Full-Time Magister: Dark Throne

Chapter 42 Qingtian Hunting Grounds, Genius Girl Leng Lingling!

After passing Jing'an Temple and walking along the lush and flower-lined avenue, you will find an old street with a strong Republican-era charm.

The cobblestone path was polished to a shine by the shoes of hurried travelers, and the afternoon sun cast dappled shadows on the white wall through the leaves.

Time seems to have stood still here, with the whispers of that era still lingering.

At the end of the old street, a black signboard creaked as it swayed gently in the breeze of the alley.

He An leaned closer to take a look, and saw four powerful characters written on the sign: Qingtian Hunting Grounds!

It's obvious at a glance that it's the work of a master who has been immersed in the art of calligraphy for many years.

Under the sign is an old teahouse with a style that combines Chinese and English elements. At the entrance, a little girl with pigtails is sitting on a stool, holding a case analysis book, frowning, and swinging her little feet in frustration.

This must be Leng Lingling, the genius girl from the original story!

"Hello, I am————" He An greeted her with a smile.

"Are you looking to place a commission? Our Qingtian Hunting Grounds are not accepting commissions right now. If you have nothing else to say, please leave." The little girl didn't even look up and started to see He An out.

"Can't you let people finish what they're saying?" He An said helplessly.

"Then you speak," Lingling said, but her eyes seemed glued to the case file and wouldn't move.

"I'm here for an interview. Dean Xiao of Mingzhu Academy should have sent a letter of introduction to your grandfather. You can go and ask him," He An explained.

"You're going to be a demon hunter for our Azure Sky Hunting Grounds now?" The little girl finally looked up from the case file and raised her face to look at He An.

Her small, jade-white face was facing He An, her eyes slightly red and swollen, indicating she had just been crying.

Lingling stared at He An with her slightly reddened eyes and asked in confusion, "Didn't Dean Xiao tell you about what's been happening at our Qingtian Hunting Grounds lately?"

He An was slightly taken aback, then shook his head hesitantly.

Dean Xiao didn't really say anything to him, but after learning that he was also a hunter mage, he wrote him a letter of recommendation, asking him to come here part-time and to do his old friend a small favor.

Considering the recent events at the Azure Sky Hunting Grounds, Lingling's crying, and the current timeline, could it be the death of the Cold Hunting King?

He An pondered silently in his heart, recalling the details from the original work.

As a transmigrator familiar with the plot, he knew exactly what had happened to the Cold Hunter King.

Qin Zhan, the Cold Hunter King, was the seventh generation of Chinese Hunter King who won the once-every-ten-year World Hunter King Selection. Due to some reasons, he tracked down the Red Demon and was later killed by the Red Demon. He became part of the Red Demon Yi Qiu's preparations for the ritual of ascending to the Evil Saint King.

In the original story, after the Cold Hunter King dies, his soul will become one of the eight souls that will help Mo Fan achieve the position of Evil Saint King.

But this shouldn't be the case. Why would Dean Xiao ask him to help investigate the cause of Cold Hunter King's death?

Cold Hunter King was one of the best among the super-level mages. The fact that Cold Hunter King was killed must have involved an extremely powerful force. What could a mere mid-level mage like him possibly do in such a situation?

There are probably other hidden things here.

"Lingling, has anyone come to make a request?" Just then, an old man's voice came from inside the shop.

"Grandpa, they're here for a job interview. They said Dean Xiao from Mingzhu Academy sent you a letter of recommendation," Lingling said into the house before continuing to look down at the book.

For her now, nothing is more important than that book.

"I'm sorry, this child's father and senior apprentice have been missing for the past few days, and he's been a bit emotionally unstable. Please forgive him if he has offended anyone." An old man slowly walked out of the shop, gently fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan in his hand.

"I understand." He An nodded.

The disappearances of both the father and the senior apprentice within a short period of time would inevitably cause anyone to become emotionally unstable.

"You're the student from Mingzhu Academy that Lao Xiao recommended for the interview, right?"

The old man welcomed He An into the shop, poured him a cup of tea, and asked gently.

"Yes, I am the hunter mage that Dean Xiao recommended for the interview."

He An nodded in agreement, and was about to introduce something else, but was stopped by the old man.

"Dean Xiao has already explained your situation in detail in the letter of introduction, so there's no need to say anything more." The old man squinted, a strange light flashing in his cloudy eyes.

"My surname is Bao, you can just call me Old Man Bao from now on." Old Man Bao looked at He An with a smile. "Our Qingtian Hunting Grounds usually doesn't recruit mid-level mages, but we're really short-handed lately, and you have Dean Xiao's recommendation, so let's give it a try."

"This is the small favor Dean Xiao asked you to do for me. You can take a look first. The reward for the task will be given to you by Dean Xiao along with your prize from the Beast Fighting Tournament. You'll definitely be satisfied." Old Bao rummaged through the cabinet behind the bar for a moment, then took out a file wrapped in kraft paper and handed it to He An.

The palm-leaf fan in his hand had been replaced by a pipe, which he was smoking with a "puff puff" sound.

He An took the file with both hands, untangled the knotted thread, and took out the documents inside to examine them carefully.

Old Bao stood quietly beside him, smoking.

For a moment, the old man, the young man, and the child in the hunting lodge reached an eerie balance. The entire lodge was extremely quiet, with only the crackling of sparks and the turning of pages echoing through the room.

"Why me?" After reviewing the file, He An remained silent for a moment before asking Old Man Bao.

"Why not you?" Old Bao took a puff of his pipe, exhaled a puff of pale blue smoke, and laughed.

"Why are you so sure I'll accept this commission after seeing this? You know, even as an apprentice, the risks involved are not low." He An ignored Old Man Bao's joking question and simply said calmly.

"We haven't decided yet, child." Old Bao shook his head with a smile. "Whether you accept or not is entirely up to you, but Old Xiao and I have always been good at judging people, and you are that kind of person."

"Okay, I'll take this commission." He An slammed the file on the table expressionlessly.

The photo, which was partially obscured by his hand, was clearly taken from a candid angle. It depicted a grand gathering, with a figure in a blue robe standing in the very center, delivering a passionate speech.

The blue-robed deacon of the Black Vatican!

"Don't worry, the real hunting work will be done by the Inquisition. You just need to use your Shadow element to gather intelligence for us." Old Bao said with a smile, looking at the file that had been slapped on the table.

He An: ————

He seemed to have heard the same thing from a teacher a few months ago.

"Besides those senior brothers and sisters who are capable of hunting demons alone, only Lingling doesn't have a partner yet. Sigh, Lingling's partner has changed again and again these days. I hope you can persevere a little longer." Old Man Bao patted He An's shoulder and sighed deeply.

"Now that we've become partners, let's get to know each other properly." He An walked up to Lingling, smiled, and bent down to extend his right hand to her.

"Hello, my name is He An."

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