Dragon Clan: Lu Mingfei Returns from Japan

Chapter 704 Candidates
Sakura's friend?
Upon hearing Lu Mingfei's name, Erii's eyes brightened even more, and a slight smile appeared on her usually indifferent and beautiful face.

Even Yabuki Sakura had rarely seen Erii with such an expression, and she was even more surprised by her assessment of Lu Mingfei.

Just mentioning Lu Mingfei's name makes Erii so happy... What kind of magic does Lu Mingfei possess?
Erii wrote solemnly in her notebook: "Charlotte? It's nice to meet you. I'm also a friend of Sakura."

"Um...it's nice to meet you too," Charlotte said softly, her words hesitant, a hint of embarrassment showing on her tense face.

If Lu Mingfei were there, he would definitely know why Charlotte was stammering... This beautiful noblewoman's social anxiety has flared up again.

However, mentioning mutual acquaintances is indeed a good way to quickly bridge the gap between two strangers. Normally, Charlotte would probably just act aloof and avoid Erii's advances.

Moreover, whether it's Erii or Charlotte, Lu Mingfei's significance is by no means limited to "someone I know".

For Erii, Lu Mingfei was certainly a very important person, perhaps even one of the most important.

As for Charlotte, Lu Mingfei was also... well... nothing more.

Charlotte shook her head inwardly, shaking Lu Mingfei's image off her mind and stopping her wild thoughts about him. She had important things to do now! Her relationship with that guy didn't matter.

Charlotte couldn't help but want to complain a little...

That guy really has a way with women.

Charlotte couldn't help but sneer at Lu Mingfei in her heart.

Rosella, needless to say, is already a top-tier beauty. The two girls, Liu Miaomiao and Chen Wenwen, also fit the European ideal of gentle, refined East Asian girls. Xia Mi, on the other hand, is simply stunning.

Before today, Charlotte had already seen Erii's photos in the materials and knew what she looked like—a beautiful girl who left a deep impression. But after seeing her in person today, she realized that sometimes photos can be deceiving. Erii was already very pretty in the photos, but in person she was even more lively and beautiful than in the pictures.

Whether it was Sakura Yabuki's imagination or not, looking at Charlotte's cold little face as she looked at Erii, she actually sensed a hint of hostility towards Erii from that tense little face.

At this moment, Angers waved his hand, and the medical staff in the medical room, as if understanding, packed up their belongings and left via the stairs. Only after everyone from the medical staff had left did Angers speak again, looking at Yabuki Sakura:
"Sakura, we have some things to discuss. Could you please go upstairs and wait for us for a moment?"

Now, let's get to the main point.

"Do I also need to avoid suspicion?" Sakura Yabuki asked, frowning.

Angers smiled and said, "The word 'avoid suspicion' is a bit too formal. It's just that what we're about to discuss is not something that can be revealed to outsiders. Even if Genji himself is present, I will ask him to leave temporarily."

Although Sakura Yabuki had already guessed that the arrival of the Night Watchers and the two mysterious school board members was most likely related to helping Erii stabilize her bloodline, she hadn't expected that she, as the representative of the Snake Clan, would also have to leave.

What secret, which cannot be revealed to outsiders, is the matter they are about to discuss next?
Sakura Yabuki hesitated for a moment, then turned to look at Erii.

"Ms. Erii, I'm right at the door. Please feel free to call me if you need anything."

Erii nodded. Sakura Yabuki withdrew her gaze, gave a slight bow to Angers and the others, and then went up the stairs. At the door, there was a "click" as the door closed and the lock automatically engaged.

Louis turned his gaze back from the direction Yabuki Sakura had left: "She's a very competent subordinate."

Angers said calmly, "It's hard to say that Erii is just a subordinate."

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, let's save our reflections for after everything is over."

The vice principal clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention to himself: "Have the reports from the physical examination I asked you to do for Erii come out yet? I want to see them."

Angers spoke up: "Norma?"

The moment the words were spoken, a cold, mechanical female voice came from the only computer in the medical room: "The results of the electrocardiogram and CT scan are out, but the blood sample analysis will take longer."

The Executive Department specifically converted the basement of this villa into a medical room for Erii's exclusive use, and the equipment in the medical room was, of course, already connected to Norma's system. In fact, all computer systems, including those of the Executive Department, were connected to Norma.

This central mainframe at Kassel College is like the Zerg Queen in the StarCraft lore; though it sits motionless in the center, it is constantly in control of the entire situation.

The vice principal said, "Let me take a look at the little princess's medical report. Norma, could you pull it up for me?"

Norma said, "Okay."

The medical report opened on the computer desktop. The vice principal sat down in front of the computer, stroked his chin, and said, "Hmm... all the indicators are normal. I can't see any problems. Our little princess is simply too healthy. Is her bloodline really unstable?"

"These reports alone aren't enough to tell anything, are they?"

Charlotte walked to the vice principal's side, her jewel-encrusted wooden cane tapping crisply on the floor tiles: "To find out if there's a problem with her bloodline, the most important thing is to get a blood sample analysis report. You should know that too."

Erii watched Charlotte and the vice principal discuss her medical report silently, without any reaction, only blinking her eyes briefly.

She was already used to this kind of thing. When she was still living in that small basement room, the family doctor would come regularly to give her a physical examination, loudly discussing and even arguing about her health. That's why she didn't show any emotional fluctuation when she watched Charlotte and the vice-principal talking about her.

Angers' gaze fell lightly on Erii, then quietly moved away to look at the vice principal.

"It looks like the results of the blood sample analysis will take some time to come out."

Angers clapped his hands: "Let's get down to business first—can Uesugi Erii be selected for the 'Nibelungen Project'?"

Nibelungen?

Erii, standing to the side, repeated the name in her mind.

She knew about Nibelungen, the "land of the dead" in Norse mythology. She only knew the name when she was looking up a game guide.

Just two months ago, ATLUS, the publisher of her favorite Japanese game *Persona*, released a new title, *Odin Sphere*, on the PS2 platform. The game's story combines the Norse epic *Nibelungenlied* and Norse mythology. A brief silence suddenly fell over the medical room. The vice-principal, Charlotte, and Louis exchanged glances, looking at each other in bewilderment.

Sakura Yabuki's guess was correct. The vice-principal, the Night Watchman, Charlotte, and Louise, these experts and giants in the field of alchemy, had indeed come all the way from different countries, namely the United States, Austria, and Portugal, for Erii.

To be precise, it's all about Erii's bloodline.

Putting everything else aside, Erii's status as a descendant of the White King and the violent bloodline of what appears to be an "Oni" flowing through her veins are extremely tempting to some fanatical alchemists.

While the descendants of the White King are distributed throughout the world, a stable lineage of the White King's descendants, like the Snake Clan, is extremely rare—or rather, unique.

Of course, Vice Principal Charlotte and the others weren't madmen interested in human alchemy. It's just that in the process of studying alchemy, they all came into contact with some books on this subject to varying degrees.

"To become a candidate for the 'Nibelungen Program,' one must first be an outstanding student at the College of Kassel."

Charlotte began, "Of course, Erii is already a member of the preparatory class, so it's reasonable to say she's a student at Kassel College. But in addition, the board of directors needs to vote on the candidates, and only after more than half of the board members approve the candidate can she be considered."

"Aren't there already two school board members present?"

Angers smiled faintly: "Charlotte, the fact that you and Louis accepted my invitation to come here means that you are willing to cast your vote for Erii, doesn't it?"

Charlotte paused for a moment: "Personally, I'm not willing... but I can't help it, I still owe someone a favor."

She didn't explicitly say who the person she owed a favor to was. However, everyone present except Erii already knew the person's identity. If that person had the right to vote, they would undoubtedly cast their vote for Erii without hesitation.

“And you, Mr. Louis?” Charlotte turned to look at the man beside her.

Louis laughed: "Since Erii is Rosella's friend, she is of course also a friend of our Valentine family."

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, Louis's attitude towards whether or not he would cast the vote was quite clear.

Charlotte frowned slightly on her delicate face and said, "But even so, including the vote you have for 'Menek Cassel,' we only have three votes in total. Or are you so confident, Principal, that Miss Elizabeth Laurent will definitely be on your side?"

Elisabeth Laurent's relationship with Principal Angers was no secret within the Secret Service. In the few times the Board of Trustees voted, Elisabeth consistently garnered Angers' strongest support.

Including when it came to the vote on whether to admit Liu Miaomiao and Chen Wenwen ahead of schedule, Elizabeth was also one of the first to cast her vote.

But this matter is different from others. The "Nibelungen Project" is not only a secret of the Secret Service, but also a secret weapon that the Secret Service has been preparing for many years.

The first person to propose the "Nibelungen Project" was the medieval alchemist Flamel. Although it was called a project, it was more accurately described as a surgery, a bio-alchemy surgery that could strengthen the bloodline of hybrids and even break through the limits of hybrids.

Detailed records of the "Nibelungen Project" have long been lost to the vastness of history, and now only a few records remain in the surviving notes of Flamel.

However, what is certain is that the "Nibelungen Project" has a huge impact on the increase of hybrid races.

Unlike the amplification from "Bloodlust," hybrids enhanced by the "Nibelungen Project" can maintain stable bloodlines even if their bloodlines exceed the critical threshold. Not only can their Words of Power evolve, but it's not impossible for them to possess more than one type of Word of Power.

It is even possible to achieve the power of a pure-blooded dragon through hybridization.

This is why Charlotte felt that even if Elizabeth and Angers had a very solid partnership, she might not necessarily vote for Angers. Because this wasn't just a personal matter... it involved the future of the entire hybrid race.

Erii's bloodline is unstable, so the Nibelungen Project is indeed a good way to help her solve this problem. It is also the only way.

Only the most outstanding students from Kassel College could be selected to participate in the Nibelungen Project. They were capable of shouldering the hopes of the hybrid race in their fight against the dragons.

Currently, only the vice principal on night duty has the ability to perform this surgery.

If Su Xiaoqiang's mother, Gloria, hadn't died, then perhaps Gloria could have succeeded. Before Charlotte, Gloria was the last genius hailed as the most talented alchemist among the younger generation of the Secret Society, and at the time, she was widely considered to be the next head of the Valentine family.

Charlotte may indeed have the ability to carry out the "Nibelungen Project" in the future, but that would be many years from now. And given Angers' description of Erii's unstable White King bloodline, she clearly cannot wait that long.

Moreover, the resources needed to implement the "Nibelungen Project" cannot be prepared overnight.

This opportunity comes only once.

That's why Charlotte said she personally didn't want to cast her vote for Erii. In her opinion, perhaps Lu Mingfei should have been selected for the "Nibelungen Project."

It wasn't because of personal feelings, but because of Lu Mingfei's performance in the Portugal incident, she felt that Lu Mingfei was the one who could shoulder the future of mixed-race people.

...No, she and Lu Mingfei didn't have any personal relationship!

Charlotte thought coldly.

“Indeed, Lisa may not cast this vote.”

Angers broke the silence, smiling as he said, "But don't worry, as long as you two are willing to cast your vote for Erii, I'll find a way to get the remaining school board vote."

Charlotte frowned as if she had thought of something: "That mysterious school board member?"

She had no idea that the villa she was in was the property of the mysterious board member of Kassel College.

She vaguely remembered that whenever the board of directors made a decision, besides Elizabeth Laurent, Angers' other staunch supporter was that mysterious board member who never showed up.

……

(End of this chapter)