High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 2299: Chapter 520: Discourse on the Margins

On the night of Christmas, after following Zheng Qing and Su Shijun to visit San You Bookstore, Korma became even more determined about her future choices.

That’s why she chose this moment to come to Lin Zhong Lake to meet with the elders of the Fishman Tribe.

After the final exams, the First University had effectively entered a vacation state. Most of the school and professors had left the campus, and the School Guardian Array had also restrained itself significantly, which gave her a lot of convenience—at least within the range of her perception, she didn’t detect any sneaky peepers.

However, it seemed that Professor Garcia somewhat sensed the purpose of the witch’s visit, exhibiting a certain degree of resistance.

This was not enough to deter the witch.

”When I was at school, I audited your lecture on Fishman Language, and it was quite beneficial.” Korma postured herself humbly, making Professor Garcia feel a bit uneasy.

After all, he had always been known for being ’close to’ wizards, so there was no reason to be aloof to a recognized Big Wizard by the Alliance.

”The benefits might be there, but the depth of it could be exaggerated.”

The Old Fishman shrunk his neck, with a hint of helplessness in his tone: ”I probably guessed your thoughts... but the Fishman Tribe will not cheer behind a group of weak Northern District Wizards, even if you are a distinguished Big Wizard.”

The witch frowned: ”Can’t we join forces to negotiate with the First University or the Alliance? The four colleges of the First University surely have enough space to accommodate those of us who are marginal...”

”No.”

The Old Fishman interrupted the witch’s words very bluntly, shook his head, and asked rhetorically: ”When have you seen two ants change the direction of an elephant together? Our alliance facing the school isn’t much stronger than two ants facing an elephant.”

While speaking, he pointed down to the slightly slippery blue stone slab beneath their feet.

Between the cracks of the stone slabs, two small ants were scurrying past.

Korma frowned, seeming to want to say something, but Professor Garcia immediately added: ”Moreover, the Lin Zhong Lake Fishman Tribe are the marginal people in the First University, Northern District Wizards are the marginal people in the Alliance... No more annoying thing in this world than two marginal people becoming familiar. ’What do people who have been excluded from mainstream society do when they gather?’ Such questions would probably make those in the mainstream restless just thinking about it.”

A trace of disdainful sneer flashed across the clean scales on the Old Fishman’s cheeks.

Korma fell into complete silence.

She looked up at the sky. Today was the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, and the moon overhead was almost invisible, with only a halo of the new moon emitting a dim glow in the night sky.

Almost no trace of light was visible, and this thought flashed through her mind.

The silence by the lakeside lasted for a long time, so long that the raven hiding in the pine tree crown almost fell asleep, yet the witch still hadn’t left, standing behind Professor Garcia, the two of them like two stubborn boulders on the shore.

”Tell me, why did you choose this path?”

The Old Fishman, with his back to her, suddenly spoke, with a tinge of helplessness in his tone: ”Your academic performance is very good, your abilities are outstanding, you even served as the Vice President of the Student Union. You could have chosen an easier path—to get a registered wizard certificate, join the Trident Sword or Danghag, or venture into the boundless New World—why did you insist on jumping into this vortex, becoming someone everyone dislikes?”

Being willing to speak up was a good breakthrough.

Korma immediately perked up, smiled faintly: ”You’re being too unfair. I’m confident that although some people may dislike me, there are many who like me... at least, many people in the Northern District really like me, and hmm, many in the Beta Town Chamber of Commerce like me, too.”

She first corrected the Old Fishman’s misconception, then made a small joke: ”As for why, perhaps it’s because I’m still young... To speak pragmatically, with my aptitude, if I followed the steady path into Danghag, accumulating resources, I might not step into the realm of a Big Wizard even after a hundred years, never mind being disliked by so many people.”

Professor Garcia chuckled: ”That doesn’t sound very nice to say.”

”Many people can say nice things, but few can do beautiful things,” the witch seized the good atmosphere and played her biggest card: ”Just like our little alliance, if you find it lacking in weight, then how about adding the Rat Immortal? He has a good relationship with me and doesn’t like the Moon Council... more crucially, the newly born Mouse Clan is few in number, magically weak, and even more marginalized in the Alliance than you and me.”

This analysis was very blunt.

The Old Fishman looked melancholy, grabbed a well-fed yellow-skinned frog at his feet, and, pulling out a small brush from who knows where, began scrubbing the slime off the frog.

”Did you know that the frogs of Lin Zhong Lake can undergo metamorphosis?”

Professor Garcia lifted the big frog, looking at the witch, his gaze as murky as his voice: ”If you keep a Lin Zhong Lake frog with a toad, it gets stimulated, starts growing warts... then eventually becomes a toad... Neither the Alliance, the student parents, nor the school want their children to become toads. So they don’t want frogs mingling with toads, even if just briefly. These sincere intentions cannot be ignored, even by a Legendary Wizard.”

The witch exhaled lightly.

”They may be unwilling, but we won’t force them.”

A rare display of youthful liveliness and cunning appeared on her face: ”The venom is the wealth for a toad to survive in a harsh world. If the frog doesn’t want it, we won’t discard it. Since that’s the case, if the Northern District Wizards establish their own academy, would the Lin Zhong Lake Fishmen join this academy?”

A glimpse of realization appeared in the old man’s eyes.

”This is your true purpose for coming today, isn’t it!” He raised his head, looked around, and everything dawned on him: ”No wonder I’ve been saying you’ve been here for so long without any idle people coming to disturb... does it mean your idea has already been discussed with the school?”

Korma wasn’t sure if her visit that day counted as ’discussion.’

But she was happy to ’bluff’ at this moment.

”Naturally!”

Her gaze was calm and resolute, trying to convey a sense of reliability to her potential allies while lightheartedly describing her vision: ”Northern District Wizards, Fishmen, Mouse People, Gypsy witches, Minotaur shamans, and even the Horseman Tribe and Troll tribes of the Silent Forest, there are so many groups in this world marginalized by the mainstream, so many that the Alliance can no longer ignore them... To be or not to be, it is a matter of life and death for us, but merely a trivial matter for them over tea.”

”They can only, and must, accept our existence.”