Chapter 41: The Lamb

"Lu Mingfei, you’re trending. You are absolutely blowing up."

Finnegas, on the upper bunk, teased Lu Mingfei while counting thick stacks of U.S. dollars.

The results of the 3E exam had been released. Lu Mingfei had passed with ease, but strangely enough, he had placed first. For heaven's sake, how does one manage to cheat their way to the top spot?

However, there were already too many irrational things in Lu Mingfei’s life, and he lacked the energy to investigate them one by one. Compared to that, the cash won from this venture was far more eye-catching. With this money, Lu Mingfei finally had sufficient funds to purchase his second batch of spellcasting materials. He would also set aside a small portion as operating capital for the Longevity Society.

Cassell College operated under a strictly closed management system; to acquire those strange and obscure materials, he had to rely on Amazon. Staring at the online shopping interface on his computer screen, Lu Mingfei replied without looking away:

"Wasn't I already trending as soon as I enrolled? Why bring it up again now?"

Finnegas tapped a few keys on his keyboard. With a "ding," a link to a forum post appeared in Lu Mingfei’s private messages.

"Someone secretly recorded the video of you suddenly going berserk in the Central Control Room. Now, the forum is flooded with your fan edits. Everyone is calling you the Andy Dufresne of Cassell College."

Lu Mingfei clicked the link. In the video, the skinny boy suddenly stood up in the tense, quiet library, violently ripped off his shirt and threw it aside, then raised his hands high and let out a hearty laugh. It really did capture a bit of the flair Andy showed while welcoming the downpour after his prison break.

"It does look quite similar." Lu Mingfei chuckled, closed the forum, and returned the computer to the shopping interface.

Finnegas curiously poked his large head over: "Aren't you angry?"

Lu Mingfei shook his head: "Why get angry? Isn't it good for everyone to have a little fun?"

Finnegas stared at Lu Mingfei with suspicious eyes for a long while. Once he was convinced that Lu Mingfei truly didn't care, he pulled his head back.

In truth, Lu Mingfei had felt a bit broken when he first realized he’d been toyed with by a soul fragment, but after seeing the furious expressions of the elite students from the Student Union and the Lionheart Society, he suddenly realized something.

These people—they were his lambs.

Their self-esteem had been damaged by their own lack of ability, and because they lacked the courage to face their own shortcomings, they vented their failures on him. They craved power and honor, yet lacked the courage and self-discipline to attain them. If the most elite of the academy were like this, what of the others with lower bloodlines?

Attitude did not matter. Whether they looked at him with disdain or respect was irrelevant. Lu Mingfei only needed them to follow their inner greed in pursuit of power, and then fall into his web.

"Ding-ding."

Lu Mingfei received another message.

"Lu Mingfei:
There will be a banquet and social dance tomorrow night at the Amber House, starting at 18:00. Come eat if you have time; Caesar says he wants to talk to you.
Remember to wear formal attire.
Friendly reminder: The school uniform does not count as formal wear. You can rent a suit at the college theater.
—Nono"

Lu Mingfei had a question he wanted to ask, so he logged onto QQ and sent her a message:
"Nono, are Ye Sheng and Wine-De Aki participating in this dance?"

Nono was online and quickly typed a "?", then sent a full reply:
"You’re actually interested in them?"

"Yes, very interested. Can you tell me now?"

"Ye Sheng and Wine-De Aki were already members of the Student Union. Besides welcoming the newcomers, the purpose of Caesar’s gathering is to celebrate their successful return."

Lu Mingfei had originally wanted to message Nono to secretly use profiling on Ye Sheng and Wine-De Aki, but considering that everyone at Cassell College was a master of "doxing," he decided it was better not to discuss important information online. He simply replied:

"I see. I will be there early."

Something was fishy—very fishy. With such a heavy aura of death surrounding Ye Sheng and Wine-De Aki, how had they managed to escape from the scenario of the "precognitive dream"? Just on the two spells Lu Mingfei had given them and their meager dragon blood? What a joke.

Aside from the caster, the targets of the Ariadne’s Thread also lose sanity points. Lu Mingfei had chosen Ye Sheng as his primary target, hoping he would exhaust his remaining utility to protect Wine-De Aki, who was in better condition and carried the Fairy Sand Reincarnation Talisman, so she could bring back some useful information.

As it turned out, not only did both of them complete the objective and emerge, but they were also completely unscathed? Even with his toes, Lu Mingfei could tell there was something wrong with the two of them. He had spent a thousand days training his soldiers for this one moment; today, everything would depend on Nono.

***

Because the second batch of spellcasting materials Lu Mingfei ordered required time to be delivered, he did not rashly call a second Longevity Society meeting.

The members of the Longevity Society were all brimming with enthusiasm. The most impatient among them, Lily, even ran to Lu Mingfei’s dorm to ask about the time for the next meeting, only to be fobbed off by Lu Mingfei with a few vague excuses.

For the participants, such occult gatherings felt like an absurd yet beautiful dream. If one were to ask the members what they actually did that day, apart from Zero, it was likely no one remembered a thing.

Lu Mingfei had to consider whether, if he truly summoned a projection of some Great Existence, his handful of followers would be enough to satisfy It. Furthermore, he had to consider whether he could escape in time if he failed to satisfy It.

That was the nature of occult gatherings: the members only needed to offer their sanity and life, while Lu Mingfei had to consider much more.

Between handling Longevity Society affairs, he spent time eating and exercising with his girlfriend, Su Xi. The days passed in the blink of an eye.

The next night, as darkness fell, the Amber House lit up. Looking in through the giant floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the lights were dazzling.

It was a villa with a Gothic spire, the roof covered in deep red tiles, and the walls clad in Indian granite. The Student Union officers, dressed in black formal wear with white handkerchiefs or deep red roses in their breast pockets, stood under the corridor to welcome guests.

Lu Mingfei wore the formal suit Su Xi had helped him choose. Finnegas, who hadn't received an invitation, begged to tag along to mooch some food, and Lu Mingfei did not refuse.

All the way there, the students of Cassell College cast looks of either mockery or curiosity at the pair. After all, Finnegas, who had failed to graduate after eight years of college, was already a top-tier figure in the school’s comedy circle. Now, with the addition of the new comedy sensation Lu Mingfei, it was no wonder they garnered so much attention.

Lu Mingfei didn't mind the stares. He took a deep sniff, but beyond the rich scent of flowers and the earth in the air, there was nothing else.

But his intuition told him that something was being hidden.