High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 2692 - 913: Innocence Gradually Fading

"...In the beginning, it was merely a desire.""Perhaps it was the yearning for a new magic skill, perhaps it was the urge to get a bit too close when hunting demons, or maybe it was just the thought of pulling a companion out of a swamp, believing oneself wouldn’t sink."

"Greed, anger, ignorance."

"And so, they embarked on the path of the fallen."

"These young wizards share a commonality—poor yet rich, ignorant and reckless—simply put, these young wizards dislike charity, dislike going by the book. What they want is a chance to solve problems on their own, a chance to prove themselves, an opportunity to amaze everyone."

"This opportunity can bring honor, wealth, and power, yet it can also lead to degradation... The internal pressure will continually erode their bodies, much like that old capitalist trope of selling the rope to hang themselves... The first time they slip, they often display feelings of despondency, panic, thinking their lives are over, that they have no control over the future—then here, the path of the fallen and those who join the Crows diverge."

"The fallen need not be mentioned, letting themselves sink to the deepest abyss."

"While the others ensnared by desire, become the ’rescued’ targets of organizations like the ’Crows’. Yes, rescued. The initiators of the Crows deeply understand the mindset of these young wizards, and will ’empower’ them again, without ever exposing their dark sides to peers and loved ones, utilizing ancient, mysterious operational rules—noble ideals, ambiguous beliefs, time, hope, rhetoric that doesn’t count as falling, and so on—and make these young wizards willingly become members ’with dignity’..."

Xin Fat Man seemed inspired, interspersing his understanding of the Crows organization while expounding on Lady Larry’s perspective in "The Road to Ruin", giving a feeling of eloquence and coherence.

Zheng Qing was initially interested.

But soon found himself drowsy—pessimistically speaking, he found Fat Man’s views neither serious enough for a proper editorial, nor quite as idle chatter, making it hard to publish in a major publication like the campus newspaper.

Truly a chicken rib.

At the thought of major publications, Zheng Qing couldn’t help but glance more at the newspaper Fat Man held, then immediately noticed a headline on a page—"First University Falls Asleep—Inaction During the Power Transition".

He instinctively pulled out that newspaper.

The Fat Wizard glared at him in dissatisfaction, looked around, saw no one else was listening to his grand talk, so he pulled out a notebook and feather pen, and began recording his ’great opinions’ that had just flashed like inspiration.

Zheng Qing didn’t notice the gradual quiet around him.

He was ten lines at a glance, haphazardly reading the sharp style commentary in his hands—

"...Silent Forest is ensnared in uncontrollable panic and chaos, meanwhile, the school continues to refuse the Alliancemates’ proposal to dispatch a Trident Sword Commissioner to assist the investigation... The fundamental authority of ’The Code’ has no guarantee whatsoever... We wouldn’t refer to this area as ’Lawless Land’, but undoubtedly, the school is carrying out another order on Buji Island..."

"...’Perhaps after Chief Justice Dan Hag assumes a significant position at First University, this state of inaction could end,’ a Trident Sword Commissioner, wishing to remain anonymous, told the journalist, ’Of course, I’m not implying that this way Dan Hag would immediately arrest a large number of suspects with black wizard tendencies at school, but rather that everyone can finally be relieved, not caught in a dilemma between the school and the alliance.’"

"...The attitude of these elite individuals shows that the entire alliance has turned into a pathological church of the 19th century Mississippi, rather than an institution of justice and fairness... The choir sings moving hymns on stage, pretending not to notice the priest in holy robes standing at the altar with his hand reaching into the young boy’s pants..."

"...The magical tribes within Silent Forest are under attack... The Ogre Tribe inexplicably disappears, the Horseman Tribe inexplicably disappears, an unidentified giant snake rampages in Beta Town, vast craters appear in the depths of Silent Forest... We have reason to believe a web of conspiracy is slowly unfurling over Buji Island, with covert black wizards using the school’s status to send one future of the Alliance after another into darkness..."

"...This is more than mere speculation... Reliable statistics from Trident Sword and the First University Assistant Corps indicate that since the end of the Black Prison major incident, the number of missing persons and illegal laboratory cases reported in Silent Forest has surged, including numerous individuals from non-prominent tribes, such as the High Priest of Uteya who disappeared during the Qingming Festival, possessing divination abilities not inferior to the Great Divinor, and her tribe, the Uteya Tribe (a powerful Horseman Tribe with a history of hundreds of years), also vanished in the depths of Silent Forest, scarcely arousing any notice within the alliance..."

"...The school claims it’s a tragedy, as if this matter is akin to a Kui Ox in Silent Forest being preyed upon by a hungry Fire Dragon... Yet the First University Assistant Corps cleaned up the scene of the Uteya Tribe’s disappearance and closed the case in less than twenty-four hours..."

Zheng Qing didn’t continue reading, as the subsequent content was nothing more than empty and impotent appeals, or progress-driven, arguably frantic suggestions.

He rubbed the newspaper’s corner where the name was, unsurprisingly, saw the Beta Town Post insignia—perhaps only the Post’s editors would dare to brazenly publish such articles on Buji Island.

"What’s it about?" Xiao Xiao had obviously noticed Zheng Qing’s furrowed brows, adjusted his glasses, curiously took the newspaper, and began to read.

"Hmm... hard to say." The young assistant classmate hesitated, shaking his head.

If it were before.

He would certainly have simply regarded this as another article from the Beta Town Post critiquing First University.

Except, upon seeing terms like ’Chief Justice Dan Hag’ and ’significant positions at First University’, Zheng Qing’s first reaction was not the Crows, but rather Su Shijun’s recent analysis of the candidates for the Dean of the Peripheral College—intuition told him that this article, although ostensibly criticizing the school for its poor handling of illegal laboratories, was subtly lobbying for Justice Sam Marshall’s bid to become Dean of the Peripheral College.

"I really wish I was still that innocent and cute little boy from a year ago."

Zheng Qing muttered, feeling utterly fatigued with not a hint of joy for realizing the truth behind public opinion.

"Innocent? Cute?"

The Fat Wizard lowered the feather pen, emitting a short, piercing laugh as if he had heard some absurdly ridiculous joke: "Do you have some misunderstanding about these two words?"