Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei Returns from Japan

"I thought you were all-knowing, Senior Brother. After all, you even saw through my true identity." Xia Mi narrowed her eyes like a fox.

Only after Xia Mi said that did Lu Mingfei suddenly realize Xia Mi's true identity. Having spent too long in the senior-junior relationship with Xia Mi, the boundary between dragon and human in Xia Mi's mind had become increasingly blurred in Lu Mingfei's mind.

So much so that sometimes he forgot that the soft and cute girl in front of him, who could catch all his silly complaints, was actually a decisive and ruthless first-generation dragon king with the power to destroy the world.

Even now, looking at the beautiful girl in front of him, who was three parts arrogant and seven parts charming, he found it hard to reconcile her figure with that of the dragon Xia Mi, whose body was covered with blue scales.

Even though he almost forgot that Xia Mi was Jormungandr, the king of the earth and mountains, the dragon king was still the dragon king, and this girl named Xia Mi was the disguise that Jormungandr was wearing.

Although everyone is getting along well now, they will inevitably turn against each other one day in the future.

For some reason, Lu Mingfei's mood suddenly turned gloomy, and he muttered, "Isn't it normal that I don't know things? I'm not Nagato Yuki."

Nagato Yuki is a character from the anime "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" that Natsumi has been watching recently.

She is portrayed as a short-haired, bespectacled, book-loving, cold and aloof beauty, but her true identity is a high-tech alien robot. In "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya," she is an almost omniscient and omnipotent being who can answer all of the protagonist's questions and even change the timeline.

"In short," Xia Mi held up a finger, "antimony is one of the important materials in alchemy, and it's essential for extracting the Philosopher's Stone. Senior brother, do you know the 'Jade Record'?"

"The Emerald Catalogue? The alchemical treatise written by Newton?"

"It was translated by Newton! The author of the Emerald Book is said to be the Egyptian Pharaoh Hermes. Of course, in reality, the contents of the Emerald Book are also Hermes's alchemical principles of Nidhogg, which he somehow gleaned from somewhere and inscribed."

Xia Mi said, "Newton was not only a famous physicist, but also a famous alchemist. In fact, Newton was exposed to alchemy even earlier than he was exposed to science."

"Newton's manuscripts show that he copied and translated many alchemical works word for word, and also compiled a detailed alchemical glossary. In his later years, he devoted half his life to studying alchemy, searching for a way to create the Philosopher's Stone. John Maynard Keynes called him the last alchemist."

Lu Mingfei had also heard that in the Middle Ages, theology and science weren't so clearly separated; chemistry was then just a branch of alchemy. He listened as Xia Mi continued her explanation:

"In addition to translating alchemical works, Newton himself also conducted a large number of alchemical experiments. The most famous of these was his successful creation of a beautiful crystal that shimmered with starlight, based on Bashir Valentine's alchemical work, 'The Spiral of Antimony'. Newton named it 'Regulus', which means 'star antimony'."

"Newton believed that antimony was not the Philosopher's Stone, but a completely new alchemical drug."

Xia Mi blinked and said slowly, "But Newton was wrong. Star Antimony is actually the Philosopher's Stone, but it still contains a lot of impurities that have not been purified. The moment he refined Star Antimony was the moment he came closest to the Philosopher's Stone in his life."

"So..." Lu Mingfei asked, "Newton was actually of mixed race?"

Xia Mi tilted her head. "Probably. Many famous people in history were actually mixed-race. For example, Attila the Hun was actually... a dragon, which is why he was so powerful and could fight all the way to Rome without anyone being able to stop him. The Chinese emperors didn't just boast that they were of dragon blood. Going back to the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors period, those who could become leaders were all mixed-race dragons."

After Xia Mi's explanation, Lu Mingfei roughly understood the function of 'antimony'. He then realized why the bounty post was so focused on Portugal's import of large quantities of the metal 'antimony', and why he wanted to send a hybrid to track the flow of this 'antimony'.

"So, does this mean that some hybrid race or hybrid faction in Portugal is planning to refine the Philosopher's Stone, which is why they imported so much 'antimony'?" Lu Mingfei asked.

"It's hard to say. Maybe it's like you said, that they're importing 'antimony' just because a company wants to develop its semiconductor business? Obviously, the bounty hunter who issued this commission isn't sure about this either, which is why he wants the mixed-race person in Portugal to help track down the whereabouts of this 'antimony'."

“However—” Xia Mi suddenly drew out the last syllable, “It is obvious that Portugal, and even the whole of Europe, may not be peaceful for some time to come.”

Lu Mingfei patted his chest as if he had just recovered from a shock, "Luckily I'm not going to Portugal, so the chaos won't reach us."

Xia Mi shrugged. "I hope so."

……

Inside a villa at Yiyin Lingshu.

Su Xiaoqiang lay on her side on the bed.

She didn't know when it started, but she had gotten used to lying in bed without the lights on.

At first, it wasn't that I didn't want to turn on the lights; I was just simply lazy. After returning to my room, all I wanted to do was lie lazily on the bed, as if all the strength to support my body had been drained the moment I stepped through the door.

Every day I pretend, every day I endure. At first, I always felt that after I got used to it, everything would get better and I could go back to how things were at the beginning.

However, it's clear that some things aren't so easy to get used to.

When jokingly pushing Liu Miaomiao toward Lu Mingfei; when teasing the two of them as a friend; when pretending to be nonchalant even though he was clearly annoyed and upset.

It's probably because faking a smile is so tiring that I feel so exhausted when I get home every day. I'm so tired that all I want to do is lie in bed, and I don't even have the strength to get up and turn on the light.

Even so, I still have to smile and face those two people tomorrow.

"Su Xiaoqiang, when did you learn to fake a smile?"

Su Xiaoqiang hugged the 101 Dalmatians doll her mother had given her and muttered to herself.

The three knocks came from the doorway. Su Xiaoqiang quickly sat up, wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and asked:

"Who is it?"

"It's me, Qiangqiang." Su Zhenqi's voice came from outside the door. "Your room light is off? Are you already asleep?"

"No, I was just about to go to sleep."

"So...do you have time now? There's something I need to tell you."

"Yes, Dad, come in."

After that dance, for some reason, Su Xiaoqiang felt that her relationship with her father had improved a lot. Her father no longer forced her to attend banquets she didn't want to go to or meet people she didn't want to see, and he would even take the initiative to ask about her life at school.

Su Zhenqi pushed open the door and entered. His hand touched the lamp holder by the door, and the glaring incandescent light turned on, making Su Xiaoqiang squint for a moment.

"Dad, is there something you need from me?"

"Um……"

Su Zhenqi lowered his head, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "It's about the anniversary of your mother's death."

"The anniversary of Mother's death?" Su Xiaoqiang paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Did you have something come up again, so you didn't have time to go? It's okay, I can fly to Portugal by myself. Don't I often go by myself in previous years?"

“No…” Su Zhenqi paused for a moment and said, “Last night, I received an email from your aunt saying that Portugal seems to be quite unstable and not very safe recently, and asked if we still wanted to come. If we did, we should contact them in advance so they could send someone to pick us up at the airport.”

"What I mean is, since Portugal is so dangerous right now, let's just not go this year."

Su Zhenqi looked up, carefully observing the expression on his daughter's face, only to see her staring blankly at him, her pupils filled with water, like a smooth, mirror-like lake.

He wanted to continue persuading his daughter, saying that since she would visit her mother every year, it shouldn't matter if she went less this year.

But he couldn't say those words, because the mirror in Su Xiaoqiang's eyes shattered in an instant.

The lake water rippled like raindrops.

……

The new chapter is stuck in the review process again.

The new chapter is stuck in the approval process again...

I've been revising it for half an hour and it still hasn't passed... It's Mai Shude again...

Chapter 194 Mai's Farewell

InterContinental Hotel, night.

The walkway leading to the rooftop pool is lined with pointed-toe VALENTINO stilettos and Ferragamo high-heeled boots. As you walk along the walkway, you can see skirt suits, stockings, bodysuits, and handguns scattered everywhere...

Lily, carrying the tray with the cell phone, tiptoed carefully through the gaps between the clothes.

As an iconic building in this coastal city, the rooftop pool of the InterContinental Preux Hotel has always been one of the city's most extravagant... even decadent social venues.

The three most common things here are champagne, young models, and wealthy young men who spend money like water. Even before the advent of social media, this was already a popular spot for socialites and rich kids. Sitting on the edge of the pool, you can overlook the entire bustling CBD area of ​​the city.

But now... this extravagant place has been booked out for several days in a row.

Mai Shude, wearing a lace swimsuit, lay on a Totoro-shaped swimming seat, her delicate feet swaying in the pool as if using them as oars for the inflatable boat.

Holding a champagne glass and wrapped in a silk towel, Su Enxi sat gracefully by the pool, gently kicking the water. Her long hair flowed freely in the night breeze.

“I really wish this holiday could be longer…” Su Enxi suddenly said, “What did Sanwu tell you? She said, ‘This job is a bit tricky’?”

“A person with no connections would not say such a thing.”

It was nighttime, but Mai Shude was still wearing enormous sunglasses, though not the same pair as before. She'd left the old ones, along with her Volvo, in Nibelungen; these were new ones.

“What Sanwu said was, ‘It will take more time than expected,’” Mai Shude shrugged. “But that’s about the gist of it. If even Sanwu thinks it’s troublesome, it means this idea is a bit tough.”

"Didn't the boss give you any instructions? Like, to go and support some unregistered or unlicensed businesses?"

“No.” Mai Shude shook her head.

Su Enxi stopped splashing in the water and instead tore off the towel covering her body, revealing her shapely figure, which, while not as sexy as her friend's, was still quite exquisite. The pure blue three-piece bikini outlined her body in a way that was both innocent and alluring.

With a splash, a wave of water rose from the edge of the pool... Su Enxi entered the water and danced in the water like a nimble little white fish.

Although it's on the rooftop where the night wind howls, the pool water temperature remains constant at 27 degrees Celsius year-round, so it's not cold at all; on the contrary, it has a refreshing warmth.

Just then, the sound of bare feet splashing in puddles could be heard from the edge of the pool.

"Miss Su... Miss Mai..."

Lily carried the tray and ran on tiptoe, her chest heaving from the exertion, but she didn't dare to utter a sound.

"What is it?" Su Enxi emerged from the water like a mermaid, sat back down by the pool, tucked her wet hair behind her head, and asked Lily.

"I have a text message for you," Lily replied, panting softly.

"who?"

"I don't know, I don't dare to check your text message content... but the sender's name is not displayed on my phone."

No sender's name?

Mai, who had been lying on the inflatable ring, and Su Enxi, who was sitting by the pool, exchanged a glance... Su Enxi got out of the water, picked up a towel from the sun lounger next to her, wiped her body haphazardly, and then went straight to Lily.

Mai, like a folded blade, curled up inside the hollow of the swim ring and submerged into the water. With a flick of her long legs and slender arms, she swam to the edge of the pool.

Lily presented the tray with both hands. Su Enxi picked up her phone from the tray, skillfully opened the text messages, and found a message on the top of the first page with a blank sender's name.

Su Enxi clicked to read.

"How is it?" Mai helped herself up from the poolside and grabbed a towel to dry herself off.

Su Enxi shrugged.

"How's it going? Got some new work, huh? Long-legged beauty, our vacation is over." Su Enxi sighed, head down.

"What kind of work?"

Su Enxi turned her phone upside down and handed it to Jiu De Mai, who took the phone and glanced at it.

"What do you Chinese people have a saying? In Japanese, it's pronounced 噂をすれば影がさす."

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear."

Su Enxi pouted and took the phone back from Jiu De Mai.