Eat Well, Drink Well, Live Forever~

"What! You're saying King Solomon's corpse was possessed by the Demon Pillars!?"

At the entrance of a building resembling a research institute, Brishisan stared intently at Li Mo and couldn't help roaring.

Unable to withstand Brishisan's curious gaze as he kept looking back at him, Li Mo still revealed a few things.

Fortunately, the two had already arrived at Brishisan's—namely, the Department of Lore's—territory. There were soundproofing barriers all around, so no one outside could hear their conversation.

"Yep, yep," Li Mo said beneath Brishisan's shocked stare. "Think about it. Since the Seventy-Two Demon Pillars were summoned by King Solomon, where could they have gone after his death?"

Perhaps it had been intentional? Or perhaps Solomon had simply forgotten to send them away?

In any case, Li Mo had no idea what the reason was.

Li Mo raised a hand to his mouth and gave a light cough. "Listen to me first. You'll understand once I'm done.

"Since you're a Lord of the Clock Tower, you know about the Spirit Evocation Department, right?

"Magi seek to reach the Root, but two Counter Forces stand in their way: 'Gaia' and 'Alaya.'

"Gaia is the consciousness of the planet itself, while Alaya is the collective consciousness of humanity."

Li Mo rubbed his nose and gestured for Intres to push him into the building. "Professor Brishisan, I'm a little thirsty..."

Brishisan impatiently waved a hand, and a sphere of water appeared out of thin air in Li Mo's hand. Finish what you have to say already!

"Uh..." Speechless, Li Mo pursed his lips and took a huge sip from the water sphere. "Fine, I'll continue."

"As a Magus, I'm sure you know that reaching the Root isn't so easy.

"Why?

"The Root is tied to all things. If someone reached it and altered even the slightest thing, it could cause a world-ending crisis."

Li Mo looked up at the sky and unconsciously clenched his hand. "That's why Alaya created the Throne of Heroes, while Gaia created Spirit-seeing killers. Whenever someone tries to reach the Root, they emerge to stop them.

"And as the King of Magecraft, Solomon should now be on the Throne of Heroes in the form of a Heroic Spirit."

Grand Caster... Li Mo couldn't help sighing.

The Heroic Spirits on the Throne of Heroes had not appeared for the sake of the Holy Grail War. The Holy Grail War itself was merely a tiny part of the Type-Moon World.

Brishisan stared fixedly at Li Mo, his eyes full of confusion. "Setting aside our founder for now, are you saying that humanity simply cannot reach the Root?"

Li Mo shook his head. "There are still some who can. As a Lord, doesn't the Clock Tower have records on this matter?

"Although the path to the Root is difficult, and some people have the very concept of their 'existence' erased the instant they reach it, there are ultimately people who reached it and returned."

For example, Ryougi Shiki? Or that Grand Marshal of the Magecraft, Jeweled Sword Zelretch?

Brishisan's gaze froze. The aura of a Lord began to leak from him as he asked despite himself, "Who?"

Li Mo did not care. After several days together, he had more or less figured out Brishisan's personality. "The one who founded the Second Magic. Don't you know?"

Hearing that, Brishisan nodded thoughtfully. Such rumors had always existed in the world of magecraft, but the person in question had never stepped forward to confirm them.

But why did this boy know so much?

Seeing Brishisan repeatedly turn to examine him, Li Mo shook his head and smiled. "Professor, you don't need to look at me like that. I have nothing to do with the Root. Knowing these things was merely a coincidence."

Yes, who didn't have secrets of their own?

Li Mo said he had only learned these things by coincidence and did not wish to explain, so they were his own secrets.

But not everyone would ignore your secrets!

After all, Li Mo was still a child under eighteen.

Brishisan shook his head and looked at Li Mo solemnly. "In the future, it's enough for you to know these things yourself. Never mention them again.

"Not even to me!

"Though I'm a Lord, the methods of magecraft are impossible to guard against. It'll be trouble if this leaks out by accident."

People's hearts were treacherous, and what his disciple had said was far too significant. He had no choice but to be cautious!

Li Mo paused, then nodded obediently. "Okay, Professor!"

Brishisan chuckled. The gentle air around him vanished completely as he gave a crafty grin. "I won't pry into your secrets. After all, every Magus has secrets of their own.

"But you'd better study the Department of Lore's magecraft properly, then carry forward our Department of Lore, instead of letting it keep that reputation people outside give it—neither Mystery nor not Mystery."

Li Mo nodded. "Okay~ Whatever Professor Brishisan says goes~"

Seeing Li Mo's helpless expression, Brishisan secretly laughed to himself. Had he really picked up a treasure this time?

And here he had thought the boy would be a huge problem!

Still, should he go to the Atlas Institute and investigate this boy's origins?

Brishisan fell into deep thought as the two slowly entered the building before them.

That night.

Li Mo set down the book in his hands and slowly sat on the floor, preparing to begin a Magus's first cultivation.

Experiencing one's elemental affinity for the first time could be difficult, yet it could also be simple.

Because all he had to do was wait until the dead of night, close his eyes and enter a meditative state, then clear his mind and feel his surroundings.

The prerequisite was that he possessed an affinity.

Li Mo had already had his affinity tested, so he could begin this step right away.

Mm~ First, close his eyes, then start sensing everything around him!

In his perception, the surroundings gradually became vast and empty. Even the sound of every gust of wind passing through the air reached his ears.

Slowly, a dazzlingly colorful world appeared in his senses, little by little filling the emptiness around him.

He... saw it!

The curtain of this mysterious world was slowly rising before him!

"Is this the world Magi see?"

Li Mo was stunned.

But he did not lose himself in it. Instead, he used his consciousness to slowly draw the multicolored motes of light in the air toward himself.

Gradually, the motes of light flew continuously toward Li Mo.

And in reality, lines of light began to appear one after another across Li Mo's body.

"Magic Circuits?" Feeling the changes within his body, Li Mo blurted it out in excitement, and immediately withdrew from that dazzling world.

But he had no time to care about that now, because...

"One, three..."

"One hundred and eight!?"

Li Mo looked utterly dumbfounded. "I actually have one hundred and eight Magic Circuits?"

Was that good or bad? Or was that merely the level of an ordinary Magus?

Li Mo scratched his head and muttered, "How many Magic Circuits did Shirou have again?"

He really had forgotten...

Still, that number did not seem small, right?

Li Mo nodded in satisfaction. "Mm! I'll keep practicing for now. I can ask Teacher Brishisan tomorrow and find out!"

Heh, what did he mean by "not small," or "merely the level of an ordinary Magus"? Emiya Shirou only had twenty-seven Magic Circuits, okay!

Well, Li Mo really had forgotten, and he had no idea about anyone else in the Nasuverse in that regard either.

Closing his eyes, Li Mo entered that dazzling world once more, intending to fill up all the Magic Circuits in his body first.

"Hehe, eat well, drink well, live forever~"

In the future, I won't need to eat well or drink well. As long as I diligently study magecraft, I, Li Mo, can live forever too!