"If the Emperor's Bow had descended at the start, those petty ghosts and demons would certainly have scattered and fled, yet there is still a chance those petty villains might make a comeback once the Emperor's Bow departs."
"Now that the Candle-Abyss twin generals have arrived in person on the Luofu, with the addition of this surprise force, we can actually consider capturing a certain Lord of Annihilation alive."
"Lord of Annihilation? Jing Yuan, just how many things are you keeping from me?!"
"Minister Fu, I only just found out myself, and the source of this intelligence is none other than that Nameless you saw earlier."
The Grand Tutor's expression turned instantly grave.
"This person has never set foot on the Xianzhou, yet he knows all manner of internal details and specifics. Could it be he possesses a method of divination far superior to my own?"
"It doesn't look like divination. From where I stand, it's more like he simply memorized the intelligence. Although the source of this info remains unknown... for now, my dear brother here harbors no malice toward the Luofu."
"Jing Yuan, when did you become so naive? Even if we've acquired that secret technique, we cannot lower our guard against that Nameless. We must find a way to extract the channel through which he learns of the Luofu's various secrets."
"...Minister Fu, oh Minister Fu, when will this personality of yours that refuses to tolerate a single grain of sand in your eye ever improve? Governing a domain and mediating from the center, you must never handle things with such blunt impulsiveness as you do. If we alienate him and he abandons his alliance with the Luofu to turn to others instead, what shall we do then?"
...Seeking flowers...
"Jing Yuan, I cannot learn your ways, nor am I willing to. You have been on the Luofu for seven hundred years, governing a domain and achieving monumental merit. The world calls you the General of the Divine March, while others call you the "General Who Closes His Eyes". Do you truly think this seat is unaware of the other layer of meaning behind that "General Who Closes His Eyes"? You also possess the attitude of allowing certain situations to develop before dealing with them..."
"The matter of the Alchemy Division back then was precisely like this. You knew Yun Hua's situation involved insider secrets, yet you forced Yun Hua and Danzhu to leave the Luofu against their will."
"I am unwilling to bring up the matter of Yun Hua now, but Minister Fu... governing a domain places the heavy burden of tens of billions of common folk upon your shoulders. I, Jing Yuan, do not fear death, nor do I fear having my reputation behind me pointed at by thousands of fingers."
... ... ...
"In my youth, I was a Cloud Knight General. During the Audition Commission that year, a pugilist from a remote planet came to the Xianzhou fueled entirely by passionate courage and a burst of raw blood. He was running about seeking help for his homeland. I became close friends with him and reported his homeland's plight to General Teng Xiao, but alas, at the time..."
Jing Yuan closed his eyes, his expression mixed with helplessness and a wry smile.
"In this life of mine, I was powerless to help my close friend save his homeland, and powerless to stop my master from plunging into the Mara-struck... Among the old Cloud-Piercer Five—Dragon Lord Dan Feng, Sword Master Jingliu, Hundred Arts Ying Xing, Sky Skill Bai Heng... I, Jing Yuan, merely happened to join them by chance, and never imagined that one day all four of them would abruptly vanish into thin air, leaving behind only a military man unskilled in combat and good for little more than a modicum of strategy."
"Minister Fu, in my youth I never thought I would become this so-called General of the Divine March. It was simply that my master imparted his arts to me, and I joined the Cloud Knights to repay his grace. What I once thought of was to leave the Cloud Knights behind and become a Sea Ranger, which would at least do justice to this swordsmanship of mine... It's just a pity that worldly affairs never go as desired. What I dwell on and yearn for nowadays is simply to never draw my sword again... Because I know that the moment I swing my sword, the Luofu... will probably have no other choices left."
"If one day you sit in this position of mine, I truly hope you can sweep away all the stubborn ailments left behind by an incompetent and useless person like me, and forge an even more prosperous and thriving Luofu. By then... even if I, Jing Yuan, were to face the Ten Lords Bureau..."
"Jing Yuan!"
"Hm?"
"After you practice that technique, considering the age at which your Mara-struck flares up, you can still live for at least another two to three hundred years. This 'one day' you speak of... when is it?"
"...When Minister Fu matures a bit more."
"You used that exact same excuse two hundred years ago! Jing Yuan, you scoundrel, are you seriously planning to outlive me until I reach the age of falling to the Mara-struck before you abdicate?!" Seven.
Chapter 96: What a coincidence, my wife is also named Elysia. (3/5)
My emotional value has accumulated to around 1,000 points again.
About 18 draws worth of points... commissions are indeed still a bit too few.
I need to stir up some trouble, earn some points, and play around with a rate-up banner.
After settling down on the Xianzhou, everyone contacted Himeko. Naturally, the Navigator had no intention of staying cooped up inside the Express, so she also came over to the hotel to regroup with the rest.
As for Dan Heng,
he still seemed unable to get past that psychological hurdle.
After all, he was a grave sinner guilty of the Ten Evils and officially banished from the Luofu.
Coupled with the haunting memories of Dan Feng, he constantly felt he had failed the Luofu and lacked the face to set foot upon the Xianzhou.
Therefore, he simply buried his head in the sand like an ostrich.
Regarding this mindset of his, Shirou didn't really have much to comment on. However, helping the Cold-faced Little Azure Dragon reconcile with the Luofu was probably a commission he could easily "997" hitch a ride on. Based on Shirou's understanding of the system bro, limited-character banners would likely be rolled out right along with it.
Madara Uchiha, Mei, Dan Heng, Jing Yuan, Fu Xuan... banners for these characters are the most likely to trigger.
Let's hoard a few more points and go provoke these people into triggering their quests. Can't these gloomy blocks of wood tell that I really am in desperate need of you guys sending me urgent requests for help? Is a public-spirited hero like Emiya the Great Hero really not worth asking for help?
Mr. Emiya felt a subtle stirring in his heart. Did his usual behavior really lack clarity? He was practically on the verge of blurting out lines like, "Will you bastards please just hand over all your commissions to me!"
Do I need to keep passing out unconscious a few times like that blondie camera?
That blondie in Teyvat practically had an endless stream of quests. If quests like the Sumeru Aranara world quest or the desert explorations rewarded him as well, he would have booted that little blondie aside without a second thought.
Speaking of which, the Genshin and Fullmetal Alchemist sides are almost fully solidified too.
He raised his hand and summoned the Aurora Curtain. Currently, the analysis progress for this gadget was only around 1.5%, and God knew how many monkey years it would take before a proper analysis finished and allowed a replication. Still, the coordinates currently stored within the Aurora Curtain were already quite numerous.
Mr. Emiya simply bypassed those high school students in the Haruhi Suzumiya cinematic universe who were busy enjoying their youth and romance.
When their life tiers weren't even on the same level, he feared he might turn into a locomotive and plow them straight into smithereens.
Type-Moon, Magical Girl Illya world.
Honkai, Star Rail world.
Honkai Impact 3rd, Previous Civilization spacetime.
Naruto...
Fullmetal Alchemist... these coordinates have finished solidifying. Those Elric brothers really seem to guard against me heavily.
Mr. Emiya couldn't help rubbing his nose. How could a good-hearted young man from Fuyuki City like him be rejected by a pure, goody-two-shoes duo like the Elric brothers? Shouldn't they be just like Jing Yuan, eager to become sworn brothers the moment they laid eyes on him?
Not sure which part of the plot we've reached, let's go take a look first.
Since he had already planned an alliance with Jing Yuan, Shirou naturally had no intention of making any rash moves. Phantom, disguised as Tingyun, wouldn't easily make a move against March 7th and Stelle right now, as that didn't align with her aesthetics of destruction. Dragging it out like this until Jing Yuan responded over there...
Welt, there's a new map. Want to come along for fun?
Forget it, you go ahead. I plan to take a walk in the streets as well.
Look at what? Checking to see if there's any newly spawned blonde cosmic merchant, right?
Hearing this, Welt let out a cold laugh and didn't say anything further. Otto was Welt's "good brother" from another mother, and now he actually had the chance to encounter his "counterpart" in an alien spacetime. If he didn't prepare a few black holes to test out the fellow's character, how could he possibly rest easy breathing the same air under the same blue sky as something suspected of being an Otto-bastard?
Fine by me, then I'll head out alone.
Pulling open the Aurora Curtain, Shirou stepped right inside and descended directly into an office. He had even undergone a one-key outfit change, donning attire resembling a military uniform.
An officer, am I?
His peripheral vision swept across the desk, where identity verification documents and even personal resume information were neatly laid out. The language comprehension function that came as a landing bonus allowed him to confirm his current information.
Amestris, Central Military Department Second Lieutenant. Not bad, at least much better than an ordinary resident of the ninja world.
A dream opening like dropping into the Star Rail world and joining the Stellaron Hunters was bound to be a rarity. He pushed open the office door and officially stepped into the building. A few people looked at this unfamiliar Second Lieutenant with mild curiosity, though constrained by military rank, none of them seemed to have any intention of actively coming over to speak with him.
After wandering around the building for a moment, Shirou finally gained a clearer understanding of his identity.
Intelligence Division?
Seems alright? Just not sure what time period this is...
Strolling a bit further, a pretty, flaxen-short-haired girl with light freckles approached him.
Second Lieutenant Shirou Emiya, Lieutenant Colonel Hughes wants you to go to his office.
Hughes?
The name sounded slightly familiar.
That daughter-obsessed maniac, right? The close friend of the useless colonel?
He still retained some impression of him. Tragic supporting characters always tended to leave a deeper mark, such as Lieutenant Colonel Hughes, the little girl Nina who was turned into a chimera, Nanachi and Mitty from the Abyss, and Bols and Chelsea from Akame ga Kill!.
Within worldview backgrounds plagued by inner darkness, the fates of these characters often appeared all the more extreme and desolate.
Shot dead ruthlessly by a homunculus disguised as a wife.
An innocent, ignorant child used as a bargaining chip by a beast of a father to preserve his status.
A loyal subject who sacrificed himself for his country like Bols, only for his wife and daughter to be brutalized by scumbags...
So, in these grim, dark, and heavy worldviews, there are always far too many plot points that leave one feeling aggrieved.
He was merely occasionally glad that he hadn't appeared in a world that induced physical discomfort like Seraph of the End, otherwise he might really have been unable to hold back from going on a full-scale massacre.
Following behind the freckled girl, he arrived at the office of Lieutenant Colonel Hughes. At this moment, there was no one else inside except for Lieutenant Colonel Hughes himself. As Shirou entered the room, the Lieutenant Colonel signaled for the freckled girl to leave.
Once she departed and the room contained only Shirou and the Lieutenant Colonel, the man stared intently at him for a long time. Suddenly, his expression tightened, and he spoke in a deep voice.
Second Lieutenant Shirou Emiya, on behalf of the Central Military Department, I welcome you to Intelligence Division 3. Starting today, you are an intelligence officer directly under my command. Today is your official first day joining Division 3, and according to the rules, there are some things I must inform you of in advance.
In Intelligence Division 3, the absolute greatest taboo to break...
Is... absolutely never...
Trying to steal the cutest Elysia in the world from me.
...Mr. Lieutenant Colonel, actually, my wife is also named Elysia.
Decided. You're going to a different department. I'll write the recommendation letter for you myself.
But I truly do think Elysia is the cutest girl.
Very well. Starting today, you are my most trusted confidant.
Chapter 97: Since you refuse to cooperate nicely with me, I'm in a tough spot too.
Maes Hughes.
Though an ordinary supporting character in Fullmetal Alchemist, he was the very first person to unearth the profound darkness of this nation, possessing exceptionally keen information-gathering and associative capabilities.
Barely over thirty years old, neither a State Alchemist nor born of a prestigious lineage, a commoner able to reach his current position demonstrated that this man possessed extraordinary ability.
Therefore...
Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes, I am not a person from your country.
Judging by the name, sounds like an ethnic minority from New Country?
Strictly speaking, I'm not even a New Country citizen. I'm an otherworldly person.
Otherworldly?
The Lieutenant Colonel's expression stiffened for a fraction of a second, then he abruptly raised his head to stare at the orange-red-haired young man before him.
...That sort of thing, right? Coming up with custom lore for yourself? The 'otherworldly person' setup feels a bit lacking in style, Second Lieutenant Emiya.
Forget it, it's probably better to let you see something more direct.
With that, he casually reached out toward his right side. Dozens of golden chains materialized without warning, shooting suddenly out of the window. 25 Immediately afterward, a gloomy curse echoed from outside the window.
Damn it, the kid is playing for real!
What else did you expect?
Shirou chuckled, and the golden chains instantly locked down the body of someone outside the window, dragging them back into the office. Witnessing this sudden string of changes, Hughes turned highly alert, his gaze darting continuously between Shirou and the bound black-haired young man.
A homunculus, Envy (Envy). Dragging you back to serve as material for Mei seems like a pretty good idea.
You bastard... how dare you treat me, your granddaddy, like this!
The black-haired youth let out a ferocious low roar, his emotions appearing exceptionally unstable.
Lieutenant Colonel Maes, if you want to understand the true darkness of this country, take this gadget.
He retrieved a smartphone from his storage space and handed it to the Lieutenant Colonel. Since the Elric brothers refused to cooperate with him, he had no intention of entangling himself further with those two; choosing other more rational collaborators in this world aligned much better with his personality.
I am very interested in the alchemy of your country. Call Roy Mustang to talk to me. I originally intended to cooperate with the Elric brothers, but alas, that pair is filled with suspicion toward me.
...I'd say they made the right choice.
Though Hughes didn't speak aloud, his gaze clearly conveyed that exact sentiment. Shirou let out a dry laugh, stepping onto Envy's head and grinding his sole repeatedly against the fellow's skull.
This thing is one of the seven emotions split from a certain monster. Do you know why creatures that originally shouldn't have physical forms possess physiological traits indistinguishable from humans right now?
What are you trying to say?
The Omnipotent Elixir, the fifth element capable of replacing any price—do you know about this kind of stone highly revered in many alchemical philosophies?
Philosopher's Stone.
Precisely. This fellow has at least dozens, if not hundreds of them inside his body. A homunculus, in other words. Any other living organism would probably have burst to death from overeating.
Before you continue