novelraw Chapter 779: The Wind Carries Away the Whisper
Chapter 779: The Wind Carries Away the Whisper
The "students" left the lecture hall one by one.
Some were excited, others disappointed.
When everyone had left, Dean Rolens entered the lecture hall.
"That was a magnificent lecture," he praised with genuine admiration.
"I imagine it will be on the front pages tomorrow."
"I won't be giving the second one," Lu Li replied calmly, looking at him.
Dean Rolens froze. Hurried footsteps echoed from the corridor.
Professor Deizi Shmidt rushed into the hall, breathless, and rasped:
"Nuno... He's dying..."
"I'll go see him," Lu Li said and walked out of the lecture hall.Professor Shmidt turned back to Dean Rolens, whose face had darkened.
"Was the lecture a failure?"
"It was a success."
"Then why..."
"He only ever intended to give one," Dean Rolens said, his face devoid of all emotion.
"Perhaps Mr. Lu Li is displeased with me."
"Perhaps," Professor Shmidt sighed.
"Do you think I was wrong, too?" Dean Rolens's sensitive nerves were frayed once again.
His mind raced, replaying all his actions over the past few days—everything he had done, everything he had begged and pleaded for...
"No, we're all grateful for your efforts, including Sesar and Nuno. I believe Mr. Lu Li feels the same."
"But he refused..."
"That's to be expected, isn't it?" Professor Shmidt patted Dean Rolens on the shoulder.
"Mr. Lu Li is a man of this age, but at the same time, he doesn't belong to it."
He's not like us...
And he has his own affairs to attend to.
"Come, let's say our goodbyes to Nuno."
Leaving the empty lecture hall, they learned that Lu Li had already departed in a carriage.
"Mr. Lu Li was closer to Nuno than we were," Dean Rolens muttered, still clinging to a sliver of hope.
"If Nuno had asked, maybe he would have agreed?"
"Nuno wouldn't have done that."
"Why?"
"He respects Lu Li."
"So do we."
"No, not like that. For him, it's more like... faith."
...
Lu Li arrived at the hospital again. This time, there was no crowd, but many eyes followed him, wondering if this handsome, dark-haired, dark-eyed man surrounded by knights was the very exorcist from the recent rumors.
Reaching Professor Nuno's room, Lu Li was met by Professor Sesar, who had heard of his arrival and stepped out to stop him.
"Brace yourself. It might be... difficult."
The sorrowful Professor Sesar opened the door.
Lu Li entered the room. The windows were shut tight, and the air hung heavy with the smell of burnt parchment.
Professor Nuno lay on the bed. His body, uncovered by the blanket, seemed to have turned to wood. His old skin resembled tree bark, as if he were transforming into a wooden statue.
"What was he infected with?"
"A plant curse," Professor Sesar replied, closing the door behind Lu Li.
"It's not from the first Calamity. It's a bloodline curse, from the Plantpeople."
"Plantpeople?"
"They live in the vicinity of old Revoltown. They are anomalies that resemble trees. Their seeds latch onto passersby..."
"The curse... dulls the pain... causes hunger, but... with every breath... I become more... like a tree..."
A rustling sound filled the air, like wind sweeping through a forest. Lu Li looked down and saw that Professor Nuno had opened his eyes. His wooden pupils resembled dark wooden beads.
"Glad... to see you... in the final moments... of my life..."
The rustling grew clearer, as if they were speaking in a maple forest.
Lu Li recalled the plant plague and the sick in Revoltown, back when he himself was under the control of the Rope of Descent.
Professor Nuno's eyes moved blankly, but he saw nothing.
"Tell me..."
His voice dissolved into the rustle of wind through the trees.
A wooden hand, covered in root-like tendrils, rose slowly, effortfully...
Lu Li took it in his own.
Hiss...
An invisible wisp of smoke rose.
Lu Li frowned and tried to pull his hand away, but Professor Nuno suddenly tightened his grip.
That was the last straw. Humanity flooded into Lu Li, and he was pulled into the Memories of Professor Nuno's Death.
The wind howled in his ears.
"The curse... dulls the pain... causes hunger, but... with every breath... I become more... like a tree..."
Lu Li silently straightened up.
He saw himself and Professor Sesar from a moment ago.
The short conversation, Professor Nuno's deteriorating condition, the outstretched hand...
At that moment, Lu Li suddenly leaned toward Professor Nuno's head.
He heard a whisper, muffled by the wind, ready to be carried away with it.
"Is there any hope left for us..."
Returning to reality, Lu Li released the stiffened hand.
Professor Sesar bowed his head sorrowfully.
"You scoundrel, you killed this old man!" a shrill cry erupted.
Elder Sister, who had been hiding on Lu Li, scrambled onto his shoulder and began beating him with her tiny fists.
"Nuno would have died anyway, even if Mr. Lu Li had done nothing," said Professor Sesar, noticing that Lu Li wasn't resisting and assuming they were in league.
"I've seen the Plantpeople! They're alive and well!"
"Those are the ones who share their bloodline... Ordinary people infected with the curse eventually die, turning into lifeless trees," Professor Sesar said, shaking his head.
The petrified Professor Nuno resembled a withered tree. He had been dead from the start.
"You're in this together!" Elder Sister screamed, covering her ears before leaping from his shoulder and vanishing.
"Was Professor Nuno's deteriorating condition related to anything else?" Lu Li asked, turning to Professor Sesar.
Three days ago, when they arrived, Professor Nuno was fine, aside from fainting from excitement.
"I don't believe so," Professor Sesar replied.
"It's the way of many bloodline curses: they lie dormant at first, then suddenly intensify at a certain point... The infection... spreads... mutation occurs..."
Bam!
The door flew open, and Dean Rolens and Professor Deizi Shmidt burst into the room.
"You're too late. Nuno is dead," Professor Sesar whispered contemptuously, his voice low as if not to disturb Professor Nuno's peace.
"Were you delayed telling everyone about Mr. Lu Li's heroic deeds?"
"How could you..." Dean Rolens gave a bitter smile.
He didn't argue, allowing Professor Sesar to vent his emotions.
The grief of losing his friend left Professor Sesar with no energy for accusations. He looked at Lu Li.
"What will happen to the body?" Lu Li asked.
"Cremation. The fire will purify everything," Professor Sesar answered quietly, gazing at the serene, tree-like body.
"Let's go. We'll leave the rest to the doctors..."
Leaving the oppressive atmosphere of the hospital, Lu Li and the others returned to the University of Claire.
Soon, Lu Li's portrait was brought in. The numerous layers of paint gave it depth, and a soft light seemed to envelop him in a divine radiance.
Lu Li glanced at the portrait before it was carried away again. The painting was destined for a place in the Midnite museum.
After a night's rest, Lu Li woke early the next morning.
He was preparing to journey to the Great Tree.