CHAPTER 1609: CHAPTER 353: HEADING TO THE DESTINATION

Just at the moment when that blue fish shot up into the sky.

On the eastern side of the mudpond by Lin Zhong Lake, an aged Longevity tortoise suddenly stretched out its neck, bit onto Xiao Xiao who was tumbling mid-air, and pulled him down.

Sima Yangyun paid no mind to the splashing yellow mud, jumped into the mudpond, rushed to Xiao Xiao’s side, grabbed his clothes, and started pounding him randomly, knocking his glasses askew.

But amidst the chaos, few noticed the small conflict between the Warlock and the Witch.

Everyone was concerned about their own people or matters, every event had its own protagonists and narratives. For instance, Zhang Ji Xin who was being reprimanded in the pavilion, the Big Black Cat crouched by Master Bao Yangzi’s feet gazing at the Black Moon, or the Little Warlock focused on finding his missing Black Mountain Goat.

...

"Big Black!!"

Lin Guo screamed, broke free from Professor Garcia’s arm, and dashed towards the lakeside, reaching out to the air as if trying to catch the shadow disappearing into the Black Moon: "Big Black! Don’t run!!"

The Old Fishman still needed to look after his fellow townsmen retreating, and for a moment couldn’t attend to the Little Warlock escaping. He watched helplessly as he ran to the lakeside, his dorsal fin standing on end from anxiety.

Just as Lin Guo was about to jump into the lake to continue chasing the fading silhouette of the Black Mountain Goat.

A familiar voice suddenly sounded in his ear:

"Baa..."

Lin Guo turned sharply, and a wet Black Mountain Goat’s head hesitated, peeking out from behind the bushes, its deep-set eyes wandering, an apologetic look on its narrow face. Perhaps because it had just emerged from the water, the lake water dripped down its slender wool, quickly forming a small puddle of moisture at its feet.

It was his lost pet goat!

The aura and appearance were exactly as Lin Guo remembered. Even the mark he had once engraved with a Feather Pen on the Big Black’s horn was identical.

"Big Black?!"

Lin Guo looked blankly at the goat head within reach, then looked up at the Black Moon hiding in the distorted air above, momentarily unsure if what he had seen earlier was a hallucination or not.

The Black Mountain Goat behind the bushes hesitated, stepped gingerly out from the bushes, and gave a low-key reply: "Baa..."

Lin Guo burst into tears and hung onto the Black Mountain Goat’s neck.

Tears, snot, and the wet lake water from the goat’s body mixed together, making a mess of the Black Mountain Goat’s wool.

The Black Mountain Goat awkwardly leaned its neck back — after all, it wasn’t really a goat — though it had played a pet snake, a turtle, and a Little Witch, this was its first time pretending to be a Black Mountain Goat, inevitably feeling guilty.

Nonetheless, after being knocked off the Three-headed Black Flood Dragon into the lake by the school Wizards, No Face quickly recognized its situation: if it didn’t want to be captured and skinned or thrown into a lab by First University’s Hunting team during their subsequent clean-up, it better find a new way out.

And for No Face, submerged in lake water, there were only two options available.

The first way was outward, following the same path into the academy taken by the blue fish, sneaking out of the academy, down Silent River, in search of Nikita’s traces, and hopefully finding the Black Tide Army Nikita had previously gathered.

Taking this route, while offering immediate safety, meant relying on others and risk, given that Nikita’s direction would definitely be a primary target for the school, relatively high.

No Face’s mana wasn’t strong, but it was clever, not thinking that Nikita’s gathered ragtag group could pose much trouble to the school. No Face could handle the Black Tide in Beta Town in past years; if this time the school joined the clear-up task, these scattered magical creatures’ threat might be even less.

If it abandoned the first path, the only remaining option was to proceed in the opposite direction, once again sneaking into the First University’s interior. This was what No Face was best at.

As the saying goes, the most dangerous place is also the safest place.

No one would expect it to turn back into a goat — it couldn’t even believe that it had such audacity — No Face raised its head, delightfully thinking about the next step.

"Huff, huff,"

Professor Garcia, panting, ran back to the lakeside, glanced at the crying Little Warlock and Black Mountain Goat, and displayed a hint of confusion in his large fish eyes: "...Is this goat yours?"

"Yes," Lin Guo hiccupped, wiped away tears, and answered with an effortful smile: "It was lost for a while, just found it now."

"Since you’ve found it, don’t wander off." The Old Fishman warned, poking the Little Warlock’s forehead, then patted the Black Mountain Goat’s horn: "And you... the Dark Harvest Goddess’s gaze has been hovering around the school; that goat that jumped into the Black Prison earlier is your kin. If you don’t want to be skinned and roasted like it, stay with us."

Hearing the words ’skinned’, No Face shivered instantly, lowered its head, and displayed a well-behaved look.

Professor Garcia nodded with satisfaction, turned, and walked back.

"Where do we go now?" Lin Guo, having regained his usual cleverness, led the goat behind the Old Fishman, and asked obediently.

"Book Mountain Library," The Old Fishman pointed at the thick tentacles swimming near Bell Lake’s shore, and said meaningfully: "The school’s Big Wizards are all in the Black Prison... Currently, Mr. Zhang’s vicinity is the safest."

...

The ’Mr. Zhang’ mentioned by Professor Garcia was the curator of the Book Mountain Library.

He was also the owner of the thick tentacles that had previously pulled the Blue Giant back into a safe area — until now, Xin Fat Man was still tied up like a dumpling and thrown in the small square in front of the Book Mountain Library.

The students of Jiuyou Academy all know that the librarians of Book Mountain Library are a group of semi-transparent little octopuses.

But few people know, these octopuses are actually the avatars of Mr. Zhang.

Due to a mishap in advancing to a Big Wizard, Mr. Zhang was forced to abandon his human form and transform into a big octopus, usually staying in the Book Mountain Library to guard that treasure vault of knowledge for the school, rarely leaving the library unless something monumental occurs.

And today, evidently, was an exception.

From the collapse of the School Guardian Array, to the downfall of the seven-layered Little White Tower on Lake Heart Island, followed by Zheng Qing, the black sheep, and that blue fish entering the Black Prison one after another, the entire process was very brief.

Even as a Big Wizard, Mr. Zhang found it hard to attend to every surprise.

Not to mention someone actively ’refused’ his goodwill.

...

Jiang Yu tied Li Meng and Zhu Si to an oak tree on the shore with vines, giving a final word of caution: "Stay in school, and don’t wander off until I return!"

Then she bit her silver teeth, severed the tentacles and vines at her waist with a wave of her hand, and before Mr. Zhang and the other staff could react, she crushed a Jade Pendant in her arms, turning into a streak of light shooting towards the Black Moon in the sky.

Li Meng gawked at her cousin’s disappearing silhouette, having no outlet for her full grievances, could only turn indignantly to the unfamiliar Little Witch next to her.

Only to see Zhu Si suddenly smile warmly and wink at her, her entire body turning into a shadow, silently attaching herself to Jiang Yu’s streak of light.

Li Meng’s eyes widened in astonishment.

...

"I’m leaving too."

Beneath Master Bao Yangzi, the Big Black Cat flicked its tail, leaping up from the hillock, stepped on a wisp of lingering gloom in midair, and disappeared after Zhu Si into the Black Moon.

The breeze brushed over the hillock, spinning a few green leaves in circles before Forty-one.

The air still carried the faint sighs of the Big Black Cat:

"...Such a bother!"

"What on earth is all this!"