High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 1901: Chapter 122: Reed Lush and Verdant

”The white reeds flourish, the white dew turns to frost.”

”The white reeds flourish, the white dew lingers unabsorbed.”

”The white reeds flourish, the white dew remains undissociated.”

”Above are the three most commonly used spells for collecting White Dew. By using them, you can collect ’White Frost’, ’White Dew’, and ’White Splendor’, these three fundamental magic materials.”

”Of course, besides these three phrases, some more ancient spells can also be used, such as ’Early frost descends with the arrival of the autumn goddess’, ’The Sky is Clear, White Dew Descends’, ’Jade toad leaves the sea, when white dew blooms’, etc. However, these non-standard spells aren’t fully compatible with the spell formulas on the dew-collecting plate, consuming a lot of magic energy, and there’s a significant chance that the collected materials will have a mix of ’White Dew’ and ’White Frost’, or ’White Frost’ and ’White Splendor’... not worth the trade-off.”

”So, just use those three standard spells when collecting.”

”Today’s task is for each person to collect three liang of White Dew, three liang of White Frost, and one liang of White Splendor... as long as you master the spells correctly and with the help of the dew-collecting plate, you should complete the task in under half an hour. But be sure to note, ’Cooper plate gathers, jade bowl stores’, the magic materials collected must be kept pure when placed in the jade bottle; otherwise, secondary contamination will occur...”

After the professor assigned tasks to everyone by the edge of the field ridges, he patted his sleeves, stood with hands folded, looking as though he would ignore anything else, an isolated figure from the world.

The warlocks only paused for a few seconds, then the areas along the field ridges that made for easy dew collection were quickly claimed—in these areas, the reed leaves had already sprouted ponds of water, allowing wizards to simply stand on the ridges, place the dew-collecting plate under the curious peeking reed leaves, chant the spell, and collect, all without needing to step into the water.

”You should have reminded me!”

Zheng Qing squatted on the ridge, reaching into the icy water, shivered immediately, turned to his three companions, and sighed, ”Going into the water in this season is really life-threatening!”

”Aren’t you wearing a Dragon Skin Suit?” Xin Fat Man appeared unconcerned, though Zheng Qing suspected the fat wizard’s fearless demeanor stemmed more from his ample layers of fat.

”Doctor, you didn’t catch on either?” Zheng Qing looked at Xiao Xiao.

”Would you want to compete with the witches of the class for a spot?” The diviner of the Absolution team pointed around, countering with a question.

Zheng Qing blinked, then realized as he glanced again. Almost all those enthusiastically holding the dew-collecting plates along the reed pond were witches, while the few male warlocks were mainly pairs like Nicholas and Liu Fei Fei.

Meanwhile, others like Class President Tang Dun, Matthew Karen, and Duan Xiao Jian had already begun warming up, adjusting their Dragon Skin Protective Suits, ready to dive in at any moment.

”They can be the neat and clean fairies,” the young scholarship student mumbled, feeling gloomy, ”I also want to be a neat and fresh prince.”

”No one’s stopping you... want to team up with Jiang Da Headmaster?” Xin Fat Man gave Zheng Qing a mocking glance before jumping into the pond with a splash, eliciting a stream of playful reprimands from those nearby.

Zheng Qing looked towards where Jiang Yu stood and happened to catch Li Meng gazing hopefully in his direction, as though saying, ”If I’m going into the water, I’m counting on you.” He shivered again and decisively looked away.

That little girl was like a ticking time bomb, capable of fainting just staying put on the ridge. If she were to actually go into the water and catch a chill, it would spell trouble for everyone else.

While conversing, the four male warlocks of the Absolution Hunting Team had already stepped into the water one after another.

Zheng Qing was the last to enter the water.

The anticipated cold did not penetrate his body. The all-encompassing Dragon Skin Protective Suit shielded him from the deep autumn chill, causing the young scholarship student to waste the tension in his tightly clenched teeth. It seemed the first layer of the Welsh Green Dragon’s back skin not only was robust and strong but also provided excellent thermal protection.

Of course, the mud beneath was trouble even the Dragon Skin couldn’t alleviate.

”Thank goodness I didn’t let that little girl go into the water.”

Zheng Qing trudged along with the team in the pond, feeling the increasing resistance surrounding them and felt fortunate. Near the shore, the water was shallow, but the deeper they went into the reeds, the deeper the water became, gradually submerging the young wizards’ waists. If Li Meng really followed into the water, she would almost be submerged up to her neck by now.

”What are you saying?” Zhang Ji Xin, at the front of the group, asked, not hearing Zheng Qing’s mumbles due to the wind.

”I said, do you guys want water-repelling talismans?” Zheng Qing fished a stack of talisman paper from a grey cloth bag, took out a few water-repelling talismans, and inquired.

Before he finished speaking, three hands reached out before him, of varying sizes but with the same coordinated gesture.

”I really overestimated you all.” The young scholarship student muttered, his eyes carrying a touch of amusement as he distributed the talisman paper one by one, and then affixed one to himself.

The resistance from the water dissipated immediately, and the silt at the bottom was no longer a hindrance either.

He felt as if his submerged lower half had become part of the water while his upper half above water remained unaffected by it, feeling extraordinarily wondrous.

The water-repelling talisman could originally allow a wizard to breathe like a fish, with Zheng Qing using it to reduce the difficulty of moving in the water, it was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Only someone like Zheng Qing, who draws talismans out of habit daily and accumulated a variety of talismans, could afford such extravagance.

The overlapping curtains of green reeds soon swallowed the sight of the other classmates on the team, leaving only the sky, water, and a few companions surrounded by the faint rustle of reeds colliding, revealing an abrupt sense of isolation.

Occasionally, the voice of another classmate wafted through the rustle, serving as the only link between them and the world.

Zheng Qing felt he had to say something to soften the pressure from this solitude.

Before he could speak, Xin Fat Man readily asked, ”Doctor, you say White Dew is so important, collected only once a year, is it enough? Just like today, only our class is busy in this reed pond, and everyone together can’t gather much... If one winter I suddenly need White Dew for a concoction, and just happen to have none saved, where do I go looking for it?”

”In mid-winter, casting an autumn spell can cause early White Dew.” Surely only Xiao Xiao could answer such an obscure question.

”Is there really a way?!” Zheng Qing was also surprised.

”Anyone who reads more books wouldn’t be asking such foolish questions,” Doctor Xiao adjusted his glasses, disdainfully glanced at the bewildered companions and gave a brief explanation, ”The rites say ’In mid-winter, casting an autumn spell would let White Dew descend early, the insect beasts would become monstrous, plagues would arise.’ What it means is, executing autumn spells in December causes early White Dew, the insect creatures run amuck, the upheaval spreads. One word means ’reverse,’ two words mean ’abnormal,’ three words... haven’t thought of it... In short, when attempting to defy nature’s seasons and rules, using magic to achieve a specific goal inevitably requires a corresponding cost.”