Reincarnated as a blue dragon, he collided head-on with a wizarding civilization.

Akino keenly noticed Motu's gaze.

She put the cigarette in her mouth, took a drag, exhaled a puff of grayish-white smoke, and said with a half-smile:

"What, are you interested in our captain?"

Motu frowned:

"No. I'm just curious. The captain is wearing the standard robes of the Holy Blood Tower. Is he a wizard there?"

Akino raised an eyebrow slightly.

She took the cigarette out of her mouth, twirled it between her fingers twice, then stubbed it out and tucked it into her sleeve.

She brushed off non-existent dust from her robe, straightened up, and revealed a glint in her deep brown vertical pupils that Motu had never seen before.

It wasn't hostility, nor was it wariness; it was more like...interest.

"Oh?"

She drew out her voice, asking with great interest,

"Are you interested in wizards?"

Motu did not deny it: "I'm interested. I've also tried practicing the Blood Moon Meditation Method that the [Holy Blood Tower] Academy publicly teaches."

"Then you've come to the right place."

Akino smiled, but the smile was different from before.

The laugh just now was a lazy, casual laugh, but now there's something else in it.

It's like a cat seeing a fish that's actively approaching it.

"The captain is a registered second-circle dragonblood wizard of the Holy Blood Tower."

She gestured with her lip towards Rowling.

"If he were to face you, it would be a bit like bullying the weak."

She moved her wrist, and her knuckles made a cracking sound.

"Since you're curious about the profession of wizard, I can satisfy your curiosity a little."

Akino raised his right hand.

Her movements were not fast, in fact, they were very slow, so slow that Motu could clearly see the movement of each of her fingers.

But it was precisely this slowness that made him feel a different kind of pressure.

The oppressive feeling of the green tiles is violent and outward, like a fire burning at its brightest. The oppressive feeling of the autumn field, on the other hand, is introverted and calm, like a bottomless pool of water.

A light shone from her fingertips.

It wasn't a ghostly blue arc of electricity, nor the dark red light of dragon's blood, but a more delicate, more regular, more... exquisite light.

The light was pale blue, not the violent light of lightning, but like pure magic that had been filtered countless times, seeping from her fingertips and condensing into a small, rotating ball of light in the air.

The ball of light was only the size of a fingernail, but Motu could sense the power contained within it.

This thing is completely different from the lightning magic that Motu is good at; it is gentle but not weak.

The light was more delicate and regular, flowing with an eerie sense of order, seemingly originating from a different system than the elemental magic of dragons.

"Witchcraft?" Motu asked.

"witchcraft."

Akino nodded. "One ring. That's enough for you."

She flicked her finger lightly.

The pale blue light shot out from the sphere of light, moving so fast that Motu's eyes could barely catch its trajectory.

Blue Dragon instinctively raised his left arm to block.

The scales instantly turned metallic, and a bluish-gray sheen covered the entire forearm.

The light struck his left arm.

There was no explosion. There was no burning. There was no stinging from the electric arc.

But his left arm suddenly became incredibly heavy.

It felt as if someone had poured lead into his bones, or as if an invisible hand had grabbed his forearm and was pulling him down with all its might.

His left arm, which had been raised, suddenly dropped down, the claws slamming into the ground, sending up a cloud of gravel and dust.

gravity.

Motu's pupils contracted slightly.

He tried to raise his left arm, but it seemed to be nailed to the ground and wouldn't budge.

The weight wasn't just in the arm; it was spreading upwards along the arm, from the wrist to the forearm, from the forearm to the elbow, and from the elbow to the shoulder.

His body began to tilt.

His left side was many times heavier than his right side, his spine was creaking, and the muscles in his right leg were taut, desperately trying to keep his body from collapsing.

But the force was so great that his right claw plowed a deep furrow in the ground.

"Gravity spell".

Akino took the cigarette back out of his sleeve, put it in his mouth, but didn't light it.

"First-level sorcery. Not high-level, but enough to deal with first-tier dragonblood species."

Motu remained silent.

A fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead, and faint blue arcs of electricity danced between the gaps in his scales.

He was trying to use lightning magic to counteract the gravity, but as soon as the electric arc left the scales, it was pressed back into his body by gravity, like striking a match in water—it simply wouldn't light.

Akino watched for a while, and seeing that the other person's face was gradually becoming strained and unpleasant, he smiled slightly and did not make things too difficult for the new team member.

She took the cigarette out of her mouth, twirled it between her fingers, and then snapped her fingers.

"Smack."

A crisp sound exploded in the twilight, like an invisible string being snapped.

The pale blue light suddenly dissipated from Motu's left arm.

The heavy, almost crushing pressure that had been pressing down on him vanished completely, as if it had never existed.

Motu's body suddenly sprang up.

The force that had been pressing him down suddenly disappeared, and his right leg, which had borne too much weight that it shouldn't have had to bear alone, buckled at the knee and his body slumped forward.

His right paw instinctively braced itself against the ground, the tip carving four deep furrows in the gravel. His body swayed a couple of times before regaining its balance.

Motu moved his numb left arm, and the bronze luster on it slowly faded from under the scales. His breathing became a little rapid, but the light in his vertical pupils did not dim; instead, it became even brighter.

Akino put the unlit cigarette back in his mouth, took out a flint from his sleeve, struck it with a snap, lit the cigarette, took a deep drag, and exhaled a cloud of grayish-white smoke.

"good."

She looked at Motu through the smoke, the blue dragon's silhouette reflected in his deep brown vertical pupils, a faint, ambiguous smile playing on her lips.

"He's one of the better rookies. Welcome to our Seventh Mixed Support Team."

These routine, polite words acted like a trigger, causing the [Ixtal] quest panel in Motu's mind, which had been inactive for a long time, to suddenly change.

The previously displayed current quest, "Proof of Freedom," burst forth with a golden light.

[Proof of Freedom] Freed from the Dark Forest, the Blue Dragon deserves the freedom of the skies! Reward: Basic Combat Flight Experience (Quest Completed)

Task 3 [Proof of Freedom] - Completed.

- Reward: Basic combat flight experience.

A wave of unfamiliar information flooded my mind.

It is not knowledge. It is not words. It is not images.

It's instinct.

It's as if he was born with the ability to fly, but he forgot it many years ago.

It's as if he had spread his wings countless times in some distant, forgotten past, soaring through the clouds, skimming over the mountain peaks, and chasing the storms.

That feeling was unearthed from the deepest part of his memory, dusted off, and put back into his body.

At what angle should the wings be spread? How should you sense the airflow? When ascending, the forelimbs should be slightly tucked in; when diving, the tail should be spread to increase drag. When turning, the body's center of gravity should move before the wings, otherwise you will lose balance. When encountering turbulence, do not fight it head-on; glide with the direction of the airflow and readjust your posture after the wind has passed.

All.

It's all etched into muscle memory.

Motu opened his eyes, a faint blue light flashing in his vertical pupils.

He clenched his claws, feeling the newly acquired, innate ability.

At the same time, the system panel in my mind began to update synchronously:

Name: Motu

[Race]: Blue Dragon

[Beast Rank]: Tier 1 - Black Iron Body (32%)

[Bloodline Concentration]: Frost Embryo (28.5%) (60% chance to unlock True Dragon Bloodline Inheritance)

[Flight Ability]: Basic Combat Flight (Unlocked)

[Awakened Ability Trait]: Ixtal (Choose a task and complete it to obtain the corresponding reward)

Current Quest: [Proof of Freedom] Freed from the Dark Forest, the Blue Dragons deserve freedom in the skies! Reward: Basic Combat Flight Experience (Quest Completed)

(New quest available)

There are many prompts on the panel.

The options for Task 1, Task 2, and Task 3 have been refreshed again, and are largely the same as last time, but with some new detailed descriptions.

Motu glanced at it but didn't look closely.

Now is not the time.

He focused his mind, withdrawing his attention from the panel and returning to reality.

The joints in my left arm were aching from the heavy pressure I had just endured. The pain wasn't a sharp, stabbing pain, but a dull, muffled ache, like my bones had been kneaded.

Motu cracked his left arm as he scanned the crowd in the open space with his vertical pupils.

Green Tile squatted to one side, poking at the ants on the ground with the tip of its tail.

Two of the three tails droop to the ground, while the remaining one sticks up, its bony tip precisely piercing an ant carrying food scraps and crushing it into a small black dot.

Her vertical pupils were fixed on the ground, her face clearly showing her displeasure. Her three serrated edges were tightly closed, occasionally grinding together and making a soft, grinding sound.

Una huddled in the corner, her vertical pupils peeking over, only to be caught by Motu's gaze before quickly looking away; Inigo stood still, like a wooden stake, unchanged.

Motu withdrew his gaze and said to the crowd:

"I'm new here, so please take good care of me."

Green Tile snorted.

The "humph" came from her nose, carrying a stubborn resentment, but the tip of her tail still nodded slightly in Motu's direction.

The amplitude is very small; if it weren't for the dragons' highly acute dynamic vision, it would be almost imperceptible.

That's a response.

Una whispered, "Please...please take care of me," her voice so soft it was almost inaudible.

Inigo nodded blankly.

Seeing everyone's reaction, Akino smiled.

She held the cigarette in her mouth, freed her hand, and beckoned to Motu:

"Come, let me show you the way. Your stone house is over there, the third one in the row by the river."

She turned around, the hem of her deep blue robe arcing through the twilight as she walked towards the stone house.

After taking a few steps, she turned her head again and added:

"Considering your dragon-like size, that place is quite large."

Of course, if you don't like living there, you can dig a cave nearby to live in, just like Green Tiles did.

Motu followed behind her, walking towards the stone house.

His pace was neither fast nor slow, and his claws left shallow marks on the gravel ground.

Dusk rolled in from all directions, gradually swallowing the edge of the clearing. The reeds swayed in the evening breeze, rustling softly like people talking in hushed tones.

The scattered gold on the river surface had completely disappeared, replaced by a calm, leaden gray, with only a faint, dark red remaining in the farthest reaches, closest to the horizon.

That was the last rays of the setting sun.

Then it disappeared too.

------------

By the time everything was settled in Motu, the sun had completely sunk below the horizon, leaving only a dark red afterglow on the horizon.

The scattered gold on the river surface turned into scattered silver. The moon had not yet risen, and the sky was about to darken.

In a corner of the camp, far from the noise of the campfire, only Qiuye and Luolin, who had returned, remained.

Luo Lin stood by the low wall, his back to the campfire, his silver-gray vertical pupils gazing at the distant border night. His figure was tall and aloof, and his dark red robe fluttered slightly in the night wind, blending into the darkness.

Akino walked over and handed him a lit herbal scroll, speaking casually:

"Want to try some? To relieve your fatigue."

Luo Lin turned slightly to the side, waved his hand, and spoke in a cold, emotionless tone:

"I don't smoke."

He never touched these things. Years of wizarding training had instilled in him extreme self-discipline, but also made his personality increasingly cold and aloof.

Akino didn't force him. He brought the herb roll to his lips, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled the smoke, looking quite relaxed and at ease.

At this moment, Roland finally moved.

He turned around, his silver-gray vertical pupils looking at Akino:

"What did you think of Motu this afternoon?"

Akino took the half-burnt cigarette out of his mouth and twirled it between his fingers:

"The newcomer is quite good. A blue dragon, with a body of black iron, he can withstand the claw strikes of Green Tiles. He's also clear-headed, knows how to assess situations, and his intelligence is higher than that of ordinary dragon bloodlines."

She paused, then added:

"He's interested in wizards. Not just casually, but... seriously."

"I can tell."

Rowling's voice was calm, as if he had expected this answer.

"Otherwise, it wouldn't have been sent here by the dragon's nest."

Akino turned her head and glanced at him.

The moonlight fell on Rolin's profile, making his features exceptionally clear.

He was handsome and aloof, like a sword just drawn from its sheath.

She had known him for a long time, so long that she couldn't even remember when they first met.

But there was one thing she always remembered: Rowling rarely made judgments about newcomers so quickly.

"Dragons are all unruly in nature."

He said the voice wasn't loud, it sounded like he was talking to himself.

"We still need to hold it back."

Akino put the cigarette back in his mouth and smiled.

"So you asked me to do it, instead of doing it yourself?"

Rowling did not answer.

He leaned his staff against his side and looked across the river.

There, in the territory of the Tower of Holy Blood, several lights had already lit up in the night, orange-yellow, like gems embedded in the darkness.

"but--"

Rowling paused, his silver-gray vertical pupils reflecting the lights.

"This can be used."

Akino lazily exhaled a puff of smoke without saying a word.

The wind rustled through the reeds. The shimmering silver on the river's surface was broken by the wind, then gathered again, then broken again.

Not far away, in a stone house that was much larger than the two on either side, Motu was lying on his own giant stone bed.

He appeared to be concentrating with his eyes closed, but in reality, he was browsing through the system panel that he hadn't had time to check before.