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Chapter 39
The dense jungle led to an open area, and people were creating temporary wooden houses. The number of houses was almost as many as those of large villages. The people ranged in size. Almost all of the people who came in and out of the village wore uniforms.
After some preparations, the team traveled at rapid speeds. When the sun started setting, they finally arrived at the school’s temporary base within the Magical Beast Forest.
The so-called temporary base was actually for tracking the students who came to the Magical Beast Forest in order to prevent major accidents. But even so, there were still many mishaps and deaths.
It could be said that their school was not a place to play around since it was always full of danger.
When Long Shiyan and others came, they were greeted by a group of guards. After the medical team took the two wounded away, the team was divided into two groups. The first team was led by the teachers and Daliana to find the Alchemy Research Society’s team leader. Long Shiyan and Zi Linglong took the badge and went to find the head of the Holy Spirit Group, Moss.
(TLN: Head of the Holy Spirit Group, not Student Holy Spirit Group)
When she heard about the whereabouts of Moss, the head of the Holy Spirit Group, she located a so-called golden earthen house. This golden earthen house was located in the middle of many other earthen houses. It was relatively luxurious yet easy to find.
In front of the establishment, there were two guards. As she saw the two men coming forward, they stopped along the way. One said, “This is the school’s important base, and no one can enter. If there are truly important matters to consult about, then you may seek the person in charge.”
Zi Linglong took out two tokens and said, “We are a part of the Student Holy Spirit Group. We came here to find the head of the Holy Spirit Group.”
“Student Holy Spirit Group?” The two guards observed them in suspicion, then they looked at each other and moved away from their original position. They stood quietly next to the door.
“Let’s go!” Long Shiyan took Zi Linglong’s hand as they entered into the golden earthen house. As soon as they stepped into the door, they heard the voices of two men and subconsciously halted their steps.
The low-pitched male said, “Old Codger, what do you think about the temporary stronghold that I built. It’s not bad, right? You can accompany me to check out the dark forest later.”
“Not bad?” After listening to the old male voice, the other man paused for a while. He then said, “Sigh. Moss, this is just a temporary base. Why did you have to make it so luxurious?”
“Old Codger, you don’t understand. This is called ‘aesthetic.’ You old people will never understand the thoughts of the younger generation. In our terms, you have the stubbornness of the old folk,” the low-pitched man said.
“Oh, the younger generation? It seems like if you, the Holy Spirit Group’s leader, say it that way, then there is no point in telling you to put it aside. Surely, this would be the more amusing perspective,” the old voice sarcastically said.
“Absolutely! Huh?” The young man suddenly paused for a while and yelled in a stern voice, “Who’s sneaking outside? Why don’t you come in?”
Long Shiyan collected her thoughts and glanced at Zi Linglong. Pulling Zi Linglong’s hand, she stepped into the earthen house.
In contrast to the surroundings outside, they were currently in a luxurious lounge. A shiny crystal lamp was overhead, and there was a precious seat crafted from magical beast hides. A small tea table next to the seat had various tea sets and snacks. All of this symbolized the aesthetics of the high-class within the school.
In this luxurious lounge, there were only two people. One was a white-haired bearded old man sitting in the main position. The old man’s complexion was rosy, his eyes were bright and lively, and he appeared very healthy. He opened a book.
The other was a short-haired, middle-aged man with a handsome face and an expression filled with unyielding determination. However, his complexion seemed a little rigid. There was a crystal next to him, which would constantly flash a blurry image. Looking closely at the crystal, one could see a scene of students fighting against magical beasts.
“Sigh.” As the middle-aged man lowered his head and sighed, he noticed the duo. “You two, what are you doing sneaking around outside the door?”
“Ah! Mr. Moss, you can rest assured. We have not heard anything.” Zi Linglong smiled and asked Long Shiyan, “How about you, Elder Sister?”
Long Shiyan nodded.
“See.” Zi Linglong shrugged.
The middle-aged man coughed a few times and shifted the subject. “Why did you two come here?”
Long Shiyan said, “In regards to the head of the group’s assessment test, we have already retrieved the badge.” After she said that, she held the badge up.
The middle-aged man took the badge and looked up at her and said, “Was there any danger during the assessment mission?”
“No.” Long Shiyan replied indifferently.
“How was it not dangerous?!” Just as Long Shiyan finished speaking, Zi Linglong rushed forward and clasped the table in front of the middle-aged man. She said in an imposing manner, “During this journey, we do not know how many dangers we have encountered. These included ant waves, assassins, eighth-level magical beasts, and students who claimed to be the assessment judges. In short, we almost died.”
The middle-aged man raised his eyebrows and looked at the white-haired old man, who was reading a book beside him. He only looked away from the old man and asked Long Shiyan, “Is that true?”
“Yes, but the issues have already been settled. It was not a big deal.” Long Shiyan said without any particular emotions.
“How was it not a big deal? We were almost swallowed up by that horrible ant wave, and my sister was almost killed by an assassin. We could have died many times over.” Zi Linglong was dissatisfied with the look on Long Shiyan’s face. She trotted forward, moving toward the old man with white hair. Taking his book away, she said, “Venerable Dean, you need to help us. I didn’t know that the head of the group’s assessment mission would cause us to encounter such terrifying magical beasts. Since you are in control of everyone as dean, could you help save the rest of the trainees’ lives? This is already beyond the scope of assessments for eighth-level fighters.”
“Oh, little girl, there are numerous casualties and accidents that occur within the Magical Beast Forest. How could we keep track of everyone? We believe that there is no better way for students to learn other than learning through practical experience. We have been doing this method for decades. I have already stated this before.” The old man wasn’t angry. With one hand, he stroked his beard and chuckled.
“Then…even if this doesn’t matter, there were suddenly students from the institution who came to hinder us. Don’t you care about that? They almost killed us. If it wasn’t for Elder Sister, we would have died already.” Zi Linglong urgently said with distinct irritation.
“Every term when the members of the Student Holy Spirit Group are selected, there would always be many dissatisfied students. Because of this, there are countless losses, and the school does not strictly prohibit the students in the field to fight against each other. But if you have evidence, then we will severely punish the perpetrator,” the elderly man said. He narrowed his eyes and smiled.
“Hey! Where in the world could we get any evidence? We already know…”
“Linglong, you shouldn’t be rude to our superiors.” Before Zi Linglong could finish speaking, she was interrupted by Long Shiyan. Then, Long Shiyan stepped forward, pulled her back to her side, and returned the book.
“But, Elder Sister…”
“Okay, okay.” The old man waved his hand. “You two sit down and tell us what happened during your journey, and I will give you a grade.”
“Hey! Old man, giving them grades is what I do, you’re only responsible for giving out awards.” The middle-aged man was shocked. “Hey, accidents always happen anyway. This time, I will change their grade, and you can give the prizes right away.” The middle-aged man stared at them, and the old man almost spurted blood out of his mouth.
Long Shiyan pulled Zi Linglong back as they both took a seat next to each other. Long Shiyan recounted her own experiences while Zi Linglong added on. They did not lie because they all understood that lies were unable to escape from the observations of these two old foxes.
“First, wait.” Halfway through, the middle-aged man interrupted their conversation and asked, “Where did you encounter the ant wave? Which direction was it moving?”
Long Shiyan glanced back at Zi Linglong and saw that she was also at a loss. Long Shiyan replied, “The situation was urgent. We didn’t check the exact location, but I remember that the ant wave moved northwest.” She paused and asked, “Mr. Moss, what is the advantage of knowing where the ant wave was migrating to?”
“Ah, nothing is the matter. By knowing the location that the ants were migrating to, you can protect your classmates.” The middle-aged man smiled lightly.
“Apparently, that seems to be the case.” Long Shiyan slightly lowered her head and continued, “Our team was forced to disperse, and I had to seek for our meeting point. I myself acted alone, and I was nearly killed by assassins. It was a daunting experience that I managed to survive through.”
“Wait.” The white-haired old man stopped and whispered, “Explain the strength and number of enemies, including a detailed retelling of your battle with them.”
“Old man, what are you asking?” The middle-aged man frowned.
“Cough, in order to give a more accurate grade, it’s better if we understand the students’ true strength and make a detailed comparison. You, youngsters, keep making it difficult for this old man to keep track of all of you with just one crystal ball.” The old man stroked his beard as he laughed as always.
“Humph, Elder Sister will tell them about her heroic fighting posture and surprise them.”
Long Shiyan looked at her with a wry smile. This girl’s calculative thoughts were easily understood by her. The original meaning could be understood as “Sister’s way of telling them how miserable she was in order to let these two old men give them a little more in compensation such as providing more group funds” and so on.
After Long Shiyan’s detailed explanation, the middle-aged man suddenly circulated his energy, and Long Shiyan’s figure appeared in the crystal ball. Beside her, there were three assassins. The scene was similar to what she described, including how the three assassins wore black attire.
In the crystal, the three assassins surrounded the small Long Shiyan, and the battle was initiated.
“Mr. Moss, this is…” Long Shiyan observed this scene and couldn’t help but feel a bit shocked. They didn’t have this type of item in the original book. Was her description of what had happened inadequate?
The middle-aged man replied, “This is a wonderful treasure called the water spirit mirror. It is a treasure refined by a great master alchemist. If the spirit of the user is strong enough, the user can use it to show anything. It is also possible to simulate events from the past within a certain range.”
“So that’s what it is.”
“Amazing!”
“Haha, little girl, you look different in the present compared to when you encountered the assassins. You attacked them first, am I right?!”
“Yes. During the beginning, I was the one who conducted a sneak attack in order to dispose of them. When they ran away, they returned to attack, and I was forced to become passive due to my mishap.” Long Shiyan corrected the middle-aged man’s misunderstandings.
The smaller Long Shiyan’s battle video was completely displayed as the cheat item showed a perfect presentation of the situation at that time.
As Zi Linglong watched the battle simulation, she unconsciously tensed up. She didn’t dare to blink.