Chapter 173

"Hiss... Here you go."

Taking a deep breath, Wei Yanwu handed the pipe in his arms to White Snow in front of him.

Although his eyes were filled with heartache, Wei Yanwu was quite calm inside.

That was just a makeshift pipe; his real favorite pipe was still lying safely in the drawer.

"Excuse me."

After taking the pipe from the other person, White Snow did nothing else.

She knew that Wei Yanwu had one more in the drawer and two more in the cabinet next to it.

However, she didn't intend to expose it. As long as the other party didn't whip her too severely and displease Princess Wenyue, she would almost always turn a blind eye.

Princess Wenyue only gave Wei Yanwu a minor punishment because of his hostility towards Officer Chen a while ago.

As for Princess Wenyue Shirou's interest in Emiya's culinary skills from the Higashi... let's not talk about it for now, otherwise Wei Yanwu might cause Shirou more trouble.

168 Archer

It was 2 PM on a street in Lungmen city.

"Seriously... aren't the people from the Knights of the Round Table a bit too much?"

With large bags in his hands, Shirou walked through the streets of Lungmen City, heading back towards his dormitory after a long absence.

The reason it's been a long time is because ever since he started his internship at the Knights of the Round Table, he's been commuted to and from work by everyone from Penguin Logistics.

As for why he left early today... the people from the Knights of the Round Table actually used tradition as an excuse to let him leave early, saying that when you encounter that kind of situation for the first time during a mission, you will get a short vacation.

So everyone gave Shirou some snacks and cookies, and then kicked him out of the Knights of the Round Table.

But Shirou still felt that everyone was exaggerating; it was clearly not a big deal...

Well, maybe it's a big deal. A living, breathing life just slips away right before your eyes. Anyone would feel psychological pressure in that situation.

However, Shirou has seen too much of that already.

Whether it's childhood experiences or things from my memories, any one of them is far more serious than this one.

But since everyone had been kicked out, Shirou had no choice but to obediently comply.

After all, Chen looked extremely fierce at that moment, and Shirou was afraid that if he said no, the other party would take him into the hell of endless work.

So Shirou chose to leave after work.

After walking for quite some time, Shirou finally returned to his dormitory.

First, he took a large tray and poured in the candy and cookies given to him by everyone in the Knights of the Round Table, and then placed it directly on the table in the Shirou.

They were all packaged, so Shirou wasn't worried about them spoiling if left out like that.

Consider these as snacks from Penguin Logistics these days; he himself can't eat that much.

He took off his Knights of the Round Table uniform jacket and put it aside, then took out his phone and sent a message to the Texas that he was leaving work early that day. After that, Shirou leaned back on the sofa and looked up.

The rotating ceiling fan and the somewhat glaring lights above came into Shirou's view.

He gently closed his Shirou and thought about what had happened that day.

Although he said he didn't care or didn't care, when Shirou closed his eyes, he could still see the way the other person looked at him before they died.

After all, I witnessed it with my own eyes and directly experienced the other party's malice.

However, after seeing many other related things, Shirou didn't feel any discomfort about it.

He might remember this person's face for a long time, after all, the other person used his actions and life to illustrate how miserable the situation of the infected on this land was.

As for the mastermind behind those people who control them...

That's not something Shirou should be concerned about. He's just a housekeeper and a low-level employee of the Knights of the Round Table. The ones who should really be worried are the higher-ups in the Knights of the Round Table and Wei Yanwu, the governor of Lungmen.

Although he was furious at the other party's behavior and wished he could unleash a Spiral Sword and Imaginary Break, unfortunately, Shirou didn't know who the other party was.

Although most of the evidence points to the immortal Black Serpent, he doesn't know what it looks like, let alone where it is.

Of course, it's impossible to say that he would actually get hit by a sword; otherwise, it's possible that Shirou would risk pulling out his Golden Sword and giving the opponent a good stab.

He was genuinely furious at the guy's actions.

Whether it was deceiving the infected or sending messages about Wei Yanwu and linking the two together, which aroused Wei Yanwu's suspicion, these things caused Shirou a lot of trouble.

Of course, Shirou's main focus is on the former part.

After thinking for a long time, Shirou still couldn't come up with a solution.

Moreover, the battle this morning and the use of a lot of magic power have left Shirou feeling somewhat drowsy.

After all, they were so busy that they wolfed down their lunch before continuing to work, so naturally they didn't have time to rest.

Now, leaning back on the soft sofa in his dorm room, Shirou's mind gradually went blank.

"..."

In his dazed state, Shirou felt his consciousness gradually sinking.

He then opened his eyes and found himself in a world of ice and snow.

"Here it is?"

Shirou reached out and touched the falling snowflakes, but he didn't feel the slightest bit cold.

Even though he's not wearing a coat, he's just wearing a short-sleeved shirt and standing here, and he doesn't feel cold at all.

There wasn't even a tactile feel.

"This is the northern plains of Ursus."

Behind him, Shirou heard that familiar yet annoying voice.

"Archer? Is that you? What are you doing here?"

He knew who it was without even turning his body around.

After all, we've been speculating about this for a long time, but we just haven't gotten a definite answer yet.

"There is my remaining magic power on the Holy Shroud. Originally, it was just unconscious magic residue. I didn't expect that you would come into contact with the remaining magic power belonging to 'me' in this world, which is why you can move around like this now."

Standing behind Shirou, Archer looked at the busy crowd in their coats and spoke calmly.

As he said, what remains here is only a combination of remnants of magic and a wisp of consciousness that happened by chance. He has no way to interfere with the outside world, and he can't even see it.

At most, it can only draw Shirou Emiya's consciousness here when he is extremely exhausted.

However, he didn't have anything to say to the other person, so he didn't take the initiative to pull the other person over.

Although their relationship has improved somewhat, they still harbor a certain degree of dislike for each other.

After all, if someone's ideal self is negating the ideal they've always held onto, no one would feel good about that person.

Similarly, seeing your immature self doing stupid things in the past, it's reasonable to want to strangle that person and pretend they never existed.

If the fog in his original location hadn't become increasingly dense, he wouldn't have pulled Shirou Emiya's consciousness in to converse with him.

The fog was getting thicker, probably because the other side was starting to doubt them.

It's normal. It's perfectly normal for a normal person to feel doubtful about life after seeing the situation of an infected person.

Especially Shirou... or rather, the two of them couldn't ignore this kind of thing.

He didn't care; he'd seen a lot and could get used to things quickly.

But this guy is different. Although he has seen his parallel universe counterpart, it was just something he saw, not something he actually experienced.

If gaining more experience meant growing up, he wouldn't have chosen the path of becoming a guardian.

You can only understand many things by experiencing them firsthand.

"Your magic...? Ursus... Reunion Movement?"

With the other party's hint, Shirou roughly knew where Archer had been in the past.

After all, he had only been to Ursus once and had contact with the Reunion Movement members.

It must have been Alina. Back then, he always felt that something about Alina was attracting him; it was probably Archer's magic.

"Hmph, your mind has become sharper, that's great. If I were talking to you like before, I probably would have used up all my remaining magic power."

Seeing that Shirou had quickly figured it out, Archer gave a light snort.

He now understands perfectly well that Shirou will definitely take a different path from him.

After all, the two were in different environments, and even the worlds they lived in were different.

If it were the old Shirou, even if he had explained the topic clearly, the other party might still not have understood.

But in this cruel world, having a Hero of Justice might not be such a bad thing, right?

"... Aren't you talking about yourself too?"

Upon hearing the other party's words, Shirou chuckled and retorted.

They're both Shirou Emiya, so neither of them can say the other isn't!

"Ha, you know what I mean."

Archer was unmoved by Shirou's counterattack, and even gave a disdainful laugh.

"I'm not going to stoop to your level. Why am I even here?"

Knowing he couldn't win the argument, Shirou changed the subject.

How did he get here? And this scene before him must be a fragment of Archer's memory?

After all, he had never seen such a tall person wearing heavy armor and holding a large shield in his memory.

That person was probably the tallest he had ever seen.

"It's nothing. You probably have some psychological issues. Your thoughts and magic are all in a mess, so you came in."

Archer didn't say that he was the one who brought the other person in; instead, he blamed Shirou himself.

He is a remnant soul. Although a trace of magic sustains his existence, Shirou doesn't need him to live well here.

At least in the end, he had shown his companions the potential of Shirou Emiya. Although he would forget these things after waking up, they would still have some influence.

He has done what he needed to do and no longer needs to take care of the other person like a nanny.

"Hmm... I see?"

Upon hearing Archer's words, Shirou didn't have much doubt.

After all, he did have some things on his mind.

Something just felt off. Was this guy trying to fool him again?

"Although I don't know what happened to you, just stick to your own ideas and don't doubt yourself."

Looking at Shirou, who appeared much more mature than he remembered, Archer said.

This time, he didn't intend to stop the other party, nor did he need to.

After all, the other person is no longer someone with empty ideals; he now holds the key and is just waiting for him to push open the door.

"Stick to your own ideas?"

Shirou was somewhat surprised to hear Archer's words.

The guy who least wanted him to go down that path was actually encouraging him to keep going?

Is he dreaming?

Yes, he was indeed dreaming, but the dream felt a little too real.

At least the other person's mouth is truly sharp-tongued.

"As long as you firmly believe that your path is the right one, it will be right. Besides, you already have some ideas, but you haven't put them into action yet, have you?"

Archer waved his right hand gently, and the snowy landscape before him vanished instantly.

A person dressed in combat gear appeared before Shirou.

The moment he saw the other person, he knew that this was the scene before Archer died.

Her skin tone and hair had turned silvery white due to the Magecraft, but she still had a touch of innocence on her face.