Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei Returns from the Elden Ring

Lu Mingfei didn't want to talk to him anymore, so he turned back to Constantine's side and thought about how to deal with this guy who no longer had the power of the Dragon King.

Just then, Constantine frowned and suddenly opened his dark eyes.

His gaze lingered on Lu Mingfei, and he spoke softly, "Have you seen my brother? He was gone when I woke up."

Lu Mingfei looked at Lu Mingze.

Lu Mingze shrugged. "I don't know either. It's come to this point, brother. Even if you pull out your Spark Lens and transform again, I'll just applaud, not be surprised."

Lu Mingfei conjured a slender, sharp bronze cone in his hand and pressed it against Constantine's mirror-like eyes. "I'm also looking for your brother."

"Oh, I see." Constantine seemed not to have seen the sharp weapon, his eyelids drooping in disappointment. "If you see my brother, please tell him, thank you."

After saying that, he fainted again.

Lu Mingfei waited a moment and then put the bronze cone away.

His previous impression was correct; the power of the dragon race was not a simple power, but a cursed authority. Those who possessed this authority would go mad and become tyrannical, high and mighty "gods" or "kings."

Perhaps this is Constantine's true nature, or perhaps the real Constantine died when he lost his power.

It doesn't matter.

Lu Mingfei didn't care about the truth. His current judgment was that Constantine had become a stable personality like that of a human hybrid. Given the potential instability of the Great Rune, he couldn't rashly kill him or leave him here.

Chapter 35 Leaving the City

Lu Mingfei found the remains of Chixiao in the bronze floor, which resembled a pile of spilled asphalt. For some reason, he couldn't manipulate the metal used to forge Chixiao, so he could only break open the bronze and bend down to pick it up.

The once simple yet majestic Eight Directions Sword was now completely destroyed.

Lu Mingfei casually melted a large pile of bronze. Under his control, the blazing red sphere floated in mid-air, with faint electric sparks flashing. Liquid droplets surged, and impurities were constantly squeezed out, dripping to the ground and condensing with a hiss.

Finally, a mass of metallic essence, no longer resembling bronze, fused with Chixiao under high temperatures, reshaping it and restoring its original shape.

Lu Mingfei originally wanted to switch to a longsword, broadsword, or greatsword that he was more used to, but the remaining "spirit" in Chi Xiao's body did not support doing so. Although forging it as it was before could not completely restore the enhanced state, it could still retain some of the effects.

Chixiao, after recovering, was a bit heavier than before.

Lu Mingfei brandished his sword, the blade cutting through the air with a sharp whistling sound. He then examined the longsword he had forged. He could not only completely manipulate the metal, but also sense its state.

He recalled a military science book he had once read, which said that the last test that large aircraft wings undergo before leaving the factory is a load failure test, and this test has a strange index of 1 to 1.2.

The lower limit is understandable; if the wing breaks before reaching the load capacity, it indicates a very dangerous situation at the factory, and the finished product is defective. However, having an upper limit is strange. Shouldn't the load capacity be higher for better performance?

The book's answer is that if the wing can withstand more than 1.2 times the load without breaking, it means that the design has not fully explored the potential of the aircraft's structure and materials.

Human engineers do not pursue bigger and better, but rather to maximize the potential of materials, processes, costs, and structures.

The sword in his hand is made of "dead metal," also known as "regenerated metal," which means that all the potential of the metal has been fully squeezed out. If it breaks or is damaged, it only means that this material has reached the limit of what is possible in forging cold weapons.

The book also says that this experiment is the most tedious because by this stage, the aircraft is basically complete, and all the engineers need to do is to evenly install the load-bearing equipment on the wings. This process is both boring and uncreative. Moreover, the experiment requires the participation of a large number of people and very detailed records. So if the destructive experiment is successful, it will be a moment to celebrate.

The results obtained through precise testing by human engineers combining human resources, computer science, physics, materials science, mathematics, and many other disciplines are now readily available to Lu Mingfei.

It only depletes his mental energy.

He put away the Crimson Cloud Robe, returned to his palace, put on another, larger "deep robe" for Constantine, and then controlled the bronze cage to float beside him.

He could have stayed to explore the bronze city further, but Lu Mingze reminded him that Ye Sheng and Jiu Deyaji were about to suffocate at the bottom of the dead-end passage. They could have waited for rescue in the cave, but in order to return to their aid sooner, they risked starting to explore for a way out again after the dragon servant left, unfortunately getting lost when their oxygen was running out.

Lu Mingfei cast a full suit of bronze armor, carried Constantine in the bronze cage, and walked towards the exit.

Within a certain range, the metal served as his eyes and ears. He advanced along the upper path, and the closed bronze doors in front of him opened one after another. He simply broke through the walls that were jammed by gears.

After advancing for a short while, he reached the top of Ye Sheng and Jiu Deyaji's heads.

Separated by thick bronze, below was a labyrinthine, dark passageway, already filled with water. This was where the Bronze City stored the overflowing water from the outer areas when it was ventilating. When Ye Sheng followed the water flow to probe, the door was open, but it closed as soon as the two arrived because the water storage space was full.

Lu Mingfei continued forward, and the tunnel below slowly opened its doors again with a heavy, trembling thud, allowing the two people in the water to pass through.

Ye Sheng's "snake" immediately found a gap that could be passed through, and the two of them immediately followed Lu Mingfei's steps above.

Four people, one on each floor, moved forward almost in sync.

To prevent the "snake" from discovering him, Lu Mingfei once again released the same mental domain he had when he unleashed his second burst of blood, using a discreet and gentle method to prevent the "snake" from exploring above the ground beneath his feet.

In Ye Sheng's perception, a layer of material with almost absolute electrical conductivity and insulation seemed to have appeared above his head, making the already weakened "snake" unwilling to approach. But in the face of life and death, he didn't have time to think too much; as long as the Dragon King wasn't above him, he didn't need to consider anything else right now.

In this way, the passages from both the top and bottom sides reached the edge of the Bronze City almost simultaneously.

Lu Mingfei waited until Ye Sheng and Jiu Deyaji floated to the surface and left before breaking through the bronze wall. Water rushed in eagerly, and he chanted dragon script in a low voice. Professor Mans's domain unfolded around him, with high pressure from the inside out, repelling water or other impurities.

Words of Power: A Dustless Land.

Lu Mingfei controlled himself to float to the surface slowly, trying to get as close to the riverbank as possible.

He cannot manipulate the wind like he can control flames, nor can he see the "wind" element in nature. However, after obtaining supreme authority, he can control other elements through the chanting of "words of power." This ability has limited power and consumes very little mental energy.

Stepping onto the soft, muddy ground, Lu Mingfei put Constantine down and dismantled the bronze cage into countless fragments, which then sank into the river.

Half an hour later, two strangely dressed people walked through the door of a hotel.

A person dressed in dark blue knight armor carried a child wearing an oversized Hanfu into the hall. Perhaps due to the dim lighting and the fact that it was late at night, the receptionist had a momentary illusion and did not see any footprints or water stains left by the armor on the smooth marble floor.

It's pouring rain outside.

Or is it that the carpets purchased by the hotel are of such high quality?

The receptionist didn't think much of it. He was a fan of anime and manga and often attended anime conventions, so he simply thought the other person's exquisite cosplay outfit was cool and even wanted to take a photo with them. He vaguely felt that this combination was quite common in anime, but couldn't think of any characters that matched it.

"Sigh, I hardly watch any new anime series anymore since I started working. Maybe it's something from a new anime series?"

Thinking this to himself, the receptionist still wore a professional smile. When he first started working, trying to get close to customers had caused him a lot of trouble, both physically and mentally. Now, he only did what he was supposed to do.

When asked to show his ID, the other party simply pointed to the phone.

"May I use the phone for a moment?"

Surprisingly, it was a gentle, youthful voice.

The receptionist took down the landline phone and politely handed it to the other party.

Chapter 36 Angers

Through voiceprint recognition, Norma confirmed the location of Lu Mingfei, an "S" level student, and immediately verified his identity and booked a luxury suite for him.

The account used to make the payment was one of the highest-level VIP accounts in the hotel's records. The lobby assistant manager, who was sound asleep in the dormitory next to the office, was awakened by the doorbell. He immediately learned that the guest did not require high-standard room customization or a person in charge to receive him. So he used the internal phone to remind the front desk to treat him politely and to serve him the highest-grade fruit platter and drinks.

After dismissing room service, Lu Mingfei tossed Constantine onto a bed and then sat alone in front of a floor-to-ceiling window in the living room.

This suite, located on the top floor of the hotel, is not a "room" but an entire beautifully decorated apartment with three bedrooms, a living room, and a fully equipped kitchenette.

Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, the storm raged outside, the wind howled, and the lights in the dark were few and far between, as faint as fireflies.

Lu Mingfei sat cross-legged with Chi Xiao lying flat on his lap. Through the rain, he could vaguely see the river in the distance.

He was thinking.

The nature of the connection between Constantine and the Great Rune is currently uncertain, and their survival must be ensured.

As for Kassel College, he only learned about its orientation towards students and its propaganda. An organization that has been passed down in the dark side of human civilization cannot be judged based on one-sided views. At least, it remains to be seen what stance it holds besides being an enemy of the dragons.

He believed that it was too early to reveal Constantine's identity to the Kassel College, and that cooperation with a select few was the best course of action. In other words, only by cooperating with a select group could he delay the time it took for the top echelons of this vast hybrid organization to discover the truth.

He wasn't a brilliant strategist; he could only try to think about his current situation as calmly and objectively as possible, considering both the best and worst possible scenarios.

The best news is that he now possesses the power of a first-generation Great Rune.

When you have nothing, the doors of power are closed to you; when you hold a great rune, you have the right to sit at the table and participate in the game; and when you hold almost all the great runes, the burden of the world will fall on your shoulders.

In the early morning, the rain stopped, and the sky was a curtain of deep blue and ink-like colors, with only the cold wind still howling.

Heavy rain rarely lasts long, otherwise it would be a disaster.

Jiu Deya arrived with two executives from the department. Lu Mingfei, dressed in a white robe-style nightgown from the hotel, opened the door for them.

"Junior, are you alright...?" Shudeya hesitated. She was quite worried about Lu Mingfei and applied to Professor Mans to join the mission to assist Lu Mingfei without taking a break.

But Lu Mingfei looked perfectly fine, without a single injury on his body, not even dark circles under his eyes.

She looked like she had just woken up from a good night's sleep.

Following procedure, a medical professional stepped forward, took off her medical kit, and carefully examined Lu Mingfei.

The final conclusion was that Lu Mingfei was very healthy, only slightly hypoglycemic.

“Junior, before you rest, Professor Mans would like you to give a brief report on your mission,” said Shudeya.

“No problem.” Lu Mingfei nodded.

He has already taken control of the Dragon King, so the city is no longer in great danger; he can just make up a story.

In his account, he did not see the Dragon King. Instead, after entering the passageway, he was trapped in an empty cave by the mechanism of the Bronze City. However, he was very close to the Dragon King's palace and heard what sounded like the Dragon King fighting. Finally, he was knocked unconscious by the Bronze City's further changes and woke up by the river.

The description is vague, but it corresponds to many of Ye Sheng's statements. For example, the Dragon King seems to have been at a disadvantage in a certain battle, and the final change in the Bronze City opened up a passage to the outside.

Professor Mans, far out on the river, approved of his report, not being overly critical of the ambiguous language it contained. After all, Lu Mingfei was just a freshman. His courage underwater was enough to warrant an "excellent" mission evaluation.

The subsequent tasks were no longer relevant to Lu Mingfei; he only needed to return to school to complete a detailed paper report to receive his credits.

......

Regarding Constantine, Lu Mingfei explained that he was a mixed-race child he found after waking up by the river, and requested to report to Angers alone.

After confirming Lu Mingfei's safety, Jiu Deya left, as she needed to return to Ye Sheng to participate in or provide guidance for the subsequent dive.

Lu Mingfei, carrying the awakened Constantine, took the executive department's special car to the command post in Angers.

Although it was called a command post, it was actually the rooftop of a high-end clubhouse. Outside the living room was an open-air rooftop terrace with a swimming pool. Due to the storm, many of the non-permanent facilities had been removed. An elderly man with silver hair sat at a white stone table, facing the entrance, drinking tea. The wind was strong on the rooftop, but the old man's hair was perfectly styled, and his eyes held only composure.

After confirming that no one else was around, Lu Mingfei asked, "Principal, are you sure no one is eavesdropping?"

Angers glanced at him and Constantine behind him, his tone casual, "You can report sufficiently confidential matters here."

“Okay.” Lu Mingfei pointed to Constantine. “He’s from the Bronze City.”

Angers' spirit suddenly amplified, and everything slowed down: the wind, the swaying bushes, the steam rising from the teacup, the raindrops falling from the eaves. He brandished his folding knife in the slowed space, and a burst of air gently ruffled Constantine's hair.

Word of Power: Time Zero.

Lu Mingfei remained unaffected and reached out to intercept Angers' folding knife.

Hold it with just two fingers.