Tianjin people will never lose SAN

Chapter 629 is gone (4k+)

In the dark corridors of the abandoned library, all was silent except for the trembling and clattering sounds of moths fluttering their wings, attracted by the kerosene lamps.

Abel remained silent because he couldn't understand what Liu Yonglu was saying, and because he couldn't understand, he didn't know how to respond.

Millie and the others didn't speak because they didn't know who was standing in the darkness opposite them.

"Hey, come on over, buddy, everyone's time is precious."

After a long silence, Liu Yonglu was the first to break it.

The man who was tossed in listlessly was Abel. Liu Yonglu knew this in his heart because he had only used the pen name "Maifei" once during the day. Without a doubt, this saint of our time must have taken a liking to his article and wanted to come over tonight to meet the talented scholar.

On the other side of the darkness, Abel's intuition told him that the person who came today was no ordinary person.

At least they were different from the students they brought before. Not only did they not come alone, but their accents and phrasing were also quite remarkable.

After hesitating for a long time, Abel finally stepped forward and walked up to Liu Yonglu.

What are we here for? Isn't it to lift the curtain on the world with these vibrant and curious souls? We can't hesitate for such reasons.

But when Abel got up to Liu Yonglu and his family, he was surprised again!
Why the surprise? Liu Yonglu and Militang didn't seem strange to him, but the little boy in the shadows was something else entirely. He had black eyes and black hair, but his eyes were lifeless. His left hand had six fingers, and the extra thumb was twitching unnaturally.

Then look at the one at the boy's feet... it must be some kind of bird, with one leg and a long tail and scales like a lizard, and two vicious little eyes that darted around, as if it possessed some kind of intelligence no less than that of humans.

Hmm... As the saying goes, it's not that you don't know the goods, it's that you don't compare them. Before returning to Miskatonic University to collect the debt, Abel had also traveled to many places.

Gods... he has never seen them, and even if he had, he wouldn't be alive now.

He had seen many familiar creatures, and although he didn't have any forbidden spells to help him identify them, his intuition told Abel that this boy and his pet were unusual, and none of the familiars he had seen in the past could compare to them.

“Mr. Sell. Fly…”

Abel even changed his form of address, no longer daring to be arrogant, and started addressing him as an equal:
"Did you write that masterpiece this morning?"

"Tsk, didn't I just say that? You're not that old, so why isn't your brain working properly? I'm not very good, but you've got the wrong person.

Liu Yonglu was not flustered at all. He had weathered many storms, and he didn't take Abel seriously. Let alone a donkey or a powerful figure like the saintess, even Patrick or Token, who were small fry that he could easily handle, were no match for Abel if they were locked in a cage together.

"Then...would you mind telling me about the masterpiece you wrote this morning again?"

If anyone else had tried to put on airs in front of Abel, he would have lost his temper long ago.

But Liu Yonglu's demeanor was truly intimidating. In Abel's eyes, this man was definitely not an ordinary student.

The other party is very likely... the leader of some cult, or a reclusive scholar who was attracted by the news that we were going to develop a shocking and forbidden spell.

And you know what? Although his line of thinking was completely wrong, the result was actually pretty close to the truth.

As for why he made Liu Yonglu recite the article he wrote that morning again, it wasn't because he suspected Liu Yonglu of cheating. The main reason was that the first part of the article was dictated by Yokoro Koji, which Abel could basically understand and was greatly impressed by.

The second half was Liu Yonglu's own interpretation, which Abel didn't understand.

Coincidentally, Liu Yonglu's words were appended to Henglu's article, like a prophetic statement. Abel felt even more strongly that Liu Yonglu's scholarship surpassed Henglu's, and that his inability to understand it was entirely due to his own lack of ability.

Since you've already met this expert, why not let them explain things to you directly? Perhaps they can enlighten you.

His skill lies in being argumentative and prone to arguing.

Liu Yonglu didn't care. From the moment Abel entered the building, Liu Yonglu had already sentenced him to death in his mind.

"If I hear the Way in the morning, I can die content in the evening." Since you are so eager to learn, then let you die knowing the truth.

Liu Yonglu, with his hands behind his back, roughly recounted the few lines he had written that morning. He knew roughly what the part that Yokoro had read was about—religious history, of course, the Mu Continent, the Holy Mother's Tablet, and so on. He also included a few of his own embellished remarks. Liu Yonglu read it to Abel again.

"Then... what does the last part mean... 'Mother need not be angry... son is obedient... return to camp'?"

Abel frowned and asked in a low voice.

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that. There are too many complicated things involved."

I'm about to go home, and I'm feeling a bit restless. Incidentally, this curtain... it's somewhat related to my trip home, so I added it.

Abel was startled; his opponent had indeed come prepared and knew the details of his forbidden magic.

"Then... could you tell me more about these paintings?"

Abel's attitude became increasingly sincere. He took out Liu Yonglu's exam paper and pointed to the sketch next to it.

"This...tsk."

Liu Yonglu scratched the back of his head.

"This is a fried rice cake, and I don't recognize the one next to it."

Before Liu Yonglu could speak, Xiao Hu answered first.

Liu Yonglu nodded. Yes, he had only eaten a croissant for breakfast, which wasn't very filling, so he drew it out since he had nothing else to do.

"Those over there are fried vegetables and rolled rolls. Little Tiger, I'll take you to try them later, to taste the real thing!"

Completely baffled, Abel stood there for a few seconds, then mustered his courage and finally asked the question that bothered him the most:
"Mr. Selling. Flying, what exactly is your identity? Would you mind telling me?"

If you also have an interest in the world's curtain, then we are like-minded fellow travelers, and I wouldn't mind collaborating with you all.

Abel realized that the little boy and his pet were completely subservient to the young man in front of them, which meant that the young man was of higher status than them.

Could it be... that I've unintentionally attracted a great figure? A god's earthly preacher? Or perhaps a projection of a god?
After asking the question, Abel dared not look Liu Yonglu in the eye, but instead lowered his gaze and scanned the darkness.

"Hey, Mili, that's why I say, words can unlock happiness!"

Between people, sincerity is essential; ask whatever you want! Given Professor Abel's attitude, I couldn't help but tell him.

Maifei is indeed my pen name, and I am not a student at the school.

Do you know Patrick?

"Oh, you must be Patrick!?"

The leader of this order, Abel, actually knew him. He had heard that this man was originally a noble landowner from Mosesad, and could be described as a wealthy and influential person. Later, Patrick inexplicably developed an interest in the mysticism, bought the island, and built a sanatorium called "The Wind of Rest" on it.

This guy is considered a minor celebrity in the industry. Could this young man be Patrick? But the age doesn't quite match up.

"I'm saying, Patrick, do you even know what I mean?"

“I know, but I heard that Patrick died unexpectedly during a secret mass a year ago.” “Tsk, that’s what I’m talking about. I used to like him the most, and I would always chat with him and give him pointers on his studies.”

"Oh, and who are you?"

No wonder, this person really is an insider. How come I've never seen him before? Perhaps he's a reclusive, mysterious scholar, and I've only heard of him by name. Yes, that must be it.

"Tocken, do you know Tocken of St. Doding City?"

"know."

This time the age matches! And compared to Patrick, Token has a bigger reputation.

It is said that this Token's family has been mystical scholars for several generations. St. Dodin is not some small, rural place. Token dares to act so arrogantly under the nose of the Cult of Wisdom, so he must have some tricks up his sleeve.

"Are you Token? But I heard that Token also had an accident."

“I don’t know, I used to… really like him. I sang in their house and even gave him some pointers.”

"Oh……"

Abel thought to himself, "What's wrong with this guy? I asked him who he is, and he keeps asking me what other people are doing."

"Wordsworth, do you know?"

"I know, I know perfectly well! So you're Lord Wordsworth!?"

Wordsworth was a powerful figure in the Valley of Seven. Token was indeed skilled, but he was outnumbered and his magic was a forbidden technique passed down through his family. It couldn't compare to Wordsworth, who was genuinely protected by the gods.

But... Abel recalled that Wordsworth had also passed away more than half a year ago. The Continental Exposition had become too big a deal, and everyone in the mystical circles of the Western Continent knew about it. Could it be that Wordsworth faked his death to conceal his identity?
Liu Yonglu noticed what Abel was thinking about, so he took out his fan and tapped Abel on the shoulder:

"Back then, I really admired Wordsworth, and we even had some connections. Alas, it's a pity that such a talented person is so envied by heaven, and my friend is gone too."

Abel glanced at the fan. In the darkness, the chaotic aura emanating from the fan seemed almost tangible, gradually distorting the surrounding floating dust.

"Then you...I..."

Abel swallowed hard, already regretting his abrupt and offensive question.

"I like you so much now, Abel. I think you're really good at lecturing at the University of Michigan every day. I like you so much."

"Thank you for your recognition, I..."

Abel's words were subconsciously flattering, but his mind was racing.

Good grief, if you like someone, that person has to die, how unlucky is that?

“Abel, didn’t you want to unveil the world? Stop hiding it. We’re here today for the same reason, you see?”

Tell me, how do you cast this forbidden spell?

Abel bowed, not daring to waste any more words with Liu Yonglu, and quickly rummaged through his pockets, pulling out several small wooden boxes containing a lot of ritual materials, including onyx, quinoa, eucalyptus core, finger bones of an unknown creature, and many bottles of magic potions.

To put it bluntly, Abel's forbidden spell is in the same direction as the operation that Liu Yonglu and his group are preparing to carry out, only it's rather crude.

If the witch's version is version 2.0, lacking the divine knowledge recorded on the stone tablet, then Abel's forbidden spell doesn't even qualify as version 1.0. These alumni of the University of Michigan from decades ago can only speculate that they can open a passage using the University of Michigan's own magic array.

As for where the passage leads, whether they go in themselves or something inside comes out, and whether there are any risks in between, this group of people had no idea.

But it is this pure curiosity that sustains them as they continue to try.

In the process of repeated attempts, these people also introduced some religious concepts to package it, developing something resembling a proverb:
"God of heaven, your light is my eyes, your eyes are in my soul, and I will burn them for you."

The result of the experiment was... a lot of people burned, but not many conclusions were drawn.

After Abel finished setting up the Mass venue, he began chanting incantations. Gradually, some light appeared in the originally dark library corridor, but Liu Yonglu could not find the source of the light even after looking around.

Immediately afterwards, a rich and unique fragrance appeared out of nowhere in the air, tantalizing the sense of smell of everyone present.

Everyone involuntarily took two steps forward, and at the same time, a red velvet curtain appeared out of nowhere in front of them.

The red curtains fluttered and obscured the view ahead.

Liu Yonglu turned and glanced at Milie Tang, who frowned, nodded, and then shook her head.

The magic circle is indeed located beneath the abandoned library, that's true, but... Abel's forbidden spell has a very big problem.

Based on his method, the caster would most likely be unable to travel through time and space, and there might be some kind of danger beyond human imagination hidden behind the veil.

"Mili, are you sure? Or should we observe for a while longer and see?"

Liu Yonglu's idea was not to rush, but to see how things went first. If they were confident they could get in, they would come back another day.

"Forbidden spells never offer a 100% guarantee of success, but today's opportunity is quite rare."

Millie Tang pointed at Abel, and Liu Yonglu immediately understood what his wife meant. The witch was planning to use Abel as a test first. Liu Yonglu and Millie Tang were both upright people and would not use a student as cannon fodder like Abel did.

Since something like this has come to us today, let's give it a try.

Abel, meanwhile, wore a pained expression, seemingly drawn by something behind the veil, and mumbled incoherently from time to time:
"Life and hope... both lie within death, and only by seeking their true meaning can one... comprehend nothingness... The gods have taken my eyes... because I have seen things that no one else knows..."

When Liu Yonglu looked at Abel again, he noticed that the other's face was covered by a faint red veil.

Behind the veil, Abel kept her eyes tightly closed and twitched her nose:

"Dear distinguished guest, please witness for yourself the greatness and immortality behind the curtain. Past emotions and memories are like dust in the air, lowly and insignificant."

Step forward and lift the curtain; the divine presence will guide you.

"No, no, no, the host should follow the guest's lead. You should definitely go first in this matter."

Even though Abel's consciousness was somewhat hazy at this point, his mind was not completely lost.

What do you mean? Me? If I wanted to come, would I go to all that trouble to get students from the University of Michigan to come and participate?

Abel squinted, preparing to strike first.

"Oh, by the way, didn't you just ask me my name? My name is Ricky, my full name is Ricky Baldwin, I don't know if you've heard of him before!"

Coincidentally, Liu Yonglu thought the same thing.

(End of this chapter)