The Nibelungen Project in this world had been designed by Cassell College's vice principal, the Night Watchman, Nicholas Flamel. It combined alchemical and biological technologies, using serum purified from dragon blood to awaken the dragon blood within hybrids.
Generally speaking, raising the dragon bloodline within one's body too far was extremely dangerous. It would cause the dragon and Human Race bloodlines within a hybrid to lose balance, allowing dragons' bloodthirsty, murderous tendencies to overwhelm human reason and eventually turn them into monsters who had lost their human will—Death Servants.
But the Nibelungen Project's breakthrough lay in Flamel's ability to artificially implant an Alchemical Matrix into the human body, using alchemy to restrain dragon blood. This allowed hybrids to retain their sanity even after surpassing the Critical Bloodline Limit. In this way, the college could artificially create "Super Hybrids" capable of rivaling High-Tier Dragons.
One could imagine the sensation this plan had caused when it was first proposed.
If it could be implemented without limits and Super Hybrids mass-produced, then even the dragons' revival might no longer be a threat.
But the college soon discovered that the project's cost was enormous. There was simply no way to mass-produce Super Hybrids. Serum production was limited, and the highly difficult work of implanting Alchemical Matrices could only be done by Flamel himself. At most, only one could be completed.
At this moment, Wa Lord and the other Divine Land hybrids did not yet know of the flaws that would only be discovered later in the Nibelungen Project. For now, the plan was still in its "sensation phase."
They merely judged that if the rumors were true, the threat posed by Western forces would rise dramatically.
"Hmph. Since the opening of the Thirteen Factories in Guangzhou, countless precious relics from the Divine Land have flowed overseas." Wa Lord's little face darkened. "The Western Secret Society has always acted forcefully. If the rumors are true, then their Cassell Divine Land Branch is certainly becoming more and more imposing."
As the "Dragon Slaying Faction" and "Hawk Faction" among hybrid groups, the Secret Society had established Executive Department branches throughout the world, broadly influencing the entire globe in the name of slaying dragons.
The age of dragons had passed, but not all dragons were dead. Instead, they had cocooned themselves in slumber, awaiting their future awakening. The Secret Society's Executive Department aimed to kill dragons completely.
Objectively speaking, they had indeed seized a great deal of resources and benefits through "Dragon Slaying Globalization."
By comparison, the Divine Land's Hybrid Families had long legacies but conservative methods. They were local organizations concerned only with dragon slaying within the Divine Land and the interests of its hybrids.
"Wa Lord is right. We should make preparations as soon as possible." Zhou Yuxuan agreed.
They decided to place greater importance on Shirou Emiya.
"Zhou Yuxuan, when the time comes, you will be responsible for meeting that boy from the East. Contact those people from the Daoist Sects now—the masters of the Elixir Cauldron Sect, the Talisman Sect, and the Divination Sect. Invite them all under the pretext that... I have recently gained some insight and intend to discuss the Dao and meet with friends."
"Understood."
Zhou Yuxuan's figure disappeared from the hall.
Wa Lord watched as the cold moonlight beyond the hall was gradually obscured by heavy clouds. Golden light flickered in her pupils like turning golden petals. "The wind should rise."
A cool breeze drifted past, stirring the girl's long skirt.
Her skirt lifted, yet there were no legs beneath it—only a curved, snake-like limb covered in scales.
That night, in a city in the southeast of the Divine Land.
An invisible dividing line separated the city into two parts. One was the old district, where the major commercial zones were concentrated, also known as the CBD Area.
Mirror-finished skyscrapers stood in rows, transformed by the city lights at night into gleaming spires overflowing with extravagant air. The smartly dressed people below resembled devout worshippers of a cult of money.
At the other end of the city lay the new district—a residential area newly developed around the suburbs. Affordable housing was everywhere. The roads were muddy and transport inconvenient, yet it was full of everyday bustle, worlds apart from the dazzling CBD Area.
A little boy dressed in a stylish suit and bow tie stood alone atop an affordable housing building.
The soundproofing in such cheap apartments was poor, or perhaps his hearing was simply excellent. Even from the rooftop, the boy could still hear his older brother, Lu Mingfei, being ordered around downstairs in the home of their uncle and aunt, where he was staying.
The boy seemed to have his eyes half-closed, a faint gloom appearing on his face. His emotions were not directed at his uncle and aunt, but at the chubby little boy who had inexplicably taken his name—Lu Mingfei's cousin, "Lu Mingze."
Dark clouds quietly covered the moon.
Suddenly, the boy's eyes flew wide open as he looked into the sky. Words filled with disbelief escaped his lips:
"Hm? The script... who changed it?!"
"It's actually a massive shift in the worldline. A Magus? An immortal? The Holy Grail War... Chaldea...?"
What kind of messed-up future was this??
Shirou Emiya had no idea that many people would lose sleep, run themselves ragged, or even change the future because of a few words he had spoken that night.
In any case, he slept soundly.
The next day, Emiya woke up refreshed and began preparing for the mission.
Though calling it preparation was somewhat exaggerated. With the original owner's foundation in cold-weapon combat, he did as he always did before a mission: brought a set of reinforced longswords and shortswords, a black bow, and a bundle of arrows. These reinforced weapons would not be detected by metal detectors, making security checks convenient. He could even buy additional supplies from stores after arriving at the mission site.
He sheathed them, sorted and packaged them with rubber bands, secured them with buckles, then placed them inside a black case shaped like a cello case.
As for firearms, that was generally the work of his partner, Old Tang.
Next came the mission itself.
According to the employer's requirements, they needed to arrive one day before the mission officially began and find their contact.
Emiya had thought it was some kind of special treatment. But Old Tang had confidently told him he was overthinking it. Just playing games was nowhere near enough to make Wa Lord pull strings for them.
Old Tang had warned him that large-scale ruin exploration missions like this were rare. Those ancient ruins tended to be haunted and claim lives at the drop of a hat. Bounty Hunters like them were the vanguard, sent in first to scout for danger and pile up kills.
Wa Lord's small amount of goodwill was not enough to earn them special treatment.
At most, if they survived the mission, they would receive a little more than the other teams.
Since even experienced Old Tang had put it that way, Emiya did not worry.
Old Tang had always been lucky. He instinctively avoided danger during explorations, and Emiya never had to worry about accidents when they were together. Emiya only needed to remember the routes inside the ruins, lest Old Tang, who had no sense of direction, lead them astray.
Old Tang, who was currently far away in North America, should have already set off early. As Emiya considered this, he closed the instrument case, then suddenly furrowed his brow.
Wait, before the mission even began... could Old Tang have already gotten lost because he could not find the meeting point?
That night, Emiya looked at the conspicuous banner outside the enclosed venue: "The Xth Jingchu Culture Academic Seminar." That was right, this was the meeting point. But he did not see the familiar figure.
He opened his phone and found Old Tang in his contacts.
"I'm here. Where are you?"
After a long while, the other side finally replied: "Emergency! Fuck, they're going to silence me! Coordinates XXX...!"
"Huh?"
Before you continue