Chapter 50: Contact

Early morning.

Li Ang opened his eyes and let out a long breath, bringing his circulation of Qi to a close.

"The speed at which a Hybrid acquires professional experience is far faster than that of a Qi Practitioner."

Having maintained the Blood Rage state for just a single night, his newly acquired [Hybrid] class level had already risen to [2/20 (14/200)].

Li Ang had initially assumed that all classes would require the slow and steady grinding process characteristic of the [Qi Practitioner].

"If I could come into contact with the dragon blood of pure-blood dragons, I should be able to gain a massive amount of professional experience as well."

"Unfortunately, even that alone wouldn't be enough to fulfill the prerequisites for the [Dragon-Vein Alchemist] advanced class, which requires transforming oneself into a third-generation descendant."

Hybrids are hybrids, and pure-blood dragons are pure-blood dragons. No matter how much a hybrid enhances their bloodline concentration, they can never truly become a pure-blood dragon; their ultimate fate is simply to degenerate into a Dead Servant.

...not Marvel's Deadpool, but rather a puppet of the dragon race.

"So, I still have to rely on alchemy."

With this thought, Li Ang stood up and stretched his limbs.

One has to admit, the attribute bonuses provided by the [Hybrid] class were remarkably generous.

Under the enhancement of the [Hybrid] class, Li Ang's stats had now reached [Physical Strength 4.2, Mental Strength 5.1, Energy 29.2].

Compared to when he first entered the Dragon World, this was a significant improvement, but it was still somewhat lacking if he wanted to ensure his own survival in this world.

"Cassell College will probably send people to make contact with me today. The [Scales of Gallos] that I had those black guys sell off earlier must have exposed me."

"Just to be on the safe side, I still need to prepare for the possibility of them turning hostile."

Li Ang knew very well that Cassell College would undoubtedly investigate his background. Unfortunately, as someone drifting without roots, they would only be able to track what he had done in Brooklyn over the past few days.

Sure enough, just as Li Ang finished his breakfast, a series of knocks suddenly echoed through the presidential suite.

He stood up to open the door, and a strange combination of an old man and a youth came into view.

The old man was dressed in a rather slovenly suit, while the youth wore a deadpan expression, resembling an iceberg.

"Hello, hello." Before Li Ang could react, the old man squeezed his way into the presidential suite. "I am Gunnar Gudlaugsson from Cassell College. May I ask what your name is, young friend?"

Without changing his expression, Li Ang stepped aside to let the iceberg following the bulky old man enter the suite as well, before stating his name.

"Li Ang."

"Oh, oh, hello, Mr. Li."

Gunnar rubbed his hands against his clothes and then grasped Li Ang's hands in a handshake.

It is worth noting that up to this point, their conversation had been conducted entirely in Chinese.

***

By this time, Li Ang had already recalled the relevant information about the old man standing before him.

Gunnar Gudlaugsson—he had forgotten what subject the man taught, but Lu Mingfei's interview for Cassell College had been conducted by him.

As for the person following behind Gunnar...

With that icy facial expression, Li Ang couldn't think of anyone else besides Chu Zihang.

Wait, Chu Zihang!?

A sudden chill ran down Li Ang's spine. He had no idea whether that old schemer Odin was secretly keeping an eye on Chu Zihang at this moment.

However, upon seeing that the weather outside the window remained bright and clear, devoid of elements like torrential rain or elevated highways, he couldn't help letting out a silent sigh of relief.

At that moment, Chu Zihang also noticed that Li Ang's gaze had been lingering on him, and he couldn't help frowning slightly.

Before coming here, he had already reviewed the intelligence report on this person.

To be honest, without using his Spiritual Speech, he did not have absolute confidence in achieving victory.

At this point, Gunnar spoke up, breaking the somewhat strange atmosphere in the room: "We must thank Mr. Li for what happened yesterday. Those brats from the Executioner Department were truly acting out of line."

Hearing this, Li Ang shook his head slightly: "It was simply that the dragon wouldn't stop clinging to me."

Upon hearing these words, Gunnar's eyes lit up: "Mr. Li must be from China, right?"

Faced with the bulky old man's inquiry, Li Ang's expression remained unchanged, though inwardly he couldn't help thinking:

'Taking me for someone from one of China's hybrid families?'

'Well, then again, my situation does indeed resemble theirs.'

An Asian appearance, formidable strength, and an untraceable background—these three characteristics easily led Cassell College to lean in that direction.

More crucially, there was Li Ang's attitude.

Turning a blind eye to pure-blood dragons unless they posed a severe hazard, generally choosing not to interfere otherwise—this was entirely consistent with the attitude consistently displayed by China's hybrid factions.

Therefore, after a moment of silence, Li Ang did not give a direct answer: "What has brought Professor Gunnar here?"

Seeing that he did not answer his question, Gunnar scratched his graying hair: "Your question, Mr. Li..."

"Shouldn't the question be why *you* are here instead?"

Although the Secret Party could not quite be called the masters of America, they could certainly be considered local overlords.

From their perspective, Li Ang, this 'Chinaman,' was undoubtedly the outsider.

...though certain Native Americans might take issue with such a statement.

***

As a professor teaching the genealogy of dragon species, Gunnar had begun frantically searching his memory the moment Li Ang stated his name.

Unfortunately, he could find no record in his mind of any hybrid family with the surname Li in China.

However, based on the opponent's Bronze Throne, could his bloodline originate from the White Emperor City—the [King of Bronze and Fire]?

After all, that Dragon King had once used the pseudonym 'Li Xiong' to help Gongsun Shu contend for the empire.

Oh wait, Principal An Jie had said it wasn't the Bronze Throne.

Thinking of this, Gunnar couldn't help doubting his own professional expertise.

The conversation fell into a stalemate for a moment.

After a long while, Li Ang finally spoke: "I have obtained the alchemical legacy of a Dragon King, and I wish to trade it for the guidance of Mentor Flamel."

If deduced logically, if Gallos was also a dragon...

Then, in a sense, the alchemy Li Ang was currently studying could indeed be called the legacy of a Dragon King without any real issue. He just didn't know whether the dragons of the dragon race would recognize this distant relative.

As for Flamel's full name, 'Nicolas Flamel,' he could arguably be considered one of the top-ranking figures in alchemy in the present era.

Li Ang had calculated well: if he could trade the *Detailed Explanation of Alchemical Fundamentals* for the guidance of such a figure, it would definitely be a worthwhile deal.

And if that failed, obtaining some of Flamel's alchemical notes would also be a good alternative choice.

"Ah, well..." A trace of difficulty appeared on Gunnar's face. "I don't have the ability to interfere with the Vice Principal's decisions."

Seeing this, Li Ang remained unconcerned. He picked up a pen and swiftly jotted down relevant information regarding the [Concealment] array on the paper before him: "Professor Gunnar, you can hand this over to Mentor Flamel first."

Gunnar took the paper and glanced over it. Finding that the contents recorded on it were intricate enough to give him a headache, he tucked it into his pocket: "I can only help Mr. Li ask on your behalf, but if it fails, you mustn't blame me."

With that, he turned and left the presidential suite, accompanied by the expressionless youth behind him.

Watching the two of them depart, Li Ang relaxed his body slightly.

Of course he knew it was impossible for Gunnar to completely believe everything he had said, but that didn't matter. As long as he could deliver the *Detailed Explanation of Alchemical Fundamentals* into Flamel's hands, that was enough. He didn't believe any alchemist could refuse a body of knowledge they had never encountered before.

As for Li Ang himself, while obtaining Flamel's guidance would naturally be the best outcome, acquiring some of Flamel's alchemical manuscripts would also suffice.

However, regardless of whether it succeeded or not, Li Ang planned to find an opportunity to leave within the next two days.

After all, his background would not stand up to rigorous scrutiny.

With this thought, he let out a soft breath and silently thought to himself:

'I hope everything goes smoothly...'