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He still remembered that the concept of a gem guarded by a group of snakes was first proposed by Eri when she went to Umezuji Town with him to see the sea. She used that gem to refer to the world she had always known.
Now the concept of snake is applied to Eri herself, and if the gem is still the world...
"Just like this." Eri blinked and stretched out her hand toward the window.
There was no commotion of elements, no chanting of words, nothing, she just hooked her fingers.
A white curtain descended from the sky, completely covering the huge city.
snow.
It was... a blizzard.
Lu Mingfei stared at this miraculous scene in amazement, and after a moment he slowly exhaled.
It seems that the White King's authority is fully compatible in Eri's body. The power she just displayed was not the control of elements, but commands, commands to this world.
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It was not time for the night news, and Lu Mingfei could not find any program that could provide him with first-hand information after tuning through all the channels. He gave up helplessly and casually put on a slightly childish North Face down jacket.
When I turned around, I saw Eri taking off a pair of white stockings as thin as cicada wings, revealing her slender legs that were so white that they were almost transparent.
Eiry was not shy either. She rolled up the hem of her windbreaker and put on thick cotton socks on her feet. After putting on the socks, she saw Lu Mingfei staring at her and chuckled. She stood up and took out clean underwear from behind her. She was not shy either. She stuffed it between the layers of her windbreaker and fumbled to put it on herself.
After getting dressed, Eri sat down next to Lu Mingfei, stretched out her two straight and slender legs and placed them on Lu Mingfei's legs. Her skin was as white and tender as solidified milk, and her two little feet in thick cotton socks were dangling, and her ankles were cute and delicate.
Lu Mingfei's Adam's apple rolled, and he felt his mouth dry and his whole body sore. Although he had dirty thoughts, he really didn't have the energy to do it.
Besides, who knows if Junior Sister really wasn’t watching. Maybe as soon as he touched her, he would hear Miss Xia Mi clearing her throat behind his ear…
"It's just a midnight snack." Eri hugged Lu Mingfei's neck, "I promise."
She smiled and kissed Lu Mingfei on the cheek. Her lips were warm and slightly cool. Although President Lu had experienced this many times before, he still felt dizzy.
"Okay, let's buy some disguise tools. We need to go out and investigate some things in a few days, and we may even have to visit Chu Zihang's home." Lu Mingfei said.
Eri nodded, jumped up and hid in the cloakroom to put on other clothes.
Lu Mingfei fell into deep thought.
Logically speaking, the principal himself was not clean, and he would not do such a thing to push Lu Mingfei to a dead end, not to mention the vice principal, who was just in the same boat with Ange. As for the board of directors, although Lu Mingfei was not familiar with them, he knew that there were many fans of Ange, not to mention that the board of directors' voice was gradually weakened after the elders' council joined the college management system last year.
Could it be that the immortals who appeared in Kanagawa were actually hounds released by the elders?
They were old-fashioned aristocrats who valued honor more than their own lives, and who were more devoted to justice than to honor.
Saint Cadmus could stand on Lu Mingfei's side in the trial because Lu Mingfei had killed a dragon servant and sniped the Dragon King. He could also sign his name on the wanted warrant with his old friends in the new trial because Lu Mingfei and the Dragon King were in cahoots.
Dear Readers (3):
To be honest, when I wrote this speech, I was still working day and night, hiding in the corner of my small office, my eyes filled with numbness and exhaustion caused by being overwhelmed by life.
I don't think I can write a decent tragedy as I am now. Even though I was already keen on words that could make people cry when I started writing my first book in 2019, at that time I was still a child who had not left the ivory tower, and my heart was full of disappointment and anger towards this not-so-fair world.
I have liked Teacher Jiangnan for a longer time, probably when I was thirteen or fourteen years old. At that time, we kids who had not yet seen the truth about the world still had the ambition to be someone who changed everything. Maybe when we were in English class, we imagined ourselves to be super aliens like Crick Kent, or when Teacher Huang was talking about the journey from Baicao Garden to Sanwei Bookstore, we imagined ourselves to be heroes who saved the country and the people.
Later, as my studies became increasingly busy, I no longer had the space and time for imagination. At that time, I instead liked to read the works left by our predecessors many years ago. Because there were no e-books, I could only flip through the yellowed tomes borrowed from small libraries. Now I think my favorite is actually JK Rowling's Harry Potter. It was the only fantastic idea that the library allowed us, the teenagers about to take the college entrance examination, to access in high school.
But the one that impressed me the most was Dostoyevsky’s “The Insulted and the Injured.” Dostoyevsky is a classic Russian pessimist, and the words that flow from his pen are so depressing that you can’t even cry. You just want to lie down and look at the ceiling, silently angry and disappointed with everything.
The book "The Insulted and the Injured" unfolds its main plot with the tone of Soviet tragedy, the suffering of Neri's family and the misfortune of Natasha's family. Duke Valkovsky, the source of all evil, abducted Neri's mother and swindled all the wealth of Neri's grandfather, eventually causing three generations of Neri's family to die with hatred. He also falsely accused Natasha's father and made him lose all his fortune. Natasha was also deceived by the duke's son.
This was a microcosm of the superpower society whose prestige spread across Europe at the time.
Dostoevsky never told anyone about his mood, but his friend once said in an interview that on the night he finished writing Natasha's Father, he sat on the rooftop with carved iron railings, staring at a birch tree for a long time with a frown on his face, and when everyone looked at him, his eyes were dull.
Teacher Jiangnan and Mr. Dostoevsky planted the seeds of a certain tree in my heart when I was young, so in 2019 I love tragedy. In order to make my love seem more justifiable, I even spent some time looking for evidence that tragedy is superior to drama.
In short, at that time I believed that there were always some things in this world that humans could never resist, like the fate that I often mentioned in this book.
Time, death, miss and loss, the moment you fall down and cover your face and cry, the feeling of powerlessness shapes the inevitable tragedy of fate.
It is indeed solemn and beautiful when you think about it. If written in a story, it is words that can be remembered and reviled for a long time.
But today, I have felt the enormity and ruthlessness of this world. The tired tragedies written by tired people no longer have that kind of anger, but only despair. Therefore, I have always emphasized the invincibility of fate and never let fate really win even one battle in the war with Lu Mingfei.
Recently I learned a word on the Internet that I had known for a long time. They call it deus ex machina. I first heard of it in some fantasy works on the Qidian website. It used beings from an unknown world to descend to the side of the protagonist in order to achieve some purpose that humans cannot achieve.
But this term actually originated from Greek classical drama, referring to unexpected, sudden, and far-fetched characters, means or events that are suddenly introduced in fictional works to relieve tense plots or scenes. In ancient Greek drama, when the plot is stuck in a dilemma and difficult to resolve, a powerful god will suddenly appear to solve the problem and wrap up the story.
At that time, people usually used cranes or hoists to carry the low-level actors who played the gods to the stage. This performance technique was artificial and created unexpected plot twists.
This is using false power to turn tragedy into drama, which I do not agree with.
Therefore, I never write about unnecessary powers that have no trace in the original work and are completely fabricated. I never give Lu Mingfei the miracle of being able to solve all problems just because he may be washed away at any time while trudging in the torrent of fate.
Because in this world, such miracles do not exist.
If you want to succeed, if you want to get everything you want, if you want to become strong, if you want to shake your fist at this dark world and defeat it, then you have to go upstream in the river of destiny.
If I were to write a tragedy, I would write that all your efforts cannot change the predetermined fate. No matter how hard Lu Mingfei tries, the people around him still leave one after another.
But I am too tired, and I guess the people who read what I write are also very tired.
We no longer have the strength to fight back against the world, so why not ask the child who has the courage to do so to help us see the scenery we have never seen before?
I have said a lot, but actually I just want to tell my dear readers that the story that has been pondered until now has already stepped out of the tragic script in the long creation process, and everything Lu Mingfei has done is not a short-lived adult fairy tale.
I wrote the person I once longed to be like onto Lu Mingfei, who was once timid but later became brave as if all his bones were squeezed dry, who always failed but never wanted to give up, who was willing to share his passion with everyone around him... Of course, as funny as it sounds, the most important thing is that he is very popular with girls.
Finally, the world is so big and fate is so fierce, but don't forget the feeling of anger. When you are desperate, punch the world. Your bones may break, but your courage will make the world remember that there was a guy who wanted to hit it hard.
In addition, the story of Tides of the Black Moon has ended. I will continue to update Odin's Deep and Return of the Mourner. Don't forget that this is not a tragedy. All the bumps along the way are for the beautiful scenery in the end.
Then the girls who will have the most roles in the future should be Eri, Mai and little Renata. Of course, our little angel, white moonlight and the little piano beauty will also return one after another.
And for Nono's child, I am thinking whether I should still write down these cruel fates. Maybe everything that happened was just a nightmare that I can't wake up from. Nothing happened and everything can be changed.
Suffering and difficulty lead to success.
PS: Love you guys.
Chapter 440: Eri's Christmas Strategy (2) Thanks to "Ji Chunqiu" and "Jiu De Mai's Wife" for their help.
The weather was too cold, and Lu Mingfei could only shiver as he wrapped himself in fleece clothes and scarves, but he still felt cold.
When he walked out of the Regent Hotel, the cold wind blew into his collar as if it had eyes. He shivered violently and pulled the girl beside him, who looked tall and slender despite her thick clothes, into his arms, using his body to block the wind for Eri.
Men who wander outside are always strong and tenacious, able to endure high temperatures and severe cold, and no pain can break a man's spine. But when you return home, your grandfather with gray beard invites you to sit down by the bed, holds your wrist with his old and dry hands and says, "Child, you must be very tired outside." At that moment, it seems that all your strength is broken. You just want to hug this old man who now needs help to get up like many years ago. At that time, you felt that the world was not so tall because someone helped you to hold it up. Now it's your turn to be this person, but when you return to the place where you once hid behind someone and cried, you still feel that you are still that cowardly child.
High temperatures and severe cold can easily bring you down, and that's only because you still miss the days when you had someone to rely on.
"Sakura is very familiar with this place." Eri hid obediently in front of Lu Mingfei and covered herself with the side of her coat.
The interior of the hotel is actually quite complicated, and you might get lost if you come here for the first time.
"Well, I grew up around here," Lu Mingfei said.
After his uncle opened a foot bath center and it became prosperous, Lu Mingfei often followed him to eat and drink with the local big bosses. The Regent Hotel was the restaurant they visited most often, and sea cucumbers, abalone, bird's nests, and shark's fins were all indispensable staple foods.
Chu Zihang and his bespectacled stepfather with a sideburns were often on his uncle's invitation list. They obviously didn't like such occasions, so they would always slip away through the back door under the pretext of playing basketball.
At that time, the back street was a small alley with many food stalls. Students in school uniforms often hung out there. There were also many billiard halls and game rooms. Lu Mingfei and Chu Zihang used to play billiard for an afternoon and then go to the game room to play Dino Fight. In the evening, they would go for grilled fish and sometimes grilled chicken wings.
There was no one guarding the back door, and this time Lu Mingfei easily avoided the waiters' sight, just like he had long ago.
After getting used to the blinding cold wind, Lu Mingfei sighed softly. His hometown was developing at a rapid pace. The small alley that he hadn't seen for two or three years had been flattened, and high-rise buildings that seemed to reach the sky had been built. Shining glass walls faced shining glass walls. When he looked up, even the gray-black sky didn't seem majestic. The steel and glass cut out a jagged skyline, which felt cramped, as if he was standing at the bottom of a huge steel rift valley. Looking up or around was a cage.
Eri was also very excited. She stood on tiptoe and looked around, hoping to see the whole picture of the city through the blooming umbrellas on both sides of the street.
It was a rather novel experience for her to be able to move freely in such a densely populated city. When in Tokyo, Gen Chisei usually did not allow Eri to appear in the downtown area.
"It should be because of the expansion of the CBD. Maybe the old houses in the old city will be demolished in the future." Lu Mingfei almost leaned over to Eri's ear to speak. The breath he exhaled was hot, causing a thin blush on the girl's almost transparent white face, but it couldn't be seen because of the huge mask.
This place has now become a meeting place for all kinds of famous brands, luxury cars and beautiful women. Even on a bitterly cold snowy day, you can still smell the scent of high-end perfume in the oncoming wind.
After walking a few steps, there were office buildings everywhere. Everyone walked silently with umbrellas in hand. People in leather shoes and high heels walked hurriedly. The road signs ahead were clearly marked. Which way to go, you can see the Mingjiao Temple, which way to go, you can see the river bank and the left bank with lanterns on the river bank, and which way to go is a nail salon with a good reputation in China. It seems that every stranger who comes here can easily find the place you want to go and the road you want to take, but Lu Mingfei held Eri tightly in his arms, but he felt like he was lost in the crowd.
"It's so beautiful." Eri looked up and said softly. After standing on the street for a while, fireworks began to be set off in the direction of the Fei River in the distance. All kinds of scattered beautiful lights bloomed in the gaps between the glass buildings like a flowing river of light, turning the gray and black clouds into rainbow colors.
The most touching things in this world are sounds, lights and shadows. Fireworks always make Eri stop and take notice. This girl is locked up in a high-level position in Genji Heavy Industries. She cannot see the cherry blossoms blooming in spring or feel the snow falling in winter. Only the colorful sparks blooming in clusters in the cold night sky during the fireworks festival can make her slightly dazed.
Lu Mingfei felt neither sad nor happy. He already had his own worries and he had lived here for too long. He knew that people would often set off fireworks by the river or on Guangchao. When the fireworks were in full bloom, young boys and girls would kiss on the shore. The girl would stand on tiptoe and lean her whole body on the boy's chest, while the boy would shyly look around carefully worried about being seen by his teacher or his narrow-minded father at home. Their shadows were reflected on the rippling river surface. People were like peach blossoms and water was like a mirror. It was hard to say whether the real scenery at that time was the fireworks in the sky or the love quietly blooming by the river.
"Let's eat something nearby today and fill our stomachs first." Lu Mingfei rubbed Eiry's head. Eiry nodded. She raised her face to look into Lu Mingfei's eyes through the gap in her collar, hesitated for a moment, and put her hand in Lu Mingfei's.
Lu Mingfei scratched Eri's palm and smiled, "I'm fine, I'm just too hungry," he said.
In fact, it is not just that.
He still felt that his future was uncertain and he didn't know where to go. This escape had just begun and all it brought him was panic.
No matter how powerful a person is, how can he fight against the whole world? What's more, the academy may have been infiltrated by Odin and the forces behind him, and the people chasing them may not just be a group of half-bloods and ordinary people.
What’s worse is that Lu Mingfei doesn’t know whether he still has any truly trustworthy allies in this world.
An idea suddenly occurred to him. There was actually a guy who was absolutely trustworthy and not under the control of the academy...
"Spicy chicken, I want to eat spicy chicken." Eri's face showed some anticipation, "And Yangzhou fried rice."
Gome fried rice was Eri's favorite staple food when she was in Tokyo, and spicy diced chicken was probably because it sounded similar to yakitori.
Lu Mingfei agreed.
There are usually restaurants or eateries in the basements of office buildings, but Lu Mingfei took Eri's hand and left the unfamiliar back street.
Because between the buildings are Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi, ladies in mink furs and suits get out of the cars, and men with big bellies are strategizing, as if each of them is the master of the world, but they don't know that everything they are proud of almost disappeared on a snowy night in Tokyo not long ago.
Lu Mingfei didn’t like this place. It made him feel like he had come to the wrong place. Twenty-year-old girls wouldn’t like an old fat bear weighing 200 pounds and over 60 years old. They just liked the power the bear had in this forest. And the wives of old men wouldn’t be twenty-year-old girls who were ignorant of the world. They just liked the beauty and slimness of these girls. Desire made them not mind sharing a little bit of their power.
This is a place where power is exchanged for time, like the world of hybrids. Everything in the world can be bought. Power is so dazzling that even time has to serve him.
Walking through the bustling crowd to the back of the street, you will see a row of old but neatly-organized buildings along the river. The cast iron street lamps and flower beds paved with diamond-shaped tiles give a very 1980s feel.
This is a pedestrian street. You can feel the vitality before you even enter. Maybe because it is not meal time, the small restaurants on the roadside actually have a bit of the feeling of "Midnight Diner" in Japan. When Lu Mingfei and Eri walked in, the owner and the clerk were very silent, and the temperature and taste of the food were acceptable.
She was very interested in the Chinese restaurant Eri, and looked around as she sat down. Fortunately, in order to communicate well with Lu Mingfei's friends or relatives, this girl spent a long time learning Chinese and could accurately call out the names of all the dishes here.
As expected, she ordered Yangzhou fried rice and a plate of spicy diced chicken. Lu Mingfei asked the elderly boss to fry some hairtail fish for her, squeeze half a lemon in it, and give her a bowl of rice.
Amid the bustling crowd and the noisy sound of snow, cheerful music could be faintly heard in the distance, as if all the shops on the entire pedestrian street were playing that music. Lu Mingfei was a little confused, but he still bought two pairs of chopsticks for himself and Eri.
"Merry Christmas, big brother and big sister. Today is Christmas. All guests who come to dine will receive a free portion of steamed egg custard." The person in charge of serving the dishes in the kitchen turned out to be a very pretty girl, probably only sixteen or seventeen years old. She had a thick ponytail on the back of her head and no bangs, revealing a smooth and warm forehead. She had shallow dimples when she smiled.