Are Archaeologists Really This Fit?

Shirou Emiya had never imagined that someone could hype up ordinary Magic Circuits to such an absurd extent.

As a result, he could not understand why Zhou Yuxuan had suddenly retreated mid-fight, staring at him in shock.

Were they still fighting or not?

"Lord Emiya, I have now fully experienced your martial prowess and Western Magecraft." Zhou Yuxuan put away his massive greatsword, seemingly intending to stop there. "You are the real deal. Wa Lord's test ends here."

"No, why aren't you using that greatsword?"

Emiya, however, did not particularly want this to end. Until just now, that Ring-Pommel Greatsword had never left its scabbard. Zhou Yuxuan had simply been using the scabbard like a door panel, smashing and battering with it.

In other words, he needed to draw that greatsword from its scabbard to complete the Noble Phantasm's True Name Release.

He had originally wanted to witness the release of this ancient Noble Phantasm. To project a Noble Phantasm, the more thoroughly he understood and analyzed the original, the closer his projection would come to the real thing.

"You noticed?"

Zhou Yuxuan smiled, one hand brushing over the black scabbard. A deep dragon's roar seemed to rumble faintly from within, its imposing presence spilling outward.

"This item... usually serves as the Zhou Family's symbol and token. It cannot be formally activated lightly unless it is a critical moment. Once used, it requires a price nearly equal to one's life. Besides, Emiya, you are already considered an honored guest of the Zhou Family, not an enemy who needs to be slain."

"..." Emiya fell silent. It seemed that releasing it required magical energy that nearly exhausted one's life force. That truly was an incredible price. He could hardly ask them to release the Noble Phantasm now.

Zhou Yuxuan said, "If you insist on seeing the true form of the Dragon Severing Platform, I can apply to Wa Lord—at present, only she can wield this weapon. Wa Lord thinks highly of you, so perhaps she would be willing to demonstrate the Dragon Severing Platform's might."

At that moment, a grinning face leaned in. Old Tang gave Shirou Emiya's shoulder a hearty slap. "Brother Emiya really has influence. Just chatting a little, and you've already caught the attention of important people. Sigh, Old Tang here will probably only ever amount to playing esports."

There was not the slightest hint of disappointment in Old Tang's words. He looked downright smug, as if he were thinking, Now that I've latched onto a good brother, I'll be eating and drinking well from now on.

Sure enough, Old Tang gave Zhou Yuxuan a meaningful look the next second, putting on a shrewd expression. "Brother Zhou, about this originally planned... Ruin Mission. Hunters are supposed to go down there as cannon fodder, right? Since your family has acknowledged him, then can Brother Emiya and I..."

Zhou Yuxuan raised a hand. "It is only one mission reward. Lord Emiya has received recognition, so there is no issue with him collecting the reward without entering the ruins. As for you, that depends on whether Emiya agrees."

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" For the first time, Old Tang experienced the joy of getting something for free. He turned to Emiya. "Brother, this time—"

Shirou Emiya was narrowing his eyes at the distance.

"Does your Zhou Family have any additional arrangements here today?"

"?" Zhou Yuxuan did not understand. "No. Aside from my private meeting with Lord Emiya, there is nothing else. The personnel from the other families besides the Zhou Family will not arrive until tomorrow at the earliest."

Through his reinforced eyes, Emiya looked into the far distance.

Though Reinforcement Magic was basic, its applications were flexible. It could not only strengthen the body and increase physical power, but also reinforce the senses—for instance, reinforcing the eyes could enhance visual ability, producing an effect similar to Pseudo-Clairvoyance.

Emiya's high archery accuracy was naturally due to his superb skill and the quality of his bow, but good eyesight was also indispensable.

"I can see a vehicle driving straight toward this place."

Su Xiaoqiang sat in a black Audi A8, its engine rumbling low as the car stereo played "Daily Growing" by the Irish band Altan. Uncle Li drove from the driver's seat. Night was gradually falling, lights were sparse, and the pitch-black sedan seemed to slowly merge into the darkness.

Su Xiaoqiang had told Uncle Li that the hotel was too boring and she merely wanted to drive around somewhere to clear her head. In truth, though, curiosity had driven her toward the location Shirou Emiya had pointed out when asking for directions.

Perhaps it was more than mere curiosity. The solemn expression on that red-haired boy's face had not seemed fake. He had looked like a soldier in a film, burdened with a heavy mission, charging without hesitation like a sharp blade into an enemy ambush when his comrades were in danger.

Little Heavenly Maiden Su Xiaoqiang, whose life was stable, whose family was immensely wealthy, and who had been bored out of her mind, had spun this whole righteous rescue story in her head and promptly decided she deeply empathized with it.

"Miss, it is already dark enough. At the very least, for driving safety, we should turn on the headlights—" Uncle Li could not help saying.

"Eh! No, no!"

Su Xiaoqiang's panicked reaction made Uncle Li suspicious. Since earlier, she had refused to let him turn on the headlights, claiming she wanted to enjoy the pristine beauty of the night scenery. Such a flimsy excuse was obviously fake.

Glancing ahead, he saw a large dark transport truck driving straight in a certain direction, about to disappear from view. Su Xiaoqiang claimed they were merely taking a casual drive, but their direction clearly overlapped with that truck's.

As he drove, Uncle Li took a moment to set his phone to one-touch dialing and recording mode.

Not long after, Uncle Li prepared to brake and slow down. "Miss, it looks like we are almost there."

"Really!?" Su Xiaoqiang started, the words slipping out before she realized she had never told Uncle Li their destination. "Uncle Li, how did you know?"

"Because there is a sign ahead saying, 'Road Closed, Vehicles Detour'..."

As Uncle Li spoke, his brow suddenly tightened. The transport truck ahead had actually rammed through the blockade and road barriers before driving onward.

Rather than being alarmed, Su Xiaoqiang was delighted. The road had been specifically blocked off—there really was something going on!

Just as she was about to tell him to keep driving forward, a series of knocks suddenly sounded outside the window. The sound was very clear. Someone was knocking on the outside of the Audi.

Su Xiaoqiang instinctively reached out and rolled down the window, but almost instantly, a chill spread from the top of her head to the soles of her feet—

An Audi was speeding alone down the middle of the road, yet someone was knocking on its window from outside?

But the window had already rolled down. Under Su Xiaoqiang's somewhat terrified gaze, the familiar face of a Red-Haired Man appeared outside the window.

"?"

Shirou Emiya, who had used Reinforcement Magic to strengthen his legs and run fast enough to catch the Audi, rubbed his face in confusion. Did he really look that scary?

"It's you!"

Su Xiaoqiang came back to her senses, and her stiff expression relaxed. Seeing this, Uncle Li slowly brought the Audi to a stop and moved his finger away from the one-touch dial button.

"Why are you here? This place is very dang—I mean, this is the site of a nationally important archaeological project. Entry without permission is prohibited!"

Facing Su Xiaoqiang, who was about to argue, Shirou Emiya directly produced a whole stack of documents he had received from Zhou Yuxuan, including an Archaeological Excavation Permit, a Cultural Relics Protection Certificate, and an Archaeological Excavation Team Certification. Her original words were forcibly choked back, turning into a complaint instead:

"Wait, are archaeologists really this fit? You ran fast enough to catch an Audi without even getting out of breath?"