Seeing this, Li Ye briefly explained the origins of the Crusaders and their main conflict with the Round Table to Sanzang.
"Oh--"
Sanzang nodded as if she understood.
Li Ye had no idea whether Sanzang truly understood, but judging by her expression, she probably was not too far off.
After explaining it to Sanzang, Li Ye turned back to the Magus. "Setting aside your cryptic words, are you unwilling to reveal information about the remaining Crusaders, or do you simply not know?"
After a long silence, the Magus spoke, but what he said made little sense. Li Ye caught the scent of a change of subject.
Li Ye was curious what reason could make the previously cooperative Magus want to shift the topic.
"Before I left, one hundred and thirty-seven knights were standing by there, and their numbers were still increasing. Under the operation of the three Alekas, the workshop was continuously producing Chimeras.
"I do not know what the situation is like now."
The Magus's reason was unexpectedly honest, and Li Ye was quite satisfied with what he had said.
"Using the workshop to transform large numbers of Chimeras... you must have used quite a few people. Did you use Refugees or Crusader knights?"
Li Ye rubbed his chin and asked with interest.
Based on Aleka's performance that time, making Chimeras required living material. Although he did not know how an individual's quality affected the final product, the quantity used would certainly affect it.
The Crusaders' method of creating Chimeras required living humans as essential materials. The consumption was undoubtedly enormous.
"We used both. The standard materials for producing a normal Chimera are three knights and four ordinary people..."
Aleka's standards that time were quite high...
Li Ye immediately thought of how Aleka had used more than a dozen Crusader knights to create a Chimera, and even the corpses in the end had been fused by Magie Friedman.
It seems the more that are fused, the better the quality of the Chimera produced. That Dragon-headed Chimera must have taken more than twenty people...
Li Ye recalled the Dragon-headed Chimera he had encountered earlier. Though he had not fought it, its imposing presence and magical energy fluctuations indicated that it was anything but ordinary.
One Dragon-headed Chimera might not amount to much, but the Crusaders could probably mass-produce such monsters.
Even if limited by population, they could still raise a powerful Chimera army.
"Other than that, are there no others? For example, anyone with strength comparable to a Servant?"
By this point, Li Ye had finally gained a clear picture of the Crusaders' remnants.
For Li Ye alone, they could prove extremely troublesome.
After all, two fists could not defeat four hands. Even with the Holy Grail's infinite magical energy, Li Ye's limits were basically clear at this point.
Aside from the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, the strongest attack Li Ye could currently bring out was the Lightning Tree.
Its preparation time was far too long, and the burden on his Dragon Heart and body was unprecedented. Even now, Li Ye's body had yet to recover from the backlash of releasing it.
Combined with its attack range, which even covered Li Ye himself, it was essentially an indiscriminate self-destruct attack.
Furthermore, because it was pure Mana Burst, the Lightning Tree lacked any boosts from technique or mystery. Unlike the Noble Phantasms of Servants such as Vlad the Third, it could not receive numerous enhancements.
Whether Noble Phantasms forged from deeds in life or armaments possessed during life, most received a certain degree of enhancement after becoming Servants.
Other than existences like the Lion King, who had already been exceptionally powerful in life, becoming a Servant generally only weakened them.
That was because the Spirit Origin of a conventionally summoned Servant had an upper limit and could not contain excessively powerful strength.
Li Ye could not enjoy the various benefits of becoming a Servant. As the Person of the Present, the only direction open to him was to push the realm of the living to its limit.
"I do not know. After I was born, I remained in the workshop, receiving knowledge and training. After that, I left the workshop and came here."
Was there no need for him to go outside?
Li Ye glanced at the Magus in the deep pit. "You know where the Magecraft Workshop you were born in is, right?"
Finally, there was the most crucial matter: the location of the Crusaders' remnants.
Li Ye had never been able to figure out where the Crusaders' remnant base was. Whether it was concealment, magical energy supply, or terrain, it all seemed impossible.
Where in this Singularity were there so many locations that met those conditions?
"I know. Beneath those mountains."
The Magus's answer brought the interrogation to its end.
"Wait, the mountains you mean are that barren mountain range?"
Startled by the Magus's words, Li Ye could not help gesturing with his hand, only to receive the Magus's confirmation.
Seeing that, Li Ye pinched his chin and clicked his tongue unconsciously.
On this land, there was only one place that could be called a mountain range.
The mountains where Hassan and the Mountain Folk lived.
Li Ye had suspected that they might be hiding in the mountains, but without decisive evidence, he could only leave it as a guess.
But after receiving confirmation from the Magus, the doubts in Li Ye's heart regarding the Crusaders' remnant base were all resolved.
Looking at the bedraggled Magus, Li Ye realized that he seemed to have nothing more to ask.
Judging from the Magus's intelligence, apart from the person calling himself the Lionheart King and some possibly existing Servants, the Crusaders' remnants were simply a Chimera horde.
By then, Li Ye had already thought of a countermeasure.
A sure-fire strategy that would guarantee victory.
The enemy outnumbered them. After thinking it over, Li Ye chose to call for reinforcements.
Even if two fists could not defeat four hands, Li Ye could simply return to the Holy City and invite Gawain and Lancelot—or bring out all the Knights of the Round Table.
The Knights of the Round Table, blessed by the Lion King, were already among the strongest forces in this Singularity. With all of them mobilized, they could easily crush the Crusaders' remnants.
Gawain, the Sun Knight, with his usual threefold boost, and Lancelot, the strongest of the Round Table.
Li Ye did not even dare imagine how powerful those two would be together.
Thinking that, Li Ye immediately smiled. "You should stop staying down there too. Come up and come with us."
After the Magus climbed out of the deep pit, Li Ye, who had pondered for a long time, slowly spoke. "My apologies, Master Sanzang. Our next destination may have to change."
Originally, Li Ye had planned to take Sanzang to the Holy City to find food and water, while also making it the first stop of Sanzang's journey through the Singularity so she could conduct her so-called observation.
But after the matter with the Magus, Li Ye no longer thought that way.
He wanted to return to the City of Chalk—Camelot.
To seek an audience with the Lion King!
The sooner the Crusaders' remnants were dealt with, the better. Dragging things out would not only allow the Crusaders' remnants to accumulate military strength; the greatest harm would be suffered by the people who belonged to this land.
Every Chimera born represented living lives sacrificed.
Li Ye knew full well that the deaths occurring on this land should never have happened. Other than the Holy Selection carried out by the Lion King, which could not be avoided, slaughter like that committed by the Crusaders was something Li Ye could completely stop.
"Huh? Then where are we going?"
Sanzang did not feel that anything was wrong. She was merely curious about where they would head next.
Facing Sanzang's question, Li Ye chuckled. "Master Sanzang, it seems I have never formally introduced myself to you.
The past can no longer be pursued. My current identity is--
Li Ye, the Foreign Knight, last seat of the Round Table under the Lion King."
"As for our next stop, it is naturally the pure white land of ideals, the City of Chalk—Camelot!"