High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 974: Chapter 36: In-depth

Similar to the development of most old era urban districts, the closer a location is to a transportation hub, the more prosperous it becomes, and the further away it is, the more desolate and quiet it becomes.

This is especially prominent in North Beta Town.

As the distribution center for goods and human traffic in the North District, the North District docks unquestionably serve as the largest transportation hub. Consequently, nearby the docks, a prosperous area that seems somewhat distorted in comparison to the entire Dent Area has formed.

But if one were to follow the main road of the docks into the deeper parts of North District, it wouldn’t take long to burst through this prosperous area’s ”Emperor’s new clothes” and get in touch with the reality of the Dent Area.

Rough wooden partitions, old signs whitened by rain, exposed rebar in walls, moldy bamboo huts, and tents filled with puddings. Everywhere one looked, one would see a scene that seemed entirely irrelevant to the name Beta Town.

The blank walls on both sides of the street were covered with mysterious graffiti flickering with various colors—there were incomplete Runes, jumbled Spells, dysfunctional Arrays, and indecipherable curses—many of which shimmered with a chilling crimson color. These graffitis vividly displayed the underlying chaos of this district to the visitors.

Aside from Xiao Xiao, Zheng Qing felt that no one would be interested in this district, and he couldn’t understand at all what Doctor Xiao intended by copying those mysterious graffiti on both sides of the street.

”Knowledge, insight... it hides in places we normally don’t see,” Doctor Xiao explained thus.

Zheng Qing curled his lip, unconvinced by this explanation.

He now urgently needed a secluded corner to tear off and discard that Frog Tongue on his wrist. A turn up ahead seemed to be just the place he was looking for.

As he turned the corner, Zheng Qing’s arm that he had just raised froze midway, and the smile that was forming on his lips had not fully faded before it rapidly retreated, transforming into annoyance and dejection.

An old man with dark, wrinkled skin was hiding in this concave shelter at the street corner, wrapped in a dirty robe. Zheng Qing stepped back slightly and looked around.

Indeed, he was eighty percent sure that this place was a garbage dump. Furthermore, the assortment of scattered trash, medicinal residues, and other items in the shelter corroborated his judgement well.

But who would sit peacefully in a garbage dump as if it were his own home?

Looking at the old man’s unperturbed demeanor, Zheng Qing again began to doubt his own judgement.

The sudden appearance of a stranger did not alarm the elder Wizard, who seemed to be sitting in the garbage heap. He even leisurely formed a Hand Jue and from his fingertips sprung a series of crackling sparks, as if a tiny firework show. This made Zheng Qing’s heart pound with fear that a careless move might start a fire and bring about a disaster.

Xiao Xiao turned the corner expressionlessly, merely flicking a Bronze coin into the old man’s upturned hat. It was only then that Zheng Qing noticed other old Bronze coins, moldy pieces of bread, and scattered fruit peels in the hat.

”If you’re looking to get rid of that Frog Tongue, this is a good place,” Xin Fat Man remarked casually as he passed by Zheng Qing.

The young Warlock hesitated for a moment, removed the alleged amulet made from the Frog Tongue from his wrist, then fished out another Bronze coin from his Grey Cloth Bag and tossed them both into the old man’s tattered hat.

”May Merlin bless you, kind sir,” the old man seemed awakened by the crisp sound of the bronze coins rolling, barely opening his eyes to a sliver, his face cracking into a dry, insincere smile.

This smile frightened Zheng Qing so much that he fled in a panic.

”Is this what the life of a trickster is like?” Zheng Qing jogged a few steps to catch up with his companion ahead, lowering his voice to ask, ”It’s worse than I imagined... Why does he look like a beggar?!”

”He indeed is a beggar,” Xin Fat Man glanced at him sideways, sounding quite surprised, ”Has anyone ever said a wizard cannot be a beggar?”

Zheng Qing’s expression froze.

In his subconscious, wizards were all capable of magic, and the essence of magic was turning the impossible into possible. With that in mind, he had never thought that wizards could end up as beggars, even if they were tricksters.

”Why doesn’t he try to go elsewhere? Like that little trick he just performed, outside it would be enough to make him a decent magician... I mean the sort of tricks commoners perform,” Zheng Qing muttered, voicing his thoughts.

”There are all sorts of reasons—history and reality, external laws and personal choice,” Xiao Xiao didn’t brush off Zheng Qing’s question. He answered earnestly, ”Like the elder trickster we just saw, that string of sparks is the magic he’s played with all his life, what he’s best at... This place is called the Dent Area for a reason. As for not leaving, without considering the complicated application submission and legal process, some tricksters are restricted from leaving the country by the Mage Alliance due to poor conduct; others choose to stay here voluntarily.”

”Voluntarily?” Zheng Qing found it incomprehensible.

”Living here all their lives, they never gathered the courage to venture out when they were young, what makes you think they would have the courage to touch that unknown environment when they’re old? The comfort zone of life and the comfort zone of the spirit are two different concepts,” Xiao Xiao’s reply was somewhat sharp:

”As for when they were young... When they were young, who didn’t have some dreams?”

”Young tricksters also have dreams. They are more ambitious than most wizards and more eager to touch the true essence of magic. When you’re in a well, you can tolerate a sky the size of a palm; but when you can see the endless starry sky, you can no longer accept dying in a dry well. When dreams brush past your fingertips, do you strive to grasp them, or remain indifferent?”

”Of course I strive to grasp them,” Zheng Qing immediately responded.

”So they are trapped here,” Xiao Xiao stopped walking, looking around and sighing lightly, ”Thus, this is the Dent Area, as well as the mountain area. Those at the mountain foot want to climb up, those on the mountain remain forever unreachable, and many more are those poor souls who freeze to death on the mountain paths, turning into stone monuments.”

”I want to include your words in the investigation report, as an introduction, no, as a concluding argument, no no, let me think about it a bit more,” Xin Fat Man quickly jotted down Xiao Xiao’s comments, saying excitedly.

Doctor Xiao glanced sideways at him, holding out his hand in front of the Fat Man.

The Fat Man was momentarily startled.

”A tip,” Xiao Xiao summarized his request with a short word.

No problem, Zheng Qing chuckled aside.