Chapter 60 - Nicholas's Ambition
Chapter 60 of "High School of Demon Hunting" begins the action: As evening approached, the sun was slowly sinking behind the tall walls of the academy.Now,... Discover the next part!
As evening approached, the sun was slowly sinking behind the tall walls of the academy.
Now, if you looked up, you could only see a small part of its golden red figure.
The sunrays passed through the dense canopies behind the wall, projecting mottled tree shadows.
A slight breeze passed by, and the tree shadows danced gracefully with the trembling leaves, seeming like a group of drunken ghosts.
Zheng Qing was not drunk, but he too stood with flushed cheeks in this intoxicating sunset light.
The high praise of Nicholas had caught him a bit off guard.
The curious gazes of other newcomers made him even more uneasy.
Feeling embarrassed, Zheng Qing turned his face away and refocused his eyes on the shadow wall nearby.
He didnât like being stared at by others.
So, he kind of regretted raising his hand.
Nicholas, with his fingertips on his law book, flipped through it rapidly.
Occasionally, a few orange-red sparks burst between the pages, making popping sounds.
With a somewhat impatient cheerful tone, he explained:
âThis Shadow Wall actually records the history of Jiuyou.â
âSo what you can see is the history you know.â
âYou can see your own name because you have enough understanding of yourself.â
âYou canât see others because, on the one hand, they havenât left enough marks on this wall.
On the other hand, not everyone can see the true history.â
âIf you want to see the names of others, you can try to recall specific historical eventsâfor example, the Magic Alliance Conference in 1945.â
Zheng Qing did have an impression of this conference that Nicholas mentioned.
He had just previewed this history a few days ago!
He silently recalled it in his heart.
Minute letters began to slowly emerge on the greenish-black stone wall:
July 21, 1945âŚThe Magic Alliance Conference⌠The 1536th conference⌠Passed the âWizard Behavior Management MethodââŚMadam Shi Hui, the Honorary Chairman of the Wizard Conference and Vice Chancellor of the First University, delivered an important speech at the meetingâŚâ
Many of the contents were described in âWorld Modern Historyâ.
But there were also many details that the history book did not reveal.
Zheng Qing greedily looked at the knowledge on the stone wall, while Nicholasâs somewhat high-pitched voice came from behind:
âThis wall is the dream of all students of Jiuyou Academy!â
âIf thereâs something in this world that everyone yearns for.â
âIt must be acceptance!â
âAccept the good in you.â
âAccept your flaws.â
âAccept your successes, your failures.â
âAccept your glory and wealth.â
âAccept your helpless, staggers away.â
âAccept your growing old.â
âWe are all lonely travelers in time.â
âEveryone hopes to be accepted by others.â
Zheng Qing turned around, staring blankly at the suddenly excited Nicholas.
His dark yellow skin appeared somewhat reddish in the setting sun, and his brown eyes trembled violently in his passionate voice.
Xiao Xiao spread out his notebook, taking notes with his brush at a fast pace.
There was a small piece of black ink stain at the corner of his mouth left from licking the brush.
âIf I have a wish for this world.â
âI hope that my name can be accepted by this stone wall.â
âI hope that everyone can see my name on the Shadow Wall!â
Zheng Qing swallowed quietly.
What a great ambition!
How courageous!
Not everyone dares to shout out their dreams in front of everyone!
Xiao Xiao closed his notebook and clapped forcefully.
The others followed suit, slowly joining in the applause.
Nicholas blew his nose.
His somewhat old robe looked quite new in the sunlight, and his polished cuffs and collar were also coated with a layer of golden red by the setting sun.
He looked gratefully at these newcomers.
âPfft.â
A chuckle came from behind.
Zheng Qing turned her head in annoyance.
A few senior female students passed by them, stifling their laughter.
They wore deep red robes with two black borders.
These were junior seniors.
âAlright!
Letâs continue our tour.â Nicholas beckoned the newcomers somewhat flusteredly.
A light breeze carried the whispers of the senior girls.
âHeâs mumbling about his dream at the shadow wall again.â
âThatâs so embarrassing!â
Low laughter came from not far away.
Nicholasâs face had turned red, and he roughly dragged Xiao Xiao, who was contemplating the shadow wall, away.
Zheng Qing still heard fragments of the girlsâ conversation.
âIsnât this sort of thing usually given to second- or third-year seniors?
How could he get this task?â
âApparently, it was proposed by Lei Zhe to Professor Yao.â
âDid you hear what he was saying just now?â
âI want to put my name on the shadow wall!â
âHahahaha!â
âI think heâs already done it, at least heâs become the âhistoryâ of the entire university now!â
From a distance, several female students turned their heads back, pointed at the newcomers, laughing incessantly.
The girlsâ figures disappeared around a nearby corner.
The journey continued, but Nicholasâs spirit had noticeably dampened.
Zheng Qing eventually remembered.
Thomas had once told him that there was a famous senior at Jiuyou Academy who had spent two years in his first year, named Nicholas.
He stole a glance at the lean figure in front of him.
In the setting sun, amidst the evening wind, Nicholasâs figure was desolate and lonely.
Perhaps this is why he yearns for acceptance from others.
The sound of mockery was disgraceful.
Nothing is worse than undermining someoneâs dreams.
Zheng Qing desperately wanted to rush over, pat his shoulder, and tell Nicholas, youâre really brave!
He doubted whether he had the courage to fail twice.
He had no doubt, he wouldnât stand in front of others and loudly proclaim his dreams.
A few steps past the shadow wall, suddenly, their view cleared.
A square appeared before everyoneâs eyes.
This was a green square.
Tender green lawns filled every open space as far as the eye could see, every view was filled with swathes of green.
Some seniors were leisurely sitting on the lawn, flipping through textbooks.
Around them, various small animals were playfully chasing each other.
The golden red sunlight bathed this beautiful world in a warm glow.
All the newcomers were immersed in this wonderful scene.
âI want to lie on this lawn and read books in the future.â A freshman murmured.
âYouâll like lying in bed and reading even more,â Nicholas gloomily looked at him, his voice somewhat despondent, âThat is, if you will still want to read.â
In the center of the square stood a artificial mountain fountain, and behind it at the end of the square, one could see from afar three buildings standing tall in a horizontal-vertical pattern.
âThose three buildings in the distance,â Nicholas gestured, introducing the newcomers, âThe horizontal building is the main teaching building, the main place where you will be having classes.
The office building is on the east side of the main building and belongs to the professors and lecturers.
On the west side of the main building is the laboratory building, which houses most of the laboratories of Jiuyou Academy.â
The three buildings were painted in alternating colors of red and white.
They stood quietly at the end of the square, solemn and imposing.
âThe main education building houses most of the courses, but I have never been able to count how many floors it has.
The number of floors changes with the lessons each day.â Nicholas shrugged, âFirst University is constantly changing, and I strongly suspect itâs a living entity.
Of course, some landmark buildings â like the First Gate, the First Hall, and the likeâ are relatively stable and donât move around.â
âThe office building is quite dreary, and generally, people donât like going there.â
âThe laboratory building is more complicated, with facilities such as the Dan Fire Room and Potion Room underground, various testing labs in the middle, the Astronomical Observatory on top, and so on.
Practically-oriented courses, including various student organization activity rooms, are all concentrated here.â Nicholas held up his index finger and warned, âUnless you are asked or invited, I do not suggest you enter this building.
It might be one of the few high-risk areas in this university that are allowed to legally exist.â
âSo there are also some illegal high-risk areas in the school?â Sensing the implications of Nicholasâs words, Zheng Qing pursued curiously.
Nicholas pretended not to hear Zheng Qingâs question and led everyone to continue walking forward.