Are Archaeologists This Healthy?

That someone could take an ordinary Magic Circuit crafting technique and push it to such an absurd level was something Shirou Emiya never could have imagined.

So he also couldn't understand why Zhou Yuxuan, mid-fight, suddenly changed expression, stepped back, and stared at him in shock.

Are you fighting or not?

"I've fully experienced Lord Emiya's martial arts and Western Magecraft," Zhou Yuxuan said, putting away his massive greatsword, apparently intending to stop there. "You have real skill. The Wa Lord's trial ends here."

"No, why didn't you use that greatsword?"

Shirou wasn't eager to stop just yet. Up until now, that Ring-Pommel Greatsword hadn't left its scabbard once; Zhou Yuxuan had simply been swinging the sheathed blade around like a door panel.

That meant he'd need to draw the greatsword from its scabbard to complete the True Name Release of the Noble Phantasm.

He'd wanted to see that ancient Noble Phantasm unleashed. To project a Noble Phantasm, the more thorough his understanding and analysis of the original, the closer his projection would be to the real thing.

"You noticed?"

Zhou Yuxuan smiled, running a hand over the black scabbard. From within came a faint, low Dragon's Roar, its presence spilling out with overwhelming force.

"This thing... most of the time, it serves as the Zhou family's emblem and token of authority. It can't be formally activated lightly unless absolutely necessary, and doing so demands a cost nearly equal to one's life. Besides, you're already a guest of the Zhou family, Lord Emiya, not an enemy to be slain."

"..." Shirou fell silent. It seemed unleashing it required a magical energy cost that nearly drained one's life force. That was indeed a terrible price. Now he couldn't very well ask the man to release his Noble Phantasm.

Zhou Yuxuan added, "If you insist on seeing the true form of this 'Dragon Severing Platform,' Lord Emiya, I can apply to the Wa Lord—she's the only one who can wield it now. The Wa Lord holds you in high regard, so she might be willing to display the Dragon Severing Platform's power."

Just then, a grinning face leaned in. Old Tang clapped Shirou Emiya hard on the shoulder. "Brother Emiya's got some real face, huh! A casual chat and you're in the big shots' sights. Ah, me, Old Tang, I'll never amount to more than playing e-sports my whole life."

There wasn't a hint of disappointment in Old Tang's words; instead, he carried the smug air of someone who'd "hitched a ride with a good buddy and was set for life."

Sure enough, the next second, Old Tang shot Zhou Yuxuan a knowing look, his manner all mercenary. "Brother Zhou, about that originally planned... Ruin Mission, aren't the Hunters supposed to go down as cannon fodder? Since your family's given the nod, can me and my brother Emiya..."

Zhou Yuxuan raised a hand. "It's just a mission reward. Lord Emiya has been acknowledged; taking the reward without entering the ruins is no problem at all. As for you, that depends on whether Emiya agrees."

"Thanks! Thanks a lot!" Old Tang felt the joy of a free ride for the first time. He turned to Shirou. "Brother, this time I—"

Shirou Emiya was squinting into the distance.

"Does your Zhou family have any extra arrangements here today?"

"?" Zhou Yuxuan was puzzled. "No, aside from this private meeting with Lord Emiya, there's nothing else. Personnel from families other than the Zhou won't arrive until tomorrow at the earliest."

Through his enhanced eyesight, Shirou looked far into the distance.

Reinforcement Magic was basic, but its applications were flexible. It wasn't just for strengthening limbs to boost power—enhancing the senses, like reinforcing the eyes, could improve vision, creating an effect similar to "Pseudo-Clairvoyance."

Shirou's archery accuracy was high not only because of his skill and the quality of his bows, but also thanks to his sharp eyesight.

"I see a vehicle heading straight this way."

Su Xiaoqiang sat in a black Audi A8. The engine rumbled low, and the car's stereo played "Daily Growing" by the Irish band Altan. Uncle Li was driving. The sky was growing dark, lights sparse, the pure black sedan seeming to melt into the night.

Su Xiaoqiang had told Uncle Li she was bored at the hotel and wanted to drive around for a change of scenery, but in truth, curiosity had driven her toward the spot Shirou Emiya had pointed out when asking for directions.

Maybe it was more than curiosity. She'd seen the solemn expression on that Red-Haired Man's face—it didn't seem fake. Like a warrior in a movie burdened with a heavy mission, charging into an enemy ambush without hesitation to save his comrades.

The Little Heavenly Maiden, Su Xiaoqiang, who lived a life of wealth and idle boredom, had concocted this whole righteous rescue scenario in her head and convinced herself she fully understood his feelings.

"Miss, it's dark enough now. At least for driving safety, we should turn on the headlights—" Uncle Li couldn't help saying.

"Hey! No, no!"

Su Xiaoqiang's flustered reaction made Uncle Li suspicious. From the start, she'd refused to let him turn on the lights, claiming she wanted to enjoy the pristine night scenery. Such a flimsy excuse was obviously fake.

He glanced ahead. A large, dark-colored transport truck was driving straight in a certain direction, about to disappear from view. Though Su Xiaoqiang said she was just driving around randomly, their direction clearly matched that truck's.

As he drove, Uncle Li took the chance to set his phone to one-touch dial and recording mode.

Before long, Uncle Li began to brake and slow down. "Miss, it looks like we're almost there."

"Really!?" Su Xiaoqiang started, the words slipping out before she caught herself. She hadn't told Uncle Li their destination. "Uncle Li, how did you know?"

"Because there's a sign up ahead that says 'Road Closed, Detour'..."

Uncle Li's brow furrowed as he spoke. That transport truck ahead had actually crashed through the barriers and roadblocks to drive on through.

Instead of being alarmed, Su Xiaoqiang was delighted. A deliberately closed road—there was definitely something going on!

She was about to say they should keep going when a sudden knocking sound came from outside the car window. Thump, thump, thump. The sound was clear—someone was knocking on the Audi.

Su Xiaoqiang instinctively reached to roll down the window, but in an instant, a chill ran from the crown of her head down to her soles—

An Audi driving alone at high speed in the middle of the road, and someone was knocking on the window from outside?

But the window was already rolling down. Under Su Xiaoqiang's somewhat horrified gaze, a very familiar face—that of a Red-Haired Man—appeared outside the window.

"?"

Shirou Emiya, who had used Reinforcement Magic to boost his leg strength and caught up to the Audi on foot, touched his face in confusion. Did he look that scary?

"It's you!"

Su Xiaoqiang snapped out of it, her stiff expression relaxing. Seeing this, Uncle Li slowly brought the Audi to a stop, moving his finger away from the one-touch dial button.

"What are you doing here? This place is very danger... I mean, this is a site for a national key archaeological project. Unauthorized entry is prohibited!"

Facing Su Xiaoqiang, who was about to argue, Shirou Emiya directly pulled out a stack of documents he'd gotten from Zhou Yuxuan—an "Archaeological Excavation Permit," a "Cultural Relics Protection Certificate," an "Archaeological Excavation Team Certification"—and flashed them all, choking back her retort into a single complaint:

"Seriously, are all archaeologists this fit? Running down an Audi without even breathing hard?"