Shirou and the Case Files of Lord El-Melloi II: Part Two / Shirou and the Mystery-Laden Ship

Empress Wu Zetian of the Wu Zhou Empress usurped the throne and murdered her son. She was ruthless and suspicious, appointed cruel officials, and was fond of killing famous generals on the frontier, which led to a slight weakness in the military and a rebellion by the Turkic.

However, she was skilled in finance and adept at utilizing talent. She opened up more imperial examinations and supported those from poor families, quickly stabilizing the country before sending troops to recover most of the lost territory.

During her reign, she maintained the interests of the Tang Dynasty in the Western Regions, expanded maritime trade, reduced taxes, enriched the people, and ensured that the country's strength did not decline. As a woman, she governed many ethnic groups, commanded generals, and suppressed the powerful families of the Central Plains in the court, succeeding the Zhenguan era and paving the way for the Kaiyuan era.

He could be considered a good emperor.

When it came to Li Longji, although there was the Kaiyuan Flourishing Age in the early period, he became fond of pleasure in his later years, gradually lost his understanding of the country, and lost control of the court.

To prevent Han and non-Han nobles from growing too powerful, the government vigorously supported poor non-Han families. As a result, An Lushan seized military power, adopted many sons, formed his own faction, captured Chang'an and Luoyang, and declared himself Emperor of the Great Yan.

According to Shirou's knowledge of history, neither An Lushan nor Shi Siming met a good end. The Tang Dynasty requested the Uyghur Empire to send troops to support them. It took more than seven years, during which two emperors changed, before the rebellion was finally quelled.

Even after the reconstruction of the new army and the acquisition of certain military guarantees, the separatist rule of the Fanzhen warlords could not be changed. After all, excessive external conquests and the rise of powerful border warlords were inevitable.

At this time, the Tang Dynasty did not yet have the perfect political system that the Qing Dynasty later developed. When it lost a powerful and respected ruler and the central authority weakened, it was unable to suppress the border towns, which inevitably led to rebellion.

They could only rely on borrowing troops from the Uyghur Empire, just as the Southern Song Dynasty relied on the Kim Dynasty, and later Japan, Iran, and Korea relied on the United States. An unequal tributary relationship had been formed, and the glorious Tang Dynasty was no more.

However, the Tang Dynasty stubbornly continued for 144 years, just as the Demon King said, the nation continues.

Shirou walked along the desolate streets.

A mischievous child with patched clothes was running towards us from the roadside, holding something and laughing happily.

Shirou asked the mischievous boy, "Everyone here looks so gloomy, what makes you so happy?"

The mischievous boy said he had dug up cassava on the mountain and was about to take it home to his mother. His mother had given them all the rice porridge, but with the cassava, she wouldn't go hungry.

The mischievous boy said, "My mother said that she would be happy as long as she saw that he had something to eat, and that his greatest happiness was simply to fill the stomachs of his family."

After saying that, the mischievous boy turned and ran away.

Looking at this figure pursuing small happiness, Shirou suddenly smiled freely.

As the saying goes, good fortune comes to mind, and the structure of the world was revealed to Shirou at this moment. He saw through the boundary between Yin and Yang and understood the principle that phenomena arise from the mind.

The words of the Old Ancestor Hongmeng echoed in my ears once more, "What you desired, you have already obtained. All immortal techniques, whatever you wish to achieve, you can achieve."

'Then let me do it this once!' Shirou thought to himself.

The Old Ancestor Hongmeng has his own path, the gods have their own path, the White Deity has his own path, and he too has his own path to achieve happiness for the world.

The path is called 'Small Happiness'.

Suddenly, the walls of Chang'an were illuminated by a shimmering, multicolored light, predominantly orange-red. The land trampled by soldiers and horses was covered in flowers, just like the secluded manor of Consort Yu and Xiang Yu on the southern foot of Mount Tai. All the houses that had been smashed and destroyed were automatically healed under the fluorescent light.

The flowers grew quickly, eventually bearing fruit. Vines on the broken city walls were laden with grapes, apples, Touko, and pomelos. The trampled and damaged fields were also sprouted with broad green vines and leaves. Sweet potatoes and potatoes were buried in the sand, while watermelons and honey fruits grew in the mud.

These fruits were actually not many; they were only enough to feed the people in the city whose food had been robbed for two or three days.

However, it was as invigorating as a tender sprout breaking through a rock, giving people hope that they had not been abandoned by heaven, even though they were indeed the old, weak, sick, and disabled who had been abandoned in the city by the fleeing Lord.

The people cheered at this amazing scene.

The nomadic tribes who had seized the opportunity during the An Lushan Rebellion to raid and plunder the Central Plains were also shocked, forgetting their looting, dismounting, and bowing their heads to kneel before the city.

A long rainbow appeared in the sky, one end of which landed in Luoyang City, in front of Shirou; the other end of the rainbow was composed of red clouds formed by the sunset.

At that moment, Shirou had become an immortal and a saint, stepped onto the rainbow, walked onto the red cloud, and disappeared into the boundless sky.

Chapter 1207 Shirou and Waver Case Files II

Around 2 or 3 a. m., in Syria, in the Middle East, Shirou arrived in search of Gem Shard and inadvertently got caught up in a war. He managed to help the local military solve a case. Now, escorted by military vehicles, he headed towards the port of departure.

Three Shirou have passed since Shirou and Holmes investigated the Gem Shard in the mountain cave. Having collected all Holmes Gem Shard in East Asia, they turned their attention to the Middle East and Europe.

The car pulled into a dock and stopped.

Stepping out of the car was a tall, thin Englishman in his thirties, wearing a red coat, with a high nose and long, jet-black hair. A few months earlier, he had replaced Holmes as Shirou's companion in the search for the Gem Shard.

The man was a human who had come to this world as Servant, preserving his original form, due to the world's transformation. As soon as he stepped out of the car, a gust of cold wind blew, whipping his long hair across his face, and he frowned.

It's winter now, and you can see mist rising from the river, with everything in the distance covered in white. It's the coldest morning in Syria.

"Mr. Waver, are you alright?" Shirou got out of the car from the other side and asked the long-haired man with concern.

"It's nothing, just a car ride or a boat ride. My constitution isn't that weak," the long-haired man waved his hand, straightened up, and replied.

In this world, because the magical energy in the air is thin and the magic path is not prominent, organizations such as the Mage's Association have declined.

Of course, large families with long-standing traditions in Europe, Central Asia, and Africa are very stubborn and not so easy to disappear, but compared to the world Shirou first entered, they have become much more low-key.

Families like the Matou family, whose bloodlines have been compromised, and Magecraft whose lineages have lasted for less than three generations, have been abandoned by the Magecraft world because there aren't enough resources available. Therefore, although the Clock Tower in this world, it doesn't recruit students widely.

Therefore, there were no students like Waver Velvet among them, nor was there any title like Lord El-Melloi II.

However, the long-haired man's talent in knowledge and academic research remained astonishing, so he also achieved certain success in Magecraft research through self-study.

Of course... he is still weak in terms of actual combat skills and physical strength.

Shirou couldn't help but worry that Waver might collapse anywhere in the harsh environment of Syria.

Fortunately, they can finally say goodbye to this place filled with the strong smell of gasoline and gunpowder today.

The driver then parked the car and got out; he was a US soldier stationed in Syria.

This was a young U. S. Army lieutenant, dressed in a dazzling uniform. He walked to the ticket booth at the dock, then ran back to salute Shirou and Waver.

Despite the extremely cold weather and the fact that escorting two strangers was hardly an easy task, the lieutenant still performed his duties with great enthusiasm.

Just last week, these two unusually young men helped their general solve a major problem. In short, after an officer mysteriously disappeared from the military camp, the ghost stories that had previously occurred in the camp also vanished, and the two men here became VIPs of the US military garrison.

Of course, no one else knew the specifics, but the lieutenant knew it was related to the mystical side. Although the lieutenant regretted not having studied Magecraft, his maternal grandmother was British and had studied Magecraft; he had witnessed it, and it really was like Harry Potter.

Unfortunately, his maternal grandmother's Magecraft tradition was lost by his mother's generation.

In short, as a reluctant associate, he was entrusted with the task of escorting the two guests to a strange dock and boarding a passenger ship bound for Istanbul, Turkey.

"Sir, I've already checked with the dockworkers; today is Sunday," the lieutenant said. "The two gentlemen will be able to arrive in Istanbul tomorrow evening, Monday."

"Okay, thank you." Shirou thanked the lieutenant.

"I suppose you two are planning to stay there for a few days?"

"Yes, Istanbul, it's a beautiful city. And the famous Hagia Sophia Cathedral. We plan to spend a few days there, and try the local cuisine. It would be such a shame to miss this opportunity," Shirou replied with a light laugh.

Waver rubbed his pale forehead and said, "If there's nothing urgent, I'd like to stay there for a few days."

He needs a good rest a long time ago.

A gust of cold wind howled towards the platform, causing the lieutenant to hunch his shoulders. He glanced at the dock where they were about to board, then checked his watch. There were still five minutes until boarding, but he couldn't see a single boat on the riverbank. How strange.

The lieutenant looked around again and found that there were only the three of them among the passengers waiting for the ship.

"Not many people travel during this season of the year."

"Yes!" Shirou agreed, especially considering that Syria, in the first decade or so of the 21st century, has been a country plagued by disasters. It's unclear when it will end.

"I hope you don't encounter any snow blocking the roads!" the lieutenant prayed.

"Did such a thing happen?" Waver Velvet asked, frowning.

"Yes, it happened. You know, the weather in Eastern Europe isn't great outside of this season," the lieutenant answered honestly.

"The weather forecast in Europe said the weather would be very bad, with heavy snow in the Balkan Peninsula," Shirou said.

"Never mind, we won't take those modes of transportation, we should be fine," Waver Velvet sighed softly.

"Huh?"

"Alright, Lieutenant, thank you for bringing us here." Shirou glanced at the shore, then turned back and said with a smile.

As soon as he finished speaking, a bell rang, the thick fog on the other side of the river dissipated, and a large passenger ship appeared out of thin air and docked at the pier.

"Whoa!!!" The lieutenant jumped back a few steps in fright.

Shirou chuckled and caught the lieutenant to prevent him from falling. They were going to board a secret passenger ship specially for Magecraft, which was protected by a barrier that would make it difficult for ordinary people to detect.

At that moment, above them, the curtains of a private cabin on the large passenger ship were drawn aside, and a young Red-haired Miss was looking down at the three startled people below.

The young lady was a light sleeper and couldn't fall asleep. She sensed the ship had docked, so she looked out the window at the scenery and then overheard the conversation of the three people below.

The red-haired, Asian-looking young man was talking politely to the soldier. He seemed harmless, yet somewhat enigmatic. However, he was also taking good care of the long-haired black man beside him.

That man with long, straight black hair was indeed on her side, but his magic was weak and he had nothing to offer; he seemed to be just a third-rate Magecraft.

Someone who would take care of a third-rate Magecraft seems to be completely unremarkable.

As for the ordinary soldier, the Red-haired Miss didn't even glance at him.

Chapter 1208 Shirou and the Secret Passenger Ship

At this moment, two stewards came out of the ship. Waver gave them a few instructions, had them pick up his luggage, and led him into his room.

The lieutenant quickly saluted and said, "You two will arrive in Constantinople at 6:40 PM tomorrow."

"Goodbye then, Lieutenant." Shirou waved goodbye to the soldier and boarded the ship.

"Here you are, sir." The waiter, with the deftness of a magician, led Waver and Shirou to a double room. He praised the bedroom's beauty while neatly arranging their luggage. "Sir, I've put your small travel bag here."

His outstretched hand carried a certain implication, Shirou placed a folded banknote into it.

"Thank you, sir." The waiter bowed and smiled warmly. "I'll be right outside. Please feel free to call me if you need anything."

Shirou nodded in agreement and asked, "Besides us, are there any other passengers on board?"

The waiter replied, "There are two people, sir."

"Where are these distinguished guests from?" Shirou asked.

"One is a U. S. Marine Corps colonel, and the other is a young British lady from Baghdad, sir."

"When did even the U. S. Marine Corps start riding on these kinds of ships?" Waver said, frowning.

"We welcome any qualified guest. Is there anything you need, sir?"

Shirou asked Waver for a small bottle of pine nut wine.

The ship then set sail, and we were outside.

"Hmph, hmph." The lieutenant rubbed his hands as he returned to the vehicle. Only now did he realize that the temperature at that dock was lower than anywhere else—a truly eerie place...

With some time still to go before dawn, Waver, feeling sleep-deprived, drank some alcohol Waver went to bed.

Shirou let Waver have his way, since the mission was now successfully completed. Shirou patted the thing hidden in his inner pocket, and it started to shimmer with a crystalline light as it sensed the vibration.

These are Gem Shard that were retrieved from Syria. Now he can rest for a while before reuniting with Holmes. Shirou thought to himself as he lay down on his bed and fell asleep.

When Waver Velvet woke up again, it was already 9:30. He left his cabin and headed towards the ship's dining room, intending to get a hot coffee.

At this moment, there were only two people in the dining room. One was Shirou, and the other was a woman, who was clearly the young British lady the train conductor had mentioned. She was tall and slender, with short red hair, and looked to be about twenty-eight years old.

The way she ate breakfast and the way she called the waiter for another cup of coffee showed a calm and collected demeanor, indicating her worldliness and understanding of the Magecraft's way of life. She must be a female Magecraft who has already moved beyond her naivety.

Waver concluded that she was the kind of woman who could take care of herself wherever she went and live a very leisurely life. She was calm, capable, and had the air of an elite scion of Clock Tower in a parallel universe.

Waver looked at the woman's profile, feeling he'd seen her somewhere before; she seemed vaguely familiar. However, staring at a woman's face for so long was certainly impolite.

A moment later, another person entered the dining room. He was a tall, strong man around thirty-five years old, with dark skin, but bright eyes; he was a very handsome Anglo-Saxon.

"Marine Corps stationed in Syria," Shirou said softly to Waver, who was sitting opposite him.

As Shirou spent more time with Holmes, Waver, and other detectives, he developed a habit of observing other people whenever he had free time.

The new man nodded slightly to the Red-haired Miss.

"Hello, Miss Isola."

Good morning, Colonel Armstrong.

The colonel stood with one hand on the chair opposite her.

Do you mind?

"Of course not, please have a seat."

"Thank you. I've heard that the British don't usually chat much during breakfast."

"I didn't intend to chat idly in the first place. But I won't kick anyone out."

The colonel sat down.

"Someone come here!" he commanded.

The waiter rushed over, and the colonel ordered eggs and coffee.

His gaze lingered on Shirou and Waver for a moment, but quickly swept away without a care. His mind was clearly not on the other two men.