Chapter 54: Dragon Academy and the Demon Race
The spatial fluctuations gradually subsided. Su Xiao returned to the accessory shop in the real world. Beini, who was napping on the sofa, lifted the tip of her tail, using a feline's lazy way to ask why he was back so soon.
"Woof."
Bubu Wang barked, and the next second, Beini was provoked into a rage. Cats are like that—extremely lazy when resting, but unable to stay still for a moment when active. Moreover, Bubu currently wore an expression that said: 'This silly cat hasn't beaten me up in three days.'
Su Xiao checked his remaining stay time. There were still over two days left. This half-day trip to the Dragon Academy could be described as a mere taste.
Plans couldn't keep up with changes, and this half-day trip to the Dragon Academy perfectly embodied that saying.
Su Xiao was not omniscient. He had very little prior knowledge of the Dragon Academy, only knowing that it possessed advanced crystallized knowledge and dabbled in soul magic. Other aspects, such as culture, faction strength, and military power, were all completely unknown.
Under such circumstances, Su Xiao could only choose to play it safe. His initial plan was to complete the knowledge transaction and then withdraw. Unfortunately, this time he represented the Sun Faction, and the other party in the transaction, Mentor Leopold, happened to have a grudge against the Sun Faction.
Anyone encountering an enemy would target them. In fact, Mentor Leopold had already been considerate of the Dragon Academy's reputation, sending Su Xiao away in a dismissive manner, making it clear that the Dragon Academy did not welcome members of the Sun Faction.
Su Xiao understood this, but the idea of killing Mentor Leopold gradually took root. Understanding was one thing, but since the other party had targeted him, of course, he would kill him.
Su Xiao's plan changed to disguising himself as a palace knight, assassinating Mentor Leopold, then using the mask to devour him and obtain a 'New Skin: Mentor Leopold.'
It sounded a bit ridiculous, but to put it simply, the Primordial Mask could be understood as a 'Character Skin Storage Device' in a game, with a maximum capacity of 2, allowing the replacement of saved 'Character Skins.'
Currently, Su Xiao had obtained a 'Rare Skin: Palace Knight Squad Leader,' which could be used at any time. Understanding it this way made things much simpler.
Not only that, Su Xiao discovered that these 'Skins' each had their own characteristics, not just visual effects.
For example, after disguising as the Palace Knight Squad Leader, Su Xiao could use the instincts of that squad leader from his lifetime to issue commands to other palace knights, such as ordering them to stand at attention, patrol the area, or arrest a certain target.
Of course, Su Xiao could not use any of the Palace Knight Squad Leader's combat abilities. The Primordial Mask's enhancement to combat power was absolutely 'zero.' This was what the Abyss power took away from the Primordial Mask while granting it mystery.
In other words, if Su Xiao used the Primordial Mask to devour a chef and entered the disguise of a 'Common Skin: Chef,' he could possess most of that chef's cooking abilities.
However, the prerequisite was that he must remain in the chef's disguise to temporarily possess these cooking abilities. Once the disguise was removed, it was like putting down a remote control; he could no longer use the 'skin's inherent abilities' through conscious control.
This made Su Xiao realize that the effects of artifacts produced by the Abyss were far from as simple as their attributes indicated. The disguise skill of the Primordial Mask, if used well, could be a devastating weapon.
But there was one point: the current 'Disguise Skill' stripped from the Primordial Mask could only superficially touch the supernatural domain. To enhance this performance was simple—feed the Primordial Mask Abyss products or luck-related items, and this characteristic would strengthen.
The stronger the effect, the closer it came to losing control. Once it lost control, all previous feedings would be wasted. But should he just abandon the Primordial Mask? After all, in a place like the Dragon Academy, wearing the Primordial Mask could allow him to barge in.
Su Xiao put away the Primordial Mask. His previous plan was indeed to assassinate Mentor Leopold, but unfortunately, the old dean appeared for some unknown reason, disrupting his plan.
The old dean had somehow detected that he was a Law Destroyer. Su Xiao guessed that it was highly likely that a Law Destroyer had once attacked the Dragon Academy, leaving it wounded. To be safe, the old dean had set up a specialized detection barrier for Law Destroyers within the academy.
What followed was a twist and turn. Leopold, being able to become a mentor at the Dragon Academy, was naturally no simple character. When he realized that continuing to be hostile to Su Xiao was disadvantageous, he decisively paid a certain price to reach a settlement with Su Xiao.
Needless to say, Mentor Leopold could later get reimbursed at the Dragon Academy. This move not only flattered the old dean's decision but also resolved the originally shallow grudge with Su Xiao, and finally, he could get reimbursed—a triple win.
Su Xiao rarely encountered those wise guys who would fight to the death over every matter. Instead, he had encountered many cunning people like Mentor Leopold. Sometimes, retreat wasn't because the other party was scared, but because it wasn't worth it.
No one expected that things would end with the fourth floor of the Great Library being emptied.
Interestingly, in the incident of the fourth floor of the Great Library being emptied, Su Xiao was the prime suspect. He had gone there, and then the library was robbed. But it couldn't have been him; from the moment he arrived at the academy's station, the old dean had been watching him closely, monitoring him the entire time.
Jingle~
The shop door was pushed open, and a silver bell rang.
Kaisa walked into the accessory shop. He strutted over to the sofa, sat down, and made a move to take off his shoes. Su Xiao's expression changed slightly.
"Cough~"
Kaisa coughed lightly and refrained from the inhumane act of taking off his shoes indoors. A huge scroll appeared out of thin air. Needless to say, this was the catalog of the Great Library's collection.
Su Xiao was not at all surprised that the book thief was Kaisa. He estimated that the Dragon Academy side would likely find a way to investigate who had stolen the books from the fourth floor of the Great Library and would take certain measures. They might even issue a bounty across the Void.
Su Xiao's guess was correct. The Dragon Academy, being such a behemoth, began an investigation after the theft of the fourth floor of the Great Library. In the end, they paid a great price to trace the 'Time Flow' within the fourth floor and saw who had stolen the books.
When the old dean and the others saw the wretched figure wearing a black clay pot through the traced 'Time Flow,' a group of mentors wailed in despair. For them, every ancient book and newly acquired book on the fourth floor was both a wife and a daughter.
Now, the thief had not only stolen their wives but also taken their grown daughters. Although the thought was exciting, as the 'cuckolds' involved, the Dragon Academy mentors' mental states completely collapsed. Their eyes were bloodshot, and the blood pressure of over a dozen old men combined could break six digits.
After some investigation, the old dean, through his connections in the palace, obtained a piece of intelligence: the black clay pot the thief wore looked like the Abyssal Jar of the Demon Race.
The old dean was furious. Fine, Demon Race. In the Void, you are a major power, and the Dragon Academy has always shown you respect. But now you dare to come to 'Wabre' and steal ancient books from the Dragon Academy? This matter cannot be let go.
The old dean immediately tried to contact the Demon Race in the Void to demand an explanation. Normally, the Demon Race would handle this calmly. But at the moment, the Demon Race had just 'welcomed' a new father, and the temper of the new father, the 'Necronomicon,' was even worse than the old father, the 'Abyssal Jar.'
The Demon Race was already holding a belly full of anger. Several old immortals were worried to the point of losing hair—though they barely had any hair left, each strand almost having its own name.
Under such circumstances, the Dragon Academy came to demand an explanation, asking why a member of the Demon Race had worn the Abyssal Jar on their head to steal ancient books from the Great Library.
Upon receiving this news, several old immortals of the Demon Race laughed in anger. That thing could be worn on the head? You're fucking joking! Get lost!!
Upon receiving this reply, the old dean was also stunned. He hadn't expected the Demon Race to be so aggressive, as if they had eaten gunpowder.
After the initial round, both sides quickly calmed down and engaged in a second round of rational negotiation. Several old immortals of the Demon Race called Wood to understand the situation. After confirming that Kaisa could indeed wear the Abyssal Jar on his head, the old immortals were genuinely surprised and also convinced that the one who had stolen from the Dragon Academy's Great Library was indeed Kaisa.
The old immortals of the Demon Race naturally wouldn't take the blame for someone else. But since Kaisa could wear the Abyssal Jar on his head, he must have a significant background. The old immortals decided to only reveal to the Dragon Academy that they had already gifted the Abyssal Jar to Kaisa, and that the Demon Race's 'clan-protecting treasure' had now become the 'Necronomicon.'
After seeing the projection of the 'Necronomicon,' the old dean could basically confirm that the Demon Race wasn't lying. Such an artifact fully embodied the principle of 'one mountain cannot accommodate two tigers.' Additionally, the Demon Race roughly described Kaisa's appearance. As for more information, the Demon Race claimed not to know.
The Demon Race handled the situation with excellent discretion, avoiding unnecessary enmity with the Dragon Academy while not completely selling out Kaisa. They only mentioned Kaisa's name and physical characteristics. As for the fact that he was a Reincarnation Paradise Arbiter, they didn't utter a single word. The cooperative relationship with Su Xiao was completely omitted.
The Demon Race wasn't afraid of the Dragon Academy, but there was no need to make enemies for no reason. For now, they would appease the new father and consider other matters later.
The old dean of the Dragon Academy also noticed the clues and realized that the Demon Race was now a powder keg. Therefore, he solemnly expressed his apologies and gratitude, promised the Demon Race three admission slots, and ended the communication with the old immortals of the Demon Race in a lighthearted manner.
All these old immortals were like this. For them, the clan, descendants, and heritage were the most important. Their own face? How much was that worth? As long as they didn't lose face in the outside world and affect the clan's reputation, they didn't care at all. Having lived to their level, they had long seen through such things.
After obtaining the important intelligence 'Kaisa,' the old dean began to scrutinize the residual image of the person restocking the fourth floor of the Great Library. After observing for a while, he found that this guy named Kaisa's every word and action had a goblin-like flavor.
With a try-it-and-see attitude, the old dean contacted the Goblin Company and learned that Kaisa's bounty with the Goblin Company was as high as 23,000 Soul Coins, plus his 'Lifetime Supreme Membership' status. The old dean realized that things were not simple.
The Goblin Company's attitude was very subtle. They frantically probed whether the Dragon Academy was hiding Kaisa, implying that if they were, the two sides would have to clash!
This slightly surprised the old dean. Based on his understanding of the Goblin Company, this company was the type that wouldn't fart even if kicked three times. How badly had this guy named Kaisa harmed them to make them so aggressive?
But thinking about his own academy's fourth floor of the Great Library being emptied, the old dean immediately understood the Goblin Company's feelings and empathized.
After some deliberation, the old dean decided that the Dragon Academy would add a large batch of Soul Stones as a bounty, along with 20 'Admission Slots.'
The Goblin Company greatly praised this and even offered a 5% discount for Dragon Academy students patronizing the Goblin Company in the future.
Su Xiao was not aware of the series of negotiations between the Dragon Academy, the Demon Race, and the Goblin Company. At this moment, he was in the accessory shop dividing the spoils with Kaisa.
This time, Kaisa had obtained all ancient books. Although these ancient books could be copied, the illustrations within could not. These various patterns had an indescribable charm. Even if photographed, the resulting photos would lose that certain essence.
Without that essence as a guide, the value of the content recorded in many ancient books would be greatly diminished.
For example, a book on constructing 'Crystal Weapons' had a page with a scribble-like pattern. By thinking about what crystal weapon to construct, one could see the corresponding structure on it. It was very magical.
Kaisa was interested in these ancient books, but not as urgently as Su Xiao needed them. Additionally, the 50,000 Soul Coins he had earned from his previous investment with Su Xiao were too tempting. This time, Kaisa was unusually generous, letting Su Xiao choose first, with the remaining half of the ancient books going to him.
Su Xiao naturally wouldn't be polite. He selected books on crystals, soul systems, spatial arrays, and potions, as well as a few handbooks from Technique Grandmasters.
An hour later, the spoils were divided. Kaisa took the remaining ancient books, chuckled sinisterly, and left, saying that if such good opportunities arose in the future, he must be called.
The peaceful real-world life continued, but this tranquility was broken by three visitors: Mad Doctor, Director, and Mr. J. The purpose of their visit was to probe whether Gray Gentleman was truly dead.
Mad Doctor found it hard to believe that Gray Gentleman was dead. This former leader had left a profound impression and shadow on Mad Doctor. Mad Doctor, a guy who wasn't even afraid of death, was so terrified of Gray Gentleman that he couldn't sleep at night and was constantly on edge.
"Are you sure he's completely dead? Was his ashes scattered?"
Mad Doctor asked this question for the 12th time while eating an orange. It was worth mentioning that Gray Gentleman, Mad Doctor, Director, and Mr. J were once from the same mental hospital.
The funny thing was that Mad Doctor and Director were staff at that mental hospital, while Mr. J and Gray Gentleman were patients. The reality, however, was that Mr. J and Gray Gentleman had no mental issues at all, while Mad Doctor and Director had severe mental illnesses. This was a classic case of the director and the doctor both being crazy.
Previously, Mad Doctor was normal until one day he received Gray Gentleman as a patient. After a month, Mad Doctor was talked into attempting suicide by overdose twice and hanging himself three times, all unsuccessful.
Upon learning of this, Director was furious and personally took over Gray Gentleman's case. The next morning, Mad Doctor, who had gotten up to pee, saw Director and a fat nurse hanging in the bathroom. Director nearly died.
The fat nurse died, and Director was half-dead. Since then, he hadn't been quite normal either.
"Are you sure he's dead?"
Mad Doctor suddenly spoke, a bit neurotically.
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak. Mr. J smiled beside him.
At noon that day, the three of them mooched a meal and then left. The previously discussed real-world potion business had fizzled out due to a series of events, but another aspect of the business was settled.
Because these three had 'reformed' from being violators, the world difficulties they experienced were basically hell-level. Coupled with their already high mark levels, their rank skyrocketed was inevitable. According to Mr. J, he had already gone through three consecutive world progressions, all to high-risk areas to solve various problems.
This resulted in all three being Eighth Rank Contractors. Currently, Director was still running that mental hospital and had cooperated with the Scavengers. Some extremely dangerous but not publicly exposed mental patients were sent there. With three Eighth Rank old yinbis there, as long as they didn't cause trouble, everything was stable.
This also led to a situation: Mad Doctor discovered that the probability of contractors appearing in their mental hospital was not low. Not all mental patients were dangerous; without some unique talent, they wouldn't reach the danger level in the Scavengers' assessment.
This situation presented an opportunity for Su Xiao. He had tasted the sweetness from Youyou'an before and now had a high enthusiasm for investing in newbie contractors.
If the low-rank contractors from the mental hospital were qualified to participate in 2nd to 3rd rank survival trials, the probability of the first-place reward being a 'Basic Passive Skill Scroll Chest' was not low.
This kind of chest, which could open top-potential basic passive skills, was very attractive to Su Xiao. As for why Mad Doctor and the others didn't invest, this really wasn't something anyone could do. It depended on whether one's Reincarnation Paradise reputation was high enough.
All effort and gains were proportional. Su Xiao had been hunting violators from the first rank until now, so his Reincarnation Paradise reputation was naturally high.
This kind of investment behavior would lower reputation. With Su Xiao's current high reputation, it was fine. As long as he continued hunting violators afterward, there would be no problem. This was actually a hidden benefit of hunting violators.
In this matter, Su Xiao wouldn't let Mad Doctor and the others work for nothing. For every newbie contractor worth investing in discovered, Su Xiao would pay 300 Soul Coins as a referral fee. After the matter was concluded, Su Xiao would pay another 2,700 Soul Coins.
A referral fee of 3,000 Soul Coins, plus the subsequent investment in the newbie contractor and a small reputation cost (equivalent to the reputation gained from successfully hunting 2-3 violators), ultimately obtaining a top-potential basic passive scroll—no matter how you looked at it, it was a huge profit.
This kind of thing couldn't be done frequently or on a large scale. Occasional dabbling was fine. Everything needed a limit; too much was as bad as too little.
In the accessory shop, Su Xiao sat on the sofa in a casual posture, holding an ancient book on crystals. He was deeply engrossed, and time slipped away unnoticed.
[Tip: Your stay time in the real world has reached its limit.]
[Detected that your mark level has reached Lv.80. Do you wish to undergo the rank promotion assessment in the next world?]
[Tip: This rank promotion assessment is crucial. After the Hunter is promoted to the Ninth Rank, you will gain access to Transcendent Primordial Worlds (such as Doom Star, Wind Sea Continent, Night Witch Guild, Sun God Kingdom (Ruins), Ancient Dragon Kingdom: Eberath, etc.).]
[Warning: Doom Star and the Night Witch Guild are extremely dangerous. Even after being promoted to the Ninth Rank, you must carefully consider before deciding whether to enter them. Such areas contain super-rank entities.]
...
Seeing these prompts, Su Xiao felt a slight stir. He had heard of Doom Star, Wind Sea Continent, and the Night Witch Guild. The previous Strongest Battle, the struggle for the World of Paintings, and the Treeborn World—these three factions all had entry qualifications, showing their depth.
As for the Sun God Kingdom (Ruins), this place made Su Xiao want to go. Although he had no direct relationship with the Sun God Clan, he had had plenty of contact with Sun Faith and Sun Faith Power.
As for the Ancient Dragon Kingdom: Eberath, he had been there before. Last time, he thought he could obtain a dragon mount: White Dragon Girl, but it turned out that while the White Dragon Girl could be ridden, she couldn't fly.
Su Xiao closed the prompts. He wasn't planning to be promoted to the Ninth Rank yet. The reason was that although his strength had risen, compared to others, his previous promotion speed was too fast, especially during the Fourth to Sixth Ranks. It was like riding a rocket. During that period, he basically didn't see any acquaintances. Only Solomon was still at the same rank as him.
After reaching the Seventh Rank, Su Xiao began to slow down his promotion speed, gradually encountering Molei, the Three Brothers of National Football, and others again. This was a good thing, indicating that Su Xiao had stopped his rapid rank increase.
Currently, Su Xiao planned to suppress his mark level. Although it was a bit devilish to still be mixing in Eighth Rank worlds with his current strength, to accumulate foundation, he couldn't care about that.
He had a feeling that after being promoted to the Ninth Rank, it might be the official confrontation with Arcane Eternal Star. Before that, he had to accumulate enough foundation to deal with all adverse situations.
Thinking of this, Su Xiao declined this promotion assessment. A prompt appeared, indicating that this refusal was within reasonable limits. But if he refused the promotion assessment again, his income in the task world would be reduced, such as Soul Coin acquisition, main mission rewards, World Source acquisition, and world settlement rewards.
[Transmission begins. You are about to return to Reincarnation Paradise.]
The familiar transmission sensation appeared. When Su Xiao, Bubu, Amu, Baha, and Beini returned to the Exclusive Room, Su Xiao received another prompt.
[Tip: Detected the Hunter's current comprehensive combat power. The probability of you entering the following worlds is: