Magic High School.

Yi Lian instantly realized something and asked, "What did your eyes see?"

"A demerit and the destruction of the treasure."

"Hiss... I finally understand why he broke down..."

Chapter 24 Dormitory Hot Pot

The originally enthusiastic atmosphere at dinner time was actually a bit of a downer.

Xiaoye kept wiping her knife, while Yilian slumped weakly on the stool.

Even Valerie, looking at the abundance of ingredients, seemed to have lost her dreams. Li Ge saw the girl pouring chili peppers into the bowl.

In fact, Li Ge had made a lot of preparations for today. For example, he specially went to the school mall to find all kinds of seasonings.

Today he was going to make hot pot because the team members all had different tastes. Li Ge had normal human tastes, but Yi Lian had a very light palate, while Xiao Ye could eat anything but would complain if she didn't like it, and Valerie was not picky about food.

So Li Ge decided to make a hot pot, the real reason being...

It's simple. Everyone can adjust the seasoning to their own taste. That way, even if it doesn't suit your taste, it's just that you made a mistake in the seasoning. Li Ge won't take the blame, and it has nothing to do with showcasing your skills.

But now, that good mood is almost gone.

"A senior who's about to drop a grade and whose magic weapon is broken is using us as an emotional dumping ground. We don't need to care, but it also shows that the school's exams are very important," Li Ge said casually.

“Let’s eat, especially you, Valerie. Don’t take him too seriously. He’s the kind of guy who’d slap any dog ​​that walks by. Even if you didn’t bump into him, he’d probably still be sarcastic if he saw your school uniform and badge,” Yilian added.

Actually, he couldn't wait any longer. He couldn't stand the school food after only a week and needed to change things up.

In addition, this dish contains cabbage and bean pods that I and Li Ge carefully prepare every day, so we can't waste them.

However, before he could finish speaking, he saw Li Ge and Xiao Ye throwing the prepared ingredients into the pot.

"Why do they look down on us?" The silly girl was still a little disappointed.

It's not just that I caused trouble, but also that others blatantly looked down on me.

"Hey, let me tell you, it's precisely these guys struggling on the verge of dropping a grade who look down on the yellow and red dorms even more. Isn't that strange?" Yi Lian immediately grabbed a large bag of cabbage leaves and put them in her bowl.

"On the contrary, those true academic superstars with an average score of 90 or above don't care about this stuff at all. I know a senior with an average score of 93, and most of his classmates are from yellow dorms, and there are even some from red dorms."

Yi Lian continued talking about the information he had received, and it seemed that he had burned his mouth while eating, as his entire mouth turned into water to cool it down.

Li Ge was slightly surprised. So, this kid often talked about his intelligence network. Was it that senior with an average score of 93? Or was it someone else?

"Ignore those kinds of people. As long as we get over 90 on both the monthly and midterm exams, we'll be promoted to the Blue Dormitory." Xiaoye seemed completely unconcerned about the previous little incident; in fact, she was the least concerned about it.

"It's not just about the yellow and blue distinction, but also why do the traditionalists look down on us so much?" Valerie seemed to turn her grief and anger into appetite, and began to eat voraciously. Then she forked the meat that Li Ge had just put in, and ate it regardless of whether it was cooked or not.

Li Ge: "..."

He could only continue throwing the meatballs he bought into the pot, quickly picking up the last piece of meat from before, and adding, "That's more normal. After all, the learning cycle of the traditionalists is too long. They always have to give themselves hope, even if it's just self-deception. They have to believe that the hardships they endure will definitely allow them to completely defeat the Noble Phantasm-based build in the future."

"Otherwise, they'll be driven mad by those forbidden magical knowledge." Li Ge felt like she'd lost her mind after just one glance at the teleportation spell catalog.

Calculus, spatial geometry, spatial topology... and this is just one spell of teleportation. For traditional junior mages, they probably encounter countless pieces of this kind of forbidden knowledge every day. They would probably find advanced mathematics quite easy to understand.

“Li Ge is right. The atmosphere within the traditional faction is actually quite strange. They both look down on the Noble Phantasm Department and are jealous of its combat power. It's a real internal conflict. After all, many people in the traditional department aren't actually that smart; they only joined because their Noble Phantasms are too weak.” Yi Lian suddenly forked a meatball and, like a thief stealing a chicken, grinned as she put it into her bowl.

Yilian continued eating as she spoke: "I also saw a senior from a traditional department crying while looking at a textbook called 'Case Studies of Noble Phantasm Evolution,' then cursing 'heretical' before putting the book back."

"So don't worry about it. Just do well on your monthly exams and try to get into the Blue Dorm after the midterms. Maybe when you come in, you'll even see that senior being kicked out of the Blue Dorm."

After hearing this, Xiaoye also remarked, "Yeah, so this is just traditional science students being jealous to the point of impotent rage."

She used to think that only the smartest people dared to enter the traditional departments, but now she realized that some people weren't smart, but their Noble Phantasms were too weak, so they had no choice but to enter the traditional departments.

Valerie nodded, seemingly less disappointed: "I think I understand. It's like back in my hometown, the orcs next door always call us knights 'tin cans,' but if they have a set of armor, it's more precious than anything else to them... Ouch! That's spicy!"

Li Ge: "..."

No, girl, you've been showing off chili peppers like they're candy all this time, I really thought your race didn't have a sense of spiciness anymore.

It seemed that from this moment on, the atmosphere returned to normal, and the previous little incident was completely over.

Ultimately, he's just a traditional student. He's probably still learning theoretical knowledge in his second year, and it's questionable whether he can even cast the most basic illumination spell.

It's completely incomparable to their Noble Phantasm Division, which has already formed a basic fighting force.

If anyone dares to challenge him to a fight in the training ground, Li Ge, as a support character, will consider himself clean if he doesn't beat him so badly he'll cough up his dinner from the night before.

This is the advantage of the Noble Phantasm Department: it's quick to learn and you can quickly develop basic combat power. After that, you just need to upgrade your Noble Phantasm to the genuine version and try to evolve it.

The promotion speed is fast, the combat power increases significantly, and in the future, the Noble Phantasm can be evolved into a divine weapon, which is not inferior to the upper limit.

The only drawback is that the Noble Phantasm build can't be a versatile warrior; it can only rely on overwhelming force.

But this is a problem with individual Noble Phantasms, not with the Noble Phantasm system. If there really were a wheelchair-bound Noble Phantasm that could be used in any situation and could be used without thinking, then it would also be a versatile warrior.

However, they still decided to get to know that senior better and, if possible, give him a warning.

“By the way, my intelligence network sent me a message. His name is Chang Gong, nicknamed ‘Third Brother.’ He received a major demerit for cheating on the last exam. Not only will he fail a grade, but he might actually be expelled. And the method of cheating is… a magic potion?” Yi Lian suddenly asked, somewhat puzzled.

Chapter 25 Don't underestimate my intelligence network!

"Wait a moment, let me ask what the potion is," Yilian continued.

Seeing that Yi Lian had put down her chopsticks and started fiddling with her watch, Li Ge finally understood where this kid's strange intelligence network was.

He probably infiltrated a news department or paparazzi group and got along well with those guys who were always looking for big news stories.

"By the way, how many points did this intelligence cost?" Li Ge asked casually.

After all, we can't let our good brother suffer too much.

"No, I didn't spend any money. On the contrary, I earned 5 points. I sold the information about Longbow's [Destroyed Noble Phantasm], and they were all very interested. They even paid me extra." Yi Lian said with a grin.

Li Ge: "..."

He probably realized that Yi Lian wasn't just selling this information; he was also likely adding other miscellaneous information, including the Jeep details, to his intelligence network.

Therefore, other members of the intelligence network would also do things for him and share intelligence.

Meanwhile, apart from Valerie, who was frantically scooping meat out of the pot, Li Ge and Xiao Ye exchanged a glance and both noticed the problem.

Magic potions, disciplinary actions, cheating, destruction of magical artifacts...

Xiaoye's brows were furrowed, a clear indication of her disgust.

For some reason, this girl seemed to have a strong aversion to all kinds of medicine.

However, Li Ge also discovered that the school didn't seem to have many medicines. Apart from the instructor who had previously tried to sell him the Nine Dragons Power, there were very few medicines available in the school store.

This is actually quite normal. The Noble Phantasm-focused class mainly focuses on developing Noble Phantasms and honing combat skills, while traditional science relies on learning knowledge. A mage's rank advancement mainly depends on their control over spiritual particles. After mastering the basic spiritual particle gathering, it seems to be more a matter of proficiency.

I wonder if the esoteric disciplines are tinkering with any strange or unusual drugs. At least on the surface, the school doesn't seem to have many pharmaceutical products. It appears that the school encourages everyone not to rely on drugs, but to improve themselves through their own efforts.

Perhaps it was because a former principal had suffered greatly from the effects of drugs, or perhaps it was because he had faced a group of opponents who relied heavily on drugs, or perhaps he had encountered a group of people who only wanted to take shortcuts by taking drugs... Li Ge couldn't help but think to himself.

There's no way around it; ever since their academic classes were taught by professors specializing in unofficial history, they now instantly blame any problem they can't figure out on a certain principal.

"Received. Was the intelligence response this quick? It's a potion that can greatly enhance perception and mental strength, drastically improving everything from Noble Phantasms and basic spells to memory. According to my intelligence network, the potion can even overclock one's Noble Phantasms... Wow, I think I've figured out how that Longbow-senpai's Noble Phantasm got destroyed." Yi Lian instantly revealed a gloating expression.

"Hiss..." Li Ge also gasped.

Xiaoye gave a "I knew it" look, and then seemed to no longer care about the matter, silently pouring all the remaining meat and vegetables into the pot.

“No wonder this information can sell for 5 points…” Yi Lian said. He was surprised to receive 5 points when he sold the information about the damage to Senior Longbow’s treasure. He wondered how this little rascal could be so valuable.

Unexpectedly, the valuable thing wasn't this loser senior, but the news of the damaged treasure.

“I reckon starting tomorrow, the news that Senior Longbow’s Noble Phantasm has been destroyed will probably spread throughout the entire school.” Yi Lian revealed a gloating expression. “And you might actually be right about Li Ge. He might not only not be demoted, but he might be expelled directly.”

"Doesn't the school care about potions?" Xiaoye suddenly asked.

“I didn’t know before, but I definitely will now.” Yi Lian revealed a meaningful look in her eyes, smiling like a Shiba Inu.

Without needing to be explicitly stated, Li Ge and Xiao Ye instantly understood what it meant. Perhaps it was because they had been working together for a week, but the three of them had become increasingly in sync, and often they could understand each other's meaning with just a glance.

Yi Lian's intelligence network is very likely related to the academy's higher-ups, but it's unlikely to be a direct connection; rather, it's probably an indirect connection through private informants or similar means.

"So, what riddles are you discussing now?" Valerie, with her clear-eyed yet foolish expression, leaned closer and asked.

"It's alright, the meat is cooked, eat up." Xiaoye immediately forked a lot of meatballs for Valerie.

She immediately forgot about the riddles they had been exchanging and said, "Xiao Ye, you're so good to me!"

After a satisfying meal, Xiaoye and Valerie needed to return to their dorm.

"Please take care, sir! How was the service today?" Li Ge couldn't help but spout nonsense again.

“Delicious!” was Valerie’s reply.

"So-so." That was Xiaoye's reply.

"Tsk..." Li Ge suddenly felt that he had figured out the girl's mentality. The words she used were usually in a positive sense.

See you at the training ground tomorrow.

"Okay, see you tomorrow."

……

Just as Li Ge and the others were thinking about tomorrow's training, on a tower hundreds of meters high in the academy, there was an office surrounded by starlight.

"Headmaster, the final test results are in. This potion can completely destroy other people's Noble Phantasms," a very capable young man in military uniform said to Vice Headmaster Moriarty.

"I understand. Have we found the source and channel for this potion?" At this moment, the vice principal, who was usually incredibly flamboyant outside, now had a terrifyingly gloomy face, like a cheetah about to pounce, bloodthirsty and furious.

"We've completely eliminated the distribution channels, but we haven't found the supplier yet. Furthermore, this potion has more than just this one side effect; it also forcibly corrupts a person's inner self, making them forever dependent on the potion and ultimately turning them into a strange creature. In our experiments with lab rats, they eventually become a monster somewhere between a carbon-based life form and a soul-based life form..."

"The Experimentation Department calls them Meme Monsters! And the destruction of these fantastical creations, such as Noble Phantasms, is only the first step in turning them into Meme Monsters."

The senior student in military uniform continued his report, and then the image of the laboratory appeared on his watch.

A seemingly mentally challenged white mouse gradually went mad, twisting and turning into a screeching mess of gibberish, its flesh peeling away like icing.

The vice principal's face grew increasingly contorted, his hands clenched so tightly his nails seemed to dig into his flesh: "So far, 58 children have been affected..."

"Feel sorry……"

"It's not your fault. This kind of potion only really took effect at the end of last semester... By the time it was discovered, it was already out of control." No matter how angry he was, the vice principal knew he couldn't lose his temper right now.

“We still don’t pay enough attention to or have enough information about ordinary children. How is the previously agreed-upon ‘informant plan’ progressing?”