Sky-cracking Rider

Being unruly often meant having no friends.

Metallic Dragons were almost entirely disconnected from the word "friend"—even among their own kind, it was normal for them not to get along.

Even among the rare exceptions in the Metallic Dragons, the female Yilan still didn't have many Intelligent Species she could confide in.

"..."

The other Metallic Dragon, whose head had been pressed down all this while, shook its head, looked at Sister Yilan, then at Chen Fei, and didn't dare to even let out a fart.

Yilan's prestige among the many young dragons was not just due to her good grades, but also because she was quite capable of fighting. It didn't matter if they complied or not; she would drag them out and beat them up, considering a "brat" worth beating up eight times a day was hardly excessive.

"Haha, Yilan, you're too kind! Oh, I brought you a little gift."

A pure titanium rod, weighing 100 kilograms, appeared in Chen Fei's hand.

He had used 1 Energy Point to exchange for a ton of pure titanium, which on Cangqiong Star was called mithril.

"Chirp!"

The little bird on the Princess's shoulder eyed Yilan and chirped.

It might, perhaps, probably recognize this Metallic Dragon from before.

"Eh?"

Not just Yilan, the other Metallic Dragon's eyes also lit up, and it immediately became uncontrollably excited.

"Sis, sis, mithril, mithril, it's mithril, hey, little ant, hand over the mithril, I'll leave you a whole corpse...ow!"

It was again pinned down by Yilan's claw, left with only its tail weakly wagging.

It's easy to change empires, but nature is hard to alter.

Despite Cangqiong Star's diameter being so large, the reserves and distribution of titanium (mithril) were sparse, far less than on Blue Star, and the already scarce mithril had always maintained a high price with no surplus available for feeding dragons.

The female Metallic Dragon Yilan didn't rush up to cling onto the mithril rod and aggressively devour it, but instead hesitated.

"This gift is too precious!"

Even though the interstellar quota trade between Blue Star and Cangqiong Star somewhat eased the tight mithril supply on Cangqiong Star, reducing prices, the overall reserves, while not small on Blue Star, still made mining and smelting the titanium known as mithril a difficult process, as titanium products were considered high-end metallic materials.

"It's okay, Yilan, as long as you like it!"

Chen Fei smiled and handed over the mithril rod, which was one-tenth of the pure titanium he had exchanged.

Giving a big rod across borders, a gift light in weight but heavy in friendship.

Back in the day, one human and one dragon at Aircrew Base 911 shared differently flavored alloy ingots together.

Energy Points could be freely exchanged in the Dog System for most metals on the periodic table, excluding rare earth elements. This skill was somewhat bugged, perhaps involving rules concerning the number of protons and neutrons at the nuclear level—absorbing iron but being able to exchange for an equivalent weight of gold, but not something to be misused frivolously.

To give an example, Chen Xiao'er once, on a whim, exchanged for 1000 tons of gold...

Many sovereignties didn't even have that much reserve, and the global price of gold would unquestionably plummet by countless percentage points. So, undoubtedly, the next day his head would be hanging on the flagpole of the Central Bank, dancing with the evening wind and setting sun.

"Then... I'll accept it!"

The allure of mithril for Metallic Dragons was unparalleled. The female Metallic Dragon Yilan didn't hesitate for long, grabbed the glittery all-metal rod, and released her little brother who couldn't move.

She pressed down on the mithril rod with her claw and, using her fangs, gently tugged at it, sending sparks flying. The highly durable mithril rod was forcibly torn into two pieces right there and then.

"Sis, that little... hm!!!"

Clang!

"This is yours, bite down, don't talk!"

The younger Metallic Dragon brother hadn't finished speaking when a piece of the rod was shoved into his mouth.

The next second, he was dumbstruck.

What did a mouthful of mithril mean?

This was heaven!

Yilan crunched her half of the mithril rod, swallowing it entirely, licked her lips contentedly, and thanked Chen Fei again, "Chen Fei, I've received your sentiment! Let's go on a date!"

Indeed, she was a straightforward female Metallic Dragon!

"Eh?" ×3

Clang!

Both Chen Fei and Princess Lin Ziyu were taken aback simultaneously.

And the younger brother, who was blissfully gnawing on his half of the mithril rod, looked stunned. The other half fell to the platform floor unnoticed as he hesitated, looking at Sister Yilan and then at Chen Fei—right, that's a human, small, short, with no tail, no claws, no horns, no Blade Wings, and certainly not a Metallic Dragon!

How did things end up going in such a weird direction?

"Your Highness! I am Demon Race Professor Malukard, honored to be a first-level professor at the academy, and welcome your arrival!"

The Demon Race professor, Malukard, who had just proposed the "Great World Tree Plane Theory" in class, hurried over after packing up his lecture materials.

It was a significant event when members of the royal family visited the Spectacle Royal Academy; logically and emotionally, he felt obligated to come and pay his respects.

"Hello, Professor Malukard! Your theory is very novel; it has taught me a lot!"

Princess Lin Ziyu bowed to him. The Spectacle Royal Academy, funded by the royal family, deserved respect for its academic achievements, regardless of species.

Just like on Blue Star, in a peaceful and stable environment, cultured individuals were more likely to attain social status.

The large intelligent species students, realizing an important person had arrived at this open-air classroom, gathered around from various platforms high and low.

"Eh? Your Highness? It's Her Royal Highness the Princess!"

"Princess Lin Ziyu is here!"

"It's the princess, the princess is here!"

"The princess is my idol; I want an autograph…"

"…"

Astonishingly, among the students were devoted fans of the princess, and they seemed to be very enthusiastic admirers, a truly bizarre occurrence.

As these large figures crowded around, the sky itself seemed to darken, their immense size immediately creating a sense of oppression.

The accompanying royal guards and Winged Warriors sprang into action, standing in a large circle around the princess, Chen Fei, and two Metallic Dragons, watching the giants warily.

"Back off! Back off! Keep your distance! What are you crowding around for?"

The professor, unlike his approachable demeanor during the lecture, rebuked them harshly.

The Imperial Princess belonged to the Human Race, unlike these tough-skinned foolishly large students. If something unfortunate happened, the entire academy might be held accountable.

The large intelligent species students immediately stepped back, still excitedly gazing at the imperial dignitary from a platform or two away.

"I am truly sorry, but the students are not inherently bad. Please forgive their rashness, Your Highness!"

Professor Malukard heaved a slight sigh of relief and apologized again.

Princess Lin Ziyu, quite used to such situations, responded indifferently, "It's alright, I can understand!"

Not only were the large intelligent species students prone to such acts, but even ordinary Human Race students would have done the same. They were merely curious and more excited, harboring no ill intentions.

"Thank you for your magnanimity, Your Highness. However, this is not the place to talk. Please, come to my office. I have some fine tea there. By the way, may I ask, do you have a particular reason for visiting the academy?"

Professor Malukard warmly invited the princess and her party to his office while cautiously probing.

"I'm sorry to intrude, it's nothing important. I'm just accompanying my friend here to find this one, the Metallic Dragon, Yilan."

Princess Lin Ziyu gestured toward one of the two Metallic Dragons.

"Eh? It's really you they're looking for, sister!"

The silly younger brother finally snapped out of his stupor, hurriedly picking up the fallen half-piece of Mithril Rod and swiftly swallowing it in one gulp.

Though he ate it like Zhu Bajie consuming Ginseng Fruit, unable to savor the taste of Mithril any further, it was safe inside his stomach, truly his own once swallowed.

Like other giant dragons, the taste buds of Metallic Dragons were located in their mouths. Although they could absorb metal through body contact, they lacked gustatory experience.

"Oh, Yilan, Cobalt Luo, you two come as well!"

Professor Malukard nodded at the two Metallic Dragons. Rarely does a university prohibit attending lectures, and as they frequented, he naturally learned their names.

Cobalt Luo was Yilan's brother, not by blood, but they had hatched together; Yilan had hatched a year earlier. After starting elementary school, she quickly advanced grades and was now a high school student. Cobalt Luo, with average academic talent, hadn't skipped grades and remained at the elementary level.

Yilan often attended lectures at Spectacle Royal Academy, with her little follower, Cobalt Luo tagging along. Whether he understood or not, probably only the heavens knew.

"Let's go!"

Chen Fei nodded to Yilan.

As for any mentions of a date, he pretended not to hear.

While the academy was for large intelligent species, the teaching staff and administrative personnel were not all large intelligent species. However, the office was still grand and spacious. Unlike the roof-less outdoor classrooms, the office was designed to be semi-open, allowing easy access for large intelligent species while also equipped with a large magic barrier to protect against wind, rain, and temperature changes.

Professor Malukard's office was like a hall for the human-sized, with a desk and bookshelves on a high platform under a roof. Below, completely open to the air, was designated for hosting large intelligent species, offering ample room for activities without conflicts.

With the princess's party and the two Metallic Dragons present, the office space remained uncluttered, and even if ten or more dragons arrived, it would still be manageable.

"Yilan, Cobalt Luo, would you like some tea?"

After preparing tea for Princess Lin Ziyu and Chen Fei, the professor then attended to the two dragons.

"Metallic Dragons don't drink..."

Clang! The talkative younger brother was smacked to the ground again as Yilan said, "No, thank you, professor."

Metallic Dragons were satisfied with metal; they did not need tea, nor could they taste it.

The same words spoken by different dragons could lead to completely opposite outcomes.