Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei finds a Freylian

She took a cloth bag from under the counter: "This pen is from my hometown, a genuine old craft. I didn't originally intend to sell it."

She smiled wryly, "But the kids are all programmers in Silicon Valley, and no one's taking over the shop."

Lu Mingfei looked at the fine cracks on the pen barrel, traces left by years of use.

Still didn't buy it. Frilian said this pen should be treasured and not given to the equipment department to blow up for fun.

The third shop is hidden at the end of an alley, and its signboard is only half of the character "真" (zhen, meaning genuine) and is about to fall off.

The bell rang hoarsely when the door was pushed open, and in the dim light, all the items on the shelves were covered with a thin layer of dust.

A middle-aged man in a Tang suit wiped a bronze mirror without looking up: "See for yourself."

Most of the items here are not priced. Lu Mingfei picked up a bronze incense burner with the inscription "Made in the Xuande period of the Ming Dynasty" on the bottom.

“That’s a replica from the late Qing Dynasty,” the shop owner said. “The real one is in the Palace Museum.”

Frillie rummaged through a wooden box in the corner and pulled out a few blue bricks: "What are the inscriptions on these?"

The boss put down his work and walked over in surprise: "You can recognize it? This is a Han Dynasty tomb brick, made in the second year of Yongshou."

He squatted down and pointed to the blurred writing on the brick, “These are the belongings of a Chinese laborer. My grandfather picked them up piece by piece, saying that we couldn’t let someone lose even their belongings in a foreign land.”

The shopkeeper fumbled for half a broken jade pendant: "If you're going to buy one, buy this one too. An old overseas Chinese man gave it to me before he passed away."

Lu Mingfei took the jade pendant. The back was engraved with the two characters "Peace" (平安), which were worn so badly that they were almost invisible.

I finally bought it this time; the price was right, and I had enough funds.

Lu Mingfei walked out of the store carrying large and small bags. Someone tapped him on the shoulder from behind: "Hey?"

Old Tang stood at the alley entrance, carrying a large bag. He had a stubble beard, and his dark circles were even more pronounced than the last time we met.

"Old Tang?!" Lu Mingfei's eyes widened. "Didn't you say you were busy with a big order?"

"Haha, the client arranged to look at the goods here." Old Tang's eyes darted around, noticing what they were holding. "Oh, you guys are here to hunt for bargains too? Take a look at mine, take whatever you like!"

He pulled a bronze jue (a type of ancient Chinese wine vessel) out of his bag. "It's from the Zhou Dynasty! Uh, probably from last week."

Frilian picked up the goblet and ran her fingertips along the patterns on it: "It's genuine, a bronze artifact from at least 2500 years ago."

Old Tang's forehead began to sweat: "This was actually given to me by a collector friend of mine."

Lu Mingfei stared at his dirty work pants and muddy boots, recalling the news reports about "several museum thefts recently."

He grabbed Old Tang: "You wouldn't be here, would you?"

"I swear it was obtained through legal channels!" Old Tang raised his finger to the sky and swore. "Hey, let's find a teahouse to sit down first!"

Chapter 27 Mermaid Lantern

In an old teahouse on the outskirts of Chicago, Lu Mingfei and Frilian sat by the window, with a pot of steaming Longjing tea in front of them.

Old Tang strode in, dragging a bulging bag behind him, and plopped down opposite them, grinning: "Have you been waiting long?"

"What are all these things?" Lu Mingfei asked, staring at the bag that was about to burst.

"Hehe, these are all good stuff!" Old Tang mysteriously unzipped his zipper and carefully took out one item after another, arranging them on the table.

A rusty short sword with a faded red rope wrapped around its hilt; a finely carved jade thumb ring with blurred seal script engraved on the inner circle; several yellowed bamboo slips with indistinct ink marks; and finally, an antique-style lamp with a base carved with a pair of intertwined dragons and phoenixes, its edges gleaming with a faint bluish light.

Lu Mingfei's eyes widened: "Old Tang, tell me the truth, you didn't actually go tomb raiding, did you?"

"Nonsense!" Old Tang glared. "These were all collected legitimately!"

He lowered his voice, "The client was in a hurry to sell, so I managed to snag a bargain."

Frillie's gaze remained fixed on the lamp. She reached out and gently touched it; the cool touch brought a touch of sadness that crept up her fingertips.

“This lamp is a little different,” she said softly.

Old Tang's eyes lit up: "Frilian has a good eye! This is the most valuable item in this batch—a mermaid lamp."

Old Tang carefully picked up the lamp, his fingers tracing the inscription on the bottom of the lamp base: "Made in the twenty-third year of Kaiyuan, see? This is an old artifact from the Tang Dynasty!"

"Kaiyuan? Wasn't that when Li Bai was still alive?" Lu Mingfei leaned closer to look.

“That’s right!” Old Tang said excitedly in a low voice, “Legend has it that this lamp was a token of love given to Li Bai by a noble lady.”

Frillie frowned slightly: "Wasn't Li Bai a poet?"

“Poets are human too, they also fall in love!” Old Tang chuckled. “This young lady admires Li Bai’s talent and specially commissioned the creation of this mermaid lamp as a gift. The lamp oil is made from the fat of mermaids from the South China Sea, and once lit, it will never go out, symbolizing ‘eternal love’.”

He took out a lighter and gently lit the wick.

A pale blue flame suddenly shot up and burned quietly in the lamp.

Under the firelight, the dragon and phoenix carvings on the lamp base seemed to come alive.

"Later, the An Lushan Rebellion broke out, and the two were separated. The noble lady died in the war, and Li Bai wrote 'Longing for you, breaking my heart' in his later years. Some people say that he was reminiscing about her."

Lu Mingfei stared at the inextinguishable flame, feeling a tightness in his chest. More than a thousand years of time had been frozen in this moment by a single lamp.

Frilian gently clasped her hands together, gathering the lamplight in her palms: "I want this lamp."

Old Tang gave a thumbs up: "Girl, you're so generous! This lamp would cost at least seven figures at an auction house, but given our relationship..."

He rubbed his fingers together. "A friendly price, ten thousand US dollars!"

Lu Mingfei nearly slid off his chair: "How much?!"

Frillie pulled out a black card. "Here."

Old Tang and Lu Mingfei stared wide-eyed at the same time, the gold-stamped "Kassel" lettering on the card gleaming under the light.

"Where did you get the money?" Lu Mingfei stammered.

Frillie calmly swiped her card: "Given by the vice principal."

After the transaction was completed, Lao Tang took a sip of tea with a satisfied smile. Lu Mingfei couldn't help but ask, "Lao Tang, what's the deal with that big order you mentioned on the phone?"

Old Tang paused, his eyes darting around: "Haha, it's nothing, just helping a rich man find some collectibles."

"You're not dealing in antiques, are you?" Lu Mingfei asked in a low voice. "There was still dirt on those bamboo slips!"

"That was due to improper storage!" Old Tang wiped his sweat. "Don't worry, I have legitimate channels!"

Frillie spoke up: "You smell of gunpowder on you."

Old Tang froze.

Lu Mingfei gasped: "Old Tang! You..."

"It's really not tomb raiding!" Old Tang exclaimed in frustration. "It's just a private collector who wants some, uh, special collectibles."

He mumbled, "After we finish this order, I'll treat you to dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant!"

Lu Mingfei stared at the suspicious marks on Lao Tang's work pants and pressed down on his shoulder: "Listen, if you need money, I can lend you some, but don't do anything illegal."

Old Tang was silent for a moment, then smiled: "Lu, you're a really good brother."

He packed his backpack and said softly, "But I have to do this job; someone's waiting for this money."

One day later.

Sunlight streamed through the old glass windows, casting its glow on the wooden floor of the "Compassionate Orphanage".

Dean Lin bent down to pick up the crayons the children had scattered. Her hair was all white, and she looked quite old.

"Ding-dong," the doorbell rang. She thought it was the grocery store delivering rice and flour, but when she looked up, she saw a scruffy-bearded young Chinese man standing at the door, holding a bulging envelope in his hand.

"Hello!" Old Tang stammered nervously, "I, I've come to donate some money."

Grandma Lin squinted her dim eyes. Over the years, many people have come claiming to donate money, but most of them end up selling insurance.

She slowly took off her reading glasses: "How much?"

Old Tang handed over the envelope: "Fifty thousand US dollars."

The reading glasses fell from Grandma Lin's hands. She opened the envelope with trembling hands, and the crisp hundred-dollar bills smelled of fresh ink.

"This money."

"It's clean!" Old Tang hurriedly raised his hand and swore, "Absolutely legal!"

He paused, then lowered his voice, "I also spent time in an orphanage when I was a child."

A rustling sound came from the corridor. Several small heads peeked out from under the door; the oldest boy, with his messy hair, looked exactly like a miniature version of Old Tang.

"Wow! It's Kung Fu Uncle!" The children swarmed in, climbing all over Old Tang.

They remembered the uncle who had come to repair the roof last month, when he caught a falling tile with his bare hands.

Old Tang hurriedly pulled out a bag of White Rabbit milk candy, and the children cheered and shared it.

The youngest girl folded the candy wrapper into a small boat and placed it in his rough palm: "Uncle Ronald, can this go to China?"

"Sure!" Old Tang lifted the small boat above his head. "When you grow up, Uncle will take you on a big boat to see the beautiful scenery of our motherland."

Grandma Lin quietly wiped the corner of her eye.

Old Tang squatted on the ground, patiently teaching the boys how to make slingshots with rubber bands. His dirty trousers still bore mud marks from when he repaired the roof.

"Keep the money safe," Old Tang said softly as he left, "Buy the children some good food."

As the sun set, he walked toward the secondhand car parked at the alley entrance, and in the rearview mirror he saw children waving frantically from the window.

As the engine was started, a battered old cell phone on the passenger seat lit up with a text message:

"Tomorrow night, New York underground bar."

Old Tang rolled down the car window, took out a piece of milk candy, popped it into his mouth, and squinted his eyes from the sweetness.

Chapter 28 Constantine (Part 1)

The laboratory is located on the third basement floor of Kassel College.

Angers stood outside the tempered glass, his fingertips gently stroking the handle of the folding knife.

His gaze was fixed on the bone flasks in the laboratory, which were fixed on titanium alloy supports, next to a laser cutter.

“Headmaster, we are ready,” Professor Mans said. “But we must consider the worst-case scenario: what if it really is the egg of the King of Bronze and Fire.”

“Continue,” Angers’ voice was eerily calm. “If there are any problems, I’ll handle them.”