Chapter 225 – Free Ride

Chapter 225 - Free Ride

Wen Ying felt that watching the foreign exorcists in person was more impressive. Acsifa's school uniform leaned towards a Western wizard design, which was inherently fitting for an exorcist. It was simply too perfect.

There were only seven of them. Wen Ying pondered that this might be because their entire academy could only select these seven. They had to possess both strength and appearance that made others feel inferior.

Wen Ying's phone rang. He glanced at the caller and created a barrier around himself to block out the sound. Amidst the lively scene, he picked up the call with his eyes fixed on the crowd.

"From the outside, there's nothing unusual about that luxury cruise ship," Kirishino's voice came from the other end of the phone, "The guests on board have just started to disembark in batches. There doesn't seem to be any suspicious characters among them."

Wen Ying replied, "Keep monitoring for a while longer. Let the demons below disperse and tail any passengers who disembarked and seem suspicious. Report to me immediately if anything abnormal occurs."

"Understood."

Muershi glanced sideways, "What were you talking about that you needed to shield us?"

Wen Ying put away his phone, "Nothing important... What the hell?"

His tone suddenly rose, and Muershi turned his head back. Essence appeared to have been standing in the path of the Acsifans without anyone noticing. She greeted them with a bright smile.

"Wen Ying gasped in admiration. 'He came up with a plan that quickly?' Indeed, as expected of a succubus."

"A demon here? Didn't the teachers try to stop it?"

"Hiss... They can't be seriously planning to use a seduction tactic on a demon, can they? A succubus is really susceptible!"

"It must be an exception for the succubus. It's part of their demonic traits, I suppose."

In the blink of an eye, Essence blended into the Acephali, chatting and laughing along.

Wei Er tilted her head. "Can Essence really handle this? He won't be taken advantage of, will he?"

The witch fairy Koroy burst into laughter, slapping her staff where she sat. "Wei Er, you're too naive. He's almost an adult demon; why do you still think like a child?"

Wei Er looked slightly confused. Koroy covered her mouth, chuckling meaningfully. "Essence has been holding back a lot in the Human Realm lately."

To complete the task of gaining the humans' favor as the Demon King, Essence had been rather subdued recently.

Wen Ying reached out to pat Wei Er's head. "It's nice for a little kitten to be innocent."

Boros fixed his gaze on Wen Ying's hand, making the latter feel uneasy and instinctively withdraw it.

The academy guide led the Acesfa group to the guest dormitory, with Wen Ying and the others following behind. Wen Ying watched helplessly as Essence joined them, entering the building just like one of their own.

Muershi asked enthusiastically, "Eavesdropping?"

Wen Ying's eyes lit up. "Yes...listening..."

Boros covered Wen Ying's mouth, his tone calm. "Not listening."

Muershi seized the opportunity to tease. "Tsk tsk, what's the point of having a boyfriend if you can't even enjoy the fun."

Wen Ying felt that there might be some truth to that, but when he lifted his gaze to look at Boros's face, Boros noticed and deliberately twitched his ears.

Wen Ying immediately regained his resolve. It was better not to witness this particular amusement.

Muershi clicked his tongue. "Tsk."

What was it with demons raised in the human realm and their fascination with ears? He didn't have any, after all.

Muershi suddenly felt a twinge of regret. If he had ears, he would undoubtedly sacrifice them to lure Wen Ying along for some amusement.

For Muershi, sacrificing his appearance for pleasure was entirely worthwhile.

He rubbed his head, let out a long sigh, and reached out to grasp the end of Koroy's magic staff, pulling her away with him.

"Wen Ying," he couldn't help but say, "Koroy is a girl, isn't it inappropriate for her to join you in seeking this kind of fun?"

Muershi turned back to glance at Wen Ying, his expression a mix of emotions. He seemed to want to laugh but also held back from speaking.

Koroy, in turn, tugged on Muershi, urging them forward. "If we delay any longer, there'll be no fun left to see."

Muershi immediately quickened his pace, and in a few strides, the two devils were out of sight – no, three devils, as Wei Er had followed them.

Wen Ying scratched his cheek, pondering over the meaning behind Muershi's earlier look. Was there something wrong with what he said about Koroy being a girl and not suitable for eavesdropping?

Unable to figure it out, Wen Ying looked towards Berlos.

Berlos replied, "Return to your cultivation, Wu Shaluo is about to reach adulthood."

Wen Ying proudly puffed out his chest and raised his chin high. "My great-grandmother already has a solution."

Boros thought of Aruda's abilities and realized that it was he, not Wen Ying, who needed to work harder on cultivation. He turned around and silently walked back.

That night, Wen Ying called Boros to join him in the cafeteria, but Boros declined, saying he wanted to practice and wouldn't be going out.

Probably provoked by Aruda, Wen Ying thought as he left the dormitory.

On his way to the cafeteria, he didn't encounter any demonic classmates. When he went upstairs to buy food, he heard a voice greet him from beside him.

"Hello."

It was a slightly stiff and rhythmic pronunciation of the Huaxia language. Wen Ying turned his head and saw Hai Lige with his golden hair, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He discreetly observed his surroundings – only Hai Lige was there, no other Asaph students, and Essence was nowhere to be seen.

In the afternoon, Essence had clearly been chatting the most with Hai Lige. Until just now, Wen Ying had assumed Essence was heading towards him.

"Hello," Wen Ying nodded slightly. "Aren't you with anyone else?"

Hai Lige shook his head. "They said they wanted to explore the surroundings. I got hungry halfway through and came here to eat."

Hai Lige took a step forward, his smile bright and warm as the sun, his golden hair and eyes making it difficult for anyone to feel wary. They instinctively relaxed their guard.

"You're the Magic Mirror Demon who makes magic cards, right? I absolutely adore the cards you sell – they're truly magical," Hai Lige exclaimed in an admiring tone. "I had no idea that Magic Mirror Demons possessed such incredible abilities, capturing a portion of an Upper Demon's essence and aura onto a single card."

"Your hair and eyes are beautiful too, very divine."

...Such sincere eyes and expression. Even with his guard up, Wen Ying felt himself floating on air from the compliments, his entire body relaxing as he smiled back. "You flatter me."

"No," Hai Lige stepped closer, his enthusiasm undiminished, his golden gaze sincere. "I mean it. Your eyes are more beautiful than the stained glass windows illuminated by light in a church. You would be more fitting to stand in a church, beneath the statue of a deity."

The students around Hai Lige sounded alarms in their minds at his words. No attempt was made to conceal his intentions as he openly flirted with their academy's demon. He looked so innocent and pure, yet he was shameless!

A girl standing behind Wen Ying pretended to chat with her companion, her voice loud enough for everyone to hear. "Isn't it inappropriate to use the word 'divine' when talking to a demon? Isn't that an insult?"

Hai Lige didn't spare them a glance, his saintly handsome face still beaming.

This person was truly radiating, Wen Ying marveled inwardly.

"I'm not particularly interested in churches," Wen Ying said apologetically. "Sorry."

"You really have a great temperament," Hai Lige's eyes curved into a smile. "Can we be friends?"

Wen Ying's tone held a hint of amusement. "Sure, as long as you don't have any ill intentions."

Hai Lige seemed oblivious to Wen Ying's subtle meaning and his smile widened. "They'll definitely be envious when they find out we're friends. You look more like an angel than a demon, and your aura is just as divine."

The voices of the surrounding students grew louder.

"Don't demons hate angels? I don't understand why someone would mention in front of their friend something that their friend dislikes, and even compare their friend to it."

Hai Lige pretended to be deaf to their comments, showing no sign of embarrassment.

Wen Ying ran a hand through his hair. "Actually, in the demonic aesthetic, white hair signifies ugliness. In terms of looks, I'm far from being ranked in the demon world."

Muffled gasps could be heard from the side, half-stifled by their owners or by those around them.

Hai Lige exclaimed, "Incredible! In our aesthetics, your hair and appearance are absolutely top-notch."

"One of those guys who takes the 'sycophant class,' huh?"

"Why isn't Cerberus here today?"

"I can't bear to watch anymore. Does anyone have Cerberus's contact information?"

"It seems like none of us do..."

Hai Lige suddenly took a step back, looking a bit embarrassed. "Sorry, I got a little excited. Did I disturb your meal?"

Wen Ying shook his head and bought a bowl of noodles from a nearby window. Hai Lige ordered the same as Wen Ying. The chef, who had been staring at Hai Lige with disinterest, whispered to him as he handed over the noodles, "Hey, he has a boyfriend."

The previous conversation, or rather, the one-sided admiration from the blond foreigner, had made the chef cringe.

Hai Lige chuckled. "I just want to be friends with him."

The chef mumbled under his breath, "I hope so." Otherwise, if Cerberus were to kill someone here, they would have a hard time explaining it to the Aesfa Academy.

Wen Ying sat down at an empty table with his noodles, and Hai Lige naturally took the seat across from him. "By the way, I wanted to ask you something."

"Hmm?"

"Demons, like your demonic classmate, do they have feelings for humans?"

Wen Ying kept his thoughts hidden behind a composed expression. "I'm not too sure."

Hai Lige was straightforward. "I'm a bit troubled. My companion seems to have developed an interest in a demon, and it appears the feeling might be mutual. But I'm unsure if your demonic classmate is looking for a casual fling or something more serious."

Hearing Hai Lige, with his pristine face, utter the words 'casual fling', Wen Ying felt a mixture of emotions.

That face didn't seem to belong with that concept.

"Essence's situation is rather complicated," Wen Ying said cautiously. "It depends on circumstances."

Throughout the meal, Hai Lige took the initiative to start conversations, smoothly switching topics when Wen Ying ran out of words. The atmosphere made Wen Ying feel incredibly at ease.

Truly, he was a Prince of Holiness, skilled in social interactions.

Wen Ying didn't need to feign enjoyment – his genuine happiness set off alarm bells among the surrounding students.

Finally, the one they had sent to summon Cerberus brought him over. When Bellerophon appeared at the entrance of the second floor, the entire cafeteria was seized by a chill that seemed to pierce their souls.

A chill ran down his soul, yet he felt a warmth enveloping his body.

Wen Ying waved at Beros, "Beros, Hai Lige said he can take us to play on that luxurious cruise ship."

Beros approached. As he walked past, the students held their breaths, trying their best to minimize their presence.

Wen Ying pulled Beros to sit beside him. Hai Lige's smile froze slightly. The aura was terrifying. The figure opposite seemed to transform into the silhouette of a bloodthirsty beast, with crimson eyes as cold as ice.

In his self-generated illusion, a massive beast opened its cavernous maw to devour him, causing Hai Lige to break out in a cold sweat.

The students trembled, yet they were inwardly thrilled, watching the thrilling scene with wide eyes.

Hai Lige, under immense pressure, forced a smile and said, "He seems to have a lot of hostility towards me."

What a formidable person, the surrounding students marveled.