Chapter 53: The Dragon Academy's Heritage
Kaisa walked into the accessory shop. This was about going to the Dragon Academy. Su Xiao sought out Kaisa for two reasons: first, there might be unknown risks there, and second, it would facilitate this negotiation.
The world where the Dragon Academy was located had extremely high combat power. Arriving at the Dragon Academy via a letter of recommendation, directly confronting them would be unwise.
This trip to the Dragon Academy offered no kill rewards, no treasure chest rewards, and upon leaving, there would be no world settlement. Therefore, a quick in-and-out was the wise choice.
Su Xiao took out the [Dragon Academy Letter of Recommendation]. Bubu Wang, Kaisa, and Baha all gathered around. As Su Xiao used the letter, spatial fluctuations appeared.
Hum~
Ripples spread through the air, and the surroundings grew dark. When everything settled, Su Xiao found himself in a guest room.
The room's style had a steampunk feel but was cleaner and more refined. The second hand of the floor-standing clock ticked away, and the gas lamp occasionally dimmed depending on the air intake.
[Prompt: You have arrived at the Ancient Capital · Wabray.]
[Your current location is: Academy Inn.]
[Your identity is: Foreign Exchanger.]
[Warning: You must not leave the Dragon Academy's jurisdiction. Once you leave this area, you will be forcibly teleported back to the Real World.]
[Warning: The Dragon Academy is an ultra-high-rank area. Do not engage in suspicious behavior, or you will attract the attention of the 'Academy Supervisory Team,' leading to investigation or even imprisonment.]
[Because you entered this world through a special method, you can leave this world at any time under any circumstances.]
...
Su Xiao dismissed the prompt. It was close to what he had guessed. This place couldn't be breached by force. Relatively speaking, the knowledge and treasures here would be even more precious.
He glanced out the window. It was 4 AM, the moon hook hanging at the edge of the sky. The entire city of Wabray was in the faint darkness of early morning. Most people were still asleep, but some restaurants had already opened, restoring a bit of life to the old city.
Wabray was bustling. Although there were many old buildings, it was clear that most were intentionally preserved for historical reasons, with meticulous later repairs and maintenance.
Looking through the glass window, the most spectacular sight was naturally the nearly hundred-meter-tall Academy Tower. At the top of this building was a faintly glowing crystal.
In front of this building stood a several-dozen-meter-tall sculpture. It was a dragon without eyes, its body covered in crystalline scales, its wings spread wide in a roar.
Originally, the power of crystals belonged to the ancient dragons. The ancient dragon race enslaved other races until one day, a wise man stole the crystal power of the ancient dragons, added his own soul power to it, and thus defeated the dragons. It was during that period that the Dragon Academy was established.
Whether this history was true or false was impossible to verify, but one fact remained: the Dragon Academy was indeed the highest institution for crystal knowledge. Here, besides crystal knowledge, soul magic was also quite famous.
Su Xiao's purpose for this trip was to exchange for crystal knowledge. He was unlikely to invest too many resources in this area, so the Dragon Academy was the most suitable place.
Su Xiao had arrived this time as a foreign exchanger. He opened the letter of recommendation, and its contents gradually became clear.
The identity he represented this time was not the Alchemy Faction but the Sun Faction.
This letter of recommendation was obtained by Su Xiao on Ser Star. It was perfectly normal for him to represent the Sun Faction. However, the current Sun Faction was nearly destroyed, so it was expected that the Dragon Academy's attitude wouldn't be warm.
One important point: although the Dragon Academy rose to prominence by relying on the crystal knowledge of the ancient wyverns, the Dragon Academy and the Ancient Dragon Faction were hostile forces. Thinking about it this way, the Dragon Academy might have some connection with the Sun Faction.
Su Xiao didn't care much about this aspect. From the most realistic perspective, when the power is gone, the influence fades. Otherwise, as a representative of the Sun Faction here for knowledge exchange, he wouldn't have been arranged to stay at the Academy Inn but would have been invited to stay within the Academy Tower.
The Dragon Academy's system wasn't too complicated. The Dean lived in seclusion, and most decisions were made by the high-ranking mentors. Unless necessary, no one dared to disturb the Dean.
The mentors were the administrators and knowledge instructors here, respected by all. However, the ones truly responsible for maintaining order here were the Paladin Knights of the Supervisory Team.
The Paladin Knights of the Supervisory Team only obeyed direct orders from the Dean and the Royal Court. They had the authority to detain, or even kill, any suspicious personnel, except for the mentors and students within the academy.
The mentors and students here were subject to the Supervisory Team's control to a certain extent, but at most, they could be temporarily detained and investigated. If a Paladin Knight injured a student within the academy, they would be destroyed.
However, the students within the academy also dared not act recklessly with the Paladin Knights. The combat power of these Paladin Knights was beyond the students' reach. Even the mentors, in close combat, would be taken down by the Paladin Knights in a short time.
The prototypes of these Paladin Knights were war machines. Only the Royal Court had the technology to manufacture them. Sending them to the Dragon Academy served both to contain this powerful force and to protect the Dragon Academy, preventing its precious knowledge from being stolen by enemy nations.
These Paladin Knights were cold, emotionless enforcers of order. Brainwashed, they had no feelings and followed all the rules of the academy and the royal court.
Finally, the Dragon Academy Dean. This old immortal was a monster. Some rumored that he was actually the founder of the Dragon Academy, seeking the secret of immortality.
"Woof~"
Bubu Wang emerged from stealth and let out a quiet bark.
Su Xiao signaled Bubu not to act rashly for now. Soon, there was a knock on the door. Bubu opened it and found Baha.
Kaisa's whereabouts were temporarily unknown. Unless necessary, Su Xiao wouldn't act together with Kaisa. This time, they had already agreed: Su Xiao would bring him to the Dragon Academy, and any benefits gained afterward would be split fifty-fifty. Just bringing him into the Dragon Academy without doing anything else for a fifty percent share was already a lot.
Su Xiao began his daily meditation. He was here representing the Sun Faction. The Dragon Academy was sending a mentor named Ian Leopold to contact him for a friendly knowledge exchange.
Meditating until a little past six in the morning, there was a knock on the door. However, the person who came wasn't Mentor Ian Leopold but a young girl wearing apprentice robes and a tea-colored hood. She had beautiful amber eyes.
"Mr. Kukulin, I'm so sorry. My mentor is feeling unwell today, so I had to come. I'm truly sorry."
The apprentice named Nita bowed respectfully. From her apologetic expression, she genuinely felt sorry for this meeting. In her view, as an apprentice, coming to exchange knowledge with a representative of the Sun Faction was very rude, a complete mismatch in status.
Su Xiao didn't know if Mentor Ian Leopold was genuinely unwell, but sending an apprentice was clearly a veiled warning, implying that the Sun Faction was no longer what it used to be.
The Sun Faction's madmen were quite famous. Ian Leopold didn't come himself but sent a junior apprentice. This could also be seen as sending a cannonball to test the waters. Who knew what extreme actions the Sun madmen would take if the knowledge exchange didn't go smoothly?
"So, Miss Nita, your mentor doesn't plan to see us?"
Baha spoke.
"No, it's not that. My mentor is critically ill. Cough~ He's very sick."
Nita was a typical sweet-talker, almost sending her own mentor to the afterlife.
Su Xiao took out a piece of metallic-looking paper, rolled it into a tube, and handed it to Nita. "Give this to your mentor. I need knowledge about crystals."
Whether that mentor named Ian Leopold showed up or not, Su Xiao didn't care. This place had various unknown risks. Once he got the crystal knowledge, he would withdraw immediately. He estimated that such ultra-high-rank worlds were rare, and he would likely be able to enter this world normally in the future.
Nita repeatedly apologized before leaving the guest room. As soon as she got out, she hurried away. Clearly, meeting the Sun madmen was not a good assignment, even Nita knew that.
On the corridor outside the guest room, covered with a red carpet, a Paladin Knight in full plate armor stood, occasionally glancing at Su Xiao's guest room door. He was obviously temporarily assigned to prevent the Sun madman from doing anything shocking.
It wasn't that the Dragon Academy was overly cautious. Previously, in the Northern Continent of the Treeborn World, after the Sun Faction there developed, even Su Xiao himself didn't want to get close. It was too dangerous.
The Sun Faction had two sides. Back when Su Xiao developed the legion strategy using Sun faith on Ser Star, it was mainly because of the special pig-headed race. Otherwise, developing Sun faith with other races would likely show signs of losing control, or, like the Sun Church in the World of Paintings, become an unmanageable organization. The Sun Church could truly be said to have achieved complete equality.
Inside the guest room, Su Xiao didn't go out. He had long sensed the powerful aura outside the door. If a single Paladin Knight was like this, trying to force his way into the Dragon Academy would mean certain death.
Su Xiao didn't have to wait long. In less than an hour, Apprentice Nita returned. Upon entering, she followed protocol with a series of apologies. It was clear she was genuinely scared, afraid that Su Xiao would suddenly attack.
Su Xiao ignored Nita's constant apologies. He picked up the scroll on the table. It was relatively new. He opened it and began reading the crystal knowledge recorded on it.
After a moment, Su Xiao placed the scroll on the table. Overall, he was very dissatisfied. Mentor Leopold was clearly using his power to bully others. This was probably why he didn't show up himself.
What Su Xiao offered wasn't alchemy knowledge but various Sun miracles and applications of Sun power. This knowledge was perfect for exchange.
This knowledge was very valuable, especially the applications of Sun energy. On the other hand, Mentor Leopold had casually put together some analysis on crystals, whose value wasn't even comparable to a single Sun miracle.
If they were truly uninterested in Sun miracles and Sun energy applications, they could have simply returned the offer. This knowledge exchange was initiated by the Dragon Academy. It should either be an equal exchange or a return.
Now, they neither returned the offer nor provided anything of value. They just casually offered some low-level crystal knowledge. This wasn't much different from a forced sale.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be going..."
Nita's words were cut short by a dull thud from the corridor outside, as if something heavy had fallen.
"As expected of a Paladin Knight. Their poison resistance is really high."
Baha muttered, opened the door, flew into the corridor, and soon dragged the Paladin Knight inside.
This Paladin Knight was indeed strong, but no matter how tough, under the effect of alchemical potent poison, he still fell.
"You... you all."
Nita's expression gradually turned to panic. She seemed to understand why her mentor hadn't come and why this errand came with a reward.
"Shh!"
Baha made a quieting gesture with its claw. It landed on Nita's shoulder, its metallic-looking eagle claw gripping her head.
Zzzt, zzzt~
Two Spirit Shadow Threads were pulled taut. Su Xiao pulled the pin on a liquid bomb and wrapped the two Spirit Shadow Threads around the activation ring.
He took out the Primordial Mask and placed it over the Paladin Knight's face. Since this academy was bullying the weak, he didn't need to be polite.
Crimson tendrils extended from inside the Primordial Mask. Within seconds, they devoured the Paladin Knight completely. Su Xiao picked up the mask from the ground and put it on his face.
Immediately, Su Xiao's form began to change rapidly. He felt a layer of energy enveloping him, making his physique appear larger, reaching nearly three meters.
A few seconds later, Su Xiao successfully disguised himself as a Paladin Knight. He flexed his fingers, now covered by gauntlets, and turned to look at Apprentice Nita, asking:
"What's your name?"
"Ni... Nita."
"Mm, hello Nita. Have you ever thought about something?"
Su Xiao sat on the coffee table, placing one hand on Nita's head.
"Wh... what?"
Nita's eyes were not only panicked, but her heart was also racing. She had lived in the Dragon Academy since childhood. The worst person she had ever met was a senior student bullying a freshman. She had never seen someone as ferocious as Su Xiao.
"The Dragon Academy raised you. Shouldn't you be loyal to it?"
"I... I guess?"
Nita didn't know how to answer.
"We poisoned a Paladin Knight. Why didn't you scream?"
Su Xiao took out a pill and shoved it into Nita's mouth. Nita's little eyes showed even more despair. She instinctively thought this was the enemy feeding her poison.
What Nita didn't expect happened. The pill wasn't poisonous. Instead, she felt her mental energy skyrocketing, a normal surge, with the only side effect being a depletion of some stored energy in her body.
Nita was stunned. She couldn't understand why the enemy would give her a beneficial secret medicine.
"This is your reward for not screaming earlier. Thanks to you, we weren't discovered by others."
"Huh?"
Nita seemed to realize something.
"Sis, since you're so sincere, we're partners from now on."
Baha's words made Nita understand the situation. She had inexplicably become an accomplice of the enemy and had even eaten the reward they gave her.
"If we get caught, we'll definitely insist you're our accomplice. But if you're willing to guide us, even if we're exposed, we'll say we forced you to guide us. Which do you choose?"
Hearing Baha's words, Nita's heart began to struggle. After a moment, she said:
"If we move quickly, Mentor should still be in his study."
Nita's tone shifted. She entered traitor mode. It was actually quite normal for her to sell out her mentor, Leopold. If her mentor truly valued her, he wouldn't have sent her to receive the Sun madman. He clearly didn't want to take the risk himself and used her as a cannonball just in case.
Su Xiao's plan was simple and brutal. After poisoning a Paladin Knight at a considerable cost, he disguised himself as the knight, kidnapped Nita, and went to find Mentor Leopold.
Then, using the [Dark Blade], he would close in and one-shot Leopold. Then, using the Primordial Mask, he would disguise himself as Leopold and head to the Great Library in the back courtyard.
With Mentor Leopold's status, he could at least access the third floor of the Great Library. If he could reach the fourth floor, as Nita mentioned, that would be best. He would grab a few books on crystal knowledge and other valuable items, then quickly withdraw.
It turned out that conducting a knowledge trade with a Charm Attribute of -12 points was really not reliable. Relying on others' decisions was far less reliable than fighting for it himself.
Su Xiao took out a crystal vial, pinched the top and bottom between his middle finger and thumb, and presented it to Nita.
"This is a J4-type potion. Its administration cycle is long, about 5 to 7 cycles. During the time you take it, you will be in agony. It will gradually change your supernatural talent. To use your Dragon Academy's analogy, it can improve your aptitude."
"Aptitude is innate. It can't be improved..."
Nita suddenly became firm, but before she could finish, she was interrupted.
"That's what they tell people of common birth. Aptitude can be improved postnatally, but such resources are limited and controlled by only a few."
Su Xiao placed the vial on the table. The Nita across from him hesitated for a moment, then picked up the vial.
"Lead the way."
"Okay."
Nita took a few deep breaths and began to lead the way. Although they encountered other Paladin Knights along the way, thanks to Su Xiao's current disguise, the other knights just glanced at them and didn't bother further. The Primordial Mask's effect was top-notch.
Passing through a scenic courtyard, Su Xiao arrived in front of the Academy Tower. He ascended the steps before the main entrance. Upon reaching the first-floor hall, Nita led the way towards the stairs going up.
Occasionally, students passed by. Their attire varied. Some had heavy dark circles under their eyes, deeply immersed in mysteries. Others were full of energy.
Going up to the third floor, Su Xiao switched to an elevator. The metal elevator was very smooth and stopped at the twelfth floor.
Walking down the corridor on the twelfth floor, this was the mentors' residential area. Su Xiao finally stopped in front of a door and signaled Nita to knock.
Dong, dong, dong~
"Who is it?"
A slightly aged voice came from inside.
"Mentor, it's me."
"Who are you?"
"Ni... Nita."
Nita's face flushed with embarrassment.
"Come in."
With that, the room fell silent. Just as Nita was about to push the door open, Su Xiao grabbed her arm.
Su Xiao took off the Primordial Mask from his face. He quickly reverted to his original form and signaled Bubu and Baha to step back. He took out the [Hourglass of Time], held it in his hand, and pushed the door open, walking into the study.
Inside the carpeted study with antique furnishings, there were two people. One was dressed in a white robe, looking to be in his early fifties, standing respectfully to the side. This was Mentor Leopold.
The other person's robe was worn and tattered. His skin was withered, his lips cracked, and he was completely emaciated, skin and bones. But his eyes were like crystal orbs. Just seeing this old man made one feel a deep, instinctive fear.
"Law Destroyer, come in."
The old man spoke, his voice somewhat hoarse. This was the old Dean of the Dragon Academy, an old monster who had lived for who knows how many years.
Su Xiao grabbed Nita by the neck and dragged her in like a hostage.
"Nita."
Mentor Leopold, who had been standing respectfully to the side, spoke. He was originally Su Xiao's target, but not anymore.
Su Xiao sat down opposite the old Dean and then released Nita's neck.
"Leopold has a great prejudice against the Sun God Clan. Prejudice in people's hearts can blind wisdom."
The old Dean spoke. Hearing this, Mentor Leopold beside him lowered his head.
"Outsider, where do you come from?"
The old Dean slowly raised his hand, pointing to the light tea in front of Su Xiao, signaling him to help himself.
"Reincarnation Paradise."
Hearing this, Mentor Leopold's expression changed slightly. Sun believers were indeed madmen, but the madmen from Reincarnation Paradise were even more terrifying. The Sun madmen's behavior patterns were at least somewhat traceable. What the madmen from Reincarnation Paradise would do was completely unpredictable.
Su Xiao wasn't worried about the current situation. He had the return authority. If anything went wrong, he would withdraw.
"So, you're from the Paradise faction. That means the letter of recommendation you obtained is a 'prop' from your side? Leopold, he's not the target of your revenge. If I'm not mistaken, he has nothing to do with the Sun God Clan."
The old Dean signaled both Mentor Leopold and Nita to leave. There were some things they shouldn't hear.
When Su Xiao was first teleported to the Academy Inn, the old Dean already knew. The Dragon Academy had a device specifically for sensing Law Destroyers. The reason was that many years ago, a Law Destroyer came for an 'exchange study.' At that time, the Dragon Academy was very arrogant, with an attitude of 'who do you think you are.'
Afterwards, that Law Destroyer broke the Academy Tower from its base, toppling it like an onion stuck into the ground. According to incomplete statistics, two-thirds of the Dragon Academy was destroyed afterwards.
The person who did this was named Green Gillian. Before leaving, she left a message, meaning she would let other Law Destroyers know about this good place, and more would come for 'exchange studies.'
This gave the old Dean a huge headache. He, along with several mentors, spent years finally developing a Cyan Steel Shadow Energy sensing device. Then, the device never activated again.
Today, the device activated. The old Dean noticed it immediately and, through the academy's facilities, secretly monitored Su Xiao.
At first, the old Dean seriously doubted whether Su Xiao was a Law Destroyer, as he was so well-behaved. It wasn't until Mentor Leopold showed hostility and Su Xiao immediately poisoned a Paladin Knight that this fearless defiance of authority confirmed for the old Dean that this was indeed that group of bandits.
Inside the study, the old Dean placed a large scroll on the table. This scroll was at least 20 centimeters thick and stood nearly a meter tall. The content recorded on it must be extensive.
'Is this the Dragon Academy's crystal knowledge?'
"No, this is the table of contents. Find the part you need yourself."
"..."
Su Xiao opened the massive scroll. Indeed, it was just a table of contents. The crystal system was more complex than he had imagined. He flipped through it for a while and found the sections on [Energy Crystallization] and [Soul and Crystal]. He was very interested in these two aspects.
"I want these two parts."
Su Xiao pointed to the records on the scroll. Seeing this, the old Dean smiled and shook his head, saying:
"This is our Dragon Academy's closely guarded secret. They are stored on the top floor of the Great Library. Even if a mentor of our academy wants to borrow them, they must make an equivalent contribution."
"I'll exchange the latter half of the Sun Book's records."
"Young man, your generosity is heartwarming."
The old Dean closed the large scroll. What closely guarded secret? As long as the price was high enough, it was immediately shared.
The old Dean stood up. Seeing this, Su Xiao did the same. After leaving the study, Mentor Leopold and Apprentice Nita were both waiting outside.
Seeing the old Dean's expression, Mentor Leopold immediately changed his attitude. He walked side-by-side with Su Xiao and slipped a small bottle containing blue liquid into Su Xiao's hand, saying: "If there's a chance in the future, let's cooperate again."
Mentor Leopold smiled, not mentioning the previous incident at all. The meaning was clear: let bygones be bygones.
Along the way, Mentor Leopold began to narrate the history of the Dragon Academy and how many outstanding students it had produced.
When the group arrived at the entrance of the Great Library, they had to pass through several layers of inspection to enter, even with the old Dean leading them.
The Great Library had a total of four floors. The first three were connected, with a somewhat complex layout. The fourth floor was completely independent.
Half an hour later, the group arrived in front of the metal door on the fourth floor. The old Dean took out the key and opened it himself. Throughout the entire Dragon Academy, only the old Dean had the key to the fourth floor of the Great Library.
"Bai Ye, the knowledge reserve on the fourth floor of the Great Library will definitely exceed your imagination. Many have tried to steal the precious books inside, but no one has ever succeeded."
As Mentor Leopold spoke, the metal door to the fourth floor of the Great Library slowly opened.
"This is the heritage of my Dragon Academy."
Mentor Leopold clasped his hands behind his back, slightly raising his chin. When he saw the scene before him, he nearly had a stroke from sheer shock.
Inside the vast fourth floor of the Great Library, there were no ancient books, not even bookshelves. Only three or five pieces of paper lay scattered on the floor.
Seeing this, Su Xiao immediately activated his return authority. The crystal knowledge trade was no longer necessary. Someone had packed up the entire fourth floor of the Great Library and taken it away.