Lu Mingfei, become the King of Elden!

Chapter 381 Exchange
He had been searching for so long, but had never found a clear clue about the whereabouts of the key.

Unexpectedly, the clue appeared out of nowhere, right on a map found on the corpse of the nameless mage!
"Neferi, you are truly my lucky star!"

Lu Mingfei desperately wanted to give the valiant female warrior in front of him a firm hug, but due to the heavy armor he was wearing and the fact that her reaction would most likely be a powerful elbow strike, he forcibly suppressed the impulse. Instead, he slapped his thigh hard, and the metal gauntlets collided with the leg armor, making a crisp "clang" that was particularly clear in the quiet room.

Neferi paused slightly, looking at Lu Mingfei with considerable surprise:
"What? You can actually understand what's marked on this map?"

"Uh"

Lu Mingfei scratched his head, unsure how to explain it to her. He couldn't very well just tell her that it was his "golden finger," could he?

Finally, Lu Mingfei waved his hand dismissively:
"It does not matter!"

As he spoke, he pulled out a fairly complete map of Lienia from his pocket and neatly spread it out on the table.

Since Lienia did not experience any major cataclysms, and the Broken War did not have a profound impact on it, maps of Lienia are actually quite common among the Faded Ones, and can be obtained for only a few dozen runes.

"Let's find out where this place is first."

Neferi nodded slightly, agreeing that Lu Mingfei's words made a lot of sense.

So the two of them carefully compared the simple parchment scroll with the relatively detailed map of Lienia. The outlines of mountains, rivers, lakes, and ruins on the map were intricately interwoven. They searched for a long time, their fingers tracing patterns on the map, occasionally exchanging a few words in hushed tones.

"Wait...look at the shape of this bend, and the markings on this small island over there..."

Neferi suddenly pressed her finger on a corner of the regional map, then compared it with the slightly abstract lines on the parchment scroll, her tone gradually becoming certain:

"It should be right here."

Lu Mingfei leaned closer for a closer look and just felt a sense of relief when he heard Neferi let out a slightly puzzled "Eh."

"But... what does this red dot mean?"

Her slender fingertips touched an extra mark in that area, a striking mark hand-painted with some special red pigment.

Lu Mingfei stared intently in the direction Neferi pointed. When he saw the exact location of the red dot, his expression beneath his helmet suddenly turned serious, and he thought to himself:
"It's troublesome..."

He knew that red dot all too well—it was one of the dangerous areas that Emiya Shirou had marked for him when he gave him the map, with a short word written next to it in common script: "Dragon".

This is the location of the lair of the Smagorian Dragon Smarag!

No wonder... no wonder when Emiya handed him that map, he had that meaningful expression on his face and said, "You'll go there sooner or later."

"what happened?"

Neferi keenly noticed the change in Lu Mingfei's expression:
What's wrong with this place?

Lu Mingfei took a deep breath and pointed to the red dot, saying:

"This is a big problem. If the map is correct, the key I'm looking for is probably in a dragon's lair—the Radiant Stone Dragon, Smarag." That's a formidable opponent.

Emiya Shirou had warned him more than once not to waste his energy provoking this evil dragon that had been feeding on mages for a long time before he had enough strength.

Trying it alone is fine, the problem is...
Lu Mingfei glanced at Neferi, who was already showing interest, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

As expected, the group of guys at the border who worship power and glory are a bunch of "madmen".

The Red Lion City Battle Festival, with its slim chances of victory, attracts a group of fearless warriors; every weapon at Malkit's feet represents a Faded One who comes to challenge him.
Neferi was one of the more rational members of this group of muscle-bound warriors, but her interest in cooperating to hunt a magic dragon was almost palpable, especially since she knew...
"I remember you are a Dragon Eater, right?"

Neferi leaned forward slightly, looking at Lu Mingfei with undisguised interest in her eyes.

“I’ll get you the key, and in exchange, you have to let me participate in this hunt.”

She pointed to the red dot on the map:
"The information from this map alone is probably not enough to get a strong person like you to take action for me. But if you add a dragon slaying... that's a different story."

She paused, a mixture of longing and belligerence appearing on her face:

"Moreover, I am very interested in hunting dragons. I have heard that warriors who can control storms can even use this power to repel or conquer dragons in the sky. I would like to see for myself what that is like."

Looking at the eager Neferi, Lu Mingfei knew in his heart that he had no choice but to kill this dragon, and he would have to take her with him.

It wasn't that he thought Neferi was too weak; on the contrary, he knew very well how ferocious this double-axe warrior who could simultaneously control storms and lightning was, in no way inferior to any hero in the Battle Festival.

She could even be considered half of Lu Mingfei's teacher.

Back when he was still a novice, the great teacher Neferi disregarded sectarianism and taught him many storm-related techniques, allowing him to catch his breath under the old knight's sword.

Two people slaying a dragon is feasible, but Lu Mingfei is always worried that she might accidentally bump into or scratch something.
Lu Mingfei sighed and rubbed his temples through his visor:
"I think... we should take this matter more seriously and make some preparations. That's a Radiant Stone Dragon, not some stray dog ​​on the roadside."

He tried to steer the conversation slightly back on track:

"Tell me about your business first. You need to tell me what you want me to do, just in case I don't have time later."

Neferi waved her hand:
"It won't take you too much time, don't worry." Her expression became more serious. "I just want to ask you to be my companion and help me search for a place."

She paused slightly, as if organizing her thoughts, her eyes gazing at the map.

"As I was traveling along the cliffs near the ruins of Lasca, the wind carried some unusual messages. A rather strong, old, yet lingering smell of blood, along with a nauseating stench of uncleanliness, mixed with curses and resentment."

That felt awful.

She clenched her fist:
“I want to find the source of that smell and the stench of blood, and find out what really happened there. This is my own will, not my godfather’s assignment. However, an ominous feeling tells me that going in alone may not be a wise move.”

(End of this chapter)