Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei Returns from the Elden Ring

On either side of the dining table, neatly arranged chairs with high backs, also carved with tree patterns, were placed. The chairs were covered with soft brocade cushions, the colors of which echoed the tablecloth, clearly custom-made luxury items.

Several people were already seated at the table, and from another door, waiters lined up in an orderly fashion to bring exquisite and luxurious dishes to the table.

Both Caesar and Chu Zihang are people who can remember the terrain when they arrive in unfamiliar places. They clearly remember that the kitchen in the villa is not on this floor, and there is only one corridor leading to this dining room.

There was no room in the villa to accommodate the building; it was as if they had entered another world by passing through that door.

The meticulously prepared dishes were clearly the work of a master chef, likely hired from a five-star hotel; that was the only thing the two could tell.

There were eight people sitting at the table. Some were people that Caesar and Chu Zihang knew, some were people they knew but had never met in person, and some were complete strangers.

Principal Angers invited the two to sit down.

As expected, Lu Mingfei sat in the main seat. His executive department uniform had become, besides Angers, the thing that Caesar and Chu Zihang felt most comfortable with in the entire restaurant.

In such a scenario, even if Lu Mingfei appeared wearing the same knight's armor from that day, it wouldn't feel out of place at all. In that case, they wouldn't know how to face this "junior."

“Then let me introduce him,” Lu Mingfei said. “He is Constantine, the younger of the brothers who are the King of Bronze and Fire.”

At Old Tang's prompting, Constantine stood up and bowed to everyone in greeting.

"He is Fenrir, the elder of the siblings who are kings of the earth and mountains."

Lu Mingfei extended his hand, which was gloved with eagle training gloves. Fenrir leaped from the ground onto his hand, wisely spreading its wings and raising its head, but its eyes remained fixed on the sweet and tender shrimp meat that had been peeled and decorated with lobster shells.

"The last one is Ronald Don, formerly known as Norton, the elder of the Bronze and Fire King brothers."

As an orphan, Old Tang had far more social experience than Constantine and understood what the banquet was all about and what Lu Ming was trying to do.

"Hello everyone, I am Ronald Tang, an orphan with no real identity. I used to work as a bounty hunter, and it is an honor to have dinner with you all today. I would like to clarify one point: Norton and I are not the same person. In fact, we are mortal enemies. It was Lu Mingfei who rescued me and gave me human dignity and identity. I hope you will not mistake me for Jackie Chan."

After Ronald Don finished speaking, he sat back down in his seat.

The others had different expressions. Angers looked calm, while Su Enxi and Jiu Demai were whispering to each other. Fingel wanted to steal a bite of the rock sugar bird's nest in front of him, but was stopped by Zero.

Chu Zihang looked deep in thought, while Caesar gasped, "No... wait a minute."

Chapter 145 Intelligence and Talks

"There are three original Dragon Kings in this room now?" Caesar tried to summarize what he had just heard.

As a student at Kassel College, a future dragon slayer, and a self-proclaimed future leader of dragon slayers, he had imagined himself facing the King of Bronze and Fire, but he never expected it to be at a dinner table, where the self-proclaimed brother of Ronald Tang was surprisingly polite.

"Who are you? Dragons? Hybrids?" Seeing that no one stopped him from speaking, Caesar voiced his doubts in one breath.

He believed that Chu Zihang had the same doubts, while Angers and Finger were clearly in the know.

"Don't worry, everyone here has their own ideas. There are only two things that have brought us together here, one of which is to kill the Black King and all the dragons," Lu Mingfei said.

"Will there be a free-for-all after the Black King's death?" Caesar asked calmly. He had learned about this from the Gattuso family and knew that the hybrid families each had their own agendas, and that the day dragons truly disappeared from the historical stage would be the beginning of a war among hybrids.

“That’s the second thing. None of you here want to see a new dragon be born, right?” Lu Mingfei looked around at everyone.

“Whether they are new dragons or old dragons, they are all my enemies,” Angers said with a smile. “Forgetting is the greatest betrayal, and I firmly believe that this is also the will of the Lionheart Society.”

"I second that proposal," Fingel raised his hand.

“Alright, I have one last question. How can you get us to trust you?” Caesar said softly. “Chu Zihang and I only really got to know you a few days ago, and the information we have now is quite impactful.”

“If you don’t accept my trust, you’ll have to endure the brainwashing process.” Lu Mingfei’s expression was calm, neither joking nor threatening, but simply stating the facts. “We have professionals with the ‘Sleep God’ ability to use their words of power, so the risk of maiming is very low.”

"Is this a threat?" Caesar showed no anger whatsoever; he vaguely sensed that Lu Mingfei harbored no ill intentions.

“I don’t want to threaten you, but please cooperate.” Lu Mingfei shook his head.

Caesar gave Chu Zihang a look, and Chu Zihang shook his head.

Caesar's eyes widened.

What does shaking your head mean? Don't act impulsively? Don't agree?

But he was, after all, Chu Zihang's nemesis and one of the people in the academy who knew Chu Zihang's personality best, so he quickly guessed it.

Chu Zihang sat down without saying a word, and did not utter a rebuttal, just like... everyone else present.

Everyone here may belong to different factions and have different purposes, but the only thing they have in common is that they have a transaction or cooperative relationship with Lu Mingfei, and even Chu Zihang is no exception.

Caesar frowned, realizing that he was the only outsider at the entire banquet.

“You invited us here, not Gao Mi and the others, so there must be something special about us,” Caesar said. “May I ask, what can I do for you?”

“Before that, I think we can have a meeting first, about Odin, Jormungandr, and Nidhogg.” Lu Mingfei did not answer him directly.

Caesar nodded, and everyone perked up upon hearing this, except for Fingel, Old Tang, and Constantine.

Fingel's attention was entirely focused on the food, while Old Tang showed no interest in the meeting's topic, and Constantine simply imitated his brother by standing tall and proud.

Before attending the meeting, Lao Tang specifically instructed him, saying that this time the two brothers were there to represent Lu Mingfei and keep things in order, so they had to be reserved and not eat or stay at other people's houses without doing any work.

“We have finished compiling the relevant information about Jormungandr,” Su Enxi said first. “She hid in human society for many years under the identity of ‘Xia Mi’. She attended junior high school at Shilan Middle School and later transferred to the preparatory class of Kassel College in Beijing. During this time, she learned a lot about hybrids, earned money through black market bounties, and kept Fenrir, who was mentally deficient, in Nibelungen.”

"She played the role of mastermind in the Beijing subway incident. It's just a pity that we only have Norma's record of one of her attacks on the server." Angers gently stirred the truffle soup. This dish, made with Périgor black truffles, milk, and cheese as the main ingredients, and seasoned with chicken broth, salt, and white pepper, was almost a must-eat for him every spring trip. He never expected that Lu Mingfei's chief assistant, Su Enxi, would know the same chef as him.

“Yes, our server was also attacked. Her behavior is different from that of dragons as we know them; she is more like a human. She stole the data from the arterial lock in order to kill or severely injure the King of Bronze and Fire,” Su Enxi continued.

"In other words, the Dragon King can disguise himself as a human," Chu Zihang said calmly. "If the Dragon King doesn't immediately hatch into a dragon body after awakening, can we understand that the other Dragon Kings might also be hiding among humans?"

“That’s right.” Su Enxi nodded.

“Jormungandr appeared in Italy with a suspected dragon king named Odin. In the subway, she also said, ‘For dragons… there are no true companions.’ She and Odin had a cooperative relationship before.” Lu Mingfei skewered some shrimp meat on a fork and handed it to Fenrir, who wagged its tail happily.

Taming Fenrir was simple. Considering that Fenrir was very weak, Lu Mingfei brought it some food. Fenrir, who had spent most of its time in the subway, had obviously never eaten anything like Orleans-style roast chicken before, and immediately submitted without any dignity.

“Chu Zihang is the one among us who knows 'Odin' best.” Lu Mingfei looked at Chu Zihang.

Chu Zihang, expressionless, recounted the story of "rainy night, overpass, Maybach" once again.

Caesar finally realized that he was the most "ordinary" half-blood at this banquet. As for the people around Lu Mingfei, Angers had experienced the "Summer's Lament," Chu Zihang had experienced Odin's Nibelungen, and the only one left who seemed unrelated to the Dragon King was Fingel.

"We've also confirmed that the key figure in this incident, the poster on the Hunter Market, is the 'Prince' from the 'Greenland Incident.' He's very likely part of Odin's faction, helping Odin eliminate other Dragon Kings through the Secret Society," Su Enxi continued.

“Finger is very familiar with the ‘Prince’; he’s been tracking the character for many years. Put the roast chicken down and tell us about the ‘Prince’,” Lu Mingfei said.

Caesar: ...

Everyone here truly possesses unique skills; when did the Dragon King become such a common character...?

He glanced at Ronald Don and Constantine, who were eating beef stew in Burgundy, and decided it was best not to dwell on the matter.

But at the same time, he was even more curious about why Lu Mingfei had invited him, a "hybrid armored being," to come here.

Chapter 146 Portal

"The technology and intelligence possessed by the 'Prince' and Odin indicate that they are deeply hidden among humans and hybrids. Everyone is probably just a pawn in their eyes, even the Dragon King. Their purpose must be astonishing." Su Enxi concluded after listening to Fingel's account of the Greenland incident and the results of his dual investigations online and in reality over the years.

Lu Mingfei raised his hand, and several silk threads extended from the surrounding walls, stretching through the air as if alive, finally converging above everyone's heads. On the threads, paper documents and photographs materialized out of thin air. Each node represented a major event, interspersed with many insignificant minor events. Odin and the "Prince" became important points of convergence for several clues in the network, while the absolute center of all events was the black-clad emperor.

Caesar's expression changed slightly. The information that Kamaitachi brought back to him indicated that there were no mechanical mechanisms on the wall or any signs of the projector being activated. In other words, these props commonly used in detective agencies and police stations were conjured up by Lu Mingfei out of thin air.

However, seeing that the other guests didn't seem alarmed, he remained calm as well, simply and discreetly retracting the Kamaitachi. He had a habit of releasing Kamaitachi in unfamiliar environments. Considering that there were many Dragon Kings present… damn it, that sounded too eerie. In short, he hadn't quite grasped the situation. Was releasing the Kamaitachi in this situation as impolite as sticking a bug in someone's face?

Caesar adjusted his posture, straightened his clothes slightly, and regained his confident and elegant demeanor, though his expression held a tragic air of calmly facing execution.

Since we're already having dinner with the Dragon King's family, we should just focus on eating.

He spread a layer of beef tartare on his bread. This traditional French appetizer requires very high-quality beef. With each bite, the beef was tender and savory, and the flavors of the egg yolk, onion, pickles, olive oil, parsley, and other ingredients were distinct and layered. He seemed to recognize this chef. When Frost entertained political and business figures, he often invited this master chef, who was known as the royal chef.

I wonder what the master chef's reaction would be if he knew that his dish had won the Dragon King's favor; he would probably be shocked.

Caesar appeared to be dining with refined elegance, but his mind was filled with a jumble of chaotic thoughts.

“Sigh, I’ve seen this person before.” Fingel, who was gnawing on a ham, suddenly noticed an old photo in the intelligence network.

In the photo, seven people are laughing and joking in front of the gate of the University of Munich, with their arms around each other's shoulders. Summer vines hang down and fall on their heads. Angers stands side by side with someone in the corner.

A handsome young man, dressed in a crisp white hunting suit, with a pair of arched eyebrows.

“When I was giving the Seven Deadly Sins to my junior brother, I encountered this person. He became very strong after putting on a mask.” Fingel pointed to the man in the photo. “As a journalist, I couldn’t possibly mistake him.”

Lu Mingfei looked at Angers and saw that the old man had his eyes closed. When he opened them again, even though his tone was calm and understated, his eyes were as sharp as a hawk's.

This lone dragon slayer already had sharp eyes, but now they seemed to be filled with the joy of discovering prey.

“He has been removed from the Secret Society’s list, but I have always believed that my ‘old friend’ is not dead.” Angers removed the rose from his bosom. “His name is Friedrich von Lon, a first-generation member of the Lionheart Society. I once considered him a brother, but he chose the dragon’s blood and power.”

“You didn’t kill him, did you?” Angers looked at Fingel.

"No, no, he disappeared as soon as the earthquake stopped." Fingel waved his hand. "I thought about how my junior brother was still waiting for the equipment I was supposed to give him, so I didn't chase after him. Otherwise, I would have tied him up and brought him to you, Principal!"

“I will personally send him off to his funeral.” Angers shook his head.

Lu Mingfei hoped to see this situation: the people present were all people he considered trustworthy in the matter of slaying the dragon, and each of them had some secrets or obsessions.

Being able to communicate with each other like this is better than taking revenge alone in solitude.

“Based on the existing intelligence, we can deduce that Odin’s main goal is to kill other dragon kings and devour dragon bones, perhaps to accumulate power to wait for war with humans, or perhaps to deal with the prophesied ‘Ragnarok’,” Lu Mingfei said. “He is an extremely terrifying threat, even more terrifying than the dragon kings or the Black and White Kings. I hope that we can share intelligence with each other in the future and cooperate in battle when necessary.”

"agree."

"agree."

One by one, the attendees raised their hands. Although Caesar had no idea what "Odin" was, it sounded like a dragon that was more troublesome than the average dragon king, so he was naturally willing to join this "alliance".

This meeting is comparable in level to the Peruvian Party's Elders' Council—the Board of Trustees—and is a higher-level cooperative organization than Kassel College.

Given Caesar's personality, he would have liked such an organization to have a catchy name, but Lu Mingfei didn't seem to have any such idea.

The dinner was drawing to a close.

The food prepared on the table exceeded the total amount that the guests could eat. When Fingel was so full that he could not move, there were still many untouched dishes on the table.

Lu Mingfei placed Fenrir on the dining table. It gracefully swayed between the plates, glancing left at the roast suckling pig and right at the tuna belly sashimi, displaying the air of an emperor surveying his territory.

"Where are you all going?" Lu Mingfei asked the group.

“Let’s go back to Paris,” Su Enxi said to Jiu De Mai.

"I'll go back to my apartment," Old Tang said, raising his hand.

“I’m going with Old Tang.” Fingel patted his belly, making a muffled sound like a watermelon.

“I’ll go back to the branch first,” Angers said.

"Moscow." Zero stood up.