Soul Trigger

Chapter 615 Yuke Middle School
Is this school like this every day?

"It's not that... it's just that Grayson doesn't seem to learn his lesson."

When Ji Li asked her a question, Anya covered her mouth and chuckled.

She was clearly unhappy that Grayson had interrupted her and Ji Li's happy time, and her face showed a hint of schadenfreude.

“This is the umpteenth time he’s been beaten up by Aquil. I’m starting to wonder if he has masochistic tendencies.”

"Although I don't know why this kid got beaten up, it sounds like my sister is quite concerned about me." Ji Li had just heard Aigui's declaration of protecting her brother.

"That's a bit complicated. The relationship between Pulitzer and Equiel has always been rather delicate, but I don't think it can be called 'good'... As for Grayson, he's just Jason's sidekick, so let's not talk about him."

By the way, should I tell you about the school schedule or something? Have you ever been to school before?

Girl, your question makes me seem like I have a very low level of education.

Although Ji Li did not attend a youth school at Murphy's Mansion, the battlefield was his classroom, and he never skipped any of the World Tree Group's employee training sessions.

And so, Ji Li's first day at Baidao High School began amidst car chases and brawls, a stark contrast to the well-behaved boys' and girls' high school in Silla.

Anya accompanied him the whole way, quietly explaining the school's rules and regulations to him.

For example, students are required to wear school uniforms, but they can secretly alter the collar and skirt themselves.

Each student has a locker with a password that they can set themselves.

However, considering Ji Li's situation, she had already used her connections at school to change his combination lock and even asked Ji Li if he needed to switch to a more popular locker.

Because those kinds of things are selected through bidding at school, Ji Li wasn't interested in them.

日程方面，8:15分是督导点名的时候，要去专门的注册室开展晨会，9:00到12：00正式上课。

Lunchtime is from 12:00 to 13:10, with three options: on-campus supermarket, hot meals in the cafeteria, or bring your own lunch.

However, the vast majority of students choose to buy sandwiches and drinks at the supermarket because hot meals are often curry chicken, which they are tired of, and the former also offers more freedom in their schedules.

School ended at 15:15 PM, which is quite different from the public school schedule that Ji Li had when she was in Silla, where the schedule was so long it seemed like forever.

Of course, the biggest difference is the campus atmosphere.

Along the way, Ji Li saw boys and girls holding hands and receiving blessings from their teachers in the corridor.

Anya casually pushed open the door to a classroom, intending to give him a quick introduction, only to stumble upon a couple secretly kissing each other in the dark.

On her way to the cafeteria after pleading with them, she saw two boys who had secretly deflated the tires of a teacher's car and were caught and taken to the principal's office.

"Is this really a school?"

Anya smiled and said:

"Now you know why Pulitzer was unpopular?"

Indeed, knowledge changes destiny, but the campus of Shiroshima prefers other kinds of knowledge.

For example, the most popular teacher at the school is Ms. Li, an Asian teacher who teaches sex education.

It is worth mentioning that because Ji Li replaced Pulitzer's identity, countless eyes were cast at him when he walked with Anya.

This part-time model, who was also the vice-captain of the cheerleading team, was very popular on campus, which reminded Ji Li somewhat of Che Li's situation back then.

However, compared to the rather authoritative vice president of the student council, the vice captain of the cheerleading squad was much more enthusiastic, with people greeting her all the way.

Ji Li also memorized the entire school's structure and distribution area on the way, allowing the Ascension Agreement to analyze the location of the spiritual land.

A hundred years have passed, and there is no trace of wheat fields left, only a group of hormone-fueled white teenagers.

Since Ji Li's arrival at the school did not trigger any abnormal phenomena, and the fact that the gravedigger who was followed last night kept repeating that nursery rhyme suggests that the existence of the spiritual land must have a triggering mechanism, and that nursery rhyme is part of that trigger.

In addition, the tomb keeper also mentioned "Avalon".

That's the regional name White Island Reflection Walkers use for Limbo.

Therefore, based on the above, Ji Li can be basically certain that there is an entrance to the Limbo Prison within this school.

However, Limbo on White Isle is very special. It is either the territory of a lord or the territory of a resting being, and it is absolutely accompanied by the existence of rules.

Even if Ji Li pulled both triggers to their maximum, he still couldn't sense where Lingbo Prison was in the school.

If even the "Flesh Trigger," a Dead Apostle, cannot sense the existence of Limbo, then Limbo must be something extraordinary.

After all, it concerns the "pioneers," so some difficulties were within Ji Li's expectations.

He decided to first integrate into his daily life, and then ask Anya to help him look through the school's archives, starting with the school's history.

As for Sister Clementine, Ji Li had already taken her into the cross.

Although she was very reluctant, Ji Li forced her to take her back, considering the special circumstances that Aiguier and the school might have.

The first thing is the morning meeting.

This so-called morning meeting is just a time for supervisors to take attendance, make daily campus arrangements, and announce some recent campus changes.

The so-called "supervisor" is similar to a homeroom teacher in a school, but basically does not teach classes.

Their main responsibilities focus on students' living conditions and psychological factors, much like counselors at Mirage University, leading twenty or thirty students and having a dedicated registration room as a morning meeting room.

The registration room is the small headquarters for these twenty or thirty students, where some of their honors are displayed.

When Ji Li entered the registration room, the first thing he saw was several notice boards posted on the wall.

One of the notices was from the White Island Department of Health, which warned about high-risk sexual behavior among teenagers and the risk of HIV transmission.

Because it seems there are quite a few homosexuals in White Island?

Then there are several medals displayed at the end.

Two of them are a gold medal in a volleyball competition and a silver medal in a double monorail sailing competition, both bearing the name of Aquile Wright.

The latter was even a county-level youth competition, with a small sign below introducing the event and prize money. It seems that this girl's athletic talent is even greater than Ji Li thought.

Ji Li casually chose a seat and looked around at the classroom's decor.

The students gradually entered the classroom, all casting their gazes at Ji Li with unanimous attention.

After all, he had only been missing for three days.

Aquil was among them, talking to a girl holding a paddleboard, her expression not too good.

After talking to the supervisor, I prepared to find a place to sit down.

When she saw Ji Li, she hesitated for a moment, then walked over and whispered:

"Don't be narcissistic. I didn't beat up Grayson for you. It's just that your aunt will need you to take care of her in the future, so if you get bullied at school, don't be stupid and get beaten up. Come to me."

But don't bother me unless it's something else; I'm very busy.

She arrived at school early and didn't know that Ji Li had come to school with Anya.

"Busy with sailing races?"

Aiquier nodded and prepared to leave, but Ji Li added:
"Since you're so good at fighting, why are you even sailing? Why don't you try fighting in a ring? The prize money there is much higher than any sailing race."

Aiquier was startled and glanced at Ji Li:
"My aunt won't allow it."

Finished talking and left.

She seemed quite interested, so, was she participating in the competition for the money...?

Ji Li's gaze fell on the medals in the registration room, and he vaguely guessed what was going on.

A family struggling financially, an elderly guardian, and an older brother who only knows how to spend money and clings to unattainable ideals to escape reality.

She could only desperately try to earn money to support her family, no wonder she hated Pulitzer so much.

The morning meeting was uneventful, consisting mainly of roll call and announcements of school events.

The supervisor's opening remarks consisted of having the students applaud and celebrate the safe return of Ji Li and other missing students who had escaped from the bear's jaws. This was followed by small matters such as impoverished students receiving lunch vouchers.

For Ji Li, there was only one thing worth noting.

The supervisor mentioned the murder case that occurred in a neighboring town upstream yesterday afternoon and urged the students to limit their travel and protect themselves.

Ji Li wanted to hear more about the murder case, since the tomb keeper had gone to a neighboring town that day, which might be related to the awakened people there.

The information relayed back from the spiritual energy circuit indicates that the guy is also by the river.

The supervisor didn't say much, but instead changed the subject to the recent county-level monorail sailing competition. Because of the murder, the competition venue had been moved from a neighboring town to this town, on the big river next to Red Maple, which had also affected the outstanding student, Equal Wright.

Because the competition venue was moved to this town, important figures from other towns and counties would be attending. Before the meeting ended, the supervisor distributed new school badges to all students, which could be considered a form of formalism.

On her way to the math classroom, Ji Li looked at the school badge and felt something was off.

It was a pattern of a tree root with a coiled dragon, which of course was fine.

But why did the tree roots on the school emblem have some strange, spine-like undulations? This made Ji Li think of something else entirely—

world Tree.

In the Murphy Megastructure, the core technology of World Tree Technology is "root technology".

It is not a real tree root, but a sophisticated machine shaped like a spine that can multiply, divide, and aggregate.

It can transform into the underground logistics facility of the Serpent of the Central Court, which Ji Li built in the Fairy of Illusionary Light's Spirit Prison, to proliferate and transport troops over long distances.

It can be as small as nanometers, with direct strip-like bifurcated extensions of armor.

The strange root shape on the school emblem reminded Ji Li of the World Tree's "root technology".

This school definitely has problems.

The first class was a literature class.

Ji Ligang had just sat down in the classroom when a thin, curly-haired young man with round glasses sat down next to him. He had many freckles on his face.

He mysteriously embraced Ji Li:

"Hey Pulitzer, why didn't you invite me today?"

Who are you?

Ji Li glanced at him; he must be Pulitzer's good friend from school.

Although he was an unpopular nerd, there were always other nerds he could hang out with:

"I had something to do this morning, sorry. We probably won't be able to work together anymore."

"Ha, it's okay!"

The boy hugged him excitedly.

“I saw it all! You came in Anya Foster’s sports car!”

Rumor has it that you carried Anya out of the bear's den! My god, how come I never knew you were so brave?

"Thank you for the compliment."

Ji Li opened the book and responded in a half-hearted manner.

But the freckled boy clearly didn't want to stop there, and kept asking Ji Li'an how it felt to hold her.

She even asked him if he pinched her thighs while carrying her, what the sports car seat was like, and whether it smelled like Anya's perfume, leaving Ji Li speechless.

Another reason why Pulitzer was disliked has been found—

What kind of repressed, brooding friends do you have?

The Department of Health's announcement in the registry office already stated that the average age of first sexual intercourse on White Island is only at the level of a first-year student. Why do you, a high school senior, act like you've never seen a woman before?
Ji Li had been dealing with women at the Murphy Mansion for much longer than that.

To interrupt this guy's incessant nagging, Ji Li picked up the school badge in his hand:
Do you know who designed our school emblem?

"I know, it was designed by the school board during the school's founding period. Didn't they talk about the design concept in the auditorium when we were first-year students?"

The first year here refers to the first year of high school.

Ji Li felt he had grasped the key:
"What philosophy?"

"I forgot."

"..."

Freckled Guy looked completely self-righteous:

"Didn't you forget to ask me how I became interested in graphic design?"

"What I care about is the school's history."

"Then you'll have to ask the school board. The person who spoke on stage back then was a descendant of the family that designed the badge."

Yuk High School has three board members, one of whom comes from the Duke of Ludwig’s House, representing administrative approval.

A member of the local Green family, whom Shulong would call a "gentry," was in charge of providing the funds.

Another representative is a faculty and student representative, responsible for operations.

Despite this, the person who appears most often is Edward Green, a member of the Green family's school board, also known as Old Green.

This school board member was also very popular, and everyone in town knew him:

"His grandson is Jason Green, you've already forgotten that you stole his almost-girlfriend?"

Ji Li: "?"

He immediately thought of the young man with a pitchfork who rushed into the underground church and was spun around by the priest's juices scattered all over the floor—

It turns out it was that idiot.

He still remembered the look of resentment on that guy's face when he checked Anya's necklace after they came out of the underground castle.

"This is just a rumor, don't say I told you. I heard that the whole forest thing was actually a dating party organized by Jason for Anya, and the Green family and Mayor Anya's family were already on good terms."

They weren't exactly childhood sweethearts, but at least the adults were quite close.

He probably thought he was finally going to have a deep conversation with the campus queen, but you swooped in and beat him to it. I wonder how furious he'll be... You'd better pray for yourself today.

Freckled Guy spoke in a sarcastic tone.

He wasn't gloating, but rather because Anya's father was the town mayor, and with Anya protecting Ji Li, even if Jason was unhappy, there was nothing he could do to him.

Ji Li listened to these gossips with twitching lips.

Singles parties, campus queens... what kind of nonsense is this?

Finding a woman requires a party to celebrate, and you have to be a queen in a place where a bunch of kids are running around... Is this how ordinary people in this world are, or is this just how White Island is?

He rubbed his temples, watching a bald, bearded teacher walk into the classroom, and the surrounding noise subsided.

Today's literature class has begun.

The course content seemed to refer to an ancient text, excerpted from the work of a literary master, a masterpiece based on mythological origins.

Ji Li had no interest in this, his mind was filled with the logical calculation frames of the Ascension Protocol. He casually picked up Freckled Brother's pen and scribbled on the book:

According to Felin's memories, she used to call herself a pioneer, but she used the pseudonym "World Tree" and left her mark in Red Maple Town.

Yuk High School is a trace he left behind: a spiritual place.

It may now exist on campus as Limbo, or "Avalon," requiring a triggering medium to detect.

The high school's emblem design has a graphic connection to the World Tree, and the emblem was designed by the Green family, the school's board members.

In other words, the Green family must have had contact with their past selves, or at least with things related to their past selves, otherwise they wouldn't have left behind such a pattern.

So besides the school's archives, we should also investigate the Green family... Since Anya's father, the mayor, has connections with the Green family, we have a starting point.

But should we go directly to the Green family and investigate their violence?

Hmm... We're in stealth mode now, so it's best to minimize exposure.

This class isn't very interesting. I'll call Anya to go to the archives room to take a look later.

The logic grid in his retina vanished rapidly. Ji Li raised his wrist to check the changes in the spiritual circuits, to see what the tomb keeper was doing now.

He was observing from the shadows by the riverbank and in the bushes.

What are we observing?
Ji Li continued to decipher the changes in the circuit text, his gaze slightly narrowing:
Observe the awakened one; he is wary.

In other words, this murder case is indeed related to the Awakened Ones, and could it be a problem caused by the underground castle?
No, the awakened people he's seeing now have nothing to do with the murder case. These people are probably investigating the murder case; they are...

A patrolling knight.

(End of this chapter)