Chapter 62: Eternal Night
Facing the pressure of the end-of-month assessment and the class competition, the entire classroom became tense. It wasn’t just Classroom B; the situation was the same in other classrooms as well. After all, only a small minority of people possess absolute self-confidence.
Amidst this oppressive atmosphere, the students of Classroom B welcomed the first class, which was listed on the timetable as a practical assessment class open to all students. If it weren’t for what Number Three said earlier, there might have been some students leaving the classroom by now. But in this oppressive atmosphere, no one wanted to leave, or perhaps no one dared to leave. After all, can you guarantee that the topics covered in this class won’t appear in the end-of-month assessment? A single mistake could lead to expulsion, and one wrong step could lead to more mistakes.
In such a silent and eerie atmosphere, a small cat with black fur and white paws walked into the classroom from the doorway.
Neruko, who had been suppressed by these students and had nothing to do, immediately seemed to find a kindred spirit and said happily.
“You see, you see, it’s a kitty!”
“Wow~ It’s a very rare breed indeed, all black fur, long tail, and three whiskers, this is…” Constantine continued Neruko’s topic and began to analyze, then suddenly realized and exclaimed, slapping his hands together.
“Bengal cat.”
“It’s the Kopodo Night Cat!, you idiot!” Displeasure emanated from the black cat’s mouth, its voice carrying authority tinged with a hint of recklessness, echoing throughout the entire classroom. The gradually recovering liveliness quieted down once again upon the utterance of this sentence.
Then came the mysterious five seconds.
In the end, everyone simultaneously exclaimed in amazement.
“Speak! Start talking!!”
“Oh, it’s just a cat talking, do you really need to make such a fuss?”
The black cat humanized, using its front paw to scratch the leg of another cat, then leaped lightly onto the lectern.
“No no no, anyone would be surprised by this, right? After all, it’s quite shocking that such an ordinary-looking member of the feline family can produce human-like sounds and communicate with them normally.”
The black cat licked its paw, then after a moment’s thought, it placed its paw on the magical rune switch of the lectern. Immediately, a close-up image of the black cat appeared on the screen behind it, presenting an oversized cat head to the audience.
“Now, can everyone see my incredibly handsome face clearly?”
No no no, I didn’t say I couldn’t see clearly from the beginning. It’s just that you intentionally magnified and focused on it. The originally cute little creature now seems somewhat disgusting for no reason. By the way, isn’t it a bit presumptuous to refer to yourself as ‘us’?”
Of course, although the students thought the same way deep down, not a single one dared to speak up, because since this black cat dared to jump onto the lectern, its identity was about to be revealed.
“So, from now on, I’ll be your practical assessment teacher every Monday morning. If there are any shortcomings, please bear with them.”
“Bear with it?! Black cat teacher, do we really have to bear with any issues you might have?”
“Then it’s about the name, right? Because I was born in the land of the Vermilion Bird Empire, I’ll call myself ‘Yongye’ (Eternal Night).”
Everyone was dumbfounded by this cat’s attitude. And what’s the connection between Yongye and the Vermilion Bird Empire? Why could they discuss each sentence coming from the other cat’s mouth? Is this the power of a fluidity teacher?
“Alright, do you have any questions?” Yongye had just finished speaking, but then he continued himself after a second.
“If not, then let’s start the first lesson.”
“Too fast! This cat teacher didn’t even intend to let them ask questions.”
“How many of you are there? You, the one on the left who looks quite stupid, you speak.” Yongye shifted his gaze to Constantine. He looked left and right, realizing all the students were looking at him, so he hesitantly pointed to himself and asked.
“Me?”
“Who are you? Follow classroom discipline. When the teacher calls your name, you should stand up!”
“Ah, yes.” Constantine quickly got up from his seat, his flustered appearance making Kagura Xiaoqi beside him unable to look directly.
“Of course, I’m not without compassion. Kneel down when you speak.”
“Teacher, wouldn’t that be even worse!”
“Alright, young one, stop babbling and quickly answer how many students are in your class.”
“Um, I remember it should be 97 people.”
“Should be? How dare you say ‘should be’ in front of me?!” The cat teacher was very dissatisfied with Constantine’s answer, its right paw resting on the lectern’s book stand, speaking arrogantly like a griffin holding its prey.
“In my class, there’s only the most standard answer, no vague responses! I also know there are 97 people in the classroom right now. Don’t you think with the semi-transparent liquid in your head properly? Why would I specifically ask you something I could instantly know!”
“Eh.” Poor Constantine was rendered speechless by the imposing aura of the cat for a moment, and the other students remained silent, afraid that any movement might attract the black cat’s attention.
Yongye tapped the lectern made of red rice wood with its paw, making a crisp sound, then began speaking.
“If students left before I arrived, if someone is late today, if someone went to the restroom during class, even if I could instantly perceive and know the number of people, are you sure this is the final total? I asked you because you’ve been here the whole time, and what I want to illustrate with this question is observation.”
“Eagles circle in the sky to observe prey movements, lions observe prey habits on the plains, assassins observe the environment and routines of their targets in advance, the time spent on war often doesn’t even amount to one-tenth of the time spent on reconnaissance, merchants have already determined the outcome of their trades long before the actual exchange while probing each other’s intentions. What about you? What do you observe? Alright, let the students in the front row answer this question.”
Seated in the front row was the Shating Iron Sword. He stood up, pondered for a moment, and spoke with a firm tone.
“The value of oneself.”
“Good, sit down. Now, anyone else? You, in the upper right corner who has been diminishing your presence, it’s your turn to answer.”
Yuehai was slightly stunned, looking at Ye Xi next to her whose name had been called. It wasn’t until now that she was suddenly startled because she had completely forgotten about Ye Xi’s presence since Yongye entered. Obviously, Ye Xi had employed a terrifying concealment technique. Unfortunately, the difference in strength between them rendered Ye Xi’s skill useless in front of the cat teacher.
Ye Xi was exposed by Yongye. Her face darkened slightly, but she still stood up honestly.
“Alright, answer my question. It was… Ye Xi, right? I remember both your name and face.”
Without hesitation, Ye Xi spoke.
“The habits of everyone, the structure of all environments, the composition of all things, the elimination of all randomness.”
“You’re taking the perspective of a rogue. What I’m asking you now is what you observe from the perspective of a student.”
