Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei Returns from Sekiro

“It’s so much better here.” Giovanni threw the empty beer can into the trash can. “India is so dirty and chaotic. You can smell the stench on the streets. And those idiots there worship dragons as gods. When we went to slay a dragon, they told us to get lost, saying that the Dragon God had come to deliver them from suffering. I burned him to ashes with a mouthful of dragon flame, and he still calls that delivering them from suffering? It makes me angry just thinking about it.”

During the conversation, Giovanni opened another can of beer.

"Doesn't Mom like it there?" Erii asked, sitting down beside her.

"Honestly, I don't want to care about them anymore. Let them do what they want. If they think it's their fate, then so be it. Why should we outsiders interfere?"

"Let's not talk about this anymore." Giovanni picked up the cake box. "I bought this in Turkey when I had a layover. It's an authentic pink pomegranate cake. How about trying it?"

"Thank you, Mom." Erii took the pink and tender little cake, which looked like a donut covered with cream and decorated with pink pomegranate pulp on top. It was crystal clear and looked adorable.

Erii has always loved pretty and cute things like this, and her heart was instantly captured.

The aromas of cream and pomegranate blend together, creating a sweet and refreshing flavor.

She pulled out the plastic cake knife and cut the cake in half: "Mom will eat some too, I'll just have a taste, I'm not hungry."

“Daughters are still the best.” Jovie smiled. “That kid Mingfei won’t share any of the good food with me. When he was little, he would hide any lollipop he had.”

“He said, ‘Mom, you’re going to trick me out of my lollipop,’ so he’s afraid to let you see that he has one.” Erii remembered another mother she met last winter when she and Lu Mingfei went to Siberia, and that’s when she heard about this.

"What nonsense! Kids who eat too much candy are prone to cavities. Don't listen to his rubbish." Giovanni picked up a spoon, scooped up a piece of cake covered in cream and pomegranate pulp, and put it in her mouth. "What are your plans after the New Year? Take a vacation, or wait for Angers to assign you a task?"

"I'm on vacation right now." Erii's lips were smeared with a layer of milky white cream.

"Don't push yourself too hard. I was shocked when I saw the task list Angers gave you this year. That old bastard is practically exploiting you. He sends you to handle every troublesome matter he can't handle. How can he treat you like this?"

"It's okay, I'm not tired."

“It’s not a matter of being tired or not. I know your physical condition is different from ours, but you’re not a machine. I’ll talk to Angers later. That old guy is treating you like a tool, without any bottom line. It’s not like he doesn’t have people to use.”

Giovanni wanted to say something more, but suddenly the phone rang; it was from the black trench coat hanging on the hanger.

"What is it now?" Giovanni frowned, took out a satellite phone from her pocket, and pressed the answer button.

"Hey, what's up?"

"I've arrived, I'm at the hospital."

"I understand, I'll bring it for you."

"Still the same as always, lying in bed without moving."

"Yes, I'll be back the day after tomorrow. You guys go ahead, I'll go directly to Armenia to find you."

After saying that, Giovanni hung up the phone, sat back down, and waved her phone.

"Lu Lincheng asked me to pass on a message to my son and daughter, wishing them a happy new year."

“Yes, Happy New Year to Mom and Dad too.” Erii smiled.

"Tomorrow is the first day of the new year, I'll take you out for a walk, don't just stay here all the time." Giovanni patted Erii's head.

Erii couldn't refuse, so she had no choice but to agree.

...

The next day, in the Central Villa District.

Erii returned to her and Lu Mingfei's marital home after a long absence.

A "double happiness" character was pasted on the European-style door, but it was weathered and faded.

She peeked into the neighboring house, which was Su Xiaoyan's home; there was no one in the yard.

"Should we go say hello?" Giovanni asked. She knew who this family was; she had done her research before coming.

Erii hesitated for a moment, but finally pressed the doorbell.

After waiting a moment, a housekeeper opened the door; it was Aunt Tong.

She stared at Erii's face for a few seconds, of course she remembered Erii; anyone who had seen Erii would remember this beautiful girl.

But she had seen her not only in the yard, but also on television. Erii often appeared in the news, so she knew that the girl standing in front of her was not a princess in a greenhouse, but a monster.

But she still came over and opened the door.

She was already an elderly woman in her fifties, and having worked as a housekeeper for so many years, serving all sorts of people, Erii didn't seem dangerous to her.

Moreover, news reports stated that the girl repelled the terrifying dragons and protected the city.

"It's been a long time, Miss Erii." Aunt Tong bowed her head. "Are you here to see Madam?"

"Yes." Erii nodded. "Is Aunt Su home?"

"Yes, please wait a moment, I'll go tell her." Aunt Tong went back inside, and when she came out again, she was with Su Xiaoyan, who was wearing pajamas.

Su Xiaoyan looked haggard, with dark circles under her eyes and messy hair, but she cheered up and smiled when she saw Erii.

"Eri, it's been a long time!" Su Xiaoyan waved. "Where's Lu Mingfei? Isn't he with you?"

“He’s out on business and isn’t here right now,” Erii said.

"And who is this?" Su Xiaoyan asked, looking at Qiao Weini.

“I am Lu Mingfei’s mother.” Qiao Weini shook hands with Su Xiaoyan.

"Come inside, Aunt Tong just made some white fungus soup, it's still hot, let me serve you a bowl." Su Xiaoyan led the two into the house.

After we sat down, Aunt Tong placed a steaming bowl of white fungus soup on the coffee table in the living room.

Su Xiaoyan, wearing a fur coat, sat on the sofa and suddenly asked, "How is Zihang doing? He texted me last week saying that he is still in Switzerland with the army and won't have time to come back this year."

"He didn't even tell me that he went to a dragon-slaying university in the United States. I should have let him study at a university in China. Why did he go abroad? It's too dangerous."

Su Xiaoyan complained, her eyes filled with worry and anxiety, which was probably why she looked so haggard.

Erii was stunned by Su Xiaoyan's words. Chu Zihang had long since become a mindless dead servant, following Xia Mi's side. How could he possibly send a text message to Su Xiaoyan?

She didn't know how to answer, but Jovin answered for her: "Oh right, I almost forgot to mention, Mrs. Su, I am an S-level executive officer of the Secret Party. This is my identification. Since you know my son and my daughter-in-law, you should be able to deduce that I am telling the truth."

I know Chu Zihang; he's the top student in his grade at the academy. Don't worry, he has excellent bloodline; he'll be fine.

Su Xiaoyan took the document from Qiao Weini. Although she couldn't understand it, she recognized the official seal on it.

As a result, she believed about 70-80% of what Giovanni said.

Giovanni managed to reassure her somewhat.

Erii sat to the side, listening to them talk.

But not long after, Jovini made an excuse and left with Erii, because Su Xiaoyan kept asking about Chu Zihang, and Jovini was making up stories to deceive her. If she made up too many stories, she would inevitably reveal her flaws.

After leaving the villa, Erii asked, "Senior Brother Chu...didn't he become a Deadpool?"

“Don’t forget he has a father. That Chu Tianjiao is the most glib-tongued guy. I knew it was Chu Tianjiao pretending to be his son as soon as I heard him. Let other people handle their own affairs. We shouldn’t meddle too much,” Qiao Weini said.

She took out her phone and sent a message to Chu Tianjiao, who replied with a kowtowing emoji.

"Please be magnanimous and don't expose me. If Xiaoyan knew that Zihang was in trouble, she would be devastated."

Giovanni asked him how long he planned to keep it a secret.

He said he'd try to stall for as long as possible.

That was the end of their conversation.

Giovanni sighed softly and went back to the house with Erii.

Such tragedies are happening everywhere. The casualties on the battlefield are just a string of cold numbers, but only the mothers waiting for their children at home cry when they see those numbers.

But something even more terrifying is yet to come. There is less than a year left until the prophesied day of the Black King's resurrection. At that time, all humans on the ground will be transferred to the shelters that have already been built. That will be the real apocalypse.

That's God, the God who created all life.

No one knows what she will bring. Even though the war between humans and dragons is still unresolved, it will inevitably come to an end before December 21, 2012.

However, we can deal with the future later; we can't spend all day worrying about things that haven't happened yet.

...

Erii walked into the hall, where a large TV was mounted on the wall, and below the TV were a PS game console and a Sony controller.

Although it had been a long time since I last visited, the tiles were not covered in dust. The management of this villa had always been entrusted to Su Enxi. Although no one lived there, someone would still clean and maintain it regularly.

The first day she moved in was still vivid in her mind. She sat on the sofa and habitually lay down on her side, but that familiar embrace didn't catch her or kiss her forehead.

She recalled every day she spent living there. For two whole months after her marriage, she and Lu Mingfei lived here, and those were the happiest and most joyful times of her life.

When Giovanni asked her what they did there, she said they played video games, watched anime, sometimes went for walks, or went to the movies and amusement parks. That's all.

She went to the bedroom, where a wedding photo was hanging above the king-size bed. She was wearing a phoenix crown and kissed Lu Mingfei in the center of the hall.

那天是2010年的4月30日，而今天已经是2012年的1月1日，过去很久了。

She was married to Lu Mingfei for a total of 611 days, but for 257 of those days, Lu Mingfei was not by her side.

Chapter 451 Erii Uesugi (Part 4)

Erii pushed open the bedroom window, and a cold wind rushed in, wandering through every corner of the room.

She gazed at the distant sky, which was a deep gray, with clouds resembling a gray dome that covered the land.

As Giovanni walked in, her eyes were immediately drawn to the wedding photo on the wall. The photo was displayed in a solid wood frame and protected by a transparent glass panel.

The glass was very clean, so the photo looked very new, as if it had just been taken yesterday.

The photo shows streamers and firecrackers flying everywhere. Angers, holding flowers, stands in a corner with a smile on his face. Giovanni also sees many familiar faces, such as Lu Mingfei's uncle and aunt.

"Do you have any other wedding photos that you have?" Giovanni asked softly.

Erii turned her head and said, "Yes."

She went to the bedside, opened the bedside table drawer, and inside lay a photo album, a commemorative album left over from when she and Lu Mingfei were preparing for their wedding.

The other drawers of this cabinet are also filled with photo albums, some taken during trips, some in Japan, some in Kassel and Russia, and some just ordinary everyday photos.

She often takes out her phone to take photos, and once she has enough for a set, she prints them out, puts them in an album, and preserves them like treasures.

The two of them sat together on the edge of the bed and opened the photo album.

The first photo shows Lu Mingfei kneeling on one knee, proposing to Erii.

It was a luxuriously decorated room with a cake on a European-style white wooden table. Candles were stuck in the cake, casting a soft yellow glow that illuminated the faces of the two people.

"This kid's pretty romantic; he actually arranged a candlelight dinner with cake," Giovanni said, scrutinizing him.