The Troublemakers Arrive 22: Undead Infernal Dragon’s Reverse Scale!
The Troublemakers Arrive Chapter 22: Undead Infernal Dragon’s Reverse Scale!
The Troublemakers Arrive “I suppose this is exactly what you would expect from the premier organization responsible for managing Magic Card Masters.
The sheer volume and variety of items on this trading network is staggering.” Luke swiped his fingers through the glowing holographic interface, his eyes reflecting the endless streams of data and categorized commodities.
What brought a genuine smile to his face was the discovery that the Magic Card Association’s internal trading system actually contained the elusive Dragon-type materials he had been hunting for.
This meant the creation of the Red-Eyes Meteor Dragon could finally be moved to the top of his agenda.
“There really are way too many categories.
I am getting a bit dizzy just looking at all these floating words.” Mana leaned her small head against Luke’s shoulder from behind, peering at the rapidly scrolling screen.
After only a few seconds of trying to track the dense text, she let out a soft groan and quickly squeezed her eyes shut.
“I will adjust the interface to make it cleaner,” Luke said, his hands gliding over the virtual console to filter the search parameters according to his exact needs.
A few seconds later, the chaotic trading interface simplified into a neat, highly readable grid.
“That is much better.” Opening her eyes again, Mana finally adjusted to the soft glow of the screen, and the two of them began scanning for the necessary components.
“No wonder there is absolutely no news of any Dragon-type materials on the public market.
It feels like the Magic Card Association has monopolized the entire supply.” Luke refined his search parameters one last time, stripping away all irrelevant items until the interface exclusively displayed Dragon-type materials.
“However, there are still so few of them available here, and the prices are completely outrageous.” Standing on the other side of the console, Dark Magician Girl peered at the information on the interface and stuck out her tongue in dismay.
That long, absurd string of zeros attached to every single item genuinely startled her.
“Scarcity makes things valuable.
Besides, Dragon-type fierce beasts are notoriously difficult to hunt, so their market value naturally cannot be measured against ordinary monster drops.” Luke reached over and gently pinched Dark Magician Girl’s soft cheek.
His eyes continued to scan the screen rapidly until they locked onto his primary target for this session.
Undead Infernal Dragon’s Reverse Scale.
The Undead Infernal Dragon was a terrifying Seven-Star Dragon-type fierce beast.
For any creature of the Dragon-type, the Reverse Scale served as both a fatal vital point and the absolute central hub for the flow of magic throughout their massive bodies.
Among all available Dragon-type materials, the sheer preciousness of a Reverse Scale easily ranked within the top three.
Materials of this supreme caliber were even sufficient to serve as the foundation for creating the true Red-Eyes Black Dragon.
Although using such a high-tier item to create the Red-Eyes Meteor Dragon might seem like a massive waste of potential, Luke’s positioning for the Red-Eyes Meteor Dragon was strictly as a transitional Magic Card.
Purchasing this Reverse Scale now was a calculated move, laying the groundwork for the future Reconstruction of the Red-Eyes Black Dragon.
It was simply planning ahead.
Even when that Reconstruction eventually occurred, the core material would not need to be replaced, making the entire evolutionary process significantly smoother.
“It is so expensive!” Although she already possessed a basic understanding of the inflated market for Dragon-type materials, Mana still felt a wave of dizziness wash over her when she saw the specific price tag attached to the Undead Infernal Dragon’s Reverse Scale.
“For a Reverse Scale, which is precious enough to stand at the very apex of all Dragon-type materials, you will not find a cheap price tag anywhere in the world.” Luke lightly tapped Mana’s forehead with his index finger.
His other hand moved without hesitation, authorizing the astronomical transaction to purchase the Undead Infernal Dragon’s Reverse Scale.
If this had been before the unified exam, Luke truly would not have possessed the necessary capital to secure this item.
It was a Purple-grade material, carrying a baseline value of several million.
Coupled with the inherent Dragon-type premium and the unique, highly sought-after nature of a Reverse Scale, its rarity pushed the final transaction price to nearly ten million.
However, by seizing first place in the unified exam, the financial rewards Luke had reaped from both the academy and the City Lord’s Mansion were equally staggering.
It was just enough to allow him to secure the Undead Infernal Dragon’s Reverse Scale.
The moment the purchase was confirmed, Luke’s massive pool of funds inevitably evaporated, shrinking by nearly ninety percent in a single breath.
Seeing Luke authorize the order without batting an eye, Dark Magician Girl clicked her tongue in awe.
The funds required to purchase that single scale were more than enough for an ordinary family of four to live in absolute luxury for an entire lifetime.
About a minute later, the ambient mana in the room shifted.
A small, black-hole-like spatial portal silently tore open in the air just a few feet in front of Luke and Mana.
From the dark void, a secure containment box holding the Undead Infernal Dragon’s Reverse Scale drifted through and hovered in the room.
This was a high-end delivery method unique to Magic Card Civilization.
There were entire corporate conglomerates that employed specialized groups of Magic Card Masters strictly for express spatial teleportation, earning astronomical profits for their secure logistics.
“That is incredibly convenient,” Luke remarked, admiring the seamless spatial transfer.
This method was not only infinitely faster than standard express delivery, but it was also entirely secure from interception.
Dark Magician Girl reached out first, her slender fingers wrapping around the dark, crystalline surface of the Undead Infernal Dragon’s Reverse Scale.
The moment she picked it up, she felt a heavy, suffocating bloodline pressure radiating from the item.
However, this oppressive aura seemed to be artificially sealed within a very tight radius, preventing it from causing any destructive impact on the surrounding room.
Seeing the intense aura radiating from the item, Mana gently took the heavy scale from her hands.
With a bright smile, the blonde girl turned and offered the Reverse Scale up to Luke as if presenting a priceless treasure.
“Some materials are highly volatile or prone to degradation, so the Association preserves them using unique sealing techniques,” Luke explained, taking the Reverse Scale from Mana and feeling the heavy, thrumming pressure locked within the crystal.
“Through this specialized method, they can guarantee the materials remain in their most perfect, pristine state.” Indeed, paying a premium price came with distinct advantages.
If this had been an Undead Infernal Dragon’s Reverse Scale that had already leaked a massive amount of its internal energy, even if the Red-Eyes Meteor Dragon was successfully created, its overall combat strength would be permanently crippled.
But this specific Reverse Scale had its internal energy preserved flawlessly, suffering almost zero loss.
Luke did not need to worry about any degradation affecting the creation process.
Carefully storing the Undead Infernal Dragon’s Reverse Scale away, Luke and Mana returned to the interface to hunt down the remaining missing materials.
With the primary core material secured, the auxiliary components were incredibly easy to source.
Without spending much time at all, the two of them gathered everything else required for the synthesis.
Compared to the staggering cost of the Reverse Scale, the price of the remaining materials was truly negligible.
Another morning arrived, bringing a crisp chill to the air.
Outside the borders of Cangling City, a massive Cold Cloud Sparrow flapped its colossal wings, soaring in from the distant horizon.
The sheer size of the beast instantly attracted the attention of countless citizens on the streets below, sparking a wave of speculation about the identity of the VIPs riding on its back.
The fact that Cangling City’s automated defense mechanisms remained dormant indicated that the approaching party had already obtained high-level clearance to pass through the airspace.
The Cold Cloud Sparrow was a specialized Magic Card created by a Master who had based its design on the volatile Storm Cloud Sparrow.
In terms of both star level and raw physical strength, it was perfectly matched with its stormy counterpart.
However, in terms of temperament, the Cold Cloud Sparrow was infinitely gentler and far better suited for transport.
A piercing, resonant chirp echoed through the sky.
The giant Cold Cloud Sparrow banked smoothly through the air before slowly descending toward the expansive central plaza of Cangling Third High School, its massive wings kicking up a localized gale as it touched down.
“Speaking of which, whether we are talking about your First High School or Second High School, both of your facilities and combat venues are vastly superior to ours.
So why exactly was the location for this exchange set here at my school?” Principal Gu crossed his arms, looking up at the towering Cold Cloud Sparrow with a deep frown.
“Who asked the first-place winner of this unified exam to be a student from your Third High School?” Zhao Chengyuan replied, a distinct hint of schadenfreude lacing his tone, while Da Baiman stood beside him, offering a similarly amused smile.
Watching the massive bird settle into the plaza, the two rival principals suddenly felt a deep sense of relief that Wang Ping and Bei Hanyun had failed to secure first place in the unified exam.
After all, if the visiting prodigies completely crushed them in this exchange, the host school would bear the brunt of the humiliation.
At least now, if Cangling City lost, they could comfortably blame it on Third High School’s home-field advantage.
Principal Gu gritted his teeth.
If Lin Heling and the rest of the visiting troublemakers had not already been stepping off the bird, he absolutely would have cursed the two men out loud and branded them as shameless scoundrels.
However, the moment Principal Gu’s eyes shifted and he caught sight of Luke approaching the plaza, his foul mood instantly evaporated.
A smug sense of superiority washed over him.
He had the absolute best student in the city, and these two old fools could only stand there and shed tears of envy.
[Akarin’s Note: Enjoying the story?