Tianjin people will never lose SAN

Chapter 626 Making Friends Through Literature (4k+)

Liu Yonglu's jostling antics annoyed the students, who turned away with furrowed brows, afraid that the croissant with ham and salad dressing in Liu Yonglu's hand would rub against them. Their faces showed disgust, but their eyes remained fixed on Abel on the stage.

"Four hundred years ago, several religious scholars of the Holy Maidens sect discussed the nature of deities."

Of course, their documents are full of their usual evasive and vague statements, which is related to the history of the Holy Sisters that I discussed with you in previous lectures.”

Abel seemed completely oblivious to the minor commotion below the stage. As he lectured, his eyes were constantly glancing at the ceiling, and he was swaying his head, lost in his own mental world.

As Abel spoke eloquently about the original text of the ancient books of the Sisters of the Holy Trinity, she drew three patterns on the blackboard with chalk:
"The voice of the gods is a sharp sword, a quill of wisdom, and also a delicate flower petal."

The priests used obscure language to describe the feeling of that instant when the door to a source without origin opened; of course, I don't think all three answers are correct…

Liu Yonglu started to doze off after listening for only five minutes. He leaned against the desk, finished his sandwich croissant, and then started poking the glasses-wearing man sitting at the desk with his hip.

This was a young man of eighteen or nineteen, with pockmarked skin on his face. His handwriting was neat and careful, and he was listening intently to Abel's rambling speech.

At first, Liu Yonglu pointed at him with his hip joint, but Glasses only dodged slightly and then glanced sideways at Liu Yonglu standing next to him, somewhat unwilling to pay him any attention.

But Liu Yonglu's strength only increased, and one of his leans almost knocked Glasses off his chair.

"What do you mean? This is class time, not the time to fight."

The man with glasses looked up and said in a low voice. His tone was clearly unfriendly, and he must have been provoked by Liu Yonglu.

"Brother, I just arrived today, I'm an auditor. I'd like to know something: who is this professor on stage? What is he talking about?"

Seeing that he had achieved his goal, Liu Yonglu squatted down and whispered to Glasses.

He wasn't lying. Even if Millie Tang were a professor at the University of Michigan, she couldn't just slip him in like that. Liu Yonglu couldn't reveal his identity as an investigator, so at this moment, his identity was that of an observer.

Glasses opened his mouth, looked up at the blackboard again, and seemed a little troubled.

"It's alright. I'll lend you a notebook after class. Please tell me why you need it, as I'm not from around here."

I come from the Southern Continent, specifically to learn Moshe Saad's advanced mystical knowledge.

When Liu Yonglu said he came for the occult, Glasses immediately looked at him with higher regard. Although the University of Michigan has a tradition of occultism, most students still attend classes in a proper manner and do not acknowledge the existence of occultism from enrollment to graduation.

But Liu Yonglu said he came from the Southern Continent and that's why he came. Glasses nodded. In his view, this was a great opportunity to communicate with a foreigner and obtain information about mysticism.

Professor Abel's class allowed discussion among the students, but in reality, the professor didn't care what the students said at all; he just kept talking to himself.

Have you read these books: "Paleobotanical Taxonomy," "The History of Religion and Vanished Civilizations," and "Studies of the Old Times"?

"I haven't read it, but I've heard of it; others have mentioned the title to me."

Millie Tang had previously conducted a background check on Abel, and she had also mentioned the titles of these books to Liu Yonglu.

"Professor Abel... my previous impression of him was that he was an outstanding scholar of mysticism, a professor of ancient knowledge with profound and distinct views."

But when I actually sat in the classroom and heard his various novel viewpoints, I realized that my previous evaluation of him was far too low.

Mysticism…

Glasses glanced down at Liu Yonglu, who was squatting on the ground, and seeing that the other was listening attentively, continued speaking with satisfaction:
"Mysticism has long been regarded by all humankind who have come into contact with it as a supplement and extension of natural science, even by mystics and pope leaders."

In their eyes, this discipline is more like a tool or a means. They are short-sighted, superficial, and find it difficult to systematically understand and explore the mysticism by connecting it with knowledge from other fields.

But Professor Albert is different. His way of thinking is different from those old-fashioned academic systems. Professor Albert emphasizes the universal value of mysticism.

You can certainly use knowledge of botany to understand mysticism, and you can also find clues about mysticism in the evolution of plants.

Liu Yonglu blinked, unsure of what to say for a moment.

"Professor Abel now mainly teaches history, specifically religious history."

He drew heavily on mystical perspectives to analyze the historical evolution of religion, which was truly eye-opening. If I had encountered his theories earlier, those old-fashioned political science and theology classes would have gone to hell long ago.

"Good heavens, according to you, Professor La Belle is practically a saint of our time."

Liu Yonglu's exaggerated praise drew the attention of the surrounding students. Fortunately, Liu Yonglu's words were a genuine compliment to Labbel, and the students merely frowned but said nothing more.

At this moment, Rabel's lecture on the podium was also nearing its end:
"Four hundred years ago, the Holy Maidens called it the Judgment Era. It was during that time that witches and all the old-era multi-person witchcraft began to gradually disappear from the Western Continent."

What exactly is the belief in deities?
Was it a virtue full of wisdom, or punishment under chains and the sword, or endless asceticism? It was in this atmosphere of hesitation and struggle that religious scholars ended this dark and turbulent era.

Okay, based on what I just said, you can write down any thoughts you have on paper.

A stack of papyrus scrolls lay on Abel's lectern, and the students in the first row began to distribute them voluntarily. Not only the students sitting at their desks, but even the observers in the aisles and corridors could get a scroll.

"What does that mean? There's a pop quiz?"

Liu Yonglu was shocked; he had never seen anything like this since graduating from middle school.

"Professor Abel..."

The bespectacled man next to me lowered his voice even further:

"I've always had some reservations about the teaching methods at the University of Michigan. This isn't an exam. The reason we distribute papyrus is to encourage students who are truly insightful and have independent thinking abilities to express their opinions."

I've heard... just heard, that if someone's description satisfies Professor Abel, the professor will invite that student to see something real.

"Can I write anything?"

"Anything is fine, even drawing. Mysticism doesn't need to be bound by fixed paradigms, that's what Professor Abel said."

Liu Yonglu found it interesting and cleared out a space next to the windowsill to properly display his literary talent.

……

"Dong dong dong."

In front of the principal's study, Millie Tang held Little Tiger's hand, while Little Tiger, carrying a chicken, knocked on the door.

Liu Yonglu wanted to infiltrate the classroom as a student to gather information, but he couldn't bring the children along, so Xiao Hu and Zou Ji had to follow their aunt.

After a long while, the door was finally opened from the inside.

The principal inside the door and the professor outside looked at each other with slight surprise. Elliott was somewhat different from Millie Tang's impression of him. In Millie Tang's eyes, Elliott was a person who paid great attention to the details of life. His tie was always tied perfectly, and he always maintained a reserved and steady smile on his face. He was either holding a cigar or a brandy glass in his hand.

The middle-aged man in front of me... had sunken eyes, sunken cheeks, and an unhealthy pale complexion. His clothes were wrinkled and gave off a slightly nauseating, rancid smell.

As for Millie Tang... today, when she returned to the University of Michigan, she changed into the brown wool vest that the professors often wore, and put on a gray plaid suit jacket, just like before.

However, Millie Tang's hair had grown longer, and she was wearing light makeup. If you look further down, you can see this professor of ancient scripts from the University of Michigan holding the hand of a little boy with black hair and black eyes.

Hiss... What's going on? Witches have children? And according to Elliott's conventional knowledge, witches are a cursed group of people, and he has never heard of a witch giving birth to a baby boy. He hasn't seen one for over a year. What's going on?

"Mr. Elliott, would it be better if we went to the drawing room to talk?"

It was Millie Tang who broke the silence first.

The principal didn't say anything, but stepped aside to make way, glanced nervously at the corridor, and then closed the door.

Millie Tang had already gracefully taken a seat on a soft stool in the living room, looking around with interest.

Something really happened. At this moment, the witch was absolutely certain that the recent changes at the University of Myth had affected Elliott.

Xiao Hu and Zou Ji were quite informal with each other; there was an indoor golf set in the corner of the living room, and the two of them were already playing.

After Elliott took his seat, his gaze remained fixed on Xiao Hu. He had been a little slow on the uptake when they first met, but now, looking at Xiao Hu again, the principal noticed something amiss.

“Principal Elliott, I’ve come back to ask you for the keys to the library on the east side of the campus and the cemetery on the west side.”

Millie Tang got straight to the point.

"Wasn't it to resolve special incidents on campus?"

Although Elliott tried his best to express himself vividly when he spoke, his pale face was as expressionless as a zombie.

"Yes, that's one of the reasons I came back this time."

Since she was leaving anyway, Millie Tang was unusually candid; she shrugged.

"Let me describe to you what exactly happened."

Elliott found a bottle of brandy and poured a glass for himself and the witch. The headmaster drank it all in one gulp, but Millie Don didn't touch it at all.

“Someone has returned… He was once a student at Miskatonic University, and now he’s back to collect a debt he owed more than twenty years ago.”

"Whose debt is it?"

"He felt that I owed him, but... there were many other people present at the time, Todd, Brody, Yanal, these people have already paid their debts! With their blood and lives!"
But that guy still felt it wasn't enough, far from enough! I think he wasn't representing himself at that moment! That guy had a god backing him up; he had already sold his soul.

Elliott slammed the glass down on the table.

"I need to know the whole story. You'd better tell me from the beginning."

Millie Tang didn't bother to appease the principal; she simply raised an eyebrow and responded dismissively.

"Back then, we were all students, and I won't go into the many fond memories we have."

In short, a mysterious society has quietly appeared on campus. It is said that this society has a history of more than ten years. Every year, students are engrossed in it, and when they graduate, they pass on the ancient books preserved in the society and the research results of recent years to the next batch of new students.

Life and hope are both contained within death; only by exploring its true meaning can one comprehend nothingness.

This is the purpose of the society; its members believe that there is a veil between the world of gods and the real world of humans.

Lifting the curtain reveals things no one knows.

"Mr. Elliott, you were the head of the society back then, weren't you?"

After leaving Liu Yonglu, Millie Tang returned to her usual quick-witted, calm, and wise nature, leaving Principal Elliott speechless for a long time with just one sentence.

The man in the living room chair nodded with difficulty.

"and after?"

"Later... a problem arose during a certain association meeting."

The curtain has been lifted, and we…

"Where? Where is the gathering place?"

Millie Tang suspects that the location of the society's meeting place is likely the location of the Secret Grand Array.

"The library is the one on the west side of the campus with a statue of the goddess of harvest."

Just as she had guessed, there were actually many places at the University of Michigan that Millie Tang had never set foot in, even though she had lived there for a long time.

A few days ago, Millie Tang studied the University of Michigan map carefully and eventually narrowed it down to four locations, one of which was the old library on the west side.

It used to be the largest library at the University of Michigan, but it was abandoned a long time ago, and it is said that the contents of the building were moved to other places.

“Principal Elliott, let’s get straight to the point.”

Please compile all the materials from when the society was founded and hand them to me, making sure nothing is missing.

Also, is Professor Abel the one who came back to collect the debt this time?

Elliott, sitting opposite her, nodded, his pupils trembling. Millie Tang didn't know the specific reason, but Elliott seemed unable to bring up Abel's name. However, the witch could tell that the headmaster seemed to be afraid of the professor.

"He came back this time hoping to find talented students."

After all, the World Curtain society was completely abandoned more than 20 years ago, on the very night of our gathering.

Abel was trying to test those who...possessed certain qualities, and to have them try again to lift the veil.

Millie Tang nodded, then turned to Xiao Hu and Zou Ji, who were playing indoor golf behind her, and asked:

Did Ricky just say he was going to class?

"Well, Baibai said he's going to make friends through literature and test Abel's spirit."

(End of this chapter)