Truth be told, Merlin did feel a certain wariness towards Amber—or rather, Fu Hua.
It wasn't just because of her formidable strength; more importantly, he was certain she wasn't a Servant summoned by Gilgamesh.
Amber, on her part, was also taken aback by Merlin's words. To think this world actually had Shenzhou? But if even Shenzhou existed, then shouldn't Honkai Impact 3rd exist too?
[To help the host more easily gain 'recognition,' the system has applied reasonable cognitive modification for the host.]
The guide kindly explained.
Oh, I see. That explains it then.
Though he remained somewhat guarded, the Phoenix Celestial was, after all, a righteous figure.
Even in the novels, after being betrayed and resurrected by her seven disciples, she never truly turned dark—she simply repaid that betrayal in kind, without dragging anyone else into it.
Even if it wasn't clear which version of the Phoenix this was, at the very least, her character could be trusted.
As for the rest… best leave it to Gilgamesh. With his future-seeing Clairvoyance, he was undoubtedly far more useful in this Singularity than Merlin himself.
Once the three parties confirmed they could trust one another, Merlin prepared to lead the group toward Uruk.
However, night had already fallen. While it made little difference to the Servants, the Master, being an ordinary human, needed to maintain their stamina. So, they decided to rest for the night.
The evening also gave Merlin a chance to brief Chaldea on the current situation.
During the casual conversation, Dr. Roman first went on a frantic rant, questioning Merlin's capabilities, only to freeze mid-sentence as if suddenly realizing something.
Merlin, in turn, responded with an amused smirk.
But even after realizing Roman's true identity, Merlin showed no intention of exposing him.
Through Merlin's explanations, both Chaldea and Amber gradually grasped the situation.
Uruk now stood as the last human city in Mesopotamia, a reality brought about by the Alliance of the Three Goddesses and the monstrous beasts created by the Goddess of Demonic Beasts.
To counter this, King Gilgamesh had summoned seven Servants to defend Uruk against the three goddesses' onslaught. Yet, under the relentless assault, only four of those Servants now remained.
Fortunately, Chaldea's timely arrival and the unexpected discovery of Ana helped fill the gaps.
And then there was…
The Phoenix Celestial, who had safeguarded the peace of Shenzhou for millennia, renowned as 'unrivaled within a single move'—surely even facing the three goddesses head-on would pose no issue for her.
The only real question was what kind of personality this Phoenix Celestial had.
Even if the novels suggested she was a good person, that was only pieced together from scattered hints.
In truth, the novels mostly portrayed her as detached and heartless—less like a human and more like a cleansing mechanism for those who fell into darkness.
Moreover, since their meeting, she had remained silent and aloof, detached from worldly affairs.
Merlin couldn't quite gauge her stance toward Uruk in its current state. Despite her silence, she clearly intended to follow them.
She hadn't been summoned by Gilgamesh; it was likely she'd been summoned directly by the Counter Force, much like Ana. But there was also the possibility she'd been summoned by the three goddesses.
Still, overthinking it was pointless. Gilgamesh could determine the truth with a single glance.
Having reached that conclusion, Merlin leaned back against a tree, relaxed, and quietly waited for the sun to rise.
Unaware of Merlin's inner thoughts, Amber simply followed the guide's prompt to "proceed with Chaldea" and stayed put.
Besides, she personally preferred sticking with the main cast—who in their right mind would willingly play the villain?
As for her silence, she was afraid that saying too much might ruin her "waifu's" image, so she opted to maintain a deep, meditative posture instead.
Thankfully, this wasn't her real body. Even after sitting in meditation for ten hours, she felt no fatigue. Luckily, the guide woke her just before the others started moving—otherwise, if anyone found out she'd actually been asleep, it would've been disastrous.
The distance they had to cover wasn't exactly short, especially for Chaldea's group, so they passed the time with casual conversation.
"You know, among all the kings, Gilgamesh really stands out as a tyrant," Merlin remarked with a light chuckle.
"A tyrant?" Ritsuka perked up. He'd met Nero, the most famous tyrant, and knew most of her reputation was slander.
"That's right." Partly to inform, partly to gauge the Phoenix Celestial's reaction, Merlin continued, "He cut ties with the gods because he thought they were too arrogant, claimed all the beauties and treasures of the world for himself, and would execute you whether you agreed with him or not."
"That's…"
Ritsuka frowned slightly.
"The King of Heroes, Gilgamesh, was a wise and reasonable ruler in his youth. But as he grew older, he displayed the complete opposite traits. To curb his tyranny, the gods created the 'Divine Weapon'—Enkidu."
"But for some reason, the two became the closest of friends," Mash added.
"We'll set aside what happened afterward. In any case, the most arrogant and ruthless tyrant on the face of the earth—that is the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh." Merlin turned to Amber.
"As I recall, in Shenzhou, the Ming imperial court honored the Phoenix as a Great Celestial. Yet she took no part in governance, nor did she concern herself with the rise and fall of dynasties. Still, every emperor, upon ascending the throne, would journey to Mount Taixu to pay their respects."
"Those who met her enjoyed long lives and prosperous reigns. Those who failed to see her either died prematurely or lost their thrones—none met a good end."
"In the eyes of the Phoenix Celestial, what kind of man would you say King Gilgamesh is?"
Huh? Why ask me?
She thought she could avoid speaking by acting aloof and just blend in quietly… but now she'd been put on the spot.
She'd seen two Fate series and knew Gilgamesh wasn't exactly easy to deal with, but she remembered her best friend mentioning that the Gilgamesh in FGO Chapter 7 was the wise king, Caster Gilgamesh?
Sticking to the principle that less said is fewer mistakes, Amber replied in a calm tone, "The rise and fall of dynasties, the wisdom or folly of kings—none of it concerns me."
"Fair enough."
Merlin nodded. "As expected of the Phoenix Celestial—peerless under heaven, yet detached from mortal affairs."
"The title of 'Celestial'… is excessive. I am far from peerless." Amber's expression didn't change at Merlin's flattery.
On one hand, she genuinely lacked power—her strength relied entirely on the guide's assistance.
On the other hand, she thought of Fu Hua's life, marked by so many regrets, and felt a pang of sadness for her beloved 2D wife's suffering.
"…I see." Noting the hint of sorrow in Amber's eyes, Merlin said no more, inwardly breathing a huge sigh of relief.
Although he'd pushed the responsibility onto Gilgamesh, if the two had clashed due to conflicting personalities, Uruk wouldn't have survived the fallout.
Now that he'd confirmed that Phoenix wasn't the type Gilgamesh despised, and that Gilgamesh wasn't someone Phoenix would dislike, Merlin could finally set his mind at ease.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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