CHAPTER 1819: CHAPTER 40: ASSEMBLY

August 25th, lunar July 19th, affected by wind, the weather is sunny.

Favorable: Moving house, getting married, traveling.

Unfavorable: Opening business, breaking ground, burial.

Today is indeed a good day for hunting. Xiao Xiao got up at dawn, shook Zheng Qing awake, trying to invite him to join the morning practice. But Zheng Qing just turned over and continued to sleep deeply, groggily rejecting the doctor’s invitation.

"What time did he come back last night?" Xiao Xiao muttered as he hung a jade bead on his waist, nudging the equally groggy Xin Fat Man.

The response he got was the thunderous sound of snoring.

The short warlock looked around at Dylan’s coffin, the snoring Fat Man, the Fat Cat, and Zheng Qing for a moment, feeling quite speechless, and finally chose to do the morning practice by himself.

It wasn’t until past eight in the morning, after Xiao Xiao had breakfast and finished reading the entire Twelve Offerings of Ramses II while sitting on a bench in the hallway on the second floor of the First Hall, that he saw Zheng Qing and Xin Fat Man appearing listlessly in the empty hall on the first floor, looking around foolishly.

"Over here!"

Xiao Xiao sighed, raised himself on tiptoes, trying hard to lean over the railing, waving down: "You two get upstairs! Stop wandering around aimlessly down there!"

Two witches passed by behind him, witnessing this scene, and giggled to themselves.

This made Xiao Xiao even more annoyed.

So when he greeted the two climbing up to the second floor, he was quite rude: "Do you not know what time it is? The trial starts at nine, who do you plan to meet in such a disheveled state? Are you two planning to get a warning from the academy every year before school starts?"

Last year, before school started, Zheng Qing and his group had a conflict with Arthur Ness’s group from Alpha Academy on the Pedestrian Street, ultimately getting a disciplinary warning from the academy, paying for it with over a semester’s worth of night patrol punishment.

But today’s situation was not the same. Zheng Qing and Xin Fat Man had not been fighting, only in low spirits and untidy, at most getting scolded by the leading teacher, definitely not getting another warning.

Of course, Zheng Qing and the Fat Man wouldn’t foolishly argue with Doctor Xiao openly, one grunted while continuing to wolf down the fried dough in his hand, and the other half-closed his eyes, nodding repeatedly, not knowing whether he was agreeing with Xiao Xiao or dozing off while standing there.

This response made Xiao Xiao feel like he was punching into cotton, feeling instantly deflated.

So he simply turned around and headed straight downstairs: "Hurry up, most of the class should be there already... Have you brought the Blank Law Book, Feather Pen, Cinnabar, Blank Charm Paper, and untuned Magic Potions?"

"Got it, got it."

Zheng Qing seemed just awoken from a dream, vaguely responding while patting the grey cloth bag on his waist, hastily catching up with the short warlock: "...Why are we going downstairs?"

"Because we’re going to the First Square."

"Didn’t Tang Dun say yesterday we’re gathering at the First Hall?"

"Oh, so you did know what Tang Dun said yesterday?" Xiao Xiao stopped, tilting his head, giving Zheng Qing a sidelong look while sneering: "If it weren’t for waiting for you two fools, I wouldn’t have waited so long at the First Hall! The others have already gathered and gone to the square! You two are the latest!"

Zheng Qing, pressured by the little warlock’s momentum, shrank his neck and muttered: "Isn’t it just past eight..."

"Dare you to wait until eight fifty?!" Xiao Xiao roared in the public student’s ear.

"Geesh by the project manager ah wah whoa hungry uh uh?" Xin Fat Man suddenly leaned over, mumbling and gesticulating.

Xiao Xiao tried to dodge his greasy big face with disgust: "Nobody told you to shut up... Swallow what’s in your mouth before you talk!"

Xin Fat Man somehow fished out a big cup of soy milk, attempting to wash the food in his mouth down his stomach, then patted his belly, sighed deeply, before asking again: "Since we’re going to the First Square, why make us go to the second floor?"

Xiao Xiao gave him a cold glance: "No reason... just wanted you to run more."

Zheng Qing and Xin exchanged looks, sighing in unison.

But before they could finish sighing, Fat Man made a curious noise, reaching out behind Zheng Qing’s collar, exclaiming in surprise: "No wonder the doctor called you untidy... what’s this?"

Zheng Qing looked back, only to see the chubby palm holding a ball of intertwined black and white fur, like some strange fruit.

He was stunned for half a second, then immediately shocked, quickly grabbing that fur ball into his hand, while frantically brushing his robe, as though worried there were other fur balls on him.

"Are you dumb, why not use magic?" Fat Man derided, not forgetting to query: "What’s that thing? Seems familiar."

Zheng Qing pulled out a Cleaning Charm from his pocket and slapped it on his robe.

As green smoke curled up, faint magical fluctuations swept over, cleaning Zheng Qing’s long robe spotlessly, while the rising smoke also covered the warlock’s blushing face.

Xiao Xiao chuckled coldly twice, without intruding, only reminding: "Charms in perfect condition are not allowed during trials, don’t forget that."

"Won’t forget, won’t forget." Zheng Qing mumbled, waving his hands repeatedly.

"Black... white... fur ball, why does it seem so familiar?" Fat Man pinched his fingers, recalling the familiar sensation in his palm, trying hard to remember.

"Hurry up, don’t keep the others waiting!" Zheng Qing grabbed Fat Man’s robe sleeve, dragging him towards the First Gate, seemingly shaking off his previous malaise in an instant: "I still have a school probation! Can’t afford another warning from the academy!"

This reason was very compelling.

Finally, it made Fat Man shut up and quicken his pace.

When the three of them passed through the First Gate, arriving at the First Square, the usually bustling square was no longer noisy. Several student formations stood separately according to academy and class, time and again, a few students in different colored robes sneaked out of the First Gate like them, swiftly heading to their respective class positions.

A group of tall black-robed wizards stood at the forefront of all the teams, exuding a solemn atmosphere and stern expressions. Zheng Qing didn’t see the deans of the four academies but did see a few familiar faces, such as Professor An from Jiuyou Academy, Deputy Dean Charles from Alpha, and so on.

Moreover, there was a huge tiger-striped parrot, flapping its wings, circling in the air. It stretched its neck, scanning around with three heads, endlessly repeating the assembly orders in a hoarse voice:

"Assemble by class unit!"

"Check your equipment yourselves... those with prohibited items, obediently hand them over to the student office, there will be professionals to keep them for you! Retrieve them after the trial ends!"

"There are casualty quotas in this trial! You can choose to withdraw early!"

"No mid-trial withdrawal allowed!"