RNP Chapter 73 Bronze Cocoon
Chapter 73 Bronze Cocoon
"How dare I mess with my brother's things?"
Lu Mingfei didn't speak. His finger hovered over a crack on the jar, a crack that was both thin and deep.
"Explain?" Lu Mingfei's voice was calm.
Lu Mingze smiled, a sly smile in his eyes. He pulled out a magnifying glass from somewhere and handed it to Lu Mingfei.
"Brother, didn't you already know? This is the cocoon of the King of Bronze and Fire, and your friend Old Tang..."
Lu Mingfei took the magnifying glass and carefully examined the crack. Under the magnified view, the edges of the crack exhibited a peculiar texture—
It's not the roughness of a broken metal surface, nor the frayed texture of broken silk, but a special material. When you tap it, it produces a metallic echo, but when you touch it, it feels like spider silk, and there's a warmth emanating from it.
"You mean Old Tang also came from this cocoon?"
"Of course." Lu Mingze walked over, and out of nowhere, he pulled out a magnifying glass and examined the cocoon carefully. "This is the cocoon of the King of Bronze and Fire. As twins, they naturally have to be together."
"Aren't you afraid of being wiped out in one fell swoop?"
"What would the Dragon King be afraid of?" Lu Mingze rolled his eyes and pointed at Lu Mingfei. "Or do you think there's anyone in the world who can swagger into Bronze City like you, bring out the eggs without being stopped by the dragon servants? Not to mention that Bronze City itself is a Nibelungen."
If it were an ordinary hybrid, it would probably have been bitten to death by the dragon servant long ago. How dare it even think of stealing things?
How utterly ignorant of one's own limitations must one be, or how incredibly audacious must one be?
In other words, a "monster" like Lu Mingfei not only made the dragon servants "open the door" themselves, but also killed them all directly.
Lu Mingfei suddenly shuddered. He felt a strange gaze upon him—he turned his head, and Lu Mingze was staring intently at him, his eyes filled with a lingering...
Something inexplicable, like... a sense of relief?
"Nibelungen?" Lu Mingfei changed the subject, turning his gaze back to the present. "Isn't that a spatial ability unique to dragons? Isn't Bronze City a special dragon-built structure?"
"Why......."
Lu Mingze sighed, seemingly somewhat helpless at Lu Mingfei's understanding, and began to explain: "The Bronze City is indeed a physical building, but it is also the Nibelungen built by the Dragon King Norton, which is your old Tang."
"Norton used the power of the Dragon King to hollow out the entire mountain, like casting a mold, and poured in a large amount of recycled metal to build the city. The high temperature caused the mountain rocks to crumble, and finally the Bronze City was formed."
Lu Mingfei stroked the bronze jar, pondered for a moment, and then spoke, "Sounds quite skilled. Were there any other unexpected issues?"
"An accident?" Lu Mingze laughed. "Brother, you really have a way with imagination. Have you forgotten who he is?"
Lu Mingfei immediately felt that he had asked an idiotic question. The title "King of Bronze and Fire" sounded like someone who was very good at crafting weapons, and alchemy was probably his specialty.
Wouldn't that be like making a phone call while looking for your cell phone—completely unnecessary?
"According to the Fragments of the Ice Sea, the fiefdom of the King of Bronze and Fire was in Northern Europe. He built his first palace in Northern Europe and used the ice and snow to forge a bronze city, just as he used the local rocks."
"Sounds like a true alchemy master?"
Looking at the bronze egg, Lu Mingfei couldn't quite picture Old Tang's comical face standing outside the alchemy furnace, refining pills...
No, according to Lu Mingze's description, Old Tang should be the kind of bronze manipulation master who can make a bronze block emerge from under him by spreading his hands.
Why does it feel like... a character from some anime? Lu Mingfei shook his head, dismissing the abrupt association.
"So, what's the situation inside this cocoon now?" Lu Mingfei withdrew his hand, a strange warmth still lingering in his palm. "How long until Constantine recovers?"
Lu Mingze did not answer immediately. He put away the magnifying glass, put his hands in his suit pockets, and slowly paced around the bronze jar.
"It's fast, but it's also slow."
Speak like a human.
"Sigh, brother, you really are..." Lu Mingze stopped at the other end of the jar, looking at Lu Mingfei through the bronze jar. "This is the Dragon King's 'cocoon.' For them, it is never a prison, but a return."
"To be honest," Lu Mingfei said, his eyes wide and lifeless.
"It could hatch at any time," Lu Mingze said helplessly, pointing to the bronze jar in front of him. "When Constantine inside wants to return to the world, this alchemical material will melt, giving birth to the Dragon King."
"Isn't there any way to delay?"
Lu Mingfei asked, unsure of how much time he had. Although Lao Tang might have plenty of time, he didn't know what would happen if the two brothers met.
An immediate outburst? Isn't that how it's always portrayed in TV dramas?
When long-lost brothers suddenly meet, they either embrace and weep, or they draw their swords against each other. Lu Mingfei leans more towards the latter possibility.
After all, Norton and Constantine were born of the same egg.
But if that's the case, what will happen to Lao Tang?
Lu Mingze tilted his head and thought for a moment, his expression as if he were seriously considering what to have for dinner: "Delaying... is theoretically feasible, but you'll have to pay the price, brother."
"What price?"
"For example, you could use a metallurgical material with opposite properties to coat this thing with a film." Lu Mingze tapped the can. "It's like putting a layer of mud on an egg, making it much harder for the chick inside to get out."
"Like making preserved eggs?" Lu Mingfei suddenly thought of the aunties at the market who would wrap each duck egg in lime paste to form a lime shell.
He felt that Lu Mingze's description was no different from making preserved eggs.
It's just... how much lime powder would be needed for such a big egg? If you bought all the lime powder at the market...
That doesn't seem to be enough.
"This is the egg of the King of Bronze and Fire, not a duck egg!" Lu Mingze slapped the bronze jar hard. "Any flame or metal will accelerate its growth, let alone lime like you're thinking of—it's completely useless!"
"Where am I supposed to find alchemy materials?" Lu Mingfei gestured with his hand to indicate the size of the bronze jar. "This jar is so big, I can't possibly put it in the refrigerator, can I?"
"Or, there's another way," Lu Mingze said. "How about we try 'talking' with Constantine inside and getting him to sleep a little longer?"
Lu Mingfei rolled his eyes: "How do we talk to him? Tap the jar and say, 'Good boy, sleep for another five hundred years'?"
"More or less." Lu Mingze actually nodded. "The Dragon King's consciousness is inside the cocoon, not completely asleep, but in a... hazy dream state."
"Then you should do it?" Lu Mingfei waved his hand.
He had only ever seen such things in TV dramas. Even when he was a child playing house in kindergarten, no one took care of him. How could he be expected to appease a dragon king?
"Me?" Lu Mingze laughed, his smile carrying a teasing tone that seemed to say, "Brother, you must be joking."
"Brother, have you forgotten? I'm the 'devil,' not a babysitter. The devil is only responsible for transactions, not for putting the children to sleep."
Lu Mingfei didn't speak, he just looked at him.
One second, two seconds... five seconds.
"Okay, okay, I give up."