The alcohol burned and tasted bitter. Not only was it muddy and unbearable, but it also tasted awful. It couldn't even match up to erguotou!
Meng Lei didn't really like it, but he still took a few sips nonetheless. After a month since his transmigration here, he was already close to puking after consuming day after day of cool water and smoked jerky!
Now that there was finally alcohol, how could he not drink it?
"Take it easy, you'd better not finish it!"
Captain Hudders laughed as he derided him. He said, "I had spent 1 gold coin to buy that from a passing trade caravan. That's the only bottle I have. Once it's finished, it's all gone!"
"Got it!"
After a few rounds of drinks and flavorful meat, almost half of the large wild boar had entered Captain Hudders' and Meng Lei's stomachs. The two of them leaned against the doorframe and made small talk as they chatted away, turning into Master
"Meng Lei, you have a talent for magic. Be sure to seize this opportunity well. This is your chance to change your destiny. You absolutely mustn't let it slip by you!"
There was a deep and profound look in Hudders' eyes as he said, "I was in the army in the past, so I've been to quite a few places. You can say that I'm the most experienced and knowledgeable person in our village!"
"Yes!"
Meng Lei nodded silently!
"Cultivation techniques are out of reach for most people, so they are unable to learn magic! But at the same time, cultivating magic also requires talent. Without magic talent, even if one had cultivation methods, they can't become a noble Magician, either!"
Captain Hudders stared right at Meng Lei and added, "You, on the other hand, have actually unknowingly become a Magician before any of us even realized. It's highly likely that you possess astounding magic talent…"
Captain Hudders couldn't find the appropriate words to describe this anymore!
Incredible?
Inconceivable?
Astonishing?
However, what he could be sure of was that Meng Lei definitely possessed exceptional magic talent—precious talent that countless people dreamed of and longed for, yet couldn't have!
Do I have magic talent?
Meng Lei was uncertain and nervous, though!
"Meng Lei! Remember this! Be sure to seize this opportunity well!"
Hudders belched, somewhat drunk. He said, "You should know that our village is under the jurisdiction of the Fire Dragon Kingdom, which is also one of the kingdoms under the Dragon God Empire's command!"
Meng Lei nodded silently!
In Heaven's Vault Continent, innumerable races existed!
The most powerful, and the most ancient, of all were the four great intelligent races—the Dragons, Titans, Fairies, and the Beast People!
The four great intelligent races dominated Heaven's Vault Continent and occupied a good half of the continent's land. Upon which, they built the four great empires that had ruled over Heaven's Vault Continent for as long as 10,000 years!
The Dragon God Empire!
The Titan Empire!
The Fairy Empire!
And the Beast People Empire!
Out of the four, the Dragon God Empire was situated in the east of Heaven's Vault Continent, overlooking the endless oceans in the east and facing the Magical Beast Ridge in the west. With 15 Kingdoms and 48 Dukedoms under its rule, it was a multi-racial empire governed by the Colossal Dragons!
"The Colossal Dragons have a strong and powerful physique and are also skilled in Dragon-Language Magic. They are one of the most powerful races in the continent. Unfortunately, the Colossal Dragon bloodline is simply too strong, so their reproduction rate is extremely low!"
Captain Hudders spoke like someone who had experienced the many vicissitudes of life. He went on and said, "Looking at the entire Dragon God Empire, there is only an extremely low number of pure-blooded Colossal Dragons. For the sake of convenience in governance, the Dragon God Empire has divided the races under their rule into four classes!"
"Four classes?"
Meng Lei's spirits perked up!
"Yes, four classes, which is also known as the Four-Classes Stratification System!"
Captain Hudders let out a wry laugh and went on. He said, "The four classes represent four completely different social statuses. Their racial obligations and the way the law treats the four classes are also completely different!
"Pure-blooded dragons belong to the first class. They are born into nobility and are conferred as the empire's Marquises the moment they are born. Not only do they own a large amount of land, but they also get to enjoy all sorts of special privileges that we would never have even in our dreams!"
First-class: Pure-blooded dragons!
Born into nobility!
Conferred as Marquises the moment they were born!
Meng Lei quietly digested these pieces of news. Then, he asked, "What about the second class? Which race is in second class?"
"In second class are the Drakes!"
In a low voice, Hudders said, "The dragons are innately lustful beings. In order to make up for their low reproduction rates, the pure-blooded dragons frequently commit lewd and immoral acts!
"This way, they would naturally give birth to some mixed-breed descendants that possess dragon blood. These descendants are known as the Drakes!
"The Drakes are also categorized into Dragon People and Dragon Beasts!"
Meng Lei was rather dumbfounded. He couldn't help but conjure up some rather eye-stinging images in his mind. A Colossal Dragon riding on top of a wild boar, and then… Giving birth to a dragon-pig?
Or if it's riding on a horse? Hmm, a dragon-horse?
And if it's riding on a human…
A single sweatdrop appeared on Meng Lei's forehead.
… A dragon-man?
"The Drakes inherit part of the dragons' talent. Some of them have powerful physiques, and some of them are skilled in Dragon-Language Magic. Adding to this their terrifying numbers, they are the Dragon God Empire's main forces. 80% of Dragon God Empire's nobles are Drakes!"
Meng Lei asked another question, "What about the third class?"
"The third class is our human race's nobility!"
Hudders sighed before he said, "In Dragon God Empire, the largest population is neither the Drakes nor other intelligent races. Rather, it's us, humans, that make up 90% of the Dragon God Empire's population!
"Most humans' battle capabilities are weak, and they are of a lowly status. They are also unable to come into contact with magic or Battle Aura even in their whole lives. Thus, they can only be fourth-class commoners for all generations to come!
"But even so, there are always a few lucky ones born with exceptional talent! Through various ways, they come to possess methods of learning Battle Aura and magic, and end up possessing great power!
"In Heaven's Vault Continent where the strong are revered, one's battle capabilities will always be a status symbol. Thus, the strong among us humans can also receive high positions within the Dragon God Empire and become nobility!
"Among them, the most famous of all is the Swirling Snow Sword Saint, Master Galen Bonaparte!"
When he brought up Galen Bonaparte, Captain Hudders' eyes were full of worship and respect. He said, "The legends of Galen Bonaparte are well-known throughout the continent. He is the idol and pride of the human race, and his existence motivates each generation of men among the human race!"
"Galen Bonaparte?"
Meng Lei nodded lightly. This name was the subject of innumerable traveling bards and minstrels. Songs and poems about him were so widely known that even three-year-old toddlers knew about him. He could be said to be the strongest person among the human race in Dragon God Empire, as well as the human with the highest position in Dragon God Empire!
"The fourth class is naturally normal people like us!"
Hudders said, "Normal humans have a lowly status and belong to the domain of people to be exploited. Not only are we not protected by the empire's law, but we also have to shoulder the heavy obligation of military service!
"The empire's law dictates that all humans, upon reaching 16 years of age, must head to various areas of the empire to carry out obligatory military service. This could be enlisting in the army, going deep into the mines to mine for minerals, or entering the nobility's mansions to become slaves or guards…
"Such is the destiny of fourth-class people, and also the destiny of normal people like us!
"If I recall correctly… You're already 15 years old, right?"