Lu Mingfei followed the principal up the iron stairs to the church attic, each step stirring up faint clouds of dust. The attic was as cluttered as a forgotten storeroom, piled everywhere with dust-covered tomes and unidentified alchemical apparatuses.
The Vice Principal Lu Mingfei had briefly met in the dormitory last time was sprawled on a faded velvet sofa. His stained cowboy outfit looked as though it had never been washed, and the beer can swaying in his hand gleamed faintly under the dim yellow light.
On the way here, Lu Mingfei had already witnessed the devastation in the church's main hall—shattered stained-glass windows lay scattered like the wings of dying butterflies, while torn pews exposed stark white splinters. He did not know whether these were traces of Chu Zihang's clash with the intruders or proof that the dragon had run rampant here.
To be able to drink alone so calmly amid such ruins, this Vice Principal's nerves were truly extraordinary.
"Hey, Angers." Old Cowboy lazily raised his beer can. When his gaze shifted to Lu Mingfei, his eyes suddenly lit up. "Oh, Mingfei's here too!"
As he rose, a smell of tobacco, alcohol, and long-sealed ancient books washed over them.
Lu Mingfei instinctively held his breath. For some reason, he felt that the Vice Principal's enthusiasm toward him surpassed even how he treated the principal. What should have been a flattering moment was stripped of all its warmth by the man's slovenly appearance.
"Mingfei, are you still in touch with that Dragon Script Grandmaster? Have you mentioned me to her?"
Just as Lu Mingfei expected, the Vice Principal's enthusiasm came from the vast knowledge of his online friend, Scarlet Naga. This old man still could not stop thinking about that girl across the ocean.
Lu Mingfei unconsciously took a