The person quietly following behind Lu Mingfei and Zero plopped down to his knees.
He had no backbone whatsoever.
Lu Mingfei stopped the ribbon, motioned for Zero to wait, and turned to look at the stowaway who lacked even an ounce of backbone.
"13?" he asked tentatively. It was rare to find a communicative stowaway, and he wouldn't be content without asking who 13 truly was.
"Hero, you really do know my number! To tell you the truth, I could tell at a glance that you were extraordinary, which is why I've been following behind you without making a move. First, thank you, hero, for sparing my life. If I get a chance to escape, I will definitely serve you like an ox or a horse," 13 rattled off a string of words like a rhyme.
Lu Mingfei paused, feeling that the tone sounded familiar, reminding him of someone with furrowed brows and a cheerful face.
"Thirteen people came for this operation?"
"Hero, you don't know, but 13 has always been my lucky number, so when the captain assigned me number 12, I voluntarily changed it to 13." Speaking of this, 13's tone was somewhat joyful.
"Take off your mask; let me see." Lu Mingfei was truly curious; this was too similar.
13 didn't hesitate. His life was in someone else's hands; he had no room to refuse.
A cheerful face, Chinese black hair, and distinctive drooping eyebrows.
"Hey... you're not Ronald Tang, are you?" Lu Mingfei's pupils suddenly dilated.
13 paused, thinking, 'Hero, it's one thing that you know my number, but how do you know my real name? This isn't fair! Releasing one's true name is a very important matter!'
"To be frank, hero, my full name is indeed Ronald Tang." Though he said this, it didn't stop Ronald Tang from sliding to his knees.
"Damn it, shouldn't you be in Brooklyn, New York, eating your social welfare? How did you end up in China?" Lu Mingfei's urge to rant surged, but considering the current situation, he forcibly suppressed it.
"You two know each other," Zero said, her statement sounding like a question.
"Ronald Tang, it's Mingming!" Lu Mingfei took off his mask, revealing his face. "What kind of shady business are you doing?"
"Holy crap, it's you, Big Head Bear!" Ronald Tang exclaimed. "What do you mean 'shady business'? This is work! Legitimate work!" He poked the ribbon extending from Lu Mingfei's wrist. "By the way, can you put this thing away?"
"Oh, right." Lu Mingfei belatedly retracted the ribbon. "So, Ronald Tang, you're also a hybrid?"
"What hybrid?" Ronald Tang was startled. "Mingming, aren't you here to be a mercenary? I thought we were competitors."
"You don't know about the Dragon Race, but you came to dig up Dragon Eggs?" Lu Mingfei frowned.
"So this world really is a fantasy world?" Ronald Tang began to question his life.
"You can catch up after we get ashore. For now, give me the camera. I need to decipher the inscriptions." Zero interrupted the conversation between the two brothers, reaching out to Lu Mingfei. Her Golden Eyes remained lit, seemingly calculating some data.
Lu Mingfei obediently handed the camera to Zero, then patted Ronald Tang's shoulder. "Brother, I have other things to do. You wait here for a bit."
He turned to look at the two white robes hanging on the wall. It was clear that someone had lived in this room, and the only person whose identity could match such a position in the Bronze City was Norton.
So, who was lying in the brass jar on the bed was self-evident. The jar was covered in intricate and profound patterns, glowing with an ancient radiance under the light of the burning stick.
In this room, Lu Mingfei might miss many valuable things due to his lack of historical knowledge, but he would never miss this particular item. Its presence was too strong. If Ronald Tang hadn't distracted him, his ribbon should have shot towards this brass jar.
The Dragon King's cocoon.
Lu Mingfei whispered in his heart.
He felt his heart skip a beat. Behind him, Ronald Tang stared at the object for several seconds before Can't help it taking a step forward.
Ronald Tang's lips were tightly sealed, and one hand trembled as if wanting to touch the brass jar.
Lu Mingfei's expression tightened. He quickly stepped forward to block Ronald Tang. Both of their actions were for this item; he couldn't hand the cocoon over to Ronald Tang.
But as he got closer, he immediately realized Ronald Tang's state was off. There was no desire for the brass jar in his eyes; instead, there was a chilling sadness, just like when he had a spiritual vision.
"Ronald Tang!"
Lu Mingfei gripped Ronald Tang's wrist and lightly shouted, shaking Ronald Tang out of his spiritual vision state.
"What am I doing?" Ronald Tang looked down at his position, somewhat bewildered. He swore to heaven that he had no improper thoughts about this thing. Even close brothers have to settle accounts clearly. At this point, he wouldn't be so muddle-headed as to rely on his online friendship with Lu Mingfei to make Lu Mingfei hand over the brass jar.
It was just that after he heard a 'brother,' he inexplicably lost consciousness, and when he recovered, he was already here.
"Brother, I absolutely have no designs on it!" Ronald Tang said with a bitter face.
"It's okay, I understand." Lu Mingfei nodded and smiled, then moved Ronald Tang's body away, preventing Ronald Tang from seeing the patterns carved on the brass jar.
The brass jar could be packed later; he wanted to see if there were any other things.
"There's something under the bed." Zero was analyzing the photos on the low cabinet while also observing her surroundings.
"Okay."
Lu Mingfei bent down to grope under the bed and indeed pulled out an ancient bronze box. The angular rectangular object was carved with complex patterns. The box did not emit dazzling light even under the firelight; all light was absorbed by its black surface.
This anomaly made Lu Mingfei feel even more that this thing was unusual. One must know that under the bed has always been a place where male creatures hide treasures. Anything found under the bed is either an ultimate weapon to destroy the world or a book about other female dragons.
But no matter which one, it could bring significant progress to the hybrids' research on the Dragon Race.
"Want to take a look together?" Lu Mingfei invited Zero. Zero should know more about Alchemy than he did.
"No, I haven't found a way out yet." Zero refused.
Lu Mingfei glanced at Ronald Tang, who was still facing away from him. In fact, after they got out, letting Ronald Tang follow his instincts would probably be enough, but that seemed difficult to explain, so he could only make Zero suffer a bit.
So he alone opened the hidden clasp. The bronze box emitted a series of trivial sounds of mechanical gears turning and rubbing. One could imagine how mature the Alchemy technology within was. After the sounds ceased, Lu Mingfei slowly pulled open the bronze box.
Unlike its dull exterior, as soon as the box opened, a hazy black light covered the entire bronze room. A sharp aura quickly enveloped everyone, and everyone felt a prickling sensation on their backs.
Seven differently shaped swords appeared in Lu Mingfei's eyes: Zhanmadao, Eight-Sided Han Sword, Tang Dao...
Seven classic sword models from around the world were included. The blades, after a millennium, still exuded an imposing presence. The black leather on the box's surface not only absorbed light but also absorbed all their sharpness.
But now they reappeared in the world, ready to shine brightly again.
In the name of the pinnacle of Alchemy.
The mythical alchemical creation, Seven Deadly Sins.