High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 1296: Chapter 43 The Teacher’s Educational Objectives

Mr. Wu led Zheng Qing down from the sky, slowly descending towards the North District of the town.

The direction was clear.

The place they were descending upon had a street called Gu Diao Street.

There was a small pub on the street, the Sakura Pub.

The closer they got to the pub, the more uneasy Zheng Qing felt—surely his master knew of the relationship between him and Sister Korma, yet he still brought him here, changing their perspective. Could there be some profound meaning in this?

The young man couldn’t fathom it at the moment and could only shove his doubts down his throat.

During the descent, Mr. Wu was far from silent; instead, he started a conversation with Zheng Qing as if they were chatting:

”What do you think a wizard is?”

Zheng Qing, recalling the definitions from textbooks and dictionaries, ventured an answer cautiously, ”...A forerunner in the pursuit of truth? Or perhaps, a person who practices magic?”

Mr. Wu smiled.

”None of those definitions are wrong, but they’re not profound enough.” He lifted his hand and drew an arc in front of him as if caressing the entire university, his voice seemed somewhat ethereal, ”...In fact, most wizards are just a bunch of wretches chasing after time.”

”Wizards’ obsession with time is just like commoners’ obsession with money.”

”Just as money is never too much for commoners, so is time never enough for wizards. Therefore, few wizards are willing to stay in the commoners’ time, partly because of the restrictions of the Wizard’s Codex and the Silent Effect, and partly because the mortal world is too barren, lacking in substances that can enhance longevity... On the contrary, the New World possesses a wealth of materials that can elevate life. This is also why young people with ideals like to struggle in the outside world.”

The North District was known as the Dent Area, not only because it was a gathering place for a large number of Tricksters but also due to the lack of Spiritual Machines? Zheng Qing immediately connected Mr. Wu’s words to the situation at hand.

Then he offered his own view—like a diligent and inquisitive student striving to show himself in class: ”I remember reading that time is the most precise measure?”

”Indeed, many people hold this view,” Mr. Wu nodded indifferently.

”But blind belief in books is worse than having no books at all... It’s the wizards’ preference for time that convinces them that time is the most precise measure. Just as many commoners regard money as the symbol of success. In reality, each dimension should have its own unique and precise system of measurement. Time just has a slightly broader coverage.”

Mr. Wu always made so much sense.

Zheng Qing quietly nodded, his expression becoming even more sincere.

Mr. Wu glanced at him:

”I originally thought that natural growth would bring natural fruits, and that the ’Order’ seed would influence everything. I considered all aspects, many details. Yet I overlooked the most basic content.”

”Petty traders, you have them; small-minded citizens, you are one; obedient student, you’ve always been like this.”

”The only thing I didn’t expect is letting you read too much, letting you grow up in a world dominated by pragmatism, yet you’re filled with romantic ideals—this is true for those Sprites, for your friends, and for yourself too.”

”That recent exchange just confirmed my view.”

”People from Alpha often say Jiuyou is a group of bookworms, and you have both the scholar’s airs and the dullness. But that’s not what I hope for you. Your scope should be a bit larger,” Zheng Qing said.

”When quality wins over refinement, one becomes wild; when refinement wins over quality, one becomes overly polite. Only when quality and refinement blend harmoniously can one be called a Gentleman.”

”Starting today, I will take you around to have a look and let you rediscover this world, to reexamine the nature of your own existence. Those who know others are wise, those who know themselves have enlightenment... The content of the first lesson is, born a human, what should one be for humanity (benevolence).”

As the voice faded, the figures of the two landed on the second floor of Sakura Pub.

They passed through the walls into the house, directly landing in the middle of the second floor’s hall.

The hall was bustling with people coming and going, yet no one made loud noises, creating a quiet and solemn atmosphere—as Zheng Qing had expected, no one acknowledged the sudden appearance of two figures in the middle of the hall, not even Sister Korma.

Having not seen her for a few days, Sister Korma—or perhaps it would be more formal to address her by the title ’Great Sage’—had an aura of increased dignity about her, like a queen sitting on her ’Throne’ at the end of the hall. It was a simple but hefty black high-backed chair, placed upon a stone platform, nearly half a meter taller than all other chairs around it.

Zheng Qing couldn’t be sure if it was an illusion, but Sister Korma seemed especially tall in this hall.

What used to be round tables in the hall had been removed at some point, leaving behind long tables on either side, draped with maroon velvet tablecloths, like two rows of quietly standing honor guards.

Equally orderly and quiet were the ’Northern District Wizards’ seated behind the long tables.

They were the first batch of young Tricksters to receive the enchanted seals, following the footsteps of Korma the Wise. Many of them had dyed their hair white, and those who hadn’t completely whitened their hair had a single strand dyed in respect.

In front of each Northern District Wizard was a table with two objects on it—the Law Book on the right and a frog on the left. The frogs were all alive, seemingly sedated, lying motionless on their dishes with their eyes closed, only occasionally puffing their bellies as proof of life.

A skinny middle-aged Trickster, dressed in a slightly ornate plain robe, was crawling between the long tables and beneath the black chairs, muttering something to himself incessantly.

It took Zheng Qing a while to understand that the Trickster was bragging about his contributions to their kind.

The middle-aged Trickster acted as the management of a certain commerce guild in North Beta Town, responsible for purchasing herbs and other Magic Materials gathered from the Silent Forest by Tricksters. Occasionally, he also acted as a Broker, providing suitable candidates to Alchemy Workshops in need of labor.

According to the Trickster, in the years he had been working, he had provided jobs for thousands of Tricksters, sustaining the livelihoods of hundreds of Trickster families, and had thus made significant contributions to the North District, warranting the award of an enchanted seal by the Great Sage.

Of course, his rhetoric was much more subtle than Zheng Qing understood, not even explicitly demanding the enchanted seal as a reward, and much of his words were flattery about Korma the Wise’s outstanding contributions to the North District.

Yet the subtext was clear, and Zheng Qing felt somewhat sickened by the implication.

Sister Korma seemed to share the sentiment.

”I understand,” said Korma the Wise, gesturing with her hand for the middle-aged Trickster to step down, without expressing her opinion.

The Trickster did not withdraw immediately, but merely bowed even lower.

”Thank you for your mercy,” he said respectfully, raising his voice just a tad: ”For the prosperity and stability of the North District, I have brought a thousand plump, live frogs to the Gene Mage Group... and I will bring this many every month. If I have your approval, I will strive to increase the number to five thousand.”