High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 2341: Chapter 562: Scent of Coal Dust

In the dead of winter, even the Sun seemed unable to withstand the biting cold wind, wrapping itself in a thick blanket of clouds, leaving only a faint, diffused silhouette in the sky.

Diamond dust filled the air above the Silent River, glistening in the sunlight, brilliant and dazzling, resembling miniature Milky Ways arching across the flowing riverbanks.

At the edge of Buji Island, in a barren land with sparse vegetation.

The ground suddenly shook like boiling water, and in a short time, the originally cold, hard soil began to roll like quicksand, sinking from the surroundings towards the center, revealing a massive hole several yards wide.

Owoooo!

It sounded like a beast’s howl, or the eerie noise of the wind blowing through a tunnel, echoing in the vast hole. Yet these terrifying sounds didn’t frighten the magical creatures in the tree holes around the wasteland.

A twin-tailed squirrel lazily poked out half its body, clutching a half-eaten acorn; a tree elf hiding in the humus layer disgustedly pulled some weeds tighter to block its ears more thoroughly; as for the usually timid birds on the branches, not only did they not panic and chirp chaotically, but they huddled together in groups, craning their necks to observe the giant hole, their eyes full of curiosity.

Swoosh!

A huge figure suddenly shot out from the hole, with slightly red eyes that seemed like a demon returned from Hell.

But this demon didn’t go wild on the birds, merely opening its mouth at great speed, and its sharp teeth twirled open, revealing a dark throat similar to the sandpit.

Then it let out a heavy sneeze.

Achoo!

Five grayish figures were ejected from the giant beast’s mouth like beans bouncing in a hot pot, flying out in screeches around the sandpit.

The giant beast didn’t pause for a moment; it closed its huge mouth, bowed its head, bent its back, and made a 180-degree turn, diving into the ground. The rolling earth waves rippled with varying intensities, like a stone dropped into water, disappearing in an instant.

The quicksand rose, once again transforming into cold, hard soil, sealing the huge hole.

The grass and stones originally buried underground seemed to rewind in time, returning to their places with the uprising sand, without the slightest error.

The birds on the trees chirped and whispered among themselves, guessing how long today’s red-eyed earth dragon had been working.

Zheng Qing couldn’t understand bird language.

Otherwise, he would definitely be annoyed that the Absolution Hunting Team’s five hunters had less magical knowledge than a group of birds.

Of course, even if he could hear what those birds were gossiping about on the branches, he wouldn’t be in the mood to care, because he had been sneezed seven or eight meters away by the red-eyed earth dragon, nearly hanging on an old locust tree.

The rest of the hunting team was in a similar state — except for Dylan, whose inherent agility kept his robe relatively clean — everyone else looked disheveled, as if they had just crawled out of a sandpit.

”Everyone!”

Before regaining his balance, the Absolution Hunting Team’s captain shouted, ”Report your status... Doctor, confirm our location! Gentleman, scout the surroundings! Swordsman, watch for... any other developments!”

”Safe!”

”Safe!”

Four voices reporting safety almost simultaneously echoed around the wasteland. Not long after, the young hunters of the Absolution Hunting Team regrouped.

”Never again will I ride that thing!” The fat wizard complained loudly, ”Who on earth invented the red-eyed earth dragon? Riding it feels like losing half your life!”

”Gold.”

Xiao Xiao answered the fat man’s question with a philosophical tone, ”Compared to the normally operating Earth Dragon Express, the red-eyed earth dragon offers a higher turnover rate, cheaper fares, and faster speeds, all chosen by wizards who pay with solid gold.”

”Damn capitalism,” Zheng Qing spat, removing sand from his mouth, looking dismal. ”Even if I become a wizard and know magic, I can’t escape it...”

”Do you smell something strange?” Dylan interrupted his companions’ complaints, glancing around warily as if hanging like a wisp of smoke from the outreaching branch of a Return Soul Poplar.

”Strange smell?” Zheng Qing wrinkled his nose, sniffing.

Immediately, a distant yet familiar scent invaded his nostrils, causing his expression to become somewhat dazed.

”Fire Crested Lizard?”

Xin Fat Man squinted, surveying the environment, ”I seem to smell the charred odor of a Fire Crested Lizard... What are they doing here in this cold weather?”

”Not Fire Crested Lizard.” Zheng Qing snapped back to reality, shaking his head, ”Fire Crested Lizards like firestone, not charcoal. It’s Houdou that likes charcoal.”

”You can distinguish between charcoal and firestone?” Xin Fat Man looked at the young cost student in amazement, not typical of his usual demeanor.

”Charcoal emits a slight coal ash smell when burning, whereas firestone smells like sulfur.” Zheng Qing waved, fanning the air while sniffing the faint sulfur scent, adding, ”Trust me, I can tell coal ash from sulfur... I grew up in Pingyang, inhaling more coal ash than fresh air as a kid.”

Yes, he had just smelled a familiar coal ash scent, suddenly realizing tomorrow would be the Little New Year of the twelfth lunar month, followed shortly by New Year’s Eve, yet he was thousands of miles away.

But promptly, the young wizard shook off the homesickness.

”Since it’s charcoal, we can confirm they’re a bunch of Houdou.” Xiao Xiao rotated the crystal ball in his arms, speaking rapidly, ”Gentleman, you and the Swordsman go investigate...”

”No need to go to such trouble.”

A voice abruptly interrupted the Absolution Hunting Team’s Diviner’s arrangement, with a light tone explaining, ”These Houdou are temporarily migrating because their old nest is near the newly discovered illegal laboratory... To ensure safety and avoid disruption.”

At the first instance of the unfamiliar voice, the Absolution Hunting Team formed a defensive formation, with the law book rising, charm gun loaded, sword drawn, and several powerful spells hovering above the formation like a pent-up five-headed snake poised to strike.

”Whoa, whoa, friendly, friendly.”

A figure in a black robe jumped down from a tree, raising both hands in apology from afar, loudly proclaiming, ”I’m a liaison from Trident Sword and First University, responsible for guiding the Absolution Hunting Team to the newly discovered illegal laboratory. You may call me by my code name ’Buns’... Here is my badge... and the guiding document.”

Zheng Qing suspiciously examined the tall, slender stranger of a wizard, puzzled why he would be called Buns.

And he was also uncertain about the authenticity of that badge.

”Quick response, high alertness, very commendable adaptability to changes.” The wizard claiming to be a liaison lavishly praised, ”It’s no wonder you’re a student hunting team that participated in the Battle of the Black Prison and reached the Campus Cup finals... This is Buji Island, if you’re uncertain, you may contact the school anytime to verify my identity.”