Chapter 378

"Golden Flash will most likely kidnap and torture Matou Kariya." Saber seemed to understand Li Pu's thoughts and continued, "Or he might use Matou Kariya's life as leverage to force us out, but given that guy's personality, he will most likely just rush over here."

"He didn't come simply because Tokiomi is still alive. Tokiomi would definitely hinder his actions, so he's waiting for this obstacle to be removed."

"Do we need to protect Tokiomi?"

"Protect Tokiomi ..." Li Pu shook his head and said, "Rather than protecting Tokiomi, we should protect Matou Kariya. He seems to be in much better shape than in the original story. But if he is burdened with this crime, distrusted by the person he loves, and blamed by the person he loves, it could very well lead to a rapid mental breakdown. Even if he doesn't break down, things might not be better."

"And there's something about us that's not in our best interest: 'fate'! They basically believe that our fate is determined by us."

It's hard to say whether I'll become the next scapegoat, and the fragile alliance between me and Matou Kariya could break down at any moment.

"Can we miss this time?" MEI asked.

"I don't think so," Li Pu said. "The four battles lasted for about half a month, or about fifteen days. So this is very likely to happen within the next two or three days. Golden Flash has to prepare for the upcoming decisive battle, and before that, he will definitely arrange for Kirei Kotomine to eliminate Tokiomi. Moreover, this is a very important part of his guidance of Kirei Kotomine."

"Then why don't we postpone the maintenance?" Cecilia suddenly interjected. "Since we can't discuss the Holy Grail War, why can't we postpone the maintenance?"

"Impossible!" MEI disagreed. "If it's just the system customer service representative herself, we can keep at it until then. But if she has someone behind her, even if we just ignore it, she'll definitely take the initiative to 'maintain' and suspend all services. At that point, we might not even get the 'benefits' she mentioned. And there must be someone behind this plotting for her."

"Then let's take a gamble," suggested the Soul of the Underworld. "Our current concern is Gilgamesh, not anyone else."

"Isn't Gilgamesh doing this because he wants to marry you?" said the Soul of the Underworld, his face a mixture of amusement and suppressed laughter. "So even if he finds his way here, he won't do anything to you. At most, he'll just trap you, nothing more. So we can take a gamble, or if all else fails, we can hide. So far, apart from Matou Kariya and Sakura Matou, no one knows you are that Goddess."

"Moreover, it seems to me that the system is forcing us to gamble."

MEI nodded in agreement, saying, "The system has been trying to create difficulties for us. This time, there's no way we can get through it peacefully. In that case, let's make a bet!"

"Delay Matou Kariya and try to stop him from doing anything further. We are still allies, and there are many things we can tell him while he is still lucid."

"Then we gambled on whether this would happen in the next two or three days, and took another gamble on Gilgamesh's actions."

Should he gamble? Li Pu felt he had no other choice but to take the gamble with this system. Besides, he wasn't necessarily going to lose; just as Mei had said, he still had a good chance of winning.

"Oh, right~ Li Pu- chan~" Kallen patted Li Pu on the shoulder when she saw that he had made a decision and said, "Don't forget, you're not completely without fighting power yourself."

"You are now Herrscher, and as Herrscher, you can summon Honkai Beast. Of course, you can also try to develop your own Herrscher abilities during these three days."

"Yes!" MEI nodded and said, "Our chances of winning are still very high."

"We must get the benefits!"

"Only three days!"

Chapter 49 Odd Changes, Even Remains the Same

Three days, one change.

This is a reality that Li Pu has to accept.

This system is indeed different in some ways. Although he felt that the person talking to him was the same person, it was obvious that the system's style of doing things was quite different from the one he initially knew.

If it were the previous style, there's a high chance I could get this upgrade for free.

On the surface, this appears to be a freebie, but there's definitely a hidden danger lurking beneath. Li Pu isn't the type to try and get everything for free. But this time, everything the system does seems a little too reasonable.

Previously, Li Pu always noticed something illogical about how this system did things.

But this time, the whole set of measures that seemed so reasonable actually looked so unreasonable.

There are no other options now, just as MEI guessed. The system is explicitly telling us for the first time that we can't choose to ignore the issue. Whether we agree or disagree, the upgrade will proceed, and the character will be unusable for the next three days.

If you agree to the upgrade voluntarily, you will receive some compensation; if you are upgraded involuntarily, there will be no compensation.

The answer was firm and unquestionable, leaving Li Pu with almost no other options.

Therefore, Li Pu naturally chose to agree to the compensation, and his countermeasure was to endure any danger for three days. He would absolutely not switch roles. As long as he could survive these three days, he would have won a round.

When maintenance began, Li Pu did not choose to stop.

Three days later, I will upgrade my DIY skills. Now I just need to gather the materials I need for DIY.

Matou Kariya responsibly helped Li Pu collect part of the money.

"The remaining deliveries will be sent out gradually over the next few days," Matou Kariya said. "I..."

He stopped halfway through his sentence, as if he wanted to say something else but felt he should say something he shouldn't. Li Pu naturally noticed Matou Kariya's strange expression.

"Speak," Li Pu said. He wasn't entirely indifferent; since Matou Kariya was still his ally, there were some things he needed to ask.

"What kind of problem do you seem to be facing?"

A problem? That's true. Matou Kariya asked, "How should I announce this to the public? What is the purpose of purchasing these things?"

"You said you wanted to open an internet cafe," Li Pu replied without hesitation. "But why are you suddenly asking this question? Did someone ask you?"

To be honest, opening an internet cafe does have a certain connection to this. And importantly, it seems that Magecraft and tech enthusiasts... there's a slight inability to understand each other.

While it's not that there aren't many people who are completely ignorant of technology, there don't seem to be many, right? Anyway, they might not be able to see anything from that.

The fact that they suddenly became concerned about this matter makes the situation more complicated.

"Someone you know," Matou Kariya replied, "Kirei Kotomine, the Master of Assassin!"

'Kirei Kotomine?' Li Pu was taken aback. Kirei Kotomine —he had expected to face this guy. But he hadn't expected it to happen so soon! Judging from the current situation, the Holy Grail War was past its midpoint and was gradually drawing to a close.

Regardless of their reasons for embarking on the Holy Grail War, Master are now beginning to reap their own rewards.

Kirei Kotomine will come looking for Matou Kariya sooner or later, otherwise it will be difficult for him to find a suitable murderer for Tohsaka Tokiomi's death.

"What are you thinking about?" Matou Kariya, noticing Li Pu's thoughtful expression.

"I don't think he just asked you why you're buying these things," Li Pu replied. "I think he didn't ask, but rather told you something. Your real concern isn't finding a reasonable reason for your purchases; you want to ask me about what's going on afterward."

"He said he could create an opportunity," Matou Kariya said, "To let me talk to Tohsaka Tokiomi face to face."

"I'm a little unsure what to do."

"Oh~" Li Pu said, as if he had expected it, "This matter..."

"Do you have any suggestions?" Matou Kariya asked.

"Suggestions?" Li Pu leaned against the box behind him and said, "I don't have many suggestions, but if you want to hear Tohsaka Tokiomi's answer from me, I can tell you what that answer is."

"What's the answer?" Matou Kariya asked anxiously.

"Since you asked, the answer can be both complex and simple," Li Pu explained. "Your idea isn't entirely wrong. But it's not entirely wrong for an ordinary family. However, as a family of Magecraft, your ideas obviously won't work. The first priority of a family of Magecraft is inheritance, and only then is love. And inheritance will only be passed on to the eldest son, not the second son."

This is the legacy of a Magecraft family in this world, clearly demonstrated by the master's fiancée and Sakura.

Because only the eldest son can inherit Magic Circuits, even if the second son has good aptitude, he cannot inherit them.

"The Matou Family is different from other families," Li Pu said. "Whether it's you or your brother, you're just an alternative for Matou Zouken. He himself is the true heir of the Matou Family; everyone else is just a puppet. Since they're puppets, they can be much more unrestrained. But other families are different; it's a matter of succession, from one generation to the next. He values tradition more than you do."

"Sakura is the second daughter, and her attributes are not suitable for the Matou Family. At least in Tohsaka Tokiomi's opinion, doing this will greatly prevent Sakura's Magecraft from being wasted."

"From his own perspective," Li Pu said, spreading his hands, "This is called a win-win situation. The eldest daughter inherits the family business, and the second daughter inherits the Matou Family. The Tohsaka Family wins twice. As for whether he anticipated the Matou Family's situation, that's hard to say."

"After saying all that, this is the answer. I know you don't agree, but if you go to Tohsaka Tokiomi, you'll get the same answer."

"If he can speak while still alive, then you can see ghosts."

"Alive or ghost?" Matou Kariya was about to speak, but was startled by Li Pu's words.

"What do you mean?" Matou Kariya asked, puzzled.

"The literal meaning," Li Pu said. "Everyone participates in the Holy Grail War for different reasons, and so do the Heroic Spirit. Although Kirei Kotomine doesn't outwardly reveal his purpose, and seems to be simply obeying his teacher and helping him achieve victory, Kirei Kotomine and Gilgamesh share some personality similarities, while Gilgamesh and Tohsaka Tokiomi don't have much interaction. In fact, you could say that Gilgamesh doesn't particularly like Tohsaka Tokiomi."

"So Gilgamesh will eventually get rid of the boring Tohsaka Tokiomi and choose someone with more interaction with him."

"You mean Tohsaka's Servant is having an affair with his own apprentice?" Matou Kariya couldn't believe it, but when he saw Li Pu nod, he suddenly burst into laughter. The laughter was a little eerie, but it was also very hearty.

It felt like it had been a long time since I had laughed so freely.

"What a cruel twist of fate," Matou Kariya laughed. "Tokiomi, who risked everything to win the Holy Grail War, actually died from a betrayal by his own Servant and disciple."

"Haahahahaha!"

"In that case, I'm even more determined to go and see for myself." Matou Kariya finally stopped and said with a laugh, "To see how he becomes a joke."

"If you're just here to watch the show, I don't recommend you go," Li Pu said. "Don't think that Kirei Kotomine is asking you to go out of kindness so you can watch him make a fool of himself; you're just another sacrifice he's prepared."

"What do you mean?" Matou Kariya asked back.

"Master can die in the Holy Grail War, but Master cannot die without knowing why," Li Pu replied. "You and Tohsaka Tokiomi are at odds, so you have a reason to kill him. Tohsaka Tokiomi doesn't think much of you, so he might underestimate you when dealing with you and end up losing due to carelessness. Kirei Kotomine, he is both a disciple and an ally, so he is definitely not a suspect."

"But in order to make this an ironclad case, he still needs a witness. On the one hand, to witness the scene of the tragedy, and on the other hand, to create an alibi for himself."

"Who do you think would be a better fit?" Li Pu countered.

Who? Looking at Li Pu's somewhat sarcastic expression, Matou Kariya instantly remembered someone.

"Masaka!"

"Congratulations, you're Masaka." Li Pu said with a sneer, "No one is more suitable than her, and as I said, you are also one of the sacrifices. He'd be happy to see you in a situation where you're surrounded by men, men on top of men, and men on both sides. Anyway, she'll be mentally unstable after this, and as for you, I think you'll also fall into chaos, or even collapse directly."

Matou Kariya was stunned; he stood there blankly, as if he had lost his soul.

It took him a long while to react. He grabbed Li Pu's shoulder and said, "You are the Goddess of Fate, right? Since you told me, you must have a way to solve this, right?"

"Yes." Li Pu said coldly, "Tragedy is basically unavoidable, but it can be largely prevented from going to a deeper abyss. You either don't show up, or you arrive late, or you put aside past grievances and stop Kirei Kotomine's actions."

"Of course, you shouldn't even think about the last one. The simplest way is to ignore it and pretend you don't know anything. Kirei Kotomine definitely won't come out and say anything. He can only suffer in silence."

"As for the middle option," Li Pu added, "I suggest you think carefully about why you want to go and prepare evidence that you weren't there. Of course, these aren't the most important things. The most important thing is that you don't break down."

"Because Kirei Kotomine might not let you off so easily, and he will definitely do his best to frame you. At the same time, she will be unable to think clearly due to the shock, and will one-sidedly believe things that seem to have some possibility."

"More importantly, you yourself must not break down."

"And also, you're hurting me!"

Chapter Fifty: Changes in the Old Man

A: Don't be a coward, just do it! Let's go!

B-O-Likes, what a load of rubbish! You're just a coward, get out of here!

Li Pu was left with only these two options. He didn't believe that Kirei Kotomine would specifically seek out Kariya at this time just for pleasure. He must have other motives, such as finding him on Golden Flash's behalf.

At that point, the options available to you are extremely limited.

The options are: take the initiative and fight without hesitation, or take action only to run away as a coward.

So which one should I choose?

Berserker working for him practically confirms his alliance with Matou Kariya, and it's only a matter of time before Golden Flash comes knocking. If he can't protect Matou Kariya this time, it will be difficult to use the Matou Family mansion or find a stable patron in the future. Although Kiritsugu is someone he could try.

However, as things stand Matou Kariya is still a pretty good option.

If he can be saved, at least I'll have a safe place to stand before the Holy Grail War ends.

However, without the support of other characters, it would be extremely dangerous to rashly intervene in this matter. On the other hand, running away, although it seems shameful, is at least somewhat useful.

Moreover, I still have a backup plan.

How do you plan to introduce me?

Sitting in a Honda Fit, Li Pu was surprised that Matou Kariya was driving this car. He pulled on his seatbelt and said, "I'm not from the Holy Grail War, so my identity should at least be somewhat reasonable, right?"

"Don't be a coward, just do it." Li Pu ultimately chose to embark on this path.

Sometimes, what you fear most is what happens; the more you fear it, the more likely it is to come to you. So, in this situation, don't be a coward, just do it. Besides, you've already become an 'ordinary person,' and Kirei Kotomine and Golden Flash might not even notice you.

Well, it's basically about thinking in reverse.

The more you hide, the more likely they are to find you; conversely, the more you appear close to them, the less likely they are to notice you.

This could be considered a case of the blind spot being right under one's nose.

"You're my journalist friend." Matou Kariya took out a press card and said, "Although it's a fake card, I asked my friend to temporarily register you under their TV station, so your information is 'real' if they want to check."

"Just say you're a reporter from Tokyo Electric Power Company, here to follow up on all sorts of bizarre events, and insist on coming with me no matter what."

"Tokyo Electric Power Company?" Upon hearing the name, Li Pu immediately thought of a joke. He asked right away, "Are you talking about Tokyo Electric Power Company, the one where others broadcast news and they broadcast anime, others broadcast natural disasters and they broadcast anime, others broadcast the prime minister's speech and they broadcast anime?"

"Oh?" Matou Kariya said, somewhat surprised, "How did you know?"

"That's true!" Li Pu didn't answer, but said, "You're quite something."

"I'm a photographer, unlike those who only play with equipment." At this Matou Kariya said with pride, "I have many friends in the media."