I, a cultivator, have ended up in the wizarding world

Chapter 641 Lectures and Objectives

The Fog City Exhibition Center is located on the west side of the city's central axis and is a large Baroque building.

Four Corinthian columns are inlaid in the milky white marble exterior wall, and the acanthus leaf carvings on the capitals have turned grayish-yellow in the perennial smog.

Above the main entrance hangs the emblem of the Psychic Association, its open eye peering down at everyone who enters from beneath the greyish-white sky.

Jemin followed the crowd into the main hall of the exhibition center.

He was dressed very simply today, his dark gray coat was faded from washing, and the heels of his leather boots were worn, which contrasted sharply with the well-dressed gentlemen and ladies around him.

In this city, the Psychics Association's public lectures are open to everyone, and the entire lecture series is completely free.

It sounds like it would be perfect for people who don't have much money.

However, the reality is that the exhibition center is located in the center of an affluent neighborhood, and the cost of taking public transportation to the area where the exhibition center is located is beyond the reach of ordinary people.

On the contrary, the wealthy can arrive by private car or leisurely on foot under the guise of taking a walk.

Moreover, the lectures are held on regular working days, and almost no ordinary people would risk losing their jobs to attend a basic lecture.

Therefore, those who can actually attend this lecture are mostly people with some assets.

At the far end of the main hall is a double oak door, behind which is a tiered lecture hall that can accommodate hundreds of people.

The seats are upholstered in deep red velvet, and the armrests have folding trays.

At the front of the lecture hall was a wide platform, and on the wall behind the platform hung a huge black stone slab used for writing and displaying diagrams.

Jemin sat down in the third-to-last row, on the side. The view wasn't great, but it was close to the exit, making it easy to leave at any time.

Gradually, more and more people filled the lecture hall.

By the time the lecture officially began, the entire lecture hall was almost full.

Jemin glanced at the numbers and counted over four hundred people.

Among these people were well-dressed middle-class individuals and young people who looked like students with notebooks, but there were no ordinary lower-class residents like him.

A middle-aged man in a dark blue uniform walked onto the podium. The logo of the Psychic Association was embroidered on the left breast of his uniform, and there were three gold horizontal bars on the collar.

According to the information that Jamin recently gathered, that represents the level of "senior lecturer".

"Good morning, everyone." The middle-aged man's voice wasn't loud, but it carried throughout the lecture hall through the loudspeakers. "Welcome to this public lecture on basic knowledge of protecting against the supernatural. I am Vito Rein, a specially invited lecturer from the association, and I will be giving a lecture to you today."

He turned around and wrote a few words on the blackboard, the chalk making a crisp sound as it struck the surface.

"The bizarre basic characteristics and evolutionary patterns."

Jemin leaned back in his chair, his posture somewhat relaxed.

He attended the lecture more as a "side event," but when Vitor Rayne uttered his first words, he sat up straight.

"First, I'd like to draw your attention to a phenomenon," Victor said, pointing to the first line of text on the blackboard. "The same type of eeriness can change its form as times change."

The lecture hall fell silent.

"Let me give you an example," Victor turned to face the audience, "Ghost ships are eerie. Has anyone heard of them?"

Several people in the audience raised their hands.

"Ghost ship mysteries are a very ancient type of mystery, with the earliest written records dating back 1,200 years. What did ghost ships look like in those ancient accounts? Wooden sailboats. The hulls were rotten, the sails were tattered, and the hulls were covered with barnacles and seaweed. It would appear on the sea, lure passing ships closer, and then drag those ships and their crews into the deep sea."

Vidor drew a simple outline of a sailboat on the blackboard.

"Then, three hundred years ago, the image of the ghost ship in the records changed. Wooden sailing ships began to decrease, and they were replaced by a new type of ship: steamships with metal hulls. The hulls were rusted, and black smoke billowed from the chimneys, but that black smoke had no warmth."

He drew a simplified outline of a ship next to the sailboat.

"In modern times, in the last fifty years of records, the image of ghost ships has changed once again. Steamships are also decreasing, and they are beginning to appear..."

He paused, then wrote a few words on the blackboard.

"Metal cruise ships. Large, modern luxury cruise ships at sea. Brightly lit, but the lights don't flicker or change; they stay on constantly, as if mimicking some kind of 'living' illusion."

A low murmur arose from the audience.

Jemin's gaze fell on the blackboard, and the simple lines outlining the shape of the ship connected in his mind to form a clear trajectory of evolution.

The eerie image of ghost ships is not fixed, but evolves in tandem with the development of human shipbuilding technology.

It is imitating.

Or rather, it is "learning".

It seems this lecturer has real expertise.

Victor's voice continued: "What does this phenomenon illustrate? It shows that the supernatural is not a static, inanimate object. It changes its form as time progresses. More precisely, it 'borrows' the most representative symbols of human civilization to shape its own image."

He wrote a word on the blackboard.

"Symbolism"

"The images presented by the eerie are often not random, but rather have a certain symbolic meaning. They choose wooden sailboats because wooden sailboats represent the 'ancient sea.' They choose steamships because steamships represent the 'conquest of the industrial age.' They choose metal cruise ships because metal cruise ships represent 'modern prosperity and extravagance.'"

"But behind this symbolism lies a deeper question: Why do the supernatural imitate? Where do their objects of imitation come from? How do they know that new ship types have appeared in human society?"

Victor put down the chalk, turned around, and scanned the entire lecture hall with his eyes.

"The answer may be complicated, but today I want to tell you about the most mainstream hypothesis in academia: there is a considerable relationship between bizarre targets and psychic abilities."

Jemin raised his eyebrows slightly.

"As you all probably know, the darkness doesn't affect animals. At night, your cats, dogs, and mice can move freely in the dark without being harmed."

"Similarly, in many accounts of strange events, there are numerous cases of pets surviving. An entire family died, but the family cat was still alive, walking around the corpses as if nothing had happened."

Why?

Victor paused for a moment, as if giving the audience time to think.

"Because animals lack intelligence. Or rather, the level of intelligence in animals is far lower than that of humans. The supernatural... at least most of them don't attack animals, plants, or any organisms without self-awareness. Their target is humans. More precisely, human intelligence."

Jemin's eyes narrowed, and he became even more serious.

"Therefore, the academic community has proposed a hypothesis: the birth of the bizarre should also be related to intelligence. They are born from human intelligence, feed on human intelligence, or rather, use human intelligence as 'soil'."

"When a large number of humans live together in a certain place for a long time, it will form an invisible and immeasurable 'spiritual field'. Once this field reaches a certain critical point, it will give rise to strange phenomena."

"That's why there are far more eerie things in cities than in the countryside, and far more eerie things in the countryside than in the wilderness. It's not that eerie things like cities, but that cities have a large population, a clash of ideas, and an intertwining of desires... all of which provide the most fertile ground for the birth of eerie things."

Jemin leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrests unconsciously.

He had learned some basic knowledge about the supernatural from the bandits' memories, but that knowledge was fragmented and lacked a theoretical framework.

What Victor said today may only broaden the horizons of ordinary people.

At most, it will only let ordinary people know what the strange is, how to avoid it, and what to do if they encounter danger.

But for him, these theoretical frameworks themselves are extremely valuable research materials.

They could directly accelerate his research into the bizarre.

This can be seen as a summary and conclusion drawn from thousands of years of coexistence between humanity and the supernatural in this world; it is a crystallization of experience tested by time and practice.

Looking at the blackboard on the podium with the words "symbolism" and "wisdom" written on it, and especially at the lecturer who was speaking with great enthusiasm, Jemin nodded to himself.

A casual lecture would be given by a lecturer with such knowledge. It is clear from this that the Psychic Association has played a significant role in the fact that this world has been able to form a normal society, avoid collapse, and even develop a decent level of technology.

The lecture lasted approximately two hours.

Vito Raine finished explaining the basic classifications of the supernatural, common ways to avoid the supernatural, emergency measures when encountering danger, and the psychic association's channels for reporting and seeking help.

The content is detailed and well-organized, combining theoretical depth with practicality.

Jemin noticed that the students in the audience were listening very attentively, and some were even taking notes in their notebooks.

Finally, Victor concluded his lecture with the words: "Ladies and gentlemen, the strange is not scary; what is scary is being completely ignorant of the strange. Knowledge is the best protection. Thank you."

The applause rang out; though not enthusiastic, it was sincere enough.

After the lecture, Jemin did not leave immediately.

He remained seated, observing the movements of those around him.

Most people stood up and began talking to the people around them.

The atmosphere in the lecture hall quickly shifted from "listening" to "socializing".

The well-dressed gentlemen and ladies gathered in twos and threes, exchanging business cards, exchanging pleasantries, and occasionally letting out restrained laughter.

Sure enough, just as Eric said, these lectures were more of a gathering for upper-class people to exchange ideas and expand their networks.

Most people come here not to listen to lectures, but to meet people, conduct business, and build relationships during the social sessions after the lectures.

Once they've finished exchanging pleasantries, they'll leave in twos and threes to continue their social activities at nearby restaurants or clubs.

Someone glanced at Jemin, their gaze sweeping over him without lingering, as if looking at a piece of furniture that didn't fit into the lecture hall.

No one came up to talk to them.

Jemin didn't care at all, since he wasn't there for socializing in the first place.

He leaned back in his chair, waiting patiently.

Soon, most of the people in the hall left, but some remained.

Jemin observed these "remaining people".

They were scattered in different parts of the lecture hall, men and women, ranging in age from their early twenties to their fifties and sixties.

Their clothing varied, some elaborate, some simple.

But no matter who they are, their "temperament" is similar.

Everyone carries a kind of "momentum".

Like a steel knife that has been repeatedly quenched and forged, even when it lies quietly in its sheath, you can still feel its sharpness.

These people are not the same as the upper-class people who chat and laugh in social settings.

Jemin sat quietly in his seat, waiting.

A few minutes later, a waiter wearing a black vest came out from a small door on the side of the lecture hall.

He bowed slightly to the "remaining people," said nothing, and then turned and walked back through the small door.

People started to move.

Those scattered throughout the lecture hall stood up one by one, some carrying briefcases, some empty-handed, some alone, some in twos and threes, and walked toward the small door in a scattered manner.

No one was sizing each other up; everyone seemed to have tacitly agreed to some unspoken rule.

Jemin picked up his small suitcase, stood up, and followed at the back of the crowd.

Behind the small door is a narrow corridor.

The corridor walls were made of red bricks, and the floor was paved with gray stone slabs, which contrasted sharply with the luxurious decorations in the lecture hall.

A lamp hangs every few meters overhead, casting dappled orange-yellow light in the corridor.

Jemin followed the crowd down the winding corridor for about five minutes.

The corridor turned several corners and passed several intersections, but the person in front seemed to know the route very well and did not hesitate at all.

Finally, at the end of the corridor appeared a double oak door.

The door was open.

Behind the door is a spacious lobby.

This lobby is even larger than the lecture hall outside.

The floor was covered with dark wood flooring, polished to a smooth finish, and gleamed with a warm sheen under the light.

The lobby is filled with hundreds of chairs scattered about, as if it were some kind of deliberate "informal" arrangement.

Several huge oil paintings hung on the wall, depicting various bizarre images that made people feel uncomfortable.

In front of the lobby is a slightly elevated platform with a long table covered with a dark red velvet cloth.

On the wall behind the platform, the emblem of the Psychic Association was enlarged several times, almost taking up the entire wall.

People entered the lobby in a scattered manner and casually found seats to sit down.

Jemin chose a seat on the right side of the lobby against the wall. After sitting down, his gaze swept across the entire lobby.

It was obvious that the atmosphere here was much more oppressive than the lectures outside.

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