13: Chapter 13 Crouching Dragon and Young Phoenix

Ning Yuan once again boarded an unmanned fighter jet within the academy.

“Destination confirmed. This trip costs 1 credit,” the emotionless voice of the AI brain sounded.

Hearing this, Ning Yuan couldn't help but chuckle.

He had just finished his enrollment and hadn't even started enjoying the free benefits before he was being fleeced?

The academy really doesn't miss a single chance to shear its own students' wool.

He quipped, “library living quarters, Villa No. 1.”

The fighter jet glided silently and quickly arrived at the destination.

Before him was a tranquil forest, with pure white villas nestled elegantly amidst the greenery.

Carrying Wang Zai, Ning Yuan strolled leisurely along the forest path.

“Villa No. 1... this should be the one.”

He soon stopped in front of a villa and looked it over.

The villa's design was quite interstellar, with exquisite materials and its own small garden; it looked rather luxurious.

Such living conditions were much better than the so-called 'rich districts' on many remote administrative stars.

However, Ning Yuan didn't feel much about it.

After all, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe the place where he grew up as a 'paradise on earth.'

This one in front of him was just... alright.

It would do for now.

Just as he was about to push the door open, the system's prompt sounded in his mind once more.

【Great Xia Martial Academy is a place where dragons and tigers hide! As a lowly new librarian, the first step on your path to counterattack is to establish a firm foothold in the library living quarters!】

【Among three people walking together, there must be one who can be my teacher. Your new dormitory is even more full of hidden dragons and young phoenixes—a gathering of talents!】

【Side quest issued: Become the dormitory boss!】

【Please note: The Host must not be careless! Aside from you, who are a grassroots individual with no background, your other roommates all possess heaven-reaching backgrounds! The Host must endure hardships to strengthen your resolve, and ultimately use your astonishing perseverance and personal charm to win over your other roommates!】

After listening, Ning Yuan couldn't help but smile.

His line of thinking was indeed correct.

As long as he stayed close to the 'library' direction, he wouldn't have to worry about a lack of tasks.

Immediately, the smile on his face became playful.

Heaven-reaching backgrounds?

Indeed, for those who could enter Great Xia Martial Academy through unconventional channels at this point in time, their status and backgrounds were certainly not simple.

But...

No matter how big a background was, could it be bigger than his own?

He felt a small sense of anticipation toward his yet-to-be-met 'Hidden Dragon' and 'Young Phoenix' roommates.

He reached out and pushed open the villa's main door.

Swish! Swish!

Two pairs of scrutinizing eyes fell upon him simultaneously.

“Hmm, dressed very ordinarily; no logos of the Federation's top-tier luxury brands on him.”

“His aura is also unremarkable; looks like his talent isn't up to much.”

“His looks are passable, maybe a tiny bit better than mine (jealous face).”

“He's even holding a mutt. Looking at that unsophisticated appearance, it shouldn't be some rare war pet containing the bloodline of a Starry Sky Behemoth.”

“Overall evaluation: This person is likely a local from some dilapidated small asteroid family who barely managed to get squeezed in as a connection hire at great cost.”

On the sofa, Zhou Qi and Lu Sheng quickly locked eyes, both seeing a flame named 'Victory' in the other's gaze.

“It seems this guy has zero competitiveness! Therefore, the position of dormitory boss belongs to me!”

The inner monologues of the two were quite rich.

At this moment, Ning Yuan was also sizing them up.

“Are these the 'Hidden Dragon' and 'Young Phoenix' the system mentioned?”

“Hmm... brother tongzi wasn't wrong this time; they are indeed quite unique.”

The one on the left was chubby, his eyes narrowed into slits, looking like a Maitreya Buddha when he smiled.

The one on the right was as thin as a hemp stalk, and the logos on his clothes were so dense it seemed he wanted to print them all over his forehead.

That was a rather famous bionic clothing brand in the Federation.

Er’ouwei.

Ning Yuan had some impression of this brand.

It seemed to be... a brand created by the subordinate of a subordinate of his own mother.

A kind smile appeared on Ning Yuan's face as he took the initiative to greet them.

“Hello both, I'm Ning Yuan, your new roommate.”

The fat one spoke first: “Lu Sheng.”

The thin one followed: “Zhou Qi.”

Both had beaming smiles on their faces, looking completely harmonious.

The fat Lu Sheng made the first move, taking out two exquisite cans from his dimensional bracelet.

“It's fate that we've met. We'll be living together for the next few years, so I've specially prepared a small gift from home. Please accept it.”

“This is a specialty of our Galaxy Star, Heavenly Silver Dried Fish. One can for each of you.”

He spoke nonchalantly, but the corners of his mouth curled up slightly as he deliberately emphasized his identity from 'Galaxy Star.'

Galaxy Star was the central main star of the Milky Way Galaxy.

And this Heavenly Silver Dried Fish was an exclusive supply for the Galactic Empire's imperial family. It was a great supplement for martial artists in the Qi and Blood Realm and was worth a fortune.

The thin Zhou Qi's expression changed slightly.

He didn't expect this ordinary-looking fat guy to actually have some background.

Not to be outdone, he also smiled and took out two bags of beautifully packaged fruit from his bracelet.

“What a coincidence, I also have some small gifts for everyone.”

“It just so happened that Yanxia Star was producing Yanlong Oranges when I came over. Everyone, have a taste. One bag each.”

His tone was reserved, but the sense of superiority in his eyes was not hidden at all.

Yanxia Star—that was the center of the entire Yanxia Star Field!

And the Milky Way Galaxy was merely a remote, lower-middle-tier galaxy within the Yanxia Star Field.

Lu Sheng's expression changed instantly.

This thin hemp stalk actually had such a big background?

How could a noble from Yanxia Star end up in a place like the Ancestral Star?

He cursed inwardly, but on second thought, the value of those Yanlong Oranges was actually on par with his Heavenly Silver Dried Fish, so he hadn't necessarily lost.

This thin guy was probably just a minor noble from Yanxia Star. Calculated that way, they were about equal.

Thinking of this, he regained his confidence.

After giving their gifts, both turned their gazes toward Ning Yuan.

In their view, this new country bumpkin was likely scared silly by their actions by now.

Win over one first!

However, when they looked over, their eyes instantly bulged, and their breathing became rapid.

They saw the country bumpkin in their eyes, Ning Yuan, slowly tearing open the can of Heavenly Silver Dried Fish, peeling a Yanlong Orange, and then...

Feeding them piece by piece to the mutt in his arms!

Holy crap?!

Treasures that we usually have to save for ourselves, you're fucking using them to feed a dog?

What a waste of God's gifts!

Ning Yuan still wore a beaming smile.

He naturally knew what these two things were.

But...

What he usually ate were fresh Heavenly Silver Fish Kings transported directly via space jump from the Galactic Empire, and juice freshly squeezed from thousand-year-old Yanlong Oranges.

Moreover, he had gotten tired of those two things after eating them just a few times.

“Sorry about that, my Wang Zai is a bit of a glutton; he has quite the appetite.”

Hearing this, Wang Zai looked up and barked twice, his eyes filled with indignation.

Master, you're the one forcing them on me, okay!

When has this Heaven Swallowing Beast ever eaten such terrible Wang Zais!

Fortunately, as a Heaven Swallowing Beast with noble blood, its virtue was that it wasn't a picky eater and could eat anything.

Zhou Qi and Lu Sheng were completely dumbfounded.

“You... you you...”

Do you fucking know what those things actually are?

You just gave them to a dog?

It felt like throwing pearls before swine.

Could it be that this little country bumpkin doesn't understand anything and thinks they're just ordinary dried fish and oranges?

The hearts of the two were bleeding.

Ning Yuan didn't explain.

How could he not know what these two were thinking?

Showing off with this bit of junk?

“Courtesy demands reciprocity. I've also prepared some small gadgets for you two. We'll be brothers in the same dorm from now on; we should help each other out.”

Smiling, Ning Yuan took out two palm-sized, cool-looking figures from his dimensional bracelet and placed them on the coffee table in front of the two.

The figures were impressively two mini-version mecha models.