Harry constructed an observation array, letting his consciousness stretch out toward other worlds beyond measure, until it settled within an extraordinary realm where dragons stood at the center of everything.
…
Dragon World, beneath the Three Gorges Dam.
Lu Mingfei would never forget this day. (TN: From Dragon Raja)
(TN: At the end of the chapter a list of the other Dragon Raja characters.)
He and NoNo had just escaped from the Bronze City. His oxygen tank had sprung a leak, and the red-haired witch had handed over her own diving suit and oxygen supply to him.
Eighty meters down, without the protection of a diving suit, a gas embolism could take a person's life at any moment—hybrid physique or not.
That meant NoNo had placed her life in his hands.
Under the searchlights, her skin shone smooth like ivory.
Her long, slender body was supple as a mermaid's, and she wore only a red bikini swimsuit.
Faced with that breathtaking sight, Lu Mingfei even forgot their predicament for a moment, staring blankly.
Then he clenched his resolve.
No matter what, he would get his senior out safely.
After they swam forward for dozens of meters, NoNo suddenly tapped his shoulder and pointed off to the side.
Lu Mingfei looked over and saw a dark object floating in the water.
A diving bell!
They had been under crushing pressure for too long. If they rushed to the surface now, the sudden drop in pressure could easily trigger a fatal gas embolism.
But if they used the diving bell to decompress gradually, that risk would be gone.
Seeing hope of survival, Lu Mingfei's eyes lit up. He squeezed the last bit of strength from his exhausted body and slowly swam toward the diving bell.
A moment later, through their combined effort, they finally reached it.
Lu Mingfei took the lead, yanking open the hatch and climbing inside, then turned to pull NoNo in after him.
But suddenly—he froze.
NoNo snapped her head up, terror flooding her eyes.
He sensed danger too. He lunged for her—
And missed.
Instead of letting him grab her, NoNo shoved him into the diving bell with all her strength and slammed the hatch shut.
The diving bell's oxygen system activated, beginning to push water out. But Lu Mingfei felt no relief at all.
He rushed to the hatch and stared out through the clear glass.
In the next instant, every drop of heat in his blood turned to ice.
A sharp, vicious thing had punched straight through NoNo's chest. Outside the bell, the water was already stained with a spreading crimson.
It was a tail.
A dragon's tail.
From the moment they fled the Bronze City, a dragon had been trailing them without their notice—waiting until the very end to strike, aiming to kill NoNo right as they were about to escape.
Lu Mingfei stood there, face drained white, horror stamped into every line.
He clutched his head with both hands, unable to believe what he was seeing.
No.
Don't…
Don't die!
Abruptly, the atmosphere around him changed.
The soft hiss of flowing seawater, the mechanical hum of the diving bell—everything vanished in an instant, replaced by absolute silence.
Confused and desperate, he whipped his gaze around.
At some point, he had been transported onto a luxury cruise ship.
Sunlight poured over a pristine white deck, flashing dazzling reflections. Elegant lounge chairs and parasols were arranged neatly around him.
And on one of those lounge chairs not far away sat a little boy.
The boy wore a perfectly tailored designer suit—fine fabric, understated luxury. He leaned back with casual ease, head tilted slightly up, eyes calm as still water. His lips parted, and he spoke slowly:
"Shouting is useless. Yanling isn't just yelling words. Its core is deep resonance with the elements."
"Lu Mingze!" Lu Mingfei's eyes flared with hope. "You have a way—please, save NoNo!"
In his mind there was only the image of NoNo on the verge of death. Anxiety clawed at him so hard he felt he might tear apart.
Lu Mingze acted as if he hadn't heard. He swirled the wineglass in his hand at an unhurried pace, the liquid inside rippling and throwing off prismatic glints.
His expression stayed serene, a faint, ambiguous smile hanging at the corner of his mouth—an almost cruel contrast to Lu Mingfei's panic.
Only after a long while did he finally speak, voice low and strangely magnetic.
"That girl's chest has been split open. She's lost ninety percent of her blood. Her consciousness is fading, and she could die at any moment.
"But I do have a way to save her.
"So—do you want to trade?
"One quarter of your life, in exchange for the power to save the girl you love… and a miracle great enough to contend with a Dragon King."
Lu Mingfei hesitated, trying to bargain.
"Can't you make it cheaper? Like… an eighth. A tenth. Something like that."
Lu Mingze shook his head and chuckled.
"Power that can oppose a Dragon King. If Hilbert Ron Anjou heard about this deal, he'd pay any price.
"This is already cheap, my brother."
Realizing the terms wouldn't change, Lu Mingfei fell silent for a moment. Then he lifted his face sharply, eyes firm.
"I swore I'd get her out safely, so… I'll trade… trade… trade…"
Lu Mingze noticed the sudden weirdness immediately and frowned.
"What's wrong? What are you looking at?"
Lu Mingfei's eyes went wide, his face full of shock, staring straight past Lu Mingze's shoulder.
Just a second ago, there had been nothing there. But in the blink between heartbeats, a mysterious figure now stood there—wrapped tightly in gray chaos, as if reality itself refused to touch him.
Lu Mingze had always been unfathomable. In Lu Mingfei's understanding, he seemed to know every secret in the world, leaving Lu Mingfei perpetually at a disadvantage.
But now, with that gray-chaos-wreathed stranger present, even Lu Mingze looked… smaller by comparison.
Seeing that Lu Mingze hadn't even noticed, Lu Mingfei could only blurt out a warning.
"There's someone behind you!"
Lu Mingze: "???"
How could there be a person behind him that he didn't know about?
This wasn't the real world. This was the dreamspace he had personally constructed.
Within this dream domain, he was the creator who ruled everything—absolute control, absolute awareness. Let alone a living intruder.
Yet watching Lu Mingfei's reaction, he could tell Lu Mingfei wasn't lying.
Lu Mingze turned.
And saw the gray-chaos-wrapped figure that had appeared out of nowhere.
Disbelief flashed across his face. His pupils shrank hard, and he retreated several steps on instinct, widening the distance between them.
What… was this?
Something that could ignore his authority and break into his dream?
A revived Dragon King?
Lu Mingze's expression sharpened. He stared at the stranger and demanded, "Who are you?"
"Hm. Seems like a lot of people have been asking me that lately, so I'll say it again." Harry smiled, looking the two of them over like he was studying a pair of brothers. "I'm a mage—a traveler of the myriad worlds. These days I'm also serving as one of the Dimensional Demon Gods. And I'm here to talk business with Lu Mingfei."
Hearing the stranger speak his name so precisely, Lu Mingfei went blank for a beat. He raised a finger toward himself, dazed and uncertain.
"Huh? You mean… me?"
Harry's expression stayed warm, like spring sunlight, and he nodded slightly.
"That's right. That guy wants one quarter of your life before he'll help you save that girl—and defeat a Dragon King, yes?
"I don't need that.
"As long as you sign a contract, I can help you get what you want."
Lu Mingze was stunned.
He had planned step by step, painstakingly pushing Lu Mingfei to this point—right to the edge of a willing trade.
So why did some mysterious stranger burst into his dreamspace and try to steal his business?
Dammit!
Lu Mingze didn't hesitate. He tried to use his authority to expel the intruder.
But no matter how he struggled, it was useless—just like how Lu Mingfei had been unable to get the senior he loved.
Harry noticed immediately and laughed.
"Don't bother. Your world's energy level is too low. Even if the so-called Nidhogg showed up, he wouldn't be my opponent."
Then Harry turned his attention back to Lu Mingfei.
"So? If you trade with me, all you need to do is become my Lender. Not only can I help you defeat a Dragon King—I can also help you win your senior's heart."
Compared to Lu Mingze's price, Harry's offer was so generous it felt unreal.
Lu Mingfei couldn't deny it.
He was completely tempted.
One look at Lu Mingfei's expression was enough to make Lu Mingze's heart sink. He immediately tried to stop him.
"No. He hasn't told you what's in the contract. For all you know, the moment you sign, he'll take your soul. That's the oldest devil trick in every story!"
Harry didn't get angry at the slander. Instead, he calmly produced a Lending contract and placed it before Lu Mingfei with a smile.
"Everything is in here. Put your finger on it, and you'll understand it all.
"And don't worry about me cheating you. With my power, if I wanted to harm you, I wouldn't need to go through this much trouble."
Lu Mingfei placed his finger on the Lending contract.
A torrent of information flooded into his mind.
A moment later, under Lu Mingze's tense stare, Lu Mingfei gave him an awkward, apologetic smile.
"Sorry, Lu Mingze. You're great, but… I like him more."
Lu Mingze's gaze instantly turned resentful.
In the next instant, Lu Mingfei signed.
The lending contract was formed.
At the exact same moment, Lu Mingfei's vision spun—then snapped—
And he jolted awake from the dream.
The second he opened his eyes, he could feel it clearly:
A vast, terrifyingly powerful force surged into his body like a raging flood, pouring in without end.
Even stranger, that external power resonated violently with a peculiar force deep inside him.
The hidden thing awakened like an ancient beast, roaring to life. It echoed the incoming power, the two weaving and colliding within him until it felt like thunder exploding in his veins.
And then—
He opened his golden eyes.
TN: From Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei, NoNo, Lu Mingze, Hilbert Ron Anjou, Nidhogg.
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