As Muria had anticipated, when the news spread that Terrance had broken through to legendary status after receiving his blood, the overall efficiency of Sinapsus increased significantly. The enthusiasm with which the giants worked was now incomparable to before, and even the speed of the giant legions' campaign against the Evil Dragon Peninsula had dramatically improved, as if they had been injected with dragon's blood.
The pace at which the giants advanced quickened, to the point where they unearthed an ancient black dragon from the depths. This black dragon had barely emerged and let out a roar when it was promptly taken down by three legendary figures summoned from Sinapsus by the storm giants.
With the crystal pillars already prepared in the Sinapsus energy department, this ancient black dragon surprisingly chose to surrender without hesitation. It was even willing to act as the vanguard for the giant legion, much to the disappointment of some in Sinapsus.
On the other hand, under the guidance of this ancient black dragon, the giant legion discovered the resting places of several more ancient dragons, which were then captured by the legends of Sinapsus. Those who surrendered were temporarily sealed and sent for ideological education, while those who resisted were sealed within crystal pillars.
In short, after adding a black dragon that begged for mercy in Sinapsus, the giant legion's campaign on the Evil Dragon Peninsula was nearing its end, and the complete conquest of the peninsula was imminent.
As the giants and dragons of Sinapsus were about to conquer the peninsula, the long-absent ancient silver dragon finally returned, bringing with it three ancient gem dragons. Under Muria's guidance, they were given a detailed tour of the Dragon Academy's facilities and introduced to its rules and regulations.
These three ancient gem dragons were swayed by Muria, especially after seeing the large number of chromatic and metallic dragon offspring enrolled. They agreed to send their own offspring to the Dragon Academy for education.
Shortly after the departure of these gem dragons, Bernard, who had been sent by Muria to find gem dragons, managed to locate a clan of sapphire dragons.
"You've done very well," Muria praised Bernard as he looked at the dozen or so sapphire dragons standing before the throne. Although a small number like this seemed insignificant to Muria, for someone with ambitions of building a nation, these dragons were invaluable allies.
After some praise, Muria assigned the younger sapphire dragons to the first batch of students at the Dragon Academy. The adult dragons and an elder dragon were appointed as mentors. In return, Muria promised to protect the sapphire dragons from harm.
As for the titles of nobility that Bernard had been promised, he did not dare to ask, and Muria did not bring them up.
…
Muria stood atop a high platform, looking down at the dragons below—gold dragons, silver dragons, bronze dragons from the metallic dragon clan… sapphire dragons, amethyst dragons, crystal dragons from the gem dragon clan… red dragons, blue dragons, green dragons from the chromatic dragon clan… and some rare dragons like purple dragons and steel dragons. Every dragon Muria could find was present.
All the dragons were arranged in neat rows according to their size and type. From newly hatched dragonlings to young dragons capable of flight, they were all there. Adolescent, adult, and elder dragons stood on the viewing platform; these dragons were not students but were instead mentors who would assist the ancient dragons in guiding the young ones.
"Everyone…" Muria began his speech from the high platform, fulfilling his role as the first headmaster of the Dragon Academy. Though many ancient dragons were present, this position was Muria's by right.
He had provided the funds, the land, and the effort to establish this academy, enduring countless hardships. If any dragon dared to challenge his position due to their age or seniority, it would be as if they were mocking the strength of his fists.
In his speech, Muria didn't bother with any flowery language. He simply outlined the rules and regulations the young dragons had to follow after enrolling, the courses they would be taking, and then proceeded to the most important part of the admission ceremony.
The entrance demonstration!
Muria's Dragon Academy now had students from both the metallic and gem dragon clans. However, for Muria, their enrollment was more of a transaction—pay the tuition, gain knowledge, and after graduation, there were no obligations to Muria.
The first step was to collect the tuition fees, but Muria needed to show the dragon parents and ancient dragons what their offspring could achieve after receiving a complete dragon education. Only then would they be willing to pay the tuition willingly.
The demonstration was designed to achieve this. Muria intended to show all the ancient dragons and dragon parents the results of dragon education. The process was simple: the chromatic dragons he had trained would challenge adult dragons.
The first match featured Auston, the strongest and most violent of the six red dragons under Muria's command. According to Muria's secret instructions, Auston disregarded the prearranged opponents and directly named an adult gold dragon in the audience for a challenge. This gold dragon was initially reluctant to fight, but under the stern gaze of its ancient ancestor, it had no choice but to enter the arena.
What followed was an unprecedented scene that most dragons would never witness in their lifetimes—a red dragon, known for its brute strength, was actually engaging in a spell duel with a gold dragon and holding its own, even showing signs of dominance.
This scene shocked many dragons, and the elder ancient dragons couldn't help but frown, realizing the deeper implications. Such a display of power convinced them to reconsider their previous stance and not hesitate to send their offspring to the academy.
If even the numerous chromatic dragons could achieve such prowess after receiving an education, then the fewer metallic and gem dragons, if left unchanged, would surely fall behind the chromatic dragons. Could they allow a future where the chromatic dragons dominated the dragon race? Absolutely not. The metallic dragons had always countered the chromatic dragons through their unity and superior individual strength, but now, Muria's education had disrupted that balance. Therefore, the metallic dragons had to grow stronger.
As the ancient dragons pondered these implications, the battle between Auston and the adult gold dragon ended in a draw. But anyone with a discerning eye could see that Muria had signaled the red dragon to hold back. In truth, the young red dragon had the upper hand, and if the battle had dragged on, it might have won.
This outcome further astonished the dragons watching—a young red dragon, after receiving a complete education, was actually able to hold its own against an adult gold dragon. This result was almost unbelievable.
However, such instances were not unheard of in the long history of dragonkind. There had always been exceptional dragons capable of punching above their weight, and this red dragon might just be one of those anomalies.
To dispel any lingering doubts, Muria then sent out a massive black dragon to face off against an adult red dragon captured from the Evil Dragon Peninsula.
This battle, in the eyes of the metallic and gem dragons, was rather brutal. There were no spells exchanged, just pure, savage physical combat. The result left the dragons stunned.
The hulking black dragon, breathing five different dragon breaths, fought the wild red dragon without losing ground.
Since Muria had no reason to show mercy to this red dragon, the battle ended with the black dragon emerging as the victor, albeit barely.
Muria continued to send out ten more chromatic dragons to fight, all challenging adult dragons, with the worst result being a draw.
This was an unmistakable display of power, as well as the best advertisement. After the demonstration ended, most of the ancient metallic and gem dragons present were willing to enroll their offspring in the academy.
If even the brutish chromatic dragons could gain such impressive combat skills through education, could the metallic and gem dragons not achieve the same? What a joke!
…
"Your Highness, the Dragon Academy has finally been established. How do you feel about it?" An ancient gold dragon asked, looking at Muria, who was silently observing the dragon students being led away by their newly appointed teachers.
"I don't have any particular feelings. Establishing the academy was just the first step. The real challenge is educating the students well and producing outstanding dragons. We have no prior examples to follow, so we'll have to figure it out as we go. I will be involved in teaching the young dragons, but I also ask that you elders give it your all and don't slack off."
"Of course." The ancient dragons hired as instructors all responded with serious expressions.
…
The Dragon Academy officially started classes, but on just the third day, an unexpected issue arose—some metallic dragons skipped class. This embarrassed the ancient metallic dragons who were teaching, but it was also a very real issue.
After this incident, Muria didn't say a word. He simply had some of the chromatic dragon mentors check the attendance of each dragon student, and then quietly sent the perfect attendance records of the chromatic dragons to the ancient metallic dragons.
This outcome, which nearly shamed all the metallic dragons in Sinapsus, caused the ancient dragons to lose their temper and erupt in fury…
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!]
[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]
[+50 PowerStones = +1 Chapter] [+5 Reviews = +1 Chapter]