Chapter 294: Bronze City

Chapter 294: Bronze City

Late at night, the tugboat "Monarch" trembled in the raging storm on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.

This was a rare autumn downpour, with torrential rain and wind speeds reaching level five. All other ships had docked to take shelter, leaving only the Monarch's xenon lights flickering in the rain.

In the cabin, Lu Ke and Caesar, who were about to dive, donned their skintight nanomaterial wetsuits and made their final preparations. Meanwhile, Lu Mingfei and Zero were warming up beside them, ready to take over.

Next to the four of them stood Captain Mans Bondstein, a charming woman wearing a wedding ring, and a crying baby named "Key" in a cradle.

Lu Ke wasn't fond of the baby's cries and frowned slightly, "What's the point of bringing 'Key' along? Are you worried that my bloodline won't be enough to open the door?"

"It's just an alternative plan to assist your operation. You and Caesar are the main forces in this exploration."

Mans cautiously replied, as Lu Ke, being a member of the Board of Directors, was one of the bosses of all the professors, including the principal. He couldn't treat him casually as just a student.

If it weren't for Lu Ke's own request, even as the most outstanding 'S' class, no one would dare to assign him to such a dangerous task.

The woman beside them glanced at Lu Ke, and a smile appeared on her charming face.

"Mr. Lu, I..."

Lu Ke interrupted her, his tone indifferent, "I'm not interested in your self-introduction. Keep Key quiet, or I'll throw you into the sea."

The woman's smile froze, and her delicate features twisted together. She subtly indicated her identity.

"I heard that Mr. Lu is with our Mo Tong. I hope that child hasn't caused you any trouble. She's been quite mischievous since she was young..."

"What's her nickname?"

The woman hesitated for a moment, "Mo..."

"If you don't care about your stepdaughter, don't act as if you've watched her grow up and try to get close to me. It's too forced."

Lu Ke's words were blunt and cold, revealing a hint of nonchalance in his obsidian eyes.

The woman's expectations were dashed by Lu Ke's straightforward and distant words, and her face burned as if slapped.

She lowered her head and gently rocked the cradle, but the baby wouldn't settle down. Instead, the cries became louder, causing the woman's red-nailed fingers to turn white from exertion.

"It's about time we dive," Caesar said, patting Lu Ke's shoulder to break the awkward atmosphere.

He had a lollipop in his mouth as a substitute for a cigar, having reluctantly given up smoking for the underwater mission to prevent nicotine from affecting his heart and lung function.

Lu Ke glanced at Caesar and, out of respect, didn't say more.

The two of them stepped onto the deck, where the raging storm engulfed them. They began to help each other put on diving gear prepared by the academy, including face masks, fins, buoyancy control vests, and air tanks.

"I thought you wouldn't go out of your way for Nonno. You don't seem to have deep feelings for her. If it weren't for her taking the initiative, you might not have gotten together at all." Caesar spoke up during the process.

"Emotions can grow over time. I firmly believe in the theory of 'love grows with time.' Since she's mine, her troubles are my troubles, and I don't want any troubles." Lu Ke explained calmly, "Why did you suddenly ask this?"

Caesar looked at Lu Ke with a complex expression, as if seeing another person through him.

"I just wanted to know how you playboys view your women."

"Playboys are not all the same. I never hide my current situation. Emotionally, I admit I'm in debt, but I can make up for it in other ways."

As Lu Ke spoke, he revealed a peculiar smile.

"Caesar, you're not looking for fatherly love from me, are you?"

"Stop joking around. This mission is no laughing matter."

Caesar sighed as he watched the rain pounding on the helmet and the howling wind stirring up waves.

"In your country's words, this is called an inauspicious start, and today's weather is not favorable."

"Who says the weather is bad? This weather is fantastic."

Lu Ke stretched out his hand, feeling the raging rain hitting his palm, and the wind brushing past his fingers. A faint smile curved his lips.

On such a wonderful stormy night, even the blood of the Lamia Dragon rejoiced and yearned to stretch its body and unleash its power in the storm, inviting calamity to sweep across the world.

...

The timer rang, signaling the start of the operation.

Lu Ke and Caesar leaped into the water, their bodies tracing two smooth arcs in the air before disappearing with a 'plop' sound.

The water was pitch-black, with the only source of light being the spotlights on their heads. The underwater silence was unsettling, with only the sound of limbs stirring and the bursting bubbles upon resurfacing.

During deep dives, one could feel a sense of abandonment by the world, a loneliness accompanied by the abyss.

This feeling couldn't be dispelled no matter how many times they practiced, and the only solution was to endure it. However, since the two of them were connected by a thin thread of faith, they could still communicate.

Caesar wanted to exchange some intelligence or have a casual chat with Lu Ke, but the latter seemed quite adapted to the underwater environment, enjoying the underwater scenery without a care in the world, not even bothering to speak a word to relieve the pressure.

Caesar had never heard of Lu Ke deep-diving before, and he wondered what was going on with his current performance.

Was this reasonable?

Was this reasonable?! Caesar clenched his teeth, and his competitive spirit prevented him from taking the initiative to speak. The two of them continued to descend deeper and deeper.

Ten meters, thirty meters, fifty meters...

The pressure around them increased, and for ordinary people, deep-diving beyond thirty meters was already a challenge. Even for professional divers, sixty meters was a significant hurdle. However, for these halfbreeds with superhuman abilities, water pressure was not a threat.

At around sixty meters, the two of them reached the bottom, and the feeling of touching the ground slightly relieved their anxiety. The raging storm and rain were filtered by the sixty-meter water layer, leaving only a gentle current.

This area had been submerged due to the Three Gorges Reservoir, and it used to be a mountainous area. The rocks were smoothed by the water flow, and a thick layer of mud and sand had accumulated on top.

"It's like playing a VR aquarium, and it's a super-sized one."

Lu Ke looked at the undulating riverbed with interest, the scattered rocks and reefs, and the fish and shellfish disturbed by their presence.

"Focus, we've reached the designated location, and White Emperor City should be nearby."

Caesar, as the deputy, twitched his mouth corners twice and looked around. He couldn't see any signs of a "city" in the area within his sight.

Lu Ke retracted his gaze and nodded, giving instructions, "Use your 'Scissor-Tailed Wind' to scout the direction."

Caesar closed his eyes at the instruction, shutting down all his senses and focusing his attention on his hearing.

He chanted an ancient language, and his domain began to form, with wind demons obeying his will and breaking out of his body, extending in all directions.

After a moment, Caesar opened his eyes, clearly dissatisfied with his results.

"There's no trace of White Emperor City nearby, but I've got a clear understanding of the terrain. Don't worry about stepping into empty space or encountering surprises. We can change locations and scout again with Scissor-Tailed Wind."

"Scissor-Tailed Wind" gathers information through the medium of wind, and it couldn't use water as a medium. However, the thin air underwater limited its scouting range, which was far less than that of "Snake" in the water.

The wind demons tried to extend outward but couldn't detach too far from the main body.

Lu Ke looked at Caesar, who tried to remain calm but still showed a hint of disappointment.

Unless Scissor-Tailed Wind evolved into a Blood-Sucking Scissor, it had no killing power. Even if it evolved, its killing power was far inferior to Blazing Sovereign, and Caesar hadn't learned Explosive Blood yet.

A detailed review of the original story would reveal that Caesar had been losing throughout his life. Despite being a character with potential, he couldn't achieve anything, failing in family, love, and friendship.

Seeing the golden-haired youth's expression, Lu Ke couldn't help but think of another golden-haired youth, Dick Treadwell, from his past. He sighed and placed his hand on Caesar.

"I don't like helping without compensation, so after we return, you have to dress up as a polar bear and dance a square dance for me. I'll post it on the Night Watch Forum."

"What?"

Before Caesar could understand what Lu Ke meant, he felt his Golden Eye being activated involuntarily, and a surge of wild power flowed into his body through Lu Ke's hand, as if his entire body was on fire!

"Come on, activate Scissor-Tailed Wind again!"

Lu Ke's voice thundered in Caesar's ear.

Caesar obeyed and chanted the ancient language for the second time. This time, the Scissor-Tailed Winds seemed to be energized, howling and stirring up the wind and rain, with their number and quality increasing several times over.

The domain expanded, expanded, and expanded further.

In an instant, his domain expanded tenfold! Even more astonishingly, Scissor-Tailed Wind couldn't normally use water as a medium, but at this moment, the rain conveyed the information, and everything merged into his domain.

Caesar felt like he had become a god.

Everything was under his control, and the entire upper reaches of the Yangtze River became his limbs. With just a thought, he could overturn the river and destroy the heavens and earth.

This feeling was truly indescribable!

Caesar was deeply shaken, feeling that his previous self-satisfaction had vanished.

Was this the true power and authority?

...

Lu Mingfei held his phone, feeling a strange sense of anxiety.

Since yesterday, he hadn't been able to contact Old Tang, and their last communication ended with "Okay, I'll wait for you."

Even though it had only been a day since they last chatted, he felt a sense of panic, as if Old Tang had indeed encountered an accident, making him feel restless and uneasy.

"You don't look so good."

Zero suddenly spoke up, his expressionless face coming closer, causing Lu Mingfei to shrink back in surprise.

Lu Mingfei scratched his head, "Maybe, it might be because it's my first mission, and my heart was racing, making me a bit anxious."

Zero remained silent for a moment, "Have you read 'The Dark Norton Hall'?"

"What kind of weird book is that with such a strange title?"

"It's an R-18 fanfiction written by an anonymous author on the 'Night Watch Forum'. It's a paid-to-view story with decent writing, depicting the three of you—you, Chu Zihan, and Caesar—being tortured by various indescribable mechanisms inside Norton Hall, and eventually being played with by the hall's owner until..."

"That's enough, that's enough."

Lu Mingfei was so embarrassed that he felt like digging a hole in the ground. How had these fujoshi spread worldwide? He had thought that such creatures would only lurk in the forums of Shilan Middle School, fantasizing about Chu Zihan and other men.

"Let me ask, does Fingal appear in the story?"

"Yes, he's Lu Ke's accomplice, responsible for designing the steps to train and corrupt you, forcing you to drink a potion that can cause gender transformation."

Lu Mingfei: "..."

It seemed that his useless senior still held a grudge against him for taking him to the Maiden Drowning Spring. He sighed.

"Zero, I know you want me to relax, but your topic is really... ahead of its time."

The last time he had talked about the bloody history of halfbreeds, and now he was telling him about an R-18 fanfiction with himself as one of the protagonists. He couldn't take it anymore!

"Sorry, I'm not good with words."

Zero apologized expressionlessly, "How about this, you tell me what happened in Norton Hall that day? If you tell me, I can request the administrator to delete that post."

"No need, it's just a joke written by my useless senior. When I get back, I'll ask for half of the royalties!"

Lu Mingfei laughed it off, choosing to refuse to disclose anything.

During this time, he had also learned some basic knowledge related to alchemy, understanding what that dream-like dream he had experienced was all about, and the level of alchemy required to create such a thing.

It was evident that it wasn't something a second-year student at Cassel Academy could have done. There must be some secret about his senior, and perhaps he was indeed a heavenborn with a system, as rumored online.

Although his senior was carefree and didn't care much about exposing his secrets, Lu Mingfei still felt that he shouldn't reveal anything.

At this moment, he was more concerned about something else.

Lu Mingfei looked at the chat interface on his phone, feeling anxious.

"What's going on, Old Tang?"

...

Whoosh—

The Kamaitachi group suddenly returned to their bodies, and the massive domain also collapsed.

Caesar woke up from the wonderful feeling of power and control, staring at Lu Ke who had just released his grip, unable to speak for a moment.

"Did you find the location of the White Emperor City?"

"Yes... I found it."

Caesar led the way in silence, and the two of them headed in the direction they had detected. Along the way, Caesar looked at Lu Ke, whose face was flushed but showed no signs of exhaustion, and couldn't help but ask.

"Was that just now... your Incantation? Are you a holder of the Sea and Water King Manifestation? What level is your Incantation? Is it High-Risk or Top-Secret?"

Incantations were the trump cards of every halfbreed, and even the 'Discipline' couldn't be used within the academy. Generally, only one's mentor and those very close to them would know about their Incantation.

In the Incantation sequence list, sequences 1 to 88 were Stable Incantations, sequences 89 to 100 were Dangerous Incantations, sequences 101 to 112 were High-Risk Incantations, and sequences 113 to 118 were Top-Secret Incantations.

The higher the sequence, the more powerful the Incantation, but also the more unstable and costly to use.

However, even if Lu Ke had just borrowed power through some method, his stability and might were exceptionally impressive, and he showed no signs of excessive exhaustion.

Caesar's expression was complex as he asked one last question.

"Lu Ke, what exactly are you?"

"I'm your dad."

Lu Ke gave him a sidelong glance, "I'm the team leader for this mission, and you're my deputy. Stop asking so many questions and just follow my instructions."

Before they knew it, they had reached their destination.

The probing light was lost in the dim green, and no matter which direction they looked, it was all the same, except for the front, where a massive bronze wall stood, extending vertically and horizontally, seemingly boundless and infinite.

Caesar suppressed his complex emotions and began to observe the surroundings.

"So the Dragon Tomb of the Bronze and Fire King is actually a bronze city."

Lu Ke approached the bronze city, caressing its enormous structure.

No, it wasn't just an ordinary bronze-cast city; inside were countless alchemical arrays, intricately interconnected, and so complex that even his perception couldn't penetrate them.

This was not only a bronze city but also Nibelungen, and a colossal weapon!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end