bookbashuk Page 82
Page 82
Although Leif felt something was off, since Yue Zhengling had told him before that he would not tell anyone about his identity as the Demon Pillar, he did not think that Da Vinci knew anything.
Unfortunately, what he didn't know was that Le Zhengling had told Leonardo da Vinci everything long before they made their agreement.
"I understand. So, can I have a private word with him?" After a moment of silence, Rafe looked at Le Zhengling, who was sitting there as if it were none of his business.
“Of course, no problem.” Leonardo da Vinci nodded and then left the workshop.
Rafe paused for a moment. He had intended to take Yue Zhengling away from here and find another place, but he did not expect that Da Vinci would leave.
Being in another magician's workshop, even he felt a bit constrained. As a result, there were some things he couldn't say outright. Therefore, he could only express his position without mentioning key information.
"I can give you what I promised you after I return from London. I hope you will keep our agreement." Even though he wanted to eliminate this strange Heroic Spirit, he decided to put it aside for now before figuring out the other party's background.
If I'm not mistaken, this person might be involved with the "Law," and even the seventy-two demon gods are extremely wary of the existence of the "Law."
Yue Zhengling revealed an expression that said, "If you can really give me that video, I will keep our agreement."
Having received an affirmative answer, Rafe nodded, then didn't know what to say next.
“…While I’m away, I hope you won’t have contact with any unnecessary people,” Rafe added after thinking for a while.
Le Zhengling nodded. "Strictly speaking, I'm not very interested in the people here. I'll stay at Da Vinci's workshop until you come back."
"That's good." Rafe felt that the two seemed to have reached a consensus, and he left with peace of mind.
Looking at Leonardo da Vinci, who seemed to be in a very good mood, at the door, Leif said in a normal tone, "Da Vinci, please take care of this Heroic Spirit and don't let him come into contact with anyone else."
Da Vinci nodded knowingly. "I understand. Don't worry too much about Olga Marie. Just pin the blame on me. After all, the modern Magic Association can't do anything about me."
"I understand. Then Chaldea is in your hands from now on." Lev adjusted his hat, gave a gentlemanly bow, and turned to leave.
Regarding the questioning from London mentioned earlier, he also wanted to remind Olga Marie how to handle various questions.
Watching Leif's receding figure, Leonardo da Vinci revealed a complicated expression. To be honest, Leif's behavior truly showed that he was working hard for Chaldea. As an elder of Chaldea, he could be said to have performed impeccably in every aspect.
But it is ironic that such a person entered this place with the intention of monitoring or even destroying Chaldea.
Back in his workshop, Da Vinci looked at Le Zhengling, who was still teasing Fufu, and asked, "What did Rafe say to you?"
"It's nothing, just some minor details." Le Zhengling turned his head to look at Leonardo da Vinci. "Well then, let's begin, Leonardo da Vinci..."
“Okay, but before that, call me teacher first.” Seeing that Le Zhengling didn’t want to talk about what happened with Rafe earlier, Da Vinci tactfully went along with him.
Chapter 184 The Beginning of Another Holy Grail War (Part 1)
“Okay, but before that, call me teacher first.” Seeing that Le Zhengling didn’t want to talk about what happened with Rafe earlier, Da Vinci tactfully went along with him.
"Okay, please take good care of me from now on, Professor Da Vinci." Le Zhengling had no qualms about calling Da Vinci her teacher.
"Well then, the Da Vinci Classroom is officially open for classes~" Da Vinci suddenly pulled out a black pointer from his four-dimensional breast pouch and said in a sweet voice that made people's ears tingle.
Le Zhengling stared at her with dead fish eyes as her character attributes changed drastically. He couldn't understand why Da Vinci was so excited. He remembered that when he played the game back then, Da Vinci would only unconsciously boast and had no sexy attributes. She didn't even have a swimsuit or dress.
But how did it become like this? Is this the real her?
“Before the lesson, let’s do a short quiz to let me know your level of knowledge.” With that, Da Vinci took out an electronic version from the cabinet, quickly made a few moves on it, and then handed it to Le Zhengling.
Looking at this high-tech, transparent blue electronic device, he still felt quite novel as it was his first time using it.
Although this thing is just an evolved version of a touchscreen smart computer, it is still a completely transparent board, and you can't see any chips or circuit boards.
This panel shows that the technology in this world is more advanced than the world before my rebirth. Of course, it's also possible that this technology already existed back then, but ordinary people like me couldn't access it.
After all, Chaldea can be said to be at the forefront of technology and magic in the Type-Moon world. In short, it seems that adapting to this place will not be so simple.
However, since I don't have much ambition, I should first try to improve my survival skills in this world. Whether it's magic or the body of a heroic spirit, there are still things to explore.
The things I learned in Avalon were too scattered, so it would be ideal to have Leonardo da Vinci help organize them now.
While engrossed in working on the test questions given to him by Leonardo da Vinci, Yue Zhengling also pondered his own plans.
But as he worked through the questions, his brow furrowed more and more. The questions covered a wide range of topics, including astronomy, geography, physics, chemistry, biology, art, music, mathematics, and even sociology, psychology, philosophy, and theology.
Although he didn't quite understand what Leonardo da Vinci wanted to learn from these questions, as someone with a Chinese education background who was used to doing rather than asking, he quietly continued working on these problems.
Skip over anything you don't know, and fill in anything you only partially understand. It took Yue Zhengling about four hours to finish all of this.
Just as he put down the electronic board, Leonardo da Vinci spoke up: "Alright, I understand your situation. Hmm, let's start with history lessons. After all, judging from your answers, you know a lot about history, but only superficially."
Le Zhengling looked up at Da Vinci and asked, "You didn't even read my answer, yet you know my situation?"
Leonardo da Vinci smiled without saying a word.
Le Zhengling wondered if Leonardo da Vinci was trying to fool him, but there was no point in doing so. Having grown accustomed to da Vinci's mystique, he felt that getting caught up in these trivial matters was pointless, so he stopped asking.
"So, from now on, I'll teach you history every morning, painting in the afternoon, and magic in the evening. What do you think?"
“I have no objection.” Le Zhengling looked at Leonardo da Vinci, who had his arms crossed in front of him, and nodded in agreement.
For the next two weeks, Yue Zhengling stayed with Da Vinci to receive his education. At the same time, through Da Vinci's explanations, she also understood the personnel structure of Chaldea. Occasionally, she would also teach herself how to use the facilities there.
During this time, Le Zhengling was very well-behaved. Although Dr. Roman tried to talk to him several times, Da Vinci didn't say anything after he expressed that he didn't want to have contact with other people.
The teaching continued in this way until a month later, when Rafe and Olga Marie returned to Chaldea.
“Rafe and the others are back.” That day, Leonardo da Vinci placed two magnetic cards in front of him.
"The moment Olga Marie returned, I had her get your employee card verified, and you'll be officially working at Chaldea. By the way, although I assigned you to the logistics department, which is the kitchen, as you requested, I doubt anyone would want to eat what you make."
Da Vinci wasn't joking. A month had passed, and news of Le Zhengling's identity and rank had spread throughout Chaldea. Just imagine, how could anyone dare to eat food made by an assassin?
Le Zhengling shrugged, indicating that he didn't care, but when he heard Da Vinci say that Rafe had returned, he knew that his easy days were about to end.
"So, is my case really that simple?"
"Of course not. Based on Olga Marie's illegal actions this time, the Clock Tower has decided to send disciplinary forces to be stationed there—"
Le Zhengling was clearly surprised by this turn of events. In the storyline he knew, the so-called disciplined forces had never appeared at all. "Olga Marie agreed?"
"Do you think her objection is effective?" Leonardo da Vinci said with a wry smile, tossing his hair.
Le Zhengling didn't know what to say either; if a third party intervened, the situation could become even more complicated.
"But don't worry, the situation I just mentioned is not yet settled. Professor Rafe believes that Chaldea must have its own independence, and I also supported him in my own way. So, in the end, we decided to first send an investigation team from the Forensic Department to investigate this incident."
"So, in other words, it all depends on me?" Yue Zhengling said, pointing to his own nose.
“Yes, so Olga Marie is having a headache right now because you are not a Heroic Spirit who has left a mark on human history, and Chaldea cannot explain why you appeared.” Da Vinci looked at Yue Zhengling’s appearance and couldn’t help but think of Ji Ling. What exactly is the relationship between these two people, and why were they summoned to this world by Olga Marie? It’s still shrouded in mystery.
After spending a month together, Leonardo da Vinci realized that Le Zhengling's background was not complicated, which could be seen from his daily behavior and tone of voice.
She was certain that, aside from what Yue Zhengling knew, he was originally a commoner and had never been exposed to magic before.
The only uncertainties are how this person knew so much hidden information and how he traveled through the world. Even someone as omnipotent as her couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation for these two questions.
"Oh, by the way, the Spirit Particle Calculation Device Trismegistus was delivered today and is now assembled. Would you like to go take a look?"
Da Vinci suddenly brought up this topic, but Yue Zhengling looked at her in surprise and said, "How is that possible? It's only 2013 now, isn't it? Wasn't that thing only completed in 2015?"
Da Vinci was surprised by Le Zhengling's answer and frowned after hearing it. "Really? In the history you know, it was completed in 2015? But that's not surprising. Such large machines also need to be tested before completion. You may know that it officially entered operation."
She knew that Yue Zhengling was aware that things were different from what she knew in this world, so she didn't think much of it this time.
"...I would certainly be interested in visiting if I could, but is it really okay for me to be there?"
"Of course it doesn't matter. In fact, it's best if you're there. After all, to use that thing, you need to establish the timeline of entry. I think that in order to investigate your background, Rafe will definitely use you as a reference point and send someone to check you out."
Da Vinci was right. In order to obtain more information about Le Zhengling, Rafe had already submitted a formal proposal for the project as soon as he learned that the Atlas Institute was going to send the Spirit Particle Calculation Device Trismegistus.
Upon seeing the proposal, Olga Marie, using her authority as director, passed it despite opposition.
However, what no one expected was that this first test would begin in a way that no one had anticipated.
Chapter 185 The Beginning of Another Holy Grail War (Part 2)
Outside the window, snow piled up in the cold wind, and the frozen forest had entered the harsh winter.
The ancient castle built on the frozen ground was the secret place where ancient magicians kept their lives. In this ancient city located in the desolate mountains, an old man with a cold face is walking around.
The old man's name is Jubstacheit von Einzbern, commonly known as "Ahad". He is the eighth patriarch of the Einzbern family, a magical family with a lineage that has lasted for over a thousand years without any deterioration in its bloodline. He is a scholar-type magician who is not good at combat magic.
A magician is someone who studies and uses magic. Magicians are created through generations of accumulated bloodlines and knowledge.
The founders of most magician families were simply ordinary scholars who passed on their knowledge to their descendants, who then studied it and passed it on. Similarly, lineage also influences the learning of magic. If the father is an excellent magician, his children born during his peak years will certainly be more suited to learning magic than their father, thus improving with each generation. In other words, the older the magic family, the more profound their magic.
Every magic family has its own unique family-inherited magic, and the Einzbern family specializes in creating artificial humans. It is because of this that Ahad was able to prolong his life and live for almost two centuries without dying.
Magic is not necessarily suitable for combat; in fact, the vast majority of magic is unsuitable for combat. Combat-oriented magicians are extremely rare. The path to learning magic is fraught with death, and a slight misstep in using magic can lead to one's demise. Furthermore, magicians often possess an innate sense of superiority, so almost all qualified magicians are ruthless and cold-blooded; in the eyes of ordinary people, magicians are essentially villains.
Yubstakuhaid von Einzbern was undoubtedly one of these people. The Einzbern family secluded themselves in the deep, icy mountains, stubbornly cutting off all contact with the outside world. They had been searching for the miracle of the Holy Grail for almost a thousand years, but their exploration was full of setbacks, humiliations, and painful failures, which eventually turned into obsession.
Because what they pursue is magic, not sorcery, but the third magic lost by the Einzbern family—the Heaven's Cup.
Magic and magic are not the same thing. Although in the pre-civilized era, magic was called magic and magicians were called magicians.
Magic and science are similar in some ways. Although the methods differ, they share the same goal: both require effort to achieve. While magic can make things appear to happen instantly, it actually requires a lot of preparation beforehand.
According to magicians, magic is simply making possible what modern technology allows, through personal effort and time. Therefore, magic does not include "things that humans cannot achieve." The ability to do such things is called "magic." Furthermore, due to the continuous development of civilization, many things that were impossible in the past can now be done. Therefore, abilities that were considered magic in the past are now simply magic.
There is no definitive difference between magic and sorcery. The distinction between the two is determined by the circumstances of the time. The rule is that a mystery that cannot be achieved no matter how much time and skill is required is magic, while a mystery that anyone can achieve with time and skill, no matter how incredible, is sorcery.
In other words, what can be achieved with modern science is magic, while what cannot is sorcery.
However, magic is not necessarily superior to magic tricks; powerful magic tricks are more deserving of the title "magic." The amount of magic in the modern world is less than in ancient times. This means that in the past, when technology was less advanced, the scope of mystery was much wider, and the number of magical tricks that could be called magic was much greater.
Over time, some magic has become magic tricks. In ancient times, destroying a house could be called magic, but in modern times it would be considered ordinary magic tricks.
Magic uses the rules of the present world, while magic [creates] rules.
Phenomena that defy common sense involve making things that can be done under common sense happen in an uncommon way. They can also be called man-made miracles. The general term for the behavior of reproducing miracles is "distortion" and "reversal".
Therefore, the third cup of heaven that Einzbern sought was undoubtedly magic, because it was the great work of the gods, a materialization of the soul that could not be accomplished by human hands.
A person is composed of three main elements: body, soul, and spirit.
The body is the physical form of reality, while the soul is the part of a person's thoughts, memories, and magical circuits. The bridge connecting the body and soul to a person's inner essence is the spirit.
The human body ages with age, but the soul is immortal and does not deteriorate. However, in reality, the human soul ages and deteriorates along with the body year by year, eventually dying and being destroyed. This is because the soul is connected to the body by the spirit, and therefore the soul deteriorates and is destroyed due to the influence of the body.
The third method, the materialization of the soul, is to replace the physical body with a materialized soul.
Although they are souls, they possess materialized bodies and are not subject to the limitations of the physical body, thus achieving true immortality. This is the third magic, and the destiny bestowed upon Einzbern is to recreate this miracle and regain mastery of the third magic, the materialization of the soul.
However, it's not quite right to say they regained control, because the Third Law didn't originally belong to the Einzberns. But that doesn't mean they had no connection with them. On the contrary, it was precisely because of their deep ties with them that the Einzberns were so persistent in pursuing the Third Law.
The origins of Einzbern are traced back to a workshop established by the disciples of a mage who had mastered the Third Magic. It has continued since the beginning of the Gregorian calendar, with the aim of saving all of humanity.
After the Third Magician disappeared, the disciples tried to recreate their master's miracles but were unable to do so on their own. As an alternative, they wanted to create an individual who resembled their master and have that individual recreate the magic.
The culmination of this nine-hundred-year-long process was the creation of the android known as the Winter Saintess—Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern.
She was created entirely by chance, and although it deviated from the magicians' ideas, her performance was the same as their master's, which was beyond their expectations.
However, instead of the joy that should have been felt by the birth of Justeza, the magicians were not happy, because they later discovered that it was just a sudden mutation that had nothing to do with their skills or efforts.
Even if this individual reproduces the third magic, it is a "conclusion" that is more unbearable to them than the frustration that has lasted for nine hundred years.
Although Justisa successfully recreated the proof of the Third Magic, the cost was extremely high. Her Third Magic was akin to fine weaving, and it would take years to save one person, but it was impossible to save all of humanity.
Moreover, although Justisa herself does not age, she will die due to her physical fragility, so she cannot leave the city. Because of her intellectual and spiritual immortality, she does not grow at all, which, objectively speaking, is something like "eternally repeating the same day".
Although she would be freed from "the same day" once she left the city, what happened outside the city meant a slow death to her.
Magicians began to strive to create androids that surpassed Justessa using their own technological system, thus giving birth to Golem Jubstacheit, the central control artificial intelligence of Einzbern, who was the pinnacle of their technological achievements and the father of all androids.
However, even if human hands can create things that transcend humanity, they cannot create things that can redeem humanity, and magicians eventually had to accept this fact.
The end of humanity has finally come. Perhaps, if miracles like Yustissa hadn't happened, they wouldn't have suffered such setbacks.
Ultimately, the magicians succumbed to the limitations of their own talents; some left the castle, while others took their own lives.
Although the remaining homunculi of Einzbern were abandoned by their creator, they continued to research in order to realize what the Lord of Winter dreamed of, and spontaneously kept the established factory running, carrying on the pure ideals of magicians—the salvation of mankind and the reproduction of miracles.
Jubstacheit was both a created humanoid terminal and used as the administrator of Einzbern. Ultimately, even the Jubstacheit operating the current generation terminal—Ahat (the eighth generation humanoid terminal)—did not possess a personality.
Five hundred years after the Einzbern magicians left, a prototype plan for the wide-area operation device of the third magic used by Justeza was formulated. At the time, the Einzbern concluded that the reproduction of Justeza was impossible, and in order to preserve the precious prototype that had only one chance, they changed their approach to mass-producing the miracle she used.
Therefore, all the artificial humans created by Einzbern afterwards were based on Justessa.
Even if Justeza were to use the Third Magic alone over several decades, it would be impossible for her to do so. Even if Justeza's body used a larger magic formula, it would be impossible to save most of humanity at once. The idea of decomposing her magic circuits and replacing her magic formulas into a human universe—that is the Great Grail—is something that only the Einzbern family can initiate.
They are merely puppets, lacking the skills to survive outside and unable to cope with the complexities of human society.
The Greater Grail—to bring back the Third Magic—requires human understanding and cooperation.