Vol-3: 099. Campus Beauty, Urban Dragon King, Close Bodyguard Son-in-Law
099. Campus Beauty, Urban Dragon King, Close Bodyguard Son-in-Law
"Alchemy Society?"
Li Aozi looked at her:
"The freshman handbook says alchemy is a third-year course, right? Isn't it a bit early for a first-year student to join the Alchemy Society?"
"Oh, don't worry, young man—our school doesn't have an alchemy major per se. You can play with it as you like. The alchemy workshop is open to all students and teachers."
The purple-haired girl giggled, her voice soft and persuasive:
"It's an alchemy workshop open all day—one of a kind globally. Want to avoid being taken advantage of by potion sellers? Want to create your own alchemist girlfriend? Join the Alchemy Society, and you can learn and research with senior students and professional alchemists. Even after graduation, you can still use the workshop facilities—an advantage other societies simply don't have!"
"Well said! But I have a question." Li Aozi nodded, "With such great benefits, your society must already be famous, right? It should be known across the country."
"Ahem, naturally. Our Alchemy Society is quite well known..."
"If it's so famous, then it shouldn't need someone like me."
"Hey, hey, what kind of logic is that? A normal person would be eager to join just from the reputation alone!"
Li Aozi stood up:
"The freshman registration isn't over yet. I should go finish that up. If we're destined, we'll meet again."
With that, Li Aozi slipped away quickly, almost vanishing into thin air.
Alchemy? What a joke.
Alchemy dooms three generations, and pet-raising ruins a lifetime.
The two most pitiful sub-branches of Star Abyss: [Alchemist] and [Hunter].
If [Mutant] was akin to a roguelike game, full of randomness and trade-offs, where you constantly refine your mutations for pleasant surprises,
Then alchemy and pet-raising were pure gambling. Random attributes, complex materials, convoluted disciplines, unreliable theories—all combined to either produce industrial-grade junk or just lead to constant explosions.
Li Aozi had no intention of staying with people who relied on their mom's cooking to make ends meet. Poverty wasn't terrifying, but being involved in this meant no chance for a comeback.
"Don't run away, freshman! I haven't even told you that our club is in Room 801, Building Sixteen! Don't forget to come pick up your welcome gift. Even if you don't join, at least show some support..."
The shouts of the purple-haired senior faded into the distance, and only then did Li Aozi relax. He made his way to the freshman registration area. After wandering around a bit, he found that there were only a few young men and women left in line.
To Li Aozi's surprise, the campus was equipped with a Higgs field. As soon as he approached the teaching building, the system notified him that his Omega Energy output efficiency had decreased by 50%—which was inferior compared to the effect of Velarazi's ship-borne field generator.
Although it didn't affect him too much, using Omega Energy in this environment was basically like broadcasting across campus, "I'm a Mutant."
—As an [Echoer], his moves were already quite noticeable. Whenever Li Aozi fought for real, the whole universe could hear it loud and clear.
In some sense, this was a flaw of the profession.
Li Aozi was at the back of the line. Ahead of him stood a Tanasian boy with curly auburn hair, while the others were alien species.
The teacher in charge of certification was quite polite, holding a magical tablet, manipulating runes with his fingers in the air. He looked up at the blue-skinned youth in fine clothes standing before him:
"Solys Jem II from the Zuzan Court?"
"That's me." The blue-skinned youth nodded slightly, exuding an aura of someone used to being pampered.
"May I see your identification, sir?" The teacher used honorifics, "Look here—alright, mental strength verification is confirmed. The School of Diplomatic Relations is to the east."
"Alright, thank you."
"Welcome to White Candle Star. May our campus make you feel at home."
The blue-skinned youth smiled slightly. After collecting his student credentials, Li Aozi saw two Delta-tier bodyguards follow closely behind him. A graceful maid approached to take his luggage, and with servants in tow, the blue-skinned young man quietly left the registration hall.
"What do you think, find it interesting?" The boy in front of Li Aozi turned around, patting his shoulder, looking unsurprised.
"I thought students weren't allowed to bring servants or bodyguards," Li Aozi said, curious.
"They can't, but diplomatic guests can." The curly-haired boy grinned, "That guy is a prince of the Zuzan Court. Don't be surprised; their king is very prolific—there are over a hundred princes like him. He came as a diplomatic envoy and a student, so naturally, he makes a grand entrance."
"Seems like someone is always able to exploit the rules," Li Aozi commented lightly.
"Hey, brother, that's not quite right." The curly-haired boy shook his head, "Rules are rigid, but inflexible rules can't cover every situation. Who knows what kind of diplomatic incidents someone like that could cause? We're at war, and we need every bit of power we can get. Special circumstances require special measures."
"You're sharp." Li Aozi looked ahead, watching a tall girl with golden hair, golden eyes, and scales on both cheeks, accept her credentials and leave without so much as acknowledging the teacher—quite arrogant. In contrast, the teacher seemed indifferent.
This was quite strange—magic civilizations always valued respecting one's teachers. In the past, a mentor's status was almost equal to that of one's parents, to the extent that even today, the laws of Crystal Tower regarded 'teacher murder' as more heinous than murder itself.
Li Aozi couldn't help but ask:
"She didn't even give the teacher the time of day. Who is she?"
"Diaran Alexandra Jerkin."
The curly-haired boy blurted out, his eyes tinged with a trace of reverence:
"She's not just anyone. Known as the 'Golden Princess,' she's a rare hybrid of a dragon and a titan. Even without power or influence, with both parents deceased, her bloodline alone grants her unimaginable wealth."
As he spoke, the girl suddenly turned her head, her eyes coldly sweeping over the curly-haired boy—who quickly grasped the hem of his shirt, his face still calm but clearly trying to conceal his inner tension.
The girl's gaze swept over both the curly-haired boy and Li Aozi, pausing on Li Aozi for a moment before turning away.
"Dragon-Titan? That's extremely rare!" Li Aozi paid no mind to the Dragon-Titan's glance; he was simply surprised, "Do you know the composition of her bloodline?"
Once the Dragon-Titan left, the curly-haired boy released the hem of his shirt and scratched his head, "Not really. People say her mother was of the True Dragon species, but the specifics are unknown. Her father's lineage, however, is obvious—you can tell just by looking."
"Yes, it's quite apparent." Li Aozi watched as the Dragon-Titan girl walked away, "Molten Gold Titan. Superior even to True Dragons of the same level, which is what allows her to maintain a human form and suppress her maternal bloodline."
"Dragon bloodline is exceptionally noble, and Titans are among the top warriors—being able to contain both bloodlines means she must be remarkable." The curly-haired boy sighed, "It's just that she was born into an unrecognized interstellar civilization. If she were a citizen of a narrative-level civilization, she'd receive ten or a hundred times the treatment—strange that she chose this university instead of pursuing advanced studies in a narrative-level civilization."
Li Aozi didn't respond.
Dragon-Titans were indeed rare, and genetics weren't simply a matter of adding one plus one to get greater than two; it was often about inheriting both defects from each parent.
Generally speaking, inheriting top-tier bloodlines without a decline in quality was fortunate. Most of the time, offspring from Dragons and Titans were deformed, mentally deficient draconic beasts, or polluted sub-species giants, violent and highly dangerous.