Chapter Ten: Orientation Training

After lunch, Ludhiana, accompanied by Lu Chen and Chu Zihang, left the restaurant amidst bewildered stares from the staff. The waitress couldn't help but count the number of boxes on the table again after they left, wondering if there had been some kind of eating contest.

Ludhiana drove Lu Chen and Chu Zihang to the Chicago train station in her Porsche 911 four-seater. The journey was mostly silent, with Ludhiana doing most of the talking.

Ludhiana couldn't help but feel frustrated. With one student being taciturn and the other a silent eater, she found herself doing most of the talking. She recalled an old Chinese saying, "Near the water, one gets the moon first." But here she was, with both of them seemingly disinterested in engaging in conversation.

As they arrived at the train station, Chu Zihang noticed something odd on the schedule board. "I don't see the CC1000 train on the schedule," he remarked, puzzled.

"That's the special train to the academy. It won't be listed here," Ludhiana explained, glancing at her Patek Philippe watch. "It should be here soon."

They made their way to the deserted platform and waited in silence. Lu Chen sipped on a beverage called "cola," marveling at how people in this world knew how to enjoy themselves.

Suddenly, he looked up and saw something approaching in the distance, his keen eyes spotting it before Ludhiana and Chu Zihang. It was a sleek black high-speed train, resembling a massive serpent speeding across the sky. Silver-white patterns adorned its surface, seeming to come alive as it cut through the air.

As the train pulled into the station, a conductor in forest green attire emerged, sporting a gold-embossed emblem of a half-decayed world tree on his chest.

"Miss Ludhiana, are these gentlemen behind you Mr. Lu Chen and Mr. Chu Zihang?" the conductor inquired, confirming that he was aware of Ludhiana's simple task this time.

Ludhiana nodded and instructed, "Take out your student IDs."

Leading by example, Ludhiana swiped her student ID card before boarding. A green light flashed, and the card reader emitted a series of indistinct musical notes.

Chu Zihang followed suit, swiping his card, and this time, the musical notes were noticeably different.

"A-level? No wonder Minister Schneider came personally," the conductor exclaimed, his eyes lighting up.

Lu Chen, seeing both of them swipe their cards, followed suit with his own student ID card. Once again, the musical notes played, mirroring Chu Zihang's.

"It seems that your task, while simple, is quite meaningful," the conductor remarked.

The conductor smiled at Ludhiana. The academy rarely sent people to pick up new students, but if they were two A-level students, it wasn't considered excessive.

After Lu Chen boarded the train, he was dazzled by the interior decor. He hadn't expected the interior to be so luxurious beneath the solemn exterior. The carriage was elegantly styled in European fashion, with Victorian-patterned wallpaper adorning the walls. The window frames were crafted from solid wood, and the dark green leather sofas were embroidered with gold thread, exuding an air of refinement and elegance.

In the depths of the carriage, a middle-aged man wearing a breathing mask sat quietly, as if he had been waiting for a long time. He looked up at Lu Chen and Chu Zihang, motioning for them to come over.

"Feng Schneider, Minister of the Executive Department," he introduced himself.

The two of them took their seats as Ludhiana stood nearby. Although Lu Chen and Chu Zihang might not have been aware, Ludhiana knew exactly who was before them. Feng Schneider was the current Minister of the Executive Department, and despite his ailing appearance, he was known for his iron-fisted rule over the department. Commissioners from executive departments around the world were under his jurisdiction.

As Ludhiana watched the scene unfold, she couldn't help but inwardly mock the situation. Three cold and aloof individuals coming together—it was like watching a trio of robots.

"Hello, Lu Chen," Lu Chen politely greeted.

"Normally, the enrollment training at Cassel Academy is quite elaborate, but since you both have some understanding of yourselves, we'll simplify it today," Schneider said, his speech slow but steady, to which Lu Chen and Chu Zihang patiently listened.

"First, sign this confidentiality agreement."

As he spoke, the conductor placed two documents in front of Lu Chen and Chu Zihang.

Without much hesitation, Lu Chen and Chu Zihang both glanced over the documents and signed them directly. Lu Chen wasn't concerned about contract agreements, as they had never been a concern for him, while Chu Zihang understood the necessity of such agreements.

Schneider watched the scene unfold with a barely perceptible sense of satisfaction. He then lifted the white cloth covering something beside him.

Lu Chen and Chu Zihang's pupils dilated, and Ludhiana's mouth fell open in astonishment.

"Compared to words, physical objects are easier for people to accept."

It was a cylindrical glass jar filled with a pale yellow formaldehyde solution. Inside slept a creature about the size of a three- or four-year-old medium-sized dog, resembling a lizard with densely packed scales that exuded a sense of beauty. Folded membrane wings adorned its back, resembling tough canvas. The creature slept peacefully, its eyes closed, while its membrane wings and long whiskers fluttered in the formaldehyde solution.

"A dragon?" Chu Zihang exclaimed in surprise.

"A lizard?" Lu Chen wondered, puzzled. He had never been exposed to Western mythology, and in his mind, dragons were supposed to be majestic and noble creatures, revered as divine beasts in his homeland.

Schneider was momentarily speechless.

Meanwhile, Ludhiana, standing not far away, was also in a state of shock. She was not only shocked that such a restricted item was brought out for new student guidance, but also by Lu Chen's reference to it as a "lizard."

"What the hell, a lizard...?" Although it was true that dragonkin did resemble winged lizards to some extent, one couldn't put it that way. It made them mixed-blood beings seem like they were of lower class.

"This is a red dragon hatchling, currently in a state of dormancy," Schneider explained.

"And the purpose of our academy... is dragon-slaying."

Schneider was always efficient in his work. Detailed history and other matters would be explained by other professors after enrollment. That wasn't his area of expertise. He simply needed to present the facts to the two of them and ensure their acceptance.