Old Tang: I Know What I Am

The Black King was the creator of the entire Dragon Clan, the great Liege Father. He was also the biological father of the First Generation—the Four Great Monarchs.

Of course, "father" is just a term; the Black King produced the Four Great Monarchs through self-reproduction or direct creation, so there was no distinction of parents.

In the ancient mythological era, the Black King ruled over all dragons with terrifying power and a strict hierarchical system.

In that era, the Dragon Clan erected towering and exquisite Bronze Pillars and magnificent and prosperous cities across various continents on Earth, and even mysterious temples linked to the cloud tops via the Tower of Babel. Wide and solid Imperial Roads crossed endless oceans and vast lands, connecting cities to each other, presenting a grand spectacle of a super-ancient advanced civilization.

However, this also caused the Black King's authority to radiate from his throne in the northern lands, subjecting all dragons, from nobles to the lowest ranks, to the high pressure of his supreme power.

And this ultimately led to a mass rebellion by the dragons.

Thus, after several rebellions, the Black King was killed. On the day the Black King died, humans, who were then slaves and servants of the dragons, ascended the majestic throne built of icebergs, cheering while bathed in the red rain curtain formed by the spraying Dragon Blood, proclaiming that this was now the "new era."

But First Generation monarchs like Norton knew that the Black King, their father, was a monster born from the planet itself. Even if he was killed, the black emperor would return again and seek revenge against the rebellious subjects.

For this, Norton had to be prepared.

Previously, the purpose of forging the Seven Deadly Sins was to kill other Dragon Kings—his siblings—and after refining the Dragon Bone Cross, gradually become stronger by devouring power and authority, in order to face the returning Black King.

But thinking carefully, whether it was the monarchs who controlled the four elements of fire, water, earth, and wind, or the White King who controlled the mental element, they were all just creations of the Black King. Could such a method—simply combining the Black King's creations—truly defeat that supreme being?

No, probably not.

Now, with a thinking ability almost like precognition, Norton decisively denied it. Bloodlines and Words of Power have limits; even approaching the Black King's level is incredibly difficult, let alone killing him?

But Alchemy is different.

Alchemy is the "science and technology" of the Dragon Clan's civilization; it is their means of observing the limited higher-dimensional universe. The isolated secret realms of Nibelungen and the incredible Seven Great Kingdoms are all technological products of Alchemy reaching a certain level.

In the field of Alchemy, the Black King was only the peak, not the ultimate. As long as Alchemy is continuously researched and developed, surpassing the Black King is not impossible.

Norton remembered the motto of the Atlas Institute that Emiya had mentioned:

We don't need to be the strongest ourselves, we just need to create the strongest.

Therefore, he suddenly understood something, a realization, like a sudden enlightenment, breaking through the complex thoughts flashing inside his mind, transforming into an unprecedented flash of inspiration—

"Using pure Alchemy to forge the strongest, this is the path that should be chosen!"

The Dragon Attendant on the shore watched its king's expression change repeatedly, sometimes serious, sometimes ecstatic, feeling bored. My king is indeed the one among the Four Great Monarchs most similar to the Black Emperor. Not only is his Alchemy reaching its peak, but his mood is also just as difficult to fathom.

However, what exactly did my king do to me? The Dragon Attendant began to turn its brain, which had been unused for thousands of years and was almost rusty. It had a feeling that its thoughts were too lively, with chaotic ideas flashing frequently.

Suddenly, it saw Norton throw a human-made paper world map over.

"Awooo?" The Dragon Attendant's huge head moved half a degree, gently pressing down on the paper. On it, a location in North Africa, named the Atlas Mountains, bordering the Sahara, was marked with a bright red cross.

Norton instructed the Dragon Attendant, "Leave the Bronze City and go to this place."

The Dragon Attendant's eyes widened, its expression bewildered. What does that mean? There's nothing there except continuous barren rocky mountains and a Gobi desert. Does my king no longer need subordinates? Is he trying to exile me?

However, that was not the case.

"...In this no-man's land, you will dig an underground cavity. Once it's ready, I will arrange for Samson to go there with Constantine. We will rebuild our home there... The Three Gorges of the Yangtze River here is not the Kuimen Pass of a thousand years ago; it is already full of human footprints and is no longer our ideal place of tranquility."

Norton spread his arms, his eyes like lightning, his tone filled with strong confidence and a hint of expectation. "I will build an underground city there, and call it... the Atlas Institute."

Old Tang was indeed true to his word. He said he was going out for a few days to do something, but unexpectedly, he returned to the Zhou Family after only two days. He was laughing and joking, giving small gifts to acquaintances, while in his other hand, he carried a large black hard-shell case, heading straight for Emiya's room.

Seeing his radiant face, full of pride and vigor, anyone who didn't know him would think he had gotten married and was the groom...

"I say, Brother Emiya, this time you really can't say I'm not loyal!"

Old Tang slapped Emiya, who was routinely tinkering with Projection Magic, making him thump. "Look! What did I bring you!"

The black case snapped open, and a stream of dark gold light flowed out from the gap. A combination of alchemical swords, crafted with exquisite skill as if alive, was presented before his eyes. The blades were sharp and varied in shape, including a Zhanmadao, a Tang Dao, a Han Bafang Straight Sword, a Katana, a Yatagan, a Scottish Claymore, and a Wakizashi, a total of seven types.

Emiya's gaze was instantly drawn to them. By now, he had seen almost all the swords in the Zhou Family's inventory and had an instinctive response to powerful weapons. His lips unconsciously moved, silently chanting: "Synchronization, start..."

In the instant of analysis, a vast amount of information flooded into Emiya's mind: Pride, Envy, Wrath, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, Lust... The Seven Deadly Sins! The concept composed of the seven Christian original sin words was perfectly integrated into the Noble Phantasms.

This was the first time Emiya had seen Noble Phantasms with "special attack against original sins." Using all seven together could even unleash a new effect: "Crime and Punishment"—

Is this like combining seven swords?

"But, Old Tang, this gift is a bit too valuable..."

"Oh, come on, who are we to each other? If it weren't for you, brother, giving me a hand, I'd still be starving in the slums right now."

"That's true, but you brought back such heavyweight Noble Phantasms after only two days. You didn't... get incredibly lucky again, did you?"

"Oh... actually, there's a bit of a story behind this," Old Tang actually put away his smile, his face serious. "Brother Emiya, I'll be direct—I need to tell you something, and you must not be scared after you hear it."

"It's alright, Old Tang. I'm well-traveled. No matter what you say, I won't be scared."

"Alright, I'm going to say it then," Old Tang, feeling the atmosphere was a bit tense, did two sets of chest expansions, cleared his throat, took a deep breath, and stood firm. "Actually... I might know what I am..."

Realizing that what was coming next was not simple, Emiya's eyes widened slightly, his eyebrows raised, and he held his breath.

Old Tang's tone was deep, his usually smiling face with perpetually drooping eyebrows now solemn, putting on a serious expression:

"My true identity is an Alchemist from the Atlas Institute."

Thanks to @阿大1994, @幻幽,羽, @玩笑世间, @叶新星x, @书友20230524235038096, @永眠之龙, @Zt一凌悯 for the monthly votes!