Chapter 123: The Dragon King Flagship Store

Evening.

Lu Mingfei sat at his desk, shielding his hands with an [Immortal] barrier. To any observer, his actions were obscured, but the solemnity of his expression suggested he was engaged in a task of great importance.

"Brother, what are you doing?" Lu Mingze popped his head up, asking with curiosity.

Having slept all day, Lu Mingze’s mental state had recovered significantly compared to before; he felt confident he could handle the dual-realm activities again tonight.

"Hmph!"

Lu Mingfei did not answer. He merely cast a cold glance at Lu Mingze before turning away to continue his work. He had set up the [Immortal] barrier specifically to block Lu Mingze’s line of sight; since no one else could possibly know what he was doing, he had no need to guard against anyone else.

"Brother?" Lu Mingze tried probing again.

Lu Mingfei ignored him. The ship of trust had capsized. He had once trusted Lu Mingze unconditionally, which was why he had believed the information that the King of Ocean and Waters was hidden beneath the Three Gorges. He hadn't thought twice when Xia Mi and the others went there.

But the reality was otherwise. It was Constantine hidden under the Three Gorges, not the King of Ocean and Waters, which had triggered the current dire situation.

This little boy who called him "brother" all day long did not seem worthy of trust. He had lied to him, and it was possible he had lied to him many times before. The more Lu Mingfei thought about it, the angrier he became. He had no desire to engage with Lu Mingze; he only wanted to finish his work.

The structure of the Evil Eye relied on absorbing willpower and converting it into mental energy. Using his Mirror Pupil and his own experimental knowledge, he could analyze which part of the Evil Eye was responsible for absorbing willpower, reinforce it, and construct a limiter to restrict that will.

Once he placed this limiter on Norton, it would prevent the Dragon King from unleashing his full power, providing a measure of safety for Brother Chu Zihang and the others. If Norton could not tap into his Dragon King-level strength, the risk of exposure for Chu Zihang and his team would be significantly reduced.

Although the limiter might not be as effective as he hoped, it was one of the few things he could do, and the results would be relatively stable.

As for Constantine, it was likely too late.

'Damn you, Lu Mingze! If it weren't for you, I would have had a chance to act!'

The more Lu Mingfei thought, the angrier he grew. The precision of his work began to falter, and his analytical focus slipped. Eventually, he couldn't hold it in any longer. He turned and glared at Lu Mingze, hissing, "The Dragon King under the Three Gorges is Constantine, the King of Bronze and Fire, not the King of Ocean and Waters! Why did you lie to me?"

"Huh?" Lu Mingze blinked, tilting his head in confusion. "Lie to you? Why would I lie to you? The one hidden down there is the King of Ocean and Waters. Brother, I would never lie to you."

"Then how do you explain the news about Norton?" Lu Mingfei asked, his rage turning into a cold, mocking laugh.

"He’s been dead for who knows how many years, and he only just revived not long ago. You actually took news from that long ago seriously?" Lu Mingze hugged a bowl of popcorn, wearing a smile as if he were watching a show.

"Then what about Xia Mi and the others..."

"Their target was indeed Constantine, but Constantine is no longer in the Bronze City. The Dragon King inside the Bronze City is the King of Ocean and Waters," Lu Mingze said.

"Hm?"

Lu Mingfei’s brows furrowed. He couldn't be sure if Lu Mingze was telling the truth, but if it were true, then the situation hadn't reached the point of no return.

He pondered for a moment and asked, "If Constantine isn't in the Bronze City now, where is he? Has he already awakened?"

"No, he's still gestating in his egg," Lu Mingze replied.

"Then where is he?"

"I don't know, but he is definitely not in the Three Gorges. I swear it on my soul," Lu Mingze said, raising three fingers to the sky with utmost solemnity.

Lu Mingfei fell into deep thought. Although he didn't trust Lu Mingze much anymore, the kid sounded quite sincere—perhaps there was a grain of truth in it. Besides, if Constantine were still in the Three Gorges, it was already too late to save him. Whether he believed it or not didn't matter; what mattered was reality. What mattered was finishing the limiter before Norton detonated and using it on him.

So tired!

Lu Mingfei leaned back, instinctively picking up his phone to browse and relax his mind.

He had money now, and he often wandered through shopping platforms, buying things that caught his interest. He had bought quite a lot these past few days.

"Eh? Dragon King Flagship Store?"

The name of a shop caught Lu Mingfei’s attention. He clicked on it curiously. It was a flagship store with only text descriptions, and there were very few items—only two: The King of Bronze and Fire, and the King of Ocean and Waters.

The price for each was only one cent.

"Probably a scam shop? A tax on the gullible?" Lu Mingfei muttered, raising an eyebrow.

Buying a Dragon King for one cent? Who would believe that? And the King of Bronze and Fire? Among the current existing Dragon Kings, only Constantine could be bought, and that guy Norton didn't look like someone who could be sold.

I’ve lost my mind, actually thinking about which Dragon King could be put up for sale.

"Sigh."

Lu Mingfei laughed helplessly and then processed the payment without a password, buying the King of Bronze and Fire. Even though he didn't believe it, it felt interesting to buy—a strange sense of psychological comfort. Paying for a feeling wasn't the worst thing.

*Ding!*

The merchant has accepted your order.

"That was fast."

Lu Mingfei smiled slightly. Even if this thing was likely fake, if one cent could make him smile and briefly relax, it was undoubtedly worth it. It was only a cent, after all.

Following his purchase, the King of Bronze and Fire was removed from the Dragon King flagship store, its quantity changing from 1 to 0, as if it had truly been sold out.

Why do I feel like something is wrong?

Lu Mingfei turned to look at Lu Mingze, tilting the phone screen toward him, and asked, "Lu Mingze, what do you think about this Dragon King flagship store?"

"What do I think?"

Lu Mingze’s expression became one of confusion, and then he said, as if it were obvious, "What do I think... uh... do you believe this kind of thing?"

"I don't," Lu Mingfei said decisively.

"Then I can't believe it either." Lu Mingze spread his hands with a smile and added, "What kind of sane person would believe this?"

"Can you even call someone who believes this a sane person?"

"How vulgar!" ×2

The hotel room was suddenly filled with laughter. Both boys laughed happily, though for different reasons.

While Lu Mingfei’s joy was simple, his simplicity was no longer as pure as it once was. Although Lu Mingze claimed not to believe it, he felt it might actually be real—though the flagship store was so absurd that he didn't hold much hope.

However...

If it were real... forget it, impossible.

The brief rest ended. Lu Mingfei threw himself back into his research, committed to independently creating a limiter capable of restricting a Dragon King’s spirit.

Despite Lu Mingfei's great strength and the bug-like ability of the Mirror Pupil, the difficulty of refining a limiter was incredibly high. Even for him, it was a struggle, especially since he was crafting it to restrict a Dragon King-level existence.

The only fortunate thing was that Norton had only just awakened, so the intensity of the limiter he was building didn't need to be exceptionally high yet.

But as time passed, Norton would eventually recover more and stronger power. Lu Mingfei had to race against time and use his abilities to research a stronger limiter, preventing Norton from unleashing his Dragon King-level power and being discovered by Cassel College.

Though, even if he didn't unleash Dragon King-level power, he might still be discovered if he flew into a rage...

There was no other way. Lu Mingfei couldn't stop just because the results weren't perfect. He had to strive for every bit of hope; sometimes, it was that tiny bit of effort that made the difference, and it would be too late to regret it once the chance was gone.

He wouldn't do anything that would make him regret. He had experienced the feeling of helplessness once, and that was enough. If even his best efforts couldn't change the outcome, then he would accept his fate.

"Oh ho, the item sold. Potato Chip Girl, remember to ship on time. This is something the Boss told you to do."

"Ah, got it, got it. I feel like our Boss has been a bit off lately. I can't put my finger on it, but it feels wrong. But this 'wrongness' seems to be a good change. I quite like the way he is now."

"Me too. The current Boss is much more interesting than before. I'm also curious—what kind of expression will that guy make once the goods are released? Hahaha, it took so much effort to get that item; I felt like I lost half my life going to get it."

"The capable ones do the heavy lifting."

The girl selling the goods smiled, grabbed a handful of potato chips from her lap, and crunched on them, a rich, happy smile spreading across her face.

At night, in the dream world.

Rarely, Lu Mingfei did not spend the night chatting and complaining with Furina. After explaining his situation to her, he began pulling an all-nighter to work on the limiter. Progress was slow, and he didn't know how long he would need to research.

Furina was very understanding. She fully grasped Lu Mingfei's intentions and didn't act unreasonably, demanding he spend the night with her in the dream.

A brief separation was the polish for when they reunited. If they were together every day, the feelings might gradually fade into the background. Only after experiencing separation and the sense of distance would they cherish their meetings more, feeling happier and more blissful the next time they met, letting warmth permeate their hearts.

Lu Mingze felt the same way.

However...

"Hehehe?"

Focalors looked at him foolishly, rubbing her small belly with her little hand, and said, "Um... that... could you get me something to eat? Just a little bit. I feel a bit hungry."

Lu Mingze looked at her helplessly, stood up, and walked toward the hotel bar, handing her a menu.

"Does condensing ingredients in the dream consume a lot for you? Will you feel uncomfortable?" Focalors looked at the menu, suddenly feeling a jolt in her heart, and couldn't help but ask with concern.

She knew the ingredients in the dream were constructed by Lu Mingze himself. However, she didn't view him as the type of person who would sacrifice himself to the point of disregarding his own safety. Focalors thought he was someone more measured, someone easier to get along with.

It was precisely because Lu Mingze had a sense of proportion, paid attention to the distance between them, was mindful of his own state, and maintained an elegant and composed demeanor that Focalors dared to keep asking for food.

If Lu Mingze were like Lu Mingfei, who would risk his life for Furina, Focalors certainly wouldn't dare ask so easily.

"Usually the consumption isn't great, but there are exceptions—for instance, when I want to slip in some 'special favors' for someone," Lu Mingze said casually, a smile slowly appearing on his face.

He had expected the gluttonous Focalors to ask for food sooner, but he hadn't expected her to hold out for a while. She still had some conscience, it seemed.

Making food was a double-edged sword for Lu Mingze. The benefit was that he could pass more fragments to the Teyvat world through Focalors; the drawback was that if he continued dual-line operations under these conditions, his spirit would easily approach its limit.

Therefore, he would have to rely on the Knave on the other side.

In the dream of Teyvat:

"Miss Arlecchino, I'm busy tonight. Could you take my place and keep him company for the night?" Lu Mingze asked with a beaming smile, looking at the Knave sitting on the bench.

"Of course."

A smile gradually appeared on the Knave’s face. She suddenly felt the bench wasn't so glaring anymore. Although she was curious about what Lu Mingze was going to do, she knew that some things were better left unknown—as a Fatui Harbinger and diplomat, she was well aware of this.

So she wouldn't ask; she would only consider what she should do and what she could do.

"Knave? Where is this place!"

On the other side, Dottore hissed in rage.

Today, he had been in pain for an entire day. He had endured it silently all day just to avoid letting Arlecchino discover anything unusual. And now, after falling asleep, he had actually entered such a dream, seeing the Knave talking about him with another little boy.

With Dottore’s intellect, he could naturally guess what was happening, and it was precisely because he could guess that his heart felt even more desperate and terrified.

"Dottore, don't be afraid. Every day, you will forget today’s events, just like yesterday." A gentle yet cruel smile gradually spread across Arlecchino’s face as she slowly strolled toward Dottore.

"Knave!"

Dottore’s eyes widened in fury, and he instinctively raised his hand to channel the power within him. But nothing happened; his power seemed to have vanished. His mental state was crumbling more and more.

"Heh."

A disdainful smile appeared on the Knave’s face. She understood the absolute control the Otherworld Dragon King had over elements better than anyone; she had plenty of experience in this regard. Looking at the desperate Dottore, she whispered, "You at this moment are exactly like them at that moment. This is merely a cycle. Come now, enjoy it. It is what you deserve."

"The night is still long."