Dragon Clan: Starting with the Azure Dragon Fruit

"Well, I'm still an undergraduate, I just repeated a year a little longer." Fingel chuckled awkwardly, not feeling there was anything wrong with it at all.

Lin Yuan stared at him speechlessly. He had initially thought that the "Feng" in his name, which implied German aristocracy, would be a meticulous and rigid German academic genius.

This also explains the messy dorm room; after all, it's understandable for a genius to be a little different from others.

Upon hearing that he had repeated a grade for many years, Miranda's face immediately flashed through his mind.

Why are all the Germans he's met so unreliable?

With a silent sigh, Lin Yuan decided to accept the fact that his roommate was a good-for-nothing, and reached out to shake his hand: "Lin Yuan. Bloodline rating... should be A, right?"

Their hands touched, and Lin Yuan keenly noticed that the other person had an astonishingly large frame, although he was now hunched over and looked somewhat dejected.

But if he were to stand up straight, he would probably be a head taller than me.

But none of that matters. The key thing is that Fingel's hands are sticky, and I wonder what he wiped himself with in bed earlier.

Lin Yuan subtly withdrew his hand, put it behind his back, and quietly rubbed it twice on the hem of his clothes.

"Lin Yuan?"

Upon hearing the name, Fingel initially didn't react much, but subconsciously muttered, "Lin Yuan... wait!"

He paused for a moment, then slapped his thigh, instantly snapping out of it, his face beaming with a fawning smile: "Oh! It's Junior Brother Lin! My apologies for not recognizing you sooner."

"By the way, junior brother, your vision is too narrow. What A-level? You definitely have S-level bloodline."

Lin Yuan didn't rush to reply. He couldn't stand the strange smell in the room, so he walked around the various pieces of trash on the floor and pushed the window all the way down.

Taking a deep breath by the window, I felt a bit better in my lungs. I turned around and asked, "Why do you say that? My temporary student ID number starts with A."

Fingel chuckled and rubbed his hands together as he leaned closer: "Junior brother, don't be modest. The whole academy has heard about your crushing victory in Chicago last night. With such a hardcore record before even enrolling, the board of directors will definitely classify you as S-rank unless they've lost their minds."

Fingel patted his chest: "I am not very capable, but I am currently the Minister of the Press Department at Kassel College. I can get first-hand information about anything that happens on campus as soon as possible."

As he spoke, he grabbed Lin Yuan's arm and dragged him to the laptop whose screen was still lit up.

The screen displayed a black webpage with the words "Night Watchers Forum" at the top.

The post currently highlighted in red at the top is:

Shocking! A newborn in Chicago kills a long-established mixed-race person: Is it moral decay or the crushing power of bloodlines?

The replies in the thread betting on Lin Yuan's bloodline rating have already reached hundreds of posts.

"See that, junior brother? I'm begging to be his leg!"

Seeing the screen filled with the words "S-class" in red on the post, Lin Yuan leaned back and disdainfully pushed Fingel's face, which was almost touching his, away to a safe distance.

"So, is S-rank really that powerful? What are the criteria for the rating? It's based on actual combat ability."

"It's not just amazing, it's practically invincible!" Fingel exclaimed, gesturing wildly.

"Currently, the only person recognized as having an S-level in the entire school is Principal Angers. If you also get an S-level, our Kassel College will have two supreme masters. At that time, I might be able to benefit from your success."

"As for the criteria for the rating..." He scratched his messy hair.

"Theoretically, it depends on the concentration of dragon blood, but it doesn't seem to be entirely accurate... Ugh, this thing can't be explained in a short time. Anyway, Junior Brother, you're definitely at the top of the bloodline rating chart."

Lin Yuan was speechless as he skillfully interspersed Chinese internet slang with his words.

At first, I thought this guy was practically a male version of Miranda Kerr, but that idea has been overturned. This guy is clearly even more shameless than Miranda.

To be precise, Miranda should be the female version of Fingel; her habit of spouting nonsense is definitely something she learned from this guy.

“Since S-rank is the ceiling, then your E-rank, senior brother, is like the swill bucket in the bloodline rating.” Lin Yuan looked the news department head, who was wearing floral shorts, up and down.

Before the other party could refute, Lin Yuan added insult to injury: "But Professor Guderian clearly praised you as his prized student and said you were very reliable. He told me to ask you anything I didn't understand."

Fingel chuckled awkwardly, "Ahem... Don't let my current state fool you, I was once a glorious A-rank, but I've gradually fallen from grace."

Lin Yuan was stunned: "You can still drop a level? Isn't the rating based on the concentration of dragon blood? Senior brother, did you go to donate blood?"

“Normally it won’t fall off,” Fingel quickly explained.

"Norma's initial assessments are mostly reliable. Once freshmen have taken the 3E exam, as long as they pass, their grades generally won't change. Unless... they fail too many courses like I did."

At this point, Fingel puffed out his chest, his tone even carrying a hint of pride: "By the way, the academy's lowest rating used to be D. It was only because I failed so many courses that I broke through the system's bottom line that I was able to create the E-level. If I continue to fail courses, I'll probably be able to explore the F-level realm."

Even though Lin Yuan had seen all sorts of oddballs in the world of One Piece, he couldn't control his expression when facing Fingel.

After struggling for a while, he could only manage to utter a dry, "Well, senior brother, you really are amazing."

"You flatter me." Fingel wrote this sarcastic remark with a cheeky grin, and then seized the opportunity to climb up the ladder.

"As the saying goes, having an elder in the family is like having a treasure. In terms of seniority in school, you won't find anyone in all of Kassel older than me. If you encounter anything you don't understand in the future, feel free to ask me."

Lin Yuan processed what he had just said and suddenly realized that he did have a question.

"Senior, what exactly do you mean by the 3E exam you just mentioned?"

Professor Guderian talked incessantly about the history of dragons the entire train journey, but didn't mention a single thing... And there was even an exam at school?!

Chapter 61 3E Exam

When Lin Yuan heard that the issue he was most concerned about was the 3E exam, Fingel waved his hand dismissively, as if he had been through it all.

"I thought it was something serious. Don't worry, junior. The 3E exam at Kassel College is completely different from the exam-oriented education in your hometown."

The term "exam-oriented education," so distinctly regional, came out so fluently from the mouth of a burly German man; it's clear that everyone at Kassel College is a China expert.

Before Lin Yuan could speak, Fingel continued, "And as far as I know, you should have already awakened the power of words, right?"

Lin Yuan nodded frankly: "Yes, Word of Power No. 92, Thunder Pool."

He felt there was no need to hide this matter.

Since Fingel is the Minister of Information, he must have his own intelligence network.

Thinking about it more carefully, given his similar style of rambling and nonsense as Miranda, Lin Yuan could probably guess how he knew his background.

However, Lin Yuan was too lazy to bother with it. After all, he had never been interested in the kind of "pretending to be weak to eat strong" act. Appropriately showing his strength and flexing his muscles could actually avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble.

Meanwhile, at the girls' dormitory building.

Miranda, who had just settled in, opened the closet to change her clothes when she suddenly felt an itch in her nose and let out a loud sneeze.

She rubbed her red nose and glanced suspiciously towards the door: "Who's talking about me behind my back...?"

"That settles it then!"

Inside dormitory 303, Fingel calmly said, "You've even awakened your Word of Power, and it's from such a low sequence? Your bloodline purity is absolutely off the charts. The 3E exam is just a formality for you."

Lin Yuan astutely seized upon the contradiction in her words: "But didn't you just say that Norma's initial assessment plus the 3E exam results would ultimately determine the rating? What do you mean by just going through the motions?"

Fingel was about to continue explaining things to his S-class junior when his stomach rumbled loudly.

The sound seemed particularly abrupt in the room.

He rubbed his stomach, a sheepish smile on his face: "Oh dear, when you pushed the door open just now, I thought you were delivering takeout. Then I realized I don't even have enough money to buy a hamburger. I must have been sleeping too hard."

Lin Yuan could easily see through the old fox's hidden meaning. He clearly wanted to take advantage of the situation and extort a meal from him.

He certainly didn't mind being treated to a meal, but he himself was also short of money at the moment.

Professor Guderian's promised $20,000 scholarship hadn't arrived yet, and he was planning to knock on the door of room 304 next door later to continue mooching off Boss Chu.

Just as he was about to explain, Fingel's gaze fell on his breast pocket.

“Junior brother, are you worried about money? Actually, you’re rolling in money right now.” Fingel pointed to the pocket.

"Professor Guderian's promised scholarship requires going through procedures, but your student ID has already been activated, and the overdraft limit is at least twenty or thirty thousand US dollars."

Lin Yuan's eyelids twitched. He hadn't mentioned money at all, yet Lin Yuan had seen through his thoughts in an instant. Could such keen insight really belong to a good-for-nothing repeat student who just wants to coast through life?

For the first time, Lin Yuan seriously examined his roommate.

Beneath that unkempt, grayish-blue hair were a pair of grayish-blue eyes, and his chin was covered in stubble. At first glance, he looked incredibly slovenly.

But if you look closely, his foundation is actually quite good.

Aside from the appearance, according to my Observation Haki, the body in front of me, which seems to have been drained by alcohol and a bad lifestyle, is actually full of energy and blood.

Among the mixed-race individuals Lin Yuan had ever seen, this one was almost unmatched in terms of physical strength alone.

Even Conrad, whom I killed last night, would probably be the one to win if it came down to a life-or-death battle with Fingel.

This terrifying physical ability, coupled with outrageous intelligence gathering capabilities.

Lin Yuan was certain that his slovenly roommate was a ruthless character who was "pretending to be weak while actually being strong".

As for the so-called repeating a grade and the E-level rating, they are probably all just a disguise to deceive others.

However, just as he was pondering this to himself, the "tough guy" suddenly scratched his belly in a very unrefined manner, and even pulled down his flowery shorts that were a bit too tight in the crotch.

Seeing the other party's lewd appearance, the little thought that had just arisen in Lin Yuan's mind vanished instantly.

Even if this guy really is a ruthless person who "pretends to be weak to eat strong things", he has been pretending for too long and has become somewhat immersed in the role, turning into someone who "pretends to be weak to eat feed".

Seeing that the other party wanted to eat "feed" again, Lin Yuan took out the black card from his pocket and handed it over: "How do I use this campus card?"

Fingel's eyes lit up, and he skillfully dialed the cafeteria's internal phone number after taking the card.

He rattled off a string of dish names, seemingly listing all the main dishes on the menu.

Finally, he covered the microphone, turned to look at Lin Yuan, and asked how much he was eating.

Lin Yuan nodded, indicating that he could eat a lot.

Fingel turned to the person on the other end of the phone and said, "Multiply all the orders you just placed by 2."

After hanging up the phone, he happily handed the card back: "Junior brother, you don't need to worry about the money. The meals at the school are all calculated at cost price. Besides, you're so strong. You can easily slaughter dragons when you go out in the future. The principal's bonus will definitely be more than enough for you to live on."

Perhaps because he felt obligated to do so, Fingel volunteered to do the cleaning work while waiting for the takeout.

He pulled out a broom and several oversized garbage bags from somewhere and started cleaning quickly.

In less than half an hour, he had cleaned up the pigsty that was previously unusable. With the windows and door open for ventilation, the stench had mostly dissipated, and the dormitory finally looked somewhat habitable.

The delivery person arrived quickly, pushing the food cart and ringing the doorbell.

Just as Chu Zihang said, the head chef in Kassel is German, and all the dishes served are traditional German hearty dishes.

Lin Yuan tore off a piece of sizzling, oily pork knuckle and put it in his mouth. The crispy skin mixed with the rich oil exploded in his mouth.

The food was pretty good, much better than the Chinese food in Chinatown that's been modified to cater to American tastes.

Fingel, clutching most of a pork knuckle and gnawing on it with grease on his face, mumbled, "Junior brother is a true friend!"

After swallowing the meat in his mouth, he took a big gulp of beer, wiped his mouth, and continued, "Actually, you don't need to worry about that 3E exam. The exam content is just playing a piece of music with dragon patterns hidden in it."

“When hybrids hear this, they will develop ‘spiritual vision,’ and specific images will appear in their minds. The higher the bloodline, the clearer the images will be.” Fingel gestured with his oily hands.

"Moreover, the most important function of this exam is actually to help freshmen awaken the power of words."

"You even awakened the 'Thunder Pool'—a high-risk incantation—beforehand. What is going to the exam if not just going through the motions? This kind of test, which relies purely on bloodline resonance, doesn't require any prior preparation."

"And then? How do you answer?" Lin Yuan swallowed a piece of grilled sausage and pressed for an answer.

If it were a different kind of test, he could at least think of a way to answer it, but if it were based on dragon bloodline... he simply didn't have it in his body.

"Then there's a written test. You have to draw what you see in your mind on paper." Fingel made two vague gestures in the air.

"After submission, Norma will automatically scan and compare the results; a similarity of over 80% is considered correct."

"Moreover, in the state of spiritual vision, everyone will transform into a top-notch artist, so there is no need to worry about failing the comparison due to poor drawing skills."

Fingel's words were meant to comfort him, but Lin Yuan couldn't hold back any longer after hearing about this exam format.

"So, is the 3E exam conducted individually in a small, dark room, or is everyone gathered together?"

“The academy doesn’t have that much free time to make single rooms; they even reuse exam papers,” Fingel said, pursing his lips.

"All freshmen will be put in a big classroom. After the exam papers are handed out, music will be played, and everyone will sit together. Once the exam is over, that's it."

Upon hearing that they would be taking the exam together, Lin Yuan didn't even care that the exam papers would be reused.

He breathed a sigh of relief, and his previously serious expression relaxed again.

Things will be much easier if everyone sits down together to take the exam.

Even if he couldn't understand any dragon script, it was easier for him than eating or drinking to synchronously copy other people's writing movements using Observation Haki.

Even if you can't write, can't you at least copy?