Everyone's Whereabouts (3) / The Ruins

However, I misled people in the previous chapter; it was my fault.

Just to clarify, this world's timeline is the same as the normal timeline of World War IV Fifth Holy Grail War, so don't expect a Chaldea to suddenly appear out of nowhere!

However, Chaldea might appear later (probably?).

Chapter 140. The Movements of the Crowd (Part 3)

After Touko Aozaki took off her glasses, only she and Kiritsugu remained in the living room. In order not to interrupt their conversation, Irisviel had already taken the two children back to the bedroom.

Shirou and Sakura didn't resist the woman who exuded a friendly aura, and obediently followed Irisviel away.

In fact, when Wang Xiaoming entrusted the two children to Kiritsugu, he also considered that Irisviel was still alive. After witnessing how unreliable what he was pursuing really was, his sense of justice should have been tempered.

Otherwise, if Kiritsugu were to raise his child into some kind of "Hero of Justice" during his absence, and one that couldn't be changed back, then Wang Xiaoming would truly have nowhere to turn for help.

Seeing the two children leave the living room, Touko Aozaki, no longer concerned, took out the cigarette case she had previously stuffed into her arms, skillfully tapped out a cigarette, lit it, and took a satisfying puff. Even her icy expression relaxed slightly.

Do you want it?

Seeing that Emiya Kiritsugu's gaze remained fixed on her, Touko Aozaki reluctantly offered him her cigarette case, only to receive a polite refusal from Kiritsugu.

"Sorry, I've already quit."

Is that so?

After hearing Kiritsugu's answer, Touko Aozaki pursed her lips, casually placed the cigarette case on the table, and steered the conversation back to the main topic:

"Then let's talk about the corresponding compensation. You know, custom-made dolls aren't cheap."

No matter what the product, a personalized product will always be more expensive than a mass-produced product; this is an unbreakable truth.

While Touko Aozaki may not be as skilled in alchemy as the Einzbern, her doll-making technique is far Einzbern. The dolls she created allowed Shirou in a similar state to Irisviel at the end of the "Heaven's Feel" route in Fate/stay night, to be "revived."

This is one of the reasons why Wang Xiaoming called Kiritsugu over.

Please name your price.

Seeing Kiritsugu's attitude, Touko Aozaki nodded in satisfaction, her Kiritsugu gaze fixed on him like that of a fat sheep about to be fleeced. "First, tell me how you plan to pay."

Having been an assassin for so many years, how could Kiritsugu not have noticed the look in Touko Aozaki's eyes—a look of sharpening a knife, ready to kill? What's more, Touko Aozaki made no attempt to hide it, simply staring straight at him.

However, at this point, Kiritsugu had no intention of bargaining at all.

"Money, materials, or what else do you need?"

"Very good." Touko Aozaki smiled slightly. "Since you're so straightforward, I won't drag it out any longer. A custom-made doll starts at ten million US dollars, with additional charges depending on the qualities of the soul. Under normal circumstances, it won't exceed fifteen million."

"Make a deal."

Without the slightest hesitation, Emiya Kiritsugu spoke directly.

"..."

Seeing Emiya Kiritsugu's smug attitude, Touko Aozaki suddenly began to wonder if it was feasible to take advantage of this easy target.

Never mind--

Judging from the man's attitude, he would likely agree even if she hardened her heart and quoted another price, but Touko Aozaki didn't think she had the audacity to make such a request. With a sigh, Touko Aozaki put her glasses back on. Faced with this kind of "customer," she simply couldn't continue to maintain a cold demeanor.

"A deposit of two million. I will list the materials I need. If you can prepare them, I will deduct the corresponding costs from the payment."

After listening to Touko Aozaki's words, Kiritsugu immediately pulled out a checkbook from his pocket. Although all the accounts with the Einzbern family had been frozen, he still had some savings from his years as an assassin.

If all else fails, then I'll just take on a few more gigs; Magecraft in the Middle East are pretty rich anyway.

After signing a check for two million and affixing his seal, Kiritsugu handed the check over.

"Central bank checks can be cashed at any time."

After receiving the check, Touko Aozaki skillfully dialed the bank to verify its authenticity, then extended her hand to Kiritsugu:

"Your request has been officially accepted. It's been a pleasure working with you."

"It's a pleasure doing business with you."

Now that the contract had been reached, there was no room for laziness. Before long, Touko Aozaki handed Kiritsugu a list of the required materials.

Kiritsugu glanced at the list briefly, excluding a small portion of materials he had never heard of before. He should be able to gather most of them in a short time. However, when Kiritsugu turned his gaze to the last item on the list, he suddenly fell silent.

After a long pause, he finally looked up at the Touko Aozaki, his voice slightly hoarse:

"This is?"

You mean this?

Touko Aozaki naturally knew what was on her list. The last item on the list was "cells of the Einzbern Family Homu (Homunculus)." This was what Kiritsugu questioned, and it was also the most difficult thing to obtain on the list.

"Leaving aside the difference between the souls of humans and androids, if it were a typical artificial life form, I could create a corresponding 'vessel' even without a physical body. However, Irisviel is Homu created by the Einzbern Family, and their Homu manufacturing technology differs significantly from existing technologies. Without a sample, even I cannot make calculations, let alone manufacture one."

Are there any specific requirements?

After hearing Touko Aozaki's explanation, Kiritsugu suddenly asked a question.

"No, any human tissue with the Einzbern Family technology will do. I just need to determine a general research direction."

"... good."

Without pressing further, he expressed his stance with a single-syllable answer.

Touko Aozaki was quite satisfied with Kiritsugu's cooperative attitude; professional matters could be left to professionals. However, watching Kiritsugu's departing figure, Touko Aozaki suddenly called out to him as if remembering something:

"By the way, have you contacted him during this time?"

"What's up?"

Kiritsugu naturally knew who the "he" was when Touko Aozaki mentioned.

"It's nothing, I just wanted to ask him how his prosthetic leg was doing. After all, following up with customers is part of my job."

Kiritsugu's answer to Touko Aozaki, who gave such a frank reply, was equally straightforward:

"No."

So where exactly is the "he" that Touko Aozaki was talking about?

Achoo!

Wang Xiaoming had just stepped out of the airport, was about to exclaim "What a nice day!" when he saw the clear weather, but a sneeze of no apparent reason interrupted his thoughts.

Let's find a hotel to stay in right away.

At this moment, the text written on the registration sign not far from Wang Xiaoming directly indicated his current location.

--[Tbilisi (capital of Georgia)]

(End of this volume)

In short, the cheat software is coming soon, so stay tuned!

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Answer: Book title

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Chapter 141. Ruins

When the plane arrived in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, it was exactly noon. The weather in Tbilisi was very kind to us today, with a bright and sunny day, perfect for traveling.

"Anyway, let's find a means of transportation first."

As Wang Xiaoming emerged from the waiting room, he looked around, knowing that his destination was not within walking distance.

Thinking this, Wang Xiaoming strolled leisurely to the platform marked for waiting, hoping to catch the next bus.

Are you here for tourism?

"Yes, I'm going to Gori City."

While waiting for the bus, Wang Xiaoming, who has an Asian appearance, started talking to an elderly man next to him in broken Georgia. The man was quite friendly.

"Oh, you're going to Gori?"

After hearing Wang Xiaoming explain his purpose, the old man seemed somewhat surprised. "The most famous attraction in that place is the Red Memorial Hall; it doesn't seem very suitable for a young person like you."

"No, I want to go to that castle on the outskirts of Gori City."

Wang Xiaoming revealed the camera on his chest.

"You mean [Gonio-Apsaros Castle]? That place is worth a look, but there's not much left."

Wang Xiaoming smiled and shook his head, "It's alright, I just came here for sightseeing."

"Oh, is that so? Then it's alright."

As the two were talking, the bus to Gori City arrived at the station. After politely saying goodbye to the old man, Wang Xiaoming boarded the bus. Once the doors closed again, the bus slowly drove towards Gori City.

Gori City is only about an hour's drive from Tbilisi. While Wang Xiaoming was lost in thought, the car had already arrived at its destination.

Stepping out of the car with his bag, Wang Xiaoming was greeted by a castle that was all show and no substance. Apart from the gravel foundation, there were virtually no remaining above-ground structures.

--The old man was right, the castle he was going to was indeed very deserted, so deserted that there were no other tourists around except for Wang Xiaoming himself.

However, this was something he had already investigated before coming. In fact, Wang Xiaoming's purpose for this trip was less about sightseeing and more about paying homage with a different kind of feeling. This was the ruins of the Kingdom of Colchis, and also the homeland of Medea, the place she longed for but could never return to until her death.

Looking at the ancient ruins made of stones in front of him, Wang Xiaoming simply found a shady spot to sit down. His back was a little stiff from sitting for so long during the journey.

A comfortable breeze blew over him, bringing Wang Xiaoming a sense of ease from the bottom of his heart.

He took out a photo from his pocket; it was a picture of himself, Medea, and two children at the amusement park.

Looking at the faint smile on Medea's aloof face in the photo, Wang Xiaoming couldn't help but smile as well.

--now,

All the experiences during the Holy Grail War faded from his mind, leaving only Medea's voice and smile, like beautiful paintings, carefully treasured in his memory.

No matter how time passes, it cannot erase those beautiful traces.

In a daze, a warm current suddenly surged in Wang Xiaoming's heart, dispelling all the fatigue he had accumulated during his previous journey.

That was the Magecraft mark Medea left on Wang Xiaoming. However, after Medea disappeared, the mark never responded on its own again, only serving the minimal purpose of accelerating Wang Xiaoming's daily Magecraft training progress.

Although I don't understand why the mark suddenly started working, perhaps it's because this is the land where Medea once lived.

Wang Xiaoming tried closing his eyes, carefully feeling the warm current gradually spreading in his chest until it began to feel hot.

"!"

The burning sensation in his chest pulled Wang Xiaoming back to reality, but it vanished in an instant, making him wonder if the burning sensation was just his imagination.

Wang Xiaoming wanted to reach up and lift his clothes to see what was happening, but what happened next made his breath catch in his throat—

A beam of purple light shone through Wang Xiaoming's not-so-thick clothes and onto the open space in front of him, even though it was broad daylight... no, that's not right, the sky that was just clear and sunny suddenly darkened for some reason.

Immediately afterwards, the beam of light acted like a key, opening a "door" directly in the open space in front of Wang Xiaoming.

If this hole with its swirling airflow can be considered a door...

Startled by what he saw, Wang Xiaoming instinctively tried to leave, but the burning sensation in his chest forced him to stop.

"You're letting me in?"

You asked a stupid question that even Wang Xiaoming himself thought was idiotic. You actually expect this thing to answer your question? Do you really think Medea can create a system by hand?

Wake up, this book is not a system-based novel.

But the next second, as if in agreement with Wang Xiaoming's words, that warm feeling returned from the mark on his chest.

"..."

Wow, what on earth did Medea create?

Wang Xiaoming was certain that with this skill, even if Doraemon were to make a cameo appearance on the next film set, it wouldn't feel out of place at all.

However, now is not the time to talk about these things. Given the current situation, if we don't go in, who knows what other trouble might arise next.