dmims Page 200
Page 200
Lu Mingfei's idea was very simple:
Although Tiel told him about the condition of the permafrost, this was only one-sided information.
He needs to combine the statements from the infected individuals with their own accounts to determine which are true, which may be inaccurate, and which are deliberately concealed.
The most crucial reason, which he didn't say aloud:
Time! Erii's medicine only lasts for eight days! He can't afford to waste time groping in the wrong direction.
The old village chief's cloudy eyes moved slightly, and his face, covered with wrinkles and fine scales, revealed little expression.
He simply nodded slightly and replied in his hoarse, aged voice:
"Excuse me, sir."
Without any hesitation, Lu Mingfei threw out all the questions he had previously asked Teer:
The layout of the frozen land, the relationship between the four major cities and Shengyang City, and the power of the Shengyang Cult and the Grand Council.
The current situation of Awakened and Infected, the origin and characteristics of biological viruses, the hierarchy of power...
The village chief answered slowly, in a low voice, but with clear and logical reasoning.
The preceding information largely aligns with what Tier said, confirming the central position of Holy Sun City.
The structure of co-governance between humans and the awakened, and the all-encompassing mystery of the “death” of the Holy Sun.
Regarding the power system, he also confirmed the six-tier division of "minions, ordinary soldiers, elite soldiers, generals, lords, and legendaries".
However, when Lu Mingfei's question turned to the core, tentatively asking about that courage...
The old village chief's cloudy eyes, almost entirely covered by a layer of keratin, suddenly lit up with a faint but clear light.
That light was not excitement, but a kind of insight and reminiscence that pierced through the long years.
He remained silent for a moment, and the only sounds in the room were Sheena's tense breathing and the howling of the wind and snow outside.
Finally, the village chief slowly spoke:
"About eighty years ago... there was also a traveler who mentioned something very similar to the 'trial' you spoke of, sir."
Lu Mingfei's breath hitched slightly, and his body involuntarily leaned forward a few degrees.
"Oh? What happened to that traveler afterward?"
The village chief reminisced with an almost pious reverence:
"In the end, she led the infected to build a city that belonged to them—Uru City."
Lu Mingfei was filled with astonishment.
Eighty years ago?
How could this village chief, who was severely mutated into a tortoise, have lived for so long?
Given the harsh reality that the average lifespan of infected individuals is only thirty years, this is nothing short of a miracle!
But at this moment, he forcibly suppressed this question, and what was more important was the traveler's experience.
"What's her name? How exactly did she do it?" Lu Mingfei's voice carried a hint of urgency.
"Her name is Lu Mingfei," the village chief slowly uttered the name, "She is... a noble and powerful dragon."
He paused, his fingers, covered in hard shells and scales, gently stroking the smooth wooden head of his cane.
"My bones, which are already half-rotten, have managed to cling to life until now."
"It was thanks to her mercy back then that she bestowed upon me a drop of precious dragon blood, which slowed down the process of my complete transformation into a beast."
The village chief's voice lowered, carrying a heavy sense of historical dust:
"That era...was the darkest period for humanity among us infected people."
"They said that as long as we 'monsters' and 'pathogens' are completely eliminated and slaughtered, the spread of biological viruses can be stopped and the glory of the Holy Sun can be restored!"
His words contained no fierce accusations, only a heavy sense of sorrow.
"And so the massacre began... Countless villages were burned down, and people of the same clan were driven away, hunted, and executed like wild beasts."
"Hope, like the remaining snow on frozen ground, melts away little by little... just when we were almost sinking into the abyss of utter despair."
"She, Lu Mingfei, descended like the first ray of light piercing the eternal night."
Chapter 199 Power is alluring
The village chief's voice finally betrayed a hint of barely suppressed excitement:
"She possesses incredible power and wisdom, and even more so... a radiance that can unite everyone's hearts."
"She led the remaining infected, who were overwhelmed by fear and hatred, to rise from the brink of despair!"
"Singing all the way, it integrated the forces scattered throughout the permafrost, like quicksand."
"Finally... on a snow-covered ruin, the flag of Uru was raised!"
The village chief's excitement receded like the tide, leaving only deep regret:
"But soon after... she disappeared into the vast frozen land as mysteriously as her arrival."
"In memory of the hope she brought, the infected respectfully call her 'Queen of Dawn'."
"Queen?" Lu Mingfei couldn't help but blurt out, this title was completely unexpected.
When he first heard the name "Lu Mingfei," his heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously associated it with a certain possibility.
Perhaps it was a parallel universe version of myself who came to this world in a different form and accomplished similar great deeds.
He had even imagined a resolute and courageous male figure leading the people through the snowstorm.
But "Queen"?
This information was like a bucket of ice water poured over his preconceived notions.
The gender doesn't match!
However, at that very moment, an extremely "outrageous" fragment of memory appeared.
It suddenly crashed into his mind.
That was in another world, where, with the teacher's help, he... briefly became "Lu Mingfei"!
Lu Mingfei, who possesses a peerless beauty that can captivate all living beings and even make the gods pause in awe!
Lu Mingfei's lips twitched almost imperceptibly, and an extremely strange feeling welled up in his heart.
If... if a "Lu Mingfei" were to come into this world
She truly possessed a beauty that could be described as "a disaster for the country and its people".
Furthermore, this is combined with the system's ability to amplify emotions...
So, integrating a group of infected people struggling in despair and yearning for a savior seems... incredibly easy?!
An image flashed uncontrollably through his mind:
In the wind and snow, the stunning "Dragon Queen" turned around and smiled, behind her were countless infected who were willing to follow her, their eyes burning with fervor and hope...
This art style, though outrageous, actually seems to make some kind of logical sense...?!
Lu Mingfei silently suppressed this overly impactful association, his expression returning to its usual calm.
Sheena huddled on the wooden bed in the corner, barely daring to breathe, her clear eyes darting nervously between the two of them.
She was curious why Lu Mingfei's name sounded the same as that of Queen Dawn from eighty years ago.
But she didn't dare ask.
After a moment of contemplation, Lu Mingfei asked the question that had been lingering in his mind:
“Since you, village chief, know the Queen of Dawn and have received the dragon blood bestowed upon you by her.”
"Then why don't you enjoy your old age in Uru City, which she built herself and which belongs to the infected, instead of wandering around in this remote and bitter Willow Village, barely surviving?"
The village chief's wrinkled head, covered with fine scales, drooped slightly, and a deep pain and helplessness flashed in his cloudy eyes.
“That was a story from forty years ago,” he sighed deeply.
"Ever since the Queen of Dawn departed as mysteriously as she had arrived..."
“Uru City… initially maintained the order left by the Queen, with her most trusted confidants jointly managing that hard-won city.”
The village chief raised his head, his world-weary eyes staring directly at Lu Mingfei:
"But guest, you should understand that whether you are human or infected like us who are burdened with curses, you are all the same beneath your skin."
His words carried a poignant, insightful understanding of the ways of the world:
"Power, wealth, beautiful women... these dazzling things also have a deadly attraction in the eyes of the infected."
"And for those infected who are struggling on the frozen ground..."
"The position of the city lord of Uru is undoubtedly the supreme throne, the ultimate goal that countless people dream of."
The village chief's voice grew increasingly low, carrying a sense of utter helplessness and exhaustion:
"However, the Queen's confidants are different."
"They are not only powerful, but also live much longer than ordinary humans due to the Queen's power and grace!"
"As long as they live, firmly occupying their high positions, the other infected people..."
"No matter how talented or brilliant one is, there is no chance of advancement, let alone the chance of becoming the city lord."
The air inside the stone house seemed to freeze, with only the howling of the wind and snow outside the window.
The village chief's calloused hands unconsciously rubbed the smooth wooden head of his cane.
"Greed and ambition outweighed gratitude and reverence for the Queen."
"And so... civil war broke out."
"A bloody purge resulted in the deaths of the Queen's confidants, those who had followed her in establishing Uru, all of whom were killed by their former compatriots."
He paused, a mixture of relief and bitterness at having survived the ordeal:
"In that bloody battle, I was lucky enough to escape with my life and eventually hid in this remote and desolate corner, barely surviving."