I want to just drift through life in Type-Moon.

Page 135

Through the Command Spells, he could even sense Olga's despair and pain, as well as her feigned strength. This was the first time he had felt Olga's thoughts so clearly.

Although he had long suspected that Olga Marie was acting strangely, Le Zhengling had no idea what was wrong with her, because he could tell that Olga was unaware of the burning of humanity, something he had learned during his previous tests.

As a result, at this moment, he saw the truth of his Master, Olga Marie.

Therefore, he couldn't continue. Yue Zhengling sighed inwardly: So that's how it is. So you and I are both pathetic creatures.

Olga Marie seemed to know his origins, the reasons why Merlin sent him to Chaldea and chose Olga as his false Master—he now understood the circumstances.

Da Vinci and Dr. Roman knew what was behind what Yue Zhengling hadn't said, but they both tacitly kept quiet and didn't try to stop him.

After figuring out the cause of the incineration of humanity, Dr. Roman felt guilty. After all, if he hadn't made the wish to become human again and left the Throne of Heroes, Goetia wouldn't have gone berserk, and Olga Marie wouldn't have died in the future.

No, in the story that Yue Zhengling told them, Olga Marie did indeed die after the Burning of Humanity began. However, in their timeline, Olga Marie never existed from the beginning. Neither Leonardo da Vinci nor Dr. Roman ever told Yue Zhengling this.

Olga Marie is indeed the daughter of Marisbury and the current head of the family who inherited the Animusfia mark. However, this girl actually died on the day she was born. The current Olga Marie is an unknown being who was resurrected from the body of a corpse that had not yet been named.

Even Dr. Roman didn't know the details, but Maris Billy accepted this unknown entity and named her Olga Marie, who has lived to this day.

Leonardo da Vinci discovered this when he met Olga Marie, and Rafe also seemed to have figured it out, but the three of them tacitly kept it a secret.

“No one remains—you are just like me, Master.” After saying this, Yue Zhengling stopped looking at her and turned to look at the Chaldea trio, who had solemn expressions on their faces.

"Aren't you going to give me a proper explanation?"

"Let's talk about those things when you get back," Leonardo da Vinci said with a gentle smile, looking at Le Zhengling and Olga Marie with loving eyes.

"Ahem!" Seeing the atmosphere had inexplicably become strange, Ziyuan coughed to bring everyone's attention back. "We're supposed to be discussing how they got back, right? Why did we veer off-topic like this? This wasn't part of my plan!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, but the issues between Olga and me are very complicated. Figuring out the master-servant relationship is more important to me than going back." Yue Zhengling didn't really care about going back or not. The main reason for going back was just to ask Merlin for clarification. But if he could live a peaceful life as a couch potato in this world, then he wouldn't need to think about those complicated things anymore.

“I’ve already calculated it! That contract you have wasn’t obtained in your current world, was it? Therefore, you absolutely cannot use it in any world where the contract originated! Otherwise, that world will be destroyed!”

Ziyuan looked at Yue Zhengling with a stern gaze, crossed her arms, and spoke in a more serious tone.

Chapter 297 The Way Back (Part 2)

"Oh, but what does that have to do with me?" Yue Zhengling tilted his head. "The kind of situation you're talking about is probably going to happen a long time from now. And the world destruction you're talking about should specifically refer to the extinction of humanity. If that's the case, then most of the causes will have occurred after the millennium."

"Wait, how much do you actually know?" Ziyuan looked at Yue Zhengling with a serious expression.

"How much do I know? I only know what I know." Of course, Yue Zhengling couldn't just tell everything. "For example, right now, you're already preparing for something you've predicted. And the Night of Wallachia—no, in your world, he wasn't that completely insane. Oh, and your adoptive father should have said that he'd handle what he predicted himself. That's why you're running around trying to deal with what's to come after the destruction of humanity, isn't it?"

"You even know this?!" Ziyuan frowned. Before meeting Le Zhengling, she had some guesses, but those guesses were limited. After officially getting to know him, she realized how narrow-minded those guesses were.

"Wait! What did you mean by the destruction of humanity?!" Rafe shouted, feigning shock, while Dr. Roman and Da Vinci also pretended to be anxious.

The members of Group A also showed different behaviors. Kirshtalia Wodem, the team leader, remained calm, Hinako Akuta was indifferent, and the others showed more or less tension.

“This has nothing to do with the current Chaldea, and Shion’s job is not to prevent the destruction of humanity, but to deal with what will happen after the destruction of humanity. So she is an accomplice of the victors. Do you understand what I mean?” Yue Zhengling looked at Leif, and said these words to him on purpose.

Rafe gave Le Zhengling a deep look. Although he wanted to kill Le Zhengling, the other party was currently out of his reach, and he believed that what he had just said was not a lie.

“I don’t belong to either side, nor will I hinder either side. I only stand with the victors. As for the destruction of humanity, that’s a trial for humanity in your world.” Le Zhengling looked coldly at Dr. Roman and the others. “If we can survive, humanity will become more stable. If we can’t, the planet will give birth to new intelligent life forms to replace humans. That’s all.”

Le Zhengling's utterly cold words left everyone who wanted to ask questions speechless. Some of them had considered using special methods to threaten Le Zhengling into talking, but the thought of him being a Servant put those ideas to rest.

"So you're going to ignore my warning, is that it?" Shion took a deep breath; things were getting really tricky.

"Actually, I don't want to use this contract for such a pointless purpose. Whether it's to ask the Atlas Institute of this world to send us back or to stop Animusphia, it's a huge waste in my opinion."

Le Zhengling shrugged. "I had already planned the use of this contract. After all, it's essential to take that thing from the Atlas Institute."

“In that world, I was facing the Sands of Osiris. Unless bound by the rules of the Atlas Academy, I can’t think of any way to get that thing from her. And it seems that only in that world could I take that thing away, since Alaya in that world has fallen into a deep slumber, and Gaia is also greatly suppressed.”

The Chaldeans had heard many new terms during this conversation, and words like "Night of Valazia" and "Sands of Osiris," which sounded very impressive, attracted their intense attention.

But apart from Leonardo da Vinci, everyone in Chaldea knew that no one had the right to ask. The one from Atlas Academy also had the right to ask, but neither of them had any interest in investigating further.

Da Vinci and Ziyuan both knew that Yue Zhengling was talking about other timelines, but they didn't have the energy to care about such things right now, because just as Yue Zhengling said, their world was facing a crisis of destruction.

"What do you want to take out of the Atlas Institute?" Ziyuan was very curious about what Yue Zhengling wanted to take out of the Atlas Institute, since the Atlas Institute usually wouldn't refuse if it involved the use of the contract.

"The seed among the seven great weapons of salvation." Yue Zhengling made no attempt to hide anything.

The others were completely baffled, not knowing what Yue Zhengling meant, but Ziyuan knew exactly what Yue Zhengling wanted. She gasped and looked at Yue Zhengling with the gaze one would give a dead man.

"You're courting death..."

"Hehe." Yue Zhengling chuckled twice, seemingly unconcerned.

"Atlas Special Technical Officer, could you please explain?" Da Vinci asked Ziyuan through the communication. She was also very curious about what Yue Zhengling wanted. As Ling's teacher, she knew that what Ling had her eye on was definitely not simple.

“…I’m sorry, I don’t have the authority to tell you.” Ziyuan shook her head and refused Da Vinci. “Those items are top secrets of the Atlas Institute. Even someone as brilliant as you in human history is not qualified to know them.”

"Is that so? That's a pity." Leonardo da Vinci smiled indifferently, then changed her focus, "Then how about you, my disciple, tell me?"

"Sorry, Da Vinci, although I haven't gotten my hands on it yet, I'm keeping it as a trump card. I'll keep it to myself if I can—more importantly, if I reveal its name, I might be targeted by the world's restraining force."

Le Zhengling glanced at Olga Marie out of the corner of her eye. "Alright, Ziyuan, if we don't use the contract, what kind of compensation can you give me?"

In Yue Zhengling's opinion, it would be better not to use the contract. However, now that he knows the conditions for using the contract, he has a new idea. Now the initiative to use it or not is in his hands. Ziyuan does not want him to use it. In other words, he has suffered a loss without realizing it.

What should you do if you've been taken advantage of? Of course, you should try to get your advantage back!

“Your request is within the scope of my calculations, so speak up.” Ziyuan was also very magnanimous and showed no intention of arguing.

"—, Rani VIII, I want her." Le Zhengling remembered the girl he had saved in the post-apocalyptic world and blurted out this request as if possessed.

"Are you serious? Since you know her, you should know what she means to our Atlas Institute." Ziyuan frowned. Lani VIII is not even a blueprint yet, and with Le Zhengling's sudden remark, she had to raise her suspicions about Le Zhengling by two levels.

“I’m very serious. Of course, it’s fine if you don’t want to put the ‘Fifth Element Truth’ into her heart. I just want to test a hypothesis.”

Yue Zhengling had a premonition that he would return to the post-apocalyptic world, and this premonition became stronger and stronger after he met Ziyuan. In addition, when he recalled the knot that Fou was holding when he was summoned to Chaldea, he felt that the knot was a very important key.

“Alright, the Atlas Institute is willing to pay this price. So, let’s put this topic aside for now, and the transaction will take place after you return.” Shion was an efficient person. Although she was a little reluctant to hand over her precious special android, the deal was still very worthwhile.

There are only seven copies of the Atlas Institute's contract in each parallel world. These contracts are capable of causing changes in the world, which can be large or small. On the small scale, they might only advance the world's technology by a few decades, but if misused, they could also lead to the destruction of the world.

The destruction of the world in ordinary times would not concern the Atlas Institute, because their first headmaster had foreseen the destruction of the world and established the Atlas Institute in order to avoid that outcome.

Qualified alchemists often calculated the future destruction of worlds; one could say that the destruction of worlds was commonplace for them.

In order to deal with the destruction of humanity from recent to distant times in human history, they released the Atlas Copole. While accumulating power in isolation, they also prepared for the possibility that if people outside encountered problems that they could not handle and that concerned the survival of humanity or the planet, someone could come to them with the Copole to provide a solution.

In other words, these contracts are essentially like alarm clocks or doorbells.

After unimaginable calculations, the alchemists concluded that the inevitable final destruction would come after all seven contracts were collected. Therefore, in order not to miss the deadline, there could be neither too many nor too few contracts.

As the successor of the Atlas Academy, Shion knew this, and she calculated that Yue Zhengling might know what the "Final Destruction" really was, so she readily agreed to Yue Zhengling's request.

"So what other way do you have to come back here?" Ziyuan asked as she calculated her future plans.

“Oh, since the first two methods have been rejected, I only have one last method left. If that doesn’t work, then you’ll have to find a way to bring us back.” Le Zhengling had considered having Olga Marie bring the two of them back, but he quickly dismissed the possibility.

Even if Olga Marie could do it, she probably wouldn't, for a simple reason: she couldn't explain why traveling to the flat world was a realm of the Second Law, completely unrelated to the magic of the Animusfia family.

Le Zhengling knew that Olga Marie was behind his arrival in this world, but no one except him would believe this fact. Even Chaldea believed that Olga Marie's disappearance was related to him.

After arriving in this world, Le Zhengling learned from Olga Marie that she wanted to expel him, but he ended up pulling her into this world to suffer together. After they had sex once, he gradually learned about Olga Marie's birth and current identity.

Le Zhengling kept his distance from Olga Marie, but it was undeniable that she had already taken a place in his heart. After all, no matter the gender, no one can forget their first love. It was for this reason that he did not want to reveal Olga Marie's identity.

He could no longer predict how the Chaldean world would develop; things might follow a fixed path, or they might undergo significant changes.

However, in his view, even with his prior notice, that world would only enter the path of the compilation project (a group of parallel worlds that are somewhat different but share the same main theme in the future).

He didn't want Olga Marie to die again, so he figured he might as well wait until everything was over before going back. His last resort was the one that would buy him the most time.

"Lingjun, tell me your plan! The sooner the director comes back, the better! Even if I'm appointed as the acting director, I can't guarantee the Magic Association won't interfere!" The doctor urged, seeing that Yue Zhengling was deep in thought again.

"Hurry up! Hurry up what? Are you rushing back to your death?!" Le Zhengling was startled by the doctor's words, and then glared at him irritably.

The doctor shrank back in fright, then looked at Leonardo da Vinci with pleading eyes.

“Listen~” Leonardo da Vinci called out to him in a helpless tone.

When Le Zheng heard Da Vinci call him, he had no choice but to suppress his anger and reluctantly said, "The Fourth War of the Broken Cups."

"What the hell is that? Explain it clearly to me!" After seeing Le Zhengling being suppressed by Da Vinci, the doctor puffed out his chest in a show of bravado and asked in the tone of a superior to a subordinate.

"Oh, I see~ It's the same as my calculation." Ziyuan was the only one present who understood what Yue Zhengling meant. She glanced at Roman and then pushed up her glasses.

While others may not know Roman's identity, the Atlas Institute obtained the true situation of the Holy Grail War in this world through the pseudo-spiritual particle calculator, Trident Hermes, so they knew exactly what Romani Archaman's true identity was.

"Oh, so you want to clarify? Then let me start by telling you about the story of how, in 2004, in Fuyuki City, Japan, seven magicians summoned seven Servants to wage the Holy Grail War, ultimately obtaining the omnipotent wish-granting machine and fulfilling their wishes." Le Zheng glanced at Roman, then delivered this long speech without pausing, which terrified Roman and left him trembling with fear and sweating profusely.

"No, no, no! No need! I know what you mean! You were talking about the Fourth Holy Grail War, right?" Roman waved his hands and shook his head in a panic.

"Wait! You mean the Fourth Holy Grail War!?" Ignoring the doctor's unusual movement, Leif leaned forward, staring intently at Yue Zhengling. "That kind of thing happened four times?!"

“Oh, right, it only happened once over there. But unfortunately, this scam has already happened three times here.” Le Zhengling looked at the somewhat flustered Rafe and gestured for him to calm down with his eyes.

Rafe understood the meaning in Yue Zhengling's eyes, straightened his clothes, and stood up straight again.

"Where you are, you must have spread the rumor that this so-called Holy Grail War is a hoax, right? But I can assure you that the Holy Grail War you are holding is not a hoax, because it has just fulfilled its intended purpose."

"In the 2004 Holy Grail War, the omnipotent wish-granting machine did indeed grant the victor's wish, which confirms the authenticity of this ritual. Chaldea's Heroic Spirit Summoning System was created based on this Holy Grail War."

"Therefore, if Olga and I were to go back, winning the Holy Grail War and then making a wish would be a good option."

Le Zhengling turned around and extended his hand to Olga Marie. "So, what is your wish, Olga?"

Chapter 298 The Impermanence of Mortals (Part 1)

Olga Marie looked at Yue Zhengling's outstretched hand and fell into deep confusion.

She listened to all of Yue Zhengling's suggestions, but this was the first time she had been given the choice like this. She knew that the relationship between the two of them had always been dominated by the other party, and she didn't have much of an opinion on this relationship.

"Why are you asking me?" Olga Marie asked softly after hesitating for a few seconds.

“Because participating in the Holy Grail War means risking both our lives. I’m confident I can survive the Holy Grail War, but I can’t guarantee yours.” As he said this, Le Zhengling looked earnestly at Olga Marie.

"Life is a very precious thing. In my opinion, nothing is more terrible than death. As for the so-called 'worse than death,' that's because they've lost hope in life. Have you lost hope in life?"

After saying this, Yue Zhengling looked on with a look of reminiscence. "I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I don't want to die. People should not lose their desire for life. Sudden death before the end of one's natural lifespan should not be allowed. This is the dignity that humans should have. If you still consider yourself a human being, then you must learn to avoid death."

“Participating in the Holy Grail War will lead to countless unexpected deaths. I don’t really recommend doing something so foolish, but now the choice is yours, so the choice is yours to make.”

Everyone who heard Yue Zhengling's explanation unconsciously fell into contemplation about life.

"Ling, do you hate death?" Leonardo da Vinci looked at Le Zhengling with a wise gaze.

“No, Leonardo da Vinci, you may have misunderstood. I am afraid of death, not that I hate death.” It should have been Leonardo da Vinci who asked the question, but Yue Zhengling did not look at her, but at Rafe.

“Life and death are a cycle. From the moment of its birth, all tangible things are destined to perish. Even if someone creates a world without death, the concept of death will still come.” Seeing the slight change in Leif’s expression, Yue Zhengling still spoke in a detached tone.

"The lifespan of living organisms, plants, and even celestial bodies are all the same to me, because they will all eventually come to an end. Even if the Earth has about 50 billion years left to live without any unforeseen circumstances, compared to that number, all life on Earth is just a fleeting moment."

"I don't believe anyone can stay conscious for such a long time, nor do I believe anything unexpected can happen in such a long time. Gods, demons, elves, true ancestors, and humans are all too insignificant in this unimaginably vast river of time."

Leif's face turned extremely ferocious. He felt that Yue Zhengling's words were a denial of the conclusions reached by the seventy-two demon gods, and also a prophecy of an ending that they could not accept!

"Many people with chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) fantasize all day about creating their ideal world, such as a world without death, a world without lies, a world without pain, a world without sin, or even a world where all beings are equal. The most extraordinary among these chuunibyou sufferers often put these unrealistic ideals into action, only to be stopped by things they despise or crushed by their grand ambitions that are beyond their capabilities."

Le Zhengling stopped looking at Rafe and turned to Olga Marie. "If you participate in the Fourth Holy Grail War, you'll be facing one of these extreme cases of chuunibyou (middle school syndrome). Do you really choose to participate?"

After listening to Le Zhengling's words, Olga Marie became somewhat absent-minded. Recalling what Le Zhengling had just said, she was unsure of what to do.

She sensed an inexplicable sense of danger in Yue Zhengling's words.

"Is there no other way?" Olga Marie asked.

"I can't think of anything." Le Zhengling's hand remained in place, just as he had said before. The choice was in Olga Marie's hands, and Le Zhengling would not voluntarily withdraw his hand, which represented an attempt to understand each other, until she clearly expressed her wishes.

Upon hearing this answer, Olga Marie took a deep breath, bowed slightly with a solemn expression, and placed her hand in Yue Zhengling's hand. "I entrust my life to you, and you entrust your will to me. Therefore, please help me and let me return to Chaldea."

Le Zhengling grasped Olga Marie's hand. "I can only say I'll do my best, but by the time you return to Chaldea, it will be questionable whether Chaldea will even exist."

Olga Marie's eyes widened as she was about to ask more questions, but just then, she felt a slight stinging sensation from the Command Seal on her hand, and some fragmented images appeared in her mind.

That was the simulated Earth environment model, Chaldea, frozen in ice, and the familiar environment that looked as if it had been ravaged by gunfire.

"The future you are about to face is far more severe than you can imagine, so prepare yourself mentally, my Master." Yue Zhengling used Command Spells to send the scene of Chaldea's fall before the official release of the Lostbelt in the opening of FGO 2.0 into Olga Marie's mind.

"As I always say, everything could end before you return. And I can't guarantee the success of the Fourth Holy Grail War, so be prepared to die of old age in this world."

Before Olga Marie could react, he pulled her into his arms. "If I can grant your wish, then we will break our Servant contract. If not, you will stay by my side until death separates us."

Watching this dramatic turn of events unfold, the doctor at Chaldea pointed at Yue Zhengling in disbelief, then turned to Leonardo da Vinci and exclaimed, "This...this...could this be the legendary marriage proposal?"

Leonardo da Vinci pulled out her glasses from her four-dimensional breast pouch, quickly put them on her nose, and recorded this scene in her private collection.

Rafe nodded thoughtfully, seemingly lost in thought.