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

Page 58

Weber pressed his stomach again, and said in an unusually tired and painful tone, "Aozaki, can we go back to the Clock Tower with them first?"

Orange didn't speak, but glanced at Arthur out of the corner of her eye. "You already know the reason for the world's great changes. I don't know if I have the ability to intervene. Going back to Japan to get help is what I should do, isn't it?"

Weber felt a few spasms in his stomach. The talk of calling for reinforcements sounded nice, but they were just running away and never coming back!

“Let’s be frank,” Waver said. “King Arthur has already agreed to help us, but as you know, both the Holy Sword and the Holy Lance are now in the hands of the person you’re holding. We don’t need his help; we just want him to return those two items.” Waver tried to negotiate, but it was clear that Orange had no intention of listening to him.

"I'm sorry, as you all know, this Lingjun is just a phantom indistinguishable from an ordinary person, and you should have a way to find those two items, so I won't keep you company any longer."

After saying that, Orange continued walking towards the door. However, just as she took her first step, a gust of wind swept past her, leaving a deep mark on the ground.

"I'm sorry, Aozaki, but I absolutely cannot let you leave now." Barthemello held the pointer in her hand; the sharp wind blade from earlier was her little warning.

Orange closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Are we really going to fight?"

“If you insist on going your own way.” Barthezmero suppressed all his emotions, putting himself in the calmest state possible.

"Very well, since that's the case, let me see just how strong you really are, the one hailed as the pinnacle of modern times!" Orange stomped her right foot on the ground, and a dark, cloth-like object burst out with a piercing cat's meow.

"Grey! Don't interfere. Leave this to Miss Barthezello. Your job is to prevent Aozaki from escaping!" Weber hurriedly gave Grey instructions as he watched the battle begin.

After all, Gray's attacks and self-defense methods all depended on Ad. Now that she has lost Ad, Gray has no ability to intervene in the battle between the two combat-specialized magicians.

Chapter 134 Return

"Master, who do you think will win this battle?" Gray asked Waver while keeping an eye on the fight.

“If we win, it will definitely be Lord Barthemello, but winning doesn’t mean we won’t lose. Our goal is to keep Aozaki here, and that’s the real challenge,” Weber said with a bitter face.

"Grey, no matter what, we must find a way to get the Holy Lance back. We are already monitoring the situation at the Atlas Institute and verifying the information provided by that person. If nothing unexpected happens, we will launch a full-scale attack on the Atlas Institute later. Therefore, the method of attack is extremely important."

"I understand, Master." Gray also realized the seriousness of the matter. The Clock Tower had already learned the reason for the world's anomaly, so there must be many people who couldn't stay still.

Rather than waiting to die in the Clock Tower, it's better to fight to the death. After all, there aren't many people left alive. Even if a reproductive system is established, the Clock Tower, with fewer than a thousand people, will experience a genetic disease outbreak within three generations at most. Even with artificial human technology, the deterioration of magic circuits is inevitable. For magicians from ancient families, this is worse than death.

"Then Master, what should we do about King Arthur?" Gray looked at the man who had been standing still and had not participated in the battle, and was somewhat puzzled.

The other party has not made a move since Melly disappeared, and we have no idea what he is thinking. Although Barthemello said that Arthur would go back to the Clock Tower with them, shouldn't he step in to help subdue Orange in this situation?

The battle between Orange and Bartholomew has moved from probing to a full-blown fight. For Bartholomew, who is a wind-attribute user, this confined environment is quite restrictive, and the fact that she cannot damage buildings excessively renders her powerful magic useless.

Orange, on the other hand, is now much more at ease, but she is focusing a lot of her attention on Arthur, knowing that if he gets involved, the situation will instantly reverse.

As the most heroic spirit, Arthur possesses anti-magic power that renders most modern magic techniques ineffective. Furthermore, since her opponent is a king who rose from the battlefield and has undergone systematic training, she feels that neither magic nor physical methods pose any threat to Arthur.

Orange is also puzzled. Arthur's current state gives her a feeling that he is neither friend nor foe, and he seems to have become a third party.

"Aozaki, are you really determined to take that person away?" Barthez asked, unleashing three wind blades that tore apart Touko's familiar, and then questioned Touko while the familiar was regenerating.

"I should be asking you, are you really going to take Lingjun back to the Clock Tower? What good will that do you?" Orange calmly let the familiar return to her feet.

“We need him to bring back the Holy Sword and the Holy Lance.” Barthezmello frowned as she glanced at Arthur. At this moment, she was also filled with doubt. Why wouldn’t King Arthur take action? His ability to retrieve the Holy Sword clearly depended on Le Zhengling. Was he really that confident?

Just as the two sides were at an impasse again, Arthur finally made a move, "Miss Aozaki, may I travel with you?"

Upon hearing Arthur's suggestion, Orange raised an eyebrow, while Barthezmello and Grey were taken aback.

"King Arthur! Didn't you promise to cooperate with us?" Barthez Mello's face was grim, filled with anger and bewilderment at Arthur's reneging on his promise.

“Yes, I promised you I would go to the Clock Tower, but I didn’t say now.” Arthur looked at the furious Barthezmello.

"Please give me a reason."

“I have people I care about more than this world. Your next plan should be to gather the power you have and destroy the culprit of this world. And I, who have lost the Holy Sword, am not of much use to you.”

Arthur's analysis was very methodical and his reasoning was so compelling that Barthemello had no room for rebuttal.

After saying this, Arthur walked towards Orange, but even so, Orange still took two steps back warily.

"What are you up to?" Orange squinted at the uninvited guest.

Arthur looked at Yue Zhengling, who was being held by Orange, with gentle eyes. "There's no point in you two being locked in this stalemate. And as long as you're with him, you can't get out of here. He's the balancing point, and neither of you can give him up. In that case, I might as well just side with one of you and break this balance."

"Are you criticizing us?" Orange asked, watching him approach step by step.

"That kind of thing is hard to explain, and besides, I don't have that right now... no, I should say I've never had that right. Now that I've put down the Holy Sword, I'm no longer the savior, and that's why I can see the scenery left behind."

“Ling, you are like this now, and it’s my fault. If we hadn’t met, you should have been able to live a peaceful life, right?” Arthur said to Yue Zhengling with a regretful tone.

"But some things, once they've happened, they've happened. Right now, I'm filled with obsession with you, whether it's to make amends or to atone for my sins. Besides, our game of hide-and-seek is still unresolved. If you take that as a reason, please allow me to stay by your side for now."

There was no sparkle in Yue Zhengling's eyes, and it was unclear whether he had heard Arthur's words. He was still in a further stage of transformation.

"If, I mean if, if Lingjun returns the Holy Sword to you, will you still bother us?" Orange looked at Arthur with a probing gaze. She was confident that she could discern his true purpose from his subsequent answer.

"Yes, I have said before that I did this because of my own obsession and to make amends to him. Even if I regain the Holy Sword, I will stay by his side until Ling truly accepts the outside world. The responsibility of saving the world will no longer matter."

Arthur seemed to have seen through something, his eyes filled with ease. "Saving the world is not something that can be done overnight, and just as Ling said, instead of expecting others to save the world, it's better to try it yourself."

Barthezmero gasped.

Webber, on the other hand, was much calmer. "See, Grey, so I told you, it's better to rely on yourself than on others."

“But, teacher, we have now lost the Holy Lance. If we also lose King Arthur, who was our external support, then this operation will have been a huge loss.”

Grey's insightful words made Webber sigh. He had something on his mind but didn't say it: Grey, we can't just look at things from the present. It seems like we're losing a lot now, but we'll make a lot of money in the future.

Because of Arthur's choice, the balance was broken, and Barthezmello and Grey had no choice but to let them go. However, after they backed down, Orange did not choose to leave immediately.

"Why aren't you leaving yet!" Barthezello, who was leading Gray and the Imaginary Magician through the mall, shouted angrily at Orange, who was following behind them.

Finding a wheelchair, Orange pushed Yue Zhengling around the mall and said in a tone as if nothing had happened, "Ah, as you can see, Lingjun's current condition is not suitable for long-distance travel, right? And speaking of travel, you have to prepare a lot of things, such as food, tents, clothes and so on. Since it's so convenient here, of course I have to be fully prepared."

Orange showed no embarrassment whatsoever, enthusiastically directing Arthur, who was pushing two handcarts behind him, to fetch this and that, treating him completely like a servant.

Seeing this scene, Barthezmello felt a pang of sorrow. King Arthur should have been on her side, but somehow she ended up on the other side. Although they weren't enemies, looking at the current situation, she felt that even being enemies would be better than this annoying situation.

Out of sight, out of mind, Barthez decided to go elsewhere first and wait until Orange left before taking any further action.

Unexpectedly, Grey, who had been by her side, did not leave with her. Instead, she stayed behind as if she had not noticed, seemingly with other plans.

Seeing this, Orange didn't say anything and continued to push the dazed Yue Zhengling around. Not far away, Grey came to Orange's side and said softly, "Miss Orange, I have something I want to say to this child."

Orange shrugged indifferently, "I won't interfere with what you do, and if you can get Lingjun to react, I'll thank you."

She was speaking from the heart. After Meili gave part of her spirit core to Yue Zhengling, he had been in a state of no reaction to the outside world. Moreover, Chengzi could tell that this state was not an act. Yue Zhengling's existence was in a very ambiguous stage.

Although this Le Zhengling is the most authentic version of himself after being separated from all influences, no one knows whether he is connected to the original body he speaks of. What makes people even more curious is that the existence of the so-called original body is also a question.

Grey crouched down in front of Le Zhengling's face and looked at him carefully for the first time. "I don't know if you can hear me, but I still have to say it."

“Yad is a very important companion of mine. Whatever your reason, I would like to ask you to return it to me. I promise it will not get in your way again.”

Yue Zhengling did not respond.

Grey continued stubbornly, "The bet between you and King Arthur is meaningless now. I won't ask you to do anything for the world like everyone else, because that would make us seem incredibly selfish. But as a person of this world, I want to save it with my own hands. So please give me back my partner!"

After Grey finished speaking, Yue Zhengling's fingers twitched, and a portal of light appeared beside him. Then, a little girl with purple hair and dark skin appeared in the spot, holding a pure silver lance that was several heads taller than her.

"what?"

"what!"

"Ha~"

The little girl, Grey, and Orange each let out a gasp of surprise.

A new wave of change begins here.

Chapter 135 Grandpa, Rice, and [Me] (Part 1)

Le Zhengling, who was sleeping on the three-pointed Hermes, a pseudo-spiritual calculus in the core area of ​​the Atlas Institute, was frowning in pain. Even though he was in the only place in the world where he could see the blue sky and was surrounded by ancient stars, he still could not find peace.

The alien god who was sleeping next to him, using Lavinia's appearance, was silently watching him. "No, don't refuse. If you want to sleep peacefully, just accept yourself."

As an existence that transcends humanity and even celestial bodies, she couldn't understand why Yue Zhengling was so preoccupied with questions like "what exactly is oneself?"

This person clearly has the concept of "one is the whole, and the whole is one" in his knowledge, but why does he insist on maintaining the original state? His so-called concept of "the most original and purest" is even more puzzling than his concept of "one begets all things, and all things return to one".

It's like I'm using someone else's appearance and thoughts now, but I don't think that the person I'm using now isn't myself.

Moreover, what is most puzzling is why he would believe that the so-called "pure" self he thought he was was the original self.

“I don’t understand, but it’s very interesting.” Lavinia subconsciously tightened her grip on Yue Zhengling’s hand. As for the two women who had been watching them from below since the beginning, she had no interest in them whatsoever.

The woman, dressed in unusual attire, looked at the holy sword and box stuck in the sand after she returned from the starry sky where Le Zhengling and Lavinia were.

"A replica of the Starforged Holy Sword and our Atlas Institute Logos ReAct." The woman picked up Yad from the sand pile, and nanofibers completely invisible to the naked eye instantly invaded Arthur's core, forcibly awakening him.

"Grey!" The first thing Ador did upon waking was to search for his partner's presence. However, before he could even sense Grey, he found himself in an extraordinary place, being held in the palm of a woman's hand. This woman exerted immense pressure on Ador, even though he was an inanimate object.

"Is what you've sealed inside the stitched surface world and the Starry Sea wedge...? Although I don't know how you got here, it seems these two people have been a great help to me." The woman looked up at Yue Zhengling in mid-air.

"Although they were uninvited guests and not part of my calculations, no one can stop me now. This is the true end of the star—Magic Theory: World Egg. It's not the kind of contamination that affects the world; even if a savior were to descend, this ending could not be reversed."

After saying that, without waiting for Yad to speak, she pulled away the nanowire and placed Yad on the disciple beside her.

“Rani VIII, restore this thing, extract and preserve its internal personality, put the transformed prototype in the weapon silo, and as for this Star-Forged Holy Sword—” the woman thought for 0.1 seconds at a speed exceeding that of a mainframe computer, “leave it here as a commodity for later negotiation.”

"Understood, teacher." Rani held the box, nodded expressionlessly, and then began to work as instructed.

In this vast underground complex, besides her and her teacher, there were only countless machines, a cold and safe giant cave, and everything was in the teacher's hands.

Meanwhile, Yue Zhengling was being materialized by Arthur and Merry's spirit origins, and his original body was thus replaced again. However, due to Yug's power, this replacement became a spacetime connection between the two sides, allowing him to synchronize again.

Orange and the others are unaware of just how dangerous the situation is. If Yue Zhengling disappears, the alien god who has taken an interest in him might return and descend in his true form to take him away.

Unbeknownst to anyone, the pseudo-spiritual particle calculator, Trident Hermes, which records and calculates everything in the world, is operating at high speed, mobilizing the causality of the entire world without the permission of the Dean of the Atlas Institute to maintain the fragile balance of this world.

Protected in the starry sky, Yue Zhengling was thus recognized by the world. The will that could not intervene on this side could only go to the other side to induce Yue Zhengling not to wake up so quickly. The best way was to let his consciousness live in his memories.

Therefore, Gaia's will, through the ether of the new generation, mediated by the ether of the new generation, allowing Yue Zhengling, whose mind had been severely disturbed by the emotional fluctuations, to return to a series of memories—

It was the 30th of the lunar calendar in 1981. Although the Japanese no longer followed the lunar calendar, as true Chinese people, Le Zhengling and his grandfather put up a sign that said "Closed for the New Year" on this day, and the two of them started preparing the New Year's Eve dinner from the morning.

Ten-year-old Yue Zhengling was standing in the kitchen rinsing rice, stirring the cloudy rice water with both hands, feeling very strange.

This pot of rice has been rinsed five times already. He usually only rinses rice twice, but for some reason, Grandpa took out this bag today and said he would use it to cook rice.

At first, Yue Zhengling thought, "So what if I cook? I do it every day, what's the difference today?"

As a result, he was completely dumbfounded when his grandfather emptied the contents of the bag.

Because what's being poured out of this bag isn't rice, but grains.

That's right, it's the precursor to rice, the millet grain that hasn't undergone any processing and is still wrapped in its husk.

"Grandpa, are you running a fever?" Standing on the chair, looking at the golden, plump grains of millet lying on the table, Le Zhengling looked at the old man beside her with extreme suspicion.

The old man wore a gray linen shirt that gave him an inexplicable air of authority, and his snow-white beard seemed to proclaim his presence as he spread outwards.

A pair of round, gold-framed reading glasses perched on his high, straight nose softened his somewhat rugged face, accentuated by his beard. His hair, a mix of white and black, was neatly combed into a slicked-back style. Despite his age, he wasn't bald, prompting Le Zhengling to silently repeat several times that it was illogical.

The old man snorted, then carefully scooped up a handful of millet with his large hands and said slowly to his grandson, "What? Don't you believe we'll use this to cook rice today?"

Le Zhengling's lips twitched. Damn it, he really thinks I'm a three-year-old.

To avoid appearing too intelligent, he feigned innocence and said to his grandfather, "Wow, Grandpa, you can turn this millet into the rice we usually eat! That's amazing!"

But to my surprise, Grandpa didn't follow the usual routine at all. He grinned, placed his rough but warm hand on his head, and gently patted it twice. "Yes, Grandpa can turn these grains into rice, but Grandpa is tired today, so I'll teach you the method. You cook a meal for Grandpa!"

Upon hearing this, Yue Zhengling's expression froze instantly. "Grandpa, you're not joking, are you?"

The old man smiled kindly and patted Yue Zhengling on the head: "Grandpa is not joking. You are ten years old this year. Taking advantage of this reunion dinner, I will teach you some things and tell you the meaning of [rice]."

Chapter 136 Grandpa, Rice, and [Me] (Part 2)

As a reborn person, Yue Zhengling did not come with a troublesome system, nor did she find a personal old man on the roadside. Although she had the memories of her previous life, she had been living in Japan, so the memories became useless recollections.

While it's not that I'm completely ignorant of Japanese history, most of what I know comes from anime and textbooks. The former is too one-sided, and the latter adds a subjective bias on top of that, so they're all pretty useless.

Although I live in Japan, thankfully my ethnicity and nationality have not changed, which is a blessing in disguise.

For the past ten years, Yue Zhengling has been raised by his grandfather, Yue Zhengtu. Except for his awkward infancy due to health issues and his lack of memory, he has always intentionally behaved like an ordinary child—at most, he was just a little quieter.

The grandfather and grandson, who run a small restaurant, live an ordinary life. Although they know they are Chinese, apart from a small number of people in Japan who are hostile, most people treat them with a very normal attitude.

Even the Japanese thugs and gangsters, aside from coming to collect protection money on a regular basis, wouldn't make things difficult for them.

Le Zhengling grew up in such peaceful and comforting days. If it weren't for his grandfather always celebrating traditional festivals with him every year, he might have gradually lost his sense of Chinese identity.

Not to mention major festivals such as the Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Double Ninth Festival, and Lunar New Year's Eve, even the twenty-four solar terms, Grandpa would prepare some seasonal foods. He was actually a little curious about what Grandpa did before coming to Japan.