Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei finds a Freylian

"In the morning you can go see the Manhattan Bridge, in the afternoon you can sunbathe in the park, and in the evening the bars are lively. Hey, there's a bakery near my house that sells the best bread in all of New York."

As Lu Mingfei listened to Lao Tang's eloquent description, he imagined those unfamiliar scenes.

Old Tang is a Chinese man who grew up in the United States. He is in his early twenties, works as a bounty hunter, and lives in an old apartment building in Brooklyn.

They met on a StarCraft forum and quickly became acquainted.

"The people here are genuine and down-to-earth. Unlike those suit-and-tie financial elites on Wall Street, people in Brooklyn dare to go out in flip-flops," Old Tang said with a smile. "So, are you tempted?"

Lu Mingfei glanced at the date in the lower right corner of the computer screen: "Yes, there aren't many classes at school on weekends."

“Then it’s settled!” Old Tang said readily. “I have a sofa and a bed here, so I’ll save you the accommodation fee. Didn’t you say you have a very capable girlfriend? You can bring her along. New York is a great place for couples to travel.”

Lu Mingfei quickly interrupted Lao Tang: "They're not a couple! Frillie is, uh, my good friend."

"So good that you'd set up a club just for her?" Old Tang teased. "Fine, fine, if you say no, then no. But she's still welcome to come along; the more the merrier."

After chatting for a few more minutes, Lu Mingfei ended the call.

He stretched and thought that going to New York for a few days was indeed a good idea.

Since arriving in this world, Frilian has only been to Kassel College and her hometown; she hasn't been anywhere else.

Thinking of Frillie, Lu Mingfei shut down his computer, grabbed his coat, and went out.

Norton Hall is not far from the dormitory area and is the activity venue for the "Mage Guild".

Although the name sounds impressive, the official members of this "guild" are currently only the two founders, him and Frilian, plus senior student Jiudeya, senior student Yesheng, fellow freshman Horus, and Lin Xia.

Pushing open the heavy doors of the Norton Building, Lu Mingfei immediately saw Frillian hunched over a table, engrossed in her research.

The afternoon sun shone through the glass window, illuminating her long silver hair. She was wearing the Kassel College girls' uniform, and today, she had replaced her bow tie with a dark blue ribbon.

"Frilian, what are you researching?" Lu Mingfei asked as he approached.

Frillie didn't look up, her finger tracing the surface of a thick ancient book: "Modern alchemy. This world is very interesting. Although the magic concentration is very low, alchemy can achieve effects similar to magic."

Lu Mingfei sat down opposite her, looking curiously at the open books and notes.

Frillie's notebook was meticulously written, with rows of beautiful handwriting next to intricate magic circles and calculation formulas. One page even had formulas cut out from a physics textbook pasted on it.

"Did you discover anything interesting?" Lu Mingfei asked.

Frillie looked up. "Alchemy can actually be considered a kind of magic."

She paused, "Is there something you need?"

"I was just chatting with an American friend, and he invited me to visit New York," Lu Mingfei said. "Um, would you like to come with me?"

Frillie blinked: "New York?"

“Yes, the big cities on the East Coast of the United States have many skyscrapers, the Statue of Liberty, and Central Park,” Lu Mingfei said, trying hard to recall what he had learned in geography class. “Old Tang said he could take us around.”

Frillie closed the book with a swift and decisive movement: "Okay."

"You agreed just like that?" Lu Mingfei asked, somewhat surprised. "Aren't you going to ask about the specific time, itinerary, or anything?"

Frillie stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the distant campus: "In my original world, I never made plans when I traveled. I would stop when I found a place that interested me, and leave when I got bored."

She turned her head, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Besides, you don't like going alone, do you?"

"Shall I book the tickets?" Lu Mingfei took out his phone. "How about we book for the weekend?"

Frillie nodded and walked back to her desk to tidy up her research materials. "Is there anything I need to prepare?"

"Just bring a few changes of clothes. Old Tang said I'll be staying at his place." Lu Mingfei thought for a moment, "Do you have any identification?"

Frillie took a small notebook out of the drawer and waved it: "Principal Angers has already helped me get all my identity documents."

Lu Mingfei admired Principal Angers' efficiency. During the morning break, he complained to Fingel about Frillian's identity issue, and by the afternoon, her identity document was ready.

"I'll go report this to the school," Lu Mingfei said, standing up. "Are we eating at the cafeteria tonight? They have braised pork ribs today."

"eat."

Chapter 17 A Day Trip to Brooklyn

“If you pull it down any further, you’ll be showing too much skin, Frillie,” Nono said, leaning against the doorframe with a cup of coffee in her hand. “I didn’t expect you to dress up for a date.”

“It wasn’t a date,” Frilian corrected. “It was just a trip to New York with Lu Mingfei.”

Susie took a light blue dress out of the closet and held it up against Frillie: "This one suits you better."

Frillie took the dress and asked seriously, "What should you wear when going out with boys?"

Nono almost spat out her coffee: "You just said it wasn't a date!"

Lu Mingfei said it was "going out to play".

Susie and Nono exchanged a knowing look.

Nono put down her coffee cup and placed her hands on Frilian's shoulders: "Even though you won't admit this is a date, don't worry, we'll dress you up so that Lu Mingfei can't take his eyes off you."

For the next hour, Frillie received 'guidance' from two makeup artists.

Nono insisted on giving her a "no-makeup" look, "looking like she wasn't wearing any makeup, but actually taking half an hour to do."

Susie was in charge of the hair, braiding Frillie's long hair into an exquisite half-updo, leaving a few strands to fall naturally on both sides of her face.

"The final step," Nono said, taking a delicate silver necklace from her jewelry box. The pendant was a small silver maple leaf. "Here, take it. It's my lucky charm."

Frillie looked down at the necklace, her fingers gently touching the maple leaf: "It's beautiful. Why did you choose this?"

“Because,” Nono lowered her voice mysteriously, “Legend has it that elves love nature, don’t they?”

"Ah."

Lu Mingfei waited downstairs at the girls' dormitory, completely unaware that Frillie was the one who came out.

The light blue dress accentuated her slender figure, and her usually plain face was adorned with a light layer of makeup.

"Good morning," Frillian said, walking up to Lu Mingfei. "How did it go?"

Lu Mingfei's throat was a little dry: "It's...it suits you very well."

He quickly added, "I mean, you look great. I'm not saying you're not good-looking normally, it's just..."

Frillie nodded, seemingly oblivious to his embarrassment: "Nono and Susie helped pick it out. They said it's a 'date outfit'."

"!" Lu Mingfei almost choked on his own saliva.

Fingel strolled out of the dormitory building and whistled, "Hey, is our Road God eloping with the Elf Princess today?"

"Shut up!" Lu Mingfei said, his face flushed, as he pushed Frillie away quickly. "We have to get to the airport."

Three hours later, Lu Mingfei and Frilian walked out of the airport. An Asian man wearing a Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses held up a sign that read "Lu & Miss Elf" and waved to them enthusiastically.

"Old Tang!" Lu Mingfei called out, dragging his suitcase as he walked quickly over.

Old Tang hugged Lu Mingfei tightly and patted his back forcefully: "Finally we meet! You're even thinner than in the video, Lu. This must be Miss Frilline, Lu mentions you every day in the game."

"Hello, Lu Mingfei also mentions you often."

Old Tang laughed heartily and took their luggage: "Come on, come on, the car's parked outside. Today I'll show you around Brooklyn!"

Old Tang's car is a Chevrolet that is at least ten years old, with stickers covering the rear bumper, ranging from "I love New York" to "Drive carefully, there's a baby in the back seat."

"Welcome to my mobile castle!" Old Tang proudly patted the steering wheel. "It's a bit old, but it's never left me stranded on the road."

As the car pulled out of the airport, Lao Tang switched into tour guide mode: "We're in Queens now, about to enter Brooklyn. See those skyscrapers over there? That's Long Island, which has developed incredibly fast in recent years."

Frillie stared out the window, her eyes reflecting the rushing city scenery. She looked like a country girl visiting the city for the first time.

"First time in New York?" Old Tang noticed Frillie's reaction in the rearview mirror.

“This is the first time I’ve seen a city this big,” Frilian answered honestly. “In my world, the largest city is only one-tenth the size of this one.”

Old Tang raised an eyebrow and looked at Lu Mingfei: "Your girlfriend has a really rich imagination."

"This..." Before Lu Mingfei could explain, Frillie spoke up.

"I am an elven mage from another world. I came here because of the spatial magic of the demon race," she said calmly, as if discussing the weather.

A brief silence fell over the car. Old Tang burst out laughing: "Cool! Lu, your friend is really cool! Okay, first stop—the best bakery in Brooklyn!"

The aroma of the bakery can be smelled from half a block away.

Old Tang, like a seasoned food tour guide, introduced the bread while waiting in line: "The bread here is the best in all of New York, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I recommend the one with raisins."

Frillie looked at the various kinds of bread in the glass display case. Old Tang handed her a steaming hot loaf of bread, and she took a small, careful bite.

"Is it good?" Lu Mingfei asked.

Frillie ate about half a loaf of bread in three bites: "Mmm."

Old Tang smiled smugly: "This is just the beginning, Miss Elf."

Old Tang led them around, and the three of them looked at the street graffiti together on the riverbank.

“The colors are a bit chaotic,” Frillian said, pointing to an abstract graffiti. “It would be better if you changed the blue to red.”

Lunch was at what Old Tang called "the best pizza place in Brooklyn".

There was a long queue in front of the counter, and it took quite a while before it was my turn.

But after the first bite of the pizza with fresh basil leaves, Lu Mingfei felt that the food was absolutely worth the wait. Frilian even asked for a second slice.

"I never imagined that flour and cheese could taste like this," she said earnestly.

Old Tang wiped the sauce from the corner of his mouth: "Seriously, you two were so dedicated to your 'role-playing.' I almost believed it."

In the afternoon, Old Tang drove them to the park. Strolling under the shade of the trees, Frillie stopped and looked at a lush oak tree.

"What's wrong?" Lu Mingfei asked.

Frillie placed her palm on the tree trunk: "This tree is 327 years old. It remembers many stories."

She withdrew her hand, saying, "Ancient trees preserve the memory of history."

Old Tang whistled: "Awesome."

In the evening, Old Tang slyly said he would take them to a bar that only the destined could go to.

The bar is tucked away in the basement of an ordinary apartment building. Pushing open the unassuming wooden door, you are greeted by the aroma of whiskey.

"There's an amateur band performing here," Old Tang said, leading them to a round table in a corner where they sat down and ordered three beers and a serving of French fries.