Why is my anime art style so weird?

"Isshiki-senpai, do you know who's behind this? And what is this evil ritual?"

Xu Ming pressed for more information.

"Junior, sometimes knowing too much isn't necessarily a good thing."

Isshiki Satoshi gave him a meaningful look.

Xu Ming shook his head.

"Isshiki-senpai, thank you for your kindness. However, I've already been dragged into this. Rather than running away, it's better to find a way to thwart this conspiracy..."

"Sparashi! Junior, you're the second most interesting newcomer I've ever met!"

Upon hearing Xu Ming's answer, Isshiki Satoshi became excited.

"You remind me of the time when Chuangzhen first came to Polaris Dormitory. That's wonderful!"

I'll tell you everything I know!

Isshiki Satoshi looked at Xu Ming with great admiration in his eyes.

Xu Ming never expected that Isshiki Satoshi would compare him to the Medicine King.

His idea was actually very simple.

Firstly, he needs to solve a large number of bizarre events to obtain bizarre points, so that his sister can obtain a body that is similar to that of a normal human.

Secondly, the mastermind behind this is capable of manipulating public opinion, so their influence must be considerable. Now that he already knows some of the inside story, would they let him go? They would definitely try to silence him.

There's no escaping it; the only way to survive is to thwart the conspiracy and eliminate the mastermind.

Upon hearing Isshiki Satoshi begin to reveal the mastermind behind everything, Xu Ming immediately sat up straight.

"Everything that happened at the Totsuki Tea House was a conspiracy by Azami Nakiri!"

For some reason, Xu Ming was not surprised at all by this answer.

"Your junior doesn't seem surprised at all."

Isshiki Satoshi asked with some surprise.

Xu Ming stroked his chin.

“I had some suspicions before, and the anomaly at the Totsuki Tea House started when Azami Nakiri returned, so he's probably the prime suspect.”

Isshiki Satoshi had an "I see" look on his face.

Xu Ming certainly wouldn't tell him that Azami Nakiri was the main antagonist in the later part of the original work.

As for the later characters like the Medicine King's brother and the Midnight Chef, they were simply tools used by the original author to pad the plot. The original work was so badly damaged in the later stages that it was almost canceled.

"That devil, cough cough! What exactly is Azami Nakiri trying to do?"

"I do not know either."

"what?"

Xu Ming looked at him speechlessly.

Isshiki Satoshi spread his hands, looking helpless.

"I was killed shortly after I began my investigation. So, junior, you'll have to investigate on your own."

Chapter Eighteen: A Series of Missions

Just then, the first rays of morning sunlight pierced the horizon outside the window, their golden rays splitting the dark night sky like a sharp sword reaching for the heavens.

Upon seeing the ray of sunlight, Xu Ming breathed a sigh of relief.

The living yearn for light.

At this moment, Xu Ming suddenly noticed that Isshiki Satoshi, who was sitting opposite him, was gradually becoming blurry, as if she were a bubble about to dissipate.

"Isshiki-senpai?"

"Junior, I don't have much time left, so I'll keep it short. Although I don't know what Azami Nakiri is trying to do with his evil ritual, I have managed to uncover some clues."

Isshiki Satoshi quickened his pace.

"You can go to the following five locations to investigate: Office Building 4, Zoo, Castle Keep, Fairy Tale Castle, and Chinese Cuisine Research Association. My previous investigation revealed that these five locations are related to the evil rituals performed by Azami Nakiri."

At this moment, Isshiki Satoshi's body appeared increasingly ethereal, with white starlight constantly emanating from it.

He spoke at breakneck speed, and Xu Ming had to concentrate all his attention, not daring to be distracted for even a moment, just to barely make out what he was saying.

Xu Ming also memorized those five place names.

Finally, Isshiki Satoshi was reduced to a blurry, indistinct figure, from which he pulled a stone slab from his robes.

“Junior, this is something I stole from Azami Nakiri. It seems to be the key to the ritual, you must…”

Before Isshiki Satoshi could finish speaking, he turned into specks of light and vanished into the air.

clang!

The stone slab fell to the floor.

Swish!

A ray of sunlight shone through the window, completely dispelling the darkness in room 205...

Xu Ming took out the emergency medicines he had put in his backpack beforehand.

First, I washed the wound on my palm with unopened mineral water, disinfected it, applied antibacterial ointment, and finally bandaged it.

While treating his wound, waves of excruciating pain struck, causing Xu Ming to grimace in agony.

This was just a cut caused by a fruit knife; the wound wasn't deep.

Xu Ming couldn't help but gasp when he thought of Tadokoro Megumi's self-harm.

That was a real penetrating wound, deep and long, and it would definitely require stitches during treatment.

This country girl can be terrifying when she gets ruthless!

Contrary to her weak and shy appearance, her inner strength was so great that even Xu Ming had to admire her.

After treating the wound on his palm, Xu Ming walked over and picked up the stone slab from the floor.

This stone slab looks very strange.

It is about the size of a palm, round in shape, and its edges are covered with all sorts of strange runes, which look a bit like ancient Japanese and a bit like Sanskrit.

The strangest thing is that there is an even smaller circular depression in the middle of this circular stone slab.

The recessed area was very smooth, as if some component had once been installed there and had now been removed, and this stone slab was the base.

Xu Ming also discovered some dried bloodstains on the back of the stone slab.

The owner of these bloodstains is very likely...

Ding!

Just then, a system notification sounded in Xu Ming's mind.

Upon opening the system panel, a series of messages immediately popped up.

—Obtain the key item 'Blood Moon Roulette'!

—The trial mission 'Transfer Student at Blood Moon Academy (Half-Star)' has been completed, mission settlement in progress...

—Completion rate of the bizarre event: 90%!

—With a completion rate exceeding 90%, congratulations, host! You will receive an additional reward!

—Gained 10 Strange Points (200%)!

—Received bonus reward: A Spirit-Sniffing Phone (upgradeable)! (Claim now?)

—The host has completed the preliminary bizarre events, and the chain of bizarre events 'Blood Moon Academy' has officially begun!

—The currently open branches are:

Chinese Culinary Research Association (Half Star)

Office Building No. 4 (One Star)

Zoo (One Star)

Fairy Tale Castle (1.5 stars)

Castle Keep (1.5 stars)

—After completing all the branching bizarre events, the final bizarre event 'Blood Moon Cycle (Two Stars)' will be unlocked.

—Note: Completing the chain of bizarre events 'Blood Moon Academy' will reward you with a large number of bizarre points and additional rewards.

Xu Ming was overwhelmed by all the information, but there was only one thing he cared about most.

—The host has completed the trial mission, and the 'Personal Abilities' panel has been officially unlocked.

Xu Ming immediately put all other information aside and directly opened the 'Personal Abilities' panel.

The previously dimmed 'Eye' and 'Hyakki Yagyōshō' branches have now fully lit up and are now operable.

Xu Ming immediately asked:

How do I make a pact with the 'weird'?

—Once the target agrees, the corresponding amount of mysterious points will be paid to sign the contract.

"Alright! I want to sign a contract with Kasumigaoka Utaha!"

Xu Ming said impatiently.

—The target has accepted your invitation and begun comprehensive calculations…

—Calculation complete. Signing a contract with 'Kasumigaoka Utaha' will cost 1000 Strange Points.

"Silk! Why is it so expensive?! System, are you making a profit off the price difference?!"

Xu Ming couldn't help but gasp.

—This price is calculated based on the target's current soul strength level and soul potential level.

—'Kasumigaoka Utaha's current soul strength level is 3 (vengeful spirit), and the predicted soul potential level is 6.

—This system absolutely does not engage in any price gouging.