The Black-Haired, Red-Eyed Dove

Click, click, click...

Li Li, having finished her third cup of coffee, pulled out her pocket watch to take a look, her serious expression becoming even more severe.

Meanwhile, Jiang Han, having finished her fifth cup of milk tea, looked at the wall clock in the cafe. Time slipped away, the sunset outside had arrived, and the slanting rays of dusk hit the mist of alcohol, like golden wheat scattered into a lake, while the Witches in the cafe changed batch after batch.

She tapped her index finger lightly on the table, her left elbow propped up, chin resting in her hand, watching the window.

"Glug, glug, glug, pop, pop, pop..."

She held a mouthful of milk tea, blowing bubbles. She truly couldn't imagine why the rendezvous Cheng Yu mentioned would take such a long time. In fact, Witches generally had a good sense of time; they were efficient and decisive. Things that could be done in a day were never dragged to the next, and things that took two days were finished in one through overtime. According to the intelligence and gossip she had gathered over these days, Witches were always on time when meeting friends, or arrived early to wait while reading.

Standing someone up was more unbelievable than an accidental sudden death.

Now that she had been stood up by her mentor, Jiang Han wasn't exactly angry, just a bit curious about what could have possibly delayed her mentor's pace.

That was a Witch who could transform into a giant dragon; even without magic, she possessed absolute destructive power and agility.

Jiang Han picked up her milk tea cup, bit the rim a couple of times to grind her teeth, rubbed her right cheek, and while glancing at the wall clock again, she asked:

"Li Li, what is special about Black Dragons? I see many books saying that Black Dragons are the first choice for dragon transformation spells, followed by Red Dragons."

Li Li placed her book on the table and looked at Jiang Han with a blank expression as she replied:

"Red Dragons are the most violent and powerful category of giant dragons, including the Tianyou Dragon, famous for its magic, and the Snowflame Dragon, known for its violent strength. Black Dragons, however, are the most cost-effective high-level dragon species. They are relatively easier to hunt than Red Dragons, yet their combat power is stronger than White Dragons. Furthermore, they are numerous and distributed across different parts of the world. They are also the dragon species most abundantly produced in the world's second and third largest folded spaces."

She really was knowledgeable about dragons. Jiang Han stared at the fox-kin Witch. Books about dragon types weren't cheap; generally, ordinary Witches could only understand common dragon types and the traits represented by their colors. To truly delve into the specific types of each color, one needed a vast collection of books as a foundation.

Jiang Han straightened her body and stretched, feeling a bit tired after sitting for so long. She asked:

"What kind of dragon is a Tianyou Dragon? The name sounds quite peculiar."

"A type of Red Dragon first discovered in the northern part of New China. Its body is much longer than the average reptilian-looking giant dragon, its speed is extremely swift, and it has beautiful red crystal-like scales on its back. When enraged, it sprays flames from the gaps in those scales. It was named because this dragon loves to eat a small local dragon species called the Xi Dragon. Since the Xi Dragons frequently destroyed human villages, the Tianyou Dragons, which ignored humans, were named 'Tianyou Dragons'—meaning 'Heavenly Friends'—by the locals."

Li Li's fox ears twitched with excitement, and her eyes also revealed a message of thrill. She even used a spell to draw a dragon in her notebook, handed it to Jiang Han, and explained:

"Twenty-seven powerful Flame School spells require its materials, and because of their characteristics, they have been researched to replace the main materials of six eighth-level spells. Moreover, they are so beautiful and impressive!"

"Mm, they are indeed impressive." Jiang Han glanced at the notebook handed to her. The giant dragon on it was relatively slender but full of a sense of power. It had a long neck, a majestic brownish-red body, and a dragon snout and tail longer than the average dragon. It looked very good; it was probably a giant dragon very popular among those who cared about aesthetics.

"Right?" A sparkling light burst forth from Li Li's purple eyes, her fox ears stood straight, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, like some happy dog begging for a pet. "Our family has spent generations researching dragons, starting from Europe, running to Africa, and finally arriving in Asia, the kingdom of dragons. But even after seeing so many giant dragons, ancient dragons, sub-dragons, and small-to-medium dragon species, the Tianyou Dragon remains one of the most beautiful."

"I can understand; they are indeed elegant and beautiful." Jiang Han could understand this spirit of spending a lifetime researching giant dragons.

It was just a pity she didn't know if her ancestors had left behind any literature on dragon research. If they had, it would be absolutely precious. Although there were many giant dragons, their habitats and sighting reports were not numerous, because most of the time, giant dragons lived in small folded spaces no larger than 400 square kilometers, which were naturally very difficult to find.

It was said that the Ukrainian Ice Bear also had a bit of dragon blood. They were stronger than average bears, could learn to cast spells, and were smarter than the vast majority of bear species; these were all external manifestations of dragon blood.

Thinking of the bear at home, Jiang Han asked Li Li, the Witch with ancestral dragon research:

"I keep a Ukrainian Ice Bear. I heard that Ice Bears have giant dragon bloodlines?"

"Ice Bears?" Li Li showed an interested expression. "They possess giant dragon blood, and most of it is Green Dragon blood. This makes them fond of using tools and gives them super-high intelligence. After training, they can even take the A3 civil service test, which is the International Arcane General Qualification Exam. Many Witches spend their whole lives studying, only to find they aren't as smart as an Ice Bear; that is a common occurrence."

A bear smart enough to take the A3 exam that stumped 99% of the world's Witches—that was indeed smart.

After chatting with Li Li for a while longer about how to raise a bear, a new Witch walked into the airship's cafe and walked straight to their table.

"Excuse me, are you Miss Jiang Han and Miss Li Li?"

A clear, melodious voice interrupted the bear-raising seminar. This Witch had clear gray eyes and a face that could be called a heartthrob.

Her black hair carried a hint of dark gray, her features revealed a mature air, and there was a light-colored tear mole under her right eye. Her figure was also excellent, no worse than Li Li's.

This Witch was the most beautiful one Jiang Han had seen so far; whether it was her mentor Cheng Yu or Li Li, neither would be her match in a beauty contest. She was a Witch who could make a living on her looks alone... As an aside, the Witches Jiang Han had seen so far were all good-looking, with the worst being the pure, simple, mountain-village type, but this was the first time she had seen someone this beautiful.

Under her gaze, Jiang Han nodded shyly.

--She had originally wanted to give a cold "Mm," but there was no helping it; this Witch was just too beautiful.

"We are," Li Li replied briefly.

"It is you two." The extremely beautiful Witch revealed a happy smile. "My name is Cen Jing, and I am a Witch. Your mentor, Cheng Yu, encountered a sudden giant dragon riot and urgently headed to a mission base to carry out a giant dragon hunting operation. Because it requires a period of tracking and hunting, she entrusted me to come over and be your substitute mentor for three days."

Normal personnel fluctuation.

However, it seemed a bit unlucky; she had just signed up for a tutoring class, and the tutor had run off to hunt dragons...

Cen Jing clapped her hands:

"Because she stood you up, Miss Cheng Yu felt a bit guilty and specifically asked me to treat you to a big meal here."

After meeting the substitute mentor and having a big meal, Jiang Han and Li Li said their goodbyes with satisfaction—this substitute mentor even called a Griffin Taxi for each of them to send them home.

No matter how you looked at it, she felt like a more reliable mentor than that black-haired, red-eyed pigeon.