Differences over Dealing with Dragonkind

Elsewhere, Cao Ya left the Regent Hotel.

Tomorrow, he would just wait for the call and go meet Angers.

He also wanted to see just how powerful the pinnacle of human strength in this world was.

Then he would try the Bronze and Fire King's nest at the Three Gorges. As a First-Generation Dragon and one of the Four Great Lords of Dragon Raja, the Bronze and Fire King truly stood at the summit of this world.

From ancient times to the present, Dragon Raja had been deeply entwined with human history.

Legend had it that all Dragon Raja originated from the Black King Nidhogg. Beneath him were the Four Great Lords: the Bronze and Fire King, the Earth and Mountain King, the Sky and Wind King, and the Ocean and Water King.

Twins sat upon the thrones. The First-Generation Dragons were all twins.

There was also a White King, who controlled mental powers and served as the high priest of Dragon Raja.

Below the two kings and four lords were Second-Generation Dragons, Third-Generation Dragons, Fourth-Generation Dragons, and so on. Those were hardly worth mentioning.

What Cao Ya took seriously were still the two kings and the Four Great Lords.

Those six dragons possessed destruction-class Word Spirits.

But as far as he was concerned, whatever kind of dragon they were, they were all nonhuman creatures. They belonged either in a zoo or in a graveyard.

They could forget about going anywhere else.

He also very much wanted to study the Dragon Kings' powers. Bronze and fire, earth and mountains, oceans and water, sky and wind, and the mental domain-each constituted a branch of the world's laws and rules.

Wielding such powers made them akin to gods.

Why could Dragonkind command such authority?

Whether it was innate, derived from the Black King, or came from something else, there had to be a reason.

He wanted to find that reason.

He did not know much about the Sky and Wind King or the Ocean and Water King, but he did know something about the Bronze and Fire King and the Earth and Mountain King. He had read those parts before transmigrating.

Of course, there was also Cassell College's Japanese Branch.

Well, if it could still really be called a branch.

After all, a new White King had emerged there.

Cao Ya even wanted to wait until Herzog became the new White King, then capture him and lock him in a laboratory for research.

Why become a dragon when you could be a perfectly good human?

If you want to be a dragon, get on the lab table.

He arrived at the base in the suburbs, enclosed by a perimeter wall. Unauthorized people were not allowed in or out.

After all, the things they researched were anything but ordinary. They feared that any mishap might affect bystanders.

After making an inspection and leaving a few more instructions, Cao Ya left.

His subordinates warned him to be on his guard against Angers. He was no ordinary man; his reputation as the world's strongest dragon slayer was thoroughly deserved.

Cao Ya knew that. I probably know Angers better than all of you put together, he thought.

He still respected Angers.

It was just that their paths differed and their ideals diverged. In the end, it would still come down to who had the bigger fist.

The following afternoon, Cao Ya received a call from Angers, who hoped to pay him a visit.

So Cao Ya received Angers at the home where he lived alone. Professor Goodman, Nono, Ye Sheng, and Sake Tokiko accompanied him.

They had finished Lu Mingfei's interview. It had only been a formality anyway.

They were in no hurry to notify Lu Mingfei that he had passed. All four knew perfectly well that whether he could ultimately attend Cassell College still depended on the outcome of today's meeting between the principal and Cao Ya.

Though they had complete confidence in Principal Angers.

Among humans, there was no opponent in this world whom Principal Angers could not defeat.

Even among Dragonkind, perhaps only the Four Great Lords, the Black King, and the White King could stand above Principal Angers.

It was not just them. Anyone from Cassell College, or anyone who knew Angers and was familiar with him, would think the same.

Over more than a century, he had fought countless battles, carving his way through bloody winds and rains of gore. That was what had forged Angers's formidable reputation.

Angers looked around, seeming somewhat surprised.

He said, "I find it hard to imagine that an outstanding Mixed-Blood like you lives in such a modest house, with no taste for indulgence at all. You're like an ascetic."

The other four were surprised too. Ordinarily, the influence of their dragon bloodline not only caused Mixed-Bloods to experience blood grief, but also inevitably magnified their various desires.

It was just that each person controlled them to a different degree.

Yet Cao Ya lived in a small single-story house, with a television, a computer, and some basic furniture-nothing else. Ordinary people would consider that a normal life, but to Angers, it was practically asceticism.

When it came to enjoying life's pleasures, every last person at Cassell College was a master.

"Compared with one of my students, you really do live simply and frugally," Angers said.

Nono raised her eyebrows. The principal was talking about her boyfriend, Kaiser.

He was a proud young aristocrat, and also a terminal case of adolescent delusions of grandeur.

But when it came to indulgence alone, even Nono had to admit that her boyfriend ranked first even at Cassell College.

Cao Ya knew whom Angers meant. He laughed and said:

"You mean Kaiser Gattuso? He's a good fellow, with potential, and worth cultivating. His personality just needs a little correcting."

Angers said with heartfelt agreement:

"I agree with you."

Nono pressed a hand to her forehead. Was it really appropriate to freely pass judgment on a girl's boyfriend right in front of her?

Ye Sheng coughed, reminding the principal why they had come.

Professor Goodman was listening with great interest and even wanted to add a few comments himself. He had not noticed Ye Sheng's gesture at all.

Sake Tokiko's sweet face was full of helplessness. Why did both the professor and the principal seem so unreliable?

Angers laughed heartily.

"Don't worry. Before a fight, it's necessary to understand one another. Besides, I know that our goal and Cao Ya's are actually the same."

Cao Ya nodded and said:

"More or less. I want to bring Dragon Raja down too, but my methods differ from yours. We probably differ in how we would deal with Dragon Raja as well."

Angers seemed very interested in his ideas.

"Oh? I'd like to hear the details."

His Chinese was perfectly enunciated, and he could even use idioms.

Without seeing him in person, anyone hearing his voice alone might have mistaken him for a television presenter.

Cao Ya said:

"Dragon Raja are a special kind of organism. Killing them outright would be a waste. Capturing them and bringing them into a laboratory for research would be better."

Angers said:

"We're doing that too."

Cao Ya waved a hand and said with a smile:

"No, it's not quite the same. What I mean is capturing Dragon Kings, then slicing them up for study. Alive would be best. That would make it easier to study the branch of power each Dragon King represents-their authority over laws and so forth."

Angers's pupils contracted as he stared at Cao Ya.

"That idea of yours... is very risky."

Professor Goodman finally found an opening to speak:

"It's far too risky! Dragon Kings are the sovereigns of Dragon Raja. We don't even know whether we can kill a Dragon King, so how could we possibly use a living one for research? What laboratory could hold a Dragon King? That would be no different from courting death!"

Nono, Sake Tokiko, and Ye Sheng felt a little awkward. Although they thought the same, was it really appropriate for the professor to say it so bluntly?