Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei finds a Freylian

Frillie stood still, not moving, silently watching Lu Mingfei, Caesar, and Chu Zihang bustling about.

With everything prepared and looking somewhat presentable, Caesar walked over and opened the bathroom door.

Outside the door, as expected, stood the shop manager, Humpback Whale, a burly man with a blue whale tattoo on his bald head.

But unlike his previous passionate stage presence and enigmatic interview persona, he was now wearing a dark blue silk bathrobe, with a fine layer of sweat on his bald head, an almost fawning smile on his face, his body slightly bent forward, and his hands nervously clasped in front of him.

Behind him followed two waiters with their heads down, carrying trays covered with silver lids that emitted the aroma of food.

"I am so sorry to disturb you so late at night!" The humpback whale bowed deeply as soon as the door opened, its voice filled with trepidation. "I was deeply honored to hear that a very distinguished lady, a companion of Basara King and Ukyo, has graced us with her presence. I am also afraid that I have not been able to entertain her properly, so I have prepared some simple late-night snacks and clean clothes for our distinguished guest to warm up and rest."

As he spoke, his gaze swept quickly and respectfully over Caesar and Chu Zihang, finally settling on Frilian, who stood calmly behind them.

Upon seeing Frilian, the humpback whale lowered its body even further, and its smile became even brighter.

"This must be Miss Frillian! She truly possesses an extraordinary and unique air about her! You must be tired from your journey! Please, please come inside and rest! This bathroom is rather simple and hardly suitable for guests! I have prepared a quiet and comfortable room upstairs!"

His attitude was as if he had met a royal princess on an incognito visit, or a mafia queen who held the power of life and death.

Caesar, Chu Zihang, and Lu Mingfei were completely dumbfounded. The manager's reaction was too strange! While Frillie was special at the academy, surely she wouldn't command such awe from the manager of a top-tier host club in Tokyo? Unless...

They all thought of the same possibility: behind Frilian was a being that even the humpback whale and the forces behind him had to take extremely seriously, or even fear.

Frillie herself was slightly bewildered by the humpback whale's excessive enthusiasm and awe, but her composure was impeccable; she simply nodded slightly and calmly said in Japanese, "Ose-wa ni narimamasu." (Thank you for your help.)

"Undeserved! Undeserved! It is my honor and Takamagahara's honor to serve you!" The humpback whale quickly stepped aside to make way, gesturing for the waiter to proceed. He then instructed the waiter behind him, "Quickly, take the midnight snack to Miss Frillie's room! Make sure the temperature is just right! Also, prepare the best suite, the Sea Moon Suite! Everything must be brand new!"

He turned to Caesar and the other two with a forced smile: "Basara King, Ukyo, and Sakura, please come along too? We've prepared plenty of late-night snacks; you must all be hungry. And Miss Frilian must also be eager to catch up with you all."

His gaze swept quickly across Caesar and Chu Zihang's faces, carrying an implication that said, "You know what to do, behave well, and don't offend this lady."

This wasn't a discussion; it was an arrangement that brooked no refusal.

Caesar suppressed his doubts and nodded: "Then thank you for your kindness, shopkeeper."

Chu Zihang followed in silence.

Lu Mingfei was still in a state of confusion, wondering "Who am I? Where am I? Why is the shopkeeper so polite to Frilian?", when Caesar patted him on the back, and he followed him out in a daze.

The group silently followed the bowing humpback whale through a quiet corridor and took an internal staff elevator directly to the fourth floor. The elevator doors opened, revealing the same luxurious ocean-themed area.

But the humpback whale didn't take them to the circular hall where they had their interviews. Instead, it turned into a more private corridor and finally stopped in front of a sliding door depicting a moon over the sea.

"Miss Frilian, this is your temporary room, 'Sea and Moon Room.' Please rest for a moment; your supper and clothes will be delivered shortly." The humpback whale personally opened the sliding door, revealing an extremely spacious and elegantly decorated Japanese-style suite in a sea-blue and white color scheme, complete with a private bathroom and a viewing balcony.

Frillie glanced around the room, then at the humpback whale nervously wringing its hands, and nodded slightly again: "Arigato." (Thank you.)

"You're too kind!" The humpback whale felt like it had been granted a pardon. It quickly had the waiter take the tray of supper inside and put it down. Then it said to Caesar and the other two, "Gentlemen, please come with me to the tea room next door and have a seat. The supper has been prepared. Would you mind letting Miss Frilian wash up and rest for a while?"

This arrangement makes perfect sense. Frillie was soaking wet and definitely needed to be dealt with first.

Frilian had no objections, said to Caesar and the others, "See you later," and went into the room, the sliding door closing gently behind her.

The humpback whale finally let out a long sigh of relief, as if a huge burden had been lifted. But when it turned to face Caesar and the other two, the respect on its face lessened slightly, but it was filled with an unprecedented caution and ingratiation.

"This way, please, gentlemen," he said, leading them to a slightly smaller but equally exquisite tea room next door. Several delicate Japanese late-night snacks were already laid out on the low table: steaming chawanmushi, perfectly grilled cod sakyo-yaki, a platter of fresh sashimi, a small pot of fragrant oden, as well as sake and hot tea.

"Please enjoy your meal, please enjoy your meal," the humpback whale said, not leaving but kneeling down to the lower seat and picking up the sake jug to pour sake for Caesar, his posture extremely humble.

Caesar raised his hand to stop him: "Manager, there's no need to be so polite. We have some questions."

The humpback whale paused, its smile unchanged, but its eyes flickered: "Basara King, please speak."

"You seem to have a lot of respect for Frilian. Why?" Caesar asked bluntly, his azure eyes fixed on the humpback whale. "You didn't know she was coming."

The humpback whale's facial muscles twitched. He put down the wine jug, placed his hands on his knees, and took a deep breath.

A few seconds later, he lowered his voice and said in an extremely sincere tone, "Basara King, Ukyo, and Sakura. There are some things that I really cannot say. But I can tell you three that Miss Frilian is a distinguished guest who was specifically instructed by my two very important partners to be treated with the highest level of courtesy and not to be neglected in the slightest."

He specifically emphasized the words "partner" and "highest level of courtesy".

"Partner?" Chu Zihang grasped the key word.

"Yes. My family in Takamagahara wouldn't be where we are today without the support and care of those two gentlemen," the humpback whale said vaguely, not daring to reveal more.

"Their words are absolute rules in Takamagahara. Since Miss Frilian is under their care, she enjoys absolute safety and freedom in Takamagahara. She can stay as long as she wants, go wherever she wants, and Takamagahara will do everything in its power to satisfy her needs."

Chapter 634 Humpback Whale: Distinguished Guest Arrives (Part 2)

The humpback whale glanced at the three, especially Lu Mingfei's shocked expression, and added, "So, since the three of you are Miss Frilian's companions, please try to relax during your stay in Takamagahara. Please forgive any shortcomings in our previous hospitality. From today onwards, your treatment will be improved accordingly. You may continue to use the bathroom in the basement if you don't mind, but we will also prepare more comfortable rooms for you upstairs."

The amount of information was too much; Caesar and the other two needed time to process it.

Behind Frillian, there's a partner whom even humpback whales address as "Master" and who has absolute control over Takamagahara? What kind of being is that? Is it a hidden force within Kassel College? Or some other unknown power?

But regardless, this is good news. At least, their safety in Takamagahara is guaranteed by Frilian's arrival.

“We understand,” Caesar nodded slowly, accepting the explanation for the time being. “Thank you for your hospitality, shopkeeper.”

"You flatter me, you flatter me!" the humpback whale waved its hands repeatedly, regaining its cautious demeanor. "Then, would you three like some supper? I won't bother you any longer. If you need anything, just ring the bell to call a waiter."

He stood up, bowed again, then backed out of the tea room and gently closed the door.

The tea room was quiet, with only the warm aroma of food wafting through the air.

"Holy crap." Lu Mingfei was the first to break the silence, his expression as if he had just watched a magical realism movie. "The store manager is scared like this? 'Highest level of courtesy' and 'absolute safety and freedom'? Where did Frilian get her partners in this world?"

Chu Zihang picked up a piece of sea bream sashimi, dipped it in soy sauce, and calmly analyzed: "The partner the shopkeeper mentioned has the ability to control Takamagahara and can circumvent or deter the Snake-Headed Eight Families' search in Shinjuku. This force is likely independent of Kassel College and the Snake-Headed Eight Families. Frilian has close ties with this force and may even be a member of it."

Caesar took a sip of sake, his eyes deep: "Regardless of her background, at least for now, she seems friendly to us, and her arrival has greatly improved our situation. That's the most important thing."

He looked at Lu Mingfei and asked, "Lu Mingfei, you're quite familiar with Frilian. Is there anything special about her?"

Lu Mingfei scratched his head, trying hard to recall: "Extra quiet? Not talkative? Seems like she knows a little about everything? Has excellent alchemy grades? Oh right, she's always alone, doesn't seem to have any particularly close friends, except for..."

He paused, then said somewhat uncertainly, "Me? I should have a good relationship with Frillie?"

Chu Zihang glanced at Lu Mingfei but said nothing.

Caesar pondered for a moment and said, "Let's observe first. Our primary task now is to use this safe house to recover as quickly as possible and try to make contact with the Academy. Frilian's appearance might be a turning point."

Just then, a soft sound of a door opening and light footsteps came from the next room.

Frillie changed into a clean, high-quality light blue silk bathrobe, her wet hair was half-dried with a towel and draped smoothly over her shoulders.

She walked to the door of the tea room and gently knocked on the edge of the open sliding door.

All three of them immediately focused their attention on her.

"May I come in?" Frilian asked.

“Of course, please come in,” Caesar gestured.

Frillie walked in and sat down naturally on one side of the empty low table. Her gaze swept over the food on the table, finally landing on Lu Mingfei's face. She paused for a second, then looked away.

"You can ask any questions you have."

Next door, in the real boss's office.

Behind the one-way glass, Mai Shude and Enxi Su sat side by side, with the real-time monitoring footage and audio of the tea room clearly displayed on the screen in front of them.

Seeing that Frillian directly asked the three of them to ask questions, Su Enxi raised an eyebrow: "Wow, so direct?"

Mai Shude swirled the red wine in her glass. "She's always been like this. She says what she knows. She doesn't lie, but she doesn't reveal everything either. That's the most skillful way to handle things. Compared to racking your brains to fabricate lies, this kind of frankness is much more likely to gain people's trust."

She looked at Frilian's serene profile on the screen. "And she probably guessed that we could see it. This sentence was meant for Caesar and the others, but also for us."

Su Enxi pouted, "What an unlovable person. But she arrived faster than expected. That magic mark the boss mentioned is actually quite useful?"

“Ancient elven magic involves a faint link at the soul level, which is almost impossible to detect or interfere with with modern hybrid technology,” said Mai Shude calmly. “It’s perfect for finding that idiot Lu Mingfei who’s missing a screw in his head.”

"How much do you think she'll tell them?" Su Enxi asked curiously.

“Not too much. But enough to make them feel at ease staying and to make them rely on her more.” Mai Shude took a sip of her drink, turned her gaze to Lu Mingfei on the screen who was staring longingly at Frillie with a look of “I have so many questions but I don’t know where to begin,” and chuckled, “especially Lu Mingfei.”

After a brief silence in the tea room.

Caesar spoke first, asking the most crucial question: "Frilian, the partner the shopkeeper mentioned, is it you?"

Frillie replied, "I don't know who they are specifically, I only know that they are capable of providing some level of assistance."

This answer was evasive, neither denying the relationship nor revealing any specific information.

Chu Zihang then asked, "Do you know why the Snake Clan suddenly turned on us? Besides the incident at the trench, are there any other reasons?"

Frillie shook her head slightly: "The specific reasons are unclear. But the information I have is that there has been a huge upheaval and power shift within the Snake Clan recently, with the struggle between conservatives and radicals intensifying. As comrades from Kassel, your presence in Japan at this sensitive time could very well lead to you being drawn into this, or being used as a bargaining chip or a pretext for attack."

This information matched Chu Zihang's deductions from the newspaper, adding details to the internal struggle.

Lu Mingfei finally couldn't hold back any longer. He scratched his head, a little embarrassed, but still said, "Um, Frilian, you must have had a long journey."

This question left both Caesar and Chu Zihang speechless.

Frillie looked at Lu Mingfei, "It's alright."

Lu Mingfei nodded, about to say something, when his stomach suddenly growled loudly. He then remembered that he had been soaking in the bath for half a day, and after the shock and fright, he was starving.

Frillie's gaze fell on the food. She picked up a pair of clean chopsticks, took a small piece of chawanmushi, and placed it on the plate in front of Lu Mingfei: "Eat first."

It was a very ordinary action, but it made Lu Mingfei pause for a moment, his face flushed slightly, and he quickly lowered his head: "Ah, thank you."

Caesar and Chu Zihang also picked up their chopsticks.

Separated by a wall, the two true figures behind the scenes also withdrew their gazes.

"Looks like things have stabilized for now," Su Enxi stretched. "With Frilian, the real Buddha, in charge, those three troublemakers should be able to behave themselves for a few days, right?"

“Not necessarily.” Mai Shude put down her wine glass and looked out at the deep night. “The storm has only just begun. The Snake Clan and the Demon Clan are all making their moves. Frilian’s arrival may not calm the storm, but rather stir up the waters even deeper.”

She stood up, her black leather jacket outlining her slender yet dangerous curves: "But that's what makes it interesting, isn't it? Chips, let's see what kind of show these young actors can put on in the Tokyo night."

Su Enxi watched as Jiu De Mai walked towards another door in the secret room, shrugged, and turned off the monitor screen.

"A big show? I just hope it doesn't bankrupt my new business. I quite like this host club," she muttered to herself, and followed them.

Chapter 635 Everyone Eats Together (Part 1)

The humpback whale's overly respectful demeanor and assurance of "absolutely fulfilling all needs" as it left the tea room were more than just polite talk. Only a few minutes after the sliding door closed, extremely light and rhythmic footsteps echoed again from outside, along with the slight clinking of food containers and trays.

This time, the person at the door was not an ordinary waiter, but the head waiter who had once pushed the tuna cutting board onto the sashimi show for Chu Zihang's "Ukyo" on stage. He was dressed in black, masked, silent, and capable.

He was dressed in solemn black clothes, and in his hands was a fine food box, much larger than the previous late-night snack tray, covered with an ornate lacquered lid. Behind him were two assistants, each carrying a matching bowl, chopsticks, condiment dish, and a small pot of steaming clear soup.

The head waiter bowed deeply at the door and said in a deliberately lowered but clearly respectful tone, “Miss Frillie, gentlemen. The manager instructed that, having heard that Miss Frillie has come from afar, she must need some warmer and more comforting food to warm her up and relieve her fatigue. The head chef downstairs, upon hearing of your arrival, specially interrupted his break to prepare a late-night snack for you, as a token of his appreciation. The manager instructed that you be sure to enjoy it.”