Lu Mingfei, become the King of Elden!

Chapter 10: Let Fingel be the student council president!
The knight named Shirou Emiya sheathed his straight sword and shield, gave him a very friendly smile, and extended his hand.

Lu Mingfei was a little confused, but he still subconsciously reached out and grabbed Shirou Emiya's hand, shaking it twice.

Then, he suddenly realized that something was wrong.

This scene would be perfectly normal if it happened on Earth, but...
In border areas, places where people greet each other with a slash, what kind of handshake etiquette is that?
Moreover, the name "Emiya Shirou" looks exactly like a Japanese name with the surname Emiya and the given name Shirou!
Realizing what was happening, Lu Mingfei instantly became excited, grabbing Shirou Emiya's right hand tightly with both hands, refusing to let go for a second:

"You're from Earth, right? You must be from Earth! And Japanese at that, am I right?"

Emiya Shirou nodded calmly, seemingly unfazed by the situation.

Emiya Shirou's hands were warm and rough, with calluses from years of wielding a sword. When Lu Mingfei felt this real touch, tears suddenly streamed down his face.

Lu Mingfei leaped up and clung to the red-haired boy like an octopus, bursting into tears:

"Fellow villager, you're a fellow villager! You have no idea how much I've suffered here all by myself! The people here don't speak human language; they either mock you the moment they see you, or they're riddle-mongers! The whole mountain is full of mindless monsters! I've really had enough!"

Emiya Shirou was not angered by Lu Mingfei's rudeness. On the contrary, he skillfully hugged Lu Mingfei and patted his back to comfort him.

"Yes, it's definitely harder here compared to Earth, but I'm not necessarily sure."

Seeing Lu Mingfei's tearful appearance, Emiya Shirou ultimately swallowed the rest of his words.

But I may not actually be from the same planet as you.

After a long while, when Lu Mingfei finally finished his long-winded complaints, Shirou Emiya finally seized the opportunity and grasped Lu Mingfei's trembling fingers.

“I’m sorry,” the red-haired boy shook his head, “I’m from Japan.”

He paused, then rephrased:

"The world I live in may not be the same as the one you remember."

Lu Mingfei's expression suddenly froze. He released his grip and took a half step back, the golden light flowing in his golden eyes dimming and then brightening again:
"Wait. You mean..."

"In 1994, a major fire broke out in Fuyuki City," Shirou Emiya said calmly, as if he were talking about today's weather.

"And the time I traveled to was 2004."

Lu Mingfei was completely stunned.

He clearly remembered that he enrolled at Kassel College in 2009. At that time, the Olympics had just ended a year earlier, the Nokia N96 had been released not long ago, and Lu Mingfei had also graduated from Shilan High School. He met that group of freaks who called themselves mixed-race. He couldn't possibly have misremembered this point in time.

As a seasoned anime and manga fan, Lu Mingfei had absolutely no recollection of a place called "Fuyuki City" in Japan.
Therefore, the red-haired boy was not lying to him.

Emiya Shirou patted the newbie, the Faded One, on the shoulder and continued:
"The border we are in consists of countless parallel worlds that run parallel to the Elden Ring. Each world represents a possibility, and our mission as so-called Faded Ones is to collect Great Runes, travel to the Golden Tree, rebuild the Elden Ring, and save this decaying and crumbling world."

Lu Mingfei's lips twitched as if he had been electrocuted.

"I can't even change a light bulb properly in my original world. You want me to save the world? What's the difference between that and making Fingel the student council president?"

Emiya Shirou didn't continue speaking, but simply looked at him quietly, giving him time to think.

After a long while, Lu Mingfei suddenly broke into a smile:
"Forget it, we're stuck in this godforsaken place anyway."

He rubbed his red eyes and said:

"At least you're not one of those crazy people who would kill someone on sight."

Emiya Shirou smiled too, a smile filled with understanding and empathy: "Yes, at least we can still communicate often."

Looking at the red-haired boy before him, Lu Mingfei suddenly felt a weight lift from his shoulders. In this chaotic borderland, encountering someone who could understand him was already an immense stroke of luck.

"Shirou, do you know how to get back?" Shirou Emiya paused, then realized Lu Mingfei's predicament:

"You must have just arrived and haven't gone to Stoneville yet. Once you defeat the powerful figure known as 'Ominous Demon' Malkitt at the gates of Stoneville, you will gain the right to travel freely back and forth."

Seeing Lu Mingfei's confused expression, he explained, "It's like a tutorial level for beginners."

At this moment, Lu Mingfei's heart was filled with overwhelming joy.

Finally! Finally! Finally, I can go back!
But his remaining rationality and Shirou Emiya's troubled expression told him that things were not so simple.

So he asked:
"Is that demon easy to deal with?"

Emiya Shirou didn't want to undermine Lu Mingfei's confidence, but being as upright as he was, he was unwilling to lie to a newbie.

He forced an awkward smile:

"They should be relatively easy to deal with, right?"

How many times have you died?

Ninety-four times.

Lu Mingfei's smile suddenly froze on his face.

The two people in the room fell silent again.

Lu Mingfei's lips twitched: "Ninety-four times?"

He counted on his fingers, "If each battle lasts an average of ten minutes..."

Lu Mingfei opened his mouth wide:
"This means we'd have to play for over ten hours straight, without sleep!"

Emiya Shirou awkwardly rubbed his nose: "Actually, I only lasted less than a minute in the first thirty-odd attempts."

"Hey!"

Lu Mingfei exaggeratedly took two steps back, "Don't say such terrifying things in such a serious tone at a time like this!"

The red-haired youth suddenly said seriously:

"But each death helps me understand his moves better."

He patted the sword at his waist:

"I won on the ninety-fifth time."

Lu Mingfei sighed deeply, having no choice but to accept this reality.

"Omen Demon" Malkitt, an enemy that sounds incredibly powerful, yet Lu Mingfei has no choice but to challenge him. He wants to go home.

“Don’t worry,” Shirou said, “I’ll help you when the time comes.”

Lu Mingfei stared at his calloused hands. The thought of having to fight that demon before he could go home made him smile bitterly.
"Fine, anyway, a loser's life is just a worthless life."

He looked up at Shirou Emiya, "But I'm really weak. I might die ninety-six times and still not win, Shirou-nii."

“No.” Shirou Emiya interrupted him, his red hair gleaming warmly in the blessed light. “I will teach you the basic techniques to defeat him.”

At that moment, Shirou Emiya's figure appeared incredibly majestic in Lu Mingfei's eyes.

(End of this chapter)