Within Chaldea, there had only been three successful cases of Heroic Spirit summoning.
In other words, Chaldea had already had three Servants.
And according to what Mashu had said...
"The Heroic Spirit who fused with me was Experimental Subject No. 2."
Mashu told Luo Zhen this.
"Before being swallowed by the fire in the Control Room, that Heroic Spirit proposed a contract to me and transferred all his abilities and Noble Phantasm as a Heroic Spirit to me. In return, he hoped that I could eliminate the Singularities and save the Human Order."
That was why Mashu had gained power and become a Pseudo-Servant.
This also made Luo Zhen understand.
"I see. Since the experimental subject agreed of his own accord, the experiment naturally succeeded, right?"
In this world, the most difficult experiments to complete were none other than experiments in which the subjects refused to cooperate.
Since the experimental subject had cooperated fully, the difficulty of the experiment would naturally decrease.
That was how Mashu had finally become a Pseudo-Servant.
"Fortunately, I had formed a contract with you before the Spiritron Transfer."
Mashu said this.
"If I hadn't obtained a Command Seal through the contract, you wouldn't have been able to summon me here, Senpai."
Perhaps because the adjustments for the Spiritron Transfer had not yet been completed and an error had occurred, Luo Zhen and Mashu had been separated during the Spiritron Transfer and sent to different locations.
If Luo Zhen had not decisively used a Command Seal, he would have died at the hands of that unknown Archer.
However...
"To issue a command on the level of Spatial Transfer with just one Command Seal, as expected of you, Senpai."
Mashu looked at Luo Zhen with admiration.
Forcibly transferring a Servant from another space was something that should have exceeded the power of a single Command Seal in Chaldea.
Yet Luo Zhen had managed to accomplish it.
It was an astonishing feat, but also one that made perfect sense.
The strength of a Servant would be greatly influenced by the abilities of the Master.
The more capable the Master, the more magical energy the Servant could obtain from them, allowing the Servant to display even greater power.
The same applied to Command Seals.
The more capable the Master, the more pronounced the effects of the Command Seals would be.
For example, when using a Command Seal, issuing an instantaneous or specific command would produce a high degree of coercive force.
Commands such as "Defeat the enemy before you," "Heal my injuries," or "Come to me" were extremely clear and could be carried out with certainty.
Conversely, if the command had too long a time limit or too broad a scope, the effect of the Command Seal would be reduced.
For example, a command such as "Obey everything I say" had both too long a duration and too broad a scope. If it could be realized, there would be no need for three Command Seals; a single one would be enough to control a Servant at will. That was completely unrealistic, so such a command could practically be said to have no effect.
But there were exceptions to everything.
As long as the Master's aptitude was exceptionally outstanding, even an unreasonable command like that could still produce some effect.
Luo Zhen was in precisely that situation.
As the individual with the greatest aptitude for being a Master in Chaldea's records, Luo Zhen's abilities went without saying.
For that reason, Luo Zhen could issue a command on the level of Spatial Transfer with just one Command Seal and summon Mashu to him.
Luo Zhen even had a feeling.
"Even a coercive command seems like it might be possible."
That was exactly how it was.
Normally, given the nature of Chaldea's Command Seals, a single one should only be able to bind a Servant to the extent of a "curse." It should not have been capable of issuing a coercive command and forcing the Servant to carry it out.
Yet Luo Zhen felt that with his abilities, even a single Command Seal could use its magical energy to issue a coercive command.
It was clear from this that there had been a reason Chaldea valued Luo Zhen so highly.
Luo Zhen possessed astonishing talent in the "summoning" system. His aptitude as a Master was extraordinarily high, allowing him to summon, control, and employ Servants better than anyone else—far better.
With that, Luo Zhen could also use the power of a Command Seal to strengthen and heal Mashu beyond the normal effects of a Command Seal.
On top of that, Luo Zhen could greatly increase Mashu's power by supplying her with large amounts of magical energy. This gave Luo Zhen at least some confidence.
"Looks like I'll have to use these remaining two Command Seals carefully."
Although Chaldea could provide magical energy and restore one Command Seal per day, the current condition of Chaldea remained unknown.
The fire in the Control Room might have caused Chaldea's systems to malfunction, leaving them unable to provide magical energy and form new Command Seals. That was entirely possible.
Concerned about this, Luo Zhen asked Mashu about the situation.
This was because the magical energy of the Servants was supplied by Chaldea.
If Mashu could receive the magical energy transmitted from Chaldea, that would prove Chaldea's condition had not reached its worst.
If she could not, then things would be troublesome.
Fortunately...
"It's all right, Senpai. I'm currently receiving magical energy from Chaldea properly and can fight normally."
Mashu gave Luo Zhen a report that could at least be considered good news.
"If that's the case, then Chaldea's condition shouldn't be too bad. I just don't know whether the Control Room's functions have returned to normal or whether the fire has been extinguished."
Luo Zhen pondered this.
"Then what should we do next, Senpai?"
Mashu once again asked Luo Zhen to confirm their course of action.
Luo Zhen had no hesitation about this.
"First, we have to find a way to contact Chaldea and learn about the current situation."
No matter what, information was essential.
They had to understand the situation before they could act.
Moreover, Chaldea's support was necessary here as well.
"If we had Chaldea's radar, it could detect and sample the surrounding area with me at the center. If an enemy approached, we wouldn't be unable to detect them."
For now, however, Luo Zhen could only rely on himself to keep watch.
"Although I don't want to waste too much magical energy, every bit of it will be precious in the battles ahead. But without Chaldea's support, this is the only thing we can do."
As he spoke, Luo Zhen used the Bird Summoning spell and summoned a flock of birds. He scattered them throughout the various corners of Fuyuki City, then closed his eyes and shared their senses through his Familiars, searching through Fuyuki City.
In this regard, Mashu could only rely on Luo Zhen, so she quietly waited at his side.
Until...
"Hm?"
Luo Zhen suddenly opened his eyes, looking somewhat astonished.
"She... No, why are they here?"
The astonishment in Luo Zhen's voice left Mashu momentarily stunned.
"Senpai?"
Mashu called out in surprise.
"No, it's fine. Don't worry." Luo Zhen immediately shook his head, then said in a strangely peculiar tone, "It's just that we may have to go welcome some acquaintances."
"Acquaintances?" Mashu was even more confused.
A while later, the two of them left.
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