High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 2153: Chapter 374: Thanksgiving Speeches and Debates

Thanksgiving was originally not a holiday of Jiuyou Academy.

But this year’s Thanksgiving, Jiuyou Academy seemed particularly lively.

Because the ”Please Give Me a Frog” movement initiated jointly by the Law Book Liberation Association and the Northern District Wizards had, after a long period of fermentation, gradually gathered a certain trend, which made the academy chaotic.

This Thanksgiving coincidentally gave them a perfect opportunity—to revisit the contribution of the Northern District Wizards to the First University, and even the entire Alliance. This contribution is not only reflected in their huge sacrifices in the war for the identity of wizards, but also in the foundation of growth they laid for Beta Town with their cheap lives and labor over a long period of time—this contribution is worth everyone expressing gratitude to the Northern District Wizards for.

And the best way to express gratitude is to give ample enrollment slots to the Northern District Wizards.

”...The question is, why should Jiuyou Academy provide the enrollment slots for the Northern District Wizards?”

Xin Fat Man, holding a notebook and biting a green feather pen, paced the small dorm room like an anxious Earth-bound spirit, trying hard to perfect his manuscript:

”The First University has four academies, and there is no shortage of Northern District Wizards who like to fight, have firm beliefs, or are talented seeds—so why shouldn’t other academies bear the enrollment slots for the Northern District Wizards? Just because Jiuyou Academy places the most emphasis on equality and justice? This is unjust, very unjust... And justice is one of Jiuyou’s most fundamental principles! Yes, that’s the logic! No... that’s not quite enough...”

Zheng Qing lay in front of his desk, looking at his Magic Potion class homework, which he had worked on for a long time and yet had completed less than half a page of. He let out a deep sigh, finally giving up on sitting in silence, and stood up to walk to the balcony.

After winter started, it got dark very early. Although it was not yet seven o’clock, it was already pitch black outside. The moon had not yet risen, the fireflies were hiding in tree holes, and most of the light in the night was from the fires celebrating Thanksgiving, the largest of which was in the direction of Lin Zhong Lake, which should be the location of the gathering jointly initiated by the Law Book Liberation Association and the Northern District Wizards.

Because of the grand gathering by the lake tonight, it affected the library, forcing the young wizards of dorm 403 to stay in their dormitory to study.

Standing on the balcony, Zheng Qing raised his hand and pushed hard to open the window.

The night wind, carrying a cold chill, rushed in, dispelling the fatigue from sitting for a long time. The Fat Cat, initially lounging in front of the desk, complained with a ”meow” and lazily got up, leaping back into Xin Fat Man’s bed. The pacing of the Fat Wizard also instantly halted.

”What do you think...”

He had just started to say three words when Zheng Qing raised a finger:

”Shh, listen!”

The voice suspected to be from a Northern District Wizard’s speech drifted over from the direction of Lin Zhong Lake. It was faint and intermittent, high-pitched, yet not shrill, seeming gentle and powerful:

”...We live in a discriminating society... We pursue a better world... a world where, even if we lack talent, effort can allow us to live happily; a world where, even if we fail, effort will not disappoint us; a world where what we become isn’t determined by our abilities but by our choices!”

”...In this world, every ordinary soul should be dazzling and unique...”

”Those faces that seem different—be they hideously terrifying, solemnly dignified, or so splendid that one cannot gaze upon them—all are merely papier-mâché, nothing special... Their faces clearly and plainly say ’We are nothing special’... There is no difference between us and them! ...When we open our eyes, what we see is the façade, which is also the entirety of this world... Every time we use more patience, trying to discover a better version of ourselves, we can only see how terrible this world is, yet we continue to strive for it... Even if we are in the valley, we find there is a deeper valley below...”

Snap!

Zheng Qing shivered, closing the window forcefully, keeping the cold wind outside.

”Depressing but powerful.”

He gave a brief assessment of the distant and indistinct speech by the lakeside, as if he already saw the figures wearing the four-color institute robe, cheering and shouting below the stage.

”As those Alpha students put it, it’s ’using the light of freedom to illuminate the path of equality for the Northern District Wizards, thereby solidifying the wizards’ belief in justice,” Xin Fat Man chuckled, shaking the summary he had written in his manuscript.

Freedom and justice are the principles of Alpha Academy, while fairness and equality are the principles of Jiuyou Academy, making this statement particularly meaningful.

”Whether it’s depressing or powerful, or the struggle between freedom and equality, it doesn’t really matter. The key is that those Law Book Liberation Association folks have turned this movement into some kind of deformed religious ritual.”

Xiao Xiao, who had been focused on his work, also looked up, pushing his glasses up, and uncharacteristically expressed his thoughts: ”Sometimes I don’t even know if I’m at Jiuyou Academy or Atlas Academy... Emotional speeches, contradictory and intense opinions, extreme attitudes... It’s no different from those yellow-robed ones who ’join their own party and attack different views’!”

Xin Fat Man, who had been nodding repeatedly and writing down the Doctor’s rare speech in a flurry, suddenly paused his feather pen, and looked at the short warlock by the desk with a somewhat subtle expression: ”When you talk about ’contradictory and intense opinions’, does that include me?”

”What do you think?” Xiao Xiao glanced at him.

”I think the current wind is not guiding contradictions, but planning to use the spear to eat the shield, or the shield to eat the spear.” Zheng Qing coughed lightly, mentioning his daytime insights: ”When I was heading to the office building at noon, I happened to hear an Alpha student say this, ’If a society places equality above freedom, it will have neither freedom nor equality; if it places freedom above equality, it will achieve a higher degree of both freedom and equality’... It’s said that Sir Friedman said this... or maybe Duke Milton, I don’t quite remember.”

”Whether it’s Milton or Friedman, they’re both from Karen’s family, so it’s not surprising that they’d have the Alpha perspective,” Xin Fat Man bit the feather pen, sneering: ”It’s been a long time since I’ve encountered such a standard of sophistry... Any wizard with normal logic wouldn’t agree with this statement.”

”The problem is,” Zheng Qing slowed his speech slightly to remind them: ”Old-school wizards, especially Alphan people who emphasize bloodline, prefer to do things with illogical magic, so they particularly agree with Milton’s or Friedman’s words.”

”Next time you encounter such people, you can respond this way,” Xiao Xiao spread out his palm, gathering his fingers as if creating a cage: ”The most reliable way to tame a prisoner is to make him believe he is free.”