Tianjin people will never lose SAN

Chapter 627 A fortunate encounter with the writings of an extraordinary person, yet not yet meeting their face (4k+)

Milie Tang certainly had no idea what kind of crazy thing Liu Yonglu was going to do.

However, she wasn't too worried. First of all, Ricky had made some progress since they first met. He had handled so many cases, and the gods and their families had come and gone like a revolving lantern. He had seen and experienced a lot. Moreover, besides the Black Stone, he now had many other tools such as the fan and the cloak.

Secondly, it's broad daylight now. Although the University of Michigan is a somewhat eerie place, Abel wouldn't dare to pick up Ricky and bleed him in broad daylight in public.

So Millie Tang wasn't worried at all; if Ricky wanted to look it up himself, then he could look it up himself.

While Millie Tang was preoccupied with her lover's safety, Principal Elliott had already prepared a stack of messy documents.

He shakily pulled out a crumpled papyrus and handed it to the witch.

Millie Tang took it and saw lines of messy handwriting.

At dusk in summer, a fat shrew crawled out of its burrow, but as soon as it poked its head out, a swooping falcon pinned it down.

The shrew was terrified because, in addition to the eagle and falcon, it also smelled the scent of a fox and a snake.

"Honorable Eagle, Clever Fox, and Wise Snake Lady, what are you doing?" The little shrew asked, terrified.

“Little one, what bad luck! We were having a chat, and you just barged into our party.”

Just as the shrew smelled, the fox's cunning voice rang in the shrew's ear.

"Adults, what are you talking about?"

"The previous topic was insignificant. Now, we're talking about who will kill you and who will become your food?"

The shrew could already hear the sound of its scales rubbing against the leaves.

"But I don't want to die yet."

"Oh, my dear, everyone has to face death someday. In that case, why don't you set your death date for today?"

The eagle overhead coldly replied.

"But... I'm just a skinny shrew, just like you can see, covered in fur with very little meat."

Clearly, I cannot feed the three of you.

The shrew's pitiful confession was met with a long silence.

“My lords, I have an idea. Why don’t you hold a competition and the prize is me?”

Mr. Eagle, you can soar through the sky with your wings spread, and it was with this advantage that you caught me first.

Mr. Fox, your speed in the forest is unparalleled. Even the most cunning hounds cannot catch you in this land. Am I right?
Lady Snake, you are the wisest of all, knowing all the shortcuts in the forest, and you can even move among the leaves with your nimble tail.

"Oh yes, let's have a race. Whoever reaches the big oak tree at the edge of the woods first is the winner."

The shrew's plan succeeded; while the eagle, fox, and snake fled into the distance, it scurried back into its comfortable burrow.

The short story is followed by a handwritten signature: "Judith Miller".

I recognized the name Millie Tang; she was the first female student to go missing in recent months, a second-year archaeology major.

As for the little story above... Millie Tang is still a bit confused, but judging from the writing and development of the story, it does have some of the eccentricities typical of a mystical scholar.

These people are accustomed to using metaphors and obscure allegories to interpret their inner thoughts, as can be seen from Ling'er.

"This is a piece that Ms. Judith left in that professor's class before she disappeared."

It took me a lot of effort to find it. Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing what the other students wrote.

Elliott shoved a tangled stack of documents into Millie Tang's hands.

Where is the key I asked for?

"I'll give you the key after you've taken care of this professor's matter for me."

Elliott slumped into his chair, utterly dejected.

“Principal Elliott, are you mistaken? I’m here today to get the keys from you, not to beg you for any kind of exchange.”

A stack of documents was tossed onto the coffee table by Millie Tang:
"Of course, I can find a way to get in without a key, but I still hope that when I return to the school, I can complete my last few things in a dignified manner as Professor Miskatonic."

The witch coldly stared at the weary-looking middle-aged man opposite her.

“I have no ill intentions toward you, Professor Millie Tang, you know that very well.”

Elliott knew perfectly well what cards Milie Tang had up her sleeve; as long as he didn't harbor any ill will, Milie Tang's necklace would have no effect on him.

Elliott genuinely didn't want to break ties with the witches. This family had been cooperating with the University of Michigan for hundreds of years, but at this moment, Elliott was like an empty shell without a soul.

The sudden reappearance of debt collectors who had disappeared for over twenty years left him physically and mentally exhausted, and he no longer had the mental energy to deal with them.

It doesn't matter who it is, as long as they can solve the problem.

"Xiao Hu, please ask the principal to bring out all the keys."

Millie Tang called out and then looked down at the information about Abel.

Ten minutes later, all of the University of Michigan's keys, maps, and seals were placed on the coffee table in front of Millie Tang.

Principal Elliott, however, was pleased rather than angry. A strange flush returned to his pale face as he cautiously lifted his eyelids to scan Little Tiger, his body trembling.

I'm saved! Where did Professor Millie Tang get such a child?!
But... with this person backing you up, why didn't you say so sooner? You've given yourself such a big scare for no reason.

"Goodbye, Principal Elliott."

Millie Tang carried Little Tiger, who was holding a golf club, and Walker Chicken, who was carrying a golf ball, out of the principal's office.

……

"Mili'er, you've done a great job with this little place!"

In Millie Tang's study, Liu Yonglu was bent over, playing indoor golf with Xiao Hu. The two of them were in charge of hitting the balls, while Zou Ji was in charge of retrieving them.

Millie Tang's study is located at the very end of the corridor on the top floor of the teaching building, in order to prevent unsuspecting students from wandering in. The room is quite large, but it is crammed with a lot of things.

Two-thirds of the study was filled with bookshelves, which were filled with ancient books. Liu Yonglu tried to walk among the bookshelves and found it difficult to turn around.

The remaining third of the area was furnished with a desk, coffee table, alchemy table, stargazing telescope, and other furniture. Liu Yonglu spent a lot of effort to clear out a small area for him to play golf with Xiao Hu.

Millie Tang was sitting in her specially made, soft chair, looking at Abel's information in her hands.

To her surprise, she found her maternal grandfather in a group photo of alumni taken more than 20 years ago!

He was wearing a flannel suit, glasses, and a pocket watch, standing in a corner of the crowd.

The back of the photo bears the inscription "A glimpse into something no one knows."

However, these things are no longer important to me. My maternal grandfather has been staying at home for decades, and I doubt anyone in the world knows where he is hiding right now.

"Ricky, what did you write on Abel's test?"

"Who? Abel? Oh, oh, oh... a saint of our time!" It was Liu Yonglu's first time in class, so he wasn't very good at remembering names, but when it came to a saint of our time, he knew:

"I cheated!"

Liu Yonglu said confidently.

How to cheat?

Cheating on an open-book essay? Millie Tang stared wide-eyed at Liu Yonglu.

"It said, I wrote, and then I polished it up and drew some pictures, since I had nothing better to do anyway."

Liu Yonglu took the yarn figure from his arms and put it on the ground. The yarn figure immediately took off running and started chasing the golf ball that Xiao Hu had hit.

"That's it..."

Millie Tang pondered for a long time. If Liu Yonglu wrote it himself, Abel probably wouldn't like it and wouldn't understand what he wrote.

But if it's Yokomichi who says it and Liu Yonglu who writes it, then the situation is different.

In Militang's eyes, Abel was at best a cult leader. His supposedly profound knowledge of the gods was hardly enough in the face of Yokoro, the collective consciousness of the Mu Continent.

"Rickie, I'll take you to the cafeteria for dinner later, but we have to pretend we don't know each other."

"After it gets dark, I'll take you to see different parts of the University of Michigan."

"Okay, I didn't realize it until you mentioned it, but now I'm actually hungry."

Although there is no curfew at the University of Michigan, students generally do not wander around freely because the school's gatekeepers patrol the area after dark. Students who go out without a valid reason will be sent back to their dormitories. This is also for the safety of the students.

Liu Yonglu quickly took Xiao Hu to pack up the golf clubs and went to the cafeteria with Millie Tang.

……

As night fell, Elliott remained in a state between dazedness and lucidity in the principal's office.

His intuition told him that tonight was destined to be an eventful night; Milie Tang's return and the investigators' involvement would inevitably trigger Abel's nerves.

The grandfather clock in the corner of the study chimed mechanically and dully. Elliott had many old books spread out on his desk, but he held a quill pen and couldn't write a single word.

Ink dripped from the tip of the quill pen onto the papyrus, turning into an irregular black haze.

“Rustle…rustle…”

The sound of digging came from the drawing room outside the house, and Principal Elliott smelled that strange fragrance again.

He dared not face the unknown fear that was difficult to express in words, but he also knew clearly in his heart that continuing to drag things out would not solve the problem, and the other party would appear in front of him soon.

Ah... Perhaps more than twenty years ago, when the curtain was lifted, a certain entity had already marked itself.

Running away would only bring more brutal retaliation. Elliott rose from his chair like a zombie and slowly walked into the living room.

A shrew, appearing out of nowhere, had emerged from the ground and was now standing by the fireplace, warming itself by rubbing its claws.

"Elliott, you're in luck! I've found another promising talent!"

The shrew's tone was filled with excitement, an excitement that Elliott had never heard before:

"You better hope I find the right person this time, then we'll be even. I'm going to see him tomorrow... no, I'm going to see him tonight."

What is the student's name?

"...Mai.fei, or Mai.fei, it's a very strange name, I'm not sure if he misspelled it."

"Sell. Flight?"

Elliott genuinely wanted to help. Initially, when Abel approached him, Elliott, out of a desire to protect his student, tried to stop him.

But he gradually realized that, firstly, he couldn't stop him; Abel seemed to have truly gained some kind of power from his more than twenty years of revenge.

Furthermore, Elliott himself couldn't keep up with the constant commotion; if he continued, he would surely lose his life.

He has now completely abandoned his conscience as a teacher; anyone is willing to sacrifice themselves as long as Abel, this plague, can be sent away.

He really didn't recognize the name Ke Mai Fei. As the principal, Elliott would take out the roster every now and then. Logically speaking, he shouldn't have no recollection of such a strange name.

"Elliott, you fool, you probably don't realize the value of this student."

The shrew sensed that the principal was deliberately stalling, and continued in a sinister tone:
"Anatole Joel can be considered the most outstanding talent of Miskatonic University in the last two hundred years, right?"
He was not only skilled in alchemy, but also made commendable contributions to the taxonomy of clans. Without him, the taxonomy of clans in the Western Continent would be at least three hundred years behind.

Even Anatoly Joel can't compare to this guy, Sell-off.

"You're exaggerating a bit."

Elliott didn't want to argue with Abel about this, but what the shrew had just said really overturned the principal's conventional understanding.

"It's a disgrace to Miskatonic University that you, a stupid piece of trash as dumb as an acorn, can sit in the position of president."

"Let alone Anatoly Joel, even Juan Martínez, one of the recognized founders of the occult, pales in comparison to this Mr. Mai Fei."

"Juan Martinez is from the Southern Continent, and he came to the Western Continent when he was thirty years old."

He's the one who combined the witchcraft and magic of the Southern Continent with the alchemy of the Western Continent and established a systematic doctrine. Are you... out of your mind? What student can compare to Juan Martínez?

Elliott thought to himself, "It's not surprising that our school produces a genius. Anatoly was an alumnus of the University of Michigan. If another one comes along in three hundred years, that's fine too."

But to compare him to Juan is a bit too arrogant. In one article, with just a few words, Juan is not as good as Mai Fei? Who would believe that?
Besides, he still doesn't know who Mai Fei is.

"Tell me his dorm number, I want to see him tonight!"

The shrew beside the fireplace said viciously.

Seeing that Elliott couldn't provide any useful information after all this time, the shrew thought that the old guy was up to some trick again!

"Let me check for you."

Elliott ignored the complaint and obediently took the heavy roster down from the bookshelf. He checked it twice, from beginning to end and then from end to beginning, but there was nothing for sale!

"This should be a student's pseudonym, but..."

Elliott wasn't completely driven mad by Abel after all, and he considered the possibility that Millie Tang hadn't returned alone this time.

She also brought other investigators with her, as the witch had made it clear when she entered.

Who is her accomplice? Could it be this guy who sells...?
Even if that's not the case, if I lead Abel to the witch, the two of them will probably fight it out, and maybe the child with Milie Tang can take care of Abel while he's at it.

Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Elliott recalled his encounter with Xiao Hu during the day, when the latter exuded divine power, causing the principal, who resembled a zombie, to tremble uncontrollably.

The shrew, thinking Elliot was afraid of it, smiled smugly.

"Now, esteemed Principal Elliott, tell me, where is Maifei?"

(End of this chapter)