Dragon Clan: I am Lu Mingfei, the Intelligence Strategist, the God of Concepts!

Chapter 219 Alas, I never imagined I was Lu Mingfei's shadow warrior.

……

The small storage room was filled with clanging and banging sounds. The tungsten filament lamp emitted a blinding light, and the curtains and door were tightly closed, isolating the room from the outside world.

A young boy who looks like a student is diligently doing his craft under the lamp.

His name is Nicolas, a person of mixed Chinese and French descent. He came to a small city on the southeastern coast of China with his parents at a young age, and like millions of other students in China, he lived a repetitive life.

In order to fit in with the group of people his age, he changed his name on his ID card to Li Gu.

……

"Buy a case of discounted bagged milk, half a pound of Cantonese sausage, and the latest issue of 'Fiction Illustrated' that your brother wanted. Come back quickly after you're done, and pick the celery off the table for me! Also, go to the mailroom and see if there's any mail from France!"

The middle-aged woman's voice boomed from next door like thunder.

"What are you standing there for? You're not paying any attention to the important things. If no one accepts you, do you think you can even get into a top university? What's the point of messing around with this nonsense all day? Do you really want to graduate and end up in a factory screwing in screws? Huh?"

The last note was like a crescent moon suddenly rising in pitch.
Li Gu's head was buzzing from the shock, and he felt like his soul had been pulled out of his body. He could only put down his work, agree repeatedly, and run out the door.

After buying his things, he didn't rush home, but instead went up the stairs to the top floor.

Further up is the rooftop, piled with humming air conditioning units. The stairs leading to the rooftop have a horror movie feel to them, piled with cardboard boxes, broken motors, and discarded sofas and wooden coffee tables, all covered in dust, with gaps so narrow you can barely step through them.

The property management installed an iron gate at the end of the rooftop with a sign that reads "Rooftop Closed".

Li Gu skillfully leaped across the trash, like a nimble kangaroo. The light and shadow just inches away from the iron gate opposite was so bright that it was hard to open one's eyes. He squeezed through the gap in the iron gate, stood in the morning sunlight, took a deep breath, and looked out at the city where the thin mist had not yet dissipated.

This was his secret territory, where he was free to enjoy the wind, the sunlight, and the different scents of the city as spring turned to autumn—sometimes locust blossoms, sometimes leaves, and sometimes the sweet aroma of pineapples sold on the street below.

The middle-aged woman was his aunt. Li Gu's parents were quite mysterious; after abandoning him in this coastal city, they turned back to Europe. Anyone who didn't know better would think his family were electors in Europe, the kind of family that could become emperors of some European country.
When he fell on hard times, his parents abandoned him in this small town, leaving him behind. He immediately took up his gun and rode back, vowing to take back everything he had lost... and then disappeared without a trace.

"But I was born to be a screwdriver, I just happened to have a few years of schooling."

Li Gu muttered something and carefully lifted the lid of an abandoned tent. It was probably left on the rooftop by a family who had camped there once in the summer and then found it too bulky to keep at home, and eventually forgot about it.

This waterproof and moisture-proof tent is now his treasure chest.

Li Gu has loved handicrafts since he was a child and has an outstanding talent for them. Some of his skills are carving, while others are similar to chemistry experiments. Therefore, among all his subjects, he has the best grades in chemistry.

He has hidden many treasures inside.

They weren't particularly valuable, but they were all handmade by him and had a lot of sentimental value. If they were kept at home, his aunt might throw them away as trash one day.

Li Gu stroked a red, crystal-like object with an almost obsessive intensity.

My mind subconsciously began to recall:
"How did I do that back then...?"

……

This coastal city is often rumored to be haunted.

By chance, Li Gu witnessed those 'ghosts' firsthand.
It's not a rumor, it's true.

That day he was doing an experiment in the chemistry building of Shilan Middle School—a prestigious private school in the city.

Thanks to the money his parents brought back years ago, he and his distant cousin were able to study at this school. Li Gu was the class representative for chemistry.
They often use the guise of participating in competitions to do handicrafts in the laboratory.

He saw ghosts for the first time and discovered that the crystals he made had a restraining effect on them.

Looking at the ashes scattered all over the ground.

Li Gu was overjoyed; it turned out this was a world with ghosts.

He vowed to become the world's greatest demon slayer.

……

Red crystals are very useful.

It can convert mercury into silver or gold.

As an adult, Li Gu discovered this secret and gained an inexhaustible fortune.

But now he has no interest in money.

After slaying several demons, Li Gu had already become famous. However, his aunt's family started pestering him, saying that it was hard and difficult for them to raise him from childhood, and they always found ways to borrow money from him...

Okay, it's not that easy to talk.

It costs money.

Li Gu was unable to withstand them. The red crystal was lethal to ghosts, but had almost no effect on humans.

Moreover, he dared not do anything to his aunt and the others.

Perhaps he was used to being bossed around, or perhaps his image was being affected, and he thought it was just some insignificant money, not worth ruining his reputation.

……

It's my birthday again, and as usual, my aunt's family sent me birthday wishes, along with a text message asking for money.

Li Gu returned to the coastal city after a long absence and met his aunt's family in the villa area.

Since Li Gu made his fortune, they have left their old, dilapidated neighborhood and moved into a luxurious villa.

But at this moment they all turned into black monsters, like those 'ghosts' dressed in human clothes.

Its skin was covered in scales, and its face had become extremely ferocious, ten times more terrifying than the most horrible ghost...

No, it's a hundred times!
Li Gu saw his aunt, who was the tallest in the family. Her limbs, as robust as a reptile, burst out of her fat and luxurious clothes. A thick, crocodile-like tail trailed behind her, and she held a mahjong set in her hand.

At this moment, the aunt's terrifying golden eyes were fixed on Li Gu, and every mahjong tile she threw out seemed to be filled with wind, as if she wanted to crush him to death.

The reason is that Li Gu actually came back empty-handed this time, without bringing any gifts for the elders... cash would have been better, of course.

Without a doubt, they have become ghosts, or rather, ghosts have been hiding in human society from the very beginning.

Li Gu knew that as long as he took out the red crystal, the ghost in front of him would be unable to pose any threat to him.

But he hesitated, unsure whether he should take action.

But if he doesn't act now, won't he die here?
The other two ghosts, just as they were when they were human, always unconditionally obeyed this ghost's commands and were flanking it from the sides.

……

Black blood and scales splattered everywhere as Li Gu easily annihilated the ghost.

Li Gu felt that this world was absurd; this wasn't the first time he had experienced something like this.

He stared blankly at the ashes and debris scattered on the ground. A head, with most of it cut off, rolled to his feet, and a golden crystalline sphere remained in front of him.

Li Gu silently picked up the eyeball.

The ancient Greek writer Aesop once told a story about a farmer and a snake.

But the story only says that snakes live in the wild, not that they appear in homes, let alone that snakes are always hiding in people's hearts. Or perhaps it does, but you just need to figure it out yourself.

Just then, a familiar voice came from behind.

"You were never born to associate with these people."

Li Gu suddenly turned around, his expression no longer one of pity and sorrow, but rather one of ferocity and savagery.

It was as if they wanted to devour the speaker alive.

"Why are you looking like this? Have you forgotten? We are unkillable," the man said again.

"Hmph, what can't be killed? It's just a rat living in the gutter, how dare it flatter itself?" Li Gu's voice was deep and muffled like thunder.

The visitor was named Hermes, a name derived from the messenger of the gods in Greek mythology.

Li Gu sometimes felt that calling ghosts 'gods' wasn't actually out of place.

This species was originally different from humans and was born to be superior, but it was driven off its pedestal by many humans like Li Gu and stripped of its position as the master of the world.

Hermes was an unprecedentedly powerful demon. He had met this man once before—or rather, killed him once—but he never expected him to recover so quickly.

"Are you still feeling sorry for these people?" Hermes said with a smile. "Actually, you're tired of them too, aren't you? They are human beings, human beings just like you, but not the kind of human beings you hoped for."

Li Gu coldly replied, "Are you fantasizing that I would associate with heretics like you?"

"We just feel that such humans are not worthy of being the rulers of the world... Don't get me wrong, of course we're not saying that the rats in the sewers are qualified to sit on the throne of the world."

Hermes licked his lips, his eyes filled with longing:
“I mean… the new humans.”

"A new world."

……

Night had fallen on the outskirts of the Göttingen estate, where the raging winds had long since ceased.

The spiritual elements also quieted down.

"Nicholas."

Lu Mingfei slowly opened his eyes, the golden light dissipating like stardust, and he held in his hand the Tiger Roaring Fang Spear, which had been transformed from his belt.

The final thrust was not delivered, because it was no longer necessary.

Standing under a tree not far away, Li Gu also opened his eyes.
The young, handsome man raised an eyebrow, a serene smile appearing on his lips:

"Alas, I never imagined that I was your shadow warrior."

"hehe."

Lu Mingfei smiled politely and wrapped the softened spear, which had 'transformed' again, back around his waist in layers.

Let's get along well from now on.

Words of Power: Senluo.

Legend has it that this rare incantation, exclusive to the White King's bloodline, allows one to control another's mind through their eyes, writing one's own thoughts into the other's mind. The caster can induce or even force the target to see any scene, whether it be a raging hell or a deceased loved one; in a single glance, the entire universe unfolds.

Odin used this word of power to overwrite Herzog's memories, covering up many inconsistencies.

At its core is a clash of spiritual power.

Now, Lu Mingfei can naturally use his mental power to express the effects of 'Senluo' based on his understanding of dragon runes.

Li Gu used 'Lu Mingfei' as a model to relive his childhood.

Unlike Li Gu's confidence at the moment of attack, Lu Mingfei remained quite vigilant throughout.
Even with a slight advantage, they still picked up weapons.

"Thanks again, Odin, my old friend..."

Lu Mingfei recalled what he had just witnessed when he forcibly invaded Li Gu's mental world.

"Initially, Nicholas was a exceptionally gifted human-hybrid. In medieval Europe, under the control of the Secret Society, he displayed unparalleled talent, attracting attention from the shadows..."

"Hermes, that name sounds familiar. He's the guy who invented deep hypnosis..."

A face involuntarily surfaced in Lu Mingfei's mind—a face he had searched through Li Gu's memories.

With gray hair and iron-gray eyes, a classic Aryan face, his gaunt cheeks still hinted at his youthful handsomeness.

"Using the alias Lin Fenglong, he's been living in seclusion at an antique shop called Fenglongtang, and is currently planning to move..."

"At least a second-generation species, one of Odin's confidants."

Lu Mingfei carefully considered this piece of information.

In a sense, Nicholas has now become a true dragon and, with the help of the Philosopher's Stone, has achieved spiritual immortality... His methods are simply a million years ahead of the Oni Clan.

Li Gu is a newly created shell for him.

As Lu Mingfei expected, this was a cliché story of the dragon slayer becoming the dragon himself.

What makes this unconventional is that Nicholas doesn't completely become a 'dragon,' but rather exists somewhere between a dragon and a human.

In Nicholas's memory, after suffering a terrible betrayal, he still chose to draw his sword to defend his dignity as a 'human being' when faced with Hermes' second temptation.

But patience and faith are often the most easily worn-down things in the world. As the years passed, perhaps under the influence of the 'shadow', Nicholas witnessed too much of the baseness of human nature, and his thoughts gradually changed.

Finally, in the early 15th century, after joining the Secret Society and leaving his own legacy, Nicholas began to explore the path Hermes had once mentioned—

They abandoned the 'civilization' of existing humans and prepared to create a 'new human race'.

It could be said that what defeated him was not the dragons, but humanity itself.

Along this path, he is willing to recruit more like-minded friends, but ultimately he only trusts himself.

"Those willing to cooperate are friends, those unwilling to cooperate are just food, becoming stepping stones to a new world..."

Lu Mingfei recalled Nicholas's ideas.

Dragons are capable of devouring each other.

Even Hermes and Odin, who initially proposed this route, were never truly trusted by Nicholas, who consistently tested its feasibility in his own way...

They even planned to betray them if the time was right.

“Nicholas is called ‘Elder Nico,’ a name derived from the Council of Elders.”

"The Council of Elders is a secondary organization of the Holy Palace Medical Association, and it was also the original name of the Holy Palace Medical Association."

Lu Mingfei continued to ponder and take stock.

There is no doubt that this organization, which has lurked in the shadows of human society for thousands of years, is not monolithic.
It contains various factions.

Odin is not the only powerful figure; there are many other groups within his organization that can rival him.
Of course... it could also just be on the surface.

But in any case, the fact is that Elder Odin has been allowing potential enemies like Elder Nico to grow stronger.

Those who shared Nicholas's views were not a minority in the Holy Palace Medical Association and the Elders' Council.

Some want destruction, some want redemption, and some use the name of redemption to commit destruction.

Odin never intervened, as if he deliberately let them muddy the waters.

They are even constantly bringing in new people.

Because no matter what their individual thoughts are, their ultimate goal is the same—Ragnarok.

Within this scope, Odin permits all efforts and attempts, acting as an observer, silently witnessing the numerous changes as countless lines twist and move in this direction...

call--

Lu Mingfei let out a long sigh of relief.

I briefly sorted out some of the memories that were forcibly looted during the 'Words of Power: Senluo' period.

Part, not all.

He probably realized that Lu Mingfei's mental strength was so outrageous that he couldn't possibly resist it.

Li Gu did not resist stubbornly until he was completely wiped out. Instead, he decisively chose to sever his tail like a gecko and enter a state of 'active cocooning'.

They abandoned this body.

The remaining gains were, at best, trivial things like records of the Philosopher's Stone refining ritual and knowledge of alchemy from the Nicholas lineage...

but,

The most crucial element is the body itself.

"Flamemer's masterpiece, an elemental vessel, a primordial alchemical physique..."

Lu Mingfei's intuition told him that this thing must be something special.

Nicholas uses this artificial human body as a vessel for his spirit, and can even unleash the power of words...

Lu Mingfei plans to study this carefully later.

Strictly speaking, this body cannot yet be called his shadow warrior, as the most crucial refining process has not yet been carried out.

It was only because of the residual memories in his mind that this body's instincts temporarily made him think that he was Lu Mingfei's shadow warrior, but in reality, he was like an insect with its head cut off, moving only by residual nerve signals.

"Tsk tsk, he's starting to feel more and more like a major villain, actually trying to turn ordinary people into shadow warriors..."

Lu Mingfei stroked his chin.

"Without dragon blood, I should be considered an ordinary person, right?"

……

"Mr. Lu, you're finally back!"

Outside the lush woods, near the stone path, Butler Fox and his maid Ruth had been waiting anxiously.

Lu Mingfei has been inside for almost an hour...

Unfortunately, it was inconvenient for them to go into the woods to search.

"Sorry for the wait."

However, seeing Lu Mingfei stumbling out of the woods, his steps uneven,...
Miss Ruth's eyes widened instantly.

Fox's butler was also stunned: "You...you're doing this?"

"Oh, didn't we just say we were going for a walk in the woods? I didn't expect your area to have such a nice ecological environment."

Lu Mingfei patted the 'thing' wrapped in tree bark and grass that he was carrying on his shoulder.

"Hehe...I casually hunted some wild game, don't tell your young lady!"

"??"

The butler and the maid both had question marks appearing above their heads again.

Game?

No, where would wild animals come from in the Göttingen territory?

And this is clearly a person!

……

It was already late at night when we returned to Porto.

"I am back!"

Lu Mingfei raised his voice.

The building was dark and quiet, with no response.

"Are you all asleep? It's so early..."

pat-

Lu Mingfei turned on the light, and four heads popped out from the sofa, staring intently at him.

"...What the hell are you doing?!"

Lu Mingfei was startled and quickly patted his chest.

"Wow! You're still in the mood so late? You must be exhausted!"

The goddess Nuwa was the first to launch an attack in a sarcastic and unsettling manner.

"what?"

Lu Mingfei was stunned for a long time, unable to understand what she was saying.

Erii suddenly stepped off the sofa and sniffed around him like a little animal.

Suddenly alert, he picked up his notebook and showed it to his three older sisters—

"Have."

Lu Mingfei asked, puzzled, "What is it?"

It was obvious to the naked eye that the other three people stopped smiling instantly—although Zero had been expressionless from the beginning, he now clearly exuded a more aloof and unapproachable aura.

Su Xiaoqiang and Nuwa also restrained their expressions, even abandoning their usual sarcastic smiles.

Lu Mingfei felt somewhat uneasy and gave an honest man's smile...

He knew that the excuse of 'traffic jam' was a bit far-fetched.

It's as ridiculous as putting a little obstruction in front of the port, causing your ship to run aground and get stuck when you arrive.

They went there by helicopter, but are they going to switch to Greyhound buses on the way back? ...Lu Mingfei could do something like that, but the Gao Tinggen family couldn't!
The most crucial issue is that it's too late now, almost 1 a.m. The original plan was to respect Ko Ting-gen's wishes and stay for dinner, so I could be back before 8 p.m.

From 8 PM to 1 AM.

It lasted a full five hours!

...If it were a massage, it would have been enough to kill the young lady of the Go Ting-gen family!
"Eri, what are you doing?"

Lu Mingfei shrank back a little, feeling quite uncomfortable with a tall, slender young woman sniffing him all over.

In particular, the scent of hops shower gel emanating from Erii's body kept wafting into his nose, and the lingering cherry blossom fragrance made it hard for him not to recall the scene of collecting her body data a couple of days ago.

It seems like we'll have to collect her again...

Erii did not answer Lu Mingfei's question. Instead, she carefully checked Sakura for any unfamiliar perfume or shampoo scents, as instructed by her sisters.

The answer is undoubtedly yes.

And is……

"two!"

Erii raised her notebook again to report.

"What do you mean two?" Lu Mingfei was almost dizzy.

The other three looked even uglier—

two?

Damn it, I've heard that there's a custom among European nobles of having personal maids who accompany their mistresses on a buy-one-get-one-free basis!
Bah! How indecent!

"..."

Lu Mingfei roughly understood what they meant, and almost wanted to smash his head against a block of tofu on the spot.

Damn it, you don't respect the facts at all! You should at least respect science and physics!
The Gottingen family library was quite small, and Charlotte and her maid were both women. It was only natural that a man and a woman alone in a room wouldn't get into any romantic feelings...

Forget it, Lu Mingfei suppressed the urge to defend himself.

"...Eri is back!"

Nuwa suddenly gritted her teeth and spoke with a face full of black lines.

Su Xiaoqiang and Ling were also surprised.

Lu Mingfei's body stiffened abruptly.

However, Erii showed no intention of immediately rejoining the group after completing her inspection.

Instead, it clung to Lu Mingfei like a sloth, looking quite happy.

It means welcoming him home.

"broken!"

A sentence simultaneously popped into the minds of the three of them.

"There's a traitor in the team..."

(End of this chapter)