a stampede of thoughts—Is it dead just like that?

Wasn’t it said that the life force of malevolent creatures is very tenacious, hard to be erased from ’concept’?

Could it be that he had encountered a fake malevolent creature?

Or was it merely a monster bred from a Bogut mixed with a slime creature sitting on that rock?

Or is it possible that the creature was actually killed by Old Xiao Bonar?

No, that should not be the case. If it was killed by Old Xiao Bonar, he wouldn’t have sounded so shocked just now.

While Zheng Qing was lost in thought, one of the wizards who had just appeared on the riverbank Escaped onto the ferry and stood before the old ferryman.

”Good morning, Professor.” The wizard in the black robe greeted Old Xiao Bonar very politely.

This wizard was not very tall but was robust, with a pair of beautiful green eyes and a somewhat round chin, and his voice was magnetic, giving an overall feeling of great affability.

”Don’t call me Professor, I’m just an old ferryman now.” Old Xiao Bonar held the bamboo pole with one hand and dismissively waved his other hand, his tone seeming very curt.

”Alright, Professor.” The wizard in the black robe complied, nodding, then glanced at Zheng Qing, pulling a notepad and a Feather Pen from his waist and holding them in his arms. He paused, waiting for the pen to dance on the parchment before asking:

”Can you tell me what happened here? Magical surveillance indicates there was a strong magic fluctuation, and a ’suspected’ large lifeform disappearance signal.”

He emphasized the word ’suspected’ heavily, as if he hoped Old Xiao Bonar would refute his judgment.

Zheng Qing noted the triple crossed Longswords embroidered on the black-robed wizard’s chest. He was not surprised, as the Trishula’s presence was common at accident scenes. He was also not surprised by this Trishula wizard’s attitude of avoiding trouble.

The conduct of the Trishula Commissioner on New Year’s Eve had already made that clear.

However, Old Xiao Bonar did not intend to indulge him.

”That descendant of Satoguya is dead,” the old ferryman answered bluntly.

The arm of the black-robed wizard holding the notepad trembled, and the Feather Pen that had been dancing on the parchment flew up into the air, startled.

He turned his head for a glance at the empty rocks, then turned back to the elderly sailor, repeating with an incredulous tone, ”What did you say?!”

”That descendant of Satoguya is dead! Vanished! Turned into a pile of sludge!” the old man replied irritably: ”Such a simple fact, can’t you see it? It usually sits right there on that rock, and now it’s gone, isn’t it?”

The wizard in the black robe twisted his plump chin, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he remained silent. However, his near-tearful expression explained his mood quite well.

Zheng Qing’s original feeling of frustration unexpectedly eased a little.

”What are you standing there for?!” Xiao Bonar, the elderly man, glared at the wizard from Trishula Commissioner, raising his voice slightly: ”Record what needs to be recorded, secure the evidence that needs securing, collect the materials that need collecting... What are you doing, standing there in a daze? Do you think by standing here motionless, that damned frog monster will come back to life?”

”It’s getting worse by the generation... Each one is worse than the last.”

After hearing the old man’s scolding, the black-robed wizard finally snapped out of it and began to arrange for his colleagues on shore to start working frantically, murmuring in defense, ”It must be the pervasive aura after the death of that descendant of Satoguya that caused the surrounding environment to deteriorate... I remember that kind of malign demon has a significant impact on a wizard’s psyche.”

Zheng Qing’s eyes darted left and right.

He didn’t feel anything particularly strange.

While Trishula was busy collecting materials and securing evidence, the elderly Xiao Bonar finally turned his attention back to the young warlock: ”You just said, where did that Fu Bullet come from?”

I didn’t just say, Zheng Qing grumbled inwardly, but he answered honestly, ”I wrapped it myself.”

After a pause, he hastily emphasized, ”That frog monster definitely wasn’t blown up by me... My Fu Bullet was just an ordinary Evil Suppressing Charm; it couldn’t possibly be that powerful.”

”It was a Blood Charm, wasn’t it?” The old man astutely pointed it out, clearly, he had noticed the blood qi that surrounded the bullet.

”It was a Blood Charm,” Zheng Qing nodded, wanting to argue further, but before he could speak, the old man interrupted him.

”What did you say your name was?” the old sailor fished out a boarding ledger from his bosom, moistened his fingertip with saliva, and began flipping through the pages without looking up: ”Report your name, age, major, academy, and the reason for boarding.”

From the corner of his eye, Zheng Qing noticed a Trishula employee nearby directing a notepad and feather pen, making notes quietly. It seemed he was quite willing and cooperative with the old sailor taking over the investigation.

The cost student felt a slight tension in his heart, and answered item by item as the old man had requested: ”Zheng Qing, a first-year student, Jiuyou Academy, student of Astronomy Class 08-1, my homeroom teacher is Professor Yao XiaoMi...”

”Old Yao?” Xiao Bonar raised his head in surprise: ”You’re his student?”

Since Professor Yao was the dean of Jiuyou Academy, it was no wonder the elderly Xiao Bonar valued him. Zheng Qing immediately nodded in acknowledgment.

At the same time, the black-robed wizard from Trishula also exclaimed in surprise, ”Zheng Qing? You are Zheng Qing? The Zheng Qing of ’World’ mention?”

It had been more than half a month since he last heard this matter mentioned, and suddenly hearing a stranger refer to ’World,’ Zheng Qing was almost slow to respond.

After a moment of hesitation, he slowly nodded and admitted, ”Yes, that’s me.”

This title was not any confidential information; a simple check could clarify everything, and now, during the investigation phase, Zheng Qing didn’t see any benefit in hiding his identity.