Volume One, Chapter 138: Coffee

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By the time the lecture ended, evening was drawing near. Although Mo De’s head was throbbing from being crammed full of such a vast amount of knowledge, he was still very happy. The old professor’s classes were neither dry nor dull. Instead, he often used examples from everyday life to explain various concepts, making them even easier to grasp than the lessons he had attended in high school.

As soon as the old professor dismissed the class, Mo De swiftly packed up his notebook and hurried out of the room. He still wanted to avoid close contact with Ning Mu Yu as much as possible.

Taking out his phone, he saw that most of the lectures everyone else had attended were not yet over. After calculating the time, Mo De realized he could use this opportunity to make another trip to the Phenomena Hall and harvest another batch of anomalous energy.

Ordinary students at the Third Esper University had to pay a considerable price to enter the Phenomena Hall, but it was now open to the winter-camp participants free of charge. How could he not make the fullest use of it?

Following his principle of always leaving others a little room, Mo De spared the cultivation room closest to the corridor. He quickly drained every last trace of the high-density anomalous-particle clouds that had accumulated in the remaining metal cultivation rooms, then dusted off his hands and slipped away.

Since metal-type espers were already so rare at the Third Esper University, leaving them one cultivation room should be enough, right?

Humming a little tune, Mo De cheerfully wandered toward the cafeteria in the southern campus district.

Inside the otherwise empty cultivation rooms, faint anomalous particles slowly streamed in through the replenishment ports, gradually building up once more.

On his way to the cafeteria, he happened to run into Yan Ruo Ting and Du Hai Wei. He joined the two of them at their table for a meal.

During dinner, Mo De also expressed his gratitude to Yan Ruo Ting. After all, it was through him that Mo De had obtained Ning Cheng Feng’s contact information.

“What are you thanking me for? As long as I can help a good brother, that’s all that matters.” Yan Ruo Ting’s interest was piqued, and he put down his chopsticks, preparing to switch into conversation mode. “But I heard that you and Ning Cheng Feng’s sister, Ning Mu Yu…”

“I already spoke with Student Ning. It’s nothing serious.” Mo De hurriedly cut him off, then declared that he had finished eating so he would not disturb Yan Ruo Ting and Du Hai Wei’s dinner.

Watching Mo De carry away his tray, Yan Ruo Ting picked up his chopsticks again. As he ate, he asked curiously, “What do you think Mo De and that Miss Ning got into a fight over? I questioned that fellow Xuan Yuan Kong for ages, but he wouldn’t say a word.”

“They’re young men and women. What else could it be?” Du Hai Wei sent the last bit of food into his mouth. Only after chewing and swallowing did he utter the reply.

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“Could it be some tangled affair of love and romance? Now that would be interesting…”

“Just eat your food.” Du Hai Wei spoke again, urging Yan Ruo Ting to finish his meal.

How could even dinner fail to silence this chatterbox?

…

Following the winding paths through campus and taking a walk to digest his meal, Mo De made his way to the library in the central campus district.

That morning, he had barely warmed his seat in the library before the news that Su Zi Wen had fallen unconscious had frightened him into rushing back. He had not had the chance to look through any of the books.

The afternoon’s lecture had already given Mo De a sense of the Third Esper University’s profound academic heritage, which made him even more eager to explore the knowledge and techniques stored in the library.

Mo De suddenly found himself beginning to understand Senior Yu Jiu Chuan’s habit of never letting a book leave her hands. When learning came from the heart, it could truly bring a person considerable joy.

After all, gaining knowledge was much like increasing one’s esper power: both were proof of continual progress.

The moment he entered the library lobby, Mo De came face-to-face with two figures walking side by side toward the exit.

One of them was Senior Yu Jiu Chuan, whom Mo De had just been thinking about. The other, dressed in a green skirt, was Teacher Huo Yu Fei, who worked as a librarian in the building.

“What a coincidence, Student Mo De.” Huo Yu Fei raised a hand and greeted him cheerfully, while Yu Jiu Chuan merely nodded at him with her usual calm composure.

“Good evening, Teacher Huo. Good evening, Senior Jiu Chuan. Are you heading to dinner?” Mo De was somewhat surprised to see the two of them together.

“I just finished dealing with the work at hand, and happened to run into Student Jiu Chuan on my way out.” Huo Yu Fei wore a faint smile throughout. Her long, loose hair fell over the shoulders of her green clothing, smooth and lustrous.

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“I just finished eating. Since I had nothing else to do, I came over to take a look. You two should hurry to the cafeteria as well, or you’ll run straight into the next rush of people.” Mo De smiled in reply, then waved goodbye to them.

“Student Mo De is quite the diligent learner, isn’t he? He came straight to the library to keep studying after dinner. He’s rather similar to you, Student Jiu Chuan.” Walking across campus with her hands clasped behind her back, Huo Yu Fei chatted cheerfully with Yu Jiu Chuan.

“Mm.” Yu Jiu Chuan nodded, signaling her approval of this kindred spirit.

“Since we’ve come to this blessed place known as the Third Esper University, we ought to make good use of its resources. As for that winter-break assignment, I’ll trouble you to tutor me on the way back, Senior Jiu Chuan.”

On the third floor of the library, Mo De selected two books related to metal-type esper abilities and carried them back to his seat to read.

Before long, however, Mo De discovered with dismay that the difference between having someone explain a subject and studying it alone was truly the difference between heaven and earth. During the professor’s lecture, he had been able to understand all kinds of knowledge without difficulty. But when he tried to chew through the books himself, the densely packed lines of tiny print seemed determined to oppose him. He recognized every individual character, yet somehow could not understand what they meant when assembled together.

Even so, he had to grit his teeth and keep studying. Mo De switched on the desk lamp, driving away the dimness of evening, and began writing and sketching in his notebook while trying to comprehend the meaning of every sentence in the book.

The sun sank toward the west, carrying the light away and surrendering the sky to dusk. Streaks of sunset lingered reluctantly, dyeing the heavens outside the library a magnificent red and orange.

The sea of learning was indeed boundless, and suffering was the only vessel across it. Mo De had no idea how many times he had nearly fallen asleep while struggling through the book, yet the page number remained stuck at the beginning of the first chapter.

“Would you like a cup to help you wake up?”

A voice suddenly came from beside him. Mo De rubbed his eyes and turned his head, only to find Huo Yu Fei standing beside his desk with two cups of coffee. Over her green dress, she had put on a white lab coat.

“Uh… Teacher Huo…”

Mo De accepted the coffee she offered. After blowing on it, he took a sip and felt the warm current enter his body, dispelling much of the drowsiness clouding his mind.

“When I was checking the third floor, you had already started nodding like a pecking chick. By the time I finished inspecting the entire floor, you were still sitting here, bobbing your head.” Huo Yu Fei covered her mouth and laughed softly, teasing him.

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