However, Blood Demons preferred fresh meat. Much like humans, they believed the fresher and tenderer, the better. For instance, if they caught a young girl, they would likely prepare “girl sashimi” and consume it immediately rather than wasting her as fermented filler.
Wang Yue maneuvered the blade through the tentacles, slicing upward through the soft, thick head sac. Suddenly, a large mass of pink, coral-like brain tissue was exposed.
A wave of dizziness washed over her. She couldn’t maintain her balance and slumped to the floor. A high-pitched buzzing rang in her ears, and blood began to leak from her nostrils, trailing over her lips and down to her chin in a warm, wet stream.
Medeili also looked distressed, staggering and nearly falling.
The girls in the front rows of the classroom slumped in their seats, expressions twisted in pain.
Professor Tone immediately raised a front barrier, blocking the sudden spike in mental pollution and preventing further harm to the students.
“Remember, the Blood Demon’s cranial nerve cluster is the area with the highest pollution index. It is also its greatest weakness.”
Professor Tone took a glass sphere from her teaching kit. Inside was a steel wire about an inch long, tipped with a fluorescent cotton ball. This was a “Cricket Ball,” a simple tool used to measure mental pollution levels.
The professor held the sphere near the Blood Demon, and the wire inside began to vibrate like the trembling antennae of a cricket. As she brought it closer to the open head sac, the “cricket antenna” shifted from a gentle sway to a violent tremor, tracing a dizzying blur of fluorescent lines.
This indicated that the Blood Demon’s brain tissue was constantly emitting intense mental pollution.
Mental pollution was categorized into levels from one to seven. Level seven was the lowest, a degree humans could tolerate for short periods. The pollution near the Blood Demon’s brain had already exceeded level seven, reaching level six.
Professor Tone explained that mental pollution from levels one to three could cause chain reactions in human physiology, leading to the loss of human form and the collapse of one’s physical boundaries. For example, the people who turned into monstrous insects at the marketplace two days ago had been subjected to mental pollution exceeding level three.
“Class, the native monsters of the Evernight Realm emit many types of mental pollution. The Blood Demon’s variety affects brain function, causing loss of balance, splitting headaches, nausea, and difficulty concentrating. This type of pollution is the easiest to deal with because the physical pain alerts you, allowing you to take timely countermeasures. The most dangerous types are those that pollute you imperceptibly.”
“For instance, some types of mental pollution quietly alter your thoughts. They sink you into depression, strip away your self-confidence, and fill you with world-weariness until you are driven to take your own life. It kills without leaving a trace.”
Lilith suddenly asked, “Teacher, what is the strongest form of mental pollution?”
“Student Lilith, you must raise your hand to ask a question.”
Professor Tone gave her a stern look before answering.
“The Dead Sea Scrolls record: ‘You cannot see my face, for no man shall see me and live.’ This is the concept of the ‘Invisible God’ in the occult. The visage of a God—or rather, the visage of ‘The Divine One’—is something the human mind is not qualified to perceive. Upon contact, the mind is like salt meeting water or wax meeting flame; it melts instantly, turning to ash. The ‘Truth’ your consciousness glimpses as it dissipates is merely a surface phenomenon viewed through the eyes of the short-sighted…”
***
After class, Wang Yue walked over to Veronica to check on her.
The hair-loss potion, combined with Medeili’s Mystic Art, had been applied evenly with excellent results. Now, the girl’s head was perfectly smooth and shiny, without a single hair remaining, making her look like a doll whose wig had been removed.
Wang Yue couldn’t help but reach out and stroke the girl’s scalp. The sensation against her fingertips was incredibly smooth and strangely addictive.
“Don’t worry, I’ll go get a hair-growth potion to bring it back,” Wang Yue comforted her.
Losing hair was a small matter; recovering her sense of self was what was important.
Wang Yue waved a hand in front of the girl’s eyes. “Can you hear me?”
The bald little girl nodded.
“Good. How many fingers am I holding up?” Wang Yue held up one finger.
“One.”
“And now?”
“Five.”
“Excellent. No cognitive impairment.”
“…”
“Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”
“Cold,” the girl whimpered softly.
“Do you want me to get you a coat?”
“My head… is cold…”
“Ahem…”
Wang Yue coughed awkwardly and helped her pull up her hood. “How about now?”
“Much better,” the girl replied in a small voice.
“Do you remember anything from before?”
“…”
Veronica’s eyes were vacant for a moment. As she struggled to recall, a few threads emerged from the tangled mess of her deep subconscious, slowly pulling the memories of her past back into the light.
