High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 937: Chapter 285 Before the New Year

”The last question, still the same old tune, is about safety issues,”

”What is safety? Safety is not thinking that just because you’ve learned a few new spells at school, you can boldly go out into the wilderness to practice on demons; safety is not conducting unauthorized magic experiments in your family’s basement; safety is reporting any black magic book you find on the street to the Trident Sword or the school, and absolutely never casually opening something of unknown origin.”

”These things are basic, but also very important. We need to talk about them all the time, everywhere, and never let our guard down.”

Old Yao lectured on stage, spitting and gesticulating wildly.

From below the stage, Zheng Qing let it go in one ear and out the other, and found himself absentmindedly drifting off— for some reason, he had a strong sense of déjà vu about everything Old Yao was saying, as if he had heard it countless times before.

After pondering for a long time, he finally came up with a seemingly reasonable explanation for himself, which was that whether it was his previous elementary or middle school, or now at the Wizard University, the teachers and the school seemed to focus on the same issues.

Only now the content of the warnings from his younger days, like not throwing firecrackers into manholes during winter vacation, being cautious with fire, electricity, and gas, and paying attention to traffic safety, had changed to be cautious of black magic, wild demons, and hunting safety, among others.

That was all.

Realizing this, the young scholarship student couldn’t help but curve his lips, feeling he’d discovered another truth of the world.

Perhaps if he had time in the future, he could write a ”Mathematical Principles of Social Philosophy” like Newton, using quantitative methods to discuss the common principles of different societies, and then he, too, could become a great man.

A young person’s thoughts are always bold and flighty. When Zheng Qing’s attention returned from his wandering thoughts, Old Yao had already moved on to another topic on stage.

”There are some more specific items,” Old Yao tapped his fingers on the desktop, and stacks of papers rose from the lectern, flying precisely in front of each student.

Zheng Qing cocked his head and scrutinized them from top to bottom; some were a single sheet, others a booklet, varying in thickness and color.

”That top form is the ’Winter Vacation Safety Responsibility Book.’ You all need to read it carefully and submit it on the spot after signing... It’s not a contract, you don’t need to detect every word for magical traps.”

That last sentence was addressed to Li Meng.

As soon as the little girl got her hands on the ”Winter Vacation Safety Responsibility Book,” she immediately pulled out a jade pendant and moved it little by little over the document, reporting to Jiang Yu whenever the pendant’s color slightly deviated from clarity.

”However, such a cautious attitude is worth learning from everyone; that’s the mindset a real wizard should have.” After a small praise for Li Meng, Old Yao continued:

”Underneath the ’Responsibility Book,’ that red booklet is your winter vacation practice report... It includes four weekly journals, one potion brewing reflection, one magic script analysis report, two hundred and eighty basic rune copies, eight spell analyses, and a crystal ball divination project.”

”Of course, if anyone is not good at crystal ball divination, you can modify it yourself. Using Mage Alliance-approved standard divination methods like Tarot cards, old grass, divination counting, turtle shells, etc. is allowed... But absolutely no shoddy methods like smoke or tea leaves to bluff your way through; Professor Yi emphasized this point specifically before.”

Below the lectern there was widespread dismay.

It wasn’t that everyone had any objections to not using tea leaves for divination, but that they didn’t expect to be assigned a heap of homework over a mere four-week winter vacation!

It simply didn’t live up to the word ’university’!

What happened to the promise that once you got to university, everything would be relaxed, you could slack off, sleep in, and have no homework?

”Lastly,” Old Yao had to shout to suppress the somewhat bubbling atmosphere below: ”Lastly, there is also an ’Evaluation Manual’ from the school about the students, which includes your overall performance this term, comments from professors from various subjects, and extracurricular activities!”

”Your parents need the contents of the ’Evaluation Manual,’ and then they must fill in a suggestion of over three hundred words!”

”And!”

”Parents also need to sign at the end of the ’Evaluation Manual,’ in the section for the student’s end-of-term academic assessment! This manual, along with the winter vacation practice report mentioned before, will need to be submitted when you report back to school at the beginning of next semester. Without these two assignments, or if the assignments are not completed, the school will not allow you to report back.”

”Students who excel in completing these two assignments can receive corresponding academic credit rewards, as well as an increased evaluation coefficient from the professors next semester...”

”Professor!” A male student bravely raised his hand, interrupting Old Yao’s speech, and shouted, ”We are already adults, so why do our parents need to sign? Isn’t this a university? Why does it feel like we’re in elementary school?”

”This is a university, my university,” Old Yao was not at all annoyed at being interrupted, but looked very happy and laughed loudly, ”If you have opinions about my policy, you are free to change it after you become the dean of Jiuyou Academy... But for now, you only have the choice to follow the rules.”

The male student who raised his hand sat down in disappointment, and the others were no longer as well-behaved as before—after all, the combination of the school and parents was always the most intimidating for students—almost everyone was whispering to each other, discussing something in low voices. The classroom suddenly seemed chaotic.

Zheng Qing was also part of the chaos.

Such a response, hardly reasonable, was just being stubborn! Zheng Qing silently criticized Old Yao’s previous words in his heart.

Before he had finished his silent criticism, he saw Old Yao wave at him, signaling him to come over.

This gesture startled the young wizard, thinking his silent criticism had been overheard by the big wizard.

It was only after he hesitantly shuffled over to the lectern and listened to the professor’s words that he realized he was just feeling a thief’s guilty conscience and had thought too much.

Old Yao called him up to the stage to talk about the public service project during the winter vacation for the subsidized students.

”You two have another task to keep in mind during this winter vacation,” the professor said, pointing his finger at Zheng Qing and Liu Feifei next to him, reminding them, ”The public service project for the subsidized students during the winter vacation, you both are aware of this, aren’t you?”

The two young wizards from Astronomy Class 08-1 answered in unison, ”We know.”

The professor nodded in satisfaction and pulled out two new application forms, ”These are the public service project application forms provided by the School Works Committee, fill them out... After the New Year, you need these forms to enter the school.”

”After the New Year?” Zheng Qing was stunned for a moment.

The professor raised an eyebrow, ”Is there a problem?”

Zheng Qing waved his hands repeatedly, looking a bit confused, ”No, no, no, I just meant... isn’t the public service project supposed to be before the New Year? Why submit it after...”

”Who told you it’s before the New Year!” Old Yao slapped the young man on the forehead, causing him to hiss in pain, and then proceeded to scold, ”Today is already Little New Year’s Eve, and there is only one week left until New Year’s Eve... What on earth are you thinking about all day?!”

Zheng Qing clutched his head, tears in his eyes.

It was only now that he realized, for some reason, he had always thought the public service project arranged by the school, as well as Xin Fat Man’s trip to North Beta Town, were supposed to be before the New Year.

Could it be because he had been dealing with Lin Guo too much lately that his own timeline had also become a bit muddled?

Zheng Qing rubbed his forehead, feeling somewhat stuffed inside.