Rin groggily got up from the floor, her sleepy eyes scanning her surroundings. She was still in the dragon source hall, but she was covered with a pile of cardboard boxes. Perhaps it was Jeanne's concern, but why didn't she lay a layer of cardboard boxes on the ground and still make me sleep on the floor?
Rin could still feel the soul contract link between herself and Jeanne, but it was no longer an employer-employee relationship based on magic power supply. Instead, it had become a simple master-servant contract. Jeanne was wearing her full spiritual armor of black plate, with the Evil Dragon Battle Banner standing beside her. She sat not far away with her back to Rin. Rin could clearly feel the fluctuations of life from her, real heartbeats and blood flow, which she did not possess before.
Rin tried to open Jeanne's parameter panel in the depths of her consciousness, but found no response. This proved that Jeanne was no longer a Heroic Spirit, but a living, breathing being.
Rin breathed a sigh of relief. It had finally succeeded. Any first attempt, no matter how confident she was, always made her uneasy.
"By the way, what time is it now?"
Rin pulled out the phone she had 'borrowed' during her travels in France. She pressed it, and the screen remained black... Damn it, what kind of crappy phone is this! I distinctly remember it being fully charged just before I handed the doll over to Jeanne.
Muttering to herself that the quality of French goods was unreliable, she converted her magic power into electricity, and the depleted battery instantly became full! The dark screen immediately lit up.
"Hmm~ it's only three in the afternoon. Did I only sleep for five hours? Hmm? Why is the notification bar flashing red? I remember it was still more than three months away, wasn't it?"
Rin opened the phone's notification bar in confusion.
Notification: The Holy Grail War begins in 7 days.
!!!
"Crack!" A perfectly good French phone was crushed into a handful of parts by Rin's trembling hand.
Rin stood up with a bang, pointing at Jeanne excitedly, "I, I, I, I... I slept for over a hundred days?!"
Jeanne, still with her back to Rin, turned her head to look back at Rin, chewing on a crisp green lettuce leaf, with a look of disdain for Rin's fuss.
"As a Dragonborn, you're still making a fuss about the duration of your slumber? Don't you know that legendary dragons sleep for hundreds of years at a time?"
"That's not right either! I just needed a short nap because I hadn't slept for too long; how did over a hundred days just pass by! The Fourth Holy Grail War is imminent, and I was sleeping!"
Rin clutched her head, curled into a ball, and rolled on the ground, shouting. Over a hundred days of preparation time were just gone, and Rin's heart was bleeding with regret. Rin couldn't help but crawl on the ground and thump it... "Thump!!!"
The ground trembled slightly. The stone floor of the Lo Source Hall, already as hard as refined iron after being scoured by endless great source life force, was now dented with a fist-sized pit by Rin's fit of pique. Rin stared incredulously at her fist, which had just pounded the ground.
I didn't even use Mana Burst... "I can't stand you, Master. Don't you feel anything at all? I used the highest-level 'Dragon Witch' ability to stimulate the potential of your dragon's blood. You've been evolving these past hundred-plus days, not wasting time." Jeanne, still chewing on a lettuce leaf, turned back to Rin and said.
"Examine your internal organs and tissues carefully. You should have developed some dragon-specific organs internally. From that last hit, it looks like you've already awakened your Dragon Power."
Rin listened to Jeanne's explanation in a daze, then closed her eyes, focused her mind, and sensed her body. A never-before-felt power began to flow through her body and bloodline.
This power did not conflict with magic power; instead, it existed on a completely different plane. Magic power was a mysterious force that flowed unseen and untouched, undetectable unless activated. This extra power, however, flowed directly through muscles and sinews, a tangible force that directly affected the physical plane.
"You feel it, right? This is Dragon Power, unique to dragons. It's a power that extends from the mysterious to the real, which you can control consciously or which can unconsciously enhance your strength. Ancient dragons could move mountains, break rivers, and cause disasters precisely because of this power."
Hearing Jeanne's explanation, Rin couldn't help but recall the scene she saw when her inherited memories awakened: Níghòudé's dragon roar shattering the spatial barrier.
To gain this power, then these hundred-plus days of slumber were not in vain. Rin had nothing to complain about, after all, what she needed to prepare for was merely how to strengthen her own side's power. Without a doubt, this was a powerful improvement that Rin herself could not have achieved.
"Then thank you very much, Jeanne." Rin smiled genuinely at Jeanne, expressing her sincere gratitude.
But Jeanne seemed unimpressed, still with her back to Rin, as if disdainful: "Hmph, if you really want to thank me, then show some practical appreciation."
"Uh…"
Ugh, I gave you a body and truly resurrected you, so saying that is a bit much!
"Hurry up and get me some food... Now that I have a body, I can't go without eating anymore..."
"Thump." The dark Dragon Witch collapsed, and her spiritual armor disappeared with her.
Fainted from hunger?
Rin quickly went to Jeanne's side, picked her up, and examined her. From the examination, it appeared that Jeanne, this glutton, had been continuously eating wild vegetables, leaves, and wild fruits for a considerable period. Her intake was also very small; she was basically maintaining her body's life force through ample magic power and vitality. Although this wouldn't kill her, she would certainly be hungry.
Is she staying by me and not daring to stray too far from the entrance of the leylines? This silly girl, I forgot to tell her that it's basically impossible for enemies to appear within Misaki's range, and even if they did, they wouldn't find the entrance to the leylines.
After contemplating the preparations for the remaining seven days, Rin picked up Jeanne and headed towards Misaki City. With all her bank and credit cards replenished, Rin no longer had money worries. She went directly to Misaki City's best international hotel and booked a presidential suite.
Sitting on the expensive leather sofa in the luxurious presidential suite, looking at Jeanne lying on the lavish Simmons bed, Rin began to plan her next moves.
After all, it would be impossible to go straight home after arriving in Fuyuki City, so Rin needed a place to stay. Then, in order to deal with all situations during the subsequent Holy Grail War, she needed to figure out how to respond and how to proactively attack. Although plans never keep up with changes, opportunities always only go to those who are prepared.
Jeanne, as a hidden chess piece, must remain concealed in the shadows and absolutely not be exposed. Matou Zouken must be eliminated, even if it means using all my trump cards, he must be completely destroyed! Not only is it for Sakura's revenge, but as long as that old man lives, he will always be a hidden bomb. As one of the three founders of the Holy Grail War, and the only one still alive, I fear his understanding of the Holy Grail surpasses mine.
Most importantly, it's time to summon my own Holy Grail Heroic Spirit...
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