This diary is written in the Ruins language, which suggests that Holwig Gay is very likely an exchange student from the Kingdom of Ruins.
The Kingdom of Ruins is the birthplace of Alchemy, and over half of ancient Alchemy texts are written in the Ruins script. Therefore, the Ruins script is a compulsory course in the Alchemy Department, and Zhou Ning had no trouble reading it.
Holwig evidently has a habit of keeping a diary. Today is September 2nd, and this one began six months ago, on March 2nd. The initial entries are mostly trivial matters about his studies and Alchemy. It's clear he really loves Alchemy.
"March 2nd: Today I finally got to experience Alchemy. Alchemy is truly the most interesting thing in the whole world. You simply can't imagine so many magical changes coming from a tiny beaker and crucible. And the most marvelous thing is, even though the substance changes, the total amount doesn't decrease, because only when one substance disappears can another be reborn. Professor Bislock, who is in charge of teaching, seems to quite like me, which is normal, after all, I am a man destined to become a great Alchemist."
... "March 19th: After half a month of studying in the Alchemy Department, everything is going very smoothly. Professor Bislock thinks highly of me and made me class monitor. However, once I overheard Professor Bislock and Professor Walter arguing. Professor Bislock believes that the human soul has weight. Anything with weight falls within the scope of Alchemy, so using Alchemy to refine souls, and even to refine life, is entirely feasible. But Professor Walter believes that refining life is God's forbidden zone; according to the principle of equivalent exchange, the appearance of one life must be accompanied by the demise of another. Although I didn't fully understand, I was greatly shocked. The next day, I asked Professor Bislock if the human soul really has weight. He looked at me with a profound gaze. He told me: 'Yes.'"
... "March 21st: Professor Bislock brought me to a private clinic. An old lady on the bed was on the verge of Death. The bed was equipped with an extremely ingenious weighing instrument. The current weight was 90 pounds. Over the next six hours, the old lady's weight slowly decreased, likely due to the gradual evaporation of water from her body. But at the moment of the old lady's Death, her body weight rapidly dropped by three-quarters of an ounce. Professor Bislock told me that this three-quarters of an ounce is the weight of the soul. It's truly amazing! I really want to know where the soul goes after a person dies, and how can one find it again? Goddess above, this is something not mentioned in Master Goethe's Alchemy textbooks. I feel like I've suddenly pushed open a door in the darkness."
... "March 29th: I really am the Child of Destiny! Today, Professor Bislock asked me to help organize a batch of ancient books from the Era of the Four Heroes at his home. I actually found a mysterious Alchemy booklet tucked in the binding of an ancient book! The author was an ancient Alchemist named Goodwin! It truly is #￥%@ (the middle part is Ruins slang, incomprehensible). I secretly kept this booklet. I have a premonition that this booklet will change my life."
Upon reading this, Zhou Ning's expression gradually grew serious. Only this naive boy, being in the midst of it, couldn't see clearly. It was obvious that Professor Bislock was a member of the Life Alchemy Society, step by step luring this Holwig Gay into their fold.
In later generations, players could only learn about the Era of the Four Heroes through promotional videos. It was said that during that period, the gods still existed, and the Four Heroes were their representatives. In the game, statues of the Four Heroes stand by the Seton River in the royal capital of Daklan. Even in the game, the history of the Era of the Four Heroes remains shrouded in mist and mystery, with relevant records difficult to find in libraries.
An ordinary university professor actually treasured so many ancient texts from the Era of the Four Heroes, and even trusted a student to organize them alone? Who would believe that?
Zhou Ning shook his head and continued reading the diary:
"March 30th: I read this notebook from beginning to end. It turns out this notebook is only half complete; the other half is hidden in the Vik University library. But this version alone has opened my eyes. It contains some evil Alchemy recorded in ancient faric language that makes me feel chills. For example, by putting sheep's internal organs and human sperm into a flask, then adding leech powder, viper flower, and other materials for refining, the resulting material can be used to modify human bloodlines. If successful, it can grant people special abilities. Or, by mixing horny goat weed with some animal organs, a magic potion can be concocted. Regular consumption can make the woman you like fall in love with you. Although these Alchemy techniques are both evil and cumbersome, I still found them fascinating to read."
"April 5th: I was actually selected as an exchange student to Vik University. I hate the Weather in Daklan!"
"April 11th: Goodbye, Ruins, goodbye, Innek University!"
"April 21st: Blystone people are really annoying, arrogant, and conceited. Not a single person greeted me all day."
"April 23rd: I think I'm in love. Oh, Maggie, lovely woman, I want to (the following is omitted fantasy text)."
"April 24th: Today is a frustrating day. Maggie actually has a boyfriend, and he's a damn simple-minded, brawny jerk."
"May 12th: I really can't stand the days of unrequited love anymore. I wonder if those strange things in that little booklet are true? I gathered the materials according to the recipe inside and started refining. I hope it really works!"
"May 17th: After taking it for five consecutive days, Maggie confessed her feelings to me today! Oh my god, this recipe really works!"
"June 17th: This past month has been both sweet and frustrating. Maggie and I moved in together and did all the things lovers do, but Maggie's simple-minded, brawny ex-boyfriend kept causing me trouble. In just half a month, I was beaten seven times. No, I can't let this go. I remembered another Alchemy technique recorded in the booklet."
"July 5th: I finally managed to gather the materials: sheep's internal organs, viper flower, leech powder. As for the sperm, I handled that myself. The finished product, mixed and refined over five days, looks like a large condom. Am I really going to implant this thing into my body?"
"July 11th: I finally did it. This formula really works. I gained a superpower that others only dream of: invisibility! I beat up Maggie's ex-boyfriend and his accomplices, then I wandered around the women's changing room and public carriages again and again. I'm living the life every man dreams of!"
"August 24th: Life has been good, but these past few days I seem to be a bit off. My memory is a bit degraded; I forget things I put down in the morning by noon. Some scales are starting to grow on my face. What's going on?"
"August 25th: My symptoms are getting worse and worse. To avoid forgetting things, I have to write my diary more clearly. Today I received an anonymous letter telling me to go to 5 Greenham Street, saying there was a way to solve my symptoms. It turned out to be a group of lunatics calling themselves the Life Alchemy Association, planning to deploy five Alchemy bombs on Vik University's Freshmen Welcome Day, and I was to throw one of them. These Alchemy bombs are very powerful, but what does that have to do with me? I agreed and got the formula. After reading it, I realized that they call the first step of implantation 'alienation.' What I need to do next is to transplant healthy human organs, one by one, back into my body through special refining..."
"August 26th: Maggie, you will forgive me, won't you?"
"August 28th: The experiment worked. After transplanting Maggie's stomach, I can now return to being a normal person, but my memory hasn't improved, and my temper has become increasingly irritable. At the same time, I turned my attention to Sharon. This girl is very cute, exactly my type. After taking the magic potion, this is the first time I've liked someone so much..."
Zhou Ning already knew what happened next: Holwig cruelly killed Sharon. He didn't bother to read the rest; the entire text was filled with insane ramblings, making him extremely uncomfortable.
This Holwig Gay started out alright, but later became utterly despicable, fickle, lecherous, selfish, and self-serving. He hadn't killed the wrong person.
Zhou Ning and Sherlock exchanged glances, both horrified.
He hadn't expected the people from the Life Alchemy Association to be so insane that they would target Vik University's Freshmen Welcome Day.