High School of Demon Hunting-Chapter 1504 - 248: Three Flowers Bloom

"Why are you crying?"

"Does it hurt somewhere? What’s your name? Where is your home?"

"Are you also looking for your mommy and daddy?"

"Stop crying!"

"Such a big person still crying, how embarrassing! I’ve known not to cry in front of others since I was three! ...Stop crying, I’ll show you something nice!"

The little witch’s incessant chatter echoed in Zheng Qing’s ears. The young scholarship student raised his arm, covering his eyes for a long time, until no more tears seeped through the gaps between his fingers, and a radiant smile bloomed on his lips.

"Why did you suddenly start laughing?" Zhu Si’s uneasy voice rang out again: "...suddenly crying and then suddenly laughing, you really do seem like a lunatic from the legends."

Zheng Qing lowered his hands from his eyes, revealing slightly reddened rims.

"You don’t know who I am?" he asked, attempting to sit up, with a hoarse voice.

"How strange!" The little witch watched him warily, the leaves of the Mystical Grain on her wrist clashing noisily: "You find a stranger passed out in the forest, would you really know who he is?"

Stranger, upon hearing this word, Zheng Qing felt a surge of bitterness welling up inside him again.

"My name is Zheng Qing." He caressed the Red String on his wrist and softly replied: "I’m a student from the First University. I’m here to find a friend and take her home. She has been lost in this World for a very long time."

"This forest indeed makes it easy for people to get lost." The little witch sighed, sitting down on the grass next to Zheng Qing against the old oak tree, idly picking a mushroom from the roots and tearing at its cap: "Even though I’ve been here for a quite a while, sometimes I still can’t find the way... Many times, I’ve nearly forgotten what I came here for."

"What did you come here for?" Zheng Qing asked at the right moment.

"Me? Of course, to find my mom... and also my dad!" Zhu Si replied without hesitation.

"Are they in this forest?"

"They should be... I guess." The little witch also didn’t seem too sure about this question, her face reflecting a hint of puzzlement: "But I’ve been searching here for so long, they should be nearby."

"I’ve told you my name, you should tell me yours."

"I am Zhu Si."

"Zhu Si, why do you think your mom and dad are in this forest?"

"Because my dad likes Mice, he raised so many Big Mice at home, and all my stuffed toys look like Mice... And there are lots of brown Mice in this forest."

"Then how did you find this forest?"

This time, the little witch stayed silent for a long time. She furrowed her brows, seemingly retracing her origins in her memory. It wasn’t until after a while that the mushrooms with long necks under the oak tree began to emit a faint glow on their heads, and the shrubs in the forest were tinted with a dark green. The night breeze swept through, bringing with it a hint of chill.

The little witch shivered, her previously lost gaze regaining focus.

And then she saw Zheng Qing.

"Who are you?" She sat up nervously, her large, round eyes wide open. She held up a small mirror in her hand, pointing it at Zheng Qing, her round little face full of caution: "Why are you sitting next to me... Shh, keep it down, there are many monsters here, and they eat people!"

A sob came from Zheng Qing’s throat, sounding both like crying and laughter.

"I am Zheng Qing," he answered with a muffled yet clear voice: "I came to help you find your mommy and daddy... Do you remember the Mystical Grain leaves on your wrist? Those were a gift from me."

...

...

"It’s different from the real world."

"The biggest characteristic of Dreamland is the intertwining of illusion and dream."

"When people are half-asleep, it’s very difficult to distinguish between reality and dreams, and that is the truest part of Dreamland."

In the depths of the Wusa City Museum’s grand hall, Elder Atar met again with the young Hunters from the Absolution Hunting Team. Seated behind an ivory-colored lectern, he exuded a kindly demeanor with bright eyes: "...Illusions and dreams are reflections of certain hidden thoughts deep within people’s minds. The existence of these thoughts sustains the existence of Dreamland. When these thoughts are strong enough, and supported by some sufficiently powerful energy, the fantasy can become reality."

"So, what you mean to say is, our captain has gone to ’a place he really wanted to go’?" Xiao Xiao sharply grasped the implication behind Elder Atar’s explanation.

"You could say that." The old man nodded and glanced at Blue Fatty standing behind Xiao Xiao.

Banna was at the back of the crowd, ’replenishing his energy.’ As he had eaten a bit too hastily and choked, he had just taken out a small bottle of Green Bee to ease his breath.

Noticing the old man’s gaze, the fatty was stunned for a moment, then raised the small bottle in his hand.

"Would you like some?" he asked politely.

The old man leaped out from behind the ivory-colored lectern with agility beyond expectancy, snatched the small bottle, and his wrinkled face curled into a smile: "Don’t mind if I do... Ah, it’s been so long since I had the school’s Green Bee, this taste is truly unforgettable."

The young Wizards looked on, dumbfounded.

The room fell silent for a few seconds.

Xiao Xiao, stutteringly, asked the question he had just wanted to ask: "If... if the captain went where he wanted, how can we, how can we find him?"

Old Atar smacked his lips, taking a satisfied breath: "The main body of Dreamland is made up of familiar dreamscapes for everyone. But apart from these common dreams, there are also many individual ’unique’ dreamscapes... You can think of them as separate planets in this universe."

"Just as it’s difficult for us to traverse the Starry Sky and find that unique planet among the dazzling stars. Without a clear signpost, it would be hard for you to find that unique dreamscape among the boundless Dreamland."

The hearts of the young Wizards immediately sank.

...

...

The Shatake bird flock spread their wide wings anew and surged into the colorful sky.

The Ancient Leather Giants growled deeply in their throats, waving their clubs, smashing the random rocks in the hillsides to and fro. The purple spiders pressed their bellies to the ground and bowed low, ready to welcome their master’s arrival.

Only those Zu Ge carrying gifts and offerings remained huddled in their grass nests from beginning to end, trembling with fear.

Nikita and Zhuzhu walked out of Wusa City.

A robust Zu Ge, fawningly crawled to the feet of the Female Demons, carefully thumping his chest, inquiring about the whereabouts of the three Elders, and what to do with the offerings behind him.

"Back to the Mystical Forest," the Female Demon mounted the proud purple spider, lowering her eyelids, gazing at the brown Mice-like creatures crawling in the mud: "I want you to gather all the Zu Ge from every tribe and search for the Little Witch who left the camp that day."

She pointed at Zhuzhu.

The Little Witch immediately puffed out her chest, showing her face around: "See? Look for this face!"