Lu Mingfei, who had read Dragon Clan before slaying the dragon

She stood there, smiling, her white skirt like an angel's feathers, her long lead-black hair hanging down to her feet, shining with a black luster.

Light and shadows drifted around the girl like snowflakes. She was barefoot, standing on tiptoe, and her slender, crystal-clear toes supported her weightless body as she walked gently towards the man on the bench.

"Eva, I'm here."

Chapter 36 Smoke from Burning Embers

The girl descended like an angel.

The man on the small bench stood up and stretched out his hand, trying to reach into the beam of light, as if wanting to touch the girl. The veins on his strong arms were exposed and his broad palms were shaking.

"You haven't answered my question yet. Do you want to see the girl in your memory, or the current Eva?" Eva took the initiative to stretch out her hand and place it on the man's broad palm.

There was no warmth, no touch, all he saw was data and all he touched was nothingness, but the man still carefully closed his palms, as if he was really holding the girl's hand in front of him.

"I don't know... After so many years, I still haven't been able to escape from that night. My friends, strength, and you, everything I have is left in that dark night. If possible, I would like to stay there forever!" The man's voice was hoarse.

"But I hope you can live a good life." Eva raised her hand and gently stroked the man's strong yet fragile face.

He seemed to be crying, but there were no tears.

"I like holding your hand and looking at you. If I don't do this, I won't be able to tell whether you are by my side or have left long ago..." the man whispered.

"You know, when a person begins to regret, they completely bid farewell to the beauty of this world. Unbearable memories kidnap every night. Every time I try to fall asleep, I am exhausted. Suffering and memories unreasonably invade my mind, as if to crush me. Living is like atonement. I can't move forward, I stumble..."

"How can you stop suffering so much?" Eva asked distressedly.

"A cigar, please." The man smiled bitterly. "The nicotine should be able to temporarily numb my nerves. You'll give me one, right?"

"If possible, I hope you can smoke and drink less." Eva sighed softly.

There were strange movements inside the wall.

The man's eyes instantly became fixed on the wall, the joints of his hands creaked, and the muscles in his arms twisted like snakes. There was a terrifying force hidden there that could kill a cow with a single punch.

A pink robotic arm emerged from the wall and handed out a box of expensive and historic BELINDA cigars.

"It's a pity. It's the Cuban cigar you love, but it's not the kind that's rubbed from the thighs of your favorite Cuban bodybuilder." Eva stuck out her tongue and said playfully, as if trying to liven up the dull atmosphere.

"Ten thousand Cuban girls and ten thousand Cuban cigars are not as valuable as one of your hairs!" The man took out a cigar from the box, but was embarrassed to find that he had no light.

"Ignition service is charged extra, sir." The robotic arm creaked and shook.

"Damn it!" the man muttered as he fished out two crumpled US dollars from his shirt. "This will only make my poverty even worse!"

"Sir, the minimum charge for lighting the fire is three dollars." The robotic arm swung back and forth. "If you're in a good mood, you can add a tip."

"Do I look happy?" the man angrily stuffed two dollars into the mechanical arm's hand. "How much gas would it cost to light a fire? It's only two dollars, take it or leave it!"

"Sir, the minimum for lighting a fire is three dollars..."

Eva winked, and the robotic arm stopped talking, reluctantly opened the high-temperature spray gun, and lit the cigar in the man's hand.

The man took a big sip.

The pungent smell quickly invaded his nasal cavity, and his brain stopped thinking and went blank at that moment. He exhaled the smoke heavily, his eyes unfocused.

It's sizzling!

The moment the smoke drifted to the wall, the smoke alarm was triggered, and the high-pressure water gun sprayed towards the cigar and the man's face, and the man was stunned on the spot.

"Sorry, I forgot to tell you that smoking is not allowed in the main engine room." Eva smiled softly while covering her mouth at the man's lewd appearance.

"Eva, you're not so cute anymore!" The man lifted his sleeves to wipe his face, revealing his strong abdominal muscles.

"Hehe, but no flames are allowed in this mainframe room." Eva sat in mid-air, swinging her pale feet. "I've made an exception and let you take a puff!"

The man looked at the expensive cigar he had only taken a puff of with great heartache. The tobacco was soaked in water and could no longer be smoked. He wiped the cigar and put it in his pocket.

"Please do me a favor. For the new student Lu Mingfei, no matter what the result of his '3E' exam tomorrow is, I hope you can write the sentence 'Descendant of the Black King, S-level potential' on his report." said the man.

"If he is indeed not a descendant of the Black King, doing this would not necessarily be a good thing for him or the academy."

"But that's not necessarily a bad thing, right?" The man smiled, revealing his white teeth.

"You should know what 'S' grade stands for. The school board won't get away with it so easily."

"Then announce it in the name of the principal, and no one will dare to raise any objections." The man said firmly.

"Alas, what if his bloodline is really unreasonable? That will definitely be a disaster for Kassel Academy." Eva was a little worried.

"Even so, it's... a disaster that the academy deserves." The man's eyes were sharp. "You will help me. You never refuse me."

"I will help you, but Norma may not." Eva lowered her head and said softly, "And I am no longer myself. What you see now is just what you want to see..."

"Let's not discuss such a sad topic." The man took a deep breath, "Actually, I have something more important to ask you."

"Um?"

"Have the executive department found any trace of the Dragon King?" the man asked.

"Is this the real reason you came to me so late at night?" Eva looked at the man. "Whether it's making a false report for Lu Mingfei or leaking the executive department's plan, this is really embarrassing for me."

"It's just difficult, but you will still obey me." The man said firmly.

Eva looked at the man deeply, finally sighed and chose to compromise.

"The Executive Department's target is the Bronze and Fire King, Norton, a noble First Generation, one of the Four Great Kings. The search is still ongoing. The principal plans to send Professor Mance and the Executive Department's strongest young team—Ye Sheng and Jude Aki—to the battlefield. As you know, the principal always leaves no room for maneuver when it comes to dragon warfare."

"We will win this time because we have an extra trump card in our hand." The man smiled.

"Lu Mingfei?"

"Lu Mingfei!"

"Believe me, Lu Mingfei is the most unique one. He is different from all the children we have met." After saying this, the man prepared to leave.

"You still owe me a dollar!" The robotic arm protested as the man was about to leave.

The man turned around and stretched out his hand, smiling devilishly.

The robotic arm took a defensive stance, and the man and the machine began a contest of strength, but unfortunately, within a second, the robotic arm was defeated.

The man held the two crumpled U.S. dollars he had snatched back in his hand and said smugly, "Now I owe you three dollars. Remember this. I never feel overwhelmed by debts, so I won't pay you back. Hahahaha!"

The man took out a damp cigar from his pocket and rolled it vigorously. Eva kept watching him. His burly and lonely figure walked away, but his tall body was hunched over, like a cowardly bear.

The metal door opened and closed, and the man disappeared into the darkness without looking back.

The man left, and the only sound left in the huge central control room was the creaking and swinging of the robotic arm.

The girl was still staring at the metal door, blue spots of light gathering in her eyes.

"Falling in love with someone is very tiring, especially falling in love with a man like him who reeks of cigarettes and alcohol." The robotic arm said to the girl in a mature voice.

"He lives like a collection of regret and repentance!"

"He is who he is, and he never changes." Eva tried hard to hold back her tears.

"Even I can see that there was once a fire in his heart, but now it has burned out and only smoke remains." The mechanical arm said this and finally folded and retracted into the wall.

The control room fell into a deathly silence again, and the girl's tears silently fell onto the metal floor...

It's like drizzle falling into the lake, creating circle after circle of transparent blue ripples.

Chapter 37 Hilbert Jean Angers

At nine o'clock in the morning, Lu Mingfei arrived at the door of the principal's office of Kassel College on time.

This was the time and place of the "3E" exam that Norma informed him of via email early in the morning - a "3E" exam held specifically for Lu Mingfei, held in the principal's office in Angers, the only one of its kind in the entire Kassel College.

Angers' office is an unremarkable two-story building. The green stone walls are covered with vines and green ivy climbing on them. The outer walls look a bit dilapidated.

Branches and withered yellow leaves were softly spread on the long corridor, making a crisp crunching sound when stepped on. It looked more like an unknown former residence left over from the last century.

There is an exquisite copper bell hanging on the gate, which must be the doorbell for knocking on the door. It can be seen that the principal is indeed a retro and romantic old guy!

Lu Mingfei didn't know what the meaning was that Principal Ange, whom he had never met, chose to hold the "3E" exam in his office, but he was only there to take the exam and not to fight with that old monster, so he decided to make the best of it.

Lu Mingfei stepped forward and gently shook the bell, and the copper bell made an ethereal and crisp sound.

"Principal, are you there?"

"Mingfei? Come in, kid." A vicissitudes and mellow voice came from inside the house, and the door slowly opened.

Lu Mingfei was a little stunned after entering the room. The first impression this office gave him was that it was rich!

So rich! The whole room is filled with money! The strong aura of extravagance is overwhelming!

Before this, he wondered why such a building didn't even have a window. After entering, he realized that this was the design style of the building.

The upper and lower floors of the building are completely connected, and an open staircase extends in a spiral from the first floor door to the top of the second floor. The four walls of the entire two-story building are carved into built-in bookshelves filled with books - a wide variety of books - from this century's Nobel Prize in Literature winners to damaged scroll documents from the Middle Ages.

Lu Mingfei strongly suspected that all the books placed here were authentic, and wondered what kind of outrageous astronomical figure this wall of books would fetch if it were sold at an aristocratic auction.

Not to mention the medieval antique piano and violin placed in the corner, Lu Mingfei had no way of estimating their specific value.

"Damn it, is this the world of the rich? How can I, a country bumpkin who grew up in a small coastal town in the south, understand this!"

There is a huge transparent skylight on the dome. Warm light shines into the house through the skylight, casting bright circles of light on the dark solid wood floor.

When Lu Mingfei saw the unique design of the skylight, he thought that it was no wonder that Caesar's father Pompey was so coquettish. The window really looked too much like the landing point of some kind of orienteering skydiving. If he had money, he would definitely do the same!

"Come up and talk, kid." At the tea table on the second floor, the old man waved gently to the boy.

Lu Mingfei climbed the spiral staircase until he stood in front of the old man.

The old man was leaning on the cushion in the chair, holding an original printed copy of "Hamlet" in his hand. The teacup on the tea table in front of him was emitting wisps of fragrance, and the mist gathered and dissipated like smoke in the sunlight.

The old gramophone in the corner was playing Beethoven's "Symphony No. 5 in C Minor", also known as "Symphony of Fate". Lu Mingfei was very familiar with this song because Chu Zihang often played it at the evening parties at Shilan Middle School.

He was listening to a thrilling and exciting medieval symphony and reading a story about the Prince's Revenge. It seemed that this old man was really filled with deep and irreconcilable hatred in his bones!

The old man's face was hidden in the rising mist. His weathered and deep eyes were filled with stories of the world that could not be told all night long. The long years had carved crisscrossing grooves on his face, and it seemed as if rows of tombstones of the deceased were buried in the grooves.

Gilbert Jean Angers, a charming and handsome old-fashioned gentleman, a powerful dragon-slaying sword, and a bloody avenger who has returned from hell!

It’s true that seeing is believing, Principal Angers!

"Hello, Principal." Lu Mingfei bowed slightly.

"Don't be so restrained, let's sit down and talk." Ange smiled and pointed to the chairs that had been prepared opposite.

After Lu Mingfei sat down, Ange put down the priceless rare book wrapped in fine cowhide. He closed his eyes and took a sip of the tea in his cup, then asked with a smile, "What would you like to drink, tea or coffee?"

"Let's have some tea at the table. Thank you, Principal," said Lu Mingfei.

"He's a good boy who knows etiquette." Ange stood up and chose from the custom-made tea cabinet not far away.

"Baihao Yinzhen? Xinyang Maojian? Or Lushan Yunwu?" Angé looked at the old tea cakes placed in the tea cabinet. He picked and chose, and finally, as if he had a feeling, his eyes fell on a small iron can in the corner. On the small white label on the side of the iron can was written a neat word "Lu".

"Let's have Tieguanyin. It was brought to me by an old friend a long time ago. It should be more to your taste." Ange returned to the tea table with the iron can.

"Excuse me, Principal."

"It's no trouble. I really like your Chinese tea culture. Making tea is also a kind of enjoyment. It can examine my state of mind and cultivate my sentiments." Ange has a good knowledge of idioms.

"Tieguanyin is produced in Anxi, Fujian, China. It has the effects of strengthening the stomach and digestion, removing heat and reducing fat, and is suitable for people of all ages. This one is top-grade, with a strong aftertaste, and the taste and quality can be said to be quite good." Ange skillfully sprinkled the tea leaves and introduced while brewing.

Lu Mingfei had never studied tea in depth, and although he didn't know what the special grade was or how fragrant it was, the one in Angé's mouth looked quite good, so it must be worth a lot of money.

After the tea was brewed, Ange pushed the cup in front of Lu Mingfei and said with a smile, "Try it, it should be very good."

Lu Mingfei picked up the cup, blew on it gently, and then took a sip. It was slightly bitter, but the aftertaste was strong and long. Even someone like him who knew nothing about tea could tell that it was definitely good tea, but he really couldn't get used to it.

"Very good tea." Lu Mingfei nodded gently, then suddenly changed the subject, "But I'm here to take the exam. The principal should give me paper and pen, right? Otherwise, if the answers are scratched on your expensive Huanghuali tea table, I can't afford to pay for it."

"When did you start to notice it?" After a moment of hesitation, Ange smiled and took out a piece of white paper and a sharpened pencil from the corner of the table.

"It started as soon as I walked in. I'm quite familiar with this piece of music. There are a few notes in it that are a bit abrupt and discordant. It should be Dragon Script, right?"

"You are worthy of being our 'S' class. You are the most outstanding young man I have ever seen, no doubt about it. Even Caesar and Chu Zihang cannot take away your dazzling brilliance!" Angé sighed.

"Principal, you are too kind..." Lu Mingfei had not finished speaking.

"That's not flattery at all! This is clearly one of the few things this old man said that makes sense!"

Lu Mingfei looked up, but Ange had already disappeared without a trace.

The boy in a black suit sat at Ange's favorite tea table, his feet in white square-toed leather shoes swinging back and forth, a white silk scarf sticking out of his pocket, and a pair of faint golden eyes staring at Lu Mingfei with a half-smile.

Chapter 38 Brothers