High School of Demon Hunting

25: Chapter 25 – The Journey of the Clock and the Trip to the North Sea_1

25 -25 – The Journey of the Clock and the Trip to the North Sea_1

“Goodbye,” Andrew waves cheerfully at Thomas, then pats Zheng Qing on the shoulder, and disappears without a trace.

This sound is like a fart, Zheng Qing resents his lost talisman paper, he thinks maliciously.

The Trident Sword eventually stated that they were unable to compensate Zheng Qing for his lost Calm Heart Talisman.

According to Andrew’s explanation, Zheng Qing used the talisman in self-defence, and it was not requisitioned by the Trident Sword.

Therefore, theoretically, the investigation bureau is not responsible for compensating for such losses.

However, before leaving, Andrew obtained Zheng Qing’s identity materials from Thomas with the intention of applying for an honor certificate for Zheng Qing.

“No matter what, you prevented the wild demon from causing further harm, and there will be some recognition within the bureau for such acts.” Before leaving, the chubby black-robed wizard slapped Zheng Qing on the shoulder with a bright smile: “Perhaps you could win a Merlin Brass Medal, or at least be rewarded with a ‘Courageous Individual Award’.

This would greatly benefit your annual assessment.”

Zheng Qing was oblivious to these honors.

He was only concerned about that talisman paper hanging on a pig’s snout.

“You’re lucky, not getting hurt and witnessing such an exciting scene,” Thomas watches Zheng Qing say goodbye to the tree elf, exclaiming, “Getting an honor certificate before even attending school.”

“You won’t get in trouble for casting that spell, would you?” Zheng Qing remembered the words of Trident Sword’s committee members, feeling somewhat uneasy: “I didn’t really do anything, you were the real hero who stopped that demon.

It would be so unfair if the school punished you for that.”

“Who said I would be punished?” Thomas raises an eyebrow, a playful smile in his eyes: “All that’s required is to file a report after using high-risk magic, because such magic often influences the temporal stability of the environment, necessitating further observation and repair by the relevant departments.”

Zheng Qing crams the rest of the mouse food in his hand into the paws of the tree elf.

He stands up and sighs deeply.

He feels somewhat disappointed.

The magical world isn’t as free as he imagined.

Perhaps it’s because Thomas had to file an accident report after casting a spell.

Maybe it’s due to various inexplicable institutions like the Wizards’ Alliance, various councils, Trident Sword, the Public Security Bureau, and the Management Committee.

Zheng Qing felt like he had merely jumped from one circle into another.

The circle may have become fancier.

But, in reality, it’s still a circle.

In his imagination, wizards should spend their years in long robes, guarding their laboratories, and have their domestic elves clean and manage the house.

They would keep a three-headed dog for amusement, occasionally slaughter a fire dragon for a meal, pull out their wand to cast a spell when they see injustice, and casually curse those who offended them.

If magic isn’t a tool to manifest one’s desire, then what’s the point of magic!

“The reality of the magical world is no different from the outside.” Zheng Qing grumbles discontentedly: “I thought magic could be used freely.

If you see someone you don’t like, you just open your law book and turn him into a pig.”

“Of course, you can’t,” Thomas squints slightly, his green eyes sternly scanning Zheng Qing, “Perhaps you should prepare a copy of the ‘Wizard World Encyclopedia’, the version published by the Education Committee Quality Education Office of the Wizards’ Alliance.

It should be very useful for you.

Arbitrarily using magic against another wizard is a serious provocation, punishable by a fine of a hundred bronze coins to ten gold beans.

Those who act out particularly egregiously could be detained by the Public Security Bureau for fifteen days!”

Zheng Qing sighs again.

Thomas didn’t take Zheng Qing far.

After making two turns, they stopped in front of a huge wooden clock.

The clock stood about two meters high, its lines were simple, with no extra decoration.

The deep maroon varnish made it look even more solemn and heavyweight.

The clock face was white, with its Roman numerals reinforced with black brass rings.

Unlike other mechanical clocks, there was no pendulum hanging beneath it, just a very thin thread holding a polished brass pendulum.

No sooner had they stopped than the glossy brass pendulum began to swing, and at the same time, the clock drowned out in the melodious Westminster Abbey music.

Zheng Qing was very familiar with this sound.

There was an old walnut clock in his grandfather’s study that chimes this music every hour.

According to his grandfather, this chime was the bell of Big Ben in England, revered for its elegance and used in numerous clocks.

“Isn’t that the music from our side?” Zheng Qing exclaimed in surprise.

“This is the prayer music of the monks.

The reason it is popular on your side is because the monks wanted to pray for more people.” Thomas took out his cell phone-like device and checked it for a while before eventually nodding: “It’s time.”

Zheng Qing checked the clock and found it was precisely five in the afternoon.

After a moment of thought, he took out his pocket watch and checked the time.

It was accurate to the second.

“Good habit,” Thomas nodded, “For a wizard, there is nothing more important than time.”

Zheng Qing silently put away his pocket watch.

The gentleman had said the same to him before.

Thomas opened the glass door of the Big Clock and pushed Zheng Qing in, saying, “Go inside.”

“What’s this?” Zheng Qing pushed aside the slim cord suspending the brass-faced pendulum and peered inside.

The inside of the clock was very quiet and the pendulum was not swinging.

“Wizards commonly refer to it as the ‘Big Clock’,” Thomas squeezed into the clock behind Zheng Qing, casually closed the glass door behind him, and said in a muffled voice, “You can think of it as a rapid transport tool or an alchemy solidified ‘Escape’.”

“So, I can go home from inside this?” Zheng Qing sort of understood.

Thomas didn’t say a word; he was squinting at the silver dial.

“This is the seventeen o’clock station,” he murmured, taking out a brass key from behind the dial, inserting it into the law tab slot at the bottom of the dial, and turning it twice.

Zheng Qing heard a creaking sound from the clock, and then the ticking sound of the clock began.

“Reach out and see if there’s a doorknob on the wall behind you!” Thomas’s voice trembled a little in the ticking of the clock.

Zheng Qing groped in the dark and grabbed a round doorknob.

“Found it!” His voice echoed loudly in the cramped clock.

“Turn it, open the door and go out.” Thomas hurriedly urged from behind, “We only have one minute.

If we don’t leave quickly, the chimes of Westminster Abbey will deafen us.”

Upon opening the door, a dark corridor came into view.

There seemed to be a faint light at the end.

The air in the corridor was somewhat damp and turbid, but Zheng Qing found the smell very familiar.

The sound of Thomas closing the door came from behind.

Zheng Qing faintly heard the chime of Westminster Abbey ringing again.

“What did you mean by the ‘seventeen o’clock station?” Zheng Qing didn’t like this pitch-black environment.

He tried to look towards the light ahead, making his voice sound less anxious.

“The Big Clock is a fixed station set up by the Wizard Alliance all over the world.

There are twelve hours on the dial, seven hundred and twenty minutes, one station per minute, a total of seven hundred and twenty Big Clocks.

We just passed through the station at exactly seventeen o’clock.”

“Sounds complicated,” Zheng Qing murmured.

After groping in the dark for a while, following the light source, turning a corner, Zheng Qing saw a familiar section of stairs.

“Were we just in the basement?” he exclaimed in surprise, “I didn’t even know there was such a place in my house’s basement!”

“Your basement certainly does not have one.” Thomas followed him to the stairwell.

He patted the dust off his head, brushed off the cobwebs on his robes, and complained, “Originally, I was going to go straight back to your bedroom, but all the doors in your house couldn’t be opened, so I had to choose the basement.”

Zheng Qing blinked, remembering.

In his spare time, he used to paste many talisman papers on the doors and windows, corners and walls of his house.

Maybe these talisman papers interfered with the Big Clock’s positioning.

“Now I’m going to the North.

I may not have time to contact you in the near future,” Thomas repeatedly instructed, “Remember to catch the flight from Chang’an airport on August 31st.

Remember, there’s only one flight.

If you miss it, you don’t have to go.

Don’t expect the school to violate the thirty-seven ‘Basic Management Measures for Wizards’ for a freshman, nor expect the school to open the Guardian Array twice in a year.”

“You haven’t bought me that standard timer yet.” Seeing Thomas’s figure about to disappear, Zheng Qing suddenly remembered the book list and couldn’t help but shout.

“The pocket watch you’re wearing around your neck is quite good…” Thomas’s voice fades with his figure until it disappears.

Zheng Qing sighed and pulled out the pocket watch around his neck.

It was seventeen minutes and thirty-eight seconds past four in the afternoon.