Aeolos followed the sound and saw a giant with blue skin walking toward him. This giant wasn't particularly tall, only about ten meters in height, but the feeling he gave Aeolos was similar to the ancient dragon mentor standing beside him.
"Haha, the number of dragons gathered on Synapse exceeds ten thousand. Calling it the gathering place of ten thousand dragons isn't wrong at all, and Dragon Island wouldn't be a misnomer either," Alfonso said, smiling without showing any fear in the face of the giant.
"There's no problem with calling it the gathering place of dragons, but Dragon Island is an issue. Synapse doesn't belong to the dragons. You dragons are just one of the main residents. In terms of numbers, we giants are actually the most numerous race on Synapse, but we don't call it Giant Island."
"Heh, arguing about this is pointless. I have things to do today! I'll chat with you another time!" Alfonso pointed at Aeolos, indicating he had business to attend to. It was clear that despite their banter, he and the giant were on good terms.
"And who is this…?" The storm giant gave Aeolos a glance, his eyes narrowing.
"This has nothing to do with you. He's a new student at our Dragon Academy," Alfonso stepped forward, blocking the legendary giant's gaze.
"Well, then, I won't disturb you any further!" The storm giant smiled at Aeolos, as if sensing something, and then turned and left.
"Come on, Aeolos, let's get you registered."
What followed was something Aeolos had already anticipated: registration, dorm assignments, and, notably, he didn't have to spend a single cent during the process. This was part of the education system established by Muria—anyone entering one of his academies could study for free. The catch was that, upon graduation, they had to follow Synapse's arrangements unconditionally.
Conversely, if one could afford to pay a hefty tuition fee, they would be free to make their own decisions upon graduation, without being bound to any orders or obligations.
However, it was clear that Aeolos couldn't afford the tuition for Dragon Academy at the moment. So, when he graduated, he would have to follow whatever his father had planned for him.
"Aeolos, what kind of accessory do you like? Necklace, ring, bracelet, or headgear?" Alfonso asked after handling most of the paperwork, as they reached the final stage of distributing student-exclusive items.
"A ring," Aeolos thought for a moment before replying. It was something that wouldn't hinder him in battle.
"This is our Synapse's scientific department's student-exclusive information terminal. Just wear it, log into your account, and you'll open the door to a whole new world."
When Aeolos chose the ring, Alfonso smiled and handed him one. "Try it out when you get back to your dorm. It's really easy to use."
"And the classes?"
"They officially start today!"
...
Back in his dorm, Aeolos tentatively used his mental power to touch the ring, and a light screen projected from it.
"This is so much more advanced than the information terminals I've used before!" Aeolos couldn't help but exclaim as he looked at the light screen projected from the small ring on his wrist. He had used something similar before, but it had been a bulky magical device, unlike the small, delicate accessory he had now.
"Information exchange board, dragon-exclusive shopping area, dragon battle videos…" Aeolos examined the small blocks on the light screen, driven by curiosity, and clicked into them.
As a newcomer to Dragon Academy, he spent a long time browsing the student information exchange board, learning a great deal and gaining a general understanding of the academy.
For instance, the curriculum was very intense, but the higher the grade, the more free time students had. They could choose how to use this time, but most students seemed to earn credits by taking on academy-issued tasks.
"Credits!" That was another conclusion Aeolos reached from browsing the academy's internal information board—credits had essentially replaced currency within the academy, creating a self-sufficient economy separate from the outside world.
"What can I get with credits?" Out of curiosity, Aeolos clicked on the credit shopping section. Potions, equipment, raw materials, secret spells… all kinds of resources appeared before his eyes, overwhelming his senses.
"Many of these are things that are impossible to buy in the outside world!" Just after browsing for a short while, Aeolos came to another realization.
Then, as he browsed the potion section, his gaze froze as he saw a potion shimmering with a dreamy, seven-colored glow.
"Dragon Bloodline Extract Potion: Helps awaken dormant dragon bloodlines within a body and significantly purifies and strengthens dragon bloodlines. Recommended for non-pureblood dragons. Price: 10,000 credits!"
"This potion…" Though it was the first time Aeolos had seen such a thing, he instantly decided that he had to buy it. "I must get my hands on this!"
This was clearly a special potion exclusive to Dragon Academy, targeting students like him who had diluted dragon bloodlines.
"I need 30,000 credits. What kind of price will I have to pay to get 30,000 credits as quickly as possible?" Aeolos, now driven by his goal, began to investigate how hard it would be to earn credits by delving deeper into the academy's internal exchange board.
30,000 credits—enough to buy three bottles of the Dragon Bloodline Extract Potion. It was clear who Aeolos intended to buy these for.
"Foundations need to be laid early. Gladys, Tiffany, Katia—my sisters definitely all have dragon bloodlines. The earlier they awaken, the better. That way, they'll start off at a higher point. So, I need to get 30,000 credits as soon as possible!"
Aeolos posted a question on the academy's exchange board: "What's the fastest way to earn 30,000 credits to buy the bloodline extract potion?"
Soon, responses poured in.
First reply: "Easiest way to get 30,000 credits? Simple, head to the Abyss, kill three soul-tier demons. One two-soul level six-armed snake demon is worth 10,000 credits. Take down a Balrog, and you'll have 50,000 credits easily!"
Second reply: "Are you blind? Didn't you read the original post? He's asking to buy bloodline extract potions, so obviously, the poster isn't a pureblood dragon but a newly admitted Dragonborn. Based on past trends, new Dragonborn usually only have gold-level strength. If that's the case, I suggest you put the idea of getting those potions on hold. You won't be able to get them anytime soon."
Third reply: "The above is right. Usually, killing a peak gold-tier monster earns you about 100 credits. If you want to earn 30,000 credits, you'll need to kill 300 monsters. With your current strength, that's no different from suicide."
Fourth reply: "Is everyone here only thinking about fighting? There are other ways to earn credits besides going out to kill monsters."
Follow-up: "What other ways?"
Response: "Potion-making, weapon forging, beast taming, developing new spell models—all can earn you credits. And, of course, there's an even easier way. You're a guy, right? Send me a picture."
Follow-up: "Why do you need a picture?"
Response: "I need someone to keep me company. If you look good, come hang out with me, and I can give you 1,000 credits a day."
Fifth reply: "Take it easy. This is obviously a new freshman. If you break him, the mentors won't let you off!"
Response: "Haha, don't worry, I'll be careful."
...
Meanwhile, the three little girls who had been watching Aeolos ever since he arrived at Dragon Academy noticed when he posted on the academy forum, and they saw his question.
Gladys looked at the question in front of her and sighed in frustration. "Brother, you're such an idiot!"
"He's buying it for us?" Tiffany asked in disbelief as she read the post.
"If it were just one bottle, it'd obviously be for him. But three? There's no need to even guess who they're for," Katia said as she walked over, her normally calm face showing a hint of emotion.
"But we don't need it!" Tiffany scratched her head, feeling a little happy.
"But Brother doesn't know that. In his eyes, we're just three ordinary little girls with slightly special bloodlines. These three potions, without a doubt, are something he wants to buy for us."
"So, how do we stop him from doing this? It's completely pointless!"
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