Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei Returns from the Elden Ring

"Lu-kun." Inuyama He and Ryoma Genichiro stood up and bowed slightly when they saw Lu Mingfei.

Princess Kaguya, now back to normal, has informed the two heads of the Genji family of what happened inside the Genji Heavy Industries building, including the current patriarch's order to regard Lu Mingfei as a commander second only to him.

Lu Mingfei was accompanied by Uesugi Erii; he had come to find Uesugi Yue. Aside from Genjiro needing to stay and deal with the mess left by the Snake-Headed Eight Families, he planned to keep all potential hybrids who could become vessels for the White King under surveillance before exploring the underwater burial site.

“Mr. Uesugi Kotsushi, please come with me now. The two family heads should have already explained the details.” Lu Mingfei got straight to the point.

Wrapped in a blanket, Uesugi looked rather old. His hair was still wet from being unconscious in the heavy rain. He looked up at Lu Mingfei with a complicated expression. "It seems you are the real person in charge. Angers' promise to let me leave Japan was just empty talk... Then I'll ask one last time, let me go to France. Isn't that safer than staying in Japan?"

“Europe is not necessarily safer than Japan,” Lu Mingfei said.

Upon hearing this, everyone turned their attention to Lu Mingfei, except for Uesugi Erii, who was somewhat distracted.

Europe is the stronghold of the Secret Society; even before the era of Kassel College, the Secret Society's core body, the Elders' Council, was located in Europe. Now that Lu Mingfei says Europe may not be safe, does this mean the trust between Lu Mingfei and the Secret Society is faltering, and that the intelligence this enigmatic and legendary figure possesses may be beyond everyone's imagination?

“Alright.” Uesugi Koshi sighed. “Aga, remember to send me the paternity test report I asked for.”

"Okay." Inuyama He bowed.

……

A yacht sails leisurely on the azure waves. Sunlight pours down through gaps in the clouds, shining through the porthole onto the pale-faced old man. He is in very poor condition; his heartbeat and breathing are at a very low rate, and he is covered in a fine layer of cold sweat.

Suddenly, the old man opened his bloodshot eyes, sat up blankly, and remained in a daze for a long time before realizing his situation.

The men on deck were much more relaxed, leaning against the railing with wine glasses in hand, watching schools of tropical fish swim past the ship's side. In the distance, several seagulls circled and soared, skimming low over the sea and calling out loudly. Occasionally, one or two would land on the railing. These birds had experience stealing food from humans on the beach, so they were not afraid of people.

A seagull landed beside the man, tilting its head to examine the wine glass in his hand, as if it thought it was some kind of food.

The man chuckled softly, clenched his fist, and stretched out his hand—a common way for tourists to feed seagulls on the beach.

Sure enough, the seagull flapped its wings and approached, its eyes fixed on the man's hand. But when the man opened his fingers, his palm was empty. The seagull let out a strange cry, glanced at the man twice, then spread its wings and took off on the salty sea breeze, soaring into the distance.

"I couldn't defeat Angers." The old man emerged from the cabin, looking weary.

“That’s normal. Of all the mixed-blood Time Zero users I’ve ever met, he’s the longest-lived and most diligent.” The man’s tone was languid. “You did a great job. Lu Mingfei must be out of his mind by now. He’ll probably hold onto all the royal bloodlines tightly.”

"How did your trip go?" the old man asked, bending down.

"It can't be called smooth sailing. He didn't listen to what I was saying at all. He was probably thinking the whole time about when he could stab me a couple of times. Ah, but that's the real Lu Mingfei." The man sighed. "He's even more extreme than that interesting guy Angers. Nothing can provoke him, and he doesn't need to sacrifice anything precious. This monster of his is already burning, except that what he holds in his hand is not a match, but a third of the world."

“Such a person is destined to fail,” the old man commented. “Only you and that black emperor are the true chess players.”

"How is Herzog?" The man waved his hand, seemingly not liking these empty words of praise. "That old guy, like Lu Mingfei, doesn't have much time left."

“According to the intelligence I obtained on this trip, he has already accelerated the drilling progress and is gradually abandoning the forces he has built up in Japan over the years,” the old man said. “Next, Lu Mingfei will face the most complicated situation he has ever encountered. The Snake Clan led by Genjiro is unreliable, the remnants of the Demon Clan will also cause chaos, and in the end, it will be the rebellion of the Kanto branch. Herzog has even used the wealth he has accumulated over the years to put bounties on Lu Mingfei’s life for some biker gangs, debt collectors and thugs.”

“He only has Genji left, which isn’t the best option. And what’s revived might not even be the complete White King’s juvenile.” The man showed a hint of worry. “Whether it’s an unconscious beast that awakens or the noble White Emperor, it will have a profound impact on our plans.”

"It's all because Herzog is too useless and reacts too slowly. If he had taken that girl away sooner, none of this would have happened." The old man said with a face full of disdain.

At his level, he couldn't see through the timelines, so he didn't know that Herzog had successfully taken Erii away in the previous timeline.

“That’s what makes it interesting,” the man said leisurely. “Unchanging course of events is fate, but fate is a curse upon us. Even if Lu Mingfei were to obtain the White King’s power in the worst-case scenario, it would only allow him to remain active for a while longer… Just how far have Gulvig and Friga infiltrated?”

"We've temporarily avoided direct confrontation with EVA on the Secret Party side, but we've essentially taken control of the switch that will trigger the self-destruction of humans and hybrids," the old man replied.

"Hmm." The man nodded. "How's the preparation for the key to the Arctic?"

"Recently, a certain force has been secretly investigating the Prince Gauguin, which has caused some trouble, but the first batch of passengers and cargo is almost ready."

Chapter 210 Drilling Project

Blackstone Mansion.

Uesugi Kotsu and Uesugi Erii are temporarily staying here. As arranged by Lu Mingfei, the two will stay here until the White King incident is settled.

Having re-established contact with the academy, Angers set up a temporary command post here. Several helipads near the old house have been reopened, and the Secret Service will soon send its first batch of people here, both to supplement Angers' personnel and to monitor the Japanese.

This long-dormant, historically significant mansion has finally come alive again, though it's a little different from before. Many burly men with fierce eyes who like to communicate in sign language have replaced the original staff.

Kimura Hiroshi, the butler of the Blackstone Mansion, didn't care about any of that. He had already guessed the identity of his master to some extent. What bothered him was that because the logistical resources were strictly restricted by the security standards set by Lu Mingfei, he, a top-notch butler who had worked as a butler all his life and a legend in the butler world, was unable to provide truly first-class service to his distinguished guests. This almost insane obsession had been tormenting him for several days.

At this moment, he personally carried a tray and served Kubota's Manju sake to the two distinguished guests who were having a drink in the cherry blossom grove.

The main garden of the Blackstone Mansion is a hot spring surrounded by a cherry grove. Two elderly people sat facing each other. The one with an Asian face was looking at a document with an extremely serious expression. He even unconsciously crumpled the pages. It was a paternity test report.

"If Genjiro is my son, then Genjiro is too?" Uesugi Koshi looked up at Angers, frowning in question.

“Who knows?” Angers shrugged.

“Genjiro and Genjiro are brothers, so they are definitely my sons,” Uesugi Koshi answered his question immediately, standing up and pacing in the garden. “I have two sons!”

“No need to rush. Mingfei has already instructed Genjiro to abandon her infiltration among the demons, and she'll be here soon,” Angers said somewhat helplessly. “As for Genjiro, the Equipment Department is assisting the Ganryu Research Institute in developing a seabed exploration plan, and this matter will be resolved soon. At that time, we will monitor all border crossings throughout Japan, Herzog…”

"Stop, I'm not listening to your plans." Uesugi Kotsu reached out to stop Angers. "I can't afford any more trouble right now. I'm nearing the end of my life and only now am I able to enjoy my old age surrounded by my children and grandchildren. I don't want to think about anything related to the White King or any evil scientist. Let me wait in peace, even if it means going to hell later."

“Aren’t you getting a little too excited…” Angers took out a cigar, lit it, and then threw the cigar box on the table.

Uesugi Koya took out a cigar and lit it. "You don't have a son, you don't understand."

"You've only been searching for your son for a short time, and you're already lecturing me?" Angers chuckled. "Don't worry, we don't need to get involved in this war. I want you to stay in Japan for what I need to do."

"Is there a difference between what you're doing and what Lu Mingfei is doing?" Uesugi Yue asked.

“In a sense, I was handling his political troubles outside of the war itself,” Angers said. “The academy sent a group of elites from mixed-race families, and the board of directors clearly believed that Lu Mingfei, or even I, was in danger of getting out of control.”

After the Middle Ages, family systems gradually took shape in mixed-race societies, with elite mixed-race individuals primarily coming from prestigious families. Although occasionally mixed-race individuals with unclear lineages could be discovered, their bloodline was usually not high; these mixed-race individuals were referred to as wild-blooded. The student body of Kassel College consisted entirely of these two types of people. Among them, the scions of mixed-race families, influenced by their family education, had a higher degree of acceptance of the Secret Society's principles and understood how to adhere to its tenets.

The academy's student files contain each student's past. When the Japanese rebellion came to a critical moment, the secret society, which was essentially a violent organization, revealed its true colors. In their eyes, the elites from aristocratic families were far more trustworthy than wild individuals, just like choosing obedient hunting dogs.

"You want me to be the former head of the family and the imperial representative of the White King's bloodline, the Snake Clan?" Uesugi Echizen gradually realized what he meant.

"For some reason, the Secret Party did not conduct an in-depth investigation into Lu Mingfei for quite some time, at least not openly," Angers said. "According to the official intelligence of the Board of Trustees, Lu Mingfei was just an S-level young man."

"Damn it, so the Secret Society didn't know the true identity of this guy under their command..." Uesugi Yue instantly understood. "If they discover that Lu Mingfei is far more exaggerated than the super hybrid among the White King's bloodline, then in their eyes, you're no different from a madman like Herzog!"

“A terrible analogy, but in a sense it is true.” Angzhe nodded. “The balance between the Secret Party and the Snake Clan is actually very fragile. You should understand that as soon as they confirm that I am not trustworthy, war will begin immediately.”

"What do you want me to do?" Uesugi Koya asked seriously. "Knock out and lock up those young men from European families?"

“If we do that, I can do it all by myself… Right now, Lu Mingfei and Yuan Zhisheng are actually in control of the situation, but we need to make them believe that you and I are the ones who decide the overall outcome,” Angers said.

"Will it work? Isn't your Norma guy amazing?" Uesugi Yue, once he got into character, had already started to consider the feasibility.

“The college secretary will be on our side,” Angers smiled. “All we need to do is have tea and chat with the young people.”

……

Genji Heavy Industries Building.

After Genjiro took over Tachibana Masamune's position, his sleep time was reduced to about four hours a day. Many spies impersonating Tachibana Masamune were lurking in the family's power base. In addition, the scattered remnants of the Oni Clan launched a frenzied counterattack, and the Kanto branch lost contact. There were almost one incident after another to deal with.

Sakura Yabuki pushed open the office door and walked in carrying a stack of documents.

Initially expecting another attack or defection, Genjiro was stunned when he saw the cover. It was a paper geological drilling report, seemingly quite old, outlining the initial plans for the drilling project. Several strip-shaped drilling areas were marked on a map of Japan that Genjiro knew very well. The document was signed by Tachibana Masamune.

“This is information that the head of the Miyamoto family found. He said you should take a look at it,” Yabuki Sakura explained.

Genjiro flipped through the documents, which emphasized the drilling of several underground rivers. As the legitimate lineage of the White King, the Snake-Headed Eight Families knew better than anyone how glorious this land was as a hybrid ancient kingdom during the era of dragon rule. Therefore, with the development of geological science in modern times, the Snake-Headed Eight Families carried out drilling projects of all sizes throughout Japan in order to find the lost ancient kingdom.

This document is only one part of a series of drilling projects for the family, but the fact that Masamune Tachibana personally supervised this part of the project suggests that it may contain secrets.

Chapter 211 King General

The difference between this drilling project and other projects of the same period was the modification of the drilling depth. While the engineers of the Snake Clan generally believed that the dragon ruins were located in strata tens of meters deep, in this project, Tachibana Masamune cited the latest research data: Over the past 10,000 years, the four main islands of Japan were submerged by the sea several times, bringing with them large amounts of sand and gravel. Based on this, he deduced that the ancient divine ruins were located in very deep strata, increasing the drilling depth from 100 meters to 300 meters.

The ruins of the ancient kingdom of hybrid races are second only to the Burial Grounds of the Gods in importance to the Snake Clan. Finding the lost civilization of the Age of Gods… even just excavating one ruin would grant them immeasurable technology: lost alchemy, the engineering and construction techniques of the dragon race, and even the method to unlock Nibelungen. Mastering such epoch-making technology would undoubtedly make them the rulers of the world.

If Tachibana Masamune is a member of a mysterious organization, this organization, while exploring the secrets of the White King, may also be coveting the ancient civilization ruins of the White King's bloodline.

This was a perfectly reasonable guess, but Genji felt that something was off.

Prolonged mental activity had dulled his mind. Feeling tired, he habitually picked up the cup on the table, which contained strong black coffee. He had been relying on this to stay awake for many days.

Although he was the weakest emperor, his physical condition should not have deteriorated to this extent. However, he had experienced the impact of the mysterious man's alchemy and the suppression of Lu Mingfei's dragon might. Even the imperial blood could not restore his spirit in a short period of time.

“Arrange for some people to keep an eye on these drilling projects.” Yuan Zhisheng finally chose a more conventional approach. He had too many things to do. This old document seemed to have a lot of potential for exploration, but the same was true for everything else.

The office suddenly began to shake violently, followed by a deafening roar from below, and the office windows shattered instantly.

Neither Genji nor Sakura Yabuki panicked. Genji carefully held his coffee cup, trying not to contaminate the numerous documents on the table. There was no earthquake warning; it was an explosion, and this wasn't the first explosion in recent times.

Tachibana Masamune left behind many unused assassins in the Hebi-hachi family. After Tachibana Masamune's death, these assassins used human bombs to sabotage the family's facilities.

Genjiro had already had the heads of the Fuuma and Ryoma families conduct preliminary personnel screening and purges, but over a decade of operation had made Tachibana Masamune's hidden forces very well concealed, and there were always some who slipped through the net.

“The important areas of the family are guarded by reliable elites. Judging from the sound, it doesn’t seem to be Kaguya’s server room. I’ll go check the underground dock at the Ganryu Research Institute. The first batch of technical assistance personnel from Kassel College are also there. I hope nothing unexpected has happened,” Yabuki Sakura said calmly.

During this period, Sakura Yabuki acted as Genji's eyes and ears, while his other two retainers, Yasha and Crow, were temporarily working under the lord of the Fuma family.

The Snake-Headed Eight Families are facing a severe shortage of manpower.

……

Paradise Pavilion.

This gambling den, which was once known as Paradise, had never been so desolate. Its power system was destroyed in the first attack by the Snake Clan. In the ensuing tug-of-war, bullets, explosives, and even incendiary bombs left many deep marks on the building.

The casino hall was somewhat empty in the darkness, with broken pachinko machines and gambling tables scattered in the corners, and even leather shoes left behind by gamblers who had fled in panic during the Snake Clan's raid. The Demon Clan no longer had any personnel or property here, but Sakurai Kogure, as "Ryoma," remained stationed nearby, waiting for her meeting with Kazama Ruri, also known as the "Dragon King."

"Take someone you can trust to the Hebi-Hachi family." Upon returning, Genji simply tossed Sakurai Kogure a family crest, the crest of the Genji clan, one of the top three families of the Hebi-Hachi family. The purpose of such a symbolic item was to prevent a situation like "the flood washing away the dragon king's temple." A low-level thug might not have seen the leader of the Genji clan, but as long as he was involved in the underworld, he would definitely recognize the Hebi-Hachi family crest.

This one of Genjiro's was given to him by Genjiro when they were at the Black Stone Mansion.

“There’s no one here anymore,” Sakurai Kogure said respectfully. “The last batch of scouts from the Snake Clan who were monitoring this place also left not long ago.”

“Yes, everyone’s been sent away,” Yuan Zhinv said with a mocking laugh. “Only a ghost would come out to take action.”

Sakurai Kogure's eyes narrowed.

"Mind your own business, woman." Genji noticed Sakurai Kogure's hesitation and said in a low voice, "I'm tired of you. Now get out."

Sakurai Kogure gripped the Genji family crest tightly and quietly retreated. Before the heavy, ornate bronze door, she glanced back; Genji's figure disappeared down the stairs leading to the top floor.

The fire damage was everywhere, especially along the walls and wooden floors. The scorched stairwell looked just like a bare shell, leaving Yuan Zhinv momentarily dazed.

The basement of the Elysium was a place where guests could realize their dreams. It consisted of small rooms, each hiding a secret, some with bloodstains on the floor. The above-ground buildings of the Elysium were lavishly decorated, but the staircase leading to the basement, like the dilapidated scene before them, was merely a rough, whitewashed surface. The Elysium was set in the depths of hell; it was a joke played by Genjiro on his guests. He didn't believe in the existence of true bliss; only death was eternal, and so-called bliss was just desperate pleasure before death.

The burned staircase in front of me was even more eerie than the basement, like a gate leading to heaven, but in reality, it was a road to hell.

He stopped in front of the door to the top-floor Japanese-style suite, raised his hands slightly beneath the wide sleeves of his kimono, placed them on the two long swords at his waist, and then squinted as he scanned the darkness before him.

"Welcome back," someone said in the darkness.