Can't a person just peacefully complete commissions?

014: Hurry Up and Bring It On, I Can't Wait Any Longer (2/4)

Without a moment's hesitation due to March 7th's jinx, The first thing to appear within the prize pool was...

The "Emotion Value System."

Mr. Emiya silently stared at the prize materializing from the deep crimson, gilded light, then rubbed his eyes again to confirm that even his "B"-rank Clairvoyance hadn't misidentified it.

"I pulled a new system from a system gacha?"

After accepting the new system's functions, Mr. Emiya shot a peculiar glance at the Express crew members, pausing especially long on Old Man Welt before letting out a regretful sigh.

The new system function gave him a fresh gacha feature—essentially a plug-in for his original system, adding a pool akin to a Friendship Gacha. It wouldn't contain UR or SSR-tier rewards, but it offered SR down to N cards, plus EX-tier Easter egg prizes that could be pulled without spending points. It was practically a carbon copy of Fate/Grand Order's Friendship Gacha.

All he had to do was collect others' emotions—

For instance, making someone so hyped they'd bust out a military drill on the spot counted as one type. Making someone so tilted they'd want to give someone else a military drill also counted.

And he...

Now he regretted it. Deeply, deeply regretted it.

Over these past few days spent with that old geezer Welt, he'd unknowingly missed out on a mountain of Emotion Value that could've been squeezed out of him!

System, why didn't you come sooner?!

Argh! Why isn't there a time machine?!

The chance to thoroughly break that old man's spirit was already wasted. And even before that... the Iron Tomb Lord could've yielded a massive haul of Emotion Value too. The amount ordinary people could provide was barely a mosquito's leg after the decimal point. Wool of the caliber of a Lord of Annihilation or a Herrscher of Reason wasn't something you could shear just anytime.

"No, I have to get to the Honkai Impact 3rd World ASAP."

Just thinking about making the Main Trio, Altera, the Seductive Herrscher, or the Thirteen Flame-Chasers shed little pearls of tears made Mr. Emiya so excited he wanted to jump up and do a military drill on the spot.

"As for Teyvat... once I get my hands on Makoto Raiden, I can definitely break Ei Raiden's composure over and over..."

"And the Nasuverse—if I bring Aoko over first, let her walk a Path, then drag her back to the Nasuverse to squeeze Touko's coffers dry..."

All sorts of wild ideas started bubbling up in his head, and a bright grin couldn't help but spread across Mr. Emiya's face. Dan Heng happened to catch that 'bright' expression and couldn't help but shiver all over.

That smile... it reeked of sheer mischief.

"Hope they're okay."

The former Named Dragon Lord silently offered a few seconds of goodwill prayers for whoever was about to suffer, then quickly averted his gaze. But unfortunately, Mr. Emiya seemed to catch something, glanced at Dan Heng, and suddenly flashed a strange grin.

"I almost forgot about the Cloud-Piercer Five. If I can figure out a way to revive Bai Heng—especially by creating some possibility of resurrection from the start—then from Jing Yuan to Jingliu, wouldn't those guys be crying their eyes out and kowtowing to me a few times?"

The love and grudges of the Xianzhou people were just too beautiful. Hurry up and bring it on, I can't wait any longer. Should I just skip Belobog altogether?

Thinking that even Luocha, that alternate-universe counterpart of Otto, would show up there—if he could fabricate some 'interesting' evidence and shove it in front of Welt, wouldn't that old geezer get so fired up he'd toss a few pseudo-black holes at Luocha as a show of support?

"Dammit, if I had some system like a Universal Livestream, I could just post some fan-made videos and blow countless minds. Even if ordinary people only provide mosquito legs after the decimal point, a little adds up to a decent income. By then, my Friendship Gacha would be free to pull anytime!"

"Speaking of which, I haven't even started developing my Nen yet. Should I steer it in that direction?"

Mr. Emiya pondered the direction of his Nen development. Nen was different from conventional Imaginary energy—it was more like "Lesser Source Mana," i.e., "biological life energy," or simply "bio-energy." Compared to the vast, nearly infinite Imaginary energy, bio-energy required squeezing oneself dry, had extremely limited capacity, and the strength developed from it was wildly inconsistent. So this field wasn't particularly advanced across the whole universe.

"It's still a bit risky. If I radiate it across the entire universe, my Nen definitely won't be enough."

"Maybe I should try precise targeting? But then I wouldn't need to set up a livestream room... How about I just craft a chat group myself?"

With the Aurora Curtain in hand, Mr. Emiya figured that steering his Nen in this direction might be pretty good.

"Like in Lord of the Mysteries, create a Mist Space and randomly pull people in? The capture mechanism would take a bit of effort, but as long as I can snag familiar story characters, breaking their composure through spoilers or earning their gratitude could efficiently harvest Emotion Value."

Developing Nen was essentially unleashing one's imagination. As long as your life force was sufficient, you could even manifest Thanos's six Infinity Stones. But that level of life force—you'd probably need to summon peak Goku and Broly to see if there was any hope.

At least Mr. Emiya didn't think he could compete with Saiyans, Otsutsuki, Kryptonians, and the like in terms of vitality.

"My current body is pretty limited. Even though the Crimson Eye has boosted my potential life force, I'm still in the realm of humans."

To develop the Nen abilities he imagined, Mr. Emiya estimated he'd need at least the life force of a Phantasmal Species. If he had a Dragon Core-like extraordinary organ like Artoria, then a pure beginner map like Belobog could be bulldozed through with just his bare hands.

"I should focus on this in future pulls. Basic physique-type rewards exist in the Friendship Gacha too. Stack a few hundred or thousand of them, and tearing apart a Lord of Annihilation with my bare hands wouldn't be impossible."

His mind was a storm of brainstorming, but his hands never stopped working. Since March 7th had stood on the side of 'friendship' to fulfill his 'wish,' he naturally couldn't shortchange this great immortal March 7th.

"This is the power of a Mascot Girl... If I ever run into Paimon, I'll need to figure out a way..."

Mr. Emiya muttered softly, then looked down at the various dishes he'd already completed.

"Seems like I don't need to figure out another way."

"March 7th is a jinx, Kiana is a lucky charm. What type is Paimon? A naming genius? Would getting a nickname from her be useful?"

"Speaking of which, there's also Anby from Zenless Zone Zero."

"Does our own Mascot Girl have this kind of mysticism? I'll test it with Aoko when I get back..."

015: Kariya Matou: "Hello There (nmd!)" (3/4)

The skills of the so-called Chaldea Housekeeper went without saying.

Even Chaos Evil, upon seeing that man in an apron who could project pots, pans, and kitchen knives at will, would have to affectionately call him "Mom."

And Mr. Emiya had inherited "everything" from Shirou Emiya, the individual on the Throne of Heroes—including his cooking skills, of course.

You can doubt Shirou Emiya's ideals, but you can never deny his cooking skills—after all, this is a man who could build a harem in a food anime.

From Fuyuki to London, and in some timelines galloping across the Middle East and various battlefields, whether French, Italian, Chinese, or Japanese cuisine, this man's memory could always pull out something.

Aside from the ideals he inherited from Kiritsugu Emiya, the one thing that truly and completely belonged to Shirou Emiya himself was probably "cooking"—that seemingly ordinary skill he kept refining even by the time he became a Guardian.

When Emiya set the finished dishes on the dining table, from March 7th and Dan Heng on one end to Himeko and Welt on the other, everyone except Asta, who nodded as if it were only natural, showed clear expressions of surprise.

"Emiya, you're actually a master chef?"

Although Emiya had entered the kitchen because of her, March 7th never imagined before the food was served that what came out would be so lavish.

"Terrine, omelette, udon noodles, spaghetti, mapo tofu, Brazilian barbecue, cheese pie, macarons... Where on earth did you get all these ingredients?"

Welt couldn't help pushing up his glasses, looking at Emiya with some disbelief. There was no way the Express stocked such a complete selection.

"Take a guess?"

Emiya flashed a strange smile, one laced with a hint of teasing mockery. The Herrscher of Reason's Authority could create the Star of Eden in Joyce's hands, the Alahato in Joachim's (Welt's) hands, the Moonlight Throne in Bronya's hands, and in his, Shirou Emiya's hands... creating fruits, vegetables, and meat was no problem either.

"...I don't think I want to know."

Old Yang couldn't help shivering; he felt that answer was somehow ominous.

"A wise choice."

[Emotional value from Welt Yang: +23]

A wave of emotional value came in. Emiya smiled. This old man had once used his creation ability to reconstruct his own body. Since a human body could be recreated, then livestock meat and produce were naturally no issue. As they say, Honkai Energy can do anything, and Imaginary Energy is an even deeper source energy than Honkai Energy, making it even handier to use. With enough Imaginary Energy, he alone was an army.

The Herrscher Authorities of the Honkai world were nothing to scoff at. Even someone as pathetic as the Wind Herrscher, who was so scared by a Titan she almost wet herself, had an ability whose essence couldn't be underestimated. Ideal Fluid in the hands of someone who really knew how to use it was both offensive and defensive, effectively invincible in an atmospheric environment.

Not to mention things like molecular manipulation, electromagnetic manipulation, space manipulation, gravity manipulation—practically every one of these abilities had the power to destroy a nation or shatter a continent.

"The End's abilities are still a bit wasted in Crumbs' hands."

After all, for someone who still had to take make-up exams on the moon, you couldn't expect her to truly develop all her abilities in a targeted way. At best, like a certain guitarist from a light music club, she knew how to use them in a single-threaded fashion and then relied on instinct to unleash their power.

The meal was a pleasant experience for both host and guests. Along the way, the Express crew yielded bits and pieces of emotional value totaling several dozen points. By the time the meal ended, the emotional value had accumulated to 110 points.

Not much, but enough for a single pull. In his own room, Emiya casually tested the waters, and a final white light flashed...

"Dark Magic Swordsman Karia (Complete Volume)"

"...Interesting."

Looking at the handwritten light novel stored in his inventory, Emiya smiled. This thing came from his Type-Moon hometown, a [masterpiece] written during Kariya Matou's chuunibyou phase. When he got back and had time to see him, maybe he could pretend to be a fan and deal him a heavy blow to the psyche.

"But just this doesn't seem like enough."

"Oh? Do you have any new insights?"

"I have to read it out in front of a specific audience. Like the Sakura and Rin sisters..."

"Oho, that's a fine move you're pulling."

"If I didn't do it this way, how would my 100 emotional value ever break even?"

"True enough. With your approach, how could it not break even?"

"But just breaking even doesn't seem like enough either?"

"Aiyo, you're planning to double down?"

"Are you kidding? If I only got 100 emotional value back, wouldn't pulling this thing be a total waste? Reading it out in front of the Tohsaka couple—that's the real killing blow."

"Makes sense. He'd have to switch planets to live after that."

"Hey, wait. Who are you?"

Mr. Emiya belatedly realized that those words just now weren't something he should have said out loud. He lifted his head to look around, but when he did, a laughter filled with countless joy and delight echoed in his ears.

"You really are a forgetful big shot? Let me give you a hint. I'm the neighbor of that big rock, your good brother."

"Which big rock?"

"The big stone lump that's always building walls."

"I see. Then we're from different generations. Being brothers with you would cost me a lot of lifespan."

"Ai, I finally wanted to swear brotherhood with someone and got rejected so bluntly. Aha has no face!"

Even as he said this, the joyful laughter held no negative emotion, containing all the happiness of living beings in the world.

"But Aha still likes you quite a bit."

With these words, a mask symbolizing the Masked Fool fell without warning onto Emiya's waist. Then, in his ears, a familiar musical intro began to play.

"He will never give you up, never let you down, never run around and desert you, never make you cry..."

"...Never Gonna Give You Up?"

"Good one. You've figured it all out."

Shirou Emiya couldn't help laughing too, responding to Aha's laughter. In Aha's laughter, he could receive all responses that brought joy to the heart. Those conversations just now weren't actually the Aeon communicating with him through language, but the laughter transforming into responses that fit within his own understanding.

"Looks like I really can't refuse this thing."

Looking down at the Fool's mask hanging at his waist, Emiya also sensed that a second Path, besides "Preservation," had already opened its doors to him.

"Joy? That's a Path that suits me quite well."

It could be called the Path of the Jokester, but the way one seeks joy isn't limited to harming, deceiving, or oppressing others. For instance, if your way of finding happiness is fighting for all that's beautiful in the world, striving hard for everything wonderful—that, too, is a form of joy.

Of course... if your policy is something like "Gréshia's feet in my mouth," "Mei is so hot," "I'm Elysia's dog," and you derive pleasure from that... the Path of Joy actually acknowledges it too.

After all, as free as one's tastes are, so is the Path of Joy.

016: As Long As You Pay Enough, Why Worry I Won't Work Overtime?! (4/4)

"I heard that back in the day, Aevium picked up Aha, disguised as an ordinary person, onto the train... Do you Trailblaze Path folks all have some hidden setting where you pick up these rare treasures?"

The small-statured but fiery-tempered Savior of the Azure Star (a puppet) stood before the assembled Express crew, scrutinizing them carefully.

"None of you on this train are simple characters."

With her insight, she could naturally tell that everyone on board possessed extraordinary traits. But just looking with the naked eye obviously couldn't yield any useful conclusions. So, after a brief moment of contemplation, this Savior suddenly spoke up.

"I have a new project here. If you have the time, you can come and participate. I've prepared plenty of rewards—whether Credits, Cosmic Curios, Light Cones, or Relics—as long as you help me make progress on my project, you can take anything from my warehouse."

"Also, I've already received Asta's report on the Iron Tomb incident."

Her gaze fell on Shirou Emiya as she continued.

"I heard you're interested in that broken sword in my Collection Room. I can give it to you. If you're interested in Curios, as long as you join my 'Metaverse' project, I'll throw in two extra pieces."

"That term 'Metaverse' feels way overused."