Dragon Clan: I'm too lazy to talk to you, you're not worthy to listen!

As the saying goes, "A fall into a pit, a gain in your wit."

Loki did not bring Ying Zheng into the Nibelungen, failing to meet Ying Zheng's expectations.

Contrary to his wishes, Loki quickly distanced himself from Ying Zheng, while simultaneously unleashing a barrage of flaming feather arrows at Ying Zheng and the others.

Ying Zheng raised his hand and warned, "Everyone, get out of the way quickly! His tricks are endless, so be careful not to fall into his trap!"

Upon hearing this, Norton and the others quickly searched for a place to hide.

Ying Zheng then activated the alchemical subspace again, attempting to absorb some of the attack and protect everyone in a relatively safe area.

Loki's black vortex, resembling the power of the Black Sun, grew larger and larger, causing the surrounding space to distort and deform.

Suddenly, Loki abruptly pushed the vortex toward the crowd.

Ying Zheng and the others felt a powerful force impacting the barrier of the subspace, and cracks began to appear on the barrier.

"Hold on!" Ying Zheng gritted his teeth, continuously channeling his power into the subspace in an attempt to maintain its stability.

Just as the barrier was about to shatter, a golden light suddenly shot out from afar.

The light pierced through the black vortex and struck Loki.

Loki let out a scream and flew backward.

One by one, figures slowly walked over from behind.

With his shoulder-length white hair, gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, rosy and delicate skin, and a perfectly pressed, wrinkle-free blue-black suit, the man who arrived was none other than Hilbert Jean Angers.

A truly exceptional old-school player.

He vanished from his spot and reappeared beside Ying Zheng in the blink of an eye. This was his usual way of maintaining mystery and aloofness: Word of Power - Time Spirit, which was perfect for both assassination and escape.

Angers held a folding knife to his waist with one hand, while shaking a black communicator with the other. Norma's cold voice came through the communicator: "Report, five shots of Divine Punishment remain!"

Angers: "What was just launched was divine retribution."

Apocalypse was initiated by the Gattuso family in conjunction with the Polar Bear Federal Space Agency.

The high-energy physical weapon for outer space, developed together, can launch six missiles at once in a single attack.

The launch platform is located 1020 kilometers above the Earth, orbiting the planet once every 90 minutes. It's a near-Earth satellite called SkyScanner!

"Are you the lord of the Abandoned Clan?" Angers asked, looking at Ying Zheng. He had a vague feeling that he should have met Ying Zheng before, but he couldn't recall Ying Zheng's abilities at the moment. It was understandable that he couldn't remember him, after all, he was already over 130 years old.

Ying Zheng: "Yes. I didn't expect you could persuade the Gattuso family to launch this."

Angers: "I didn't consult with them. I have the authority to launch one Divine Punishment. Originally, I wanted to launch six Divine Punishments at once, after all, I saw so many giant dragons on the banks of the Yangtze River."

Loki gave Principal Angers a cold look, then tore open the space behind him and stepped into the Nibelungen…

Angers was not afraid of Loki, or rather, he was not afraid of death. He had already died once, and he hated every dragon king equally. He calmly asked, "Shall we go after them?"

Ying Zheng: "It's probably impossible to catch up, and I don't want to either."

Angers: "Are you leaving?"

Ying Zheng: "Yes."

Angers: "We should have something to say to each other. I feel like I've seen you somewhere before."

Ying Zheng: "Whether I've seen it or not is not important."

“Yes, do you smoke a cigar?” Angers chuckled, habitually pulling a cigar from his pocket and sniffing it.

He planned to take advantage of the moment when Ying Zheng slightly lifted his mask to pull it off and see Ying Zheng's true face.

Ying Zheng: "I won't smoke."

Angers: "It's good not to smoke. It's good for your health. It seems I've been too negligent in overseeing the Dragon Kingdom branch. So many earth-shattering things have happened. It seems I'm really getting old and should give up my position to the younger generation."

Ying Zheng: "May you live to be a hundred years old."

Angers: "..."

"I'm already 130 years old, so I wish I could live to be 200."

Ying Zheng: "Then I wish you eternal life."

Angers: "Hehe, you really are a humorous and witty person, not as rigid as they say."

Ying Zheng: "I should go now. I have a suggestion."

Angers: "You say it."

Ying Zheng: "Watch out for the little devil."

Angers' face instantly stiffened, and a hint of unease flashed in his eyes. Very few people in this world know of the existence of the Little Devil.

After a long pause, Angers slowly replied, "Thank you, I understand."

Ying Zheng nodded and silently stepped back to Norton and the others. A red light flashed in his left eye, transforming into a black vortex that distorted space, leading everyone to disappear from the spot.

Angers stood on the riverbank, gazing at the remaining, black, poisonous pools of dragon's blood on the ground. After a moment of silence, he murmured:

"Sigh, if only Ye Jingchen were here. What was that kid doing running off to Beiping? It's not like he's incapable of handling these things himself. Why did he have to entrust them to some abandoned clan leader?"

"A young man with no experience is unreliable."

As Angers spoke, he activated the Word of Power: Time Zero and vanished from the spot.

He appeared and had already come to Professor Stanlundberg's side.

Professor Stanlundberg, holding an AK47 rifle, noticed Angers' arrival and glanced at him. "I just saw you standing by the river, talking to that masked boy."

Ye Sheng returned ahead of time and brought me a message saying that the boy had declared he wasn't the leader of the abandoned clan.

“He doesn’t acknowledge himself as the leader of the abandoned tribe; he must have his reasons,” Angers thought, nodding, though his gaze was somewhat unfocused, as if deep in thought. He slowly said:

"Ye Sheng is telling the truth."

He was not the leader of the abandoned tribe.

Furthermore, let's not pursue the matter of Bronze City any further.

Professor Stanlundberg listened to Angers' words and pondered their nuances. He could clearly sense that Angers was expressing something, as if he were subtly confirming something.

Professor Stanlundberg did not pursue the matter further. After all, he had worked with Angers for so many years and knew Angers' style all too well. If it was something they could know, Principal Angers would usually express it in the simplest and most understandable language, and vice versa.

Professor Stanlundberg tactfully changed the subject, saying:

"That guy who was floating in the air and released the black vortex just now, his Word of Power effect is a bit like the legendary Black Sun."

Angers nodded, not denying Professor Stan Lundbergh's words. "That seems to be true, but what I'm more concerned about now is these mixed-race families in the Dragon Kingdom. They seem to be researching something extraordinary behind our backs."

Professor Stanlundberg: "Yes, indeed. This trip to the Dragon Kingdom has broadened my horizons. It's the first time in my life I've seen so many dragon-blooded creatures."

The threat of Odin remains, and they must become stronger to survive the battles to come.

"Our academy must become stronger," Professor Stanlundberg vowed silently. He knew that only with sufficient strength could he protect those around him and achieve victory in this war against the dragons…

The next day, everyone gathered in a conference room at a hotel on the banks of the Yangtze River.

Angers sat in the first seat, his eyes revealing a hint of fatigue, but even more so, determination.

“We already know Odin’s goal: he wants to collect all the dragon kings’ cross skeletons to gain enough power to challenge the Black King,” Angers said. “We can’t let him succeed.”

"So how do we stop him?" Professor Stanlundberg asked, as he was the only one with the authority to speak first.

“We must find the cruciform skeletons that Odin hasn’t yet discovered and protect them,” Angers said. “At the same time, we must strengthen the Academy’s defenses to prevent Odin’s attacks.”

“But how are we supposed to find the cruciform skeleton?” Ye Sheng asked. “They’re scattered all over the world, and that so-called Odin must be looking for them too.”

“This requires our joint efforts,” Angers said. “We can utilize the Academy’s resources to send more Executors to search for the Cross Skeleton. At the same time, we must strengthen cooperation with other hybrid families to fight against Odin.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Next, they began to discuss specific action plans.

Everyone shared their opinions, and the meeting room was filled with lively discussion.

Just then, a staff member from the academy hurried into the conference room and whispered a few words in Angers' ear. Angers' expression suddenly turned serious.

"What's wrong, Principal?" Ying Zheng noticed Angers' unusual behavior and asked.

“We’ve received information that what appears to be Odin’s men have appeared in Europe,” Angers said. “They seem to be looking for something.”

“It seems we need to speed things up,” Stanlundberg said. “We can’t let Odin get there first.”

“That’s right,” Angers said. “Professor Stanlundberg, Ye Sheng, you two will lead a team to Europe to investigate this matter.”

The others returned to the academy to help strengthen defenses.

"Yes!" Professor Stanlundberg and Ye Sheng stood up at the same time and said loudly.

So the two began selecting team members and preparing to go to Europe.

They knew it would be a dangerous journey, but they showed no sign of backing down.

Because they know they bear the mission of saving the world, the emblem of Kassel College is a half-withered, half-flourishing World Tree, which embodies the meaning of protecting the world.

Therefore, no matter what awaits them ahead, these executives must forge ahead bravely.

The path to slaying dragons is one of relentless advance, with no turning back.

After everything was prepared, the two led their team and boarded a plane to Europe.

The plane flew slowly through the night sky, with endless darkness outside the window.

Amid the roar of the aircraft engines, Professor Stanlundberg gazed at the clouds outside the porthole.

The swirling clouds gleamed with a bronze luster under the moonlight, resembling the reliefs on the dome of the Hall of Heroes at Kassel College.

He suddenly recalled Angers' whispered words before his departure: "Beware of Frost of the European branch; his pupils hold the reflection of the Bronze City."

Ye Sheng was inspecting his equipment, his fingers unconsciously stroking the trigger of his submachine gun. A line of small characters was engraved on the gun: "To my friend Chu Tianjiao—Hilbert Jean Angers."

The principal had given him this gun before he set off. The barrel contained specially made alchemical bullets, and the bullet head was engraved with the "Kan" hexagram from the "Lianshan Yi".

"Professor," Ye Sheng suddenly lowered his voice, "do you really think Ying Zheng... is the leader of the abandoned clan?"

Professor Stanlundberg did not answer immediately.

His gaze fell on the bronze box in the corner of the cabin, the "secret weapon" that Angers had given them.

The box was engraved with intricate dragon patterns, and whenever he tried to touch it, he could feel a strange pulse, as if a living creature was sealed inside.

“Some things,” the professor finally began, “are dangerous to know too much about.” He traced a Bagua (Eight Trigrams) pattern on the porthole with his finger, “like this airplane. We only know it’s flying, but we don’t know who’s in the cockpit.”

Ye Sheng nodded thoughtfully. He recalled the scene he had witnessed on the banks of the Yangtze River:

The black vortex in Ying Zheng's left eye, the pulsating flame in Norton's palm, and the broken granite bone spikes on Jormungandr's back.

Those images intertwined in his mind, forming a strange star map.

Suddenly, the cabin lights flickered.

Professor Stanlundberg felt the alchemical pocket watch on his chest begin to heat up; it was Angers' "warning device" for him.

The hands on the dial spun wildly, eventually stopping at the "dead end" position.

"Everyone on high alert!" The professor jumped to his feet. "We might..."

Before he could finish speaking, the plane began to shake violently.

The clouds outside the porthole suddenly condensed into ice crystals, which reflected the glow of the Bronze City murals under the moonlight.

The figures in the murals seemed to come alive, staring coldly at the people in the cabin.

"Welcome to Nibelungen," a voice with a Scandinavian accent rang out in the cabin.

The voice belonged to a blond, blue-eyed young man wearing the uniform of Kassel College with the Executive Department badge pinned to his chest—it was Frost from the European branch!

Professor Stanlundberg's hand was already on the bronze box.

He could feel the thing inside the box awakening; the pulse was growing stronger and stronger, as if it were about to break through the seal.

“Don’t be nervous, Professor.” Frost smiled gently. “I’m just here to deliver a gift.” He snapped his fingers, and the cabin floor suddenly split open, revealing a churning sea of ​​clouds below.

A bronze city phantom appeared in the sea of ​​clouds; it was the projection of the underground ice cellar of Kassel College!

Ye Sheng had already aimed his submachine gun at Frost, but he found that the trigger seemed to be welded shut.

Even more bizarrely, he saw his shadow peeling off the ground and transforming into the shape of an ouroboros.

“Lord Odin greets you.” Frost gave a graceful bow. “He said…” Suddenly, the young man’s pupils split into eight segments, each reflecting a different vision of the future: “The game is about to move to the next phase.”

The lights in the cabin suddenly went out.

In absolute darkness, Professor Stanlundberg heard the sound of the bronze box being opened.

He felt something cold wrap around his wrist; it was... a bronze chain?

When the lights came back on, Frost had disappeared.

The cracks in the cabin floor healed perfectly, as if nothing had ever happened.

But Professor Stanlundberg knew that some things had changed forever—because he saw the luster of the Bronze City shimmering in Ye Sheng's pupils.

“Professor…” Ye Sheng’s voice had a metallic quality, “Shouldn’t we… change course?”

Professor Stanlundberg looked down at the bronze box in his hands.

The box lid had been opened sometime earlier, and it was empty inside, except for a line of small characters engraved on the bottom:

"To my friend, Chu Tianjiao—Hilbert Jean Angers."

……