Dragon Raja: Reboot

Chapter 91 Ouroboros

"Thanks."

After a long silence, Chu Zihang quietly expressed his gratitude and ended the communication.

He sat silently in the front row of the Odin Hall, with the sculptures under the circular dome in front of him.

That was Odin, the king of the gods, clad in full armor, riding an eight-legged warhorse, and wielding a spear.

Kassel College has a history of over a century. The college covers a vast area, and the architectural style is basically laid out according to the principal's preferences. Among them, three buildings enjoy a very special status within the college.

These three buildings are a church, a grand theater known as the "Hall of Heroes", and finally... the Odin Hall.

The significance of Odin Hall at Kassel College lies in the fact that it is used solely for awarding degrees and commemorating the deaths of the most important academic leaders.

It is easy to imagine what kind of people have achieved high academic status at Kassel College; almost without exception, they all have a glorious list of dragon slayers.

This place is usually only open once a year. Students enter dressed in Prussian court attire and academic gowns, sit on rows of oak benches, and wait for the principal, who is in a purple robe, to call their names. They then go up on stage to receive their degrees amidst applause. The walls on both sides are covered with portraits of heroes who made great contributions to the dragon-slaying wars throughout history.

For every student at Kassel College, Odin Hall is a sacred place, on par with churches and Valhalla.

Apart from Chu Zihang.

No one knows what Chu Zihang felt when he gazed at this hall, which was considered sacred by everyone.

During last year's invasion defense, he was responsible for guarding the church instead of Odin Hall because Professor Schneider knew he disliked Odin. Although he didn't know the reason, Professor Schneider didn't mind considering his student's feelings.

But in reality, Chu Zihang didn't need this care that night.

He would gladly switch places with Caesar and guard Odin's Hall, thus giving him ample reason to destroy this ancient and mysterious building.

Although such actions are meaningless and only damage the academy's property, they can neither harm Odin nor bring back the man.

but……

Even when Chu Zihang, who bound himself with self-discipline, sometimes still had such thoughts.

One hour ago.

He met with Principal Angers in the principal's office and had a meeting with him for nearly an hour.

Under the guidance of the principal of Angers, he stepped into the "other half" of Kassel College.

He had never imagined before that the legendary "ice cellar" of the academy was created by almost hollowing out the academy's underground.

……

"Would you mind going to see the 'new world'?"

Inside the principal's office, the aroma of black tea wafted through the air, and hazelnut-flavored waffles sat nearby.

Angers put down his teacup and asked with a smile.

New world?

After a habitual silence, Chu Zihang nodded.

Angers gently pressed the red button hidden in the drawer, and Chu Zihang immediately felt the chair and the entire floor shake slightly.

Then, he, the principal, and the huge camphor wood desk all sank down into boundless darkness.

Chu Zihang tried to get up several times, but at the last moment he forced himself to sit still.

If the principal wanted to take action against him, he wouldn't need to resort to any other means. He had witnessed his father's Time Zero, and as the leader of the Secret Party, the principal's Word of Power was only superior to his father's.

"I can tell you calmed down quickly. As expected of Schneider's ace, your emotional control is excellent."

In the darkness, the tip of an Ange cigar flickered on and off.

"Is this an elevator?"

"Yeah, this is the principal's VIP elevator. If Mingfei were here, he'd probably be yelling that there's an earthquake."

Chu Zihang was speechless in the face of the principal's sharp comments.

Of course, my junior brother isn't afraid of earthquakes, but being eccentric is one of his excellent qualities, and talking nonsense is his innate talent.

The so-called "life essence" is the kind that means you'll die if you lose it.

From this perspective, the junior colleague and Professor Guderian are indeed a match made in heaven.

Chu Zihang began to wonder if the principal already knew this, and whether his special appointment of Professor Guderian to take Lu Mingfei as a student was to achieve a positive result from negatives? Unfortunately, life is always contrary to expectations.

The elevator suddenly started moving, not vertically, but horizontally.

Only then did Chu Zihang realize that they were already in an... aquarium?

He could see a huge hammerhead shark swimming past the elevator, a lazy sea turtle on the left, and a bluefin tuna over two meters long on the right. Everywhere he looked, there was the shimmering light and shadow of the water.

The elevator broke through the mackerel swarm and traveled along its designated track.

"This is the academy's aquarium, where various marine animals are fed, and it's also the academy's gene bank," Angers explained. "This is the academy's most secretive area—the Ice Cellar, though only a part of it. The Ice Cellar is the collective name for the academy's underground buildings, which are larger than the above-ground parts."

Chu Zihang quickly processed this information.

He certainly knew about the ice cellar, the legendary place where alchemy equipment and dangerous weapons were stored at Kassel College, but he had always assumed it was a huge, top-secret warehouse.

The warehouse he was looking at was beyond his imagination.

"Ahead is our botanical garden, which contains more than 120,000 species of plants." Angers, like a tour guide on a sightseeing bus, enthusiastically introduced the landscape along the way to Chu Zihang.

Soon, a large expanse of green appeared beneath their feet. The lush green was not a lawn or garden, but a forest!

Two railway tracks stretched across the forest, and the elevator they were in was rapidly crossing a subtropical forest, with sunlight even shining overhead.

"An artificial sun provides energy for plants to photosynthesize. There's also a zoo nearby, housing over eight thousand animals, from pigs to pandas, but it's never open to the public."

The elevator quickly entered the "mountain belly" through a rock crevice and then quickly emerged again.

Chu Zihang couldn't help but be slightly taken aback, because he saw something even more outrageous than a forest or an aquarium in this underground place—a pyramid.

Angers said casually, "Don't be surprised, it's a pyramid. We uprooted it from the South American jungle, transported it here, and then restored it. It was a huge undertaking."

"Alright, passenger, we've arrived at our stop. It's time to get off."

The principal's VIP elevator stopped in front of the pyramid, and they stepped out of the elevator along the metal escalator.

"Have you noticed anything different about this pyramid?" Angers led Chu Zihang around the pyramid, then asked with a smile.

"It has...five sides," Chu Zihang said, frowning. "Most pyramids only have four sides."

At that moment, he inexplicably thought of the inverted pyramid that Jiang Liu had mentioned.

"Yes! It's different from all other pyramids. It has five sides, each with 133 steps, and each step is covered with ancient Mayan script. This entire pyramid is the Mayan calendar, the history in the hearts of the Mayans."

Angers gently stroked the surface of the pyramid.

Chu Zihang solemnly stated, "The history of the Maya is not only the past, but also the future!"

Angers cast an approving glance and said:

"As expected of the student with the highest GPA, he's a very competent straight man."

Are you familiar with the Mayan prophecy of 2012?

Chu Zihang nodded.

"Then I won't go into details. Do you have any associations with the four monarchs?" Angers looked expectantly at Chu Zihang, the model student who understood immediately.

Chu Zihang looked up at the top of the pyramid and suddenly said, "Matrachty was destroyed by a flood, Iecott was destroyed by a wind serpent, Quejavilo was destroyed by a rain of fire, and Zondrilic was destroyed by an earthquake."

"Congratulations on getting it right, you've found the right direction," Angers said softly. "Then you should also know about the Fifth Sun Age. In the Mayan understanding, the history of the world is finite and doesn't need to be extended infinitely. There are only five Sun Ages in total, there is no sixth. When the fifth Sun Age passes, there is nothing left, it is zero, it is emptiness, it is the destruction of everything. Neither dragons nor humans can survive to that end."

Chu Zihang whispered, "Is Norton's resurrection a response to the end of the Fifth Sun Age?"

Angers paused, silently scrutinizing the student beside him, and said in a low voice, "You are very intelligent, and much like your father, you grasp things almost instantly."

Chu Zihang pursed his lips and said, "So, you know my father, right?"

The conversation finally got on the right track he had been hoping for.

“Strictly speaking… I do know your father, but I’ve never met him,” Angers said softly. “Beowulf should have already told you the specifics, but there are some details you probably don’t know.”

"I have a mission. I need a powerful hybrid who is almost a 'ghost' in the world of hybrids. Your father happens to fit my needs. I have never met your father in person; I have only communicated with him by phone."

"On the phone, we talked about all sorts of ancient history, from Norse mythology to Christianity, and from Mayan civilization to Journey to the West."

"Journey to the West?" Even Chu Zihang was somewhat bewildered.

"In Journey to the West, Patriarch Bodhi said that those who cultivate the Tao will encounter the 'Three Calamities,' which correspond to the three calamities in Buddhist mythology: fire, flood, and wind, which are very similar to the Mayan civilization."

Angers explained briefly.

"Your father was very learned. At least the moment I started talking about the Mayan civilization and then about Journey to the West, he understood. He was silent for a few seconds and then asked me what my ultimate goal was. I said it was to welcome the end of the Fifth Sun Age. He said he understood and accepted the task."

"Then, your father disappeared from our sight. He wandered the world incognito."

"I don't know exactly where he went or where he stayed. I only know that he went to many places. I don't even know his real name. I only know the code name he gave himself... 'Elvis'."

Angers scratched his head, seemingly finding the code name a bit embarrassing to say.

"I've been watching you since you first entered the academy. Your bloodline is very strange. Your mother is an ordinary person, but you have golden eyes that never go out. This is not normal. I can only suspect that most of the genes you inherited from your father are dragon genes, and that you have a powerful mixed-race father."

"The academy conducted a thorough investigation into you, but..."

"We encountered some difficulties in this process. We did not find any important clues about your father. He was just an ordinary, normal person who blended perfectly into the city, but he was too ordinary."

"Later I discovered that the time when the car accident happened six years ago was precisely the time when the person who was supposed to maintain a secret contact with me for a long time disappeared."

"I'm starting to suspect you're his child, but I have no proof. All I can do is have Schneider keep a close eye on you and keep me updated on everything. Besides... I'm still waiting for you."

"Wait for me?" Chu Zihang asked, puzzled.

"Yes, I'm waiting for you to confide in me. As an educator, I've encountered many students burdened by their fates. Some of them would confide in me when they were drunk, and I would then impart the life lessons I had learned to them. As for how they understood them, that was entirely up to them."

"I thought that if you really were his child, then one day you would come to me on your own."

"When that day comes, I will tell you that your father was fighting for the fate of humanity."

"Fight for...the fate of humanity?" a hoarse voice rang out.

"Yes, all the clues are pointing to the final link—Nidhogg! The Black King Nidhogg!"

Chu Zihang fell silent, slowly processing the information revealed by the principal.

learned?

That man was certainly erudite; he could talk about anything and everything. It was precisely through his silver tongue that he managed to marry my mother.

"What was the ultimate fate of the Fifth Sun Age?"

"It's zero, it's nothing, it's emptiness. No one knows exactly what it is, but we have reason to believe it must be a near-apocalyptic catastrophe." Angers paused, then shrugged. "Of course, it could also be a reboot."

"Reboot?"

"Do you know Ouroboros? It represents the ouroboros, symbolizing 'immortality,' 'cycle,' 'infinity,' and 'the world.' Alchemists regard it as the king of magic, and it holds a very high position in the alchemical field. Some alchemists believe that Ouroboros represents 'everything,' which naturally includes time. They believe that time is a circle, with the beginning being the end. The world is constantly cycling, and the end of the Fifth Age is both the end and the beginning, from which the world will begin a new cycle."

"A new cycle?"

"Yes, there is no new cycle without humans or dragons."

"...The first four Sun Ages were destroyed by the four monarchs. Is the fifth Sun Age Nidhogg? Will he usher in the day of the world's 'reset'?"

If the first four Sun Ages were destroyed by the four monarchs, then the fifth Sun Age must be ruled by the Black King, who will be above the four monarchs!

But where is Odin placed?

"It's uncertain, but Nidhogg is highly suspicious. That black dragon, which symbolizes despair and destruction, is an enemy of both humans and the dragon kings."

Angers solemnly stated, "In some hidden history, the kings joined forces with humans to kill the Black King, but Nidhogg swore that He would return before He bled to death."

Chu Zihang was taken aback; he hadn't heard of the latter part of the story, "a hidden...history?"

Angers said calmly, "You could also say it's ancient history told from the mouths of dragons."

Chu Zihang looked up in horror.

"You've heard some of my story, haven't you?"

"You mean...?"

"There's no need to shy away from the story. It's about the Summer Mourning Incident that happened over a hundred years ago. On that day, the Lionheart Society's elite forces were completely wiped out, with only one lucky survivor who fell in the cellar."

Angers said calmly,

"As the current president of the Lionheart Society, you are qualified to understand the history of the Lionheart Society."

"Be prepared, this is going to be a long story..."

The story begins, Angers' eyes are deep and cold, as if the clouds in the sky have collapsed and a torrential rain has poured down.

……

……

"What is your dragon name?"

"I've forgotten, I've forgotten for many years. Names are not important to me."

"Aren't you curious why I'm not trying to seize the Black King's Egg, but instead waiting here for you?"

"I'm very curious."

"Because it doesn't matter who holds it, Nidhogg the Black King. He is the supreme being of supreme power and virtue. No one can bring his awakening forward, nor can anyone delay it. He cannot be destroyed. One day you will understand this. All struggles are futile. Only a new Black King... or the Black King himself, can kill the Black King."

……

……

Angers recounted his personal experiences from that time in the tone of an observer.

When the story came to an end, a long silence followed.

"That's the end of the story. Any questions?"

"have."

"Then ask away. I don't usually like to reminisce, but today is an exception."

"The story seems incomplete."

"Because I passed out later, what I told you was based on what I heard in the cellar and the results of the subsequent on-site investigation."

"What is Senior Menek's Word of Power?"

"It could be 'Rhine' or 'Candle Dragon,' a kind of extremely dangerous incantation that, when released, will also involve the releaser."

What is the path to godhood?

"I'm sorry, I can't answer that question..."

"Is it a burst of blood?"

Chu Zihang looked up, his golden eyes burning brightly and never going out, and countless tiny dragon scales sprouted from his body.

Angers' expression immediately changed.

"I found it in the Lionheart archives, Mr. Beowulf said, and I shouldn't hide it from you."

Angers rubbed his forehead, looking somewhat troubled, and sighed, "That old man told me some bad news. I was wondering what it was, and now I see... How long have you had this technology?"

"Two years."

"...So you've only been in school and joined the Lionheart for a short time?" Angers' face twitched slightly. "Truly worthy of being the son of 'Elvis'."

Upon hearing this flamboyant code name, Chu Zihang's cheeks twitched slightly.

Regarding the prequel to Dragon Raja, you can search it on Baidu yourself. Or, if you don't want to search it, I'll organize it and post it when I have time. Of course, it will be the free chapters, specifically the chapter notes section. Just leave a comment with a "1" and like it. If there are enough interested people, I'll organize it.

In addition, this chapter contains many clues.

(End of this chapter)