The Handbook for Completing Demi-Human Girls

Chapter 139: Belief

After yesterday, Fisher didn't continue researching the Soul Completion Handbook, which he found somewhat peculiar. From certain perspectives, his earlier situation had indeed been quite dangerous. He began to doubt the true purpose of Caleb Woods, the author of the Soul Completion Handbook, in leaving this handbook behind.

If he harbored malicious intent toward the reader, what was his goal? To drain the reader's magic power? To bewitch the reader with those bizarre and strange pieces of knowledge?

Fisher recalled his recent associations regarding those strange pieces of knowledge, suddenly feeling that many of them were extremely dangerous from a human perspective. However, in the eyes of a seeker of knowledge, expanding upon that knowledge seemed perfectly ordinary.

If he continued down the path of those strange pieces of knowledge, Fisher wasn't quite sure what kind of end he would reach.

Fisher suddenly thought of the eccentric Pherone and his bizarre idea of using the souls of living creatures as fuel and energy.

If one cast aside traditional concepts, Pherone's knowledge had brought him tremendous changes. Money, wealth, power... even the quantity and quality of Fisher's own magic power had undergone massive transformations as a result. Everything seemed to be moving in a direction beneficial to him.

But in the end, Fisher didn't continue reading. His attitude toward this knowledge still needed scrutiny, so he had no choice but to focus his attention for now on the academic conference with Schwari arriving on Monday.

In the morning, after putting on the suit Renee had given him, Fisher stood before the mirror and examined himself. He found that the suit, both in design and style, suited him perfectly. It felt incredibly comfortable to wear, as if it had been custom-made specifically for him.

When you interacted with a person like Renee, her mischievousness always gave you a headache. Yet, once you distanced yourself a bit, these ubiquitous little details made the image of that wickedly smiling Witch even more vivid, making you long for her quite a bit.

Like fine wine, when you woke after being drunk, you couldn't help but yearn for that lingering aroma, even if it intoxicated you.Behind him, Caro studied the handsome gentleman. Thinking about the man's usually detestable behavior, she felt that if Fisher changed his thoroughly rotten personality, he would probably be very popular with girls.

Wait, why was she thinking about something like this?

Stroking the cat, Caro suddenly caught herself reflecting on this.

Fisher finished adjusting his attire and instructed Caro to get to the conference venue early to prepare; otherwise, she wouldn't be able to get in later.

After receiving her response, Fisher set off with his items, thesis manuscript, and notes.

There would be a ribbon-cutting ceremony this morning to mark the start of the academic event, followed by a lengthy academic conference.

In front of the teaching building, Fisher spotted Jasmine, neatly dressed and standing rather stiffly. She had brought a small bag filled with books and notes, clearly preparing for the upcoming academic conference. Fisher had previously told her to wait for him here on Monday, and she had obediently stood there, her duration of wait unknown.

"Good morning, Jasmine."

"Good morning, Professor Fisher."

Jasmine smiled at him, tucking a stray strand of black hair behind her ear to reveal her small, cute human ear. Her dress swayed gently, giving her a beautiful and tranquil appearance.

She hurried over to walk side-by-side with him, taking the opportunity to sneak a peek at his outfit today. She thought this suit suited Professor Fisher perfectly. Human clothes were very nice-looking; it was just a pity they became a bit weird once taken underwater. Dresses were fine, but things like hat decorations or men's formal wear lost their charm down there.

"Why did you bring so many books?"

Feeling a bit embarrassed, she explained.

"Um... because I'm attending the conference, I read your thesis earlier, as well as the previous articles from Schwari's Anti-Magic School. I was afraid I wouldn't understand some concepts during the discussions later, so I brought some books along. I still find their viewpoints a bit hard to grasp right now..."

"For those who have practiced magic, their theories definitely present a bit of an understanding barrier. However, many theories in the Anti-Magic Scholar faction have been verified. They firmly believe that the power of magic brings a burden to people because, factually speaking, the average lifespan of magicians is shorter than that of ordinary people who don't use magic."

"They believe that magic power is a manifestation of the human body's hidden energy. If magic power originated from the soul, the theory that magic causes a decrease in lifespan would just be empty talk. But the connection between the soul and the physical body is still very vague at present. If we continue with the theory that magic power comes from the soul, every step forward will simultaneously generate a massive amount of problems."

"So, the Anti-Magic School and many magicians who have made achievements in traditional fields have begun to question the foundational argument that magic power originates from the soul. That way, their past research and accomplishments will remain valid."

Jasmine blinked, suddenly seeming to understand what the research theories of the professor beside her meant. In a sense, the core theories of the human magic community would be overturned by his research, and simultaneously, the results of what many magicians had explored their entire lives would vanish into thin air.

When people's achievements were denied, those who had contributed to those achievements would always habitually think of the effort they had put in, rather than the correctness of the achievement itself. Even scholars found it difficult to escape this rule.

"Then, Professor Fisher, haven't you made enemies with many scholars?"

"Making enemies is a bit of a stretch, but there will certainly be some doubts aimed at my theories."

Fisher shook his head and looked at Jasmine, who was very confused by this. He smiled and explained as they walked.

"Although a portion of scholars will be depressed and dispirited because their past efforts have been wasted, ultimately, there are more people who maintain a pious pursuit of the truth."

"Human lifespans are short, but the belief in seeking the truth has an enduring history. Even if my body turns into a dry skeleton one day, there will always be other lives to continue my work. They will set off from where I stopped, like passing a baton, until the last person reaches the final destination of truth."

"I've inherited the concepts of many elderly scholars, and now I'm passing this concept on to young scholars like you. I hope that in the future, you too will travel far down the path of seeking knowledge, discover new things, and make this world a better place."

Listening to his words, Jasmine's eyes flickered slightly. She pursed her lips, and for some reason, her face also grew a bit flushed.

The hands holding her small bag tightened a little. After struggling for a second or two, she suddenly spoke up.

"I... I will work hard and do my best!"

Meeting her incredibly earnest gaze, Fisher was momentarily taken aback.

While he was speaking just now, he had forgotten that she was a Demi-human, a Child of the Ocean. He had merely been expressing some of his innermost thoughts, not expecting her to take them to heart so seriously. However, seeing her say this right now, he was more than willing to believe that she meant every word.

In fact, when it came down to it, even though there were currently quite a few things causing him disappointment in Naris, or the entire human world for that matter, there were still many people and things here that he loved. The present situation might be terrible, but led by these people who carried the light, Fisher always believed that the future would become better.

To ensure that these hopes for the future had a chance to endure, Fisher, holding the Demi-Human Completion Handbook, embarked on a journey to find the several world-destroyers.

"In that case, do your best."

Gazing at the girl beside him, he snapped out of his daze and smiled faintly as he said this.

Jasmine's face blushed slightly. In that moment, it was as if some part of her had been touched, causing her heartbeat to quicken. She hurriedly hugged the small bag she was carrying to her chest in an attempt to suppress her racing heart. Unfortunately, the bag only served to obscure her face.

Their walking pace was not slow, and they soon arrived at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Jasmine waited slightly lower down while Fisher went up to take a group photo with the scholars and the prince of Schwari. Below, the reporters from Naris had their heavy and bulky cameras set up, aimed at Fisher and the others above.

After a few simple remarks and the group photo, Kaine led them to the conference building at the back.

The conference building had five floors in total. It was originally intended for hosting meetings and welcoming guests. On the first floor, there was also a massive banquet hall, which was perfect for serving as the main venue for this academic conference.

Just as Fisher was following Kaine to the conference building, his sharp eyes spotted four figures in black robes carrying a small box covered in black silk. At a glance, the individuals wearing the elegant black robes were clearly from the Kadu Church. He had heard that Schwari had made a trip to Kadu's Holy Church to argue against him earlier, so it was likely that they had requested the very item they were carrying now.

Fisher wanted to get a better look, but his line of sight was blocked by a scholar from Schwari. Fisher glanced at him, only to see the man smoothing the two wisps of mustache on his lip. The man smiled at him.

"Has Mr. Fisher lost confidence in himself, afraid that our arguments will leave you speechless?"

"..."

Fisher was left entirely speechless. Did glancing an extra time at the 'foreign aid' they had invited mean he lacked confidence? Those who didn't know the situation might think they were hiding some heaven-defying killer move...

Watching the Schwari scholar stride forward smugly while pinching his mustache, Fisher silently adjusted his pace to slow down, waiting slightly for his student, Jasmine, who was behind him. When he looked back just now, she seemed like a small animal trailing behind a large crowd, which made him feel a bit sorry for her. After all, he was the one who had invited her to come.

"Mr. Fisher, please step this way. The upper conference room has been prepared for everyone... And this is?"

A staff member of the school glanced at Jasmine behind him. Just as he was about to voice his question, Fisher interrupted his spellcasting.

"This is my student. She will be accompanying me throughout the entire conference this time."

"Y-Yes!"

Jasmine's agreeable manner made the staff member chuckle. Then, he nodded, pulled open the main door, and directed them in a certain direction. Fisher glanced at the distant room and suddenly saw a wobbly paper airplane circling on the ceiling above.

This was Caro's 'ready' signal. She was already in position, guaranteeing the safety of these people at a moment's notice.

Just as he had told her earlier, if Caro wanted to stay alive, she had to ensure that not a single Schwari official entering the building today died. She had evidently realized this point.

After a short wait, the building was swiftly placed under strict lockdown. Many soldiers patrolled outside. A Magic Detector had even been borrowed on the ground level to confirm that no magic was attached to the building. Only then did they slowly breathe a sigh of relief, setting up a protective magic barrier on the outside—somewhat similar to the one Fisher used—so that any entry or exit could be detected.

However, no one noticed that a dark, faint layer of radiance was slowly spreading out from beneath the ground within the building's walls. The radiance crawled along the wall surfaces like maggots, and very quickly, the interior and exterior spaces were completely isolated from each other.

"Hum"

The academic conference had already commenced.