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

Chapter 224 Can't you dragons have a little dignity?
“This is ku, a type of open-crotch trousers, which was the most mainstream and common lower garment during the Han Dynasty,” Ye Sheng replied.

"The people here all came during the Han Dynasty. There have been no major changes in the environment, nor any changes in the regime or reforms. Moreover, due to the limited resources and population, their eating habits and clothing etiquette have not changed much."

"So people in the Han Dynasty all ran around naked?!"

Lu Mingfei had already equated "wearing open-crotch pants" with "streaking" in his mind, and he still walked awkwardly. The feeling of a cool breeze passing between his legs was really hard to get used to in a short time, and although the clothes were clean and of good quality, the style was too ancient, making him feel like a terracotta figurine that had walked out of a Han Dynasty tomb.

"That's not quite right. In the Han Dynasty, there were trousers similar to our modern underwear, called 'kun,' which were short shorts with a crotch. There were two main styles: 'dubi kun' and 'qiong kun.' They were worn by the working people at the time for ease of movement, but were considered extremely indecent by the scholar-official class. It is said that after Sima Xiangru and Zhuo Wenjun eloped, he wore 'dubi kun' in the street to wash wine vessels, which made Zhuo Wenjun's father feel very ashamed."

Ye Sheng changed the subject and returned to Lu Mingfei, "So, the fact that they gave you these open-crotch pants is actually a way of showing you respect, because they think you should wear clothes that represent your status and position..."

"I see."

Lu Mingfei suddenly realized, "Senior brother, you'll definitely be in high demand as a history teacher!"

Ye Sheng was about to answer when Jiu Deya gently poked his waist, making him realize that the topic had jumped to employment again. How did this turn around?

Even though they were heading to a battlefield that looked like it had been the end of the world, they were discussing things as casually as if they were on vacation... A battlefield of that level, even if the battle was over, must still be extremely dangerous!

"Let's get down to business first. You mentioned earlier that there was a slight unexpected situation inside. What was it?" Ye Sheng asked with a serious expression.

"Well..."

Lu Mingfei's expression turned strange. For a moment, even with his own words, he didn't know how to describe the whole process... mainly because it was difficult to explain.

But things still need to be dealt with eventually. If we don't deal with them now, we'll have to deal with them later. Letting them pile up will only be a ticking time bomb!

"We'll be there soon, you'll see when you get there," he said.

What kind of "unexpected situation" could even leave Lu Mingfei speechless? Everyone became curious.

Their curiosity was answered after turning several corners.

At the heart of the battlefield, most of the molten lava had solidified into a black, glassy state. The eerie, rapid cooling had turned the entire cave into a giant amber, its surface still shimmering with lingering red spots. Everything that should have been utterly destroyed in that earth-shattering outburst of energy was reinforced by the ubiquitous lava, achieving a fragile balance for a time.

The original massive underground cavern had vanished, replaced by a vast sinkhole. The ever-floating, half-light in the Nibelungen sky was now obscured by the thick smoke and dust that had previously billowed up, creating a hazy atmosphere.

However, this hellish post-war scene alone was not enough to leave everyone except Lu Mingfei stunned. Among them were Guan Ying, who had come with them, and some villagers. They all stared in one direction, their eyes fixed on it, not looking away for a moment.

"It's them..."

Guan Ying sighed softly, finally breaking the silence that was filled with the faint sounds of the still-burning flames or the solidifying of molten lava.

These words were like a switch being flipped, finally bringing Ye Sheng, who had also been stunned, back to his senses. Only then did he realize that his mouth was agape as if he had been struck by lightning, so wide that if someone had stuffed an orange into his mouth, he probably wouldn't have noticed.

He immediately turned his head, his eyes blankly fixed on Lu Mingfei: "This is what you called 'a little unexpected situation'???"

"That's right, just a little bit..."

Lu Mingfei scratched his head somewhat guiltily, then pointed with his fingers, "Only twenty-eight, just two more than the letters of the alphabet..."

Ye Sheng: “…”

The size of a number depends on what it is measured by and the unit of measurement. If it is ten thousand ants, it is just a matter of a basin of water, but what about a dragon?
Now, there are not just one, but a full twenty-eight!

Those are undoubtedly dragons. Some resemble lizards, while others look like dragons from ancient Chinese legends, with long, fleshy whiskers and long tails. Their common features are thick, bluish-black scales and outstretched wings, possessing a unique beauty and natural majesty. Their still-undulating bodies indicate that they are not statues made by any master craftsman.

In fact, you don't need to observe details like body movements to know they are alive, or even that they are conscious, because their eyes, brighter than lava, are simply too eye-catching, and at this moment, all those dragon eyes are watching them!

The overwhelming dragon's might naturally rushed towards them, and everyone, except Lu Mingfei and Nuonuo, almost instinctively activated their Golden Eyes to withstand it.

"The only time I ever saw a pure-blooded dragon was in the school's specimen museum... It was a red dragon hatchling, discovered in India in 1976. It was captured by humans because it was swallowed by a giant python right after hatching..."

Susie whispered.

"Isn't it unnecessary to memorize textbooks at a time like this?"

Nuonuo also appeared somewhat nervous and shocked, but upon closer observation, it became clear that she was the most relaxed person besides Lu Mingfei, perhaps because she had noticed some detail.

"What should we do then? Go up and fight? We only have melee weapons, we don't have any alchemical bombs from the equipment department..." Susie muttered.

"Are you alright?" Shudeya asked Ye Sheng.

"Not very good... I'm thinking about how to handle this situation. Seriously, is something like this really something I should be handling?"

Ye Sheng looked at Lu Mingfei, and for some reason, he subconsciously felt that Lu Mingfei was the "culprit" who caused the whole thing.

Well, it's not exactly "for some reason," it's just that he "needs to be for some reason."

The previous excuse was indeed terrible, as anyone with eyes could see. Yet everyone tacitly agreed that "it's perfectly reasonable."

They're all smart people, so they naturally understand that some things are neither possible nor their responsibility to be so clear-cut. Not to mention, in principle, Lu Mingfei is one of their high-caliber combatants... so why think so much about it!
“You’re the captain!” Lu Mingfei answered confidently.

He had no idea how to deal with these dragons; he'd never learned how to do it!

Of course, the only option is to shift the blame.

This was a truly unexpected situation. The main reason was that Lu Mingfei never expected that they would be so clever as to avoid the main battlefield while he was fighting Jormungandr, and that they would not leave after Jormungandr fled, but instead came looking for him!

Why are you looking for me? Are you trying to take advantage of my vulnerability and start a fight?
Lu Mingfei was all prepared, but the sight of all twenty-eight dragons bowing down in submission... left him in a very awkward situation.

Killing them is not an option, nor is not killing them.

Please, I'm just a human being. Can't you dragons have some dignity?
After he uttered this nonsensical statement, the dragons exchanged glances and said things like, "Humans are the same; we obey the orders of the strong," showing their quick wit and adaptability!
Fortunately, Lu Mingfei was exceptionally skilled at conversation and eventually managed to extract the real reason from them. The reason, when explained in detail, made a lot of sense, so the current situation shouldn't be too difficult to resolve.

However, we still have to put on an act; we can't just jump straight to the point.

"Does being the captain mean you have to solve all the problems? Then, as the captain, can I order you, as a team member, to solve the problems?" Ye Sheng's eye twitched. "A general in the field may disobey the emperor's orders..."

Lu Mingfei grumbled and moved two steps to the side to increase the distance, as if that would satisfy the condition of "a general in the field".

At that moment, he noticed another gaze coming from him, and when he looked over, he met Nono's eyes.

He was taken aback. Nuonuo's pupils were still black, as deep and clear as an ancient well, as if they could see through people's hearts.

But why is this happening? Faced with so many pure-blooded dragons of the second and third generations, everyone else has already passively ignited their golden eyes, but Nono is able to keep them ignited?

"I have no power of words."

Nono seemed to always know what he was thinking, "and he couldn't ignite the Golden Eyes either."

"Oh, what a coincidence..."

Lu Mingfei nodded, a strange feeling creeping into his heart. No incantations, no golden eyes? Could this still be considered a hybrid?

"What a coincidence?" Nono narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Um... because I can't either." Lu Mingfei scratched his head.

"What a coincidence" was his instinctive answer, because he himself did not have the power of words and could not ignite the golden eyes. Since he came into contact with the relevant knowledge of hybrid races, he had never found any signs of bloodline awakening or igniting the golden eyes.

As for the dragon transformation just now, that was the effect of the entry, and it's different.

A clear look of surprise appeared in Nono's eyes, which was quickly filled with confusion and bewilderment.

With her 'profile' ability, she could easily determine whether someone was telling the truth or not, and not a single word Lu Mingfei said was a lie... But that's precisely the biggest problem!

If Lu Mingfei can't use Word of Power and can't ignite the Golden Eye... then how did he make that commotion just now?
Lu Mingfei was definitely one of the main people responsible for creating that apocalyptic scene, and he was the key figure behind it. Nono has already confirmed this based on various factors.

Surely he couldn't have brought in a high-yield tactical nuclear missile head, could he? When did the Equipment Department secretly develop space compression equipment?

It's another question that's completely unanswerable.

Nono doesn't need to deliberately repeat the memory, because there are very few things that can trouble her and leave her with no answer. Each one is as obvious and profound as an ink stain on a blank sheet of paper.

However, she didn't ask anything further, because she knew very well that she couldn't get the answer to this directly from Lu Mingfei, and... it would be more interesting to find out by herself, wouldn't it?
Ye Sheng didn't have much time to think, because one of the dragons finally moved.

It was a creature that fit the traditional image of a Chinese dragon. It "swam" across the lava, not very fast, and had a leisurely feel to it.

"Humanity."

The dragon looked at Guan Ying first, its voice clearly lowered, but it still gave the impression that it had a subwoofer in its throat and was being played at full volume.

"Long time no see, I'm surprised you're still alive."

"Yes, I've actually wanted to die for a long time, but I just haven't been able to."

Guan Ying raised his eyes to gaze at the dragon's enormous and majestic face, his hands resting on his sword, which was also an alchemical weapon, an eight-sided Han sword with a long and narrow blade, cast in bronze, and still incredibly sharp to this day.

At this moment, he looked like the general he had in his youth, majestic and composed in the face of the dragon.

The conversation between the man and the dragon was like that of old friends who hadn't seen each other for many years, and it was unexpectedly harmonious.

However, Ye Sheng remained vigilant... He had returned from studying at Kassel College and had learned many cases. He knew that dragons were no less intelligent or cunning than humans; on the contrary, they were much more intelligent than most people. They might be playing some kind of "courtesy first, then force" maneuver.

"You have your mission, and we have ours."

The dragon's deep voice echoed all around.

"Now you've finished, haven't you?"

Guan Ying calmly looked at him, "But mine isn't finished yet."

"Whether your mission is accomplished depends on the orders of the masters," the dragon said.

"grown ups?"

The dragon's gaze shifted, and its golden eyes, larger than a human head, looked at Lu Mingfei.

"Ah..." Guan Ying nodded as if in realization, or as if he had expected it, and did not seem very surprised.

"Hey, wait a minute, don't call me 'sir'!"

Lu Mingfei tried hard to keep a straight face and put on a very serious expression to correct the other person's form of address, even though he knew it was futile.

"I was just taking your master's things..."

Although he had discussed the matter with the dragons beforehand, Lu Mingfei still felt subconsciously nervous when it came time to execute the plan.

It was hard for him not to be nervous, because everyone's eyes were fixed on him, following the dragon's gaze.

This kind of attention is completely different from when you are noticed for answering questions in class. When you are answering questions, people are at most curious about whether "Lu Shen can answer the question or not". But here, people are curious about whether "this guy is a hidden traitor"!
It's terrifying, okay?
He quickly took out the Overlord Spear, explaining that this was the main reason why the dragon was called that.

"Our king once said that as time goes by, the world changes, and no one knows what will happen. Perhaps he will forget us, and we may not recognize him. In that case, we will recognize the gun, not the person. Whoever is recognized by this gun will be obeyed and addressed as 'Sir'," the dragon explained.

"Equivalent to a tiger tally?"

Chu Zihang suddenly spoke up, "So, we can treat these dragons as an army."

"Yes, yes, that's what it is!"

Lu Mingfei was overjoyed, thinking that his senior brother was really helpful, finding a suitable and reasonable analogy in one go, and now the problem was finally solved!
(End of this chapter)