Chapter 71 Ominous
The conspiracy seems to be cracked by "Sersi", but there is one bad thing. The rape and murder in which the murderer and the victim were pagans obviously did not happen in White Tower Town, and the professor himself cannot openly go against the Public Security Bureau.
Besides, he still had classes to attend, students to teach, papers to review, and the compilation of "Divine History" waiting to be completed. His every move was in the sight of others, but the shadow of "heresy" was like a fishing net sinking into the sea, and there was no telling when it would trap everyone.
Students at Baita University also sensed a sinister undercurrent. The conversations, once focused on fun and grades, gradually shifted to subtle temptations. The number of students attending theology classes dwindled, and some of the more discerning students began to take a leave of absence or even drop out.
Vice Principal Wyatt approved all applications for leave of absence or withdrawal without hesitation, turning a blind eye to the increasingly dwindling number of students.
"It's okay, kid," Nova happened to see the good-tempered old man whispering comfort to a tearful student who seemed to have been forced to drop out of school by his family. "The White Tower of Truth will forever stand tall amidst the waves of the Okansele River. As long as you keep thinking, no matter where you go, you will always head in its direction again."
After the student left crying, Wyatt looked up and met a pair of cold, smoky-gray eyes.
"Good morning, Mr. Wyatt." The black-haired young man greeted him expressionlessly but politely.
"...Good morning, Mr. Brody. I was going to see you, too." The Vice Principal sighed. Thinking of Brody's eccentric personality, his chubby face wrinkled in embarrassment. "The faculty told me that the enrollment for your elective course, 'Theology and Social History,' is already below the required enrollment threshold. Do you want to take this opportunity to rest for a while?"
The other party is at the center of this undercurrent, and even bears the identity of a suspected "heretic" - it's time for him to stay out of the spotlight.
The other person immediately asked sharply, "Is this what you meant, or what Mr. Owl meant?"
Wyatt paused and said, "That's what I meant, and that's what Mr. Owl meant, and your teacher, Dels, thinks too."
——The other party has rushed into his office many times, slammed the table and lost his temper.
"You are still young." The old man said meaningfully, "Sometimes young people should stretch our old bones."
Wyatt still remembered one afternoon a year ago, when Owl was looking through the materials of the dissertation defenders of that year's doctoral dissertations, he crumpled them up and threw them on the ground. Many scholars who were already famous in the outside world were labeled as "mediocre and stupid people who were seeking fame" in this small and crowded office.
Wyatt had long been accustomed to this, even enjoying a leisurely cup of coffee and a snack while the other person was cursing. But as the man continued to curse, the overly sharp background music suddenly faded. Then the man, who had been poring over a pile of papers all night, came to him the next day with a hoarse voice and high spirits, saying he had discovered a promising new idea that suited his taste. Unfortunately, he later discovered that the "promising new idea" had already been snatched away by Delos Rabelais.
Owl was unhappy about this for a long time. During that period, he was not a nose to anyone and his eyes were not eyes to anyone - even though no one could see his expression through the mask, and no one could tell whether his bad temper had gotten worse.
"Tell me, why are gods gods?" This absolutely blasphemous question had been asked to him countless times in private when the other party was a youth, before he put on a plush hood and became a raptor with a weird temper.
Wyatt knew what the man's next words would be.
——How can one become a god?
After intense discussion and research, Owl concluded that the only viable solution was to emulate the ancestors of the first century and directly resonate with the world's concepts through the Source. After all, no one had ever heard of a god worshipping another. Unfortunately, their inflated ideals were shattered by the weight of reality, not to mention what had happened...
Owl fell silent, hiding those blasphemous thoughts, and instead chose to follow the path of the previous leader. Taking advantage of the Radiant Church's entanglement in factional disputes with the nobles and pagans, they began by gradually chipping away at the secular world, which the priests despised. They almost succeeded. Now, students of the Oakenseler Academy can be found in all walks of life in the empire, but the faith still struggled. The major temples maintained a tight control over the birth and training of "warlocks," which meant that they controlled the lifeline of everything.
The probability of success for one sample is too low. To find the correct answer, the Oakenseller Society needs more and more samples - but no one believes, and no one dares to believe, that the gods are just a group of powerful, faithless ancestors.
Until the appearance of Nova Brody, those ideas that were beyond the entire era suddenly gave Owl a glimpse of hope.
Wyatt knew that Owl was anxious. They were all old, and they had finally caught a young genius who seemed to be able to break through the siege and resist the vital points of the Holy See. Naturally, they wanted to sharpen him into the sharpest knife.
But the strong always find it difficult to empathize with the weak. No matter how shocking their minds are, the other party is always just an ordinary, fragile person. Even a second-rate guy like Bill Fam can easily kill him - not to mention that the young scholar in front of him is too young.
He had grown old and his heart had softened. He began to worry that over-stimulating the nerves of the church would bring about disputes and retaliation from the Glorious Church for the "Sharp Knife". He was also worried that the mental pressure that was enough to make any ordinary person collapse would crush the seemingly naive and neurotic young man in front of him.
Owl scoffed at his indecision.
"He has a knight who is ruthless enough, so there is no need for you and me to worry about him." He muttered sarcastically, but finally pinched his nose and acquiesced to giving the other party some breathing space.
"It's just not enough to start the class, but that means there are still people listening to my lectures."
Wyatt came to his senses and heard another person's retort. He opened his mouth, about to admonish the arrogance and bigotry of the young people, but was interrupted.
"Even disbanding the seminary right now won't solve the problem," the black-haired young man raised the letter in his hand and shook it. "Canceling the course would only make us appear guilty and make more students feel uneasy."
Many students were terrified, but there were also young men like Mr. Mardell Rabbi. After a private discussion, he hesitantly told him that no matter what those cowards thought or said, many of them firmly believed Mr. Brody's ideas were correct, and that what they were pursuing would open up a new world. As he spoke, the poor, mild-mannered, even somewhat foolish student burst into tears. Nova couldn't console him, and he couldn't even bring himself to reprimand him. Ultimately, his teaching assistant came to the rescue.
Wyatt looked at the letter sealed with the family crest: "What is this...?"
"A letter from home. The Inquisition is investigating my family, and my mother is urging me to go home." Nova said calmly.
The letter came from his mother, Mrs. Brody, and was filled with angry curses and pleadings, ordering him to resign immediately, completely ignoring the dilemma of theologians who found it difficult to leave their jobs - the Inquisition bypassed him and went to the Brody family for "investigation", which made Mrs. Brody terrified.
"Your incredibly shameful behavior has made me sick, almost to death. I'm going to see you at your cousin's coming-of-age ceremony in three days," Mrs. Brody wrote angrily in the letter. "If you want to be a disgrace to the family and want your mother to die alone in endless fear and shame, then you should continue to stay in that White Tower University that is filled with the stench of inferior people!"
Wyatt couldn't help but frowned: "Go ahead, I'll handle the ban and teaching issues at the Sheriff's Office."
He thought for a moment and added, "If you need any other help, just ask. Don't force yourself."
Dels Rabelais had mentioned the internal affairs of the Brody family to him before. But at this critical juncture, they had to deal with the issue of succession to the title. If the other party opened his mouth, Dels would probably risk his old bones, and Owl wouldn't mind supporting him.
The black-haired young man stared at him silently for a moment, wondering what he was thinking. Under the gaze of those gray eyes, Wyatt actually felt a little nervous being looked at by a young man in his twenties.
The other party suddenly said expressionlessly: "I have some ideas about the identity of the person behind this farce."
Afterwards, the fat old man was stunned and forced to listen attentively to a meticulous and bold to the point of terrifying reasoning. He knew that the youngest professor of Baita University had a long-standing nickname among students and even professors, called "the Big Devil", but this was the first time he had truly faced the power of the "Devil".
"I believe one of the murderers is among the students attending the open class at St. Bartolomeo College." The Demon King had already made a firm conclusion: "To determine the specific suspect, we need to investigate whether he is connected to the priestess Circe."
The students at Saint Bartolomeo's School of Warlocks were all children of prominent families, making investigation difficult unless the protagonist or a villain of his caliber personally took action. However, he was now stuck. As for leaving the God's Chosen One alone? Someone simply smiled and told him not to even think about it; his safety came first.
...Besides, he needed to go home to do something, something important related to the subsequent plans.
"I don't need you to do anything more, but if you could help me get some information, that would be even better." Nova said coldly, "The Inquisition and the Royal Court have no conclusive evidence against me, but we must prevent them from framing others at White Tower University. If that happens, please help hold them back. I'll return as soon as possible to resolve the situation."
He added: "I'll be back in five days at the most."
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