High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 1862: Chapter 83: Forgotten Days

”Teleportation countdown.”

”Five minutes to prepare.”

A deep and powerful voice announcing the time echoed in Zheng Qing’s ears, though he couldn’t tell whether it was a staff member or a supervisor speaking. Looking around, all he could see were turbulent clouds, making it impossible to discern who was who or where anyone was.

Occasionally, a shadow or two would flash past him—other wizards riding on ravens. Zheng Qing was quite certain that these ravens had special observation and communication methods to avoid colliding with each other while flying through the clouds and to find the correct route.

But these were not the focus of his complaints.

”I don’t understand why we have to be tossed around from the sky like this...”

The young law student hugged the neck of the Three-Tail Raven beneath him and shouted loudly. Although the saddle beneath him seemed to have a magical power, firmly keeping his butt secured to the raven’s back, he still couldn’t help but hold tightly to the raven’s neck.

This gave him a slight sense of security.

Because in the high-altitude clouds, opening his mouth not only filled it with wind but also with cold rainwater. This forced him to close his mouth hastily before even finishing a sentence.

Fortunately, the communication within the Absolution Hunting Team was done through ”Swallow soars in flight, its sound rises and falls,” so they could still hear each other’s words.

An immediate calm response came from Xiao Xiao, and Zheng Qing could almost see him clutching his notebook and adjusting his glasses: ”The reasoning is the same as what we discussed before with the Speaker Flowers... Subjectively, it’s an ancient school tradition meant to cultivate the courage and conviction of young wizards. Objectively, traveling between worlds requires finding places where the Crystal Wall is weak. Low-altitude areas are heavily influenced by gravity, which hinders the Array’s ability to chart four-dimensional nodes at trans-dimensional speed during the teleportation spell formula.”

The answer was dizzying, mixed with the sensation of rising and falling mid-air, making Zheng Qing feel increasingly disoriented. The young law student regretted choosing this topic.

He wiped the cold droplets of water off his face, hesitating about tearing off two water-repellant amulets.

The reason for not using a spell was that both his arms were ”occupied” by the neck of the Three-Tail Raven, making it difficult to hold up the law book and recite a spell.

And his hesitation came from not realizing this at the start of the ascent, only noticing when he was already soaked through. Using a few water-repellant amulets now seemed rather wasteful and regrettable.

Zheng Qing observed several ravens passing by him and noticed that none of the wizards on their backs used amulets, letting the cold high-altitude air currents and rain slap against them. This third-party choice also somewhat influenced his decision-making.

”Teleportation countdown... Three minutes to prepare.”

The young law student straightened his body.

With the countdown, the clouds in front suddenly gathered, like shoals of startled little fish swiftly fleeing this airspace, giving the warlock a clear view.

At the end of the airspace, set against the thick clouds, stood a grand oval ’gate’ made of lightning. The twisted lightning resembled the marks from the Feather Pen of the mad wizard Wilmas, chaotic yet containing infinite magic power, intimidating to behold.

From Zheng Qing’s position, he could clearly see the orderly raven flocks lined up in front of the halo, lighting up one soft and clear halo after another from far to near. This was the guardian magic protecting the young wizards as they passed through the lightning gate.

Then he felt a tightness beneath his feet.

Looking down, a thin light film, resembling plastic wrap, started spreading upwards from his toes, clinging tightly to the Three-Tail Raven’s feathers. It moved swiftly, covering his chest, then his neck, and finally his mouth and nose.

He subconsciously took a deep breath, held it, and closed his eyes.

”Teleportation countdown...”

”One minute to prepare!”

The slippery film eventually covered his head, completely blocking his ears. The howling wind, the raven’s noise, and the continuous countdown all faded away, as if someone had closed the windows of a sound-proof room, bringing Zheng Qing a sudden sense of peace.

Immediately, a gentle melody played in his ears.

Like orioles chirping on branches, or a babbling brook, or the gentle rain of a spring night, or the crunching sound of walking in deep snow in heavy winter clothing.

Zheng Qing listened intently and began to discern the sound. Gradually, the rustling white noise faded, leading into a smooth and melodious tune.

It felt somewhat like the sea demon’s song he had heard at the Fishman Sea Market, yet also like the voices of the Ninfus dressed in long silk skirts at the school Hunting Competition.

In short, it was extraordinarily beautiful.

Just as he was absorbed in the enchanting melodies, the oppressive feeling tightly wrapped around him quickly vanished before he could fully understand it.

The boy’s eyes suddenly flew open, and he took a deep breath of fresh air. Inside, his magic power cheered joyfully, interacting with the familiar atmosphere of the world, as if flaunting their long and magical journey.

The sky was dim, yet the sunlight was bright and shone brilliantly, forming a stark contrast to the dull, lifeless sky of the Black Prison World. Zheng Qing couldn’t help squinting, taking a while to adjust to the new light.

Looking around, white clouds dotted the surroundings, and beneath, the vast blue sea was adorned with a translucent green gemstone, where exquisite patterns could faintly be seen.

It was Buji Island.

They had returned to school.

Zheng Qing turned back, and behind him was a glorious sun, warm and charming.

...

The second-grade opening trial began on the morning of August 25th and ended on the night of August 30th. By the time the young wizards of the four academies rode their ravens back to Buji Island, it was already the morning of August 31st.

The next day, September 1st, was the official school opening day.

Tonight, these students, busy for the entire week, didn’t get a chance to rest well. They had to attend the second pre-school opening class meeting—class trial summaries, the elective schedule for the new academic year, final grades, and the announcement of law student quotas, among numerous other trivial yet important matters.

So, as soon as the raven flocks landed on First Square, many young wizards split into groups of three to five and hurried away, feeling like time was pressing against them.

In contrast, Xiao Xiao’s behavior was slightly peculiar.

After landing, he didn’t return to the dormitory with Zheng Qing and others, but instead slipped into a small shop on Pedestrian Street halfway. When he came out, his originally dirty robe was crisp and new, and he held a bundle of colorful flowers, including daisies, roses, oleander, Blue Belladonnas, and most importantly, a red rose in the center.

”Is there such a rush?” Zheng Qing teased the short warlock.

Xiao Xiao ignored him, but Xin Fat Man gave Zheng Qing a surprised look: ”Are you dumb? Because of this trial, he already missed the Qixi Festival. If he doesn’t show some enthusiasm, is he waiting to be strung up by Mister Sima?”

Zheng Qing was stunned for a few seconds, then calculated with his hand inside his sleeve, finally realizing—on the second day of the trial, August 26th, it was already the Qixi Festival.