Versatile Mage (Web Novel)
chapter-272

Translated by Xephiz

Edited by RED

"The Black Vatican conducts experiments on evil arts, and represent a huge threat to humanity. It's the truth that we all know. We have our lines, too. The test subjects are usually criminals who were given a death sentence. Although it does go out of control sometimes, we've managed to clean the mess up in the past without hurting anyone.

"Qiu Yuhua, you're too stubborn. How could you say we're evil, too? We're inventing. In the past, there were only a few Elements that existed. Our ancestors did a great job exploring and discovering new Elements. Having a new Element would significantly help our country, and all of mankind. Are you only going to realize how weak humans are when the demon beasts are consuming us like poultry one day? You're not the only one being irrational! Besides, magicians have an obligation to sacrifice for their country when needed!" General Lu Nian held his stance.

"Whatever you say. All I know is that he doesn't belong to the military. You have no right to order him. I've asked Dean Xiao regarding this matter too, and he will never agree," Qiu Yuhua had no intention of wasting his time further with Lu Nian.

"Alright, that's enough. It's extremely difficult for you two to meet, and you're still arguing when you have the chance. Let's enjoy the tea, the authorities will decide for us," Dean Song He from the Imperial College, who was sitting between them, said.

"Dean Song He, we should discuss the training." Qiu Yuhua totally ignored General Lu's existence as he spoke with Dean Song He.

"Oh, I've made the preparations. Do you still remember Jinlin City?"

"Why does it have to be there..."

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Training missions were extremely important for magicians who were still studying. Even if the schools did not force the students to participate in the missions, those who strove for excellence would still organize them for themselves. How could they not try to gain experience if they were thinking of becoming an expert?

During the meeting for the exchange students, Dean Song He represented the Imperial College to explain the details of the training mission.

The students from the Pearl Institute and the Imperial College would be undertaking their mission at the same place, thus they were attending the same meeting.

"The training this time will be held at Jinlin City, located in the Yangtze Plain," Dean Song He informed them.

"Jinlin City? Why haven't I heard of the place before?" blurted out Qingqing, who was quite a geography expert.

She was quite a genius, with an impressive memory. She clearly remembered the name of every cities in the country, but she had never heard the name Dean Song He had mentioned.

"This Jinlin City is quite special. It was wiped off the map around fifteen years ago," Qiu Yuhua said calmly.

"Wiped off from the map?" The students were astounded. They had never heard of any city being wiped out!

Besides, what did it actually mean when a city got wiped out?

"Fifteen years ago, the are close to Dongting Lake was caught up in a great disaster. The over-populated demon beasts swarmed toward Jinlin City, which was relatively remote. Luckily, a magician found out what was happening while in the midst of his training in the countryside. He immediately asked the government to evacuate the people of Jinlin City.

"On the second day, the entire city turned into a feast for the demon beasts after it was overrun. Those who could not evacuate in time were buried there forever." Dean Song He could not help but feel emotional when he mentioned the past events.

As a matter of fact, the magician that had discovered the disaster was Song He himself. However, he was not willing to share his past, as it was too much of a tragedy.

When Song He mentioned this, some of the students who were familiar with history remembered some things.

Some records which were not revealed to the public did briefly mention the disaster at Dongting Lake fifteen years ago. However, no one from their generation knew about the city that had disappeared fifteen years ago.

"So that means Jinlin City is a desolate city?" Xu Dalong asked.

"That's right. Ten years ago, it was like the paradise for the demon beasts. Even the magicians from the military did not dare to take the risk to annihilate them. However, according to the latest information from the hunters, most of the beasts at Jinlin City have disappeared, as if they had moved to another place for some reason…

We did carry out an investigation, and confirmed that the number of beasts has significantly decreased. It was not as terrifying as it used to be," Dean Song He said.

"So that means, we'll be training at that abandoned city?"

"I want you to collect data from the city." Dean Song He took a sip of his tea before continuing. "Even though the demon beasts are gone, there are still many species of them wandering in the city. I want you to gather as much information as you can, counting the number of Servant-class creatures and Warrior-level creatures you've stumbled into."

"Just collecting data?" Shen Mingxiao asked.

If they only needed to collect data, it did not seem too difficult.

"We are planning to write a proposal to evaluate the possibility of reconstructing Jinlin City. The Imperial College and the Pearl Institute are working together for this, and so the data you will be collecting is extremely important. In order to prove our point, we need to evaluate the danger of the city that has been abandoned for fifteen years."

Mo Fan did not think it was an easy task after hearing the explanation.

The city was incredibly huge. In order to collect accurate data, they would need to spread across the city.

In that case, the chance of being detected by the beasts was clearly higher, and they could easily find themselves being surrounded by beasts...

The danger level of the mission at the desolate city would be similar to the Blood Alert disaster that the Bo City experienced. It was not as easy as hiding in the safe zones. If they went too deep into the demon beasts' territory, it would be the end of their lives!

"Dean, you are asking us to count the number of Servant-class and Warrior-level creatures. How about the Commander-level beasts?" Luo Song asked naively.

"Oh, if you stumble into a Commander-level creature, it would be quite impressive if you managed to make it back alive," Dean Song He said in a rather calm voice.

Everyone instantly felt a chill down their spine hearing his response.

Basically, Jinlin City had turned into a demon beasts' den, and a place like that would always have Commander-level beasts. If one or two of them decided to move, their mission would be extremely dangerous.

It was said that the Commander-level creatures were incredibly perceptive. Even a giant bird flying across its territory a few hundred meters up in the sky would still be eaten alive.

"There is so much you can do on your own. I hope the students from both the Imperial College and Pearl Institute are able to work together to ensure that everyone will return safely in one piece!" Dean Song He encouraged them calmly..