Chapter 364

Now look at this drain, and then look at Rider and Waver, it's definitely not bad.

"Does the Goddess also know that this is the Caster workshop?" Waver asked.

"Yes," Li Pu nodded. "My search team found human remains here, and..."

Li Pu's lips twitched. She involuntarily covered her nose and looked at the drain with disgust, saying, "I can already smell the strong stench of blood coming from inside. Given Caster's character, this should be his lair."

"The smell of blood?" Waver immediately sniffed hard twice and said, "I can't smell anything."

"No need to smell it." Li Pu floated to Waver's side and said, "My sense of smell is more than ten thousand times better than yours. I can smell even the faintest scent."

The Goddess is far superior to humans in every aspect. Her perception, sense of smell, and hearing are all far superior to those of ordinary people! She can smell the faint scent of blood mixed in with just the airflow blowing from the drain.

"My suggestion is to call the police before you go in," Li Pu suggested.

"Why?" Waver countered, "This is the Holy Grail War, it must be conducted in secrecy, and ordinary people cannot be involved."

"Do you think the current situation has anything to do with the secrets?" Li Pu asked rhetorically. "I just want to say that after we destroy Caster's lair, let's also give peace to the children who were killed by Caster and her Master."

"At least their parents can gather their child's remains," Li Pu sighed. "Instead of leaving them to weep over an empty grave."

Li Pu suddenly felt that it would have been so much better if he hadn't known the plot.

Knowing the plot will reveal what's left in this story.

If I were only watching from a screen, it would just be a fleeting glance. But it's only when I'm actually there that I feel a sense of guilt. I've actually been to Fuyuki City several times already.

In fact, I always had the opportunity and ability to prevent the tragedy from happening.

But...

But I did nothing.

Although none of this is actually related to me, sometimes the greater your power, the stronger the guilt may be when you know something will happen but do nothing about it.

"It seems even Goddess have their sentimental moments." The King of Conquerors, as if reading Li Pu's mind, patted Li Pu on the back and said, "It seems you want to shoulder all the responsibility yourself."

"Cough cough cough~" Li Pu's small body couldn't quite take the force of the King of Conquerors's slap. She coughed and glared angrily at the King of Conquerors.

"Hahaha~" the King of Conquerors said nonchalantly, "Cheer up, my queen!"

"If you really feel guilty about those things, then just kill Caster."

"Raze his stronghold to the ground and send him to hell to repent for those he killed!"

P. S.: A cat's meow, or "meow meow," is indeed a sound developed to communicate with humans. Furthermore, because this sound is similar to that of a baby and evokes a protective instinct in humans, cats specifically use this sound to communicate with humans.

PS: The situation with dogs is a bit more complicated.

PS: Furthermore, dogs have co-evolved with humans for a long time, so they understand humans very well. There's a similar hierarchy of discrimination within the canine world. A notable example is the discrimination working dogs face towards pet dogs. Working dogs know they are working, and they have a desire to perform and show off in front of their juniors. Interestingly, they know they will retire, and after retirement, they may experience depression and psychological problems due to feeling useless and abandoned. Therefore, trainers who care for these retired dogs manipulate their emotions to make them believe they are still working.

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Meeting of the Three Kings is Coming

In Caster's lair, deep inside the drain, lies the first enormous reservoir.

Li Pu still saw everything she least wanted to see.

That was something that made Waver vomit and lose his composure. This was also the first time Li Pu had faced all of this. It wasn't just one or two pieces of debris, but a whole bunch. You could hardly count them, and probably didn't want to.

Fear and despair were still written on those remaining faces and eyes.

Even after she came out of there, those things lingered in her mind for a long time.

It wasn't until he heard the distant sound of police sirens that Li Pu slowly came back to his senses.

"I always felt that you weren't the Goddess I imagined," Rider asked, looking at Li Pu as he gradually recovered.

"Different?" Li Pu chuckled self-deprecatingly and said, "Why should I be the same as you imagine?"

"Ah... well..." Rider scratched his head and said, "How should I put it, I always felt that you must be a veteran of many battles. Because in myths and legends, your appearance foreshadowed the end of the golden age of the gods and the beginning of Ragnarok. You must have witnessed a magnificent era, and you must have witnessed those fallen gods, the battlefields littered with corpses and the dead spirits."

"So..." Rider didn't know how to continue.

"Hahaha~" Li Pu chuckled dryly and said, "From my own perspective, I have experienced a lot of battles and seen a lot of things, and I have gradually gotten to where I am today. But some things should be kept separate."

"If Caster had harvested enemy heads and piled them up into a mound, I might be angry but wouldn't say much," Li Pu shook his head and said, "But what about those unarmed children..."

"Moreover, these children are indeed unrelated to the Holy Grail War, and the reason why the vast majority of them were killed has nothing to do with the Holy Grail War. They were simply killing! They were just pursuing the pleasure that killing brought them to satisfy their desires and fantasies!"

Li Pu gritted his teeth and said, "And actually, I knew from the beginning that these things would happen. I could have stopped them! I was here before the Holy Grail War even started, and I could have intervened then."

"But I did nothing," Li Pu said. "Nothing, I just let these things happen."

"I may not have intended to protect anything..." Li Pu said, looking at his hands, "It just suddenly dawned on me that when I had the opportunity and the ability to do something, I did nothing. I let a tragedy, which I knew would happen, unfold..."

"This is not the work of Goddess..."

It wasn't the work of the Valkyrie. In the Honkai world, the Valkyrie fight to protect this beautiful world. I drew Kallen, who fights for the common people; Mei, who dedicates her life to ending the Honkai; Cecilia, who sacrifices herself to protect ordinary people; and Belldandy, who rejoices in the happiness of others.

So no matter how much they act, they are still very different from them in essence.

Moreover, because I couldn't leave the role of Belldandy, I was forced to become Belldandy and embark on a different path from Belldandy. That's probably why.

Looking at myself, I really am a bit selfish and heartless.

"Hmph!" Rider snorted and said, "I don't know what you're thinking. If I had to choose, I would prefer to choose you, who fought Lancer and Caster. You are powerful, mysterious, and absolutely confident."

"So what if we didn't stop it?" Rider retorted. "If we make a big mistake because we couldn't stop it before, instead of wallowing in self-blame here, we should look forward! What's done is done, so we might as well quickly wipe Caster out and stop that guy from harming the area!"

"This is what you, as Goddess, should do," Rider said. "You represent the present; in legend, you are vibrant and energetic, with your gaze fixed straight ahead. You represent fairness and justice, the Goddess who wields the law. What has happened is done; since it has already occurred, let the guilty be judged and punished by the law! This sentimental stuff..."

"This doesn't seem like something you Belldandy, should be doing! It feels more like something your sister Urd, should be doing."

'Urd...' Li Pu looked at Rider, then at the police who had gathered on the ground and the string of flashing lights. If that were the case, Urd wouldn't seem to be sighing like this now.

"You're right." Li Pu said, regaining his composure, "Let's prepare for war and send Caster and his Master to hell to repent for their sins!"

"Hahahaha!" Rider burst into laughter, saying, "That's more like it! That's Goddess!"

Waver was standing nearby, sighed. He felt there was a significant generation gap between them and couldn't understand what they were saying at all.

"Speaking of Belldandy, do you know where Caster will appear next?" Waver finally found an opportunity to ask the question he wanted to ask. "It seems that Caster is not going to return to this lair."

"Are you referring to Caster's new workshop or the next attack?" Li Pu countered.

"I think so," Waver said.

"If we're talking about a new workshop, the remaining time in the Holy Grail War isn't enough for Caster to build a complete workshop," Li Pu said. "So he might be homeless and wandering around for a while, most likely hiding in some abandoned building."

"But after fighting me this battle, I estimate he probably won't hide for long, and will come out in the next day or two."

"Use your most powerful means to retaliate against me."

Because in his eyes he was the Goddess who bewitched Jeanne of Jeanne and wove her tragic fate, his summoning of the sea monster in the original work speaks volumes. In the original work, there is no god for him to vent his anger and discontent.

Now that he has such a target here, he will definitely seek revenge.

"Oh, in that case, let's rest a bit and prepare for the next battle." Rider rubbed his shoulder and said, "Oh, speaking of which..."

"My Queen, may I use the courtyard of your grand castle?"

"I'd like to throw a cocktail party."

Chapter Twenty-Four: This Was a Beautiful Death

If we were to name two things that almost every time traveler in Fate/Zero gets involved in, what would they be?

Of course, that includes the Rin incident and the Three Kings Meeting.

The previous one, Rin, attracted a bunch of admirers with her own charm... a genius transmigrator who went there just to get some recognition. Li Pu was different; she wasn't particularly interested in Rin. This little heroine, who left a deep impression on many readers and transmigrators, and was a must-see for transmigrators, didn't hold much sway with Li Pu.

Perhaps it's because they have different tastes; Li Pu doesn't really like Rin's type of kid.

Moreover, since she knew that Rin's situation had turned out alright, she didn't think about going to find Rin, even though she knew that she could roughly determine Caster and her Master's new residence through Rin.

However, there is a problem with this matter: Rin's actions not only put herself in danger but also alerted Caster and her Master.

By the time we find Rin and then take action, the place will likely be deserted; Caster won't stay there for long.

Most importantly, the search and tracking methods that Li Pu currently possesses are quite limited. Birds do not have abstract concepts; you have to give them concrete concepts. Mammals mainly rely on smell when recognizing humans.

The concept of "red pigtails" is something birds cannot directly comprehend, and cats cannot see the color red.

This caused great inconvenience to Li Pu's search.

Faced with something that offered no real advantage and was merely a fan meeting, Li Pu naturally didn't take it seriously, focusing instead on the Three Kings Meeting.

"You mean Rider asked to borrow our yard for a party?" Kiritsugu said in surprise upon hearing this news from Li Pu. "How could he think of that?"

Even if Rider is known for his outgoing and unconventional personality, Kiritsugu was genuinely shocked by the idea of throwing a party on enemy territory! It was an idea that would take at least ten years of brain damage to come up with.

"A test, a demonstration, or reconnaissance?" Kiritsugu pondered the question carefully. "What exactly does Iskandar want?"

"They should all be true," Li Pu said. "For Rider, his greatest strength is also his greatest weakness. He doesn't have a suitable base of operations. With his Master by his side, he can ensure the safety of his Master, but at the same time, the Master is also his weakness, and he has to devote some energy to protecting him."

"Given this situation, he can't act recklessly; he needs to proceed cautiously step by step," Li Pu explained. "Borrowing our place allows him to observe our defensive capabilities and also helps him determine his next strategy, such as who his allies will be in the near future and who he must deal with quickly."

Iskandar was a man who appeared rough on the outside but was meticulous on the inside.

This...

This doesn't align with Iskandar's historical origins, not in terms of his meticulousness. Rather, historically, Rider was depicted as a beautiful young man, a well-educated member of royalty. Therefore, while his personality might be forthright, he was certainly not a rude or uncouth individual.

The emperors here, however, seem to have risen from humble beginnings.

More recklessness and less thoughtfulness.

However, it seems that Heroic Spirit cannot be entirely regarded as heroes themselves. They are special individuals born from the combined influence of their original nature and later legends. They cannot be entirely regarded as the original, most primitive concept.

From this perspective, Iskandar's actions are quite reasonable.

"What does the Foreigner think?" Kiritsugu asked.

"My opinion is to let him come," Li Pu said. "Given Rider's personality, he's not asking for my opinion. He doesn't even intend to ask if we agree to lend him the yard. He'll definitely come if we agree, and he'll come even more if we disagree."

"Oh, I know." Kiritsugu said, seemingly understanding. "He enjoys the thrill of conquest; he seems like a Genghis Khan-like figure."

"If you put it that way, you really do have a bit of that," Li Pu nodded and said, "This King of Conquerors does indeed have a bit of Genghis Khan's feel to him."

"I understand." Kiritsugu nodded and said, "Since we can't stop him, let him come. Anyway, this place will soon be of little use. If possible, try to probe as much as possible. If we can find out Rider's purpose and trump cards, that would be best. If we can't find out, we should at least make them think that this is our base and they will not leave."

"I understand," Li Pu replied.

It seems Kiritsugu is planning to hide himself again, which is actually Kiritsugu intention from the very beginning. He uses his wife, who is in the public eye, to conceal himself in the shadows, and the Einzbern Castle, which is in the public eye, to conceal his true whereabouts.

However, it was precisely this very strategy that allowed Kiritsugu to reach the end.

Those who are more straightforward usually die halfway through the journey.

"Oh, right." Kiritsugu was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something and asked, "Foreigner, do you know Caster's Master?"

"Ryunosuke," Li Pu said directly. "He's probably an orange-haired guy who usually wears clothes that are mainly purple. He's a young man who looks somewhat kind. If you only look at his face, you wouldn't be able to tell that he's the one who has committed many evils and caused the current cases of missing children in Fuyuki City."

"Are there any other characteristics?" Kiritsugu asked again.

"If you were to point out any other distinguishing features..." Li Pu closed her eyes, trying to recall the few fragments of information she had about Ryunosuke. After a moment's thought, she said, "Probably that he really likes to laugh. And his smile..."

Li Pu didn't know how to describe those few impressions, but Ryunosuke was indeed a person who liked to laugh.

But his laughter wasn't a cruel, twisted laugh, nor was it the unrestrained, hearty laugh of an emperor. His laughter...

"If you see someone with orange hair, purple clothes, and a slightly goofy smile, they should be sent to a mental hospital," Li Pu concluded. "That's undoubtedly Ryunosuke."

"Hmm." Kiritsugu noted down Li Pu's descriptions.

But he didn't turn around and leave immediately; he seemed to have some questions he wanted to ask.

He stared at Li Pu was floating in the air, for a while before saying, "Foreigner, may I ask you a rather... perhaps a little offensive question?"

"Go ahead and say it," Li Pu said, a little puzzled. She wasn't Kiritsugu would ask such a question. She just felt it might be related to the persona she had painstakingly cultivated, but she wasn't too worried. After all, a persona is just a persona; it won't become the real you. With Kiritsugu's keen observation skills, he should have noticed the discrepancy between himself and his persona long ago.

There's no harm in asking now.

"Actually, you don't know everything, and you don't know everyone, right?" Kiritsugu asked.

"Oh?" This question surprised Li Pu a little. Did she seem to have overlooked something?

"I was just thinking that if you knew everything about Caster's Master, you should have been able to kill Master by now," Kiritsugu asked. "Actually, you only know the general situation and not his exact location, right?"

"That's right." Li Pu readily admitted, "Actually, I don't know everyone in this world, nor do I know their past. After all, there are so many people born and die in the world, I can't possibly remember everyone, nor do I have the energy to get to know everyone."

"But why are you asking this?"