Chapter 877: 70. The wind takes away whispers
The “students” gradually left the classroom.
Some left with excitement, while others felt regretful.
After people had left, Dean Lawrence walked into the classroom.
“Your lecture was fantastic,” he sincerely praised, “I think this class will surely be on tomorrow’s newspaper headlines.”
“I won’t give a second lecture,” Lu Li calmly looked at him.
Dean Lawrence’s expression froze, and hurried footsteps were heard from the corridor outside the door.
Professor Daisy Schmitz burst in, panting as if asthmatic, and said to Lu Li and Dean Lawrence, “Nuno is not going to make it…”
“I’ll go see him.”
Lu Li said and walked out of the classroom.
Professor Daisy Schmitz returned to the side of Dean Lawrence, whose face was clouded with uncertainty: “Did the lecture fail?”
“It was very successful.”
“Then why did you…”
“He only intended to give this one lecture,” emotion faded from Dean Lawrence’s face. “Perhaps His Excellency Lulian is displeased with me.”
“Perhaps,” Professor Daisy Schmitz sighed.
“Do you also think I was wrong?” Dean Lawrence’s sensitive nerves were once again touched, flashing through all he had done these past days, all his efforts, and the things he obtained through pleading for them—
“No, we are all very grateful for the efforts you’ve made, including Caesar and Nuno. I think His Excellency Lulian would feel the same way.”
“But he refused—”
“Isn’t that normal?” Professor Daisy Schmitz patted Dean Lawrence on the shoulder. “His Excellency Lulian is someone of this era, yet not belonging to this era, he is different from us… Besides, he has his own matters to attend to.
“Let’s go, we should pay Nuno one last visit.”
After leaving the empty classroom, they learned that Lu Li had already departed by carriage.
“His Excellency Lulian and Nuno’s relationship is closer than ours,” Dean Lawrence still muttered reluctantly, “If it were Nuno’s request, perhaps he would agree?”
“Nuno wouldn’t do that.”
“Why?”
“He respects Lu Li.”
“As do we.”
“It’s different, it’s more like… faith.”
…
Lu Li once more arrived at the hospital. There was no crowd gathering, just many eyes watching, wondering if this handsome man with black hair and black eyes surrounded by knights was the rumored Exorcist of recent days.
Upon reaching Professor Nuno’s ward, Professor Caesar, who heard of Lu Li’s arrival, came out of the ward, stopping him.
“Be prepared, it might be somewhat… cruel.”
Sorrowful, Professor Caesar stepped aside from the doorway.
Lu Li walked into the ward, the windows tightly shut, the air filled with a tangy odor akin to burnt parchment.
Professor Nuno lay on the hospital bed, his body outside the blankets showing a form of lignification, his aged skin like tree bark, as if carved into a wooden statue.
“What has he been infected with.”
“A plant curse,”
answered Professor Caesar, who closed the door behind Lu Li.
“It’s not the First Calamity, but a Cursed Bloodline originating from plant entities.”
“Plant entities?”
“They inhabit the surroundings of the Old Thunderfall Castle; a strange group akin to trees, their seeds parasitize on passersby—”
“The curse… weakens the sense of pain… craving for food, but… each breath… turns you more like a tree…”
The sound was like the rustling of the wind through the forest, as Lu Li lowered his eyes and saw Professor Nuno opening his eyes, the fibrous eyeballs resembling mothballs used in closets.
“Glad… that in my last moments of life… I see you…”
The rustling was clearer than before, as if they were conversing in a Maple Forest.
Lu Li thought of the plant plague and patients he encountered in Luo Lei Castle when he was controlled by the Rope of Descent.
Professor Nuno’s eyes moved woodenly, but he saw nothing.
“Tell me…”
The voice disappeared amidst the rustling of wind in the forest.
Severely lignified, the stiff arm, hanging like tendril-like roots, slowly lifted, becoming slower and more laborious—
The hand, unable to lift any further, was held by a slender hand.
Sizzle—
Invisible blue smoke rose.
Lu Li frowned, wanting to withdraw his hand. But suddenly, Professor Nuno tightly grasped his hand.
This ended the final life of Professor Nuno, humanity surged into the body, and Lu Li was dragged into Professor Nuno’s Death Retrace.
The sound of the wind howled by the ears.
“The curse… weakens the sense of pain… craving for food, but… each breath… turns you more like a tree…”
Lu Li stood in silence.
A minute earlier, he and Professor Caesar were standing behind him.
A brief conversation, as the worsening Professor Nuno reached out towards Lu Li.
At that moment, Lu Li suddenly leaned forward, nearing Professor Nuno’s head.
He heard the murmurs hidden in the wind, ready to disperse at any moment.
“Do we still have hope…”
Returning to reality, Lu Li released the hand akin to a wooden sculpture.
Professor Caesar sorrowfully lowered his head.
“Bad guy, you killed this old man!”
A sharp cry sounded, the boss lady hiding on Lu Li’s body climbed onto his shoulder, her tiny hands beating him.
“Lu Li did nothing and Nuno would still die.”
Seeing Lu Li not resisting, Professor Caesar assumed they were together.
“I’ve seen plant entities! They live well!”
“Those are the ones with their bloodline… An ordinary person infected by the curse will ultimately die, becoming a tree that cannot grow.” Professor Caesar gently shook his head.
The lignified Professor Nuno resembled a dead tree, they had been dead from the very beginning.
“You are all in cahoots!”
The screaming boss lady covered her ears, jumped off the shoulder, and disappeared.
“Did Professor Nuno’s curse worsen due to something else?” Lu Li looked at Professor Caesar.
When they arrived three days ago, Professor Nuno was still healthy—apart from fainting due to excitement.
“Doesn’t seem so,” Professor Caesar said. “Many Cursed Bloodlines are like this; they don’t manifest clearly at first, but at a certain moment will suddenly worsen… infection… spread… mutation…”
Bam—
The door was pushed open, and Dean Lawrence and Professor Daisy Schmitz arrived tardily.
“You’re too late, Nuno is dead,” Professor Caesar turned back, disdainfully whispering, he didn’t speak loudly, seemingly worried to disturb the long-sleeping Professor Nuno. “Did the publicity using Lu Li’s name delay you?”
“How could that be…” Dean Lawrence smiled bitterly.
He did not argue, allowing Professor Caesar to vent his emotions.
The grief of losing a friend left Professor Caesar disinclined to blame, he looked towards Lu Li.
“How will the body be handled?” Lu Li asked.
“Burn it; the flames will purify everything,” Professor Caesar softly said, looking at the tree-like, peacefully sleeping figure: “Let’s leave it to the doctors to handle…”
Leaving the oppressive hospital, Lu Li and the others returned to Phantom University.
Soon after, Lu Li’s portrait was delivered. Layers of paint deepened the resonance, dim light coated Lu Li with a divine-like glow.
After Lu Li had looked at it, it was taken away again; the painting would be placed in the Midnight City Museum.
After a night’s rest, early the next morning, Lu Li awoke.
Preparing to head to the giant tree.