Chapter 165: The Dragon King Has Come to Visit.

Harmon, the youngest king of the Dragon Clan, was also the Elven King’s disciple. Every so often, he would cross the Saint Bash Sea and fly from Dragon Island to the Elven Kingdom to visit his teacher, bringing Shu Li a pile of valuable treasures along the way.

Today, the Dragon King was unusually dressed in magnificent robes. His silver hair was impeccably arranged, and a golden forehead ornament symbolizing his status lent him an unmistakably noble air.

Beside him stood an unfamiliar adolescent. He had silver hair and silver eyes, with a tall, slender build. His attire was every bit as formal as the Dragon King’s, and the gleaming golden circlet around his head made his lofty status obvious at a glance.

Shu Li studied him curiously, while the other boy regarded Shu Li with equal curiosity.

Since he had come with the Dragon King, was he also a member of the Dragon Clan?

Shu Li gave the boy a reserved nod, then turned toward Harmon.

The Dragon King gazed at the adolescent Fairy before him and said with a cheerful smile, “I haven’t seen you in two years. You’ve grown taller again.”

Shu Li’s eyebrow twitched.

Of all the things Harmon could have mentioned, he had chosen the most sensitive subject of all: Shu Li’s height.

Every other adolescent Fairy born in the same cycle was already taller than him, which was depressing enough. Yet the moment Harmon saw him, he had the nerve to praise him for growing taller, blatantly lying through his teeth and striking him right where it hurt.

Still, a guest was a guest. All Shu Li could do was smile.

“Thank you for the compliment.” Shu Li politely offered him a formal greeting, then turned toward the silver-haired boy beside him. “Is this guest a member of your clan?”

The Dragon King normally came to the Elven Kingdom alone. It was rare for him to bring a companion.

The silver-haired boy blinked, looking as though he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Harmon laughed heartily, pushed the silver-haired boy in front of the Little Fairy, and asked, “Take a good look. Who does he remind you of?”

Shu Li was baffled.

Who did he look like? Shu Li had no idea!

The other adolescent Fairies gathered around. After greeting the Dragon King one by one, they began circling the silver-haired boy and staring at him.

Surrounded by so many curious gazes, the silver-haired boy grew uncomfortable and edged closer to Harmon.

“He’s from the Dragon Clan, isn’t he?”

“He came with Lord Harmon, so of course he is!”

“Is he an adult?”

“I heard dragons also reach adulthood at a hundred.”

“Then is he a minor like us?”

“Maybe, but he’s so shy. He hasn’t said a word.”

“Hahaha! He must be embarrassed!”

The adolescent Fairies all talked over one another until the silver-haired boy’s face turned bright red and he no longer knew what to do with his hands and feet.

Shu Li pondered for ages but still could not guess who he was.

Fairies had excellent memories. They would not forget events from hundreds or even thousands of years ago. Shu Li searched through all eighteen years of his memories and was absolutely certain that he had never seen this silver-haired boy before.

He shook his head at Harmon. “I can’t guess.”

Harmon pressed a palm against the silver-haired boy’s head. “Aren’t you usually quite talkative? Why are you wriggling around like a little worm now?”

“I... I’m not a worm!” the silver-haired boy immediately protested.

He slapped away the offending hand that had mussed his hair, puffed out his cheeks, and struggled to suppress his temper. Then he looked at Shu Li and stammered in Elven, “H-Hello, Sperien. I’m Amanda. It’s been a long time.”

“Amanda?”

Shu Li and the other adolescent Fairies stared at him in astonishment.

“Wasn’t Amanda a little white dragon?” Budno asked in confusion.

“Idiot. Little dragons grow up too.”

Disio curled a finger and lightly flicked Budno’s forehead.

Budno nimbly dodged and made a face at him.

Angel examined the silver-haired boy from head to toe, then pointed at the golden lock among his silver hair. “I remember that the little dragon had a row of tiny golden scales down his back.”

When dragons assumed human form, certain characteristics of their dragon forms remained visible.

Harmon raised an eyebrow. This Little Fairy named Angel was remarkably observant. Even after thirteen years, he still remembered the scales on Amanda’s back.

Amanda’s cheeks flushed as the Little Fairies scrutinized him from every angle.

Looking at his shy demeanor now and recalling how spoiled and delicate he had been as a little dragon, Shu Li suppressed his amusement and said with impeccable courtesy, “Amanda, welcome to the Elven Kingdom. Today is the first day of the Midsummer Festival. I hope you enjoy your time here.”

“Thank you, Sperien.” Amanda breathed a sigh of relief and licked his dry lips. “I missed all of you, but my brother refused to bring me to the Elven Kingdom. He said I could only come and play with you after I learned to assume human form, so I studied hard and finally succeeded a year ago.”

Hearing this, Shu Li sincerely congratulated him. “Congratulations, Amanda.”

According to Siet, dragons matured slowly and normally could not assume human form until they reached adulthood at a hundred. Amanda was still a minor, yet he had already acquired a human form. He was clearly extraordinarily gifted.

“Congratulations, Amanda!”

“You’re amazing!”

“We missed you too—”

“It’s wonderful that you’re here. We should spar later.”

“Disio, don’t always think about fighting. We should treat our guest kindly!”

“Sparring isn’t fighting.”

“No sparring during the Midsummer Festival.”

Wherever adolescent Fairies gathered, things were always particularly lively. At the sight, the adult Fairies and Elves all smiled warmly.

Although they had not met for thirteen years, friendship between adolescents was pure and uncomplicated. After exchanging a few words and rediscovering their old familiarity, they were soon getting along as though they had never been apart.

“Amanda, have you heard anything about Poen and Nia?” Angel asked the young dragon.

Poen and Nia were the merfolk cubs who had been abducted by pirates all those years ago. Thirteen years had passed, and none of the Fairies knew how they were doing now.

Dragon Island was close to Mermaid Island, with no barrier between them, so the two peoples presumably had some contact.

Sure enough, Amanda replied, “My brother took me to Mermaid Island five years ago, and I played with them for several days. They miss all of you too, but they’re watched even more strictly than I am! The queen won’t allow them to take a single step off Mermaid Island.”

Merfolk cubs possessed no ability to fight. Without the protection of adult merfolk, they would become prey to other races as soon as they left the island.

After two merfolk cubs had been abducted by an undead mage and Dark Elves, Queen Shurotis had established a new rule forbidding any cub from leaving Mermaid Island.

In other words, unless Poen and Nia developed enough skill to protect themselves, they could forget about leaving the island to visit the Fairies.

“If they can’t come out, we can go to them!” Budno raised one finger and declared with shining eyes.

“How would we get there?” Lois asked.

The Little Fairies were underage and were not allowed to leave the Faerie Forest either.

“I mean us. The five of us—” Budno pointed at Shu Li, Disio, Angel, and the silent Kumandi.

When the other adolescent Fairies heard that, they groaned with envy.

“Ahhh! How could I forget? You’re allowed to leave early and gain experience on the continent!” Jonah spread his hands, looking indescribably envious.

Amanda asked in confusion, “What do you mean, leave early to gain experience on the continent?”

Harmon, who had been speaking with several Elves nearby, pricked up his ears when he heard their conversation.

“The five of us passed the King’s Trial. In a few days, we’ll leave for the Central Court to study at an academy of magic,” Disio announced proudly, his head held high and his chest thrust out.

“An academy of magic?” Harmon walked over. “You mean Saint Velia Academy of Magic, founded two thousand years ago by Danlov, the God of Magic?”

There were tens of thousands of academies of magic across the Austin Continent, but Saint Velia Academy of Magic was the most renowned. It gathered brilliant talents from every country on the continent and was truly a place where the finest minds assembled.

“Yes,” Shu Li said. “All of us have letters of recommendation to the academy.”

“Danlov wrote them for us himself when he visited the Elven Kingdom three years ago!” Budno added, flashing his white teeth.

Harmon stroked his smooth chin and looked at his foolish younger brother. “Hmm. Studying at a human academy of magic... That’s an excellent idea. It’s settled!”

He raised his head toward the Elven King, who was approaching them, and bowed respectfully.

“Teacher, I have a presumptuous request. Would you permit my younger brother Amanda to accompany Sperien and the others to study at the academy of magic?”

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