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

Chapter 83 Bounty

Calder's laboratory.

The light inside the stone chamber was dimmer than Matthew remembered.

The rune stones embedded in the wall were nearly exhausted, emitting a dim, flickering light.

The light shone on the glass walls of the culture containers soaking in unidentified biological tissues, casting eerie, distorted, and swaying reflections.

In the center of the experimental table, the alchemical device retrieved from Matthew's neck was now precisely inserted into a more complex metal base riddled with interfaces, fitting perfectly.

Calder stood silently before the lab bench, holding a slender metal probe with precise markings at its tip.

He made a very slight turn on the few fine-tuning rune knobs on the side of the device.

The runes on the surface of the humming device lit up one by one.

A dark red glow, as if it possessed a life of its own, flowed slowly and viscously along the intricate etched lines on the device's casing.

Winding from one end to the other, it resembles a blood vessel that is gradually recovering and flowing with foul blood.

Data transmission begins.

These are all the physiological data of Matthew in the final moments of his life.

The collapse rate curve of the distorted tissue, the timing of the breakage of the magic circuit, and the complete process of vital signs returning to zero —

This cold, impersonal information is extracted and exported from the device's core storage structure, and continuously injected into a blank card floating above the experimental platform via the base's transmission lines.

With the card face down, the pure white surface appears empty, but intricate and complex runes begin to appear spontaneously along its edges.

These runes, shimmering with a silvery-white light, are like an invisible net being meticulously woven and constructed inside the card.

Calder's face remained expressionless.

He stared at the card that was consuming data, his gaze as if he were observing a standard, predictable experimental procedure.

Data transmission complete.

He put down the probe, turned around, and pulled open a metal drawer under the lab bench.

Inside the drawer, dozens of blank cards, each encased in a transparent protective film, were neatly stacked.

Each sheet has a label on its edge, detailing parameters such as material, grade, energy compatibility, and applicable direction.

He glanced at the cards, tore off the protective film from one of them, and carefully placed the blank card into a specially made groove next to the base.

Then, he reached out and pulled out a thin data cable with a hollow needle-like end that was connected to the metalwork device.

He held the syringe and precisely inserted it into the center of the blank card, then gently pushed it away.

Deep within the device, the second data transmission begins.

This time, it's no longer a simple extraction and recording, but writing, encoding, and reshaping.

Matthew began wearing this monitoring device after his promotion ceremony, collecting complete distorted data up to the moment of his death.

It was engraved and imprinted into the deepest layer of the blank card by Calder using a highly encrypted compression process unique to his own laboratory.

The front of the card began to change.

It is not drawn, but generated.

It was as if something was slowly growing out from deep within the material structure of the card.

First, there is a blurry and distorted outline, then it gradually becomes clear as specific lines. The lines give rise to a color that is interwoven with gray-green and dark red, and the color gives it texture and detail.

Distorted, grayish-green scales with jagged edges; irregularly curved, hook-like fingernails; a twisted, deformed left arm; a slightly raised scar beneath the skin of the neck left by the metal device —

A human-shaped outline, yet clearly not human, gradually became clear.

It was thinner, more twisted, and more unlike a human form than Matthew had been in life.

However, that face, that distorted vertical pupil, and the twisted aura emanating from the depths of the image, a mixture of endless resentment, pain, and unwillingness.

There is no doubt that this belongs to Matthew Anderson.

Calder took the completed card out of its slot, turned it over, and examined the lifelike, distorted image on the front, as if it were eternally sealed within the card.

He nodded slightly, a faint hint of researcher's satisfaction on his face.

This is not a resurrection.

This involves transforming the distorted data of a deceased but valuable apprentice into a summonable and controllable "Aberration Card" using alchemy and rune technology.

Through the special craftsmanship of this second-circle wizard who is skilled in this art, the mutant summoned by this card has a combat power almost equal to that of its living self.

More importantly, it is absolutely obedient and fearless of death, making it the perfect combat tool and experimental extension.

He inserted the newly made card into the specially made multi-layered card slot inside the cuff of his dark red robe.

The card slot has three layers, with four slots in each layer.

The first layer is full, the second layer is empty, and the third layer now only has this one lonely card inserted.

After doing all this, Calder slowly raised his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through the walls of the stone chamber and landing in the direction of the Dragon Nest Legion's defense zone.

Outside the window, the twilight had long since faded, and a thick, inky night enveloped the earth.

In the distance, a few orange lights shone from the Dragon Nest Legion's border outposts, like faint but persistent stars in the boundless darkness.

During the day, on the edge of the swamp, Rolin's relentless suppression and almost humiliating terms of exchange were like cold thorns piercing Calder's heart.

The more I thought about it, the more my pent-up frustration surged.

On Rolin's territory, due to the infamous reputation and formidable strength of the other party, "Emberblood," he had no choice but to swallow his anger and back down.

But if you can't get revenge on Rolin, can't you at least deal with that arrogant blue dragon under his command?

Killing that blue dragon would not only vent his anger but also avenge Matthew.

More importantly, this was undoubtedly a slap in the face to Rolin and annoyed him.

Would Rolin really dare to storm into his heavily guarded Magic Card Laboratory for a mere second-tier Dragonblood Apprentice?

Even if————

If things really get out of control, we can simply put an apprentice out as a scapegoat.

The so-called acting on one's own initiative, eager to avenge fellow disciples —

There are plenty of excuses.

My mind is made up.

A cold glint flashed in Calder's eyes. He turned and walked to the other side of the laboratory wall, pulling on an inconspicuous copper knot hanging there.

"Ring ring—!"

The crisp sound of bells echoed through the deep corridor outside the stone chamber.

A few minutes later, the heavy stone door of the laboratory was silently pushed open.

The first person to walk in was Luo Fei, the senior disciple and chief apprentice of the Magic Card Laboratory.

He was tall and wore a standard dark blue wizard's robe, typical of laboratory settings.

He has a square face, and his eyes and brows exude a calculating, calm, and capable air.

He stopped in front of Calder and bowed his head slightly: "Mentor."

Behind him, the rest of the people filed in.

There were seven people in total, ranging in age from their early twenties to their forties. They wore robes of various colors, but without exception, they all wore the badge of the Magic Card Laboratory on their chests.

They lined up in front of the lab bench, their postures respectful, but their eyes held different expressions.

Some looked around with curiosity, some were indifferent, and some seemed nonchalant.

Calder's cold gaze slowly swept across each of their faces.

Once everyone had stopped and the room was silent again, he spoke, his voice not loud, but clear enough to reach everyone's ears: "Matthew is dead."

The apprentices reacted in different ways.

Several people curled their lip, revealing an indifferent expression.

The bond between the apprentices was already weak; their memories of Matthew were mostly of him as a poorly dressed man.

The intermediate stage of a wizard apprenticeship, characterized by mediocre talent and wasting time in the laboratory.

Arno, the only one who had a decent relationship with Matthew, had already died.

Therefore, no one showed the slightest sadness on their face.

Calder took in everyone's expressions without any surprise.

He brought this up not to evoke sympathy.

He raised his right hand.

Within the palm of his hand, magic rapidly condensed and took shape, transforming from formless to tangible, from transparent to translucent, ultimately coalescing into a gigantic phantom of an energy card, as tall as a person.

The card floated in mid-air and slowly rotated.

On the front of the card, the image of a blue dragon is vividly depicted.

The scales were a cool blue, with a flowing bronze luster, and the golden vertical pupils seemed to reflect the twilight clouds above the reed marshes.

That's exactly Motu's image!

"It was this blue dragon that killed him."

Calder's voice was steady, yet carried a solemn promise: "Who among you can bring back the head of this blue dragon and avenge Matthew?"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, "Then I will give him this card."

As he spoke, he pulled out the newly made, still warm, aberration card from the third card slot in his sleeve and gently placed it on the smooth surface of the lab table.

On the card's surface, the image of Matthew's aberration shimmered slightly under the cold light of the runes.

The gray-green scales and dark red patterns seemed to be slowly wriggling, exuding an unsettling and eerie vitality.

The apprentices were all taken aback.

They never expected that their mentor would value the unremarkable Matthew so much, even going so far as to carry out a grand revenge for him after his death.

They even went so far as to offer a high reward that was clearly very valuable.

But then, everyone felt a surge of excitement.

The specific reasons don't matter at all, because the reward has already been revealed.

All those burning, greedy gazes were fixed on that aberrant card!

A variant at the level of a high-ranking wizard apprentice, made by the mentor himself!

If it could be disassembled and studied, the card-making process and aberration data contained within would be enough to make their skills advance by leaps and bounds!

Even without dismantling it, a high-level aberration card with almost the same combat power as in its previous life and absolute obedience is itself an extremely powerful supplement to combat power!

The target was nothing more than a second-tier blue dragon with dragon bloodline.

Although it's a tricky problem, it's not insurmountable.

Luo Fei stood at the front of the line without saying a word.

As Calder's chief disciple, a peak high-level wizard apprentice, he is only one step away from becoming a formal wizard.

His gaze lingered on the aberrant card for a moment before shifting back to the floating one.

On the phantom image of the energy card depicting a blue dragon.

His lips twitched very slightly.

Without making a sound, his hand, which was hanging in his sleeve, had already quietly slipped inside, his fingertips gently stroking the cold edges of his core cards.

The cold white light cast by the runestones on the top of the laboratory shone evenly on everyone's faces, revealing their expressions—whether fiery, calculating, or indifferent—in minute detail.

No one felt sad for Matthew.

Their eyes gleamed only with longing for that aberration card.

Calder put the aberration card back into his sleeve, turned around, his back to everyone, picked up the long, thin metal probe again, and began to fiddle with something in another culture container on the lab table.

"Go."

His voice came from behind, calm and even, yet carrying a seductive driving force, "Bring back the head of the Blue Dragon. This level of aberration card, along with its corresponding complete production plan, will naturally be—given to you."

The crowd bowed silently and then withdrew one by one.

The sound of footsteps echoed in the empty corridor, gradually fading into the distance until it disappeared.

The laboratory returned to its deathly silence.

In the culture container, a pale green fluorescent liquid flowed slowly, and the biological tissue immersed in it rotated silently.

Calder stood with his back to the door, tapping the metal tools in his hand lightly against the glass of the container, producing a crisp, rhythmic tinkling sound.

"Matthew. Sample number M-027. Data collection complete, archived."

He muttered to himself, and the construct puppet beside him, responsible for recording the experimental logs, immediately lit up faintly in response.

Then, he continued to focus on the container in front of him, carefully manipulating and adjusting the tools within it.

The unique astringent smell of the culture medium, a mixture of rotting flesh and chemical agents, permeated the cold air in the room.

Outside the window, the night was as thick as ink that could not be dissolved; the blood moon had not yet risen, and the sky was pure black.

In the distance, the lights of the Dragon Nest Legion's defense zone still stubbornly flickered in the darkness, like a few faint nails driven into the night sky.

Calder did not glance in that direction again.

The tools in his hands were constantly and rhythmically manipulated in the culture medium, producing a soft and regular sound.

The sound echoed for a long time in the silent and cold stone chamber.

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