High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 2365: Chapter 586: Reversed Scale

The Ravens is a young and small wizard organization.

Young means vibrant, unbound by rigid frameworks, daring to break conventions, and possessing a courage that can be described as reckless; while small means the internal structure of the organization is simple and clear, decision-making processes are short, straightforward, and swift.

Thus, a few days ago, just after Professor Montreya decided to select a certain ’Reversed Scale’ from the Atonement Hunting Team to join the Ravens, Gan Ning saw a timely opportunity today and resolutely decided to act.

Conveniently, he belongs to those within the organization who have partial decision-making power, and this adventure could not, nor needed to, notify the professor in time. Of course, regarding the selection for ’Reversed Scale,’ Professor Montreya had already given him a very clear selection range.

Firstly, since the objective is to gain control over this young hunting team, it is necessary to select a member with significant influence within the team; secondly, avoiding touching young wizards with deep backgrounds like Tianmen Zhang or Zhongshan Jiang; lastly, the target should best meet the requirements for experimental subjects screened by the Ravens.

The Ravens are conducting bloodline modification experiments, which means the more ordinary the experimental subject’s bloodline, the more significant the effect. Conversely, wizards with special bloodlines naturally have strong rejection reactions.

Thus, after sorting through, only two people remained within the target range for the Ravens.

The captain of the Atonement Hunting Team, Zheng Qing, and the diviner code-named ’Doctor,’ Xiao Xiao.

Comparatively, Xiao Xiao’s background from the Observer Family seems lighter than Zheng Qing’s. Although intelligence gathered by the Ravens shows Zheng Qing might have some mentor-apprentice relationship with a certain Talisman Master—Gan Ning thinks the Ravens dare to touch even the children of Legendary Wizards, let alone a disciple of some obscure wizard—but the Ravens also confirmed Zheng Qing’s relationship with Su Shijun is purely incidental, apart from limited interaction in public, privately they have little communication.

A significant piece of evidence is that Zheng Qing almost never has records of staying out all night at Greenhill Mansion; he still lives like an ordinary student, spending most time in the school dormitory. If their relationship were truly close, it wouldn’t be like this. At the very least, a normal male wizard who has the top beauty in the wizard world as a wife wouldn’t sleep soundly on the hard bed in the dormitory every night.

Certainly, Gan Ning wouldn’t admit if there was a slight element of revenge for the ’wizard world’s many male fellows’ in ultimately listing Zheng Qing as the primary target.

Besides his marginally weaker background, Zheng Qing’s reputation in the hunting team also significantly surpasses Xiao Xiao’s.

He is not only the captain of the Atonement Hunting Team, but also a cost student for two consecutive terms, has won the Merlin Medal, and holds the Great Arcana ’World’ title in ”Magic Wand”.

Moreover, Zheng Qing has another advantage that Xiao Xiao does not have: he once served as an assistant in Professor Montreya’s laboratory and also took Gan Ning’s magical zoology elective, providing the Ravens more understanding of him.

Judging by Gan Ning and the professor’s evaluation of the two warlocks, Xiao Xiao’s talent is higher, while Zheng Qing falls into the ’hardworking genius’ category. He may not have standout talent, but he can execute the teacher’s instructions more diligently and earnestly—after entering the Ravens’ experimental program, the wizard’s bloodline and physical talents will be greatly enhanced, which is clearly more attractive to the ’hardworking genius’ with an ordinary background.

In a sense, this young cost student and the Ravens can be considered a match made in heaven.

As for the resistance brought by deception and coercion, Gan Ning believes after a period of ’adjustment,’ Zheng Qing will surely come to accept it. After all, joining the Ravens not only can enhance strength and talent but also reduce the risk of conflict between the Atonement Hunting Team and the Ravens, benefiting both parties, with negligible side effects.

After identifying the candidate, the next step is to choose the appropriate timing.

To Gan Ning, the congratulatory banquet celebrating the killing of Black Wizard Walter was a very suitable time.

A semi-buffet dinner, open dining environment, and personnel from Trident Sword, Danghag, Moon Council, the school, and various organizations mixed together provided too many opportunities for him to manipulate. Additionally, it was winter break, and most students and high-tier wizards of First University were not on campus, minimizing risks should any uncontrollable incident arise.

The conditions were so favorable that Gan Ning nearly effortlessly planted the ’Seed’.

This made him briefly doubt if he had accidentally taken a Lucky Potion at some point.

But the ’luck’ ends there.

When the young cost student turned pale and shouted ’Ravens’ in the banquet hall, the magical biology teacher’s complexion also paled.

All conditions were perfect.

The only issue was he didn’t know Zheng Qing could recognize the appearance of the ’Bloodline Seed’—for caution, he even polished off the ’M’ marking on the seed.

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The Ravens’ investigation of Zheng Qing was thorough.

But also shallow.

For example, they didn’t know the true identity of the Talisman Master teaching Zheng Qing; for instance, they were unaware the young cost student had a seedling of the Tree of Forbidden Curse growing deep in his soul; moreover, they didn’t know the boy doesn’t lack talent—under certain conditions, Zheng Qing can possess any ability he desires.

Just like the ’Observer’ talent.

This wondrous divination ability allows the user to stand from a perspective beyond space and time, closely ’witnessing’ the true scenes of certain events as they occur.

Coincidentally, not long ago, Zheng Qing accidentally activated the ’Observer’ talent once.

And in that half-awake, half-asleep dream, the young cost student personally witnessed Mr. Varis from the North District receiving a Copper Bean from a Raven’s hand, then that ’Copper Bean’ merged into Mr. Varis’ body just like the bean in his hand.

Zheng Qing clearly remembered what Mr. Varis ultimately transformed into at Sakura Pub.

So, he was very frightened.

He didn’t want the next time he kissed a girl for her to question his number of eyeballs, or to dislike those sticky tentacles on his body. Just imagining it was despair-inducing.

The banquet venue wasn’t large, and the wizards attending were elite representatives from various Alliance organizations.

The boy’s scream was immediately noticed by numerous wizards, requiring little divination skill—simply the terrified ’Ravens’ shout allowed many to surmise the situation.

Then the venue was instantly sealed off by the stern-faced Big Wizards.

These Big Wizards had every reason to be angry.

The private dealings between the Trident Sword and First University hadn’t yet been fully negotiated, and the claim that the Ravens had been uprooted was newly confirmed, only for the Ravens to stir trouble at their celebratory banquet.

This wasn’t just a slap in the face.

This was spitting in the faces of these leaders.

Practically touching the Reversed Scale of the Fire Dragon.