High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 1453: Chapter 197: The Thorn of Sapium

”Could it be just your imagination?”

”Possibly.”

”That’s likely the case. This is First University’s museum, with two The Door Gods standing guard outside. How could anyone sneak in here?”

”Didn’t we just get in here?”

Although the young wizards were still whispering in low voices and discussing it heatedly, their eyes remained vigilantly fixed on several of the darkest corners of the exhibition hall, never slacking, and the Law book in their hands was always ready to be activated, able to throw out a prepared string of spells at any moment.

Xiao Xiao held the Crystal Ball in both hands, divining for a long time with no results.

”Perhaps the Monitor did hear something,” he eventually voiced a cautiously optimistic view: ”It’s said that several Ghosts, belonging to the Earth-bound Spirits, are permanent residents of the museum’s exhibit halls; the noises we just heard might have come from them.”

This explanation wasn’t perfect, but it was sufficient to calm people’s nerves.

The false alarm wasn’t welcome but ultimately made everyone become more spirited and raised their vigilance for tonight’s adventure.

Continuing to walk through the exhibition hall, the group soon entered the darkness that previously lay in their field of vision. However, when you are in the midst of that darkness, you often get used to the light around you and don’t feel much difference from before.

A similar vastness and silence.

The exhibits in the glass cases, silent as they had been for tens, hundreds, or even thousands of years, lay on their velvet cushions, subjected to the serious or perfunctory gazes of passersby.

Past the darkness, there was a tall threshold covered with intricate runes, and beyond the threshold lay another exhibition hall.

In this exhibition hall, there were fewer glass cases. More visible were several railing-like display stands surrounded by red jute ropes as thick as a small arm, on which were arrayed the skeletons of Magical Creatures.

First among all the relics was not the Flood Dragon, Phoenix, or other great and mythical beasts like the Serpent, Spirit Turtle, or Unicorn that Zheng Qing had imagined.

It was the skeleton of a primate-like creature.

Zheng Qing approached the display and looked down at the Brass Inscription on the pillar in front of the stand: ”On the bragging mountain, there is a beast, looks like a yu with white ears, crouches and walks like humans, its name is Star Ape, eating it can improve one’s agility.”

The description was very brief, unlike the Wizard’s Encyclopedia which listed the class, order, family, genus, and species of such creatures, nor did it record their magical abilities, legendary stories, or even inform visitors why it was listed as the foremost among all magical creatures.

All it did was note the culinary effects of the creature, like a connoisseur would.

”This is the blunt and harsh truth of nature,” the young cost student thought to himself, then lifted his head to look at the bones of the Star Ape on the stand.

It stood amidst what appeared to be chive-like green leaves, leaning on a Mystical Grain tree, hunching its body, looking towards the exit of this exhibition hall.

Whether it was an illusion or not, Zheng Qing always felt like the head of the Star Ape seemed to tilt towards him.

”Move faster, don’t fall behind!”

Xiao Xiao gestured to him with a low voice, ”If you’re really interested, you can come here for a whole day visit after the final exams!”

”Here I come,” Zheng Qing said apologetically, hurrying to catch up with the pace of the Hunting team, explaining in a low voice, ”It’s not about me... you know, cats are very curious.”

”Hmm?” Jiang Yu looked back at him, indicating her skepticism about the warlock’s explanation.

An embarrassed smile appeared on Zheng Qing’s face.

Before the embarrassment could fade, the witch suddenly halted, and the young cost student, not noticing in time, bumped heavily into her, causing both to stagger.

The Warlock steadied himself and gave the Witch a hand before peering forward to see what had happened.

At the forefront of the team.

Zhang Ji Xin stood with his feet akimbo, his fists poised one in front of the other slightly below his chest, ready for combat. Banna fell back half a step, his face turning a shade of blue as his body slowly grew in size.

Zheng Qing’s gaze passed between the two Hunters, main and auxiliary, and landed on the obstacle blocking the team’s path.

It was a chicken.

To be precise, it was the skeleton of a magical creature resembling a golden pheasant, sauntering leisurely from the left side of the exhibition hall to the right. Its slow pace, along with the long tailbone it dragged behind, obstructed the Hunting team’s route.

”What is this?” the Warlock asked, his eyes wide with bewilderment.

Jiang Yu gestured silently to the side without speaking.

Following the direction of her gesture, Zheng Qing saw an empty exhibition stand surrounded by red ropes that had somehow fallen to the ground, looking like dead snakes.

He could guess the identity of the chicken skeleton with his toes.

”The exhibits are alive?” The cost student found the situation somewhat amusing.

The chicken seemed to hear the Warlock’s murmur, stopping its leisurely pace abruptly, turning its head, and giving him a tilted look.

The hollow gaze amid the ghastly bones seemed to add a chill to the entire exhibition hall.

Clack clack.

The jawbones of the chicken skeleton clacked together, as if it were speaking. Unfortunately, since no one present understood the language of bones, they were not inclined to engage in conversation with it.

After clacking for a while and seeing that everyone remained silent and cautious, the chicken skeleton shook its head, bored, and continued on its way, quickly disappearing into the shadows on the other side of the exhibition hall.

A few of the Young Wizards let out a quiet sigh of relief.

The team resumed moving forward.

”Did you know these exhibits are alive?” Zheng Qing squeezed next to Xiao Xiao and asked in a hushed tone. He noticed the other members of the Hunting team pricking their ears as well.

”I’ve heard,” Doctor replied vaguely, his gaze drifting around: ”...When we helped before, a senior from the museum told us that some of the long-detained exhibits take strolls around the gallery at night, advising us to pay them no mind.”

”Do they belong to the Undead?”

”Theoretically, the museum’s exhibits do not contain any living souls. Even in the Ghost exhibit area, it’s the consciousness that has completely dissipated that is on display...”

Zheng Qing didn’t understand how a consciousness that had completely dissipated could exist in this world; to him, a Ghost was inherently a condensed presence of consciousness.

As they conversed, the team passed another empty exhibition stand.

The original specimen had wandered off to unknown parts, leaving behind only a thriving Sapium, extending its branches beyond the red ropes, gently swaying in the dark exhibition hall as if greeting the visitors.

As a polite gesture, Zheng Qing casually touched one of the branches.

”Hiss,” he sucked in a breath of air and cut off the Doctor’s speech when he saw the concerned looks from his companions. The Warlock waved his hands reassuringly, ”It’s nothing, nothing, let’s keep going... I just got pricked by a thorn.”

He had forgotten that Sapium was thorny.