Lu Mingfei was walking down the streets of Akihabara.
"O God of Otakus, bless me! Grant me adorable girls and unlimited first-edition game bonuses!"
He wandered excitedly, eyes sparkling.
Seeing cute girls cosplaying as anime characters, he happily approached them to take photos together.
Lu Mingfei was actually pretty handsome.
It was just that his luck had always been terrible, which made him seem rather average.
But ever since cultivating immortality, he carried a certain extraordinary and refined aura.
Though still that same unlucky guy, he looked a lot better now.
And this was Akihabara, after all.
Taking photos with cosplayers here was generally not a big deal.
Though, of course, there were occasional cries of "Where's security? Where's security?"
Looking at the selfie with the pretty cosplayer on his phone, Lu Mingfei smiled.
Then, up ahead, he noticed a cute maid calling out to attract customers.
A maid outfit of blue and white, matched with black stockings on long, fair legs.
"Damn, that's irresistible!"
Drawn in by the cheerful maid, Lu Mingfei stepped into the café.
"Welcome home, Master~"
A chorus of adorable maid voices greeted him.
All of the girls had gone through professional training before working here.
Their soft and sweet voices could melt even the hardest of hearts.
"Master, master, master..."
Lu Mingfei was already drowning in those repeated calls of "Master."
He sat down and ordered, in his clumsy Japanese, a lovingly enchanted omurice.
Omurice was one of the specialty items at maid cafés.
And of course, the cute little maid would cast a spell of love over it.
Sure, to some people, it was incredibly embarrassing.
But hey—there's no shame in making a living.
As he sat and watched the busy maids, Lu Mingfei admired them with a purely appreciative gaze—definitely not a perverted one.
Their uniforms were more like cosplay costumes than work attire.
Short skirts, lace trim, garter stockings, delicate black tights, rounded shoes.
Originally, maid uniforms were designed for practical cleaning purposes.
But in this café, their outfits were all about aesthetics and visual appeal.
Lu Mingfei simply admired them out of appreciation—really.
Time passed.
Finally, the beautifully made omurice was ready.
Looking at the dish in front of him, Lu Mingfei knew there was one last step remaining.
The most important step.
Infusing the omurice with the magic of love.
The adorable maid bounced cheerfully and chanted:
"Light and fluffy, pure and lovely, miracle, heart-throbbing—
Omurice baby, become delicious!"
Lu Mingfei smiled.
It was so embarrassing, but also genuinely fun.
The cute maid was incredibly serious about it—like she was truly casting a spell on the food.
"Let's eat!"
Lu Mingfei picked up his spoon and took a bite.
It tasted pretty great.
He made a mental note to recommend this place to Fenrir next time.
That little guy would definitely love it.
After finishing the omurice, Lu Mingfei paid and left.
This was just the beginning.
There were still plenty of things waiting for him!
For example—collector's editions, limited editions, ultra-detailed replica figurines.
You could find those rare, normally unavailable limited edition figurines in Akihabara.
This place was truly a paradise for otakus.
And there were also all sorts of elite creators selling their self-drawn doujinshi here.
The recluse hides in the wilderness; the master hides in the marketplace.
The true experts often dwell among the common people.
It was common for top-tier artists to sell their doujinshi in Akihabara. If you could score one of their books, that was basically a godsend for any otaku.
——
Lu Mingfei walked out of the largest figurine shop in Akihabara.
In his hand was a collector's edition Asuna figurine—the iconic heroine of the doujinshi world.
"I've wanted this for ages, and I finally got it. If it weren't so expensive, I would've bought it earlier. This is a limited-edition collector's item!"
Lu Mingfei looked nervously at the beautifully packaged Asuna figure in his hands.
Her flaxen hair cascaded down to her waist.
She wore a white suit of armor, a long rapier in her right hand.
A gentle, serious smile adorned her face.
Her flawless figure was mesmerizing the longer he looked.
This was Asuna from Sword Art Online Season 1.
"Oh my God, today is such a lucky day."
Lu Mingfei was overjoyed.
Plus, he even got a freebie with his purchase—
A bath-time rubber ducky.
This tiny yellow duck would squeak beep beep beep when gently pressed.
It was a favorite among kids.
"Oh, Fenrir would definitely love this cute little duck."
Lu Mingfei decided to give it to Fenrir as a gift.
"Now, where to next?"
Having bought the figurine he'd long wanted, Lu Mingfei set off toward his next destination.
"Hehe… Let's see if there's any doujinshi drawn by legendary artists. But I definitely can't let the boss find out. Luckily, I've got a storage pouch."
The storage pouch was a low-level magical artifact, usable even by cultivators in the Qi Condensation stage.
It was a must-have portable bag for anyone in the cultivation world.
By storing his precious collectibles inside the pouch and carrying it with him, he wouldn't have to worry about others discovering them.
Because if someone found a teen boy's private stash during puberty… that'd be a total social death.
"I think the convention is in this direction."
Lu Mingfei changed direction and continued walking forward.
A flash of red brushed past him.
Lu Mingfei froze in place. Almost instinctively, he called out a name:
"Erii?"
Dark red hair, a delicate and beautiful face, and a slim, graceful figure dressed in a shrine maiden's outfit.
Those lively eyes held a pure and innocent gaze.
Lu Mingfei had never met Uesugi Erii before.
But he had read Dragon Raja.
Words could etch a person's appearance in the mind.
And the moment he saw this girl, there was no doubt—she was the very girl described in the book.
Reading Dragon Raja had pained Lu Mingfei deeply.
All his friends died.
The people most important to him vanished one by one.
If others saw the protagonist's journey as something to emotionally relate to—
Then Lu Mingfei was the protagonist.
He knew Dragon Raja was depicting his future.
Roughly three years from now, he would be sobbing in a deep well, holding this girl's lifeless body.
When the princess was in mortal danger, her knight was nowhere to be found.
Even at the moment of death, the princess would still be calling out for her knight.
Uesugi Erii tilted her head, confusion in her eyes.
She didn't recognize the man in front of her, but for some reason, he seemed to recognize her—and his gaze carried deep sorrow.
Possessing the Word Spirit Judgement, she couldn't speak.
She could only write on her small board:
"Do we know each other?"
Right… at this point in time, they didn't know each other yet.
Lu Mingfei hadn't even met Nono yet—the girl who would bring him into the world of dragons.
And yet, the first person he encountered was Uesugi Erii.
"…Sorry. I mistook you for someone else."
Lu Mingfei turned to leave—just like the way he had been described in the novel, always running away.
°°°
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