Dragons begin with courage

Chapter 39 Lu Mingfei Loves Learning

Dragons!

Although Lu Mingfei had seen a sealed baby dragon on the train, the materials on the experimental table in front of him were all dragon-like.

They are no longer monsters from storybooks or horror movies, but "materials" that are dissected, analyzed, and used. It is precisely this "objectification" that makes the chilling pressure, which originates from the essence of life, even more concrete and acute.

Lu Mingfei had played Monster Hunter, where collecting dragon bones and scales to craft equipment was commonplace. But reality and the game were separated by an insurmountable chasm—the tissues and organs before him, soaked in a special solution or fixed to supports, still exuded a sense of presence even after losing their autonomy. It wasn't a smell or a sound, but rather an invisible radiation, a silent shriek of an ancient alarm bell etched deep within his blood.

A dangerous aura pierced through the bulletproof glass, its coldness striking my face.

"That's the heart of a juvenile third-generation fire dragon. As for the generational classification of dragons—first-generation, second-generation, third-generation, and even lower-ranking dragon subspecies, Deadpool, etc.—you'll learn about it systematically in 'Introduction to Dragon Genealogy.'" Professor Mans Rundstedt's voice came from the back of the laboratory, deep and precise, with the meticulous tone characteristic of Germans.

The professor was around fifty years old, with meticulously trimmed gray hair and beard. His gaze behind his gold-rimmed glasses was as sharp as a scalpel, capable of easily dissecting any disguise. His impeccably ironed white coat was spotless, as if he were in a top-level operating room rather than an alchemy laboratory where explosions and contamination were possible.

"The material was collected from a juvenile third-generation animal that was culled 27 years ago deep in the Amazon rainforest of South America." Professor Mans walked to the huge circular workbench in the center and gently tapped the container holding the heart with his knuckles, producing a dull sound. "Lu Mingfei, you're early. Chen Motong," he looked at the red-haired girl who was checking equipment at the other end, "you two work together to distribute the basic materials to the various experimental tables."

"Yes, Professor," Nono replied, waving to Lu Mingfei.

Lu Mingfei nodded quickly and jogged over. He naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity to get close to the professor and perhaps even receive one-on-one guidance—Finger had said that S-class freshmen always received some "special attention," although this attention could sometimes be incredibly stressful.

Professor Mans's gaze returned to the heart, and he began his explanation, both to Lu Mingfei and Nono, and as a warm-up for the upcoming lesson: "Observe its ventricular structure carefully. Unlike mammals, fire dragons have four ventricles. Look here, these two are noticeably thicker, with spiral patterns on their inner walls; these are the 'fiery blood ventricles,' specifically pumping a type of blood mixed with high concentrations of sulfides, special catalytic enzymes, and extremely fine lava crystal particles, which we call 'fiery blood.' This is one of the physiological bases for their ability to spew out high-temperature flames and even lava."

Lu Mingfei leaned closer to the glass and looked closely. The heart rippled slightly in the pale golden preservation fluid, its surface scales opening and closing gently with the flow of the liquid, as if it were still pulsating weakly. This reminded him of the red dragon cub on the train that suddenly opened its eyes, and the chilling sensation from those cold golden pupils seemed to sweep down his spine again.

"Dragon blood..." he murmured unconsciously.

Professor Mans gave him an approving look: "A keen intuition. Indeed, based on over a century of research, the energy source and medium for most dragons' abilities—whether it's breathing fire, ice, lightning, or acid—are directly related to their highly specialized blood. The synthesis and regulation of blood involve the heart, liver, spleen, and certain now-degenerate or hidden dragon-specific glands. The heart is the core reactor and pump station of this vast bioalchemical system."

He paused, as if carefully considering an analogy to explain to the new students: "You can think of it this way: dragons can precisely mix a portion of their ordinary blood with a special 'fuel' or 'catalyst' stored within their bodies—also derived from their mutated metabolism—through the complex chambers of their heart. When this mixed 'activated dragon blood' is pumped out, the instant it comes into contact with the air, it triggers a violent chain reaction, releasing enormous energy, manifesting as flames, explosions, or other supernatural phenomena."

"Of course, the power of dragons is not that simple. Some of them involve supernatural words and even the combination of words and alchemy. However, these are courses on the study of words and can be taken if you are interested."

Lu Mingfei listened intently; this was more real and more terrifying than any science fiction setting.

"For example, there's a high-risk alchemical compound you'll encounter in the future—'Dragon's Blood Nitroglycerin'," Professor Mans continued, calmly dropping a bombshell. "It's made by adding a specific proportion of treated dragon's blood serum to ordinary nitroglycerin, causing its stability and potency to increase exponentially. Utilizing dragon-like substances to alter or even overturn the chemical properties of conventional substances is one of the starting points that distinguishes modern alchemy from classical alchemy, and from which it both intersects with and diverges from modern chemistry."

Nitroglycerin? A name flashed through Lu Mingfei's mind, and he blurted out, "Then Nobel..."

Professor Mans smiled knowingly, almost slyly, and nodded slowly. “History textbooks won’t record it, but the files on hybrids make it clear. Alfred Nobel, a hybrid of fairly pure blood, was also lonely as a child. Nitroglycerin wasn’t his invention; it was invented by the Italian chemist Sobrero. But it was he who combined this highly unstable explosive with alchemy, especially successfully incorporating dragon’s blood derivatives to stabilize it and multiply its power, thus ushering in a new era of modern explosives and alchemical blasting. Our college’s ‘Equipment Department’ colleagues… those overly energetic colleagues,” the professor frowned almost imperceptibly when he mentioned the word, “one of their favorite materials is various types of dragon’s blood explosives, after all, they’re small, powerful, and easy to ‘artistic’.”

Lu Mingfei held his breath, feeling as if he had touched the tip of a massive iceberg beneath the surface of history. He looked at the heart again, that eerie presence slowly pulsating in the liquid, which now seemed to be connected to a hidden and powerful bloodline, extending from the ancient dragon race all the way to Nobel's laboratory, and then to the warehouses of Kassel College that harbored countless dangers.

"Alright, enough of the small talk." Professor Mans clapped his hands, regaining his seriousness. "Today, your task is to prepare the most basic alchemical solvent—'Primary Dragon Blood Activation Solvent.' In conventional chemistry, water is a universal solvent. But in advanced alchemy, especially when it comes to channeling and enchanting dragon power, we need a more specialized medium. Using pure dragon blood directly is too violent and dangerous, so it needs to be diluted and tamed to create a controllable 'solvent.' This is the fundamental material for maintaining alchemical weapons, crafting basic alchemical implements, and even infusing certain magical mechanical cores with vitality."