In the original story, Old Tang only awakened as the "Dragon King Norton" after infiltrating Cassell College under Lu Mingze's commission, meeting Constantine, and witnessing his death right before his eyes.
But now, Constantine had been intercepted early by Uchiha Hikari.
Still, with Lu Mingze's methods, there were likely other ways to ensure Old Tang's awakening went smoothly.
Uchiha Hikari didn't press Lu Mingze for details on his plan. Instead, she casually brought up the reason for her visit. "I heard Norton once forged an alchemical weapon called the 'Seven Deadly Sins' to kill his seven siblings. And that it's sealed somewhere in this 'Bronze City'... is that right?"
"...You mean this?"
Lu Mingze paused for a moment before waving his hand.
With a ripple in the air, a rectangular, ancient-looking box appeared on the bronze floor.
With a gentle tap from Lu Mingze on the box's groove, a click sounded, and the mechanisms inside fanned out, revealing seven distinct blades—ranging from a heavy, horse-slaying sword to a curved yatagan, an elegant straight blade, and even a short wakizashi. Each weapon was adorned with intricate, arcane patterns, their edges shimmering with a dark golden glow.
"Whoa~"
Uchiha Hikari's eyes narrowed slightly.
Gotta say, the "Seven Deadly Sins" looked seriously cool.
Each of the seven blades corresponded to a famous sword from around the world, each tied to a specific sin. Forged by Norton himself, their designs were sharper and more refined than anything human hands could craft, like a set of art pieces.
—It was hard to tell if these designs were Norton's original creations or if he'd "borrowed" them from the human world. If it was the former, then the "King of Bronze and Fire" had some seriously good taste.
On the other side, Lu Mingze tilted his chin up. "So, wanna give it a try?"
"Can I?"
Uchiha Hikari asked, just to be sure.
With Lu Mingze's nod, she stepped forward and tried pulling one of the blades.
...It wouldn't budge.
Well, that made sense.
According to the lore, the "Seven Deadly Sins" had a bloodline detection system. Only hybrids with A-rank or higher blood purity, or pureblood dragons, could wield them. Uchiha Hikari didn't meet those requirements.
Still, every restriction has its limits.
If someone had enough raw strength, they could probably brute-force their way past the restriction and pull the blades out, even without dragon blood. But Uchiha Hikari, delicate as she was, clearly didn't have that kind of muscle.
"...What a shame."
"That's a billion dollars down the drain..."
Uchiha Hikari sighed, dismissing the fleeting thought of selling the "Seven Deadly Sins" to Cassell College for a fortune. In a lazy tone, she added, "If there's nothing else to talk about, let's part ways here. You handle Norton's stuff, and don't forget to save me some of his blood samples."
"Got it."
Lu Mingze's form flickered, then slowly faded into the air.
—Like Minato Namikaze, this guy was a spiritual entity, his true body sealed in the ruins of Black Swan Bay. He didn't need to pass through the guardian spirits' gate to enter or leave the "Bronze City."
Uchiha Hikari, though, had to walk back the old-fashioned way.
On her way out, she rummaged through the remaining rooms and courtyards in the "Bronze City," finding a few scrolls written in ancient Han script—likely left behind by Norton when he was still "Li Xiong."
She also found some antique cups and decorative items.
Since they were unclaimed, she pocketed them all, planning to study them later to see if they held any clues about alchemy. If they did, she could tinker with them alongside Kikyo and Minato. If not, they'd make nice collectibles.
...
That evening, Uchiha Hikari took Eri and the others to a nearby city to try some authentic Sichuan hotpot.
For Esdeath and Eri, it was a totally new experience.
Eri, with her Japanese preference for milder flavors, got hit hard by the spicy broth, sticking out her tongue and fanning herself with her hands.
Esdeath, on the other hand, seemed unfazed, keeping her cool the whole time.
Well... seemingly unfazed.
If you looked closely, you'd notice Esdeath chugging water at an alarming rate and subtly using her "Demon's Essence" ability to conjure ice cubes for herself.
"You okay?" Esdeath crunched a few ice cubes, swallowed, and glanced at Uchiha Hikari.
"...Nah, it's nothing." Uchiha Hikari grinned and passed her juice over. "Hook me up with some of that."
"?"
Though a bit confused, Esdeath snapped her fingers, freezing a few ice shards into the juice. The sight made Xia Mi, sitting nearby, look on with envy. "Man, Esdeath's yanrei is so cool. Instant ice without even chanting dragon script? That's just too handy."
"Well, you could say she's from the 'Water King' lineage," Uchiha Hikari said vaguely. "As for her real deal... I'll fill you in when the time comes."
"...Fine." Xia Mi pursed her lips but didn't push further.
Over the next few days, Uchiha Hikari stayed in the Sichuan-Shu region, taking Eri and Esdeath to check out local sights.
The Three Gorges, Dujiangyan, Mount Qingcheng, the Panda Base...
Not just Esdeath and Eri, but even Uchiha Hikari was visiting these places for the first time.
Xia Mi, however, seemed right at home, expertly planning their itinerary and guiding them through the spots.
"Well, I worked at a travel agency for a summer a couple years back, so I know the drill," Xia Mi said proudly. "Plus, I scouted the Three Gorges area a few months ago, so being your tour guide is no sweat."
Fair enough.
As a "next-generation" Dragon King, Xia Mi was a pro at blending into human society. With her dragon-level mobility, it wasn't surprising she'd done her homework.
At the Panda Base, Eri tugged at Uchiha Hikari's sleeve. Under her gaze, Eri held up her little notebook, earnestly asking if she could adopt a panda cub to bring back to Japan.
"...A panda?"
Uchiha Hikari glanced at the adorably clumsy black-and-white bears in the reserve, hesitating. "Well... it's not impossible."
Technically, pandas weren't allowed as pets.
But money could solve a lot of problems.
If the Sheqi Bajia could mass-raise something like "serpent-shaped Deadpool," a few iron-eating beasts were no big deal. Sure, pandas were bears with decent biting power for their kind, but in a straight-up fight, they probably couldn't even take on the seemingly delicate Eri.
That said... they could probably handle Caesar Gattuso, given his glorious track record of losing to a polar bear.
During this time, Uchiha Hikari didn't actively keep tabs on Cassell College's movements, so she wasn't sure how Lu Mingze's plans for Norton were going. Since he hadn't reached out, she figured the Norton situation was still in progress.
On the other hand, the Sheqi Bajia called Eri twice—once from Uesugi Koshi and once from Gen Chisei, checking in on her.
Since Eri couldn't speak, Uchiha Hikari stayed by her side, relaying the contents of her notebook over the phone.
During one call, Gen Chisei mentioned something about Tokyo: "Recently, the principal... Hilbert Jean Angers from Cassell College, has called a few times. He wants to visit Japan in person to meet with the Sheqi Bajia. Should we agree or turn him down?"
"Oh? Angers is coming?" Uchiha Hikari raised an eyebrow.
That was probably the real reason Uesugi and Gen had called—to get her take on the Angers situation.
In the original story, Angers did visit the Sheqi Bajia, but that was in Dragon Raja III, around 2011. His trip was mainly because the Japan branch had betrayed Cassell, and Lu Mingfei's group had gone missing, forcing Angers, as a Secret Party leader and veteran troublemaker, to step in and handle things.
But now...
"Looks like Cassell's sniffed out some leads," Uchiha Hikari thought, keeping her expression neutral. "This is between you and Cassell. Handle it as you see fit. Meet him or don't—just let me know what you decide."
Come to think of it, Uchiha Hikari had once been curious to meet Angers and see his yanrei, "Time Zero," in action.
But now, with Lu Mingze as a far better deal-making partner, "Time Zero" wasn't such a big deal. If she remembered right, Lu Mingze had a similar ability—like the one he used to freeze the roller coaster at Liupanshan Amusement Park in Dragon Raja II. That'd probably be just as good.
For now, Uchiha Hikari stretched and glanced at the mahjong table in front of her—she'd recently roped Eri and the others into playing.
"Let's chill for a couple more days, then head back to Tokyo."