Chapter 705 “Request for Subscription” Fragmented Memories (4k)
Angus Jeffrey’s nerves should not have been so fragile.
But his brain had indeed been eroded by Into the Abyss, and he had just experienced a bitter duel, which made his psychological resilience become weak understandable.
The gentle professors did not blame him for this.
The thoughtful little Dak silently stepped back half a step, hiding half of his body behind Professor Shylph.
Then, Sister Carrian reused her old trick and woke him up again.
With a red forehead, Angus Jeffrey opened his eyes amidst confusion, the experience from before seeming like a nightmare, not clearly remembered.
“Jeffrey, did you wake up?”
Professor Kazel’s voice remained as gentle as ever.
As Angus Jeffrey gradually regained consciousness, he followed the sound and saw Professor Kazel, Professor Shylph beside him, and Professor Lily floating in mid-air.
Professor Kazel was quite famous in the academy; most students knew him.
Professor Shylph and Professor Lily were respectively the vice-deans of the Knight Academy and the Mana Academy, with Professor Shylph also serving as the vice principal.
Any student of the academy could not possibly be unfamiliar with them.
Angus Jeffrey’s mind flashed through the names of these three professors, then suddenly a thought emerged: such a grand setup, what could have happened?
“Hello, professors…”
While feeling uneasy, Angus Jeffrey instinctively greeted them.
Professor Kazel nodded and asked, “Do you remember what happened earlier?”
Angus Jeffrey couldn’t help but think, “If I knew what happened, I wouldn’t… Ah!”
He suddenly recalled the previous events, his expression turning pale.
With prior experience, Professor Kazel immediately flicked his fingers, a bit of white light entering his mind, making Angus Jeffrey’s spirit resilient.
Thus, he did not fall unconscious again as before.
Completely recalling the previous events, Angus Jeffrey’s expression turned extremely grim.
Carefully, he asked, “Professor Kazel, did I faint on the competitor platform?”
Professor Kazel nodded slightly, “Yes.”
Looking at Professor Kazel’s face, Angus Jeffrey felt a sudden sense of relief for some reason.
Perhaps fainting on the competitor platform wasn’t a bad thing; at least he didn’t have to consider how to face the bitter defeat immediately.
He whispered, “Did Professor Shylph bring me here?”
Professor Kazel replied, “It was Professor Shylph.”
Angus Jeffrey struggled to sit up halfway, looking at Professor Shylph, “So it was the vice principal. Thank you, vice principal…”
But when he looked up, he saw Dak Demon stepping back half a step, his words faltering.
Dak smiled at him and hid Into the Abyss behind his back.
…
After a brief exchange, Professor Kazel got straight to the point, “Jeffrey, was the ‘Brain Fluid Demon’ parasitizing Fern Morse’s brain cultivated by you?”
Angus Jeffrey tried to act as if Dak Demon wasn’t there and exclaimed in surprise, “Professor, what are you talking about?”
Professor Kazel’s eyes shimmered slightly, he turned his head to look at Professor Shylph, then shook his head gently.
Professor Shylph frowned, her expression showing disappointment.
If they could confirm that the “Brain Fluid Demon” parasitizing Fern Morse’s brain was cultivated by Angus Jeffrey,
then the incident could directly reach the conclusion stage, and they would only need to find the source of Into the Abyss.
But as Professor Metia predicted, this incident obviously wouldn’t be so simple to resolve.
Angus Jeffrey couldn’t lie to Professor Kazel; the “Brain Fluid Demon” wasn’t cultivated by him!
“Could there be another person between Cameron Macefield and Angus Jeffrey?”
Professor Kazel pondered and directly asked, “Jeffrey, when did you obtain Into the Abyss?”
Angus Jeffrey was puzzled, “Into the Abyss? What is that?”
Professor Kazel fell silent.
He recalled Cameron Macefield, who, like Angus Jeffrey, had completely forgotten the name of the book.
However, he had forgotten only the name and core content of the book.
In fact, he clearly remembered having obtained such a book and knowing its general outline, but he couldn’t recall the details.
Angus Jeffrey’s current situation should be similar.
Professor Kazel said gently, “Into the Abyss is the name of a book that records the cultivation methods of certain special demons.”
Angus Jeffrey widened his eyes and whispered, “So that book’s name is… Into the Abyss?”
Professor Kazel gave Dak a signal.
Dak took Into the Abyss out from behind him.
Without needing guidance, Angus Jeffrey saw the book again.
Professor Kazel asked again, “When did you obtain this book?”
Angus Jeffrey answered without hesitation, “Late September.”
Late September?
Professor Kazel couldn’t help but frown, “Can you be sure of the exact date?”
Angus Jeffrey seemed very cooperative, “Let me think… It was probably September 18th. I discovered this book while searching for materials in the library and borrowed it afterwards. Is there anything wrong with this book?”
“Kazel?” Professor Shylph suddenly spoke up.
Professor Kazel’s brows furrowed tightly.
Dak pondered briefly and realized the crux of the matter.
Cameron Macefield found Into the Abyss at the beginning of the school year, on September 3rd.
Fifteen days later, Into the Abyss mysteriously disappeared, on September 18th!
If Angus Jeffrey also found Into the Abyss on September 18th, it would basically mean that there was no third party between him and Cameron Macefield.
But if there was no third party, how could the “Brain Fluid Demon” have come about?
It couldn’t have appeared out of thin air!
…
After careful consideration, Professor Kazel asked again, “Have you shared the contents of the book with others or lent it to anyone?”
Angus Jeffrey slowly shook his head, “How could I show it to others?”
Professor Kazel pressed further, “Has it been in your possession until today?”
Angus Jeffrey nodded, “Yes. But it’s just a book, isn’t it? Although it contains some methods for cultivating demons, there are no regulations against it in the school rules. Besides, I only cultivated some body parts as materials… Wait, I seem to have forgotten something?”
Professor Kazel explained, “That book is made from the skin of a ‘Book Eater Demon’. Once ownership changes, all knowledge within will be erased, leaving only the new owner to remember.”
Angus Jeffrey instantly understood, his gaze toward Dak Demon carrying a different meaning.
He finally realized why the book was in Dak Demon’s hands—it was stolen by Dak Demon!
…
Dak Demon paid no attention to Angus Jeffrey’s gaze; he was quickly deducing based on Professor Kazel’s inquiries.
Professor Kazel possessed the ability to read minds, and Angus Jeffrey could not hide lies in front of him.
Therefore, one could assume everything he said was true.
Similarly, the information provided by Cameron Macefield was also true.
Thus, Into the Abyss had been in their hands since September 3rd.
Neither Cameron Macefield nor Angus Jeffrey had cultivated a complete “Brain Fluid Demon.”
So, who had actually cultivated the “Brain Fluid Demon” parasitizing Fern Morse’s brain?
Based on this, Dak deduced three possibilities:
① There were multiple copies of Into the Abyss.
② Into the Abyss existed much earlier and belonged to someone else.
③ Someone obtained the cultivation method of the “Brain Fluid Demon” from elsewhere.
Until the investigation was clear, any of these possibilities could occur.
…
As he pondered, Dak suddenly had an idea and looked up, “Professor, ask where his laboratory is located.”
Professor Kazel didn’t repeat himself but looked at Angus Jeffrey, waiting for his response.
But Angus Jeffrey looked puzzled, “Laboratory? What laboratory? The place for alchemy experiments?”
Professor Kazel nodded slightly.
Angus Jeffrey was confused, “I usually conduct experiments in the experimental classroom.”
Professor Kazel frowned, “And where do you cultivate demon materials?”
Angus Jeffrey casually replied, “Of course… Oh wait!”
At this moment, he suddenly paled, “I forgot!”
…
“Professor?” Dak looked at Professor Kazel.
Professor Kazel nodded slightly at him.
Confirming once more that Angus Jeffrey hadn’t lied.
He truly had forgotten!
And it seemed he had never thought about this issue before.
Professor Kazel’s eyes shimmered.
During this conversation, he actually gained more information than was apparent on the surface.
“Jeffrey, take a rest first,”
Professor Kazel had Angus Jeffrey lie down again and led the professors out of the room.
They regrouped outside, and Professor Kazel’s expression gradually turned serious.
Professor Shylph asked, “What did you see?”
Professor Kazel replied, “When Angus Jeffrey answered questions, he recalled many things, and I noticed some peculiarities.”
Professor Lily’s eyes immediately lit up, “What peculiarities?”
Professor Kazel explained, “A ‘Book Eater Demon’ only takes memories related to the book’s content. But Jeffrey has forgotten too much.”
He then elaborated.
Dak listened carefully, becoming increasingly uneasy, his eyes growing more serious.
As mentioned before, Angus Jeffrey had forgotten the location of his laboratory for cultivating demons.
But his forgetfulness went beyond that; he had also forgotten when and where he had created the new mana cards.
In his memory, those mana cards seemed to appear out of nowhere, but he didn’t doubt them at all.
He had indeed collected materials and recalled reading Into the Abyss.
But he had no memory of creating those mana spirit cards!
“What is going on?” Dak couldn’t help but ask.
But the professors exchanged glances, unable to figure it out immediately.
Professor Metia, who had been observing, suddenly said, “Originally, if Into the Abyss was still in Angus Jeffrey’s possession, we could track the investigation.”
Professor Kazel rebutted, “That was the book’s autonomous behavior.”
Professor Metia blinked and smiled, “I was just saying hypothetically.”
“Enough, stop arguing.” Professor Shylph frowned, “We need to think carefully. This might be the key to unraveling the mystery. Could it simply be that his memories were modified?”
Professor Kazel said, “His brain does show signs of erosion, but they aren’t deep. If large segments of memory were modified or deleted, the traces would be obvious. Of course, my understanding of the brain isn’t profound, so my conclusion might be incorrect.”
“Modified… Deleted…” Dak suddenly had an epiphany, “Could it be that he simply doesn’t know?”
“How so?” Professor Kazel asked.
Dak said, “If his memories originally contained nothing about it, naturally there would be no trace of modification or deletion.”
“You mean…” Professor Kazel’s heart stirred, “Are you suggesting that he cultivated demons and created mana spirit cards without being aware of it?”
Dak nodded and added, “Just a hypothesis.”
Professor Shylph said, “This is indeed a possibility. If so, it can explain the source of the ‘Brain Fluid Demon.’ Perhaps Angus Jeffrey implanted the ‘Brain Fluid Demon’ into Fern Morse’s brain, but he himself was unaware. That’s why even Kazel couldn’t tell the difference.”
Professor Metia squinted at the book in Dak’s hand and smiled, “Are you saying it was all done by the book? It manipulated Angus Jeffrey into cultivating demons and creating mana spirit cards without his awareness?”
Professor Shylph frowned, “I do have this speculation.”
Professor Metia said, “Have you considered that if the book could cultivate and create on its own, why would it need to select someone? Couldn’t it just do everything itself?”
Professor Shylph said, “We don’t currently know the specific abilities of the book. Perhaps it needs an object to rely on to accomplish certain things.”
Professor Metia shook her head, “Same problem. If it only needed an object to rely on, there would be no need to pick and choose. Any random person would do. But now it has abandoned Angus and set its sights on Dak.”
