Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 219: Men’s Flower Arrangement (2)

Dragon Raja 3

Lu Mingfei thought for a moment. “I’ve got an idea! I have a secret QQ account that no one knows about. I can log into that account, join our StarCraft group, and ask one of the guys we play with to call Professor Schneider for us!”

He was referring to an old account he used to mess with his cousin, an account long abandoned, now ready for some ‘dirty work,’ and the thought filled him with a bit of smug satisfaction.

“Scars of the Twilight?” Caesar shrugged. “Even Nono was able to track that one down. Do you think the Yamata no Orochi wouldn’t be able to? With the computing power of Norma and Kaguya-hime, it’s too easy to dig into someone’s life. Whether you’re the President of the United States or just an average Joe who doesn’t even show up on Google, to a supercomputer, everyone’s life is pretty simple—just a handful of important people and a few hidden secrets.”

Lu Mingfei froze for a moment, instinctively looking up at the ceiling as his mind started calculating. On most days, when he thought about it, the past 20 years of his life felt pretty long—he had met quite a few people and caused plenty of trouble. But thinking seriously, as Caesar had said, there were only a few important people and a handful of things buried deep in his heart… It turns out that summarizing a person’s life on a computer table was much shorter than he had imagined. You could flip through it in just a few pages.

“Just soak a little longer. A hot bath and some alcohol will help your recovery,” Caesar said as he picked up a firewood axe and started chopping wood to add more to the fire. “I’ll keep the fire going for you.”

The bottom of the Japanese-style wooden bath was iron, heated directly by the flames underneath—just like the pot a monster might use to cook a monk in a fairy tale. As long as the firewood kept being added, the water would stay hot.

Lu Mingfei silently watched Caesar’s back. The well-dressed nobleman in a flashy purple suit was swinging the axe up and down, his chest muscles peeking out from the open collar. He recalled what Lu Mingze had said in the Abyss: “Just say the word, and I’ll make sure there’s no more Caesar in this world. Without Caesar, there will be no wedding of the century, and you won’t feel sad or heartbroken. Nono will still be the crazy girl looking for someone to go to Chicago with her, driving circles around your building and shouting for someone to accompany her to Chicago. This time, if you jump first, you can win her heart… All you have to say is ‘It’d be better if Caesar didn’t exist.’”

Lu Mingfei had considered it. But at that moment, he just couldn’t say it. Even if Lu Mingze had pressed a gun to his temple, he wouldn’t have been able to say it. Thinking about it, this guy named Caesar was one of the few important people in his life. Most of the time, Caesar played the role of the high-and-mighty, bossy rich guy sitting on top of him, and Lu Mingfei mentally cursed him for it. But he was also the guy who helped reserve a table for him at Aspasia, even booking the entire place and preparing an outfit that matched his refined tastes. He was the one who always boasted while paying for meals, his face saying, “To us rich and handsome guys, money is nothing.” He was the one who, even when knowing he might die, insisted on donning the Ziegler armor and stepping out of the hatch because he couldn’t stand the idea of surviving while his brothers died.

How many important people do you have in your life? Could you casually erase one of them? That’s why you can’t say it… that’s why when you rushed out to take a bullet for him, you didn’t even think about it.

Lu Mingfei took a deep breath, curled up his body, and submerged himself entirely in the water.

“Wait a minute, I completely forgot to ask—what the heck is this place?” Lu Mingfei suddenly stood up.

Right, what was he doing getting sentimental at a time like this? They were wanted by the police, hunted by the mafia, and here he was, soaking in a Japanese bath, getting all emotional!

“Takamagahara,” Caesar said flatly.

“Takamagahara?” Lu Mingfei was baffled. He remembered that ancient city had already sunk into the earth’s crust, probably floating in the magma layer right now—if it hadn’t been melted down by the heat.

“Yes, Takamagahara. A place with the same name. In Japanese mythology, Takamagahara is like heaven, so in a way, you could say we’re in heaven.”

“Boss, you’re speaking in riddles, and I don’t understand a thing.”

Lu Mingfei looked around. The wooden tub gave off a rustic vibe, but the bathhouse itself wasn’t some countryside shack. On the contrary, its decor had an air of understated luxury… with a bit of extravagance. The wooden panels on the walls were intricately patterned, clearly not ordinary wood. The tub he was soaking in had a deep red hue like agate, and when tapped, it gave off a crisp sound—not the kind of cheap stuff you’d find in a run-of-the-mill bathhouse. On the walls were beautiful ukiyo-e paintings depicting men and women in kimonos entangled in passionate embraces, the women’s garments half-fallen, revealing their bare skin—it looked like some risqué Japanese artwork. In the corner, there was a tall, intricately carved sandalwood incense burner shaped like a Kannon statue, and the bowl in Kannon’s hands seemed to be gilded.

“It’s hard to explain. You’ll understand once you go outside.” Caesar tossed a bathrobe at Lu Mingfei.

The bathhouse was distinctly Japanese in style, but the hallway outside was European, completely different in design, yet just as opulent. The floor was paved with golden teakwood, and the walls were adorned with oil paintings of naked boys fetching water by a well. Above them hung crystal chandeliers, one after another.

“Boss, did you get your credit card back? This place looks really expensive,” Lu Mingfei asked, feeling increasingly uneasy as they walked.

“Yeah, it’s pretty expensive.”

At the end of the hallway was an elevator. Caesar and Lu Mingfei stepped inside, and the bronze-embellished doors slowly closed as the elevator gently ascended. Lu Mingfei could faintly hear the sound of music boiling up from above.

“When we get there, don’t scream,” Caesar whispered. “The rules here are strict.”

“That doesn’t sound like you, boss. Since when do you care about rules? Aren’t you the ‘Whatever the Gattuso family says is the rule’ type? You don’t even care about—oh my god! Whose enormous butt is that? Don’t just leave your valuables lying around!”

Outside the elevator door, a giant butt wrapped in a tight skirt was passionately shaking to the rhythm, filling Lu Mingfei’s entire field of vision.

In the dance floor, countless men and women swayed, and the ground shook with rhythmic vibrations. This was a grand masquerade ball. The women were all wearing short skirts and high heels, their faces adorned with elegant masks. The edges of their skirts were decorated with luxurious sequins or peacock feathers. Their dance partners were young men, some androgynously handsome, others rugged and masculine—most looked like male celebrities. Their outfits were similar to Caesar’s… It was an entire battalion of flashy peacocks!

“I told you not to scream!” Caesar covered Lu Mingfei’s mouth. “Greet Senior Fujiwara.”

The enormous butt turned around, but all Lu Mingfei could still see was masses of flesh. He thought to himself, “Even from the front, it’s still a giant butt! Senior, are you some kind of butt demon?”