Dragon Raja; Chapter 60: The City of Bronze (11)

Dragon Raja

“All machines need power, and alchemical ones are no exception,” Ye Sheng shouted, “But hurry! The entire city… it’s starting to move!”

The knife fell, and the bronze bell regained power, ringing out with full force.

Lu Mingfei heard a deafening bell ringing. He woke up from the sound and looked up to see the darkness and stars outside.

“Damn it, are they calling my soul in the middle of the night? What kind of damn school is this? Don’t they know how to protect students’ healthy sleep?” His first reaction was to curse, and his second reaction was to lift the quilt and cover his head.

He huddled in his bed for a while, realizing something was wrong. He hung up the phone. Finger, who had been snoring loudly on the upper bunk before falling asleep, was now silent as if dead. Moreover, the sound of the bell showed no signs of weakening, and it penetrated his quilt and shot directly into his mind. Shouldn’t this schizophrenic guy Finger jump up and curse after such a thing happened? Lu Mingfei slowly got up and leaned over to the upper bunk to see that Finger was sleeping there peacefully, just like… dead.

“Hey, over here.” Someone spoke by the window.

A boy in a black suit, white silk shirt, and square-toed shoes was sitting on his windowsill, staring quietly into the distance.

Lu Mingze.

Lu Mingfei hesitated for a while, tiptoed to the boy’s back, gritted his teeth, and suddenly reached out to mess up the boy’s hair. To his disappointment, the touch was extremely real, the washed hair was smooth and comfortable to touch, and the boy’s body temperature was also real. The boy did not resist at all, and looked back at Lu Mingfei with his chicken coop-like head, and simply brushed his hair to restore his hairstyle like an aristocratic elementary school student.

“Hey… can you tell me if I’m dreaming?” Lu Mingfei leaned against the windowsill.

“It depends on how you define ‘dreaming.’ By your definition, what you’re seeing now isn’t the real world.” The boy shrugged. “But what is the real world, anyway? Maybe the world you think is real is the actual dream.”

“But this feels so, so, so real! I’ve never had a dream this vivid.” Lu Mingfei pointed at the bell tower outside. “The clock is still ticking. I went to sleep at 2 a.m., and now it’s four-thirty. Everything’s normal, except for you. If it weren’t for you, it wouldn’t feel like a dream at all.”

“Don’t put too much trust in your eyes. What you see isn’t necessarily real. Maybe you’re dead now and just think you’re standing here talking.” The boy looked into Lu Mingfei’s eyes. “Maggots are crawling through your corpse, as happy as worms wriggling through holes in cheese.”

Lu Mingfei froze, feeling a chill run through his body. “Stop! Stop! I just ate cheese last night. Can you not make such creepy comparisons? And this time, don’t push me out of the window again. Let’s talk peacefully.”

“This time, I won’t. Last time, you were just too annoying.” The boy said, “I can’t stay for long. I’m just here to remind you—something is happening. Be prepared.”

“What kind of thing? Dragon invasion, end of the world? Don’t wake me from a nap unless it’s serious.”

“Didn’t you hear the bell?” the boy said meaningfully.

Lu Mingfei was stunned for a moment. “What’s the use of the bell? I can buy a small alarm clock for ten dollars on the carpet at my doorstep and it will work!”

“But the little alarm clock doesn’t kill people,” the boy smiled, “Also, I want to congratulate you on passing the 3E exam and becoming a member of Cassell Academy.”

“But the test scores haven’t come out yet!”

“Trust my judgment, but I guess there are many people who want to challenge you or get something from you. I am willing to do you a favor. You have to continue your studies here as an ‘S’-level student. You have to have some skills. Do you remember the cheats in StarCraft?”

“Of course. ‘Power overwhelming’ means invincibility, ‘Show me the money’ means adding 10,000 minerals and gas, ‘Black sheep wall’ means full map reveal.” Lu Mingfei said, very familiar with them.

“Exactly, ‘Black sheep wall,’ full map reveal—it’s very useful, right?”

“Of course. You don’t know how important scouting is in StarCraft?”

“The first cheat I taught you is the black sheep wall. You can use it now. As long as you shout this sentence into the air, you will get a detailed map of the surrounding environment. But remember, you can only use this cheat once, so don’t try to use my kindness lightly. When you need this help, shout it out loud, and you will thank me for saving you.” said the boy.

Lu Mingfei paused, “Why all the mystery? Do you think we’re playing Harry Potter here? Is this a magic school? Just say… black…”

He couldn’t finish his words because the boy suddenly put his hand over his mouth. The boy raised a finger and shook it at Lu Mingfei, “Don’t say anything now, don’t waste my kindness, or I’ll get angry.”

Lu Mingfei saw that he didn’t seem to be pretending, “Why are you helping me?”

“Because I’m Lu Mingze, we’re brothers.” The boy stood up on the windowsill and patted Lu Mingfei’s shoulder vigorously. “Remember, BlackSheepWall, when you need me the most… your troubles will come to you soon.”

“You, this mysterious boy, are my biggest trouble now…” Lu Mingfei wanted to say.

The boy, like a classmate dropping by for a visit, opened the door and walked out. As the door closed, the dormitory fell into a deathly silence. Lu Mingfei looked up and down, then looked at Finger, who was lying on the upper bunk like a corpse. For a moment, he was lost in the debate between reality and dreams. A cold air ran down his back, and he shivered violently, reaching out to pinch his face.

Before he could pinch it, there was an ear-piercing buzzing sound outside the door, like a knife scraping his ear bone, or some thief triggering the alarms of all the banks around the world at the same moment.

“Did that guy burn the fire alarm with a lighter?” Lu Mingfei thought. He instinctively felt that the boy who called himself Lu Mingze was not a good person. However, this voice relieved the pressure in his heart. The death-like silence was too terrifying.

He rushed out of the dormitory, shouting, “What are you doing?”

“What kind of plane are you working on?” someone asked back.

Lu Mingfei froze and saw the person standing in front of him. It was Nono, in her school uniform skirt, who reached out and patted his face, “Wake up, did you sleep too deeply?”

Lu Mingfei was standing in the dormitory corridor. The red light on the ceiling was flashing, and the piercing buzz came from the speakers hidden in the walls. Students were gathering at each staircase exit, heading toward the elevators—both male and female, all in school uniforms, their expressions serious. Cassell College was relatively small, and Dormitory Area 1 housed both male and female students.

Lu Mingfei was wearing a pair of shorts with a Dalmatian pattern and he was staring at his messy head with a sleepy look.

“My friend, with the look on your face, even if you have the privilege of pursuing girls for three months without being rejected, you will definitely be kicked out after three months and one day.” Bradley, who came up to him, said regretfully.

“Can anyone tell me there’s a fire?” Lu Mingfei closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and smiled at the onlookers. He had already been seen anyway, and it was too late to be embarrassed now.

“The first thing about Cassell College is reading the Emergency Manual. This college has been prepared for dealing with all sorts of dragon-related emergencies since its founding. This alarm means an urgent incident. High-ranking students are to gather at the library. Hi, Nono, you’re looking more beautiful!” Finger stuck his messy head out from his room. Lu Mingfei knew he wouldn’t come out—Finger liked sleeping naked.

“You still haven’t kicked the habit of sleeping naked, huh?” Nono said.

“As an F-Rank loser, you’re quite familiar with the Emergency Manual! By the way, what exactly is it used for? Something like an earthquake survival guide?” Lu Mingfei asked.

“All ‘S’ and ‘A’ level students please report to the library. Emergency! Emergency!” Norma’s voice came from the loudspeaker, confirming Finger’s speculation.

“Doesn’t have anything to do with me, right? The 3E exam results aren’t out yet. I shouldn’t count, so can I go back to sleep?”

Gather at the library, we need your help!” Professor Guderian rushed out of the corridor while putting on his suit, his hair was messier than Lu Mingfei and Finger combined.

“But I don’t even have any internship credits yet!” Lu Mingfei yelled.

Lu Mingfei knew that he probably couldn’t escape, and couldn’t help but sigh. The door of the dormitory opened at the right time, and Finger stretched out his bare chest, with Lu Mingfei’s school uniform draped over it.

“Emergency situations are also opportunities for the best students to shine. I have confidence in you!” Professor Guderian patted Lu Mingfei’s shoulder forcefully and whispered in his ear.

“Are you doing this for your full professorship?” Lu Mingfei thought maliciously.

“Let’s go!” Nono grabbed him and pulled him along.

Series Navigation

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