Chapter 1813: Chapter 34: The First Class Meeting Before School Starts

For Xin Fat Man’s curiosity, Zheng Qing wasn’t concerned at all.

Or rather, he didn’t dare to be concerned.

Old Yao was not the ordinary smiling uncle wearing an apron at the milk tea shop; He was a Great Demon, a giant ape demon with three heads and eight arms. The long-standing negative propaganda against demons in the Wizard World made young wizards like him fearful, and the ferocity and brutality of the demon army on the Black Prison Battlefield only deepened this impression.

Just like now, standing on the bustling Pedestrian Street, bathed in sunlight, surrounded by friends, when Xin Fat Man mentioned the name ‘Old Yao,’ Zheng Qing still felt a chill down his spine, as if he could see the gigantic figure on the Black Prison Battlefield again, with those indifferent blood-red eyes.

Even though Professor Yao remained patient, kind, and playful when in his concealed form in front of Zheng Qing, who knew if that wasn’t just a façade demons were good at presenting?

So all Zheng Qing could do was stay respectfully distant from Professor Yao—avoid staying alone with Old Yao in the same room and try not to discuss topics related to Him.

After all, He was a top-tier Big Wizard, and recently there were rampant rumors He had advanced to a Legend, making it quite risky to casually discuss topics related to Him.

Compared to a Great Demon, Zheng Qing would rather discuss the current state of Zhu Si who just left, or whether the Alchemical Black Sheep under Lin Guo had a bad temper, or what matters would be discussed at tonight’s class meeting.

Today’s class meeting was somewhat special because it was held before the start of the school year, so it could either be considered the last meeting of the first academic year or the first of the second year.

Moreover, not every class held a meeting at all. As far as Zheng Qing knew, at least Dylan’s class didn’t need a class meeting.

“Most classes in Starry Sky Academy aren’t holding meetings today,” said Xiao Xiao, who got this information from Zhang Ji Xin, who heard it from his brother, making it quite reliable: “I heard they will have an ‘optional’ fight tonight, celebrating their return to school.”

“An optional fight?” Zheng Qing chewed on this strange phrase, took a sip of milk tea. The slippery pearls in the milk tea were still unpleasant, and he chewed them with a frown before swallowing them all down in one go.

“It means you don’t need to consider the usual point requirements for dueling, you can challenge anyone, and you can also be challenged by anyone,” Xin Fat Man said, holding a piece of jerky and teasing Furry Bean who was meowing at a distance, while raising his stubby index finger, “but you only get one chance.”

Furry Bean meowed, staring at the jerky in the fat man’s hand, sometimes appearing under the left side pillar, sometimes behind a stone post in the distance, and sometimes in Zheng Qing’s shadow, refusing to lick the fat man’s palm as he wished.

“Isn’t this just creating conflict?” Zheng Qing shook his head, judging the Starry Sky Academy’s evening challenge, “I really can’t understand it.”

Xiao Xiao stared at the spot where the Bald Wizard once fainted, lost in thought: “It’s quite normal… We can’t understand the fists of Starry Sky, just as Starry Sky can’t understand Alpha’s lineage, Starry Sky can’t understand Atlas’s beliefs, Starry Sky can’t understand Jiuyou’s exams… These are the most fundamental differences lying between some of the academies.”

“What are you looking at?” Zheng Qing bit on the straw, watching Xiao Xiao who kept staring at that piece of Blue Stone Slab, which had reverted to origin, he couldn’t help but ask.

“The essence.” The Doctor murmured, answering lightly: “Who would dare take the risk of being pursued by the entire First University, or being remembered by a Legendary Wizard, to kidnap someone in broad daylight in Beta Town? What’s the essence of this incident, hatred, hostility, or some deeper reasons?”

Furry Bean whipped its tail, flashing before Zheng Qing’s eyes, snapping the jerky from the fat man’s hand, and disappearing without a trace. The fat man stared blankly at his empty fingers for a moment, then sighed.

“Whatever the essence, it has nothing to do with us.”

He struggled to stand up, stamping his numb feet: “Those are issues for the Trident Sword, the School Works Committee, or even the Big Wizards of the Alliance to worry about… All we need to care about is whether Tang Dun will collect our homework during tonight’s class meeting.”

“This is the most urgent and practical issue at the moment.”

“After all, we are students, not agents of the Trident Sword.”

…

…

As it turned out, Xin Fat Man’s self-awareness was indeed quite sensible.

Before the class meeting began, students from Astronomy Class 08-1 chatted in the classroom about summer vacation, the Hunting Competition, career planning, homework, the trial meeting starting tomorrow, and even the war that took place in Black Prison at the end of last term, but no one talked about the brief and intense kidnapping incident on the Pedestrian Street that morning.

Of course, it’s also possible that most of the class still didn’t know about that incident.

Although the Trident Sword didn’t make Zheng Qing and the others sign a Silence Contract, since it involved a Legendary Wizard’s followers and Black Wizard, several young people tacitly avoided the topic, instead discussing whether the format of their career planning papers was correct and whether the word count met the standard, just like most others.

“Since the Professor didn’t specify a word count, we don’t need to worry about the word limit.”

Duan Xiao Jian waved his arms, standing in front of Tang Dun, spitting with excitement: “We just need to list our future plans according to the requirements and our own ideas!”

“That’s true, but…”

Tang Dun held Duan Xiao Jian’s thin sheet of mulberry paper with a troubled expression.

In comparison, other people’s career plans were at least three pages long, and some, like Matthew Karen, had written especially rich plans due to their longer expected lifespans, using an entire scroll of parchment, tied with red ribbons on the outside, looking like a scroll sealed with high-level magic.

Seeing Tang Dun’s expression, Duan Xiao Jian became even more spirited: “As the saying goes, ‘It’s easy to speak kindly, but hard to act kindly.’ It’s not hard to talk eloquently, but what matters is how to carry it out… What do you think, Brother Qing?”

He turned to look at Zheng Qing, who was standing behind him waiting to hand in his homework, ready to pull in some support.

“Hmm?”

Zheng Qing was momentarily stunned, not responding immediately—he hadn’t been seriously called Brother Qing in a long time, so much so that he didn’t even react at first—once he recovered, he nodded repeatedly in agreement: “Right, right, absolutely, it’s an elective course anyway, it shouldn’t matter how much we write.”

“Aren’t you called ‘Mr. Zha’ now?” Li Meng, in the first row, leaned on the desk and corrected with a mischievous smile, completely ignoring Zheng Qing’s darkening expression.

The witches in the front row covered their mouths, giggling.

The young public cost student noticed that Jiang Yu was turning her head to whisper something to another witch sitting in the second row, seemingly not hearing the gossiping behind, which made him slightly relieved.

“This time it wasn’t me who said it!” Xin Fat Man behind Zheng Qing immediately disclaimed loudly. Ironically, it only made him appear more annoying.