Lu Mingfei, why are you slaying dragons if you're not involved!

Chapter 212 Does the Great Han Dynasty still exist?

Whether others believe it or not, Lu Mingfei himself does.

Thinking about it carefully, the entry was obtained through my hard work day and night. I was really tired, and I really spent a lot of time. Since I paid such a high price, how can it not be considered my own ability? How can it not be considered my talent?

"I have such talent, all thanks to my own hard work!"

Lu Mingfei thought to himself silently, feeling that there was nothing wrong with this line of thinking.

As for how to explain this after the whole thing is over? There's even less to worry about. Everyone here is on our side. The only one who could barely be considered "enemy camp" is Nono, who's a bit strange. Lu Mingfei always felt that she seemed a little off...

It seems he has no right to say that others are abnormal.

Lu Mingfei took a deep breath, suppressing those distracting thoughts. His lungs expanded, and the air he inhaled carried a faint, damp misty scent, along with an extremely subtle, almost imperceptible, inexplicable aroma.

"Just like before, I'll go over first, double-check, and then you can follow," he said.

[Explosive Sprint], activated!

It was as if the air had suddenly filled with some unknown gel, slowing down the movement of all objects except for Lu Mingfei, whose voices became strange.

To be honest, Lu Mingfei didn't really like this feeling. If the speed continued to increase... wouldn't it be very lonely in a world where only he could move?
He walked into the crevice in the rock.

Water droplets seeped from the rock wall, clinging coldly to his shoulders and back. The crevice ahead was pitch black; at its narrowest point, he had to squeeze through sideways, his stomach chuckling, like a not-yet-fully-closed fold deep in a giant beast's throat. The rough surface of the rock rustled softly against his clothes, making his heart race involuntarily.

"Thank goodness I don't have claustrophobia..."

Lu Mingfei's mind wandered to all sorts of random thoughts. Soon, after a few seconds of his observation, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

It had a kind of "after the darkest hour comes the dawn" feel to it, but what I saw before me was not birdsong, fragrant flowers, babbling brooks, bronze-colored mountains and land, water that could not float anything, and icy blue flames... and people who were completely wrapped in clothes, who did not look like living people, yet were doing things that only living people would do.

Everything was the same as before, with virtually no changes. After ruling out the possibility that the previous entry might have been some kind of hallucination, Lu Mingfei chose to close the entry.

A slight weariness washed over him, but he dared not relax. He focused his mind and surveyed his surroundings. The air was filled with an indescribable smell. The earthy scent that should have been present when burning and plowing the land was nowhere to be found. Instead, there was a strange stillness, as if someone had finally arrived after a long time of accumulated ash and bones.

Is this the smell of "death"?
Lu Mingfei didn't know; he simply watched the people still working in the fields and listened to their singing and chatting.

They looked...too human. If it weren't for the dreadful place of Nibelungen, the food that was hardly edible for humans, and the lifeless atmosphere around them, Lu Mingfei would almost have thought they were just a group of ordinary farmers struggling to survive on barren land.

Just then, one of the figures stopped moving. He had been facing Lu Mingfei's direction, but had been bowing without raising his head. Now, he briefly put down his "farm tools," just like an ordinary farmer who needs a short rest after a long period of labor. He straightened his back and raised his head.

The two were far apart, and Lu Mingfei couldn't see his face clearly, but he could clearly feel that the two gazes crossed the ridge of the field. They should have been scanning aimlessly, but they froze because a brightly colored figure suddenly appeared in the bronze-colored field... and landed precisely on him.

Lu Mingfei's breathing paused slightly.

Extremely faint footsteps sounded behind them. Chu Zihang was the second to emerge, his movements swift and clean. He almost immediately felt that gaze as well, his body pausing slightly, his eyes instantly sharpening like knives, sweeping across the field before finally settling on the figure looking at them.

He didn't say anything, but subtly adjusted his position, placing half of his body in front of Lu Mingfei's side.

Next was Ye Sheng, who followed Chu Zihang's gaze after coming out, his expression immediately becoming even more serious. Then came Jiu Deya, Nuonuo, and Su Xi.

The six people gradually gathered at the edge of this desolate field, like a group of uninvited guests who had accidentally wandered into another world.

Their successive appearances clearly startled the people working in the fields.

The murmurs and conversations ceased. One, two, three... more and more figures stopped their farm work after a brief exchange, looked at Lu Mingfei and his group of intruders, and began to move.

Instead of rushing forward, they slowly approached each other, like a disturbed ant colony, gradually gathering into a dark, dense mass.

Be wary, scrutinize... Even from a distance, and unable to discern their faces from their clothing, Lu Mingfei could still guess some things.

They continued to talk to each other, and soon two figures broke away from the group and started running towards the distant village. Their speed was significantly faster than that of a normal person, indicating that they were going to deliver a message.

"What are they saying?" Ye Sheng asked in a low voice, subconsciously glancing towards Lu Mingfei as he spoke.

It seemed that Lu Mingfei believed him simply because he said he could understand... and the same was true for everyone else. All eyes were focused on them at that moment.

Even though there isn't any strong evidence yet, sometimes it all depends on who says it. When Lu Mingfei said it, it went from "that's impossible" to "that's perfectly reasonable." Trust is such an irrational thing.

"It's a bit far away, I can't hear you very well."

Lu Mingfei strained his ears, but the indistinct syllables became increasingly blurred as they traveled across the empty fields, so he could only honestly reply.

"I only heard two words, roughly 'breach of contract' and 'notify the general'."

"General?"

Ye Sheng's voice was filled with astonishment and confusion, which was completely beyond his understanding of Nibelungen, the land of the dead.

Are there living people here who can communicate with each other, farm, and even run back to shout "General"? Or something that looks like a living person and should logically exist in Nibelungen—a Deadpool?
But if it were Deadpool, the battle would have started long ago, like a man encountering a bloodthirsty beast, an imminent and bloody fight to the death.

However, the two sides are now silently confronting each other across the field, the air tense like a taut bowstring, but neither side is launching an attack first.

This eerie calm was more unsettling than direct conflict. Everything seemed illogical, yet that was the reality before us.

Is there a problem with the records about the Nibelungen, or is there another reason for this situation?

"Should I say something?"

Lu Mingfei licked his slightly dry lips, his eagerness rising again. With the aid of [Language Analysis], he was like a real-time translator; he could not only understand what the other person was saying, but also speak it!
Of course, this ability will disappear if the language is switched, so it won't affect his learning and gaining proficiency. "Shout out?"

Ye Sheng scratched his head, even as the most experienced agent here, he was somewhat at a loss. "What are you shouting for?"

"Um……"

Lu Mingfei fell into deep thought, though it seemed somewhat pretentious, because the situation was actually quite clear: he was just greeting a group of strangers... Regardless of their identities, since he could farm, he should treat them as people for now!
Since it's about greeting a stranger...

His gaze swept over the figures, over the lifeless land, and in a flash, a brilliant idea popped into his mind, like a bolt of lightning illuminating the darkness.

A flash of inspiration!
Lu Mingfei did not consult Ye Sheng's opinion again, because he felt that this sentence could not possibly be wrong. At this moment, in this situation, there was no more appropriate, safer, and more universally caring opening statement than this sentence!
He stepped forward, took a deep breath of the air—which had a strange smell but which he had now gotten used to—and cupped his hands around his mouth to make a makeshift megaphone. Then, he mustered all his strength and shouted a sentence that Chu Zihang, Ye Sheng, and the others couldn't understand at all. The sentence was strange in syllable but unusually clear and loud.

The sound was extremely penetrating, striking the open field and even creating a faint echo before dissipating.

The effect is immediate.

The tense atmosphere on the other side, as if drawn and ready to erupt at any moment, suddenly eased as if gently pricked by a needle.

The people gathered together were clearly stunned. They turned to each other, seemingly questioning their companions with their eyes. Low murmurs arose again, this time with astonishment and confusion far outweighing hostility. Several figures even subconsciously loosened their grip on the "farm tools" they were holding.

"What did you shout?"

Nono couldn't help but ask. With her ability to profile people, there were very few people she couldn't understand. Since she could understand people, she could naturally understand things as well. Therefore, most people and things in the world were like a book that she could flip through at will. After reading it a lot, it naturally lost its interest.

That's why she had that impulsive, witch-like personality... until she met Lu Mingfei.

She couldn't understand what happened to Lu Mingfei, nor could she understand Lu Mingfei himself.

Therefore, her curiosity about Lu Mingfei can be considered inevitable.

"It's very simple."

Lu Mingfei answered matter-of-factly, with a slightly smug expression, as if he had just accomplished a remarkable feat.

I asked them if they had eaten!

"What the hell!"

For a moment, almost the same astonishment and surprise flashed through their minds.

What is this? A standard opening line for a friendly visit across dimensions? In the Nibelungen, the land of the dead, asking a group of strange beings of unknown origin, whose friend or foe is indistinguishable, whether they've eaten or not?

Please, they might not have eaten yet but have forgotten because they're busy. If you ask them this, what if they remember they should eat and then happen to find you on their menu?
But after this brief mishap, upon reflection, they realized that there really wasn't a better greeting... and it actually made a lot of sense!

Chinese civilization is a typical agrarian civilization, and "food is the first necessity of the people" has been a core tenet for thousands of years. In the long period of low productivity, having enough to eat was the most basic and essential life demand for the vast majority of people, and even the only goal they strived for every day.

So, using "Have you eaten yet?" as an opening line is incredibly friendly!

Since the people on the other side are also farmers and seem to be able to communicate and are rational, they can obviously understand the meaning contained in this sentence... This has been confirmed, and the fact that the serious atmosphere has been eased is the strongest proof.

After a long period of discussion, the people on the other side seemed to have finally come to an answer. One of them, who was clearly the leader, stepped forward and shouted in a similar posture to Lu Mingfei earlier.

Lu Mingfei smiled.

He said he had eaten, and asked us if we had eaten yet!

This process of shouting across the distance did not last long and was interrupted. Soon, many people arrived from distant villages, their ranks orderly, clad in armor, looking every bit like a complete army.

There were no horses; this was a pure infantry unit. The leading officer appeared tall and imposing, but like the others, he was completely covered up, and his face was adorned with a rather strange bronze mask.

"Who are you?"

After the officer stood still, he began to ask questions.

"Ordinary people...ordinary people?" Lu Mingfei scratched his head.

"How could civilians get here?" the officer asked again. "Where did you come from, and what is your purpose?"

“I come from the Great Tang Dynasty in the East, and I am going to…” Lu Mingfei answered subconsciously, which can be said to be a completely instinctive reaction.

After answering, he realized that such nonsense was really inappropriate for this rather serious occasion... Just imagine, if he added that sentence to the subsequent action report, others would think he made it up to lie!
But before he could correct him, he heard the officer ask another question.

"The Great Tang Dynasty of the East?"

The officer asked curiously, "Where is that?"

"It's... the Tang Dynasty?" Lu Mingfei seemed to realize something and asked cautiously, "You don't know?"

"Tang Dynasty? I don't know."

The officer seemed to have finally confirmed something, and he asked again, his tone cautious and tentative.

"Is the Great Han Dynasty still standing?"

It was as if a nuclear bomb had been dropped into my mind, triggered, and exploded... This question, in conjunction with everything I had seen and heard before, gave rise to an unbelievable guess after a period of blankness.

(End of this chapter)