In the end, Fairy Tristan gritted her teeth and continued her training under Gilgamesh. She had overheard Merlin's name mentioned by Morgan. To her, anyone who clashed with her Mother was an impossible colleague.
"What a pity," Merlin remarked with a smile, though Jiang You could sense he didn't truly mean it. "I was really looking forward to seeing what kind of 'Tristan' you would become."
"Let's not have a second Artoria. She was such a lovely, lily-like maiden in her youth. How did she grow up to become like this?"
Jiang You glanced at Merlin out of the corner of his eye. "Even a fluttering moth would teach better than you."
"Now, don't blame me! It's just how things are," Merlin shrugged. "Anyone in that position, bearing the fate of Camelot, wouldn't turn out well. You can't question my professional competence!"
"What professional competence?!"
Jiang You decided to drop the subject. "Next, we need to prepare to counter Tiamat. Ur is the front line, and Medea's fortress construction alone probably won't be enough. I need to ask you to go assist her."
"Sure thing," Merlin said.
His purpose in coming here was to let humanity continue writing its own epic, so that he could keep his amusement in his long life. Doing a little work was no problem. Besides, that Ancient Greek Mage called Medea looked very easy to coax.
"Coincidentally, this rainforest is also suitable for plant growth. I've always wanted to turn Camelot into a city of flowers, but Artoria never agreed."
Next, Jiang You came to the Underworld again.
Ever since Medea established a connection between the Magic Workshop's teleportation array and the Underworld, Jiang You had been frequently visiting Eresh to play. Eresh had grown accustomed to the sudden appearances of this interloper in her domain.
"Is the final battle imminent?" Eresh asked.
In truth, Eresh found this routine quite agreeable. During her time as a god, she had never experienced such richness and variety as in these past few days. Just as a hint of disappointment flickered across her face, she noticed Jiang You grinning at her with an "I knew it" expression. She quickly averted her gaze. "This chaotic Singularity is nearing its end anyway."
"Don't forget our agreement, okay?" Jiang You pressed, unwilling to relinquish the rewards he had already secured.
"I know... As for you, don't lose." Faced with Jiang You's increasingly brazen grin, Eresh could only clarify, "...I mean, the fate of humanity rests in your hands. If you lose, I won't forgive you!"
"Relax. With my Noble Phantasms, I don't need to match Tiamat's raw power head-on."
Jiang You alone could handle the direct combat. With the current quality and quantity of Servants far surpassing the original timeline's roster, defeating Tiamat would be trivial as long as King Hassan delivered his Grand-rank severing strike. "By the way, you've been gradually moving the Underworld beneath Ur recently, haven't you?"
"I can't leave the Underworld."
Eresh thought Jiang You was asking why she was doing this. "Even if you fail, I'll do my utmost to help. By luring Tiamat into the Underworld, I can use my Authority to restrict her movements. I don't know how effective it will be, but it should at least provide some assistance."
"I knew our Eresh was the best!"
Jiang You, facing this easily embarrassed Goddess, became markedly more assertive.
"Don't say such things."
Eresh was terribly flustered by such direct expressions of affection, her face flushing crimson instantly.
Jiang You knew when to stop. Too much of a good thing can be detrimental; it was best to withdraw while he was ahead.
"However, I do need your assistance. Some warriors remain as guardians in the Faerie Realm (Pseudo). Given the Lahmu's numbers, even my Servants can't fully guarantee Ur's safety. To halt the Lahmu's creation, I need Quetzalcoatl to use her Noble Phantasm to evaporate the entire Primordial Sea. At that point, her Authority might falter, so I'm entrusting the souls of those warriors to you."
Jiang You wasn't just giving Eresh busywork. The modern weapons he had prepared weren't meant for attacking Uruk, but for fighting the Lahmu. After all, the Lahmu were still carbon-based creatures and wouldn't necessarily be much stronger than humans against 5.56mm bullets.
"If possible, let's not let Tiamat awaken..."
Eresh actually shared Ishtar's opinion, thinking Jiang You was just bored and meddling.
Jiang You chuckled and brushed her off.
Finally, Jiang You arrived at the Gorgon Sisters' secluded villa.
Located deep in the jungle some distance from Ur, the villa was relatively isolated, with few signs of human activity, which suited them well.
Here, the Magical Beasts—originally designed as killing machines—were diligently working as gardeners, planting various flowers around the villa. Before long, the area would transform into a sea of blossoms.
Jiang You even saw Gorgon using her massive tail as a makeshift hoe to loosen the soil. It was unimaginable what these Servants did when they weren't fighting.
"It's beautiful, but isn't it a bit early to start planting?"
Jiang You didn't mention the Singularity's restoration. Gorgon's mental state, stabilized by the influence of her Sisters, was currently stable enough to leave the issue untouched.
"Once Tiamat awakens, the Primordial Sea will likely spread here rapidly. This entire region could be annihilated."
"You don't need to worry about that," Gorgon replied.
There was no real conflict between Gorgon and Jiang You. If anything, she felt a faint sense of gratitude toward him for allowing her to reunite with her Sisters.
"When the time comes, I'll use my Authority to envelop this area, claiming it as my lair. Similar Authorities will neutralize each other. After that, all we need to do is eliminate the invaders."
"Besides, if you lose, we won't need to worry about any of this anyway. We might as well enjoy the present while we can."
Gorgon deeply cherished the time she had with her Sisters again, even if it meant being bossed around mercilessly.
"And... I'm not here entirely by choice," she added, her gaze toward Jiang You turning slightly resentful. "My Sisters and my naive self are all in the annex. There... there's no place for me there."
"Huh?"
Jiang You knew that Euryale and Stheno preferred Ana, but he didn't think it was this bad. Not even a spot for Gorgon in the house? That seemed a bit excessive.
But soon, through Gorgon's frantic gestures, Jiang You understood the truth: Gorgon was simply too large.