Chapter 447 - Unable To Become A Dragon Knight
"What is going on? What caused Augustus to lay so many eggs?"
"Is that the potion that can make a person more fertile? It has risen far too rapidly. No creature can keep giving birth indefinitely. It is just too ridiculous."
The students stared at Augustus in disbelief, who was surrounded by white eggs.
Initially, they did not think highly of Watson's potion. After all, Watson had only used two things to create that potion. The first was a black substance, and the second was a gold coin. It was difficult to imagine how those two things could have such a powerful effect when combined.
"Do not get too excited, everyone. At the moment, Augustus is only laying eggs. We have no idea what is inside those eggs. If some strange things are found inside the eggs, it is not enough to call it a potion that can increase a person's fertility," someone said.
Many people around him snapped back to their senses and nodded as soon as he finished speaking. If what came out of the eggs were not humans but something else, it would prove that Watson's potion could not increase a person's fertility but rather one that could allow a person to lay eggs.
Just as those thoughts entered everyone's minds, cracks appeared on the surface of the eggs surrounding Augustus. The eggs shattered with a cracking sound, revealing the creature within. It was a human infant. It had soft red hair on the top of its head, similar to Augustus.
The rest cracked open as well, and human babies appeared one after the other. There were both boys and girls, all of whom resembled Augustus. Some of the babies began to crawl on the ground as they appeared, while others clenched their fists. They cried loudly.
Everyone in the room was taken aback by what they saw.
They were humans. Augustus had given birth to human babies! That was far too shocking. He gave birth without mating after consuming that potion. Augustus, a man, had given birth.
Without a doubt, Watson's potion was an outstanding achievement in the kingdom's history. It could produce many babies in a short period. If it happened during a war, that action would almost certainly ensure that they had an endless supply of soldiers, enough to drag their enemies down.
Everyone was stunned.
"Do you think the potion is safe, Lady Fafnir?" Rem stared blankly at Augustus, who crawled away from the babies when the eggshells broke. She gasped.
She was astounded by the potion's effect as well. Human potions were less effective against dragons. They had found a potion that increased humans' fertility rate. However, it could not change the fact that there were fewer dragons in the community. That potion was unique.
Augustus laid eggs as quickly as a machine gun. Even if the effect on dragons was only a fraction of that, it was enough for them to multiply the number of dragons.
"That potion appears to have some unintended consequences." Fafnir stroked her chin when she heard that. Others noticed how quickly Augustus had laid eggs, but she was concentrating on the young man himself. Augustus's body twitched every time an egg was laid, and some of his energy was diverted.
Augustus' body had many platinum-tier weapons, and there was a platinum-colored glow all over him. However, the platinum-tier weapons on Augustus' body had dimmed. They were degrading to gold-tier, and even their hardness was deteriorating. As a result, small cracks appeared on the surface.
"I think that potion is akin to dividing one's strength and injecting it into one's offspring. Even though it can greatly improve one's fertility rate, the person who gives birth will have their strength depleted as a result of the birth."
Other people examined what was on the surface, but the elites like Fafnir explored the essence. Was it worth it to sacrifice a dragon's life for the sake of thousands of newborn dragons?
The answer was yes because those newborn dragons would be platinum-tier when they grew to adulthood. Even if the sacrifice was a diamond-tier dragon, it was still a necessary sacrifice if it meant the race's prosperity. There was no doubt that the potion Watson was working on at the time had exceeded her expectations.
King Landhar III was still sitting on the throne. His face was expressionless, and no one could see the corner of his mouth twitching.
"Watson is extraordinary."
When Watson developed the potion to increase one's fertility rate, he intended to test it on a few mice or have Fafnir use spatial magic to teleport to the Dragon Clan and give it to a few pregnant dragons. He wanted to see if he could have a few more dragon offspring. Who would have guessed he could get Augustus to drink that potion? He also did not expect Augustus, who had consumed the potion, to transform into an egg-laying machine.
Watson's potion had met the King's requirements. To be more specific, it had met his needs. He was certain that the black substance Watson had used to make the potion was the remains of the God of Poison, which he had given to Samuel. Watson's chances of creating the poison were high if he used that thing.
'I am curious how Watson obtained the God's Remains. Is it possible that he learned about my contact with Samuel? It appears that I should have a conversation with Samuel. Let's not get into that. Watson was pushed to this point. He chose to use that method rather than refine the potion. Is it possible that he is not very good at making potions? Or is it possible that he is unwilling to refine the potion and is using this method to exact revenge on us?'
Watson had turned the Dragon Knight recruitment process into an egg-laying competition. Augustus might not be able to raise his head in the kingdom ever again. After all, a normal person would feel humiliated if they laid eggs in front of the King, tens of thousands of Royal Academy students, and the Dragon Clan, let alone a genius like Augustus.
Augustus was already numb at that point. He stood in his original position in a daze, allowing eggs to fly out of the large hole in his chest. His body slid to the ground like a baby; he had no response to that. He even drooled a little; he was utterly perplexed.
Watson's Golden Lust Poison appeared to be a fertility potion, but it was also a lethal poison. The purpose of that poison is for the God of Poison to fight against other gods, divide the power in the opponent's body, and turn into a defenseless infant. At the same time, it would reduce the person's intelligence, making them easier to kill.
Augustus could barely withstand the corrosion of the platinum-tier poison because he had many platinum-tier weapons. However, as the power in his body was dispersed by the eggs, he could no longer resist the poison. Augustus had devolved into a moron. He would only be able to recover in a day.
"Your Majesty, are you pleased with the potion I created?"
Ignoring Augustus, Watson turned his head to look at King Landhar III.
"Well, it's not up to me. The Dragon Clan should decide it. I'm also curious about their thoughts on Watson's potion."
King Landhar III turned toward Fafnir and the other two ladies beside her.
"That is correct. Overall, the potion met the criteria. King Landhar III, you have kept your word. The Dragon Clan will be generous with you."
Fafnir nodded and set the massive black box in her right hand down on the ground. The huge black box suddenly cracked open and gradually opened, revealing what was inside.
A crystal stone tablet was hidden inside the massive black box. Ancient characters were engraved on the stone tablet. Each character shone uniquely. Seven different colors of light twined themselves around the stone tablet. It morphed into various Dragon Clan phantoms, and a powerful aura spread in all directions.
"Please allow me to introduce this to everyone. That stone tablet is the Dragon Clan's valuable asset. It is called Dragon Totem, and it is a peak diamond-tier tool. Its purpose is to keep track of information about all the dragons! The Dragon Totem will have complete information about your dragon once your real name is engraved on it. It can even summon a dragon's projection to fight the enemy. Of course, the totem is widely used in the Dragon Clan as a tool to recruit a Dragon Knight."
"The Dragon Totem records the information of thousands of dragons at the time. Later, if those recruits place their palms on the Dragon Totem, the totem will reveal how well they match each dragon. Names with a hundred percent match to a dragon will get to become a Dragon Knight."
Fafnir looked around as she spoke. The students looked excited and held their breath.
They knew that Fafnir's words meant that the recruitment of new dragon knights would continue, and it was due to Watson's discovery of a potion that allowed the dragons to breed indefinitely. Many people looked at Watson with grateful eyes as they reflected on that. No one paid attention to Augustus, who kept laying eggs.
Even if Augustus continued to lay eggs, it would not have an impact on the recruitment process. King Landhar III waved his hand quietly and ordered Hoen to lead the army in carrying Augustus away. As a result, Augustus lost the right to join the test. It was unclear whether Augustus would regret it when he awoke. Perhaps he would be unhappy that he would want to harm Watson.
"That is all I have to say about it. Who will be the first to take the test?"
No one in the Royal Academy moved after Fafnir's voice fell silent. Everyone's attention was drawn to Watson. Watson had created the potion that had earned them the right to take the test, so it was only fitting that he should be the first to do so.
"I will take the lead."
Watson walked to the front of the Dragon Totem, feeling the gazes from all directions, and looked at the two-meter-long stone tablet in front of him. He reached out his right hand and gently touched the stone tablet's surface.
Watson felt as if his environment had changed the moment his palm touched the surface of the stone tablet. A never-ending ring-shaped mountain range stretched out in front of him. Thousands of massive dragons soared through the mountain range. Those dragons were made of gold and had four long horns on their heads. There were also dark-winged dragons with six massive wings on their backs and sword-length tails.
Several dragons roared and turned their heads toward Watson after he barged in. Waves of dragon power began to flow into Watson's body, attempting to fuse with the energy there, but they were entirely absorbed by the source of chaos-elemental magic in his body as soon as they did.
Watson opened his eyes a split second later. The Dragon Totem monument in front of him erupted in a blaze of glory. The dragon race characters twisted and intertwined, forming a massive zero.
"What does that mean?" A Royal Academy student observed the scene with interest.
"Could Watson have matched with a very powerful dragon after witnessing the totem explode with such a bright light?"
It was being discussed by others as well.
Fafnir's expression became unsightly as she looked at the totem during the discussion. "I am sorry, Watson, your compatibility with the dragon within the totem is zero, which means that there is no dragon that matches you, and you do not meet the requirements to become a Dragon Knight."
What?
When it was revealed that Watson lacked the necessary qualifications, the crowd erupted. However, they had been told that the recruitment process had nothing to do with strength. It was all by chance. However, they did not believe Watson would lose the selection. After all, Watson's talent was exceptional. There should be a plethora of dragons who could be compatible with him.
"I had not expected Watson to be ineligible to become a Dragon Knight. As one might expect, there are some things that geniuses are not particularly good at."
"Watson's match is zero. The likelihood of us successfully matching to a dragon is probably low. It appears that the process is more difficult than we anticipated."
Some people in the audience mocked Watson, while others were concerned for their own safety.
"Watson, I promised you yesterday that I would prepare a massive dragon for you. Furthermore, you successfully created a potion that meets my needs. Even if you do not qualify to become a Dragon Knight, I will still give you a dragon." Fafnir appeared helpless. She did not seem to think Watson would be a match for any of the dragons. After all, there were thousands of dragons in the Dragon Totem. Watson was no match for any of the dragons, so the chances were slim.
"Wait a minute! Can a person become a Dragon Knight if he is not a match for a dragon? Even if Watson created a potion that increases fertility that allowed the kingdom to sign a new treaty with the dragons?"
Before the others could respond, a man's voice echoed after Fafnir's voice fell.
Watson could not help but look at the speaker. The man had long purple hair that hung down his shoulders. He was attractive, but his brows and lips were very thin. He appeared to be around 30 years old. He had a nagging feeling that the man knew who he was. After some thought, he realized that man was the one who had been staring at him with a vicious gaze since he arrived at the academy.
"Who are you? The dragons decide whether or not you can become a Dragon Knight. It has absolutely nothing to do with you." Fafnir cast an unhappy glance in the direction of the man.
"My name is Julius, and I am the Dragon Knights' vice-captain. I used to have a thunder-clawed dragon as my partner!" Julius raised his head and puffed out his chest, unafraid of Fafnir's gaze. "Perhaps you believe that the dragon is the most critical part of the Dragon Knight, but I think that both the dragon and the knight are equally important. The dragon's power can't be wielded without a good knight. After all, a Dragon Knight's most powerful ability is to fuse with a dragon."
"Watson is a genius without the ability to match with a dragon. Do not even consider making him a Dragon Knight. Give the dragon to someone more worthy."
Watson was not enraged in the face of Julius' mockery. "I wonder if you have any basis for saying that one can't be a Dragon Knight if without a match to a dragon?" he asked calmly.
"Cast the dragon fusion spell. Let Watson examine my foundation."
Julius clapped heartily. A member of the Dragon Knights appeared from behind him. He had a green dragon surrounded by a lightning-shaped storm. It was a platinum-tier storm dragon.
"Dragon Fusion, activate."
The Dragon Knight quickly activated his ability in response to Julius' command. His and the dragon's massive bodies turned to light simultaneously, fusing into a two-meter-tall drakonid. The drakonid's body was covered in green scales, and its green hair was encased in lightning. It floated through the air in an anti-gravity fashion. Several storms appeared faintly behind the drakonid, and the dragon's shadow could be seen in the storms.
The drakonid's aura was initially only at peak gold-tier, and his dragon was at peak platinum-tier. However, after the fusion, the drakonid's aura instantly reached platinum-tier, and it was on the verge of diamond-tier.
"Watson, did you notice that? The dragon fusion is a drakonid's secret weapon. If you want to use that skill, you must be 100 percent compatible with a dragon. The drakonid's abilities will be multiplied several times after the fusion, and they will retain the strength of a dragon and the agility of a human! Take, for example, the Dragon Knight who is sitting next to me. His current strength is almost insurmountable against anyone below the diamond tier."
Watson had a thoughtful expression on his face while Julius was explaining it to him. He thought the so-called dragon fusion was similar to the druid's secret transformation skill, but there was a significant difference. A druid could use transformation to gain strength from a contracted beast, whereas the dragon fusion allowed a person to become one with the dragon. That was a far more powerful move than the druid's skill.
"Do you see the power of a Dragon Knight, Watson? You will never be able to become a Dragon Knight if you have eaten dragon meat. My companion, the thunder-clawed dragon, died as a result of your actions. Being unable to become a Dragon Knight is your divine curse. It is your punishment." Julius' face lit up with delight when he reprimanded Watson.
His words elicited a harsh response from the crowd.
"Watson had eaten dragon meat before, so that incited a feud with the Dragon Knights. Did the dragon meat come from the Dragon Knights' dragons? He is far too daring!"
It looked like Watson could not become a Dragon Knight.
Some people sighed in sorrow. They realized Watson could not become a Dragon Knight after learning he had eaten dragon meat.. Even if Watson were compatible with a dragon, the Dragon Clan would not agree to such a person becoming a Dragon Knight.