Chapter 343 No, you did not mishear it.
TRASH PREFECTURE
"Today is the day that I will get stronger." Elise muttered these words to herself as she did her best to remain perfectly still.
This proved to be almost impossible for her, as she was highly strung up with tension and expectation.
Elise could hardly contain her excitement as she knew that hours from now, she will gain a new power that will allow her to regain all the she had lost!
As such, Elise Thompson could only stand anxiously with her comrades, as they all waited for their new leader to approach them.
If Elise was excited, her comrades were excited too, with their faces showing the same hunger as hers.
But even with this kind of reception, there were still some people who seemed to be not sold on their new leader.
"Elise, are you sure that our new leader will allow us to get stronger?" Beside Elise, a thin, reedy woman spoke up as she gave Elise a timid look. "What if she is just fooling us?"
"Lisa, I a.s.sure you that the Esteemed Professor Frances is not like that." Elise hurriedly replied as she did her best to a.s.sure Lisa. "She may look a little crazy… but her abilities are surely top-notch."
"But have you seen her fight?" Lisa replied as she avoided Elise"s gaze. "What if she was just a weak deviant cultivator…"
At this point, Elise could not help but frown as she realized that Lisa was still unconvinced right now.
"Listen here Lisa." Elise slowly said as she placed her left arm above Lisa"s skinny shoulder. "Esteemed Professor Frances is a powerful deviant cultivator. Even if I did not see her fight, her movements, her behavior and the way that she carried herself made me sure that she is highly capable of combat!"
"…" Lisa did not say anything at this point, as she started to cow under Elise"s sudden fierce gaze.
"Lisa, this is our only chance to regain what we have lost." Elise said as she tightened her grip on Lisa"s shoulder. "If we let go of this chance, we might be regretting this forever!"
"Ah!" At this point, Elise was gripping Lisa"s shoulder so tightly that the latter has started to feel pain from it.
"B-b-but what if she only agreed to teach us because she had some ulterior motives?" Lisa rasped out as she gritted her teeth. "What if she just wanted to use us for her own goals?"
After Lisa said these words, Elise only let out a sigh as she released her hold on Lisa"s shoulder.
"Lisa, which fate do you think is better for us? For us to rot in this place, or for us to be p.a.w.ns of the Esteemed Professor Frances?" Elise said as she crossed her arms. "Go on, state your choice."
"I…" Lisa looked like she tried her best to answer, although it was obvious on her face that she was having a hard time to articulate her words.
Upon seeing this, Elise immediately grabbed Lisa by the scruff of her clothes as she pulled the later closer to her.
"If you really are suspicious of the Esteemed Professor Frances, then you should have chosen the fate of us rotting in this place." Elise breathed out as her mouth hovered right above Lisa"s wide forehead. "Yet you did not do that."
"I…"
"Even if you"re clearly not fond of the Esteemed Professor, you also hate your stay here." Elise said as she gave Lisa a mocking grin. "Since you"re like this, please stop being a hypocrite and just accept our new leader"s teachings!"
"…Okay." This was all that Lisa could say as her thin body collapsed under Elise"s murderous stare.
"Hmph, at this time, we can only rely on the Esteemed Professor. As such, we should always be respectful to her." Elise snarled as she gave Lisa a warning look. "Sure, you can still be suspicious of her. But. Do. Not. Do. Anything. Against. Her. You. Got. It?"
"I-I-I got it."
"Good. Now, go back at being quiet! You are better that way!" Elise said as she patted Lisa"s shoulder. "As long as you keep your mouth shut, you will be safe here."
"…"
Seeing that Lisa would not continue talking, Elise decided to ignore her as she decided to continue waiting for Professor Frances.
"I wonder what the Esteemed Professor will teach us?" Elise wondered to herself as her excitement continued to increase. "Will she teach us a new cultivation system, or will she impart a miraculous item on us? Sigh… the excitement is really killing me now!"
Fortunately for Elise, she did not have to wait that long, as just seconds after her argument with Lisa, she and her comrades heard the sound of a door opening.
"!!!"
All of their eyes were immediately glued on the house in front of them, which stood out like a sore thumb among the crowd.
Its front door slowly opened, as a woman wearing a white lab coat came out.
There was a twisted smile on her face as she stared at Elise and her comrades who all went silent.
"Hahaha! So all of you have gathered here! Good, good. Good! Now that you are all here, we can proceed on the next phase!" The woman said as she pointed her finger at Elise. "You there! You"re the leader of this group, right? How would you like to be the first one to receive my teachings? Are you willing to accept that?"
"Of course Esteemed Professor! I am willing!" Elise could barely stop herself from jumping as she realized that Professor Frances wanted her to be the first person to receive her teachings!
"I am so lucky! Not only did I manage to be a follower of the Esteemed Professor, she also chose me to be her first student! This... this must be my best day ever!" Elise thought to herself as started to feel smug about this fact.
"You are okay with it? In that case, come accompany me in my room. I shall start dissecting- no, teaching you there." The professor replied as she beckoned Elise to move forward. "You need to move faster, as I have to dissect- no, teach a lot of you."
"Did she just say dissect? No, I must have misheard it." Elise thought to herself as she followed Professor Frances. "Yes, I must have misheard it…"