Dragon Clan: Lu Mingfei Returns from Japan

Chapter 720 Miss Laurent
Lu Mingfei frowned: "Gilth de Rais? That bluebeard?"

Aki nodded: "Yes, he is the real-life inspiration for Bluebeard, the terrifying character in Western fairy tales."

Lu Mingfei nodded slightly.

He wasn't exactly a very knowledgeable person, but he did know who Gilles de Rais was... because this character appeared in the famous Japanese anime *Fate/Zero*. During the Fourth Holy Grail War, he was summoned by his Master, Ryunosuke Amamiya, as a Caster-class Heroic Spirit.

Sometimes anime can indeed be a great way to broaden one's knowledge. Lu Mingfei learned about Gilles de Rais's life through the anime "Fate/Zero".

Gilles de Rais's early life was remarkably brilliant. He was the French commander during the Hundred Years' War and one of Joan of Arc's most steadfast comrades.

He distinguished himself in the Hundred Years' War, making outstanding contributions in the Battle of Orléans in 1428 and the Loire Valley campaign the following year, and was thus able to participate in the coronation of King Charles VII of France in Reims.

He fought alongside Joan of Arc during the siege of Paris by English forces. After Joan was captured, he attempted to rescue her but failed due to insufficient troops. After Joan's death, he repeatedly retaliated against the English army, defeating the English commander, the Duke of Bedford, on the main battlefield.

If we only look at the first half of his life, he is undoubtedly a positive figure who will leave a strong mark on history.

However, after retiring from the army, he became obsessed with alchemy for some unknown reason, hoping to discover the secret of alchemy through human blood. According to incomplete statistics, he tortured and killed at least 300 children in order to study alchemy. After his deeds were exposed, he was burned at the stake.

Aki said, "The original purpose of the Holy Maiden Medical Society was to carry on Joan of Arc's will and treat the wounded on the battlefield. However, after Gilles de Rais came to power, the nature of the Holy Maiden Medical Society changed... It became more of an academy for studying alchemy and mysticism than a medical society."

“I’ve also heard that Giles de Rais is an alchemy enthusiast,” Lu Mingfei said. “So, he’s actually a hybrid?”

Aki nodded: "Yes, Giles de Rais is also a hybrid, and a famous dark alchemist in the history of alchemy. In the Middle Ages, alchemy was generally believed to have omnipotent magic, even capable of bringing the dead back to life."

"Therefore, after Gilles de Rais became the leader of the Society of Medicine of Joan of Arc, he began to use his wealth and reputation to recruit alchemists extensively to study the alchemy that could resurrect Joan of Arc. After all, how could the 'L'Ordre Médical de la Pucelle' (Society of Medicine of Joan of Arc) be without 'la Pucelle' (Joan of Arc)?"

Lu Mingfei hesitated before speaking, "So, Giles de Rais indiscriminately killed children and used their blood to research alchemy, in order to..."

Aki said, "Yes, he wanted to resurrect Joan of Arc... The children he killed were all mixed-race."

Lu Mingfei's heart skipped a beat. This insane idea was simply unbelievable. Historically, Gilles de Rais was condemned for his extravagant lifestyle and his desire to use children's blood to explore the secrets of alchemy, specifically the ability to turn lead into gold. It was unbelievable that he harbored such a "simple and plain" yet cruel and insane wish.

Aki continued:

"It was at this time that someone introduced him to an alchemist from Florence named Jean de Fontanael, a notorious dark alchemist in the history of alchemy. He claimed that he had accidentally obtained the Raziel, the Book of Raziel, which, like the Book of Hermes, was a legendary alchemical tome."

"However, Fontanael was expelled from France by the Church for using living people to study alchemy and was never allowed to set foot in France again. So he sent his student François with the Book of Ragnar to help Gilles de Rais."

"After Giles de Rais's misdeeds were exposed, the Book of Ragiel also fell into the hands of the Vatican at that time. It was later discovered that it was not actually the real Book of Ragiel, but Fontanael's own alchemical notes, which recorded his results and insights from decades of research and exploration of bio-alchemy."

Lu Mingfei asked, "Isn't bio-alchemy forbidden to be researched? Why was Giles de Rais able to openly recruit bio-alchemists back then?"

Aki shook her head: "That's only in modern times. It's precisely because bio-alchemy is too cruel and evil that cases like Giles de Rais have occurred repeatedly in the history of hybrids. That's why the major hybrid families and forces have gradually reached a consensus to prohibit the use of living people to research bio-alchemy..."

Aki looked at Lu Mingfei and blinked: "Even so, aren't there still people secretly conducting experiments in bio-alchemy?"

Lu Mingfei met those beautiful eyes, and they understood each other without saying a word.

He certainly knew what Aki was referring to.

Even now, when research into bio-alchemy is explicitly prohibited, there are still people like Father Bernardo who secretly conduct related research in private.

And... the organization behind many events, the Holy Palace Medical Association.

Gilles de Rais's research into bio-alchemy stemmed from a mad desire to resurrect Joan of Arc; while Father Bernardo's was driven by a fear of his impending death.

What is the purpose of the Holy Palace Medical Association?

Aki said, "I also borrowed a copy of the Book of Ragnar from Norma. I discovered something that I don't know if it's a coincidence. In the Book of Ragnar, Fontanael had already proposed using human hybrids as 'vessels' to filter out the toxins in the blood of pure-blooded dragons, and then injecting the filtered pure blood into the hybrid's body, so that the hybrid could obtain the power of pure-blooded dragons."

Lu Mingfei was taken aback: "The academy has a copy of the Book of Ragnarok?"

Aki nodded: "Yes. As long as the books haven't been lost, the academy's library has almost all of them, either the original or a copy."

Surprisingly, the Book of Ragnar also records the blood transfusion technique used by Father Bernardo. Could there really be some connection between the Holy Maiden Medical Society and the Holy Palace Medical Society?
Lu Mingfei lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then looked up at Aki and said, "May I take a look at that book?"

"Yes, I knew you would say that, so I applied to Norma in advance. However, this book is a banned book in the academy library because it involves biological alchemy. Only those with A-level or higher access can apply to borrow it, and it can only be borrowed from the library. Taking it out is strictly prohibited."

Aki said, "Even I had to ask Professor Mans to pull some strings to get Norma approved for my borrowing application. If you want to see it, Mingfei, you'll probably have to wait until you officially enroll before you can apply to borrow it."

Lu Mingfei could understand. After all, the Book of Ragnar contained a large number of experimental notes on bio-alchemy. If it were to be leaked and obtained by someone with ill intentions, no one could guarantee what kind of serious danger it would cause.

The Holy Maiden Medical Society and the Book of Ragnarok...

Lu Mingfei had a feeling that his vision had suddenly become clear, as if the fog that had been obscuring his path had abruptly dissipated. Although he still couldn't see the road ahead clearly, he now had a definite direction.

……

Time slipped away silently in the rustling summer breeze, and before we knew it, it was the weekend.

A red Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit raced across the summer fields. As far as the eye could see, under a canvas-like blue sky, the lush green grass stretched endlessly, rising and falling like waves to the horizon.

Lu Mingfei sat upright in the back seat of the Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit, gazing out the window at the undulating grasslands that resembled mountain ridges, feeling relaxed and content.

Earl's Garden Golf Course—that's the name of this lush, sun-drenched lawn. It's hard to imagine that such a pristine haven, untouched by the behemoths of steel and concrete, still exists in the heart of Beijing. This golf course, spanning over two thousand acres, is undoubtedly like an oasis in the desert for a city where land is incredibly valuable.

As for why Lu Mingfei came to this golf course at this moment... it's because today is the day he has an afternoon tea appointment with the school board member, Elizabeth Laurent.

Nobody knows why, even though it was supposed to be afternoon tea, the Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit was already parked outside his apartment complex early in the morning and picked him up.

Lu Mingfei believes he is no longer the clueless kid he used to be. He has participated in sailing competitions between Kassel College and the University of Chicago, raced a Bugatti Veyron on the top of Kassel College, and swam in the champagne pool at Caesars Park with the student council's dance troupe... although he was pushed in by Fingel.

These wealthy people may not be experts in any particular sport, but Lu Mingfei has at least experienced some of them... except for golf.

For once, he was exposed to a blind spot in his knowledge. He didn't even know the rules of golf.

Lost in thought, the Rolls-Royce had already stopped, and the rearview mirror reflected the girl's sweet smile in the driver's seat: "We've arrived, Mr. Lu."

The name of Earl's Garden Golf Course is engraved on the landscape stone at the entrance. After the Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit drove away, the wrought iron gates of the course creaked open again. An electric golf cart then brought him into the course.

The golf cart traveled along the fairway, the grass undulating. After driving for quite a while, Lu Mingfei still couldn't see where the end of the course was. It seemed that the course's area was indeed quite exaggerated.

Strangely, Lu Mingfei didn't see anyone playing golf on the court along the way; there were only landscape maintenance workers in white clothes mowing the grass.

"Where are we going?" Lu Mingfei asked the driver. Just like the Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit that came to pick him up, the driver of this golf cart was another beautiful blonde girl with blue eyes.

"Miss Laurent, considering Mr. Lu's long journey, asked us to take him to the golf villa to rest first." The girl smiled, her Mandarin, delivered in a broadcaster's tone, was probably even more standard than Lu Mingfei's.

Lu Mingfei was also unaware for the first time that golf courses could have villas. A short while later, a European-style building emerged from the greenery at the end of the fairway, surrounded by neatly trimmed European red pines.

Just like before, as soon as Lu Mingfei got off the golf cart, a pretty waitress immediately led him into the villa.

The villa's interior is decorated in a very classic English style, and it's probably a bit larger than Lu Mingfei had imagined. There's a balcony on the second floor with a view; from there, the undulating lawns are as graceful as a young woman's curves, a truly pleasing sight.

Lu Mingfei stood on the scenic balcony, and the waitress next to him bowed slightly: "Miss Laurent is still taking a bath, please wait a moment. You can have something to drink first, coffee, tea or red wine are all fine."

Lu Mingfei forcibly suppressed the urge to ask if the other party had Coca-Cola, and instead ordered a Geisha coffee, which was Xiaotiannv's favorite drink.

The waitress nodded and left. Lu Mingfei sat down on a lounge chair on the scenic balcony, looking at the endless grassland in front of him, and suddenly understood why those rich people liked to come and play golf when they had nothing to do on weekends.

Stepping from the bustling city into the boundless green space, there's a subtle feeling of suddenly crossing from one world to another. It's as if even your mood improves overnight.

At that moment, footsteps sounded again behind him, and a gilded tray was gently placed on the coffee table next to Lu Mingfei. The coffee in the bone china cup rippled gently, and steam rose gently.

"Thank you."

Lu Mingfei assumed it was the waitress who had brought him the coffee and was about to turn around to thank her when he heard a clear, cool female voice say, "The Geisha beans are very good, but they're a bit too sweet. I prefer Sumatra Mandheling coffee beans; they have a richer, fuller flavor. You could try them if you're interested."

As the sound faded, a white sneaker caught Lu Mingfei's eye, its long, slender legs possessing a breathtaking beauty. A young girl dressed in pure white golf attire sat down on a lounge chair beside him, her exquisite and graceful curves accentuated by her dignified posture. Her delicate face, though unadorned, was already captivating, a curious smile playing on her lips.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Elizabeth Laurent.” The girl tilted her head slightly, her smooth blonde hair sliding down one side of her shoulder, and extended a hand towards Lu Mingfei.

"Nice to meet you, I am Lu Mingfei."

Lu Mingfei hesitated for a moment, then readily shook her hand. Actually, even without the girl's introduction, the moment he saw her, he already knew, "She is Elizabeth Laurent."

Just as the vice-principal said, this female board member of Kassel College, Elizabeth Laurent... is indeed a great beauty.

Even with filters, Lu Mingfei would probably find it hard to honestly say that Liu Miaomiao and Chen Wenwen were prettier than her... He was already subtly comparing Shude Mai to Elizabeth Laurent in his mind.

Compared to Miss Laurent, the young fairy lacked a bit of the charm and grace of a mature woman.

As for my junior sister? If we're just talking about looks, she's definitely unbeatable. But she has a serious flaw... a flaw so severe that even her perfect face can't save her.

……

(End of this chapter)