High School of Demon Hunting

The moonlight shimmered across the rippling sea, dancing and flashing in the water, forming countless tiny flecks of light. Through the transparent magic barrier, it looked like a captivating starry sky.

The light descended gently from clear to soft, then blurred, and finally obscured, with luminous pearls adorning the surroundings spreading the misty moonlight, giving the entire market a ’daytime feeling’ distinctly different from the surface.

Walking on the white, soft sandy ground, Zheng Qing couldn’t take it all in.

Although he was quite knowledgeable and it wasn’t his first time at the Quankela Fair, he still felt dazzled. As the saying goes, "The diversity of colors blinds the eye." Last time, he was busy watching the Sea Tribe warriors with long halberds, the slender swimming fish, and the massive sea whales, rarely focusing on the static sceneries.

This time, he suddenly noticed the uniquely splendid colors of the colorful coral trees on the seabed.

"Welcome to the Quankela Fair."

A melodious voice like a clear spring falling on rocks sounded beside the guests. A beautiful Merman greeted the guests with a smile, "—This fair is hosted by the Jiaoren Clan. If there’s any dispute during the transaction, feel free to find the nearest Merman, and we will be happy to assist! We hope you find satisfactory goods here and enjoy your shopping, returning with a full load!"

It must be said that having the Merman as the market overseer is more satisfying than the goldfish or crabs from last time.

At the very least, it’s pleasing to the eye, isn’t it?

"Where can I buy Shark Silk?"

Looking at the flowing sleeves of the Shark Silk blouse on the female Merman, Zheng Qing couldn’t help but ask — even in the wizard world, Shark Silk is surrounded by many legends. For instance, the wizards of Europa believe this fabric is woven from the thin morning mist over the sea by the Merfolk using magic; wizards who roam the sea year-round think the fabric is woven from the ’pearlescent treasures’ collected from the seabed by the Merfolk; while Zheng Qing, being a student at the First University, inclined more towards the encyclopedia’s explanation that Shark Silk is woven using pure seawater and precious seaweed fiber, after repeated pounding and rubbing, and finally woven with magic.

In any case, all said and done, it indicates that this is a very precious fabric. Most of the time, it can only be bought at the aquatic fairs, which is also the largest trade item at the Quankela Fair every year.

According to Zheng Qing, besides clothing shops like ’Snail Ancestor’, ’Yunxiangyi’, and ’Ground Brush’, which purchase large quantities of Shark Silk every year, accessory sellers ’Shepherdess’, and cosmetic sellers ’Linjinghua’ also buy a lot of Shark Silk — the former uses Shark Silk for hairpins, the latter uses it as fabric for face masks.

Therefore, Shark Silk is in short supply year-round.

Sure enough, upon hearing the warlock’s inquiry, the female Merman showed a slightly helpless expression, "Sorry, dear guest, Shark Silk is a regulated item by the aquatic, and to purchase it, one needs to submit a purchase order before the fair opens..."

Zheng Qing let out a small sigh.

"I understand, I understand, no worries." He nodded agreeably, looking around for his companions, only to see a few guys huddled not far, whispering, while Jiang Yu was staring dazedly into the distance.

"What are you looking at?"

He walked over to the witch, following her gaze, and saw giant jellyfish slowly floating by outside the barrier. Their transparent bodies flickered with enchanting colors under the mottled moonlight, like elves in the sea.

"—Indeed very beautiful." The boy praised sincerely.

"What?"

The witch snapped back to reality, noticing the warlock’s gaze, and let out a silent laugh, "No, I wasn’t looking at those jellyfish... Just now, I seemed to see a familiar figure, but the color was off."

When she mentioned the color, her expression turned a bit peculiar, her tone carried a hint of uncertainty, and she finally mumbled something softly, shaking her head, and didn’t continue.

Zheng Qing slightly withdrew his gaze, focusing on the bustling crowd nearby but saw no familiar faces. What caught his eye instead, was a dark green crab waving a bouquet of magic flowers, looking somewhat familiar.

"Most of the attendees at this fair are from the school’s wizards, so bumping into a few acquaintances is nothing unusual." The warlock comforted the witch, then turned his head towards the rest of their companions, "But those guys—"

He drew out the tone a bit.

Paused a moment.

Then slightly raised his voice.

"You guys!"

He waved at Xiao Xiao, speaking with a slightly negotiating tone, "Are you guys browsing with us or going to buy your stuff? I remember Fat Man needed to buy some mang grass, right!"

Doctor Xiao sneered, whispering some retort to the side.

It vaguely sounded like ’as expected’.

Zheng Qing pretended not to catch his lip reading.

"Not buying, selling!"

Xin Fat Man, without any hidden agenda, simply corrected Zheng Qing’s wording: "—I stocked up on some mang grass earlier, planning to sell at Quankela. Indeed not the same route as you guys."

Mang grass is a herbaceous plant native to Jian Mountain, resembling crabapple with red leaves, and can poison fish. In other words, it’s a poisonous plant highly detrimental to the aquatic, which also makes them eager buyers, willing to pay a high price for this magical plant.

After clearly expressing a desire to act alone, the Fat Wizard looked at Doctor Xiao, who was ready to leave with him, then at Zhang Ji Xin, seemingly indifferent and intending to wander with Zheng Qing. He shook his head, kindly reminding, "I remember the elders always wanted to buy some Huaimuguo, right? It’s said that Quankela has a place that sells them... Do you want to come with me to check it out?"

Huaimuguo, shaped like a crabapple, has round leaves with red fruits the size of a papaya. When consumed by humans, it increases strength. Ever since Zheng Qing accidentally ’consumed’ the spirit seed of ravens, boosting his physical strength significantly, the Red-faced Male Wizard, known for his physique in the hunting team, felt challenged and occasionally indulged in ’diet therapy’.

As expected, at the call of the Fat Wizard, the previously laid-back Zhang Ji Xin’s eyes lit up.

Then he showed a trace of confusion.

"Isn’t Huaimuguo’s main production area Zhongqu Mountain? Who would sell such a thing at an aquatic fair!" His tone bore a touch of cautious inquiry.

"No wonder you’re the only one still single in the hunting team!" The Fat Wizard muttered, grabbing his arm, "Stop talking nonsense! Come with me! I’ll show you where to buy it!"

"What do you mean I’m the only single one!" Half-reluctant, Zhang Ji Xin was being dragged away, his complaints still audible from afar, "Not counting Lin Guo who’s underage, and Shi Yuan, that little monk... Does Blue Bird have a girlfriend?"

"Blue Bird’s sword is his girlfriend! Also, when did you come down to competing with minors and monks?"

Zheng Qing listened to their clamor.

Feeling a black line forming in his mind.

The witch beside him watched the scene with a cheerful smile, seemingly amused.