Translator: Exodus TalesEditor: Exodus Tales
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
âShould we approach her right away? I feel sheâs no longer the Ding Yumian we know,â the teacher with white brows spoke up.
âHer evil tendencies are too strong, If âm not mistaken, she must have killed Dean Lee and the others,â Dean Xiao judged.
âDean Xiao, I still donât understand. Not many people knew about Ding Yumianâs power. How did she become Councilman Zhuangâs weapon against the sea monsters?â Wei Rong asked him.
âDean Lee must have told Councilman Zhuang about Ding Yumianâs power,â Dean Xiao sighed. He added, âDean Fu had been keeping Ding Yumianâs information confidential, despite the pressure he was under. After he died during the battle at Huangpu River, the school struggled to decide on how to deal
with Ding Yumian.â
Disaster-bringers like Qin Yuâer and Ding Yumian were constantly on the Heresy Judgment Courtâs radar.
Dean Fu used to be Ding Yumianâs protector. He had made sure she could stay in the Pearl Institute without being harassed.
After Dean Fu died, Dean Lee took over his role, including the arrangements for special students like Ding Yumian.
âThis is a forged document. The other schools never gave their permission, but Dean Lee somehow prepared an official document that said Ding Yumian has been expelled!â Dean Xiao took out a copy of a document.
âIt looks just like a real one,â the teacher with white brows observed.
âExactly. Dean Lee is in charge of the recruitment and expulsion of students with special circumstances. Even if we voted against his decision, he could still forge this document,â Dean Xiao agreed.
âDoes that mean Ding Yumian was given the document before she became a weapon? Wouldnât that make her homeless?â Mo Fan blurted out in surprise.
Ding Yumian had always treated the Pearl Institute as her home. It was the protection she needed from the biased world.
To their surprise, someone had taken it away from her!
âItâs not hard to guess that Dean Lee forced Ding Yumian into a corner and suggested a plausible way to save the city on behalf of the school. He was pressuring her to sacrifice herself for the greater good.â
âIsnât that the same as how the people in the past sacrificed innocent women to the Sea of God?!â
âIt made a lot of sense. The primary condition to become an Undead was hatred. If Ding Yumian willingly sacrificed herself, she would not have any resentment. Even if the place she died at had a strong aura of death, she wouldnât become an Undead,â the professor of the Undead Element agreed.
âDean Xiao, what are we supposed to do now?â
âWe must find out the truth. We should visit the place where Ding Yumian killed herself,â Dean Xiao declared.
Dean Xiao seemed to have a solid plan on how to deal with the situation.
âWhat about the towerâ¦â Wei Rong turned around and looked at the sea of Undead that had swarmed into the Lujiazhui District.
âThereâs nothing we can do!â Dean Xiao said decisively.
âThe sea had fallen a great distance away. The group could walk across the area that used to be underwater. Even the sand of the shallow areas was exposed, and they could even see the slopes that used to lead to the water.
The bottom of the slope had dried up too. Professor Shi was intrigued by the sight of it.
âDid Ding Yumian do this, too?â Professor Shi looked into the distance.
He could see the water had retreated several dozen kilometers away. The white waves continued to retreat like an army that had given up on invading human territory.
âTm not sure. Professor Luo, can you find the place where Ding Yumian turned into an Undead?â Dean Xiao was not concerned about unrelated matters.
âItâs not far from here,â Professor Luoâs eyes glittered.
They soon arrived at an area where the sea breeze was absent. The water was perfectly calm, as if it had frozen.
They found an island of coral reefs. The part that was exposed above the surface was only ordinary rocks, but the part under the water formed huge colorful coral reefs. It was like a colorful tree hanging upside down in the water, dyeing the surrounding waters with colors.
âThis is it,â Professor Luo stated.
The group went onto the island and immediately sensed a strong presence of death circling the place like a wind. It did not fit the tranquil scenery on the island.
âSpirit Communication!â
Professor Luo suddenly raised a hand as his eyes glowed brightly, allowing him to see the tiniest details around him.
A faint blue light appeared on Professor Luoâs palm. It gradually spread out and revealed a wandering spirit.
The spirit was glowing weakly. It was a wandering soul that had yet to evolve. It was like a timid creature that did not dare to leave its habitat, nor did it dare approach the group of human Mages.
âDean Xiao, itâs a fragment of her soul,â Professor Luo said softly, as if he was afraid of startling the spirit.
The others quickly withdrew their Auras after seeing Professor Luoâs reaction, making themselves look friendly.
The spirit was like a little girl whose mind had not matured. She was observing them timidly, like she was going to run away at any second.
âYou guys were close to her when she was still alive. She will remember you if you talk to her, but make sure you donât scare her,â Professor Luo said.
âHow should we address her?â
âJust call her name.â
âWei Rong was the first to approach the spirit. The tough and bulky bloke had suddenly become a gentle and compassionate man.
He recalled the time when Ding Yumian was first enrolled at the school. He also mentioned the interesting things that had happened at the Fire School. Wei Rong was Ding Yumianâs mentor, and he had taught her most of the spells and abilities of the Fire Element.
Wei Rong was fondly recalling the memories at first to convince the spirit he was friendly, but he teared up halfway.
Wei Rong had watched Ding Yumian grow up as her mentor. She was quiet and shy at first, but she gradually became optimistic and was willing to join more group activities. She eventually became a Super Mage the school was very proud of.
How did she end up like this all of a sudden?
She was now a lingering soul, the soul that had remained in the world after she died.
She could have shone as brightly as a blossoming flower at the Pearl Institute!