Chapter 167: The Nerd

It would be a big fat lie if I said I didn’t have a think of nerdy girls, and this dragonkin girl practically screamed that confident nerdy type. Of course, I had to come and check what happened to her.

I blinked, staring at her flat, emotionless delivery.

"Right," I said dryly. "Except your matrix is about to collapse again in three... two..."

Sigrid turned back to her console. "Nonsense. The structural integrity is—"

BZZZZT-BOOM!

The blue magic circle collapsed in on itself, letting out another loud pop of icy smoke that blew her silver hair into a messy, puffed-up cloud around her face.

Silence fell over Bay 12.

Sigrid stood there in her white lab coat, her silver hair standing up in static-charged wisps, staring at the ruined holographic console with a blank expression.

Beside me, Val let out a subtle, disguised cough to hide a sudden smirk.

[AHAHAHA!] Paige cackled inside my mind. [Boss, look at her! She’s so confident in her dragon math, and she just got instant-fact-checked.]

Sigrid slowly adjusted her silver glasses, unbothered by the fact that her hair was ruined. She tapped a button to clear the smoke, then turned around to face me again.

"An unexpected variable anomaly," Sigrid declared calmly, as if her entire experiment hadn’t just exploded in her face twice. "Explain your previous statement regarding the central spatial anchor."

I chuckled, walking through the open bay door. "It’s simple. Look at line forty-two of your spatial equation."

I reached out, tapping the holographic terminal keyboard with one hand. I adjusted three variables, shifting the primary spatial anchor point directly into the center of the mana core while balancing the outer kinetic pressure.

"Your dragon-fire mana expands exponentially when compressed," I explained, stepping back. "If you lock the outer ring, the pressure has nowhere to go except back into the core. You have to let the core breathe."

I hit execute.

HUMMMMMM.

A flawless, perfectly stable sphere of icy blue dragon-fire materialized above the platform. It didn’t flicker, it didn’t crackle, and it didn’t explode. It floated there with quiet symmetry, casting a soft frost-glow across the lab.

Sigrid stared at the glowing blue sphere.

Her vertical slit pupils dilated into massive, round golden circles. Her silver-scaled dragon tail, which had been flicking back and forth in frustration, went rigid, standing straight up like a steel rod.

"Mathematically impossible," Sigrid whispered, her voice still completely flat, though her golden eyes were wide with pure nerd shock. "A human without active mana channeling adjusted a seven-dimensional dragonic formula in eight seconds."

She abruptly stepped toward me, closing the distance between us until she was standing less than six inches from my chest. She pulled a handheld optical scanner from her lab coat pocket and pointed it directly at my face, scanning my eyes, throat, and chest with bright red light.

"Hey," I said, raising an eyebrow. "Mind taking that scanner out of my face?"

"Subject demonstrates zero signs of external spell-casting or hidden cognitive artifacts," Sigrid read from her scanner screen, her tone completely serious and devoid of any social awareness. "Physical symmetry: ninety-nine-point-eight percent. Facial structure: highly attractive according to human and dragonkin aesthetics. Soul density: unmeasurable."

She lowered the scanner, looking up into my eyes with unwavering confidence.

"You possess an extraordinary comprehension capacity, human," Sigrid stated plainly. "Combined with your physical metrics and unmeasurable core density, your genetic material represents an optimal breeding baseline for the Northern Dragon Spire’s royal line."

I froze mid-breath.

"I’m sorry, what?" I blinked, staring at her.

Sigrid nodded once, her tone completely casual, as if she were reading a weather report. "I am proposing an immediate conceptual and biological union. Our offspring would possess an estimated ninety-seven percent probability of inheriting spatial dominance and peak dragonkin vitality. Will you donate three liters of blood for diagnostic testing, after which we can schedule our mating cycle?"

CRITICAL HIT.

I stood there in total, speechless silence, my brain completely stalling out from the sheer bluntness of her proposal.

Beside the bay entrance, Val’s stoic, professional composure shattered. Her violet eyes widened in shock, her mouth slightly parting as she stared at the dragonkin princess.

[PFTTTTHAHAHAHA!!] Paige erupted into unhinged, violent laughter inside my mind, practically rolling on the floor of my consciousness. [SETH!! SHE DIDN’T EVEN ASK FOR YOUR PHONE NUMBER!! SHE JUST ASKED FOR THREE LITERS OF BLOOD AND A MATING SCHEDULE!! I CAN’T BREATHE!!]

’Paige, shut up!’ I cursed mentally, rubbing my forehead.

I looked down at Sigrid, who was still standing right in front of me, looking at me with her bright golden eyes, oblivious to how wild her words had sounded.

"Sigrid," I said slowly, trying to process her complete lack of emotional intelligence. "You.. you can’t just walk up to someone you met two minutes ago and ask them to mate for academic research."

Sigrid tilted her head, her obsidian dragon horns shifting slightly under the lab lights. She looked genuinely confused by my response.

"Why not?" Sigrid asked, adjusting her glasses. "Human courtship rituals are mathematically inefficient. They involve months of redundant social interactions, costly dinners, and indirect emotional communication. Direct genetic and intellectual evaluation is ninety-eight percent more efficient. Is my physical form unsatisfactory to you?"

She spread her arms slightly, casually presenting her figure. Her high-collared Avalon uniform fit her athletic, sleek frame perfectly, highlighting her narrow waist, full chest, and long legs. Her silver dragon tail gave a light, rhythmic sway behind her.

"I am considered the pinnacle of young dragonkin beauty across the Northern Spire," Sigrid added, devoid of vanity, simply stating it as a factual statistic. "My physical, magical, and academic qualifications are flawless."

"Your physical form is fine," I sighed, letting out an amused chuckle. "You’re extremely attractive, Sigrid. But normal people usually talk, hang out, and actually get to know each other before discussing offspring."

"An inefficient process, but acceptable if it yields your cooperation," Sigrid concluded instantly, pulling a silver digital tablet from her coat. "I will adjust my schedule. I have cleared my afternoon research hours to accompany you on campus. We will begin our casual social interaction phase immediately."

I stared at her, genuinely entertained by her total nerd logic. She had supreme confidence in her intellect and bloodline, but her social awareness was basically sitting at rock bottom.

"I’m Seth, by the way," I offered, extending my hand toward her. "Seth Fernando."

Sigrid reached out, her cool, delicate hand with sharp manicured nails wrapping around mine. She gave it a single, precise, businesslike shake.

"Seth Fernando," Sigrid repeated, her golden eyes flashing with a sharp, curious light as she locked onto my name. "Your name has been appearing on high-tier administrative clearance reports all morning. It seems my initial evaluation was correct. You are a remarkably anomalous variable."

She turned toward her holographic console, tapping a single button to save the stabilized blue dragon-fire formula I had fixed.

"Where are we going for our initial social interaction phase, Seth?" Sigrid asked, looking back at me with serious expectation. "I require data on your preferences."

"Well," I smirked, running a hand through my hair. "We were just exploring campus. Guess you’re joining the tour."

...

Our "date" started less like a romantic stroll and more like a high-level academic field study.

Sigrid walked directly beside me, holding her silver digital tablet in one hand and tapping on the glass screen with her manicured black claws which she could turn into human hands whenever she wanted. Her long, silver-scaled dragon tail swished rhythmically behind her skirt, occasionally brushing against my knee as we walked down the wide, sunlit stone promenade.

"Subject Seth Fernando," Sigrid read from her screen in a completely flat, serious tone. "Preferred walking velocity: 1.2 meters per second. Spatial awareness: high. Posture: relaxed, with a ninety-four percent disregard for surrounding social stares."

I turned my head, looking down at her with a dry smirk. "Sigrid, are you seriously live-logging my walking speed?"

"I am constructing a comprehensive baseline profile," Sigrid answered smoothly, adjusting her silver reading glasses with her index finger. "In order to optimize our future domestic cohabitation and long-term partnership, I must gather empirical data regarding your daily habits, reaction triggers, and recreational preferences."

[Fufufu~] Paige’s voice instantly cackled inside my mind. [She’s logging you like a laboratory rat, boss! Next thing you know, she’s going to measure your skull size and calculate your exact nap times.]

’Honestly, it’s kind of impressive,’ I replied mentally. ’She has zero filter.’

[And then she’ll measure your dick size too.]

I ignored her.

Walking half a step behind my right shoulder, Val let out a soft, silent breath, her stoic face twitching with a faint, amused smile as she listened to the dragonkin princess.

We strolled through the Central Botanical Gardens, a massive open-air pavilion filled with floating luminous flowers, magical fountains, and ancient runic arches. Dozens of students from various pantheons sat on marble benches or studied under the shade of golden trees.