#568Chapter 568: The Cry from Strawberry Underpants (FGO fans! The server has opened early! Draw cards!)AI Model: gemini-2.5-flash
Chapter 568: A Cry from the Strawberry Underwear (FGO Moon Faction! Early server launch! Roll for cards!)
Tokyo, Haneda Airport.
"Seriously, is there no one here to greet us?"
After an almost full day of flying, Lord El-Melloi II (Waver), who was not yet thirty but already showing signs of "death from overwork," looked around, his long hair fluttering.
"It seems the Tohsaka family has no successor, after all~"
A young man with short blonde hair peeked out from behind the overworked Waver, his face full of curiosity, as this was his first time visiting an Asian country.
Flat Escardos, Waver's core disciple, was a talented but overly chaotic eccentric.
As a Lord, and one undertaking a dangerous international investigation, Waver naturally wouldn't act alone. He had the authority to bring his disciple along.
Although Flat was still considered a newcomer among his many disciples, his talent and abilities were enough to make him a core member.
Besides the blonde youth, Waver also brought his bodyguard. After all, this investigation not only required facing the Holy Grail's curse but also had a high probability of directly confronting the Servants and Masters of the Fifth Holy Grail War. Although he had become a Lord, Waver was still very weak in close combat.
Waver flicked the blonde youth's forehead with his finger. He didn't respond but also didn't deny it.
It must be said that Tokiomi Tohsaka's death would indeed be a huge blow to the Tohsaka family. Currently, only a young girl served as the land guardian of Fuyuki, and she had to face both the Holy Grail War and the Holy Grail's curse simultaneously. Just thinking about it was overwhelming.
Combined with the intelligence that mentioned Heroic Spirits had already used Divine Era Noble Phantasms to clash in Fuyuki City, leaving behind massive, unmanageable traces, Waver judged that the young head of the Tohsaka family was probably already overwhelmed and couldn't spare time for social niceties like greeting guests.
"It seems we'll have to find our own way to Fuyuki City."
The magnanimous Lord said to those around him.
Having visited once ten years ago, and having had such a profound impact on his life that it was hard to intentionally forget, Waver still retained the specific route to Fuyuki City in his mind.
"Teacher! How do we get there?!"
Flat, still excited, rubbed his forehead.
"Only the Shinkansen," Waver replied grumpily.
If they took the Shinkansen, it would be about a 3-hour journey one way, not counting transfers, and this was already considered a relatively fast direct route.
If they took a bus or similar vehicle on the highway, the journey could extend to eight or nine hours.
This was indeed a considerable torment for them, having just gotten off a plane.
Suddenly, Flat's expression sharpened. As if sensing something unusual, he looked to his left.
Waver, familiar with his student's state, also followed his gaze and saw an individual who could, for now, be considered a colleague.
"Ms. Bazett Fraga McRemitz."
"Lord El-Melloi."
Their addresses to each other were quite formal, indicating that they were indeed not well acquainted.
Just as Waver expected, Rin Tohsaka was so busy that she was running herself ragged, and the jewels in her possession were visibly being consumed as the price for casting spells.
Although the crater remained and couldn't be covered up in a short time, the related news hadn't spread widely, and the people of Fuyuki City were gradually starting to ignore it, resuming their normal lives.
Rin Tohsaka had completely forgotten about the relevant matters, so naturally, Cheng Tian's side had to take responsibility for a part of it.
No matter what, the materials were submitted in Bazett's name, and the external aid was found, so it still needed to be given importance.
Cheng Tian couldn't get away because he had to watch Qiuqiu, preventing her from becoming a greedy little cat and turning into Fuyuki's Old Eight, while also constantly observing the clashes between local Masters and Servants.
Therefore, the task of picking up people fell to Bazett.
In fact, throughout this day, besides providing a space for U-Tan and Aoko Aozaki to communicate and begin technical exchanges on puppets and biochemical automatons, Cheng Tian also tried to deliver the information that the Holy Grail had been contaminated to other Masters and Servants through various means.
Cheng Tian's idea was somewhat naive. He thought that once the Masters and Servants knew about the Holy Grail's contamination by the Black Mud, even if they wouldn't unite to fight against the corrupted Holy Grail, they would at least stay far away from it to avoid being tainted.
But the reality was that some people, upon seeing something that looked like feces, would self-hypnotize themselves into believing it was chocolate and lean in to taste it.
In some people's eyes, since the Holy Grail was cursed, wouldn't purifying it still make it a good wish-granting machine? Wouldn't a purified Holy Grail still be able to fulfill their wishes?
One could only say their desires were overflowing, their minds clouded by greed, and they wouldn't turn back even after hitting a wall.
Except for a few Servants and Masters, the vast majority appeared in the Fifth Holy Grail War driven by intense desires.
If their craving for the Holy Grail could be easily erased by a few words, it would prove that their desire for the Holy Grail wasn't actually strong. From this perspective, making Holy Grail War participants abandon the Holy Grail is actually a paradox.
However, even though Cheng Tian did not personally participate further in just a few short days, a series of special circumstances still occurred.
The fake Assassin, originally bound at the Ryudou Temple gate and given the name "Sasaki Kojirou," and the true Caster, named "Medea," who was permanently stationed at Ryudou Temple, both disappeared within a single day.
They were likely dead, but it was currently unknown who had done the deed.
Cheng Tian suspected it might have been Kirei Kotomine, but he couldn't detect him, and when he contacted the blue Lancer, he discovered a peculiar situation.
That was, Kirei Kotomine had actively shielded his contractual link with Cu Chulainn.
The Master-Servant contract still existed, but the perception was cut off, and Cu Chulainn didn't know where the Mapo Tofu priest had gone.
Under the combination of these pieces of information, Cheng Tian inferred that Kirei Kotomine's most likely hiding place was the large underground cavern within Mount Enzou, where Ryudou Temple was located—the very location of the leyline, the Holy Grail, and the Black Mud.
Only this place could shield him from his Dominator's perception, and it was also enough to make him hesitant to intrude rashly.
Although Cheng Tian himself had high resistance to the Black Mud, this didn't mean he was willing to voluntarily dive into the Black Mud for a bath.
Currently, it seemed that the souls of Gilgamesh, Sasaki Kojirou, and Medea had already been recovered, theoretically allowing for the forced, incomplete manifestation of the Holy Grail.
It appeared that the underground cavern had become a magic bomb with a cursed chain reaction that could be detonated at any moment!
For safety's sake, it was best to wait for professionals to handle it.
Through a phone call, Cheng Tian learned that Bazett had already picked up the people, and the problem's resolution was not far off.
However, while Cheng Tian and Qiuqiu were fighting each other with their Stands, the blue Saber, "King Arthur Artoria," whom he hadn't had a chance to formally meet before, brought her Master to him.
The moment she saw Cheng Tian, Artoria was somewhat dazed, as if she saw the figure of a certain bearded man in him.
And Cheng Tian also reacted—
The strawberry underwear he inherited from Arthur emitted a faint glow.
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