Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei finds a Freylian

Frilian raised her head, her emerald green eyes sweeping over him. "Principal Angers has his reasons for choosing you."

Before Lu Mingfei could say anything more, Frillie pulled a candy from her sleeve and tossed it to him. "Hurry up, the club activity is about to start."

The candy melted in his mouth, sweet and delightful, and Lu Mingfei perked up a little.

He looked up at the building in the distance, which had a particularly otherworldly feel. It was the Norton Hall, the venue for the Mage Guild's activities, and also the place where they held their weekly 'Food Day'.

Pushing open the heavy doors of the Norton Pavilion, a warm atmosphere mingled with the scents of various spices.

The long table in the center of the hall was filled with various ingredients, and several first-year students were helping to organize them.

"Hello, seniors!" Horus, a tall freshman, greeted them immediately as he wiped the table.

The petite Lin Xia carefully placed an exquisite tea set on the long table.

Upon seeing the two enter, Lin Xia, with her ponytail, waved excitedly, "Senior Lu! Senior Fu! What delicious food are you making this time?"

"Today we're making Sichuan cuisine," Lu Mingfei said, taking off his coat and hanging it on the coat rack by the door. "Stir-fried pork kidneys and boiled fish, let everyone see what real spicy and flavorful food is all about."

Frillie had already floated to the kitchen area. With a tap of her wand, scallions, ginger, and garlic automatically jumped into the sink. "I'll go prepare the side dishes. You go and process the ingredients."

Lu Mingfei nodded and walked to the refrigerated area to retrieve the fresh pork kidneys and grass carp that he had prepared that morning. The pork kidneys still had a slight pinkish tinge, and the grass carp remained freshly caught on the crushed ice.

He tied on his apron, took a deep breath, and began to prepare the ingredients.

"You need to remove the tendons from the kidneys first." The voice that suddenly came from behind startled Lu Mingfei so much that he almost jumped up.

Ye Sheng stood behind him, holding a bottle of cooking wine in his hand. "Slice it horizontally, see that white membrane? Peel it off completely."

"Senior Brother Ye! You and Senior Sister Aki have finished your mission?" Lu Mingfei turned around in surprise. Aki Shude was talking to Frilian not far away.

"I heard about the club event as soon as I got off the plane, so I came over after dropping off my luggage," said Akira Shuto with a smile, taking off her coat. "Need any help?"

"This is exactly what I need!" Lu Mingfei rubbed his hands together. "Senior Brother Ye, it's perfect that you can guide me in preparing pork kidneys. You said last time that my knife skills still have room for improvement."

Ye Sheng chuckled and patted him on the shoulder, "Well done, looks like you've been practicing a lot while I was away."

Lu Mingfei gently placed the fresh pork kidneys on the cutting board.

Ye Sheng stood aside and gave instructions, "The kidney slices must be cut thinly and evenly, and each cut must be made to three-quarters of the way through, but not all the way through."

Lu Mingfei took a deep breath, and the cleaver in his hand transformed into a streak of silver light. His movements were fluid and graceful, each cut swift and precise, slicing the kidney into beautiful, wheat-ear-like shapes.

"Not bad, you've made great progress," Ye Sheng nodded approvingly.

“That’s right, I cook every week now,” Lu Mingfei said proudly, putting the sliced ​​pork kidneys into a bowl and marinating them with cooking wine, salt and starch. “Frilian says this is called ‘sword training’, she thinks cutting vegetables is similar to using a sword.”

Shudeya and two new students were in charge of preparing the side dishes.

Horus clumsily chopped the garlic, each cut making Lin Xia's heart pound. "Horus, watch your fingers! It's too dangerous for you to chop vegetables like that!"

"I always cut it like this at home," Horus muttered, sounding aggrieved.

"Oh dear, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. You can't just cut things like that here!"

“I’ll control the heat,” Frillie said, standing by the stove and taking out her wand.

Lu Mingfei nodded and poured the drained pork kidneys into the already heated oil.

With a loud "sizzle," a burst of smoke rose into the air.

Frillie raised her wand, and the fumes were immediately bound above the pot by an invisible force, making them neither pungent nor irritating, while still retaining their aroma.

Lu Mingfei quickly stir-fried the ingredients, adding dried chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, minced ginger and garlic.

"Beautiful," Ye Sheng commented from the side. "The heat is just right; the pork kidneys are tender but not raw, cooked but not overcooked. Now turn up the heat to fully release the aroma of the seasonings."

Frillie's wand glowed red, and flames suddenly shot up.

Lu Mingfei's wrists flew, and the spatula collided with the iron pot, producing a crisp sound.

The pork kidneys quickly curl up and take shape under high heat. Finally, sprinkle on some chopped green garlic, and a glossy, reddish-brown stir-fried pork kidney dish is ready.

"Next up is boiled fish," Lu Mingfei said, wiping the sweat from his brow and turning to another pot.

The fish bones had been simmered into a milky white broth. He carefully skimmed off the foam and added bean sprouts and lettuce slices as a base.

"You can start cooking the fish fillets now," Frilian said softly, the light at the tip of her wand turning a gentle blue.

Lu Mingfei gently slid the fish slices into the soup one by one, and the pinkish-white fish meat unfurled like flower petals in the simmering broth.

Ye Sheng nodded, "The fish is just cooked through; any more and it would be overcooked."

The final step is to pour hot oil over it.

Lu Mingfei spread dried chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns on the fish fillets, then poured hot rapeseed oil over them, instantly filling the air with aroma.

Frillie waved her wand at the opportune moment, allowing the spicy and savory aroma to spread evenly.

"Dinner's ready!" Lu Mingfei announced loudly, and the club members gathered around.

The side dishes and drinks brought by the other members were laid out on the long table, with the central position reserved for the two main courses.

Horus was the first to rush over, eagerly picking up his chopsticks. "Senior Lu, you're so passionate!"

"Don't rush," Lu Mingfei said, shaking his head helplessly.

Lin Xia looked at the bright red boiled fish and dared not pick up her chopsticks. "It looks so scary. I'm afraid it's too spicy."

"Don't be afraid," Frillie said, taking a bottle of chilled plum juice from the freezer. "There's a drink to cool you down."

Jiu Deya picked up a piece of boiled fish. Under the light, the fish meat was crystal clear. "His knife skills have improved a lot. The fish slices are evenly thick and melt in your mouth."

Ye Sheng ate the stir-fried pork kidneys: "The pork kidneys are crisp and tender, with no fishy smell."

He took a sip of wine. "Next time, I can try using Shaoxing wine instead of cooking wine. The aroma will be even richer."

Lu Mingfei carefully noted down his master's advice, while Frilian, sitting next to him, quietly ate a small bowl of rice with pork kidney.

Noticing his gaze, Frillie showed a satisfied expression, "It tastes better than the West Lake Fish in Vinegar Sauce last time."

"That's not a problem with my cooking skills, it's purely a problem with the food."

Lu Mingfei served himself a bowl of rice, picked up a piece of pork kidney and a slice of fish and put them in his mouth. The spicy and savory flavors exploded in his mouth, and the tenderness of the fish and the crispness of the pork kidney created a wonderful contrast.

Chapter 82 Isabel

In front of the Norton Building, Isabel took a deep breath, adjusted her shirt collar and knee-length gray skirt, and carefully tied her light brown long hair into a high ponytail.

Isabel pressed the doorbell, which rang crisply, and a moment later, the door was opened.

Standing in front of her was a dark-haired Asian boy, wearing a loose black T-shirt and jeans, with a shy smile on his face.

A silver-haired girl followed beside them, peeking out curiously.

"Hello, I'm Lu Mingfei. Are you here for a job interview?" the young man asked in a gentle voice.

“Yes, I am Isabelle, here to apply for the position of General Affairs Assistant,” Isabelle replied with a smile.

"Ah, Isabel from the student council dance troupe!" Lu Mingfei's eyes lit up. "I saw your performance at the spring dance, it was amazing!"

Isabel's face flushed slightly. "Thank you. I saw the job posting in the activity room earlier, so I wanted to apply."

“We really need someone as organized as you,” Frilian said. “The club has gained a lot of members recently, and the files and documents are a complete mess.”

Lu Mingfei added with a smile, "Don't be intimidated by Frilian, we're actually a very relaxed club. Come on, let me show you around."

They led Isabel through the Norton Building, where photos of various club activities—picnics, book clubs, costume parties—hanged on both sides of the corridor.

“This is our main activity room,” Lu Mingfei said, pushing open the door with the three large characters “Activity Room” written on it. “We usually spend most of our time here.”

The room features a large oak table surrounded by comfortable sofas and armchairs.

One wall is a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf, crammed with books in various languages. The other wall displays several medieval-style maps.

There was a small bar in the corner, with a coffee machine and various tea sets on it.

"How many people are in the club now?" Isabel asked curiously.

"Including myself and Frilian, there are a total of six official members, and some unofficial members who are not named," Lu Mingfei said, counting on his fingers, "Senior Ye Sheng and Senior Jiu Deya, Junior Horus and Junior Lin Xia."

As they were talking, the door was pushed open, and a black-haired boy walked in, followed by a girl with a ponytail.

"Speak of the devil and he appears," Lu Mingfei said with a smile. "This is Senior Ye Sheng and Senior Jiu Deyaji."

Ye Sheng nodded in acknowledgment, and Jiu Deyaqi warmly stepped forward to shake Isabel's hand: "Finally, someone has come to save the club's chaotic files!"

“Aki, don’t scare people,” Ye Sheng said gently.

“We mainly do three things each week,” Frillian said, “academic discussions, board games, and food. Today is Wednesday, so we have an academic discussion session. Would you like to join?”

Isabel's eyes lit up: "Of course, I'm very interested."

At three o'clock in the afternoon, club members gradually gathered in the activity room. Isabel sat at the long table, with a draft of Jiudeya's thesis and several reference books spread out in front of her.

Lu Mingfei walked over with a tea tray and placed a cup of steaming black tea in front of everyone. "It's time for academic discussion. Today's topic is 'cross-cultural influence'."

Frillie quietly dimmed the lights, the projector lit up, and the discussion outline appeared on the wall.

“I’ll go first,” Horus raised his hand. “I’ve recently been studying the mathematical exchanges between ancient Egypt and Greece.”

The discussion lasted for two hours, during which everyone shared their research and learning experiences.

When it was Isabelle's turn, she shared her insights on the fusion of foreign cultures and local elements in Spanish dance.

At six o'clock in the evening, the atmosphere in the activity room became more relaxed. The books and notes on the table were taken away and replaced with boxes of board games.

"It's board game time!" Lu Mingfei announced.

Shudeya took out an exquisite wooden box from the cabinet: "Today we'll play with this, 'The Wizard's Journey,' Frillie's favorite."

Isabel looked curiously at the game box with its cover depicting magic circles and fantastical creatures. "I've never played this before."

“The rules are simple,” Ye Sheng explained. “We play the role of traveling wizards and work together to complete the mission. The key is teamwork.”

Frillie silently began setting up the game map, her movements practiced and efficient.

At the start of the game, Isabelle plays a fire wizard from the south, working with others to solve puzzles and fight virtual monsters.

"Isabel, use your fire magic to melt this ice bridge!" Lin Xia pointed to the bridge on the map.

“Then Horus can use wind magic to blow the fragments away,” Ye Sheng added.

Lu Mingfei, playing the healer, looked at everyone nervously, "Be careful, we don't have much life left."

Isabel rolled the dice, and the red number flashed and landed on a "6". "Success!"