There were three ways to reach the far northern lands of the Dragon Clan.

The first was by traveling the normal way, but whether in human form or dragon form, it would take a lot of time.

The second was to use spatial magic for precise teleportation. The advantage of this method was that it could save a significant amount of time on the journey. However, the downside was that, across the entire Dragon Clan, there were no more than five tribes skilled enough to frequently use spatial magic.

The tricky part was, three of those tribe's Dragon Kings were already killed by General Leon.

The third method was to use a specific mode of transportation. Although it still took several days to reach the far northern lands, the time saved compared to flying by oneself was considerable.

And for Saint Hiss Academy’s practical combat assessment for the Youth Dragon Division, they chose the third method.

As for the so-called “mode of transportation,” it was none other than the kids’ old companion—

The Leviathan Dragon.

Despite their massive size, these gentle "school buses" were, in fact, among the few tribes that had mastered spatial magic themselves.

Although their spatial magic didn’t belong to the same school as Lavie’s and the others’, they were still perfectly suitable for traveling.

This journey, starting from the academy, was expected to take three days to reach the far northern lands.

With a backpack stuffed to the brim, Noa obediently stood behind a group of senior students, orderly stepping into the Leviathan’s teleportation beam.

“Oh, look, there’s a little one coming along with us.”

“Are there extra spots now? I remember a senior once told me that the last time a hatchling division member signed up for the far northern lands’ practical combat assessment was years ago.”

Amidst the chatter, a tall senior sister turned around, bent down slightly with her hands on her knees, and asked with a wide, friendly smile, “What’s your name, little cutie?”

“Noa, Noa K. Melkevi.”

Hearing this, the senior sister looked slightly surprised. “Oh, you’re that famous Noa from the hatchling division?”

The self-proclaimed “Involuted Queen” blushed, clutching her backpack straps even tighter. “I’m not really... that famous...”

She had never spoken to teenage dragons before, so this sudden interaction left her a bit nervous.

“I’m Yuna, from the Thunder Dragon Clan. Nice to meet you, Noa,” the senior sister said cheerfully.

“Thunder Dragon Clan...” Noa blinked and gave Yuna another glance. “But I thought Thunder Dragons are usually very tall and lean.”

Noa remembered that during a relay race event at the academy’s family sports meet years ago, her dad had nearly been outfoxed by a tall Thunder Dragon. In the end, though, her father managed to outwit him and win.

“What do you mean, little Noa? Are you saying my figure isn’t good?” Yuna teased, pretending to be angry.

“No, no, that's not what I meant...” Noa panicked, waving her hands defensively, searching for the right words.

Yuna pouted briefly but, spotting Noa’s flustered expression, decided to stop teasing. “Don’t worry, I’m just kidding with you. What you’re talking about—the tall and lean dragons—those are from the Lightning Dragon Clan. I’m from the Thunder Dragon Clan.”

Noa suddenly realized her mistake. “Oh, right, I mixed them up. Sorry about that.”

“No problem, it happens quite often. People always confuse our two clans,” Yuna replied, carefree and forgiving.

“Did you sign up for this alone?” Yuna asked.

Noa nodded. “Mm-hmm.”

“The environment in the far northern lands is pretty harsh, and the Dangerous Beasts that live there are tough and robust. If you’re not careful, you might get hurt,” Yuna said seriously.

But Noa didn’t show the slightest sign of fear. “I know, Senior Sister Yuna.”

Yuna blinked in surprise. This little one’s eyes were full of determination. Was it ignorance of danger, or did this young dragoness truly have the skills to back up her confidence?

Yuna leaned toward the latter. After all, Saint Hiss Academy was a place where geniuses were as common as clouds, and elite students walked every corridor. For Noa to stand out in such an environment, she could hardly be ordinary.

“Yuna, we're going to an assessment. Are you really planning to take a child along? She’s just going to drag us down,” a senior brother nearby said dismissively.

Yuna turned to him, eyeing him critically. “You just focus on yourself, Anton.”

Shrugging indifferently, Anton gave a half-hearted smirk, clearly unconcerned.

Failing to muster another retort, Yuna rolled her eyes at him, then turned back to Noa with a warm smile that returned her previous friendliness. “Don’t worry, Noa. If you run into trouble during the trip, just come find me, okay?”

“Mm, thank you, Senior Sister,” Noa responded politely.

Yuna smiled and stayed around for a while, chatting casually with Noa as they lined up. Once everyone had boarded the Leviathan, Yuna went to find her fellow classmates. Before leaving, she repeatedly reminded Noa to seek her out if anything went wrong.

Noa promised that she would.

What a kind-hearted senior sister, Noa thought.

Noa found a spot near the Leviathan’s tail. She could see its entire back there, stretched out like a massive living platform. To make the journey less monotonous, the school had even set up some makeshift accommodations. It was a good thing these "school buses" were so even-tempered—any other dragon might have flipped out at the mere suggestion of hosting such a party on their back.

Looking at the senior students all gathered in groups, Noa felt a little lonely, as she was here by herself.

This thought quickly made her miss her little sea dragon best friend.

The entire assessment trip was expected to last around ten days, including travel time. Aside from the friendly Yuna, Noa didn’t know anyone here.

Blinking her sparkling eyes, she placed her backpack down and sat cross-legged on the ground. Her silver tail draped softly behind her as she rested her chin lightly on her backpack.

The breeze teased her bangs, making her half-lower her eyes wistfully. She looked a bit lost and lonely.

After a moment, she murmured softly to herself, “I wish Helena were here…”

“I bet someone just wished for me,” a familiar voice chimed in from behind her.

Noa’s head shot up as she turned toward the voice.

A splash of blue filled her view.

“Helena...?”

“You left so quickly this morning that I couldn’t catch up,” Helena said, setting down her backpack and sitting beside Noa.

Noa was still processing what had happened. “How… how are you here?”

“Good question,” Helena mused, scratching her chin as if deep in thought. After a pause, she replied, “Because there are two spots—one for you and one for me. Perfect!”

“…I can count, Helena. I’m asking why you signed up too,” Noa clarified.

“Well…” Helena smirked mischievously, poking Noa playfully. “Because when I thought about my little silver dragon friend spending three nights in a freezing wasteland with no familiar faces around, it just broke my heart. So here I am!”

“I wouldn’t feel lonely...” Noa tried to argue.

“Of course you wouldn’t—but you wouldn’t like that, either,” Helena countered with a pointed gaze.

Noa opened her mouth to refute but found no words of denial. Helena was right. She wasn’t scared to face the assessment by herself; she just didn’t like being alone.

Having grown up with her younger sister, along with her exceptionally doting parents, Noa had seldom faced anything entirely on her own—except for her first week at the academy. This time, she thought she could finally gain some independence, but now her best friend had suddenly tagged along.

Fine. Whatever. There’ll be other assessments in the future to toughen up, she thought to herself with a slight humph. Plenty of chances.

The two friends chatted for a while until they felt the Leviathan slowing its descent gradually.

“What’s going on? Isn’t this a non-stop trip to the far northern lands?” Noa asked.

“Oh, you didn’t hear?” Helena responded.

“Hear what?”

“There’s a tourist group tagging along on this trip,” Helena said with amusement.

Noa’s eye twitched slightly. “A... tourist group? Why would that even exist?”

Helena shrugged, patting the massive scales of their Leviathan ride. “Uncle Levi’s gotta make a living too. While ferrying us to our assessment, he picks up some tourists, markets the tickets as limited editions, and, bam—profit!”

Noa sighed and covered her face, resigning herself to the absurd reality.

For the next leg of the journey, the Leviathan frequently slowed to pick up more tourists heading to the far northern lands.

Noa found no interest in the tourists and even began to feel a little drowsy.

That was until she saw something in the distance: her mother’s gigantic Silver Dragon Castle.

“Whoa, that’s your home, Noa! Are Uncle and Auntie going to the far northern lands too?” Helena exclaimed excitedly.

But Noa paused to think—then immediately pulled Helena toward a corner, where they hid and observed secretly.

“What’s wrong, Noa? You’re not going to greet your parents?” Helena asked.

Noa shook her head. “Helena, didn’t you say last time you admired my family’s interactions?”

“Yeah, I did,” Helena said, nodding fervently.

“Well, this time, I’m going to show you how they really interact in private,” Noa declared with a sly smile.

“Huh?”

“I’ll just say two numbers: ten days, and they’ll kiss at least twenty times,” said Noa smugly.

This was her confidence in her model parents.

After all, she was the eldest princess of the Silver Dragons—Noa K. Melkevi.