Chapter 572: Intrigue and Calculation: Master and Apprentice

"Teacher Wayne, in view of your excellent teaching performance and outstanding personal ability, you are hereby appointed as the Director of the Longxin Academy Principal's Office!"

Seeing the appointment letter before him, Wayne accepted it quite calmly, neither pleased nor agitated. The many teachers sharing the room with him also appeared very calm, even indifferent, toward this promotion, as they were already accustomed to it.

"Wayne, you've been promoted again. Shall we hold a banquet tonight to celebrate?"

"No problem."

Wayne did not even lift his head, agreeing immediately; this had already become a routine.

"Where is the top-tier clubhouse in Ailishimu?"

"That would definitely be the Meng Huan Mi Sen opened by the Demon fairies. It offers the highest level of enjoyment; even with money, you might not be able to get in. But with the face of our Director Wayne, we can certainly get the highest-grade clubhouse."

"Although I have a little money, I cannot afford such extravagance!"

Hearing his colleagues start discussing where to hold the banquet, looking as if they had no intention of saving him any money and were determined to fleece a wealthy patron, Wayne said hurriedly.

Although his current official salary income placed him in the high-income bracket in Ailishimu City, if he were to really squander it in those money pits, he might not even last a day before becoming a super debtor.

"Wayne, you underestimate yourself too much. At your rate of promotion, I'm afraid you'll be the principal in a few years. A mere Meng Huan Mi Sen, what does it count for you?"

"How could I possibly become the principal?"

Facing the teasing from his colleagues, Wayne could only respond helplessly.

Although he had become a permanent staff member shortly after joining and had been promoted successively within a mere three years, holding multiple positions simultaneously—making him a red-hot, promising big shot in the academy—to speak of the principal position was unlikely.

This was because the three Dragon Academies were all military academies directly under the Holy Dragon; students who could successfully graduate from the academy could basically enter the top-tier combat groups under the Holy Dragon, which also offered the best treatment.

Among them, even the lowest-ranking legion soldier had status and treatment equivalent to a baron among the landed nobility—a military aristocrat in name and reality.

Precisely because of this, all positions in the academy carried corresponding real power. Even the Director of Teaching, a school position that sounded unremarkable, was considered a top-tier personage in Ailishimu City, where high officials and nobles were everywhere; ordinary nobles would only have to fawn over and curry favor with them if they met one.

The status of the Longxin Academy principal was equivalent to a deputy commander of a combat group, an existence second only to the combat group commander, and also directly under the command of the Holy Dragon.

Reaching this step meant being under one dragon and above ten thousand.

Wayne had never thought about it; although his current promotion speed was already abnormal—a small promotion every three months, a title added every half year—he did not believe the Holy Dragon would give him such a core position.

Even the teachers in the academy who felt Wayne was very promising and worth befriending did not think he could become the principal; they only said there was hope in the future. As for now, everyone was just teasing.

Pity, some things are already decided when they appear before the public; they will not change because of anyone's will, even if the process of development seems somewhat absurd or even against the rules—but the rules are set by the people in charge.

"The principal of the Holy Dragon Heart Academy is suspended from all duties and under investigation due to issues such as embezzling academy funds and misappropriating academy assets. The Director of the Principal's Office shall act as the principal."

In less than a month, an investigation order and appointment order that made everyone feel absurd were issued.

A Dragon Demon was actually taken away for investigation; although this was not the first Dragon Demon to be investigated, on the land of the Holy Dragon, this was indeed the first time, with no precedent before this.

Of course, what was even more concerning was that after this Demon fell, the successor was not another Dragon Demon, but a human with a questionable background.

Although the appointment letter only said "acting," everyone knew what "acting" meant; as long as one did a good job, becoming permanent was only a matter of time.

This was an appointment that exceeded everyone's expectations; it represented that the Dragon Academy was no longer completely controlled by Demons, and it also represented that the Holy Dragon could accept and tolerate more races.

An investigation and an appointment, because the positions involved were too important, allowed different people to interpret the information they needed from them.

Of course, most importantly, this also pushed Wayne, who had originally only wanted to live a peaceful life, to the forefront again. The moment the appointment letter was issued, countless people began to investigate Wayne's identity; no one believed that an ordinary human could shoulder such a heavy responsibility.

However, the more they investigated Wayne's past, the more alarming it became. Not to mention those small forces that couldn't be investigated at all, forces with the ability to track him down would soon receive warnings upon close inspection, as if they had touched some unspeakable taboo.

This only further illustrated that Wayne's background was extraordinary. Of course, forces with real substance did not need to investigate; they only needed to glance at the name to know the background of this young man entrusted with such a heavy responsibility by the Holy Dragon.

Certain matters viewed as secrets, like taboos, were public knowledge to those truly top-tier forces.

Of course, the disturbances in the outside world had nothing to do with Wayne, who had already ascended to a high position, because after sitting in this position, he finally obtained one right.

To have an audience with the Holy Dragon—this was something he had fantasized about years ago, but only today did he have the legitimate qualification to catch a glimpse of the Dragon's face.

The Holy Dragon was the dragon with the highest morality and the most sacred status in the world; this was a point everyone acknowledged, because before him, there had never been a Dragon Lord who cared for and cherished intelligent races so much, and after him, perhaps there would never be another.

Even Wayne, whose heart was filled with darkness and who held no expectations for the future, held the Holy Dragon in supreme regard; this was the existence he most wanted to contact in his childhood.

Of course, it was the same now. Unlike in his childhood, he could finally fulfill his wish.

"Mr. Wayne, please walk this way!"

Crossing the pass guarded by Giants and passing through the sea of flowers where Demons danced, Wayne arrived at the highest peak of the Aierdisi Mountains, which was the Holy Dragon's palace.

The magical secret doors that were over a hundred meters tall and the magnificent buildings that towered into the clouds, causing the clouds to only circle around them, made Wayne feel as if he had stepped into the kingdom of a Great God.

After truly stepping inside, the various glowing runic lights in the vast space, which could be described as boundless, gave Wayne an urge to release his true form and run freely within it.

However, behind the Dragon Demon leading the way, Wayne suppressed this urge. Passing through one magnificent palace after another that seemed built to worship gods, the young man stood before a divine palace that resembled a sacred mountain.

This was a Wanlong Hall. On the eaves, walls, and floors of the palace, dragon statues cast from many rare materials were coiled, lying, or sitting, lifelike, as if they were living creatures. When Wayne approached, he discovered that some statues actually turned their heads and looked at him. The color of their pupils flickered with a brilliant light that seemed to contain wisdom, as if they were scrutinizing and sizing him up.

"Gargoyles? Or special golems?"

Feeling these gazes that felt like reality, Wayne's heart tightened, guessing the essence of these dragon statues. If he hadn't been able to identify the materials of the statues, he would have suspected that these were true dragons suffering from some kind of Curse.

"How was this made?"

Such distracting thoughts were instantly suppressed by Wayne as the doors of this Wanlong Hall opened, because a gaze passed through the portal engraved with many runes and landed on him.

"Come in!"

Wayne had already seen the Golden Dragon coiled in the depths of the divine hall. Although the other party's movements were very lazy and casual, the majesty and nobility revealed in the winding, magnificent dragon body made it hard for people to breathe.

"Even a legendary dragon race is nothing more than this!"

Feeling the dragon might permeating the air and filling every inch of space, Wayne, who had finally managed to have an audience with the Holy Dragon, had such a thought pop into his mind.

He had come into contact with ancient dragons and had witnessed the explosive posture of a true legendary dragon race; however, even so, he dared to judge quite decisively that the Holy Dragon was the strongest dragon race he had ever seen in his life.

As Wayne made such a judgment, he also stepped forward and walked into the palace that seemed built for an ancient god. Dazzling golden brilliance filled every corner of his vision, and the Dragon Demons serving on both sides of the Holy Dragon also cast their gazes at him one by one.

However, when the young man stepped inside, his attention was instantly attracted by something in the divine hall—not the Holy Dragon, but an old man.

An old man with gray hair, a slightly hunched figure, and maintaining a cross-legged posture, but sealed in an amber-like crystal; his eyes were closed, and he looked as if he were asleep.

Yet even so, this old man, wearing a simple robe and without any extra decorations, exuded a majesty and spirit that made one want to kneel and worship.

"This is?"

The moment he saw this old man, infinite fantasies emerged in Wayne's heart. The connection originating from his bloodline gave him a guess, but he did not quite dare to confirm it.

"His name is Taide'er. This name might sound a bit unfamiliar to you, but he has another identity that you might be more familiar with: the first Monarch of the Atlas Kingdom, and at the same time, your grandfather."

Noah's light, airy voice rang out; in truth, he had long wanted to meet this young man, as they had never truly crossed paths.

However, Noah felt the time was not right, and he did not want to appear too deliberate, as the lad's vigilance was a bit too heavy.

Therefore, Noah waited for nearly four years, helping him up step by step, allowing him to meet with him in a logical and natural way. Yet, just a moment ago, on a whim, Noah had still dug out the man's grandfather and placed him right before his eyes.

"Taide'er, Grandfather?!"

Before his audience with the Holy Dragon, Wayne had many preconceptions; he had even fantasized about what kind of topics he would discuss with the Holy Dragon.

After all, he was still young, and the hot blood in his heart was still boiling; thus, he also had some immature ideas that would have been impossible for his former self to realize.

But on the Holy Dragon's land, too many impossibilities had turned into reality, so he wanted to voice all these thoughts and converse with the Holy Dragon about them.

Yet, these thoughts were crushed to pieces the moment he saw his grandfather placed before him; Wayne had no thoughts at this moment, his mind and spirit only sinking into silence.

The first Monarch of Atlas, the founder and pioneer of the kingdom—who could not know him? When he was young, he had even attended this Monarch's coronation ceremony.

Although he was merely a Commoner at the time and could only wander around the royal capital, Wuse'er, without even catching a glimpse of the Monarch, even so, that was the happiest memory of his life.

At that time, Wayne had high expectations and a favorable impression of this first Monarch, even harboring some admiration for him; these feelings of reverence and positive evaluation of the Monarch lasted until Wayne suddenly learned that this first Monarch was his own grandfather.

On the day he learned of his identity, Wayne no longer had any favorable impression of the Augustus family or those two Monarchs; even if they were very competent as Monarchs and had promulgated many decrees that were very beneficial to the lower-class populace, this could no longer make Wayne have any positive evaluation of them.

After all, he was an abandoned child; the two generations of Monarchs of Atlas could embrace all living things in their eyes and care for their food, clothing, housing, and transportation, but they could not tolerate a child contaminated by the Hells.

Was becoming a Tiefling his choice? He had no choice at all, and it wasn't something he volunteered for; why should he be treated this way?

Anger, unwillingness, feeling that his birth was the malice of the world and the unfairness of fate—these were thoughts and emotions that almost all Tieflings possessed.

Wayne was no exception, only that, in the vast majority of cases, he could restrain these negative emotions, as they were useless; but now, he didn't really want to restrain them.

"Do you have nothing to say?"

Seeing the young man who had been silent for a long time beneath the throne, Noah asked curiously.

He hadn't finished eating the melon years ago, and he still wanted to take another bite today; he really wanted to know what kind of reaction this young man would have upon learning his true identity.

Of course, there was indeed the intention of helping the other party acknowledge his kin; this lad didn't have to use the Augustus family surname, but it was better to acknowledge certain identities.

Because if one were to argue it seriously, the only one who owed Wayne was his own father, Wuer'nuosi; the others truly had not treated him poorly.

"I don't know what I have to say."

After Noah's question, Wayne was silent for a moment before speaking, "If I must say something, I only want to ask one thing: am I able to stand here because of the Augustus bloodline in my body?"

(End of this chapter)