High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 1026: Chapter 88 Irrigation Bird

”Is this the new ’Clear-headed Potion’ you concocted using the ’Irrigation bird’s’ saliva?”

Zheng Qing squinted his eyes and glanced at the potion. He snorted unhappily, ”If needed, I’d rather buy a standard potion certified by the Wizard Covenant from the Wandering Bar than be your guinea pig.”

A rare flush of embarrassment appeared on the fat man’s face.

”Heh, there are no guinea pigs or big white mice, no testing or non-testing. You’re thinking too much!” Xin Fat Man quickly pocketed the potion in his hand into his wristwatch while shaking his head like a rattle drum, ”Besides, I’m not using the ’Irrigation bird’s’ saliva. It’s an extract of the Irrigation murmur... In a sense, murmur isn’t really part of the bird’s beak.”

The Irrigation bird, a magical creature resembling a pigeon, primarily resides in the depths of Silent Forest. Although small in size like a domestic pigeon and having a loud cry similar to someone scolding loudly, its meat is delicious, making it very popular in the wizard world. For this reason, this creature was once hunted to the brink of extinction.

Until now, the largest known flock of Irrigation birds resides in the depths of Silent Forest. Recently, a surge known as the ’dark tide’ from the Silent Forest brought some Irrigation birds to the edge of the forest, where wizards guarding the town opportunistically hunted them down. As a result, their presence has increased in the market.

Although Xin Fat Man can be stingy at times, he is not frugal when it comes to food. The moment Wandering Bar advertised Irrigation bird, he forced Zheng Qing to use his gold card to snatch one up.

Thankfully, besides the meat, he did not waste other materials from the bird. Including feathers, bones, blood, and internal organs, anything that could serve as magic materials was harvested to enrich his material supply. The previously mentioned Irrigation murmur extract came from these.

Upon hearing Fat Man’s explanation, Zheng Qing rolled his eyes and huffed powerlessly, ”Even if you talk it up, golden lotuses springing from the earth, I won’t drink bird saliva... If you had used traditional materials like Herbal grass or Mystical Grain, I might have tried it. But Irrigation saliva, no thanks.”

Herbal grass and Mystical Grain, like the Irrigation murmur extract, also have stimulating and mind-clearing effects, commonly used in potion preparation or alchemy products. However, Herbal grass and Mystical Grain can be cultivated on a large scale and are cheap, hence their preparation methods are common, with well-known effects or side effects. As the Irrigation bird is rare and a protected species within the Wizard World, methods involving it are strictly restricted by the Mage Alliance.

This is precisely why Zheng Qing firmly believes that drinking Fat Man’s potion is like being a guinea pig.

By his ear, Xin Fat Man still droned on at Zheng Qing, extolling his potion-blending skills, ancient formula, claiming after drinking it, one would feel energized, food would taste great, and climbing seventeen floors would be effortless.

Zheng Qing tilted his head, collapsed on the desk, half-closing his eyes, tuning out Fat Man’s incessant mumblings.

He felt he just needed a good rest, and adjusting his condition would suffice.

It was just insomnia last night, not nightmares, no need for medication, much less Fat Man’s dodgy, uncertified private concoctions.

Faintly, he heard Zhang Ji Xin, flipping through a newspaper nearby, supporting his choice, ”... Brother Qing’s decision not to take medicine is absolutely correct. As the saying goes, all medicines have side effects; Eating less prevents illness. If one can naturally adjust their body condition, they should do so. Excessive use of magical means or potions to adjust the body can cause many unnecessary issues later in the magic journey.”

He did not specify the issues, and Zheng Qing, reclined on the desk, was too lazy to ask—he knew without having to, that Zhang Ji Xin was likely repeating something his brother or some other elder from his family had once said, just picked it out today to counter Fat Man. If it were solely Elder Zhang Da himself, he absolutely wouldn’t have such realization.

After all, he hadn’t seen him cut back on eating regularly.

Just as the young scholarship student half-closed his eyes, having these messy thoughts cross his mind, Zhang Ji Xin suddenly exclaimed lightly:

”Oh, Brother Qing, Brother Qing, get up quickly!”

Zheng Qing felt a large hand grab his arm propping up his head and shake it vigorously, causing his head to sway from side to side and giving him a dizzy sensation.

At the same time, he heard Zhang Ji Xin’s voice, lowered in a clamor beside his ear, ”Brother Qing,” he said, ”this article, the author is someone named Pulitzer, isn’t she the journalist who interviewed you in the North District of Beta Town before? Look, is it that long-awaited article you were waiting for?!”

At the bottom of his heart, Zheng Qing felt a jolt and immediately sat up straight; his previously groggy spirits also instantly concentrated.

Similarly, Xiao Xiao, who had opened his notebook earlier, and Xin Fat Man, who was organizing potions, also leaned in practically at the same time.

Zhang Ji Xin handed over a newspaper to Zheng Qing.

Zheng Qing snatched it quickly, spread it out on the desk. At the very top of the newspaper, the words ”Beta Town Post” were exceptionally clear. Zhang Ji Xin had turned to the third page of the paper; this section was generally assigned to the ’Truth’ column of the ”Beta Town Post,” known for its sharp perspective and incisive reporting.

Right in the center of the paper, a line of bold black type stood out conspicuously against the white paper.

”Shadows under the Sun,” by Louwei Pulitzer, a senior editor and senior journalist at the Beta Town Post.

To the side of the article, there was a black and white photograph of a Warlock sitting on a sofa in profile. It seemed to be taken in a coffee shop, with large glass windows casting the Warlock’s figure especially small. Furthermore, the Warlock was holding a coffee cup, conveniently obscuring his face, making it hard to recognize his identity.

Across from the Warlock sat Ms. Pulitzer, holding a pen, with rimless glasses with red frames perched on her nose, her expression serious, listening intently to something with a slight tilt of her head.

Between the two, on the table, there was a small plate of pastries and a wooden archway with hanging bells.

For Zheng Qing, identifying the identity of that Warlock was not difficult.

Because that was himself.

He easily figured out that the photo captured the scene of his meeting with Ms. Pulitzer in the coffee shop. Whether it was Ms. Pulitzer’s quirk of using a pen or the wooden archway with hanging bells, both left a deep impression on him.

”But, I don’t remember anyone taking photos at that time!” the Young Wizard muttered, his face bearing a puzzled expression.

As he spoke, he poked at the Warlock in the photo, trying to make his face visible.

Regrettably, this photograph was not one of the enchanted ones typical of wizarding newspapers. Instead, it was a real, still ’dead’ photograph.

”First, read the content, and stop talking!” Xiao Xiao interrupted Zheng Qing’s murmuring sternly.