Chapter 525: Dark Demon Riding the Waves (4k)
Claire did not expect that the one who finally tamed the dragon would not be Dark but Eve and Irina.
However, with the twins’ physical strength, they could recover after resting for a while in the room.
After confirming their condition, Claire smiled and said, “Don’t worry about us. Get some rest. We still need you for the discussion on cooperation.”
Eve and Irina nodded silently and lay down to rest.
Then Claire took the Phoenix girl and the Vampire Noble and turned to leave.
“I’ll bring some midnight snacks for you tonight,” Dark said to them as he scratched his head, then left the room with Claire.
The three dragon tamers, who had settled their luggage, were already waiting at the door.
In the absence of maids, they served as guards right away.
As for the four flying dragons, they were being taken care of by the academy’s professionals, so there was no need to worry about them.
“Let’s go out and eat something. Let’s also see who has signed up this year.”
Claire looked out the window at the bustling crowd with a spark in her eyes.
She never expected to return to the academy just half a year after leaving during Christmas.
Now she was no longer a student or professor of Saint Maryann but a parent.
Without Alvaraite accompanying her, she became the guardian of the Phoenix girl and the Vampire Noble.
While accompanying the exams, she was also a merchant seeking cooperation.
Discussing cooperation with the academy’s authorities was another purpose of her visit today.
It could be foreseen that once this cooperation was established, regardless of whether it was profitable, it would create a strong bond with Saint Maryann Academy.
Although this was not her initial goal, once the plan was set, all its impacts were considered.
After careful analysis, she realized that building cooperation with Saint Maryann Academy itself was even more important than earning money.
And in terms of achieving this cooperation, she had a unique advantage…
At night, the academy town was lit up, with children walking on the streets accompanied by their parents.
Most were pure-bl**d humans, and noble humans dressed luxuriously were seen everywhere.
But inevitably, some half-breeds with peculiar features appeared. These half-breeds were mostly mixed, but there were also a few pure-bloods.
The proportion of half-breeds among students was very small, but they were not non-existent.
Even some royal families of half-breeds would consider applying to Saint Maryann Academy for various reasons.
Compared to half-breeds who viewed Saint Maryann Academy as a holy place, pure-bl**d half-breeds did not have such extraordinary worship.
As Dark walked with Claire through the academy town, he saw some half-breeds with distinct appearances.
He rarely paid attention to these when inside the academy, but now he recalled that there were indeed a couple of races with obvious features.
For him, who wanted to get two mana golems into the academy, having half-breeds apply wasn’t surprising.
The group found a place to sit and eat.
The three dragon tamers dispersed afterward to gather information.
The consumption level in the academy town was not high, and the food in the restaurant was only average.
Dark could hear people around him complaining about the quality of the food as he ate.
He simply smiled and continued eating.
After finishing, the group wandered through the “Station Street” in the academy town.
The Vampire Noble and Phoenix girl had seen much in the capital, yet they still got excited while shopping.
They ended up shopping until 8:30 PM, then Dark bought some snacks and returned with everyone else.
The three dragon tamers joined them on the way back.
When they arrived at their residence, everyone had gathered.
Then they knocked on Eve and Irina’s door.
“Come in.”
The twins, after resting, sounded full of energy.
Dark pushed the door open, placed the snacks on the table, and sat down first.
“How are you feeling?” he asked with concern.
“Much better,” Eve said as she got off the bed and approached the table.
Irina sniffed and curiously asked, “What did you bring back? It smells great!”
Dark laughed, “Of course, it’s good stuff.”
He unpacked the food and invited everyone to sit down.
Claire signaled the dragon tamers to start.
The three dragon tamers then shared the information they had gathered.
…
Fifteen minutes later, Dark had a preliminary understanding of this year’s enrollment situation.
According to the information collected by the dragon tamers, up to yesterday, Saint Maryann Academy had issued eighty-eight admission invitations.
Based on past trends, the acceptance rate for admission invitations was usually one hundred percent!
This meant that there were only seventy-two spots left for new students this year.
However, over a thousand students had applied to the academy through the “admission application” process!
In other words, the passing rate for the entrance test was merely seven percent.
“Choosing seventy-two students out of a thousand doesn’t sound too clear. But if you need to choose from nine hundred and twenty-eight students?”
Dark tapped his fingers lightly as he said.
The Vampire Noble and the Phoenix girl exchanged glances, feeling even more pressure.
“Do you always scare people like this?” Claire rolled her eyes at Dark and said to the two mana golems, “With your abilities, passing the written exam is basically equivalent to entering the academy. Your tutors have already covered everything you need to learn. So, just perform normally during the written test tomorrow.”
Dark added, “Our Victoria is a Seven-star mana golem, and Phoenix has endless mana. If you can’t pass, who else could?”
The Vampire Noble cautiously lifted her head and suddenly said, “I think I’ll go read a book!”
“I’ll come too,” the Phoenix girl stood up.
But after standing up, she suddenly remembered that her room was here, so she sat back down.
Dark looked at both of them and suggested, “It’s almost time for bed. You should rest early tonight. There’s plenty of time to study tomorrow.”
The Vampire Noble and the Phoenix girl paused, then settled down.
Claire smiled and said, “Tell me about any special people who came for the entrance test this year?”
The dragon tamers immediately replied, “We investigated. Most of the nobles worth noting have received admission invitations. Those participating in the entrance test like the two ladies aren’t particularly numerous. If we extend the scope to commoners, there are too many, and we can’t tell which ones are special.”
Claire pondered, “What about half-breeds?”
The dragon tamers remained silent, “Half-breeds are quite vigilant in this environment. We only heard that some beast kings participated in this test.”
“Beast kings?” Dark blinked and said, “I hope they pass the written test.”
Given the cultural differences between species, beasts wanting to pass the written test of Saint Maryann Academy was quite challenging.
But regardless, they would deal with whatever came their way. Since they were here, worrying about it wouldn’t help.
They would give it their all.
…
Dark and the others didn’t stay long in the twins’ and the Phoenix girl’s room.
After a little while, they all gradually left and returned to their respective rooms.
When Dark returned to his room, he yawned and summoned the Trash Slime in front of Claire’s surprised eyes.
She couldn’t help asking, “Do you always use it like this?”
Dark didn’t mind and said, “Of course. Do you want to try, Aunt Claire?”
Claire gently touched Dark’s tender face and finally shook her head, “No thanks.”
Even if the Trash Slime showed strong skin-cleaning abilities, it still secreted acid, which could disfigure her.
Since it wasn’t her own mana golem, she didn’t want to take the risk.
But after seeing how Dark used the Trash Slime, Claire began planning to create similar mana golems.
When they came out of the washroom, the Vampire Noble was diligently studying at her desk.
Dark casually said, “Mana golems don’t need sleep, but maintaining energy is still important. Keeping enough energy before the exam is more crucial than cramming a few extra pages.”
The Vampire Noble didn’t look up and said, “Got it, I’ll definitely go to bed early tomorrow!”
Dark: “…”
I’m telling you to go to bed tonight!
…
Dark didn’t know exactly when the Vampire Noble stayed up late.
Regardless, at five in the morning, he was awakened by his biological clock, finding the Vampire Noble sleeping next to him.
He carefully got up, startling Claire.
“Has it gotten light outside?”
Claire opened her eyes groggily and got up.
The light coming through the thick curtains made the room still dark.
Dark pulled aside the curtain, letting the light in.
Claire stood by the window with him for a moment, then yawned and said, “How do you feel? Feeling pressured?”
Dark shrugged, “It’s much more stressful than taking the exam myself.”
These past two days, he had fully experienced the feelings of parents during exams.
Claire laughed, “Relax. Even if you don’t trust them, trust Mrs. Cook and Mr. Cyrus.”
Dark: “No, I trust them.”
As he walked away from the window, he started washing up and getting dressed.
Today, besides collecting exam information and watching the mana golems, he also needed to meet with the academy officials.
The staff who were temporarily staying there had informed the academy of their arrival last night.
But he didn’t know who would represent the academy for negotiations.
It was recruitment season, and Professor Shylph might be busy, so the person negotiating might be the head of the model egg business.
As Dark thought, he opened the door.
He couldn’t exercise in the morning, but he still planned to go for a walk.
But as soon as he opened the door, a small elemental resembling a griffin flew into his arms.
Dark caught the elemental and turned back, looking strange.
“Hmm?” Claire, behind him, looked down at the elemental, understanding dawning on her.
“Principal Altair seems to have returned,” Dark said.
…
At eight in the morning.
Dark, Claire, and the twin sisters were already in the principal’s office within the academy.
Cynthia Saint Altair personally poured tea and kindly said, “I heard Alvaraite submitted two admission applications, arriving half a month early. Are they the two mana golems?”
Dark: “Yes, two humanoid mana golems.”
“Have you solved the problem of their external existence?” Altair asked with concern.
Dark nodded slightly, “We’ve temporarily solved it.”
Altair smiled, “Then I won’t ask about their intelligence. Do you need me to make a small opening?”
Dark opened his mouth, unable to help but say, “Is it really that straightforward? If they truly can’t pass, it’s just that they’re not suitable for the academy.”
“Not entirely,” Principal Altair shook her head, “After all, the Vampire Noble was created less than half a year ago. I want to know how far a mana golem can go on the path of mana technology. Special circumstances call for special measures!”
Dark shrugged, “Half a year is enough.”
Claire interjected, “Let’s talk about the cooperation issue first.”
Principal Altair changed the subject and said, “I read your message. You want to expand the model egg business and achieve deeper cooperation with the academy?”
“That’s right,” Claire said, “Just like with the model eggs, this idea was proposed by Dark. Once it’s tested, it will expand the influence of Saint Maryann Academy to the whole populace!”
“Hmm?” Principal Altair frowned, “Explain it.”
Claire’s lips curled, knowing she had piqued the principal’s interest.
Then she briefly outlined the plan for the “duel game.”
The plan itself was not complicated.
Once the concept was known, even if the academy abandoned them, they could develop it independently.
But Claire knew very well that Saint Maryann Academy would not do that.
From an ethical standpoint, there was no other partner comparable to them.
Indeed, after hearing the concept, Principal Altair had no intention of developing it independently and directly said, “Simplifying high-threshold mana duels into a card game and duel disk that anyone can participate in… This is a brilliant concept! Let me think about it.”
As she spoke, she picked up a pen and began to outline it on paper.
Any form of entertainment that reaches the masses has meaning beyond mere entertainment.
Mastering such entertainment is akin to mastering a tool for conveying ideas to the public.
Moreover, this is a bold attempt to popularize mana technology!
Following the tide of the times, unveiling the mysteries, making magic and mana technology no longer feared by people, was one of the original intentions of the academy in promoting mana duels.
Now, it seemed there was a better method.
