Chapter 196: Indirectness

Chapter 196: Indirectness

Lan Jiaying's intention to draw public attention had been fully achieved. Everyone was keenly interested in the fact that a human had somehow ended up in the Demon Realm.

"A human who accidentally wandered into the Demon Realm? Impressive."

"I'm a little envious of that human, being able to interact closely with demons and exorcists alike."

"How did he even get there? Did he just get sucked into a black hole while walking down the road?"

Upon hearing this, the Dean exchanged a meaningful glance with the exorcist instructors nearby. The teachers whispered among themselves, while the surrounding students engaged in hushed discussions.

Vice-Dean Shi Mo commented, "If he personally consents to it, we naturally have no objections."

"The question is, how did he accidentally end up there?" the Dean inquired.

The demons from Class One, having been instructed by Feng Luo about Lu Qingtao's situation, had prepared a unified story.

Lan Jiaying explained, "According to him, he was simply walking when he suddenly found himself in the Realm of Devils, unaware of when the surroundings had transformed."

The dean and the surrounding exorcists fell into contemplation.

Shi Mo said, "Afterward, can we ask him some questions about the demon world?"

"Of course not a problem."

Wen Ying grumbled inwardly. It was the same as not asking at all. Would the exorcists refrain from questioning if they didn't agree?

"The summoning ceremony will end here for today," the dean said, about to instruct someone nearby to inform the live streamer. Ye Wang flew over and stopped him.

"Is there anything else?"

Ye Wang gave Wen Ying a veiled glance. "I suddenly remembered something. I hope to clarify it through the live stream to humans."

This sudden matter left the exorcists a bit uncertain.

The dean nodded. "That's a small matter."

Ye Wang took the microphone, and the live stream camera switched to focus on him.

"Dear human friends, I've noticed a cultural misunderstanding. It seems your attention is rather fixated on our pointed ears and tails."

"I guess we got caught red-handed. How embarrassing."

"Someone's gaze was a bit too intense; tone it down a bit."

"It can't be us in the live stream, they must have noticed those watching in person."

"Captured on the spot, toes curling in embarrassment."

"Well," Ye Wang paused, "in the Realm of Demons, prolonged staring at a demon's ears or tail signifies affection, especially among acquaintances. If it's a stranger, staring would be akin to whistling at a passerby on the street."

"When unsure if a demon likes you, never attempt to touch their ears or tail. An uninterested demon might take it as harassment, while one who likes you might think you're...," Ye Wang hesitated, searching for a delicate way to put it, "inviting them to... procreate."

"Hahaha, that demon is so adorable! That conflicted expression on their face is hilarious."

"Is this demon really that innocent?"

"The key is in what they said. You're focusing on the wrong part! The demon culture is quite harsh, isn't it? We can't just casually touch them? I was hoping to make friends with a demon someday and, after getting familiar, ask to pet their ears."

"Laughing my head off, touching someone's ears either gets you beaten up or dug out – the price is too high."

"If it looks really good, then why not? I'm fine with either choice."

"Listen up, I think a single punch from a demon would knock you out."

"We need to make the demon think we have some class."

Standing aside, Wen Ying listened to Ye Wang talk about demonic culture. Although he had been the one to ask, he still felt as if an arrow had hit his knee – a metaphor for awkwardness.

The embarrassing moments in the arena kept replaying in his mind, making him curl his toes and feel like ants were biting his body.

Fortunately, Wen Ying sensed the disappointment and frustration from the students on the scene, which helped alleviate his own embarrassment – he could now touch Beros's ears freely, while they couldn't.

Ye Wang's words evidently reminded Beros of the incident in the arena, not just for him but also for the students of Class One. Some demons laughed tauntingly, while others ridiculed them.

Several demons were looking in the same direction with smiles on their faces, a noticeable gesture for those with keen observation.

Following the line of sight of these demons, they realized that they were looking at the Demon Mirror.

The Magic Mirror Demon, who had been smiling and gentle all along, now wore a faint frown, suggesting a less than pleasant mood.

"Did those demons just look at the Magic Mirror Demon?" someone whispered.

"It seems like it."

"Doesn't it strike you as odd? The way those elite demons are behaving toward a Magic Mirror Demon is rather peculiar, isn't it? Are they the problem, or is there something wrong with our textbooks?"

After Ye Wang finished discussing this aspect of demon culture, he signaled to the staff that the live broadcast could be ended.

Viewers of the live stream watched in dismay as a reporter entered the frame, speaking clearly and fluently, "That's all for today's live coverage from the Exorcist Academy. Goodbye, dear audience."

"Wait! I want to catch another glimpse of Nine-Tails' breathtaking beauty!"

"I want to see the little cat again!"

"I want to see... "

And then, the live stream went black.

The live broadcast for the day had concluded, and now it was time for the visiting journalists and other staff to depart. Usually, they would hurry off, but today they were dragging their feet, taking their time to pack up equipment and belongings. Many couldn't help sneaking glances at the nearby demons.

All the demons from Class One had been summoned, and they had contracted with thirty students. Now, the subsequent academy procedures should commence.

The headmaster and teachers dismissed the rest of the students to go have dinner, as it was almost seven o'clock, and everyone was still hungry.

"The enrollment procedures can be discussed in detail after dinner," the headmaster said. "Let's all head to the cafeteria first."

An exorcist suggested, "We've asked the chef to prepare some dishes from the Demon Realm; let's see if they suit your taste."

"Dishes from the Demon Realm?" Wu Fei blurted out his thoughts. "Do you have ingredients from the Demon Realm?"

Wu Fei's frustrated remark left a deep impression on the exorcists present. This demon seemed to possess particularly strong morals.

"Even if we managed to obtain some, there wouldn't be enough for everyone," an exorcist chuckled and shook his head. "We do intend to engage in a trade for Demon Realm ingredients with you all."

Without ingredients from the Demon Realm, how could they recreate its cuisine? Wu Fei couldn't wrap his head around it. Actually, Demon Realm dishes weren't particularly unique; it was the exotic ingredients and the use of magical energy in cooking that made them special...

If they meant that their chef would also use magical energy to cook, then that would make sense.

Assuming he had found the answer, Muershi sensed an unsettling feeling. He exchanged glances with Essence.

The demonic fairy tugged on Muershi's sleeve and whispered, "My eyelid is twitching."

"I feel it too."

Ye Wang didn't join them. He had left.

The thirty students who had made contracts with demons also came to eat together.

Being newly acquainted, they were still somewhat reserved. Sharing a meal would help build rapport.

At first, Berlos didn't think much of it. But the moment he stepped into the cafeteria, Wen Ying's words resurfaced in his mind. She had mentioned that the Devil King had entrusted her with a preliminary plan for infiltrating human thoughts.

Wen Ying had approached the exorcist organization as an employee of the Demon Realm's Court of Judgment or under some other ambiguous identity.

These exorcists wouldn't have mentioned "demonic cuisine" out of the blue. Their confidence suggested they had seen it with their own eyes...

Seen it with their own eyes? Berlos suddenly paused. Wen Xinxin asked politely, "Did you forget something?"

Beros shook his head and then cast a subtle glance sidelong at Wen Ying, who averted his gaze.

Some demons who had anticipated this scene beforehand felt a sudden shift in their mood.

A demon hunter chuckled and said, "This is our cafeteria. The island is quite large, so we built a separate building for it. The first floor has regular serving windows, the second floor offers regional specialties and snacks, while the third floor has private rooms. We'll head straight to the third floor."

The demon hunters keenly sensed that the emotions of some of the demons seemed to have abruptly changed. They couldn't quite put their finger on it, but there was definitely a difference in the atmosphere within their imposing group.

With curiosity lingering, the demon hunters led the demons in several batches to take the elevator up to the third floor.

The Exorcist Academy's cafeteria was luxuriously decorated like a hotel, and Wen Ying looked around curiously, full of anticipation for what was to come. His spirit was high, as if little flowers were blossoming around him.

"Seems like you're in a great mood?" Lu Qingyuan whispered.

"Just use my name," Wen Ying smiled, "I am in a good mood."

"Why?" Lu Qingyuan asked.

Wen Ying leaned close to Lu Qingyuan's ear and said, "You'll know soon enough."

Boros fixated on Lu Qingyuan, his blood-red eyes narrowing slightly with dilated pupils.

Other students who had also contracted demons couldn't help but envy the swift progress of Lu Qingyuan's relationship with the Mirror Devil.

A demon hunter led them to a spacious private room. It was large enough to accommodate several dozen people.

"Normally, the cafeteria also hosts birthday parties and such, so there are many big private rooms like this," Lu Qingyuan explained.

Huang Yangsui was amazed, as if a country bumpkin had just entered the city. He whispered to the demon next to him, "So..."

"I'm Wei Er."

" Wei Er, is your cafeteria back home as big as this one?"

Wei Er surveyed the area. "It's smaller than this."

After all, the Lucifer Demon Academy was situated in the capital where land was precious. Its size couldn't compare to the exorcist academy on an island.

Everyone took their seats inside the private room.

Wen Ying sat down, and Lu Qingyuan took a seat beside him. Beros sat on the other side of Wen Ying. Noticing that no demon had taken a seat next to the Cerberus, Wen Xinxin hesitantly approached and sat down.

"Everyone must be hungry. Let's skip the formalities and have the kitchen serve the food directly," the Dean said cheerfully. Immediately, staff members began to bring in dishes.

The Dean, Vice-Dean, and other senior teachers were already aware of the appearance of tonight's dishes, so they were prepared, but the students were not. As they watched plate after plate of "demonic cuisine" being served, they all sat stiffly in their seats.

Wu Fei saw the Aludra-style dishes on the table and gaped in astonishment. Recalling something, she abruptly turned to look at Wen Ying—the smiling Demon Mirror.

"As expected…" Muershi murmured under his breath.

Lan Jiaying caught sight of the food and turned his head to look at Wen Ying, anger flickering in his eyes. With outsiders present, he dared not show too much, or else he would have been fuming with rage.

This guy was sullying the image of the Demon Realm! This certainly wasn't the cuisine of the Demon Realm!

Unfortunately, the Dean and the others were unaware of the situation. Seeing that the demons weren't touching their food, they assumed it was due to politeness. Thus, they forced smiles and warmly urged them to eat, enduring their disgust towards the Demon Realm dishes.

"Please don't be shy, the kitchen prepared plenty. Treat this place as the Demon Realm, no need to be formal."

"We aren't sure about your appetites, so we've started with these. If it's not enough, just let the kitchen know to serve more."

Some students noticed that the demon they had contracted was fixated on the Demon Mirror, and many other demons seemed to be doing the same. Confused, they inquired, "Why are all of you watching him?"

Strange, could it be that this first meal must be tasted by that lower-ranking demon? Even if demons followed dining etiquette, wouldn't the strongest one be the first to start eating?

The principal and the others also observed Wen Ying quietly. One teacher asked, "Aren't you going to take off your mask to eat?"

Wen Ying touched his three-dimensional mask. "Sorry, can I have a separate bowl to eat in my dormitory? A few days ago, there was an issue with my potion-making, which made my sense of smell overly sensitive. Without the mask, the mixture of various scents around me would cause dizziness, and in severe cases, fainting."

The teacher was startled. "Is it that serious?"

Vice-Principal Shi Mo said, "Of course, treat this place as your own home. Qingyuan, go get him a takeout box."

Lu Qingyuan stood up. "Sure."

Muershi and Essence looked at Wen Ying with resentment, but he paid them no attention.

Wen Ying refused to remove his mask in front of humans and even requested that they address him as Wen Jing. Persephone pondered over this fact.