Chapter 33

"You seem to have questions. Go ahead and ask."

The principal leaned forward with both elbows on his desk, looking at Lu Mingfei.

Lu Mingfei thought for a moment, then raised his head and asked calmly:

"How could Ronald Tang be the Bronze and Flame King? Can dragons take human form?"

The principal nodded.

"You probably used to think that dragon slaying meant killing some enormous monster. But dragons can indeed appear in human form. Even so, they remain a different species. Their understanding of the world is completely different from ours, and they cannot be regarded as human."

A large envelope was handed to Lu Mingfei. He opened it, and his hand trembled slightly. Inside was a photograph of Old Tang. Old Tang was playing cards with several people around a table in a café, sunlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows and lighting up his young face.

"I suppose I don't need to introduce him."

The principal gave Lu Mingfei a slight nod.

"We had his information before you set out. We didn't tell you because we knew you had met online."

Lu Mingfei scratched his head.

Before setting out, even up until the moment he made a contract with the Little Devil, he had still been a muddleheaded loser, barely getting by. What would have happened if he had known then that Old Tang was the Dragon King Norton?

Hard to say.

A bitter smile tugged at Lu Mingfei's lips.

Angers silently watched Lu Mingfei for a while before speaking.

"Professors in the library have compiled the complete trajectory of their lives, from before the Common Era to the moment you killed them. You can go take a look."

"Complete?"

Lu Mingfei was slightly stunned.

"Aren't dragons immortal?"

"Usually, they are. For high-ranking dragons, as long as they prepare an 'egg' before death and complete the 'cocooning' of their souls, they can hatch again. Where they hide the eggs used for rebirth is the dragons' greatest secret."

The principal spoke evenly.

"But this time was different. Norton never attempted to cocoon himself from beginning to end. He chose to merge with his Dragon Servant. Had he succeeded, he would have been able to unleash the most powerful fire-element Word of Spirit known to date: Candle Dragon."

"To protect him, Constantine also gave up cocooning himself. That meant Constantine could never be resurrected again."

Lu Mingfei nodded. He gave the photograph in his hands one final look, then put it back into the envelope and returned it. He did not want to keep that photo—the bright smile of a Dragon King who had believed himself to be human.

It was a tragedy of fate.

One of his barely three friends had been a Dragon King.

Lu Mingfei did not want to think about it.

"Enough."

Angers abruptly shed his earlier kindly expression and tone, becoming stern.

"The questions end here. As the principal, I must now ask you several questions on behalf of the Board of Trustees."

Lu Mingfei was startled by the sudden shift and immediately sat up straight.

"During the operation, several agents witnessed partial Dragonification in you. Did you secretly use prohibited drugs or perform forbidden rituals to forcibly elevate your bloodline, resulting in a loss of control?"

His gaze was as sharp as a hawk's, as though it could pierce through the bandages and look directly into Lu Mingfei's soul.

"No!"

Lu Mingfei blurted out, his voice hurried yet clear.

"I absolutely did not use any prohibited substances. And I didn't lose control, either."

The atmosphere nearly froze solid.

Yet in the next instant, the sternness on Angers's face vanished, replaced by an amused smile.

He relaxed, even reaching out to gently pat Lu Mingfei's bandage-wrapped shoulder.

"Relax, child. It's just routine, merely a formality. The Board of Trustees has already been dealt with."

"While you were hospitalized, we conducted the strictest and most comprehensive analysis of your blood samples."

"The results were very 'clean.' There were no abnormal reactants and no signs of uncontrolled dragon blood activity."

He paused, then added meaningfully:

"Besides, someone within the Council of Elders spoke up for you."

Lu Mingfei let out a long breath.

He really had been nervous just now. After all, he could hardly tell the principal it was because he had overused Dragon Communion, could he?

Then he became puzzled again.

"I don't know any of those big shots up there. Who would speak for a small fry like me?"

Angers looked at the young man before him, wrapped in bandages yet already faintly revealing his edge. As though he had heard something immensely amusing, he could not help but chuckle.

"Mingfei, you still seem to lack a clear understanding of your current 'weight.'"

He leaned forward slightly, his tone solemn.

"If the upper ranks of the Secret Party had not deliberately protected you and suppressed the news, the name 'Lu Mingfei' would already be echoing throughout the global Mixed-Blood world. Everyone would know it. Even now, with the news circulating only within the college and the Party's inner circles, you have already become the center of the Storm."

He stressed his words.

"Have more confidence, young man. The one you personally ended was Norton, the Bronze and Flame King! The first First-Generation Species Dragon King in human history confirmed to have been completely killed!"

Lu Mingfei was left dazed by that enormous "hat" being dropped on his head. All he could do was awkwardly rub the bandage around his chin with his bandaged fingers.

"It was Beowulf, the 'Dragon Blood Devourer.'"

Angers revealed the answer in a calm tone.

"The history of his family is a living dragon-slaying epic. They have a tradition of directly consuming Ancient Dragon serum to strengthen themselves, and they are the unquestioned leaders of the hawkish faction within the Secret Party. They... admire you greatly."

The principal deliberately paused on the word "admire."

"They even expressed a strong desire to meet with you directly."

Then he changed the subject, his decisiveness leaving no room for doubt.

"However, I turned them down for you."

Lu Mingfei lowered his head in thanks.

"Thank you, Principal."

"One last question."

Angers raised a hand slightly, signaling that there was no need.

"We did not find Norton's remains. You witnessed his death. Do you have any idea where the bones went?"

Of course Lu Mingfei had an idea.

Because the Dragon King Norton's remains were hidden away in his own space!

"No."

Lu Mingfei replied without changing expression, his face not even twitching.

"By then, I was already completely exhausted. If Caesar had not decisively dispatched a boat to rescue us, I might have drowned in the Three Gorges Reservoir."

It had only been a desperate attempt at a question. As long as Lu Mingfei gave a plausible answer, the principal would be able to report back.

At last, Angers rose, walked around the broad mahogany desk, and came to stand before Lu Mingfei. He extended his hand again. This time, instead of patting him lightly, he pressed it down on Lu Mingfei's bandage-wrapped shoulder with a weighty force.

The old man bent slightly, looking directly into those brown eyes. His voice was not loud, but every word was clear.

"One final commendation. It does not represent Cassel College, the Secret Party, or the Board of Trustees."

He paused, speaking each word distinctly. "It represents only me, Hilbert Jean Angers himself."

"Well done."