Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei finds a Freylian

The two exchanged ice creams, and Frilian took a bite without even flinching.

Xia Mi shook her head as she watched from the side, and tugged at Chu Zihang's sleeve: "Senior brother, what do you say?"

Chu Zihang: "?"

Xia Mi blinked, looking at him expectantly.

Chu Zihang pondered for two seconds, then asked seriously, "Do you also want to change your ice cream?"

Xia Mi sighed dramatically, rubbing her forehead, and said, "No, sigh."

She looked up and glared at Chu Zihang, who looked completely innocent.

Angers watched with amusement, his laughter reminding Lu Mingfei of the old fox's delight at seeing chicks.

After the four of them finished their ice cream, he casually opened the car door: "Get in, kids."

The air conditioning inside the car was on full blast, and the leather seats emitted a faint leather smell.

Lu Mingfei squeezed into the middle of the back row, with Frillie on his left and Xia Mi on his right. Chu Zihang sat in the passenger seat, his back ramrod straight, like a soldier ready to go on a mission.

Xia Mi pulled a bottle of ice wine from the beverage dispenser in the car and swirled it around: "Headmaster, is there something you need from us this time?"

She blinked. "Could it be that they're stuck in a railway strike like us?"

Angers, with one hand on the steering wheel, took out a gold-embossed business card from the inside pocket of his suit jacket and handed it to Lu Mingfei in the back seat. "It's not like that. I'm here to attend an auction."

The words "Sotheby's" on the business card gleamed in the sunlight.

Lu Mingfei had heard of this name: Sotheby's, one of the oldest and largest auction houses in the world.

“Sotheby’s is in charge of the distribution and sale of all sorts of rare and exotic items,” Angers explained as the SUV smoothly drove onto the main road. “From Renaissance paintings to ancient Chinese bronzes, from royal jewels to rare books, they have it all.”

Lu Mingfei was a little confused: "Why does the auction need the four of us students to go?"

He scratched his head. "Go to support you? Be a cheerleader for you, Principal?"

Angers didn't answer, but simply took a stack of documents from the glove box and handed them to them. Lu Mingfei opened the first page and his eyes widened.

The exhibit displays a variety of rare and precious artifacts: a golden dagger from an Egyptian pharaoh, an emerald mask from the Mayan civilization, and manuscripts from medieval alchemists. There are even a few items labeled "suspected dragon artifacts."

Angers exhaled a smoke ring and smiled slightly: "These are all items from regular auctions, just a smokescreen."

He flicked the ash from his cigar. "Our real goal is a special auction."

Chu Zihang looked up: "Our mission is to participate in the bidding?"

“Smart,” Angzhe nodded. “Many items at the special auction are related to dragons. For example, the replica of the Spear of Longinus is actually an alchemical weapon; another example is the ‘Slate of Destiny,’ which is inscribed with dragon script; and so on.”

“Principal,” Frillian began, her first words since getting into the car. “What would you like to buy?”

"A set of swords. Norton, the King of Bronze and Fire, created the masterpiece 'The Seven Deadly Sins.' Legend has it that he forged it to kill his own brothers and sisters."

The car was completely silent.

“The Seven Deadly Sins,” Xia Mi repeated softly, stroking the ice wine. “I’ve seen records of it in the academy’s ancient texts. It’s said that this set of weapons contains Norton’s deepest hatred for his own kind, and each one is designed to counter a Dragon King.”

Angers nodded: "That's right. We've received word that this long-lost weapon set will appear at tonight's auction. I hope the four of you will be the buyers and purchase the Seven Deadly Sins."

"Us?" Lu Mingfei pointed to himself. "Principal, are you kidding me? Where would we get the money to buy something of this caliber?"

“The academy will provide financial support,” Angers smiled. “You just need to do your best at the auction.”

Xia Mi raised her glass of iced wine: "Leave it to us!"

She nudged Lu Mingfei's shoulder. "Right, Senior Brother Lu?"

Lu Mingfei chuckled dryly, thinking that this mission sounded unreliable. He stole a glance at Frilian; the elven girl was gazing out the window, her profile revealing no emotion.

The conversation temporarily came to an end, and the SUV drove onto the highway.

Looking out the window at the rapidly receding scenery, Lu Mingfei suddenly remembered something and asked, "Principal, do you have a driver's license?"

Angers gripped the steering wheel and pondered for two seconds: "It existed in the early 20th century, I suppose."

Lu Mingfei: "How much?"

Before he could react, Angers floored the accelerator, the engine roared, and the car instantly reached 150 km/h!

"Aaaaaah!!" Lu Mingfei screamed, his entire body pressed tightly against the seat. "Principal! We were speeding! We were speeding!"

Xia Mi whistled, "Wow! That's exciting!"

Chu Zihang silently tightened his seatbelt; he was the kind of person who would always choose Winnie the Pooh when playing at Disneyland.

Frillie calmly flipped through the auction information, the car's speed having no effect on her whatsoever.

Angers, with one hand on the steering wheel and a cigar between his fingers, smiled like an old gentleman who had just pulled off a prank: "Don't worry, when I was driving in New York, even the traffic cops couldn't catch me."

Lu Mingfei was on the verge of tears: "That was over a hundred years ago, wasn't it?! The traffic laws have been amended dozens of times since then, Principal!"

The SUV sped along the highway, the scenery outside the window blurred into a blur.

Lu Mingfei gripped the handrail tightly, thinking that before the auction even started, he might die in a traffic accident.

Angers simply exhaled a smoke ring leisurely. "At the auction, just do whatever you want, don't feel pressured."

Lu Mingfei: "All I want now is to live freely!"

Xia Mi laughed heartily in the back seat, Chu Zihang closed his eyes to rest, and Frilian sighed helplessly.

Chapter 61 Ricardo Road

Lu Mingfei stared at the invitation in his hand, his brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly.

The invitation, written in elegant cursive English, reads "Sotheby's Special Auction," with a smaller note below stating: "This invitation allows you to bring three guests."

"So I have to pretend to be rich?" Lu Mingfei swallowed, his throat tightening slightly.

The SUV stopped at a high-end clothing store along the way, and all five of them changed their outfits.

Lu Mingfei was wearing a custom-made suit prepared by Angers. It fit him well, but it always gave him the feeling that a child was wearing an adult's clothes.

Inside the carriage, smoke filled the air. Angers, dressed in a perfectly tailored tailcoat and adorned with a silver brooch, exuded an air of old-fashioned aristocracy.

“It’s not an act,” Angers corrected him with a smile, “From now on, you are Ricardo Lu, a young and wealthy man from China with a young and beautiful cousin named Frilian.”

Lu Mingfei's lips twitched: "Principal, do you think I look like a tycoon?"

Angers pulled a strawberry lollipop from his jacket pocket. He vividly remembered Lu Mingfei's aversion to sour foods. "It's like, very much like, Mingfei, you are a young tycoon."

He handed the lollipop to Lu Mingfei, "Come on, recite your character profile."

Lu Mingfei took the lollipop, put it in his mouth, and the rich strawberry flavor melted on his tongue.

He took a deep breath and tried to put on a playboy's expression: "I am Lu Mingfei, a young tycoon from China, and I have a very good relationship with my cousin, Frilian."

He glanced at the silver-haired girl beside him. "Frilian loves art, so I've started collecting antiques too. I need to buy something nice to please Frilian at this prestigious auction."

Frillie wore a light green dress, her long silver hair was styled into a bun, revealing her fair neck.

She was holding an auction catalog in her hands and looked up when she heard Lu Mingfei's words.

Angers nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Frilian: "Your turn."

Frilian gently closed the auction catalog in her hand and naturally took Lu Mingfei's hand.

"I'm Frillie, a student at the European Academy of Arts, and I especially love antiques. My cousin knows nothing about art, but he's very supportive of my hobby. I hope I can find something truly interesting this time."

Lu Mingfei inwardly exclaimed "Wow!" to himself; Frillie's acting was so natural.

"Perfect," Angers clapped, then looked at Xia Mi and Chu Zihang. "Who wants to go first?"

Xia Mi immediately raised her hand, her eyes sparkling: "I'll go first! I'm Xia Mi, Frilian's classmate! I heard she was coming to such a high-class auction, so I begged her to show me around!"

She winked playfully. "'My God, these works of art are so beautiful! I've never seen anything so high-class!' Is that right?"

"Pfft, haha." Lu Mingfei couldn't help but laugh. Xia Mi acted like a little follower brought by Frilian to broaden her horizons.

Xia Mi grabbed Chu Zihang's arm. "This is Chu Zihang, the ace of our school's kendo club. He's particularly interested in ancient weapons, so he came along too!"

Chu Zihang nodded expressionlessly: "Mm."

Angers raised an eyebrow: "That's all?"

Chu Zihang paused for two seconds, then added dryly, "I have a particular fondness for ancient weapons, and it's an honor to be here at Sotheby's auction."

Lu Mingfei almost choked on the lollipop. It would have been better if Chu Zihang hadn't said anything at all. It was a good thing that Frilian had said that Chu Zihang had acting talent, which she had witnessed at the Derun Building.

"Alright, just don't mess things up." Angers pulled a black card from his pocket with one hand and handed it to Lu Mingfei. "We've prepared a credit card for you with a limit of $500 million."

"Five, five million?" Lu Mingfei almost jumped up from his seat, frantically grabbing the card. "In US dollars?"

He has never owned even five million RMB in his entire life.

"Don't get too excited, it'll be gone once the mission is over."

Xia Mi leaned closer and nodded repeatedly, "Even if it's just for a second, having money to indulge in is wonderful! Just think, I can order the most expensive caviar and say, 'Ten servings of this, please!'"

"Principal," Chu Zihang asked, "why not buy the Seven Deadly Sins in the name of the academy?"

“If the Kassel College were to bid directly,” Angers explained, “others would realize its value. The price would be driven up to astronomical figures, and it could even lead to violent bidding.”

"So, we ordinary people are just there to act as shills?" Lu Mingfei asked.

“Smart. If the academy or I were to bid, it would attract too much attention. True collectors would immediately recognize the value of the Seven Deadly Sins. But if a few young people who happen to come to the auction buy them, that's a different story.”

Lu Mingfei suddenly realized: "Oh! Principal, you're here to cover for us and divert our attention!"

He gave a thumbs up, "Brilliant, absolutely brilliant!"

Angers laughed and stepped on the brakes.

“Alright, young people,” Angers opened the car door, “get out. It wouldn’t be good if others saw us walking together.”

The four got out of the car one by one and slowly walked towards the auction venue, the Chicago Civic Opera.

Attendants in formal attire stood respectfully on both sides of the red carpet, welcoming guests from all over the world.

"Wow," Xia Mi exclaimed softly, "This is much more luxurious than what you see on TV."

Chu Zihang straightened his tie: "Lu Mingfei and Frilian go first, Xia Mi and I will go in a little later."

Frilian naturally took Lu Mingfei's arm, a movement that made him stiffen.

"Relax. You are now Ricardo Lu, who is worth hundreds of millions, not Lu Mingfei, who plays rock-paper-scissors with Fingel for a chicken leg."