Chapter 145: The Eight-Trigrams Dragon King

The Next Morning

In her dream, Phocalos slowly awoke, a satisfied smile lingering on her face. She tried to take a step out of the Judgment Cardinal's chamber, gazing at the small patch of the world beyond the dark room. Her smile grew even brighter.

There was no trial at the Opicler Opera House today, so there was no need to stay cooped up in the Judgment Cardinal’s chamber all day. Even if nobody found out, what of it?

She had already found a solution to her problem—there was no reason to continue suffering locked inside this chamber.

I want to see the outside world!

Under Lu Mingze’s watchful gaze within her, Phocalos took her second and third steps toward the outside world. The air beyond the chamber seemed especially fresh, and as she looked out, a look of pure happiness spread across her face.

“That silly girl.”

Lu Mingze shook his head in resignation. Though Phocalos was gluttonous, at times she was pitiful and adorable in a way that made one feel... well, never mind.

He pushed the thought aside and observed Phocalos crouching in the shadows behind the chamber, deep in thought. Lu Mingze found himself curious—what could she be pondering? Perhaps what to eat tonight? That seemed quite possible.

“Ah, I’ve got it!”

Suddenly, Phocalos’s eyes brightened. She closed them and, using her own power, altered her mental form, changing her body’s shape.

“Got it?”

Lu Mingze felt a flicker of doubt.

But his confusion was quickly resolved. Phocalos had transformed into his likeness and was feeling her way over her own body, as if confirming she hadn’t made a mistake.

Why confirm with her hands? Because she was used to touching things in dreams.

“I’m so clever! There’s no Lu Mingze in this world anyway, so I can just become him! I’m brilliant, hahaha!” Phocalos chuckled to herself.

Lu Mingze: (／_＼) Truly impressive.

Around the Corner

Lu Mingfei arrived at the spot he had arranged to meet Norton and the others early. Stretching lazily, he looked around, sensing he might have come a bit too soon.

“Morning.”

Constantine waved cheerfully. He was the second to arrive. Behind him followed the third arrival, Norton, and Chen Motong, who wore an expression of impatience.

“Morning.”

Lu Mingfei replied politely, then curiously asked, “What’s wrong with her? She looks a bit upset.”

“She wants to learn alchemy, so she asked Old Tang about it. You know how that guy is,” Constantine sighed helplessly.

“Him?”

Lu Mingfei raised an eyebrow, immediately sensing something was off. Though it was no surprise that Norton was a master of alchemy, how did Chen Motong know about it? If she spoke openly, Cassel Academy might become suspicious.

Perhaps...

“I lent the amplifier to my brother,” Constantine answered with a smile.

“Of course.”

Lu Mingfei nodded knowingly.

With Constantine recently revived and empowered by the Evil Eye amplifier, he possessed the ability to rewrite reality. Norton, revived earlier and equally skilled in alchemy, gained the same amplifier, allowing him to use causal separation to rewrite his own nature—helpful in hiding his true identity.

Norton’s new status as an alchemy master was a recent addition he had given himself. Moreover, Cassel Academy’s suspicions about Norton might have been erased.

Maybe Odin managed to slip into the board of directors this way.

The ability to rewrite causal reality was extraordinary. Alchemy master Dragon Kings were invincible because they could reshape the world as they wished. The only ones who could oppose an alchemy master Dragon King were another Dragon King or an even higher being.

Most likely, the Dragon Slayer faction could never kill an alchemy master Dragon King. Causal separation and rewriting perception would undermine their judgment from the start, making victory impossible.

The only humans who could defeat a Dragon King would be those who defied fate itself, like Liu Xiu.

“Alchemy isn’t actually difficult to learn; you just need to understand it the right way. Find the correct path, and you can become a master,” Norton said, looking at the disappointed Chen Motong.

“Oh? What method?”

Chen Motong’s mood brightened slightly, a hopeful light shining in her eyes.

“It’s simple—you need to memorize a dozen or so alchemical circuit models each day and study them carefully. In ten years, you’ll be a master,” Norton said confidently.

“Thank you.”

Chen Motong’s hopes were dashed utterly.

She currently needed two or three hours just to memorize one alchemy circuit. Asking her to remember over ten every day was impossible. And a decade of such training before becoming a master? That difficulty was simply outrageous.

Ugh, is he mocking me? If my talent is poor, just say so—no need to rub it in! He’s so cruel!

“Don’t be discouraged. It’s not your fault. Old Tang’s standards are just too high, making you feel inadequate. Actually, your alchemy talent is quite good,” Constantine comforted with a warm smile.

“Oh~”

“By the way, when is Caesar coming for the mission?” Constantine changed the subject, seeing Chen Motong was still down.

Nearby, Norton watched Constantine comfort Chen Motong, who had been crushed by his words. A strange irritation stirred within him, and he felt his temper rising, nearing the edge of becoming the irritable Dragon King.

“Caesar will go straight to BJ. We don’t need to worry; we’ll gather and set off, then meet him there,” Chen Motong answered.

“You know a lot! Impressive!” Constantine praised.

“Not really.”

Chen Motong’s mood improved, and she began to open up. “Caesar is my boyfriend, so I know more about him.”

“Is that so?”

Constantine was surprised. Chen Motong didn’t give off the impression of having a boyfriend. If nothing else, there must be many hidden stories between her and Caesar.

No, I’m a Dragon King—I can’t be like this!

Wait, I’m hiding my identity. Wouldn’t it be better to know more? So maybe I should ask.

After a brief internal struggle, Constantine smiled and said, “Amazing. I thought you were just classmates or had a superior-subordinate relationship.”

“Really?”

Chen Motong replied casually.

Not far away, Norton pricked up his ears.

Gossiping was an inherent trait passed down through the Bronze and Fire Kings’ bloodline—the higher the bloodline, the more obvious it became.

“Why do you seem indifferent toward Caesar? Is there something special? Or are you not that close?”

Constantine pressed on.

“He’s just a new boyfriend,” Chen Motong answered simply.

Though they were a couple, Caesar and Chen Motong weren’t very close yet. Their relationship was in the early stages of blossoming.

She was a somewhat wild shrine maiden who claimed to have had enough boyfriends to form a football team. It was normal for her to not take things too seriously early on, as she wasn’t the type to be loyal to just one person.

“Oh? What do you like about him?”

Constantine asked curiously.

“Caesar’s rich, funny, and handsome. It’s only natural I’d date him,” Chen Motong said with an air of confidence.

“Indeed.”

Constantine nodded slightly.

From a human perspective, Caesar was the perfect boyfriend. The reason Constantine hadn’t noticed Caesar’s charm before was probably because, as a Dragon King, his standards were higher, so he subconsciously dismissed him.

But for ordinary people in this world, Caesar’s qualities were excellent.

“Have you been in love before?”

Chen Motong looked at Constantine with a teasing smile.

“Not yet. I’m still young. My brother says I can’t date yet,” Constantine said, scratching his head shyly.

“Oh~”

Chen Motong said with a knowing look.

Lu Mingfei sat quietly nearby, silently relaying the scene to Funingna and thinking, “Constantine, the Bronze and Fire King, claims he’s still a kid? How interesting... so very interesting!”

“Dragon Kings live forever, so no matter how long they’ve lived, they’re still babies. So it makes sense,” Funingna replied with a mischievous smile.

“Then I can call myself a baby too?”

“Of course! Little Lu Baby, how about you call me Mom today?” Funingna teased.

“No way.”

Lu Mingfei refused outright.

“Huh? Why not?”

Funingna was puzzled. She thought Lu Mingfei wouldn’t turn down such playful couple banter, but he did, which confused her.

“I’m afraid of going hungry.”

Lu Mingfei smiled wryly.

“Hungry?”

Funingna tilted her head in confusion, not understanding what hunger had to do with their conversation. Then she thought harder.

Hungry moms breastfeed!

Her face flushed crimson in an instant, and a storm of emotions surged through Lu Mingfei’s mind. She roared indignantly, pouring out her frustration.

Lu Mingfei just smiled awkwardly and listened.

Strangely, he felt Funingna had become even cuter. Though he was being scolded one-sidedly, he enjoyed it immensely. This feeling made him wonder if he had some special talent after all.

Norton quietly turned his gaze to Lu Mingfei. He noticed Lu Mingfei was smiling excitedly while watching Chen Motong talk with Constantine, looking somewhat... affectionate.

What was going on?

Norton felt confused, but having fought many battles before awakening his memories, he quickly recalled many unspeakable scenarios. He remembered some people had peculiar habits—they would let go of those they liked and then...

No! No! No!

How could he think that of his own brother? There was no way he was like that!

Norton quickly pushed the thought aside and observed more closely. He realized Lu Mingfei wasn’t actually looking at Chen Motong; he just happened to be gazing in that direction. His focus didn’t align with Chen Motong.

Not looking at her? Then why was he smiling so happily and so mysteriously? There was a huge secret hidden within this guy.

After obtaining the Evil Eye, alchemy master Norton reached the same conclusion as Constantine: the Evil Eye’s craftsmanship and structure likely originated from another world, not from this world’s alchemy.

Its foundational principles didn’t match. Given their knowledge of alchemy, no new scientist here could have developed such an artifact. Its basic principles weren’t those of this world’s alchemists. Constantine had spent a long time deducing the fundamental principles of this other system.

If the Evil Eye were created by this world’s native alchemical system, both Constantine and Norton would instantly recognize its basic principles without needing to spend time analyzing it.

Norton reached a ridiculous conclusion: Lu Mingfei could communicate with beings from another world.

Though this seemed far-fetched, it was the most reasonable explanation. Coupled with Lu Mingfei’s current expression, Norton strongly suspected he could contact another world’s entities at will.

Furthermore, that entity was most likely female, with a lively and outgoing personality, and very close to Lu Mingfei.

Wanting to learn more, Norton bit his lip and gazed at Lu Mingfei, desire shining in his eyes.

His gaze was caught by Chen Motong, who was chatting with Constantine nearby. She glanced at Constantine beside her, then at Norton looking at Lu Mingfei. A bold guess slowly formed in her mind.

Could Old Tang really have given him the Evil Eye?

His close relationship with Constantine might be because he fancied Constantine. His aesthetic taste wasn’t normal—he even stared blankly at Lu Mingfei, his eyes filled with longing.

Shh... that’s terrifying when you think about it!

“What are you looking at?” Constantine asked, puzzled, also glancing toward Norton.

He knew about Lu Mingfei’s secrets and suspected Norton was contemplating Lu Mingfei’s connection with the otherworldly being. So he never thought in a twisted way, and his reaction was perfectly normal.

To Chen Motong, that normalcy was pure innocence, untouched by the world.

“Sigh~”

Chen Motong sighed, wearing a complicated smile. “You’re still young. It’s best not to understand these things yet. You’ll get it when you grow up.”

Constantine: ???

(End of chapter)