Volume 1: Raging Waves City Chapter 203 Secret Gathering
Vice Dean Elvi listened to what the teaching assistant said and said unhappily, "Francis, these are not what you should say. Eavesdropping on the conversation between Professor Qingkong and Dean Wilred is not something that faculty members of Oulu College should do.
You have great abilities, but you have not been promoted to professor. You should reflect on your own behavior."
Seeing that his provocation seemed to have no effect, Assistant Professor Francis immediately admitted his mistake: "I'm sorry, Vice President Elvy, I said this for the sake of the college.
Only you can continue the spirit of the Oulu Academy..."
"That's enough, Francis."
Faced with the scolding, Francis had no choice but to shut up.
Seeing that other faculty members were looking at him, Vice Dean Elvi realized his mistake. He softened his tone and whispered to Francis, "We have to trust Dean Wilred. Every decision he has made since he took charge of Oulu College has been correct.
If you suspect that Professor Qingkong is doing something bad for the college, go investigate it yourself and tell me when you have evidence. If you can prove your suspicion, there will be a place for you in the college professorship."
"Really? Vice President Elvi!" Francis turned his worry into joy.
"Of course, that's what I said. But your investigation was your own private act."
"I understand, Vice Dean Elvy."
…
In response to the sudden appearance of the Black Eclipse Spirit, all parties in Oulu College are investigating. Although the Department of Mysticism has stopped recruiting new staff, its internal development has not stopped.
Pan brought a large investment to the Department of Mysticism of Oulu College, which was used to expand facilities, purchase equipment, and conduct in-depth research on the mysticism.
The outer hall trial field in the mountainous area east of the college is a key construction project.
After days of hard work by students and the construction team from Nutao City, not only was a flat trial site cleared, but a row of wooden houses were also built around the site.
Another animal farm was almost completed, and a group of goats were driven into the farm.
Looking at these bleating goats, the wealthy Heidisiko covered his nose and asked Jennifer who was counting the goats: "Assistant Jennifer, why do you raise goats in the outer hall trial field? They are really too smelly!
They, they just poop on the ground!"
Jennifer held the form in her hand, compared it with the record of receiving the goat, and replied: "Future esoteric teaching and research will inevitably require the use of living bodies for demonstration and experiments. Goats are very good. If something unexpected happens, we can roast the lamb and eat it."
Hearing about food, Hediciko became happy.
"Having a barbecue party in this forest will surely make students from other departments envious."
Hediciko's words reminded Jennifer of what .
"Yes! Compared with other academic disciplines, mysticism is very risky and uncertain. We often held bonfire barbecue parties at that time. It would be more fun if we could secretly get some wine..."
Hedicico couldn't help but ask, "Assistant Professor Jennifer... what time are you talking about? Our Department of Mystic Arts has just built the outer hall trial field."
Jennifer knew that she had said something that she shouldn't have said, so she covered it up and said, "I'm not talking about our Department of Mysticism. When I was in school, senior students would secretly hold parties in the mountains of the college, and I often attended them.
Sometimes we would catch some prey and roast it, including wild boars and fish.
I miss it so much!
I don’t know if there are still such gatherings now.”
"Of course..." Heidisiko looked around and saw that no one was paying attention to this place, so he whispered to Jennifer: "I have participated in it too. But since the appearance of the Abyss Temple, the academy has banned students from entering the mountains at night, and there are patrol teams to patrol the mountains and forests around the academy.
But these gatherings are still held at irregular intervals. If you want to attend, you must be introduced by an acquaintance and swear to keep it secret, otherwise you will not be able to get the time and address. "
After hearing the little secret told by Hediciko, Jennifer couldn't help but sigh: These young people are really brave. Even though the college is so strict, they still dare to go to the mountains outside the college to hold a party.
But then I thought about it, I also liked to play when I was in school. At that time, the college also prohibited students from running out at night, but no matter how strict the patrol was, it still couldn't stop the students' enthusiasm to run out and play.
"It sounds like you are the 'acquaintance' who can introduce people to the event."
Jennifer's youth and personality made it easy for the students to treat her as one of their own. Unlike in front of Qingkong, the students all liked this beautiful elf, but it was difficult for them to let go.
Hediciko said proudly: "Of course, bringing a few people to this kind of party is a trivial matter for me.
As far as I know, there is a party tonight, in the forest southeast of the college. I heard there is a relic of the college a hundred years ago, and there are many stories about the disaster a hundred years ago circulating in the college, so the theme of this party is "exploration".
I wonder if I can see evil spirits or something."
Hediciko sounded very excited, as if he also wanted to participate.
Maybe he had signed up for it.
The ruins left by the disaster a hundred years ago...
Jennifer didn't expect that a casual chat would give her such an important clue.
In the past few days, Jennifer has been investigating what Qingkong has assigned her to do. But everyone seems to be able to tell a few stories from hundreds of years ago, but no one knows who first spread them.
Jennifer had attended the party that Hediciko mentioned before. She knew that the students who were able to evade the patrol of the school guards and sneak out of the academy were the best in each department.
They are going to "explore" the ruins left over from a disaster a hundred years ago tonight, and perhaps they can find something useful from them.
"Haidisiko, can I join?"
Hedixic didn't expect Jennifer to ask to attend such a party. He said awkwardly: "Assistant Jennifer, faculty and staff of the college are not allowed to attend such parties."
Jennifer smiled and said, "You took me to participate. If you didn't tell me... who would know my college assistant teacher?"
“No, no, no…” Realizing that Jennifer was serious, Hediciko regretted saying too much: “I can’t bring you to the party. If they knew that I brought a teaching assistant to the college, they would definitely blacklist me, and my reputation in the college would be ruined.”
Jennifer threatened Hediciko: "If you don't take me with you, I will tell Professor Qingkong everything you said to me. Guess how she will deal with you?"
These sheep need someone to take care of them.”
Hediciko looked at the group of bleating sheep in front of him again, and shuddered at the thought of sleeping here.
"Assistant Professor Jennifer, I consider you a friend. You...you can't tell tales on me."
Jennifer smiled and said, "Haidisiko, I consider you a friend too. But I'm Professor Qingkong's teaching assistant, and we're in the same office. If I accidentally let something slip..."
"Jennifer..."
"Okay, Heidisiko, I won't scare you anymore. You should know that being with such an excellent Professor Qingkong puts me under a lot of pressure every day. I just want to attend a free party and vent my mental fatigue.
I disguised myself as a student and no one could recognize me.
Well... I have a brooch given to me by Professor Qingkong. It is a magic item she made herself. If you take me there, I can give you the brooch as a reward."
"Really? This is a brooch made by Professor Clear Sky himself?"
"And Professor Qingkong wore it for a while."
Jennifer used her trump card and Hediciko surrendered immediately.
"Deal, we'll meet at the bottom of the hexagonal tower at nine o'clock tonight, and I'll take you to the party."
Jennifer replied with the sweetest smile: "Deal, see you tonight at nine o'clock."
"Take the brooch Professor Clear Sky gave you."
"Make sure you bring it!"
"Don't tell Professor Qingkong."
"Promise not to tell her."
In Qingkong's office at the Esoteric Arts Academy, Jennifer told Qingkong in detail what she and Hediciko had talked about.
Qingkong didn't expect that there would be such evening activities among the students of the college, and they dared to hold it at such an extraordinary time. They were really like a newborn calf that is not afraid of a tiger.
Very brave!
"The ruins in the forest southeast of the academy?"
Qingkong thought about where that place was.
Jennifer also introduced: "That is the Magic Botanical Garden, which houses many magical plants from all over the world. And because the habits of magical plants in different places are different, the Magic Botanical Garden is divided into two parts: above ground and underground. The underground venue was opened up using space technology, with a very large volume, and magic was used to simulate deserts, snow, tropical, temperate... and many other environments.
During the disaster a hundred years ago, many battles broke out there. The underground part of the Magic Botanical Garden suffered a spatial collapse due to the destruction of the space..."
"After the disaster, the academy tried to repair the Magic Botanical Garden, but the interior of the garden was too badly damaged, so they had to give up and rebuild a new one somewhere else." Qingkong said about the game information in his hand: "According to the information I know, although the academy buried the Magic Botanical Garden at that time, after so many years, many cracks leading to the underground appeared inside the old site of the Magic Botanical Garden.
And some magical plants have adapted to the changed environment and survived, while some are very dangerous. "
Jennifer didn't know why Qingkong knew so much about the Magic Botanical Garden, but when she heard about the danger, she couldn't help but worry and said, "The place where these students are gathering tonight is the remains of the Magic Botanical Garden. If they find the crack and go inside, it will definitely be very dangerous. We should inform the college about this and stop them!"
"The academy can only stop them once, or twice. As long as this tradition exists among the student community, as long as someone secretly instigates them, they will definitely try to go to the ruins of the Magical Botanical Garden again."
Jennifer, who was once such a student, knew that Qingkong was right. The academy could not stop such students, but might arouse their greater curiosity.
"Professor Qingkong, what should we do?"
Qingkong twirled the pen in his hand flexibly, and after thinking for a while, he said to Jennifer, "This is a clue that cannot be missed. You continue with your plan and sneak into the party to see if there is anyone behind it.
I will take Red Falcon into the ruins in advance and clear out any potential dangers. And if someone really led them there, I will also take a look at what this person wants to do. "
With Qingkong personally escorting the party, Jennifer no longer had to worry.
"I feel relieved when Professor Qingkong personally protects me. I'm suddenly looking forward to attending this kind of gathering again after a hundred years."
"Have fun."
Time soon came to the evening, Jennifer changed into a casual dress, combed her hair into a popular hairstyle among female students, then hid a bottle of red wine in her arms and quietly left her dormitory.
Due to the discovery of the Black Eclipse Spirit, patrols within the academy have been very strict these days, and the figure of the Abyss Leopard is everywhere. For Jennifer, it is not difficult to avoid such patrols, and it also evokes some past events in her memory.
They arrived smoothly at the agreed place with Hediciko, and then saw Hediciko being pulled out from behind a bush by two Abyss leopards.
This Heidisiko.
Jennifer had no choice but to show up and display the emblem of her teaching assistant status.
"I am Jennifer, the teaching assistant of Professor Qingkong in the Department of Esoteric Arts. This is Hai Dixiko, a student of our Department of Esoteric Arts. Just hand him over to me. I will tell Professor Qingkong about this matter, and he will receive the punishment he deserves."
After the two Abyss leopards confirmed Jennifer's identity, they let go of Hediciko and continued their patrol route.
Watching the Abyss leopard walk away, Hediciko, who had been worried all the time, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Assistant Instructor Jennifer, you arrived just in time. If you had come a little later, I would have been caught by them and taken to the disciplinary office, and Vice Dean Elvy would have definitely told my father about this.
Of course, Professor Qingkong will also know. "
Jennifer knew that her rescue of Hediciko would still be reported to the battle mages by Abis Leopard. But that was something that Professor Qingkong would need to deal with tomorrow. Her task was to sneak into the student gathering tonight and see if there was anything worth noting.
"I thought that Heidisiko was very powerful to be able to attend such a party, but I didn't expect that he was caught by the Abyss Leopard so easily."
Being looked down upon, Haidisiko said unconvincedly: “The patrols of the academy have definitely been strengthened tonight. Only during the time when the Abyss Mage appeared did the academy release so many Abyss Leopards.
I can guarantee that I am not the only student who was caught tonight. The number of people who can attend the party on time is definitely much less than usual! And... I was discovered by Abyss Leopard because I was waiting for you."
"Well, I know that our monitor, Heidisko, from the Department of Mystic Arts is very capable. This is a brooch made by Professor Qingkong himself..."
Jennifer flicked up a brooch, and Hediciko grabbed it. He admired it again and again, then put it in his pocket with satisfaction: "Let's go, Assistant Jennifer, let's go to the party."
"Call me Jennifer."
"Yes, Jennifer!"
