Progress on Campus

Nancy and Wilbur's journey was destined to end in failure.

Before leaving, Nancy put Professor Armitage's letter in the mailbox, but she didn't pay attention to the address on the letter.

There were three letters in total, addressed to the Hex Kingdom National Library, the Old Kingdom Grand Museum, and the Silver Kingdom El University Library.

The letters were largely the same, all warning them to keep the "Necronomicon" and other "dangerous" books safe and not to lend them out easily.

After Nancy left, Professor Armitage made two more phone calls, one to the Bay State University Library and the other to the Skait Library in Salem. The content of the calls was similar to that of the letter.

These six locations, including the Phillips Library at Miskatonic University, are all that Professor Armitage knows of that contain a Raman version of the Necronomicon.

Phillips Library, Salem State University, and Bay State University are all located in Bay State, while the other three are located across the ocean.

The Old Kingdom Grand Library and the Skait Library in Salem both contain older, hardcover editions, while the other four locations contain what Professor Armitage jokingly calls "pirated books."

All libraries and museums received a reminder from Professor Armitage.

Professor Armitage, who was leaving Robert Aoun's hospital room an hour after Nancy left on June 16, did not see the note Nancy had left.

The note was concise, in Nancy's characteristic quirky style:

I want to go out and have fun, so please deduct it from my salary.

There wasn't even a deadline specified.

Professor Armitage sighed helplessly.

After all, he had chosen the student himself, and he didn't want to just fire Nancy from her work-study position.

Moreover, if he really did that, Elizabeth would definitely plead for him.

In the evening, an unexpected guest visited Professor Armitage.

--

It's Professor Larry Miller.

This man with long blond hair and an artistic air was serious and didn't seem to know Professor Armitage very well.

"I'd like to borrow <The Modern War History of the Silver Kingdom>," Professor Larry said.

"Of course," Professor Armitage replied, adjusting his glasses. There was really no need to specifically ask him about borrowing a book; "but I remember you just returned this book today."

"Yes," Professor Larry nodded, "But then I remembered I'd need it again."

"You can ask Lizzie or Bean; they'll tell you where the book is—maybe it hasn't been put back yet, and they're holding it for now."

"OK."

Professor Larry didn't leave, but continued, "I have to tell you about someone. Do you know Wilbur of Dunwich?"

Professor Armitage replied, "Yes, I do know him; he's one of my pen pals."

"I think he's getting too close to Nancy Wagner," Professor Miller said. "It's not really our place as teachers to interfere in the relationships between students. But I feel it's best to be careful with Wilbur."

Professor Armitage froze, looking at the note Nancy had left on the table.

"How did Professor Larry know all this?" he asked.

Today, I brought Wilbur to the university.

"Today?"

"Yes, Wilbur said he wanted to borrow a book from the library, and he happened to run into Nancy when Nancy came to deliver it to me."

Professor Larry had nothing more to say and left quickly.

Professor Armitage then went to see Mr. John.

He asked Wilbur if he had been to the library.

"No, Wilbur didn't come to the library," Mr. John replied.

Mr. John hesitated for a moment. "However, Little White was indeed quite agitated for a while this afternoon—you know, Little White is usually very well-behaved, except for that one time when Professor Morgan brought a lot of poison, and it only gets like this when Wilbur comes."

Little White is Mr. John's mongrel dog. Now, it has caught the scent of Professor Armitage and is sticking its head out, sticking its tongue out at the professor.

"Noon?" Professor Armitage asked. "Is there a more specific time?"

Around ten o'clock.

It was at this time that Professor Armitage sent Elizabeth to deliver the letter.

It was already late, and Professor Armitage didn't pay much attention to it for the time being.

On June 17, Professor Armitage told Elizabeth everything he had learned.

Elizabeth immediately wanted to go to Dunwich to find Nancy.

"No, let's wait a little longer," Professor Armitage said.

He looked at Elizabeth with a cautious expression.

He didn't even realize that he felt uneasy about Dunwich.

Out of concern for her safety, he didn't want Elizabeth to go to Dunwich alone. "How about tomorrow? We'll give Nancy another day. If she's not back by tomorrow—well, Dr. Morgan will be in Dunwich by then, let him handle it."

"But I want to go with them," Elizabeth said.

"But if neither you nor Nancy are here, who can act as my assistant?" Professor Armitage asked.

Elizabeth did not speak.

Seeing that she seemed genuinely wondering who could cover for her, Professor Armitage sighed and nodded. "I was just kidding. I won't be very busy for a while, as you've probably noticed. Don't worry, even if you and Nancy disappeared for several days at the same time, I might not even notice."

Professor Armitage visited Robert Aoun's ward again that afternoon.

After confirming that Robert Aoun's condition was relatively stable, Professor Armitage spoke to Dr. Morgan about Nancy's situation.

"Of course, I'll try to find her," Dr. Morgan said. "But—frankly—I don't think we need to be so concerned about students' privacy. Nancy is an adult."

Professor Armitage shook his head, expressing his concerns about Wilbur, as did Professor Larry's concerns about Wilbur.

On some level that Armitage never noticed, Oliver's skull diminished its impact on him.

Jack listened quietly, agreeing with Professor Armitage: "If we had enough manpower now, these speculations alone would be enough for the Federation to send an investigator."

He said, half-jokingly, "How about I go? Night Hawk Union Second-Level Investigator Jack Cobert will complete the investigation perfectly."

Dr. Morgan shoved him. "Don't go crazy, I'm a Level 2 too, I'll find Nancy."

The alarm clock went off.

Dr. Morgan found a syringe and injected Robert Orn with a new sedative.

"I wonder how things are going over there," he muttered. "These tranquilizers won't get us anywhere."

Jack patted his shoulder, and the scar on his cheek that stretched to the corner of his eye twitched a few times.

He said, "If there are other doctors who are more suitable, I don't want to stay here. That place would be a better fit for me."