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Page 63
“I’m not lying, aren’t you, Rani?” Le Zhengling looked at the petite Rani. “The Holy Grail War should start in two to three years.”
Rani knew exactly what Yue Zhengling was talking about; she was an artificial human created for this Holy Grail War. But because of this, her expression turned extremely ugly.
Webber also saw Rani's expression and knew that Yue Zhengling was not lying, so he asked Barthemello, "Lord Barthemello, I suggest that we convene a Clock Tower meeting."
Barthelo Loreleia waved her hand, "There's no time. I agree. Just as he said, the world has become like this. Those things are no longer important. I agree here on behalf of the entire Clock Tower! I will inform everyone later."
Hearing her answer, Waver breathed a sigh of relief. This was not a decision that a magician of commoner birth like himself could make. Even though he was one of the twelve monarchs of the Clock Tower, the power of the Clock Tower was still in the hands of the nobles.
Moreover, as representatives of the Barthellello family, a family that has been at the top of the hierarchy since the Clock Tower was established, they have control over the Clock Tower and are indeed capable of getting this proposal approved.
Barthezmello didn't hesitate and contacted his deputy left at the Clock Tower to collect what Yue Zhengling wanted.
As the forensic department responsible for managing the clock tower, they were the ones who collected and kept the things that Lok Chung Ling needed, so the items were quickly delivered to Webber.
Le Zhengling looked at the purple USB drive in front of Webber and blinked with amusement. "This thing, it's not called Gaia Memory, is it? And does it come with a matching transformation belt?"
Weber looked at the USB drive with some surprise. "I'd also like to ask who designed this thing."
Apart from the two parties involved, Yue Zhengling and Wei Bo, no one else present knew what they were talking about.
"Alright, that's probably impossible. Send the stuff over. But can the USB drive really hold all that data in detail?" Le Zhengling looked excitedly at the thing in Weber's hand. With this, many things would be much easier.
“That’s technology provided by our Atlas Institute. Its storage capacity is comparable to that of a national database,” Rani said casually, looking at the USB drive in Weber’s hand.
Le Zhengling looked at her with some surprise, then asked, "Aren't you going to stop this deal?"
“Based on your previous hints, I’ve concluded that even if I intervene, it wouldn’t make much of a difference.” Rani looked at him. “So, may I ask, of the three methods you mentioned, is the last one the simplest?”
Le Zhengling raised an eyebrow. "Yes, it's very simple. As the saying goes, the one who tied the knot must untie it. The solution is to have your Atlas Institute take the initiative to restore this world."
After taking out all his data, Weber instructed his assistant to transfer it to a USB drive, and then listened quietly to what Yue Zhengling had to say.
Rani frowned. "How can I prevent you from revealing your method?"
Rani knew that what Yue Zhengling said was true, and that her master had been preventing Yue Zhengling from using that method.
“I want a seed.” Yue Zhengling smiled.
"What seed?" Rani prepared herself mentally. As an android, this was the first time she knew what an ominous premonition was.
"The seven weapons of salvation of the Atlas Academy, the Demon Sword - Slashing Emperor." Le Zhengling looked at Rani with some excitement. After saying that name, a feeling that was both dangerous and exciting welled up in his heart.
“Impossible, you’re not a suitable candidate. Even if you obtained it, it would be useless.” Rani knew her ominous premonition had come true. After hearing Yue Zhengling say that name, she understood that this person really knew a lot about the Atlas Academy.
In the Atlas Academy, many people, even high-ranking magicians, do not know the details of the seven weapons of salvation, but this person not only knows his own identity, but also knows the prototype of the Demon Sword - Emperor Slash.
Even more terrifying is that there is now another version of Him and an alien god on the simulated spirit particle calculator, Trident Hermes, which has brazenly occupied the heart of the Atlas Institute, hindering Master's plans.
Moreover, while the announcement from that world helped advance Master's plan, it also brought more uncertainty. In this situation where friend and foe were unclear, neither Master nor he knew how to treat this person.
The only thing she was certain of now was that this person didn't have any ill feelings towards her, and his gaze towards her wasn't hostile; on the contrary, it held a hint of pity. That's why she wanted to communicate with him more to see his true colors.
Chapter 148 The Transaction is Completed
"You don't need to worry about whether you're a suitable candidate or not. Just hand that thing over to me, and I won't say anything more."
Le Zhengling looked at Rani with confidence. He knew that Rani definitely wanted him to shut up, so this deal would definitely be completed.
Since one cannot control one's own destiny, and even being a lazy bum is prevented, then one must find a way to increase one's power and shut up those who want to stop him from being a lazy bum.
According to the novels and stories I've read before, cultivation takes too long and doesn't show results in a short time. So, the only option is to focus on equipment.
In the Type-Moon universe, the most easily obtainable and qualified to become the strongest are the seven saviors of the Atlas Institute. So why choose the Seed Demon Sword: Slash Emperor?
Because it has the greatest power and is an anti-satellite weapon.
The Demon Sword - Emperor Slayer, also known as the Star-Eating Sword, is a simple demon sword whose blade size changes depending on the opponent. Before it takes shape, the demon sword exists as a seed, piercing the earth as the user awakens and growing like a plant.
This sword seed will expand and multiply at a speed that seems to be able to think. In order to form such a huge mass, a massive conversion source is required.
The larger the demonic sword grows, the more land it cuts away. This method of obtaining resources by causing the earth to erode is, simply put, devouring the earth to increase its power, and there is no limit to it.
This is an item that is absolutely lethal to the planet (Gaia). If he can obtain it, he is confident that he can live more freely in the future.
However, in the Type-Moon universe, this demonic sword was only unsealed and used when Gaia was extremely weakened. If Gaia were to take out this demonic sword while his will was still intact, he would likely be targeted.
But everything has two sides. This demonic sword is the best embodiment of the human race's way of existence: "to protect humanity at the cost of the world's destruction." In Alaya's eyes, the person who wields this sword is the guardian of humanity as a whole and will receive many blessings.
Moreover, like Arthur's holy sword, this sword has the power to attack alien life forms. If necessary, Gaia will grant it a minimum level of usage permission, since cutting off a small part of a finger is better than having a finger cut off due to disease.
As expected, after thinking for a few seconds, Rani nodded in agreement.
“Then please come with me back to the Atlas Institute, because that thing is sealed in the final cave, and if you want to take it out, the user must be present and register.” Rani’s purplish-blue eyes looked quietly at Le Zhengling.
“No problem~” Yue Zhengling smiled happily. He wasn’t afraid that Rani would lie to him, because the alchemists of the Atlas Institute would not lie. If it really didn’t work out, they would refuse from the beginning instead of lying. Moreover, he also wanted to meet the Aster of this world. In a sense, she, who had turned into the Sands of Osiris, was the strongest force on the planet.
Her rank should be equivalent to that of the Goetia in the Temple of Time. Most importantly, the answers to some questions can only be queried and verified on the pseudo-spiritual calculator, the Tri-pointed Hermes, in the Atlas Academy.
"You guys should have a cross-worldline spirit particle transfer device, right?" Since regaining consciousness, Yue Zhengling had come up with several ideas to return to his own world. Now that he was going to the Atlas Institute, two of these world transfer methods should be able to be implemented at the Atlas Institute.
“Yes.” Rani nodded, no longer surprised by Yue Zhengling’s question.
"Is it possible to teleport across world lines now?" Thinking about being able to return to his own world, Yue Zhengling was a little excited. Before, when Sister Orange in this world deceived him and made him think that this world was his own world line, he felt angry and sad for no reason. The reason should be related to his body.
So he wanted to go back and see, and it would be even better if he could return to his own body.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Rani shook her head and said with certainty, "It's impossible."
Le Zhengling wasn't too disappointed, because he had expected it. "Is it because this world has been sealed off?"
Rani nodded. Apart from Arthur, no one else could understand the conversation between the two. Although everyone present knew about the existence of parallel worlds, it was just a concept to them. They could not influence other worlds. The magician of the Clock Tower believed that the method of moving across world lines was the exclusive domain of the Second Magic.
But now, hearing the conversation between Yue Zhengling and Lani, it seems that the Atlas Academy has already mastered this technology. Now they realize that, despite being one of the three major organizations of the Magicians' Association, the gap is now directly apparent.
Le Zhengling looked at Arthur helplessly. Arthur knew what he wanted to ask, but he shook his head, indicating that he was powerless to help. "As you know, my teleportation ability is random, and the world I arrive in will definitely be in great danger. I don't think you would want me to go to your world line one day, would you?"
After hearing these words, Chengzi's heart calmed down a little. She was very afraid that Yue Zhengling would return to his original world. Although that world was where he should go back, Chengzi did not want to let go now that she had come to this world.
Now that I have the memories of another version of myself, and I know for sure that my feelings for Lingjun are genuine, why don't I give it a shot?
Thinking of this, Chengzi tightened her grip on Yue Zhengling's arm.
Of course, Le Zhengling didn't know what Chengzi was thinking, but even if he did, he would probably just smile knowingly. Admittedly, he didn't like the world that led to his death, but some things can't be abandoned just because you don't like them. There was a feeling called attachment that held that world together, so he would go back to see it one day.
"We're all set up here. Can the transaction begin?" Weber had already had all his research materials and other miscellaneous notes scanned into another USB drive. Now, in front of him were two USB drives, one purple and one green.
"Hmm, Weber, I must say your Clock Tower is full of oddballs. Those two things, if you just stick on a couple more stickers, they should be indistinguishable from the real thing."
With a strange smile, Yue Zhengling looked at the two unusually pleasing USB drives and wondered if he should commission Atlas Institute to make a transformation belt for fun in the future.
This idea took root in his mind, and after making the decision, he went to the Atlas Institute and asked them to take a look.
A man is a boy until he dies. In his childhood, Kamen Rider held a much higher status than Giant of Light. The latter would be difficult to realize in the Type-Moon universe, but the former is something that several people could do.
Looking at the two USB drives that were transmitted through the teleportation array, which were handed to him by Grey, he nodded to Webber, "Okay, I have received the Joker and Cyclone. Now I will tell you about the second method."
After stuffing the two items into the pocket on Orange's chest, Yue Zhengling secretly savored the heart-stirring softness, then smiled and glanced at everyone before extending his index finger and pointing to the sky.
"Your hope lies in the Holy Grail War of the Moon."
Upon hearing this, everyone involuntarily looked out the window at the sky.
"You mean there will be a Holy Grail War on the moon?" Waver, who had participated in the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City and knew everything about the Holy Grail in Fuyuki City, frowned.
"Yes, judging from the timeline, in the near future, about 2-3 years from now, a Holy Grail War will be held on the moon. If we win that war, restoring this world will be a piece of cake." Yue Zhengling said with great confidence.
"So, according to you, as long as we defeat the other six Servants or Masters, our world can be saved? Is it that simple?" Bartholomew Loreleia looked at Yue Zhengling suspiciously. She also knew what the Holy Grail War was all about.
Furthermore, they also knew that the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City was just a hoax, and that it was actually a plan devised by the Einzberns in their pursuit of the Third Law.
"Who said there were seven Masters and seven Servants?" Yue Zhengling looked at Barthezmero with the same look he gave a country bumpkin, a look that made the other man want to rush up and punch him a few times, because it was just too rude.
"The Holy Grail War of the Moon is a battle for survival between 128 Masters and 128 Servants. Only those who fight to the last one are qualified to use the Holy Grail of the Moon. It is a Holy Grail that can grant your wishes, good or bad, as long as you want them. It is completely different from the corrupted one in Fuyuki City."
"128?!" Weber was shocked when he heard the number. The war he participated in back then, with only seven people, had already fought to the death and even destroyed half of Fuyuki City. If there were 128 people, he simply couldn't imagine how much destruction the war would cause.
But then I had a change of heart. Oh right, the event is on the moon, so it doesn't matter how much damage it causes. Wait—the moon?
Because he had been so focused on listening that he was afraid of missing or mishearing something, he hadn't thought about it. Now, upon reflection, Weber realized the problem and quickly took out a document from the second drawer and began to look through it.
He skimmed through the document, then suddenly looked up at Yue Zhengling with excitement, "The Holy Grail War you mentioned, is it organized by something called Mooncell?"
Le Zhengling looked thoughtfully at the documents in Weber's hand and nodded. "That's right, it seems your Clock Tower received the news a long time ago."
In fact, several years ago, even before the world changed drastically, Mooncell had already extended an invitation to certain people all over the world. Moreover, some top hackers knew of Mooncell's existence, and many of these hackers came from magician families. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Clock Tower knew about the existence of this Holy Grail War.
Now that Weber knew, Le Zhengling no longer concealed anything. As part of the deal, he also had an obligation to tell them everything he knew about the "surface."
"Mooncell, officially named Mooncell Automaton, is an energy storage device hidden inside the moon. It is a photon crystal with a diameter of three thousand kilometers, a supercomputer the size of the moon, which remembers all the past and predicts all the future. Its computing scale is comparable to the universal computer of the solar system."
At this point, he looked at Rani, "That is a computing device that is many times more powerful than the Atlas Institute's pseudo-spiritual calculator, the Tri-pointed Hermes—of course, that is not something made by humans, so the one at the Atlas Institute represents the highest level of human capabilities."
Seemingly to comfort Rani, or perhaps to see what she was thinking, after saying these words, Le Zhengling stopped and looked at her quietly.
But to his dismay, Rani closed her eyes as if it were none of her business and offered no opinion.
"It is an ancient relic made by different intelligent life forms, and should be considered the oldest mysterious object in the solar system."
Yue Zhengling spoke again, recalling everything about Mooncell from her memory.
"If the Atlas Institute's pseudo-spiritual calculator records everything in human history, then the Mooncell is the record of everything in Earth's history. Although it was originally an observation device placed by an alien civilization, it later evolved to have the function of granting wishes. You don't need to worry about the process. In short, as long as you participate in that battle for survival and win the final victory, the wishes of the victor will be fulfilled no matter what."
As Yue Zhengling recalled, he deleted as much unnecessary information as possible. This method of extracting information into language was actually very difficult because he did not want Weber and the others to know the operating principle of Mooncell.
After all, the giant goddess Attila is imprisoned inside, and given the Clock Tower's reckless nature, someone might want to release her.
"So, who do you think we should send to participate in this Moon Grail War?" Waver also noticed that Yue Zhengling was hiding some things, but based on the information Yue Zhengling had said before, he felt that those things were not very important.
“Participating in this Holy Grail War doesn’t require going to the moon. Mooncell will link the 128 Masters with it and let them fight for survival in its internal electronic sea, quantum fiction world. You’d better train hackers with electronic warfare specialization, or find out which magicians in the Clock Tower have ever connected with Mooncell. Those people are the participants. As long as they undergo certain mental training and brain development, they will have a huge advantage.”
At this point, Yue Zhengling thought of Kishinami Hakuno. If he/she existed in this world, their status as the victor should remain unchanged. But the other party should still be in the cryogenic chamber, and it's unknown whether they've turned into sand.
Having thought this through, Yue Zhengling decided not to reveal the existence of Kishinami Hakuno.
"Understood, thank you for the information." After Le Zhengling finished speaking, Weber calmly thanked him. Moreover, Le Zhengling's words had been recorded, and the Clock Tower's think tank would analyze them later.
"Then, I'd like to ask one last question: if it were you, how would you save the world?" Weber asked seemingly casually, feeling the time was ripe.
Chapter 149 Testing and Planning
After Weber asked his question, the air fell silent.
Le Zhengling first glanced at Weber with a sigh, then slowly suppressed all the smiles on his face, and his eyes gradually became indifferent and ruthless.
Arthur, who had been watching him, sighed and closed his eyes as if he were very tired.
"Weber, are you mistaken about something?" Yue Zhengling's voice was clear and melodious, but her words sent chills down one's spine. "I said from the very beginning that your world is beyond saving."
“You may escape this time, but you won’t escape next time. All methods are like drinking poison to quench thirst. No matter how hard you try, it will all be in vain in the end.” Le Zhengling looked at Weber without a trace of confusion.
"When I thought this was my original world, I had thought of countless ways to try to change that ending, but when I remembered the current state of this solar system that I had seen before, I knew that no matter what I did, it would be useless."
Weber took a deep breath and looked at him firmly. "I believe that anything is possible with human effort. As long as everyone's strength is combined, there will definitely be hope. Besides, haven't you already told us how to save the world?"
In Yue Zhengling's eyes, he had already foreseen Weber's fate of dying from overwork for this world.
"Alright, since it's you, I'll explain things more clearly."
The emotionless voice rang out again, and Yue Zhengling stretched out his fist, slowly raising one finger.
"First, I reiterate, the Atlas Institute is not launching a campaign to destroy the world, but to preserve it."
"Secondly, do not make enemies of the Sands of Osiris. She is not your enemy. On the contrary, she is the protector of this world and the only one in the world who knows all the endings. Since you are living in this world, I advise you to live peacefully in the Clock Tower."
"Third, you must remember that even if you win the Holy Grail War, restoring the world will not be a simple matter, because what you have obtained is probably only the method. This process will take a long time, which may take your entire life."
"Fourth, the world is irrational. Even if this world is restored, there will definitely be several more world-ending events in the future. This is an unchangeable and fixed process."
Fifth, don't expect anyone to save this world; you can't even save yourselves.
After giving these five hints, Yue Zhengling closed his eyes and buried his head in Chengzi's neck. "That's all I have to say. Take care of yourself."
After hearing Yue Zhengling's words, everyone's expression turned grave.
Arthur knew that Yue Zhengling was not lying this time. To be honest, he had known this all along, which was why he closed his eyes and couldn't bear to look. At the moment he put down the Holy Sword of Salvation, he clearly felt the overwhelming deathly intent in this world.
He couldn't see it before when he possessed the Holy Sword of Salvation because the Savior's spiritual foundation shielded this information. But now he can clearly see the threat from beyond the heavens. Just as Yue Zhengling said, it is because this world has been preserved permanently that those threats have been isolated.
However, once the world's egg is deactivated, threats from outer space and the planet's own diseases will erupt again.
If things are beyond our control, then we should preserve ourselves and wait for changes to occur. Now he finally sees this clearly, and that's why he realizes his previous mistakes and stops forcing Yue Zhengling.
Arthur looked at Yue Zhengling with a sorrowful gaze. Perhaps it was because of the despair of knowing the ending that he closed himself off and refused to come out. This child did not have the qualities to become a hero, but he had the mindset to become a sage.