High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 1552: Chapter 296: Tochigi Flower Juice

The Classic of Mountains and Seas says, ’On Mount Li’er, there are many trees called Jiang and Li. These trees have square stems and round leaves, yellow blossoms with fine hairs, and fruit resembling selected grains. Consuming them prevents forgetfulness,’ implying that the fruit of the Li tree enhances memory and treats forgetfulness upon consumption.

Due to this unique effect, every time midterms or finals approach, the ’black market’ among students on Buji Island is always rife with sellers of these small fruits, and the demand consistently outstrips the supply.

However, the effects of the Li tree flowers are completely opposite to those of its fruit, causing significant damage to memory.

”By adding the juice of Li tree flowers into a truth serum and neutralizing it with La Plata water, you end up with a potent forgetfulness potion,” Xin Fat Man held up a small bottle and introduced it to his companions. ”We can brew some of this potion and quietly mix it into the mushroom soup to make him drink it.”

When he said the last sentence, Fat Man instinctively lowered his voice and sneakily glanced toward the direction of the house’s main door. After all, discussing the act of drugging the host while in their own home naturally makes one feel rather guilty.

But considering the current situation, Fat Man’s suggestion was indeed practical.

Compared to a forgetfulness spell, the forgetfulness potion might not be as precise in erasing memories and is prone to causing many side effects—such as wiping out incorrect memories, causing cognitive gaps in the user, and so on—but its safety level is significantly higher.

At the very least, the person brewing the potion wouldn’t be subject to reverse contamination by the host’s memories.

Moreover, compared to the Physical Memory Erasure Technique, secretly spiking the mushroom soup was far easier than knocking out a semi-uncontrolled Big Wizard.

Xiao Xiao frowned deeply and pondered for a long time before slowly asking, ”Where did you get this recipe? How come I don’t know about it?”

It was rare for even a doctor to admit ignorance about something, and Fat Man’s face naturally showed a hint of smugness. ”Oh, this? It’s a recently invented formula from the Institute of Applied Magic. Due to its intense side effects, very few people know about it for now.”

”Why do you know about it?”

”Because I’m good at potion making and happen to be a journalist for the campus newspaper, I always manage to get first-hand information on this sort of thing.” Fat Man modestly waved his hand but didn’t forget the group’s original intention. ”So, does anyone have any fresh Li tree flowers on them?”

He glanced around at his companions.

Everyone shook their heads. Zheng Qing’s grey cloth bag contained a few Li tree fruits, but those were reserved for enhancing temporary memory. The Li tree flowers, a ’poison’ that damages memory, were something no student wanted to touch during the final exam period.

A soft, slender tendril stealthily appeared again beside Zheng Qing.

”I do have fresh Li tree flowers here, and you don’t need to mix the brewed potion into the mushroom soup—I can directly drink it myself.”

The tendril politely inquired to Xin Fat Man through the newly grown mouths it sported, ”I’d just like to confirm something, though: what are the side effects you mentioned earlier?”

This time, its appearance didn’t cause a scare among the visitors. Zheng Qing even found the leisure to examine the tendril adorned with clusters of eyeballs, analyzing their sizes and colors.

Regarding the old host’s question, Xin Fat Man hesitated for a long moment before stammering out a response. ”As for the specific side effects... um, they’re not entirely clear yet. As far as I know, the lab mice that consumed this potion developed varying degrees of cognitive barriers, diminished logical abilities, and changes in personality over time.”

Zheng Qing noticed that the black, murky eyes on the tendril instantly widened greatly.

”Sounds like the early signs of dementia,” the mouths on the tendril opened and closed, producing a murky harmony that was unexpectedly calm in tone. ”Should I understand this to mean your potion would drastically lower my intelligence?”

Fat Man’s bluish expression intensified slightly. He coughed twice, glancing toward his other companions for help, but everyone instinctively avoided his gaze.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the room became very awkward.

Finally, the tendril politely nodded at Fat Man, retracting its eyeballs and mouths, and withdrawing itself completely. It made no further response.

No response was the clearest response.

This time, the group fell into an even longer silence. The bubbling sound of mushroom soup boiling in the cauldron seemed as though it would never cease. Zheng Qing began to fantasize about the soup evaporating completely before their deliberations ended, leaving behind the gold beans at the bottom of the pot fully revealed.

Zhu Si, leaning against Jiang Yu’s chest, yawned extravagantly, looking drowsy.

Noticing the attention of others, she stuck out her tongue, struggled to perk up, and timidly raised her hand to ask, ”Can I just say, why are we even discussing this issue here? Weren’t we supposed to be heading up the mountain?”

”Because we need to help Mr. Engla resolve his memory problem. Only then will he show us the path up the mountain.”

”But,” the little witch looked puzzled, ”didn’t he say the path up the mountain is contained within that gold bean? And isn’t that gold bean in the mushroom soup?”

Everyone instinctively turned around to glance at the pitch-black cauldron.

”Are you suggesting we simply take the bean?” Xin Fat Man hesitantly voiced this option, showing reluctance to use the term ’steal’ and instead opting for the word ’take.’

With the first person breaking the ice, others harboring similar thoughts naturally loosened up. Zhang Ji Xin quickly added, ”Or we could just take the entire cauldron.”

”Will Mr. Engla allow that?”

”The captain’s charm gun isn’t just for show. Everyone here knows the power of its shots...”

From behind the door came a loud, resonant sound of throat-clearing, like the clash of dozens of bronze gongs, carrying a grating buzz that sent shivers down their spines.

”We are students of the First University, representing the university’s image. We cannot do anything that detracts from the school’s reputation.” Zheng Qing quickly signaled to his companions with stern looks, righteously dismissing any notions of cutting corners. He then directed his attention to Nikita, asking the question he had been holding back: ”...I just remembered, the offering you presented to the Wusa Temple earlier—it was called ’Memory,’ correct?”

The female demon gave him a wary glance and slowly nodded.

”Was ’Memory’ extracted from someone’s recollections?” Xiao Xiao also caught onto Zheng Qing’s train of thought, adjusted his glasses, and pushed for more specifics. ”I mean... during the brewing process of ’Memory,’ did you have the capability to ’select’ particular content?”

Nikita squinted slightly, suppressing the crimson glow in her eyes to the lowest visibility.

”Yes,” she replied stiffly. ”And the stronger the sentiments or the clearer the memories, the easier it is to select them during the brewing process. Their flavor and taste are the most exquisite.”

This was truly a case of ’finding a way out amidst despair.’

The young hunters of the Absolution Hunting Team exchanged glances, their eyes shining with newfound hope.

”In that case...” Zheng Qing cleared his throat and smiled meaningfully at the female demon.

Nikita glanced at him and responded decisively, ”I refuse.”