High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 2122: Chapter 243: Transfiguration Side Effects

Although Zheng Qing could hear whispering voices from behind the bookshelf, he couldn’t make out what they were saying, and he wasn’t sure if they were people speaking or whispers of little ghosts.

But the round-faced warlock not only heard them but could also clearly explain the content of those whispers.

This instantly stirred Zheng Qing’s spirit.

”I told you, that wasn’t an illusion just now!” He seemed to have proven a difficult divination calculation principle and looked eagerly at Xiao Xiao: ”You really can’t hear anything?”

Xiao Xiao adjusted his glasses.

However, before he could speak, the round-faced warlock quickly defended himself: ”It’s not surprising that the Doctor can’t hear them because those ’Law Book Liberation Association’ guys talking are five or six bookshelves away in another corner. If I hadn’t seen them just as I came in, I wouldn’t have been able to identify them.”

The amount of information in this statement was a bit much, and Zheng Qing didn’t immediately react.

”What do you mean by five or six bookshelves away from us?” He raised an eyebrow in full puzzlement: ”With that distance and such soft voices, who can hear them clearly?”

”I can!”

The round-faced warlock confidently pointed his thumb at himself: ”Our family lineage has a special bloodline with a strong control over ’wind’, and as long as there is airflow, no matter how far, we can hear it.”

This explanation left Zheng Qing momentarily silent.

Xiao Xiao nodded with a thoughtful expression.

After a long pause, the young scholarship student finally lifted his head and murmured: ”Your bloodline is special, being able to hear sounds so far away is understandable, but what about me... eh, where did he go?”

Only then did he notice that the round-faced warlock had disappeared at some point.

”He left.” Xiao Xiao nonchalantly flipped through the reference book in front of him and casually replied: ”He just came to tell me something, he has no obligation to listen to you ramble here...”

Zheng Qing was silent for a few seconds.

Then he amicably pulled out the Colt Python, swinging it on his finger: ”Although I’m more interested in those voices you can’t hear, it doesn’t mean I didn’t understand some of the words he just said...what do you mean by ’double-headed’ being in demand? Come on, explain to me, what does ’double-headed’ mean?”

With that, he fished out a two-headed straw man from a grey cloth bag and slapped it in front of the Doctor. The straw man’s body was structured based on the double-headed ogre, with two heads hanging one in front and one behind on the neck. Although the two faces were a bit abstract, anyone with good eyes could tell who it was at a glance.

Xiao Xiao glanced at the straw man, calmly adjusted his glasses, and naturally changed the topic: ”His name is Xu Qingmu, a student in the Class of 09 Divination 09-1 at Jiuyou Academy. He usually consults me on some aspects of Divination, so he occasionally helps me a bit... You can understand his bloodline talent as similar to special races like werewolves or the blood race, where the five senses are somewhat enhanced.”

”With that kind of talent, why didn’t he enter Alpha Academy?” Zheng Qing’s attention indeed shifted, and he muttered.

”Not all talented students are in Alpha, just as not all students good at exams enter Jiuyou Academy or all those good at fighting enter Starry Sky Academy.” Xiao Xiao calmly opened another reference book: ”As for why you can hear sounds from afar, the only thing I can think of is the black cat.”

”Right!”

Zheng Qing perked up at the words: ”I just thought about it for a long time; the only thing that could enhance my hearing is a cat, but does transformation have such side effects?”

”If you use transformation frequently.”

Xiao Xiao looked at the young scholarship student meaningfully: ”The use of any magic is not without cost, especially those involving life and change. Different species are isolated not just because they look different but because of their essential differences. This is also why the Alliance strictly controls the learning and use of transformation.”

”So, what are you trying to say?” Zheng Qing felt his head hurt listening to this pile of nonsense. The Doctor was good at everything, except that he had the bad habit common to diviners of talking in circles.

Then he saw the person he was complaining about raise two fingers.

”First,” Xiao Xiao finally set aside his work, lifted his head, and adjusted his glasses leisurely: ”Frequent use of transformation can be addictive. Anthony Russell, the famous eighteenth-century transformation researcher, demonstrated this possibility in ’Investigation on the Impact of Metamorphosis on the Wizard’s Brain and Body’ and ’The Demonstration of the Powerful Destroyer’. In the nineteenth century, Magnus Hess was the first to clearly identify symptoms similar to magic poisoning from prolonged use of transformation and named it ’Transformational Poisoning Syndrome.’ As of now, this symptom is incurable and can only be curbed by reducing the frequency of transformation.”

”Why didn’t you tell me sooner...” the young scholarship student mumbled.

”Because I think you’re very special, you should have the ability to overcome these ’constraints’.” The Doctor looked at him meaningfully and continued: ”From a psychological perspective, the real experience of two different states of existence is a unique experience for any individual, and people find it hard to resist this peculiar enjoyment...”

”And the second?” Zheng Qing felt it would turn into more ’nonsense’ and couldn’t help but push forward a bit.

Xiao Xiao looked at him disapprovingly: ”Second...well, I forgot.”

”Huh?” Zheng Qing blinked in disbelief.

”Really forgot.” The Doctor honestly spread his hands: ”It was on the tip of my tongue just now, but your interruption made me forget... You can’t blame me for that.”

”Heh,” the young scholarship student sneered: ”Once I turn into a cat tonight and bite open your skull, you might remember what you forgot...”

”Yes, that’s it!” Dr. Xiao snapped his fingers with excitement: ”Second, frequent use of transformation causes the wizard to adopt some ’habits’ of the transformed creature, like dogs sticking out their tongues or parrots imitating people’s speech, transforming into...”

A huge shadow silently shrouded the heads of the two young wizards.

Zheng Qing quietly glanced upward.

The librarian’s eight thick tentacles hovered above them, a giant bubble showing five stern black characters: ”Library! Quiet!!”

Both warlocks simultaneously raised their hands and mimed zipping their lips shut.

The librarian glared at them fiercely, then floated over the top of the bookshelf to another corner.

Once it had drifted away, Xiao Xiao lowered his voice and added: ”...If you don’t want to wake up one morning to find a half-eaten dead mouse by your pillow, I highly suggest you stop using transformation for a few days, even if it’s just for a few days...”

A thick tentacle dropped from above, not capturing Xiao Xiao but instead grabbing Zheng Qing by his collar and tossing him out. The last thing the young scholarship student saw was the Doctor sitting right at the table, seriously doing his homework.