Chapter 190: Tamamo-no-Mae Feels That She Has Changed
These words definitely did not come from Little Kiara.
Upon seeing the message sent through this communication, Noah knew the person speaking to him via the link had changed—most likely, Little Kiara had told someone else about the communication, and that other person was now using Little Kiara to converse with him.
Noah understood this in an instant.
Through his interactions with Little Kiara over this period, from their conversations to his own perceptions as a Star Performer, Noah had gained a certain understanding of her.
—Her "voice" was not like this.
Thinking this, he narrowed his eyes.
He wasn't sure whether it was because his mental and soul strength had far surpassed their previous levels after completing the Third Magic, or because of the bonuses from choosing the Singer talent in the second volume's simulation, but in any case, if he focused his attention now, he could faintly hear the "voice" on the other end through this ultra-long-distance communication.
The voice was still not very clear.
But Noah could vaguely sense the sounds made by two beings on the other end of the communication.
Moreover, the atmosphere over there was friendly; Little Kiara was not being threatened.
However, aside from Little Kiara's voice, the other voice carried a certain wariness toward him... Could it be Little Kiara's current guardian?
It would make sense for them to be wary of him.
Although Noah still couldn't precisely discern the exact situation on the other end, he at least understood the general circumstances.
So he responded.
"What do you need me to do for you?"
After replying to the other party's message, Noah wasn't in a hurry. Instead, he silently picked up the cup on the table and slowly took a sip of the forest black tea.
—This was a byproduct Kay had unintentionally discovered while heading to the ruins where the underground Magical Beast horde resided.
Noah hadn't yet planned to deal with those Magical Beasts, but he had already started having people find ways to cultivate this black tea.
So now, while drinking his tea, he picked up a document from beside him, completely unhurried about the response from the other side.
Previously, when talking with Little Kiara, either Noah was telling her stories or simply listening to her endlessly recounting various things about the Heian Capital. Their relationship was like pen pals sharing stories with each other.
But now that the other party had changed, if they intended to communicate with a negotiating attitude, Noah didn't mind.
And in negotiations, unless you need to pound the table, it's best not to rush.
"Mr. Blue Lancer asks what you need him to do."
Little Kiara relayed Noah's message to Tamamo-no-Mae, who then fell into thought.
Relying solely on her own power, she couldn't even begin to break the current situation in the Heian Capital, let alone handle the areas surrounding it.
Under such circumstances, she indeed needed someone outside the great Barrier to assist her.
But...
—To what extent could the other party help?
If this long-distance communication came from the other party, while it was indeed miraculous, it could only mean they were a Magus who knew some strange Magecraft.
Moreover, the other party went by the alias "Mr. Blue Lancer"... A Magus who was also a warrior?
Hmm... Tamamo-no-Mae was still somewhat uncertain about this point.
Moreover, the premise of her needing help with the Great Yata Barrier was that the other party could genuinely be of assistance.
In that case...
"Little Kiara, tell him this: say that the help I need from him is somewhat challenging, requiring at least a thousand... no, five hundred Magi. Ask him if he can gather five hundred Magi. Of course, if there are exceptionally powerful Magi, having five... no, three of them—counting Mr. Blue Lancer—would suffice. In that case, only a hundred ordinary Magi would be needed!"
Although Tamamo-no-Mae couldn't leave, she could still catch glimpses of the situation outside the Great Yata Barrier.
While there were indeed things akin to Divine Era Blessings within the Great Yata Barrier, outside of it... the Age of Gods should have long since ended.
In such lands, Magi were likely exceedingly rare.
The kind of powerful Magi she needed—those with even a slight understanding of Magecraft of the Age of Gods—were probably extremely scarce even among Magi.
Thus, Tamamo-no-Mae kept lowering her demands.
Three Magi with some understanding of Magecraft of the Age of Gods—or, if that wasn't possible, Magi with high skill levels even if they didn't know Magecraft of the Age of Gods—and a hundred ordinary Magi who just knew a bit of Magecraft, but at least possessed Magic Circuits—this was the bare minimum she needed to achieve her goal!
If the other party couldn't even manage this, then they certainly couldn't help her with matters concerning the Great Yata Barrier!
That was what Tamamo-no-Mae thought.
Of course, she also felt this request might be too demanding.
After all, this wasn't the Age of Gods anymore. Suddenly asking someone to find so many Magi... she wouldn't be surprised if they couldn't do it.
In that case, they would just have to discuss other matters elsewhere.
Thinking this, Tamamo-no-Mae let out a slight sigh.
—What wishful thinking was she indulging in? Although this was currently the only way to connect with the outside world, relying solely on this to resolve matters related to the Great Yata Barrier in one step...
'How could that possibly work?'
That was what Tamamo-no-Mae thought.
Upon seeing the communication relayed by Little Kiara, Noah pondered for a moment.
The other party's request made him frown.
Not because the number was too large, but because it was too small.
Noah remembered Little Kiara telling him about the situation inside the Heian Capital. It sounded like the land of the Heian Capital was no different from the land of Britain—both possessed Divine Era Blessings.
And as for Magi...
Forget Britain; even Rome, which lacked Divine Era Blessings, had its own Court Mage Corps!
If you counted the dispatched personnel and those stationed in various legions, the Court Mage Corps numbered in the thousands... and if you looked beyond that within Rome's borders,
finding ten to twenty thousand Magi wouldn't be difficult at all.
Yet the other party wanted three powerful Magi and a hundred ordinary Magi...
At this thought, Noah suddenly realized something.
Ah, the other party has been living in the Heian Capital for who knows how many years, so the "Magecraft" they understand might actually be Magecraft of the Age of Gods!
If they mean Magus from the Age of Gods, then the number makes sense!
One hundred Magus from the Age of Gods—that's truly difficult for ordinary people to find.
But for Noah, it's not impossible.
After all, since he restored the great tree in the Lady of the Lake's hidden realm, the number of Ladies of the Lake has increased significantly over the years.
Each Lady of the Lake is a qualified Magus from the Age of Gods.
Now there are already several hundred Ladies of the Lake.
Finding a hundred from among them would meet the requirement.
As for three more powerful Magus... Morgan and Vivian—both of them are exceptionally skilled even among Magus from the Age of Gods.
For the third... although Merlin and Odin would both work, compared to them, it might be better to ask Scáthach for help.
Later, if he goes himself, there's also Mary, and he could bring White along. As for Manaka, he wasn't sure if she'd agree, but her Magecraft skills were definitely not lacking—in fact, they were quite formidable, even among Magus from the Age of Gods. Plus, now that he could be called the Third Magician, he could also give it a try... As for the Ladies of the Lake, he'd bring three.
With this number, at the very least, he was qualified to help the other party—one could even say he was quite well-prepared.
With these thoughts in mind, Noah once again responded to Little Kiara.
"It's a bit difficult... but I can do it!"
"But how do you need me to help you, and how do you plan to help me in return?"