bookbashuk Page 164
Page 164
Da Vinci nodded, but didn't say anything more. "Then please go and rest for a while. After lunch, I will take you into the central control room. At that time, please make your own judgments."
Next, everyone had a fairly substantial lunch in the staff canteen. Although one overweight man complained that the food was too ordinary, he did not receive much agreement.
After resting sufficiently, Leonardo da Vinci, who had already returned to her workshop and prepared everything, finally led the research team into the control room. The reason she had to go back to the workshop first was to inform Shion, who had already returned to the Atlas Institute. From her previous conversation with Adano Hishiri, da Vinci knew that Shion was not easily fooled, so she wanted to get rid of the research team as soon as possible. The best way to do this was to have them communicate with Olga. And to contact Olga, she needed the help of the Atlas Institute.
When Webber and his team entered the control room, they saw on the big screen an alien figure from another timeline getting out of a stretch Lincoln.
Orange frowned as she looked at the familiar building in front of Olga and her group, and said in a low voice, "Interesting."
Weber glanced at Orange but didn't ask anything. On the contrary, Koyanskaya, upon seeing the figure with black and white hair from behind, couldn't help but clench her fists tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms, her eyes filled with anger, confusion, fear, and a trace of reminiscence.
Several people stood in front of the ruins, but they did not speak. The girl displayed on the screen from five angles was the target of this investigation team: Olga Marie Asmiret Animusfia, the celestial monarch of the Clock Tower and director of Chaldea.
Everyone in the control room could see her clearly, but the large screen focused on her back to ensure that people could clearly see the surrounding environment. At that moment, Da Vinci said to the investigation team, "What you are seeing now is the situation in another parallel world line. We used the Chaldea-made bracelet that the director took with him to locate her position through the Sea of Imaginary Numbers, and then analyzed it through a specific wavelength to get the current image."
"—This must be the power of the Atlas Institute." Waver pressed his throbbing temples. As far as he knew, Chaldea was more of an institution belonging to the Clock Tower than to the Atlas Institute, because most of the machinery used here, and even some of the most important components that Chaldea was indispensable to, were related to the Atlas Institute.
"No, this is my power as a genius. I used the data provided by the Atlas Institute to create the [Three Sages] system—" Leonardo da Vinci began to boast incessantly. The only one listening attentively was Webber, because he wanted to analyze the feasibility of the information in Leonardo da Vinci's explanation. Gray, on the other hand, became alert as soon as she entered the control room. To her, this was the enemy's stronghold. Her intuition told her that there was something very dangerous inside the control room.
Ryori Adashino stood quietly beside Weber, neither too close nor too far, listening to his conversation with Leonardo da Vinci, as her task was to verify the truth of the matter.
The seven members of Group A had all arrived here before the investigation team entered the control room. They even saw clearly the image of Fufu handing the knot to Aozaki Touko. The surveillance of them officially ended only after the investigation team entered the control room.
After entering the control room, Gordov Mujik went to this side and started befriending the geniuses in Group A, especially praising Kirshtalia Wodim.
Among the men, Koyanskaya and Aozaki Touko were the most discussed, after all, both are top beauties. Both of these top beauties were intently watching the screen.
Koyanskaya, in particular, somewhat lost her composure and stepped past the rest of the investigation team, her face pale, to stand at the very front.
Orange looked at the familiar street scene with a calm and collected expression, feeling a little expectant about what would happen next. She couldn't figure out why Olga Marie, who had gone to another timeline, would find that place, since, to be honest, they had no connection at all.
"Ling, are you sure the person you're looking for is here?" Finally, Olga Marie on the screen spoke, asking the person beside her with a hint of doubt.
Upon hearing the name "Ling," Koyanskaya's breath caught in her throat. She took two steps back and even stumbled backward, falling to the floor.
Gordov Mujik watched this scene in astonishment. In his memory, Koyanskaya had always been an elegant and capable person, and her current disheveled appearance completely shattered that impression.
"Are you alright?" Aozaki Touko took two steps forward and helped Koyanskaya up. When they were on the same helicopter earlier, she had a pleasant conversation with this pink-haired woman. The reason she chose to ride with this woman was partly because she didn't want to face the Forensic Science Department and the Church, but the biggest reason was that Touko had already figured out that this woman was not human, so she was curious to make contact with Koyanskaya.
"N-nothing, thank you, Miss Aozaki. If you ever need anything from our Chamber of Commerce in the future, I'll give you a 9.8% discount." Koyanskaya forced a smile and stood up again with Orange's help.
"—Although you don't look like you're alright, I won't force you to talk about it if you don't want to." Orange smiled elegantly and withdrew her hand after Koyanskaya regained her footing. She slightly rubbed the fingers that had just touched Koyanskaya, and she already had a general understanding of Koyanskaya's true identity.
Koyanskaya took a deep breath to calm herself down, then looked at the big screen again. She still hadn't seen the person's face and wasn't sure if it was the person she imagined. At the same time, she felt ashamed of her earlier loss of composure. She had always considered herself fearless, but she had been terrified just by seeing a vaguely familiar back view and hearing the name. It was utterly shameful!
“If Uncle Kiritsugu is not mistaken, the person we are looking for should be here.” The person Olga called [Listener] finally spoke. Koyanskaya almost couldn’t help but let out a “Migu” when she heard that voice that she could never forget, but she held back this time.
As soon as Ling opened his mouth, everyone in the control room tacitly shut their mouths. Even Kirshtalia stopped dealing with Gordorf and quietly watched the screen.
Chapter 386 The Fox's Abnormalities (Part 2)
Gordorf looked at Kirshtalia, who was ignoring him, with a puzzled expression. The two had just been having a pleasant conversation, so why was she ignoring him in the blink of an eye? When he realized that the atmosphere in the control room was not right, he finally turned his head to look at the big screen.
On the large screen, half of the space was divided up, and another person was being filmed from five different angles.
The man was dressed in ordinary casual clothes, his hair flowing like silk in the night breeze, highlighting his handsome yet refined features and fair skin, and his expression had a lazy air about him.
When the investigation team first met Ling, they didn't react much at first, but as they watched, even Webber and Grey couldn't take their eyes off her.
"Seduction?" Weber frowned as if he had discovered something, but then immediately dismissed his earlier guess. "No, that's not right. It's not seduction, but something deeper. Hey, Aozaki, you know what I mean, right?"
Weber's voice reached Aozaki Touko's ears, but Touko didn't turn around and replied directly, "Indeed, it's very similar to the Golden Princess and the others. This isn't seduction, but rather the manifestation of beauty. However, why does it feel so strange to me? Is this something that's added later, or—"
“It’s innate, Miss Aozaki.” Koyanskaya suddenly interjected, looking at Rin with a sneer and gritting her teeth, “You should be glad that girl isn’t here, otherwise, when you saw her unleash her full power, you would have been deprived of your minds and become her obedient puppets.”
The Chaldeans stared at Koyanskaya in surprise. Leonardo da Vinci even came up to her and scrutinized her closely. "Miss Koyanskaya, do you know Ling?"
"I'm also very curious why she got involved with your Chaldea." Koyanskaya certainly wouldn't miss any opportunity to learn about Ji Ling. Back then, she was played terribly by Ji Ling, from the inside out, from her soul to her body, and she almost lost her personality.
“Ling is Director Olga’s follower, and I think you—” Leonardo da Vinci was about to explain Ling’s identity to Koyanskaya, but was rudely interrupted.
"A Servant? She'll become a Servant?! Are you kidding me? Who in this world could kill her? How could she possibly die?" Koyanskaya's face flushed red with excitement. She glared at Leonardo da Vinci, her eyes filled with anger and disbelief. "Even if the world were to end, it couldn't possibly harm her in the slightest. And you're saying she'll become a Servant and be summoned by you? That's an absolute joke!"
From Koyanskaya's words, Da Vinci gained a new understanding of Ji Ling's concept. Compared to Ling, Ji Ling's strength was indeed from a different dimension. "Miss Koyanskaya, you're talking about Ji Ling, right? But what we see now is Ling. Ji Ling is female, but Ling is male."
“What’s the difference—” Koyanskaya wanted to retort, but after hearing Da Vinci’s words clearly, she froze. Not only her, but all the members of the investigation team who were seeing Ling’s appearance for the first time, except for Orange, had the same reaction.
"How is this possible? How could Ji Ling be a man?" Koyanskaya muttered to herself as if she had lost her soul. Then she turned her head and carefully examined Ling's body through the screen at several angles.
“No need to look, that person is definitely a man.” Orange found the situation interesting, so she directly told Koyanskaya the answer. “You may not be able to tell, but as a puppeteer, I can tell you with certainty that the Servant is indeed a cute boy.”
Orange looked at Ling with a half-smile, "And Miss Koyanskaya, you just said that it was a natural manifestation of beauty, but according to my observation, it is something that was added later. The body used by this Servant is very interesting."
Da Vinci nodded in agreement. "Ling is currently using an Einzbern body, and among the people around him, besides Director Olga and another man, they are also Einzbern androids."
Upon hearing Leonardo da Vinci mention Einzbern, Goldov finally couldn't help but come over as well. As a family of alchemists who had also made some achievements in the field of artificial humans, the Mujik family naturally knew about Einzbern and fully understood the gap between Einzbern and Mujik.
For the Einzbern family, the Mujk family's research on androids was probably not even at a child's level. However, because the Einzbern family was so closed off, even his father, Gold Mujk, lamented more than once that if they could learn a thing or two from the Einzbern family, their Mujk family would not be so embarrassed in the field of android research.
Hearing that the Chaldea director was accompanied by an Einzbern homunculus, he couldn't help but feel jealous. If Olga Marie obtained the research results on the Einzberns, the Animusfia family's power might even rise again. At that time, his plans would undoubtedly fall through.
"That Servant's current appearance isn't his original form?!" Koyanskaya's heart finally settled after hearing that the body was created by the Einzbern family, because if it was just about appearance, there was nothing to worry about.
“No, that was originally Ling’s appearance. Although we don’t know what happened, the body created by Einzbern was originally Ling’s appearance. We also have records of Ling’s past. Would you like to take a look?” Da Vinci wanted to get more information out of Koyanskaya, so she gestured to the staff next to her.
Upon hearing Leonardo da Vinci's reply, Koyanskaya's heart leaped into her throat once more.
The staff member followed Leonardo da Vinci's instructions and retrieved the records he had previously kept in Chaldea. Small videos and photos began to play on the large screen.
In most of the videos, Ling is either sleeping or playing with Fufu. Koyanskaya looked at Ling, whose temperament was completely different from what she remembered, and showed a confused expression. In a short period of time, her mood was like a roller coaster.
Especially after seeing that Ling hadn't attacked any women, she was startled again and let out a "Migu".
The video and photos stopped playing quickly, and Da Vinci looked at Koyanskaya. "So, can you tell me your true identity now, Miss Koyanskaya?"
Da Vinci's question seemed a bit strange, but everyone present was a shrewd and meticulous person, and they had already begun to suspect Koyanskaya's strange attitude and behavior earlier.
Chapter 387 Admonitions
"Oh dear, what are you saying, Miss Da Vinci? I'm just an ordinary chamber of commerce assistant~" Koyanskaya, of course, wouldn't admit defeat so easily. She knew that no one present could see through her true identity, so she chose to continue playing dumb and began to make up for the slip-up she had made earlier.
“Just as you said, I know a girl who looks exactly like your director’s Servant. That girl caused our merchant guild a great loss back then, which is why I lost my composure when I saw this Servant this time.” Koyanskaya put on an innocent and pitiful expression.
"Heh, so you said she wouldn't die even if the world were to end? Again—"
“Because the losses that time were too great, I certainly don’t want that person to die before I receive compensation. Besides, that has nothing to do with what’s going on now, right? Although it’s not my place to talk about this, as a businessman who is honest and fair to everyone, I’d like to remind you all that our most important thing right now is to confirm Lord Animusfia’s situation, isn’t it?” Koyanskaya said without hesitation, using a very reasonable reason to refute Leonardo da Vinci’s conjecture before changing the subject.
At this point, Da Vinci stopped at just the right moment. She had already added Koyanskaya to her list of suspicious individuals because she now understood one thing: whether it was someone who knew of Ji Ling's existence or someone who was involved with Ling's past, anyone connected to Ling was not a simple person.
“Yes, just as this lady said, our most important task now is to confirm Lord Animusphia’s condition.” Although the composition of the investigation team is somewhat complicated, as the nominal leader, Waver also has the responsibility to adjust their relationship with Chaldea.
“Of course, that’s why we’ve let you all enter this central control room to see Director Olga’s situation.” Da Vinci took the opportunity Weber had given him and then gestured for everyone to continue watching the large screen. Just then, Olga spoke again.
"Ling, aren't we going in?" Olga asked, looking at Ling who seemed hesitant.
“If you want to go in, I won’t stop you.” Ling sighed, looking at the completely dark building in front of her, feeling a sense of trepidation, similar to the feeling of returning home.
Now that it has been confirmed that this is not his original timeline, it means that Aozaki Touko in this world does not know him. However, in the post-apocalyptic world, it is strange that Aozaki Touko, who clearly does not know him, knows him. He still does not understand the reason behind this.
If this Aozaki Touko doesn't recognize him, how is he supposed to face her? Only now is he starting to struggle with this question.
“You came here because you wanted to, not because I wanted to.” Olga glanced at Ling and then looked at the Emiya family beside her. “If you ask me, you didn’t need to bring so many people. All magicians are sensitive people. When they realize they might be threatened, entering their workshop becomes a hellish challenge.”
At this point, Olga glanced at Kiritsugu Emiya with disdain, "Especially since there is an extremely dangerous person among us. As a fellow Japanese, I think Aozaki Touko must have heard that magic is associated with assassins. Bringing this person along is simply a foolish move."
After listening to Olga's analysis, Aozaki Touko in Chaldea looked at Emiya Kiritsugu, who had finally appeared on the display screen, with some surprise. Indeed, if her counterpart in that timeline had known that Kiritsugu had come, she would have activated all the traps inside the workshop. However, she remembered that it was still 1994 there, which meant—
“It’s no use. Even if Uncle Kiritsugu goes all out without any limits, he still can’t deal with Aozaki Touko now.” Rin turned to look at Kiritsugu. “Uncle Kiritsugu, when you saw Aozaki Touko, did she have short hair or long hair? Was she with anyone with her?”
"Short hair, with a child by her side." Kiritsugu Emiya recalled the footage he had seen on the monitor today. Although the monitor was black and white, it was still clear whether the hair was long or short.
"Well, just like Uncle Kiritsugu said, even if all of us attacked together, we couldn't possibly beat Aozaki Touko. We're here to make a deal, so even if she refuses, we absolutely mustn't show any hostility." Ling shrugged and said in a listless tone.
"Why can't we beat Aozaki Touko with short hair? I've seen Aozaki Touko when she's already a Grand Puppeteer. Let's not talk about her specific combat power for now, but this is only 1994. How can she be as strong as she will be in the future? Not to mention that she's still in the sealing period right now. She's been hiding all along. As a puppeteer, the most important thing is resources. She couldn't possibly have stored up too many of those things at this stage, could she?"
Olga was very dissatisfied with Ling's explanation. In her opinion, the immature Aozaki Touko could not possibly defeat them, especially after hearing Ling's explanation of Emiya Kiritsugu's Origin Bullet. If they were caught off guard, even Aozaki Touko could kill them in one blow.
“Because Sister Orange has short hair now—” Ling replied with a very sighing tone, but this answer left everyone present completely confused.
Meanwhile, at Chaldea, Aozaki Touko narrowed her eyes slightly after hearing Rin address her as "Touko-nee" (Touko-nee). Especially after Rin said that in the other timeline, she had short hair and they couldn't compete with her, she realized that this person named Rin must be very familiar with her.
Her short hair signifies that her contract with Luger still exists, and this person named Ling clearly knows Luger's true identity, which is why she knows they cannot deal with her who possesses Luger.
"What does this have to do with whether she has long or short hair! Why do you always like to keep people in suspense like this!" Olga glared at Ling with displeasure, and Ling glared back without holding back.
"Of course it's related! Didn't I already mention the reason at the hotel? You just didn't mean to load it!" Ling didn't think he was keeping people in suspense, and he had indeed reminded Emiya Kiritsugu at the hotel.
“What did you mention?” Olga couldn’t remember what Ling had said at the time, because Ling had only given a brief reminder without any explanation.
"Uncle Kiritsugu, you still remember, right?" To prove that he had said it, Kiritsugu Emiya asked.
Chapter 388 The Golden Wolf (Part 1)
"You mentioned the Golden Wolf, but you didn't specify what you meant. However, I guess it's the child who's with Aozaki Touko, right?" As a mercenary, Emiya Kiritsugu had a good memory, and he shared his guess.
"Golden Wolf?" After hearing Kiritsugu Emiya's reminder, Olga finally remembered that Rin had indeed said something like that, but even so, she still didn't know what the Golden Wolf referred to.
Meanwhile, on the Chaldea side, several people looked at Aozaki Touko, their meaning clear: they wanted her to explain. However, Touko showed no intention of explaining, instead watching the scene with a mysterious smile. Now, she finally knew who her sister's target was that had sent her here.
"Since we can't interfere, you can just watch and see. I think that person will explain himself properly." Orange took out a red cigarette case, pulled out a cigarette, and started playing with it between her fingers.
The sharp-eyed Leonardo da Vinci noticed a yin-yang symbol on the cigarette box, along with two prominent traditional Chinese characters: 【龍煙】.
Noticing Da Vinci's gaze, Orange offered her a cigarette, then turned to Weber and asked, "Hey, team leader, you smoke, right?"
Weber watched as Aozaki Touko tossed him the cigarette without a second thought. After a flurry of activity, he finally caught it in his hand. Looking at this cigarette, which was clearly different from any other mechanical product on the market, Weber unexpectedly brought it to his nose and sniffed it.
After throwing out the smoke, Orange took out a Zippo lighter from her pocket and lit it. "I really miss it. I hope I can cherish it over there. After all, I won't be able to taste this awful flavor again for a long time."
Webber also put the cigarette in his mouth, which smelled like a cheap one. Gray then lit it for him as usual. After taking a puff, the terrible taste made him cough. But strangely, before he coughed, he carefully held the cigarette between his fingers so that it didn't fall to the ground.
Da Vinci did not smoke, but carefully preserved the cigarette using magic. She did this partly because she didn't like smoking, and partly because she felt the cigarette was very important to Ling.
"The so-called Golden Wolf is the person in front of you." Ling's voice came again, and everyone in the control room turned their attention back to the screen. When they saw the direction Ling was pointing, they saw a being that, like Ling, was genderless from its appearance.
"You're not guests, are you? Orange is in a bad mood today, so if you don't leave, I'm going to kill you~~" A white shadow appeared at the dark door, accompanied by a lively and cheerful voice.
It was an illusory being with golden hair like the sun, dressed in a white suit, whose emerald green eyes gazed at the people before them, their pupils sparkling with brilliant light, and whose smile appeared innocent and naive.
"What a boastful tone! We've come to make friends with Aozaki Touko—" Olga was displeased by the Golden Wolf's arrogant words. Although her sixth sense warned her not to provoke this being, she impulsively spoke up.
"Oh well, there's no other way then. I'll just kill you all~" The androgynous being looked up at the night sky, gazing at the bright moon overhead, his smile growing even brighter. "The moon is so beautiful tonight, it reminds me of the times I used to run across the land."
Ling punched Olga on the head and said to her in a helpless tone, "Didn't I tell you not to mess with this golden wolf? Now look what's happened, we might all be killed in a minute."
Then he gestured for Kiritsugu Emiya to step back with his wife and daughter.
Aozaki Touko from Chaldea watched this scene with great interest. "Your director is really impulsive. Just like that kid named Rin said, a beautiful massacre might be staged in front of us in a moment. I advise Chaldea to prepare a candidate for the next director."
Da Vinci was about to say something, but in the next moment, she was captivated by the beauty in the painting.
"Awooo~~~~~~" The white figure suddenly cried out to the moon. Slowly, the petite body shed its human shell, and golden skin began to reveal a breathtakingly beautiful body.
It was an incredibly beautiful golden beast.
Everyone's lips trembled slightly, their hearts pounding, not from excitement at recognizing the creature, but from the sheer awe they felt. It was neither demon nor illusion, but a truly sacred being. It was a life form from an extinct age of gods, a mysterious and accumulated legacy of human wisdom, a miracle reborn across the land—the true nemesis of magicians capable of shattering everything in an instant.
“A werewolf—no, that’s not right, it’s a fantasy species.” When Olga saw the true form of this beast, she finally understood why Ling had said not to provoke it.
Meanwhile, Chaldea was also astonished by the beautiful creature, and Fou even stood up from Mash's arms.
"—I've never heard of such a terrifying presence around you, Miss Aozaki." Weber took a deep drag on his cigarette, and with the help of the harsh nicotine, he finally managed to suppress his trembling hands.
"Oh dear, a lady is beautiful because of her secrets, and Beo's existence is one of my biggest secrets." Orange replied with a nostalgic tone, gazing at the beautiful figure on the screen.
"Teacher, what is that golden werewolf? Is Olga in danger?" Gray asked Webber with some unease, staring at the golden wolf. Because Reines and Olga were friends, and Gray had become friends with Olga Marie through this relationship, she was very worried about Olga's current situation.
"—I don't think so." Weber glanced at the screen and slowly began to explain, "As you can see, those are monsters called werewolves. They have an ancient origin than the vampires, the monster kings that people widely believe in. They are the [Forest People] of Norse mythology."
Weber turned his gaze to Orange. "Miss Aozaki, what is the name of this golden wolf?"
“Ruger Beowulf.” Orange’s voice overlapped with Ling’s, which Orange found very strange.
Upon hearing Ling utter His name, the golden wolf stopped howling. Its three-meter-tall body looked down at Ling, who had called His name. Then, He did something unexpected—He slowly shrank, transforming from a werewolf into a wolf, and walked to Olga and Ling's side, sniffing at something. This was completely unlike His previous statement that He would destroy Ling and the others.
Chapter 389 Golden Wolf (Part 2)
"Oh my, this is really..." Orange from Chaldea exclaimed in surprise as she smoked a cigarette. Knowing Beo's temperament well, she, like the others, thought that the golden wolf would tear Ling and the others to pieces in an instant. But to her surprise, it wagged its tail around Ling and Olga like a docile puppy.
"You knew things would turn out this way?" Olga reached out and stroked the head of this fantastical creature that shouldn't exist in the modern world, but looked at Ling's face as she asked.