Chapter 45: CH 45

Because he skipped lunch, Zong Yan got something to eat outside Chenghuang Temple before returning to MU.

In recent years this place had become a famous attraction in Jiangzhou, but due to the rise of tourism it was completely commercialized. Locals from Jiangzhou never went there to eat.

The food was expensive and not very good. After Zong Yan tasted it he was revolted, but it also met with the unanimous disdain of Nyarla and Shub.

Zong Yan: …?

Evil gods actually eat food?!

“There are only a few worthwhile things about human beings. Aside from greed, hypocrisy, wickedness, and treachery, only their food is good,” Nyarlathotep commented. “Among all the races in the universe, human food ranks in the top three.”

So, as far as evil gods were concerned, greed, hypocrisy, wickedness, and treachery were all things to praise?

As expected of an evil god.

After lunch, Zong Yan reluctantly led the two evil gods through the Gate of Truth to arrive at Miskatonic University.

It was a bit embarrassing. The school chief personally invited a team of infiltrators into the school. If anyone caught them, they’d definitely be asked to leave.

The most depressing thing about it was that more than one evil god was at MU. When Shub and Nyarla found out Yog was an astrology professor, they came up with alt accounts of their own.

Zong Yan didn’t know what kind of camouflage they’d chosen, but anyway, both of them could get into MU without any obstacles at all, which could only make one anxious for the future of the occult world.

When they arrived, there was still some time before the meeting, so Zong Yan went to see Edward and Wang KeMing.

As for Nyarla and Shub, they already knew their way around MU. Clearly it wasn’t their first time, which was a frightening thought in itself.

“Yan Ge, we’ve been going crazy lately.” Wang KeMing was visibly thinner, and there were dark circles under his eyes. Zong Yan almost didn’t recognize him.

“What’s wrong?”

Wang KeMing was very fond of food, which Zong Yan knew quite well. It was incredible to see him like this.

“MU is on wartime alert.” Edward was carrying a heavy pile of books. Even the little prince was in low spirits. “All of our courses have been replaced by magic patterns and biology.”

“Ouch—” Zong Yan drew a sharp breath.

MU had only three required classes: alchemy, magic patterns, and biology. But the scoring for these three classes was far more difficult than the others. Magic patterns and alchemy were particularly obscure. The professors only covered fifty percent of the knowledge points in class, and the remaining fifty percent had to be learned, practiced, and extrapolated by students on their own.

This indirectly doubled the amount of homework.

There were already a lot of after-school assignments in magic patterns class. It took novices a lot of time to draw patterns, not to mention the type of classes they had now. Zong Yan could only imagine what kind of unholy torture they were enduring.

“You’ve been working hard,” he said with compassion.

“Yan Ge, you’re the chief. The chief can submit a proposal to the Spire Council to ask them to reduce the pressure.” Wang KeMing made a mournful face. “Who would have thought college would be even harder than high school ah? I can’t do it anymore. I’ve never had to suffer like this before.”

The little fat man really wasn’t lying, because when he was in high school, he knew his father had already greased the wheels for him. All he did was eat, drink and enjoy himself. He didn’t pay attention to his studies at all. But he never thought he’d be repaid with so much evil at university. The pain was unbearable.

“As the chief, I can’t be so irresponsible.” Zong Yan patted him meaningfully on the shoulder.

Wang KeMing might not know, but Zong Yan understood it all too well.

The time the stars would return was drawing near, and otherworldly activity on Earth was growing ever more intense. When the Tindalos Hounds showed up, even the senior investigators couldn’t fight back, much less students still in school.

Zong Yan anxiously wanted his friends to learn more ways to stay alive. There was no way he’d submit a proposal.

“Well, the faster we learn, the faster we’ll be able to get our investigation practice courses done.” Edward was a lot more composed. The willful little prince had a better attitude toward his studies. “Professor Tawil seems to be looking at you, by the way. Isn’t he your advisor?”

Zong Yan turned his head and saw the evil god with gray hair and golden eyes staring at him from a distance.

An advisor who’d forced his way in, hmph.

But the meeting was about to start, so Zong Yan waved to his friends and headed towards the auditorium.

The top leaders of the Dragon Group were also present at the emergency meeting. After all, China had borne the brunt of the first round of incursions.

“The main topic of today’s meeting is the recent unusual activity in Jiangzhou.”

Paracelsus activated an alchemical star map, and the ceiling of the auditorium was suddenly shrouded by a field of stars.

Certain constellations were known by humanity to contain sealed Great Old Ones. As these systems slowly rotated on the star map, they were marked in bright red, which made them clearly visible.

“It should be clear that these star systems and galaxies are gradually returning to their rightful orientation.” The alchemist made a gesture with his fingers and the red stars began to move. “This grouping is aimed directly at Jiangzhou, China. According to information previously received, Jiangzhou will be the first to experience the change.”

At this point, Paracelsus nodded to a senior member of the Dragon Group on the other side of the auditorium.

“That’s correct,” the Dragon Group senior said. “A few months ago, a star vampire showed up in Jiangzhou. As we all know, this type of alien species rarely appears within human-inhabited cities protected by an alchemical array.”

Zong Yan: It’s my cue

He reflexively touched his nose, remembering the star vampire he’d finally managed to punch and kick to death all by himself.

“And lately—extraterrestrial activity has become more and more intense.” When He Yuan got the signal, he looked through the report in his hand. “Several Dragon Group night patrols have been attacked by rat-things…. As we all know, rat-things are a subordinate servitor race.”

“There’s no doubt that otherworldly species are acting in response to some kind of destiny or fate. Professor Tawil confirmed this for us also.”

The eyes of the crowd turned to the astrologer standing at the front of the conference room, and their gloom deepened.

“In the occult world we’re all brothers. We’ll be the first to stand with Jiangzhou.” The representative of the Spire Council delegation took the lead in expressing his attitude. “We can begin by posting regular reward missions on the MU app. No matter what, we have to contain the situation.”

You are reading story Daily Disposable Persona at novel35.com

Many investigators worked on a commission system. If a bounty was posted, it could take a lot of pressure off the Dragon Group.

“Good.” The Dragon Group leadership quickly agreed. “We’ll be responsible for the commissions. We happen to lack talent with scouting ability.”

After all, the Dragon Group was a special operations unit. Their core mission didn’t have any ambiguity at all. After Chinese Awakened got their diplomas from Miskatonic University, they still had to undergo one to two years of hellish training when they joined the Dragon Group.

In normal times, when extraterrestrial creatures weren’t so rampant, the Dragon Group would be sent all over the world for peacekeeping or confidential missions. As one would expect, the requirements were very high.

But that also explained why most people with exploration abilities returned to MU after they graduated.

“Very good.”

The three parties quickly reached an agreement.

He Yuan happened to see Zong Yan.

“Little Monarch, you’re here, too.”

He came over to say hello while running through a checklist with the counterpart beside him.

When he saw Zong Yan, He Yuan remembered something. “By the way, are you feeling better?”

Zong Yan had called him a few days earlier. He Yuan had originally planned to drive to Qingyang High School to check on him, but he got caught up in an urgent matter later. He called Zong Yan back in the evening.

Zong Yan just told him he was fine and that he was hitting the books so hard in senior three that he ended up hallucinating.

“I’m better.” The black-haired teen scratched his head and looked a little embarrassed.

Paracelsus was holding the registration book and set it on the table, then waved Zong Yan to come over. “I remember that you applied for temporary leave from school this semester. Are you in Jiangzhou?”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

After pausing for a moment, the red-haired alchemist handed over a pendant. “Your insight ability is very strong. The stronger the insight, the brighter the light in the eyes of otherworldly species. They’ll attack you one after another. This pendant will provide a certain degree of protection. You should wear it at all times.

“In fact, given the emergency state of affairs, if it’s not inconvenient for you, it would be better to continue your studies here in MU.”

Zong Yan accepted the pendant, and he immediately felt a gaze too strong to be ignored hammering his back.

He politely refused the great alchemist’s suggestion. “I’m sorry, Your Excellency, but the college entrance exam is really important to me. I can’t give it up.”

“In that case, you must pay attention to your safety,” Paracelsus said. “Maybe you don’t quite understand it yet, but in the entire history of the Awakened, you’re the only person to ever become a Monarch without experiencing Second Awakening.

“If I had to describe your talent, it’s epoch-making. You might become the Einstein of the occult world.”

“Hmm? Who called me?” The white-haired grandfather who was chatting with Newton and Darwin by the door turned around.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Einstein. We were just using you as an analogy.” The alchemist smiled and waved his hand. He solemnly said to Zong Yan, “Remember, you must protect yourself.

“Oh, by the way. The seventh Monarch, Professor Tawil, seems to be interested in cultivating you. While you’re attending school in Jiangzhou, he’ll take responsibility for your safety as a mentor.” 

Zong Yan: …

“Well, that’s all I have to say.” Paracelsus sighed. “Never forget the school motto. There are times when danger lurks constantly around us.”

For a moment, Zong Yan thought the other party might know something, but the vice chancellor just put his finger on his lips, gestured for silence, and rubbed Zong Yan’s head. Then he turned away and began to talk with the member of the Spire Council waiting at the side.

“Is that the child who awakened at Monarch level?” The representative of the council delegation was an old man with a monocle. He squinted at Zong Yan’s back for a while, then quietly asked the alchemist.

“Yes, he’s still a child.” Paracelsus smiled. “I’m looking forward to seeing how far he’s able to grow.”

The old man sighed. “You saw me develop from a teenager to the gray-hair of today. That boy will grow up too, exactly as you wish.”

“I hope so.”

The alchemist smiled, and his brown eyes were dark and deep.

—

The author has something to say:

Let’s have a sneak preview. The next chapter is my favorite part, hey hey

That’s right—the monthly exams are coming up!!!

Are you ready my YanYan? Hahahaha

Crow once experienced the devil year of senior three. Of course, none of my pups will miss out (whisper)

TL Notes:

infiltrators – 二五仔 – two five sons – a couple of guys, Cantonese slang for informers or betrayers

Glossary of world terms—new in this chapter:

rat-thing – 人面鼠 – Human-faced rat – A rodent-like creature with a human face and hands

Transliterated names, titles, and places—new in this chapter:

Mr. Einstein – 爱因斯坦先生 –  ÀiYīnSīTǎn xiānshēng – Einstein is once again called “Mr.”, same as back in Chapter 12

You can find story with these keywords: Daily Disposable Persona, Read Daily Disposable Persona, Daily Disposable Persona novel, Daily Disposable Persona book, Daily Disposable Persona story, Daily Disposable Persona full, Daily Disposable Persona Latest Chapter