Beneath the Red Dragon

The best time to plant a tree was ten years ago, the second best time is now.

"In the world, most civilizations, no matter how glorious in the past, become utterly disgraceful after their decline,"

"but the civilization of the empire signifies not only the revival of the ancient dragon’s civilization. It is a great pioneering civilization, one more profound than the civilization of the ancient giant dragons, created by all the races of the Golden Empire."

Silver Dragon Chris Tianna stood gracefully at the podium, behind her, a long blackboard filled with rows of numerical formulas and theorems.

All written in the universal language of the Icaria World, including inverse proportional functions, quadratic formulas, quadratic functions, and so on.

In this spacious classroom, wide enough to accommodate most creatures, the adult Silver Dragon had to use the Transformation Skill to take on a humanoid form.

Her pale golden round pupils swept over the neat rows of newly hatched juvenile dragonlings sitting at their desks. Though her dragon’s majesty was restrained, her traditionally gentle face carried an air of teacher-like authority, instructing these young ones.

No matter what creature, once they become a teacher, they seem to become somewhat loathsome.

Each of the Five-Color Dragon hatchlings placed their slightly tender claws on the thick wooden desks, appearing orderly, yet their claws scratched back and forth on the table.

Their cold, vertical pupils pretended to be focused, switching from a hunter’s mode to a mode of wise round pupils.

But their forcibly quieted hearts were betrayed by the small tails that continuously swished under the benches.

Though these desks were made from the forest’s resilient ironwood, they were marked with deep scratches by the mischievous young dragonlings.

In this classroom, only the table in the corner was clean and tidy, without any scratches. Even the thick pile of printed and bound books on it was neatly arranged.

However, sitting behind this table was not a juvenile dragon, but a humanoid being.

Eyes black and shiny with a hint of white paint, looking bewildered, lacking the natural cleverness of dragon hatchlings.

Its entire body was covered with fine, soft, pale golden fur, smooth and lustrous, like golden threads dyed by the sun. Compared to the long tails of the dragon hatchlings, its tail was short, thick, and rigid.

Only its large, agile claws bore a striking resemblance to the dragon hatchlings.

Unlike the feigned seriousness of the dragon hatchlings, its black shiny eyes were genuinely focused on Silver Dragon Chris Tianna on the podium, its four small, fur-covered ears flicking attentively.

Yet, from its puzzled expression, it appeared to have gained little understanding.

"You are the future of the empire, but the empire’s future may not necessarily be yours," Silver Dragon Chris solemnly admonished the hatchlings.

The golden floral pattern on her forehead, once part of the Dragon Contract, remained even after it was dissolved by the Ancestral Red Dragon, as if the long-term pattern made the Silver Dragon accustomed to such adornment.

"If you do not work hard and waste time, even as dragons, you will be slowly overtaken by other races, and eventually submerged under the waves of the empire, unable to stand at the forefront."

Silver Dragon Chris Tianna watched the younglings whose minds had already wandered far as soon as they heard the end of class bell, shaking her head with a slightly dimmed expression, she whispered, "Class dismissed!"

"Yay,"

"Hooray!"

"Class is over!"

Each juvenile dragonling swiftly stuffed their thick books into small hide backpacks.

These books include a comprehensive history of the Dragon Race, an overview of the civilizations of the Northern Continent, the founding history of the Golden Empire, the geographical overview of Icaria World, introductory logic mathematics, and more.

Subjects encompassing history, culture, geography, and mathematics filled their backpacks until they were full, and only then did they hang their small hide backpacks around their necks, wobbling out through the back door.

Silver Dragon Chris stood at the front door, exuding an aura a hundred times more intimidating than an adult giant dragon, making the younglings dare not approach.

Some of the younglings leaving by the back door arrogantly raised their heads upon passing the corner desk, snorting disdainfully from their nostrils.

Some of the more aggressive younglings directly mocked the creature so unlike the dragon hatchlings, deliberately shouting.

"Achilles, you’re staying after class again!"

"Stupid Achilles, why can’t you learn anything well and keep troubling Teacher Chris!"

"You’re a disgrace, how do you get to attend school with us true dragons, always needing special tutoring from the teacher every time!"

Achilles’s face, covered in pale golden fur, turned bright red. Its round eyes widened, and its large claws clenched and unclenched. Angrily wanting to defend against the hatchlings’ words, yet it could not refute, knowing it was indeed quite foolish.

Silver Dragon Chris stood by the door, seemingly unfazed by the scene before her, having never considered stopping the hatchlings’ spiteful words, only coldly observing.

Not because Silver Dragon Chris was partial toward these Five-Color Dragon hatchlings, but because she regarded all her students as dragons.