Those who fanatically worshipped King Arthur and took proud pride in their own bloodline...
Were Celts.
They were widely scattered across Western Europe.
Today's Irish, Scots, Welsh, Cornish people of England, and Bretons of France all belonged to the Celts.
Because King Arthur had specifically resisted the Red Dragon of the Anglo-Saxon barbarians, she was the king of Celtic Mythology.
Using the Greenland incident, the enraged public formed an unbreakable force of unity under the will of the people. Coming to its senses, the Irish government began pulling strings in secret, seeking another referendum on independence.
(Note: The United Kingdom's full name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.)
(In essence, it was not a single country, but a large union of nations.)
As for why the public wanted Ireland to leave the union?
Because the British were fucking vampires. Ireland had been a British colony.
There were simply too many things they had against each other!
Just take the famous Irish Great Famine of 1845 to 1850. Under the rule of the Empire of the Sun, Ireland's crucial food crop, potatoes, rotted away as late blight ran rampant...
In just five years, it had brutally killed several million Irish people, slashing the population by a quarter and directly triggering a massive wave of emigration.
Who the hell would be happy with that?
But their territories bordered each other, and Ireland could not win in a fight. Back when technology was underdeveloped, it could only grit its teeth and accept it.
Now that it had the ability to turn hostile, it would naturally seize this excellent opportunity to challenge the British government!
Still, bringing the rusted Sword in the Stone from the British Museum back to Ireland for people to admire would also be an excellent way to stir public sentiment.
Besides, the mirage incident in Glastonbury had caused many follow-up effects.
Flights to Glastonbury had sold out.
Countless people around the world had fallen into a frenzy, wanting to see the place where the miracle had occurred.
Videos filmed by tourists at the time had exploded on YouTube, effortlessly racking up billions of views.
Perhaps...
In another two days, Glastonbury would see several million tourists.
They would come from countries all around the world, people of different skin colors and appearances, carrying deep reverence for King Arthur as they came to pay their respects at these ruins.
Of course, they were not admiring the illusory King Arthur of this world...
They were more interested in admiring the female King Arthur of the Parallel World!
That pure heart, those bright eyes, that righteous fighting spirit...
No one knew how many people she had already captivated.
They were all sick, afflicted with an incurable disease called "King's Poison."
Internet fanatics from all corners of the world gathered together. Excited to find like-minded companions, they rapidly established the organization known as the Knights of the Round Table Fan Club. Anyone joining had to solemnly recite the organization's slogan.
It was—
"Wherever our king's blade points, our hearts shall follow!!"
The cries shook the heavens, filled with the blood-boiling feeling of following her unto death.
Meanwhile, in the Empire of the Sun.
An astonishing oil painting signed by the artist "Mashiro Shiina" appeared.
In the painting, the King of Knights stood solemnly and reverently as she plunged the sacred Sword in the Stone into the earth. Her ancient cloak, billowing like a quilt, fluttered in the wind, while the dignified Knights of the Round Table guarded her side, standing proudly with their swords in hand.
A streak of crimson adorned them all, carrying the sacred feeling of a rising dawn.
It was as though the painting contained a trace of ancient Britannia's spirit. Every knight's expression was vividly lifelike.
The painting was quickly appreciated by someone and presented to the graceful and noble Queen Elizabeth.
"What a wonderful painting..."
Inside the British Parliament Hall, Queen Elizabeth II spoke with heartfelt admiration.
She reached out and patted the blond child's head. Her gaze toward the painting held a trace of amazement, delight, and slight fascination.
"Little Mashiro, what reward would you like?"
"Mm..."
Mashiro Shiina tilted her head.
She had painted it only to record the heroic figure of that king.
What reward did she want?
She had never considered it...
"Can't think of one?"
Elizabeth II smiled gently. "You must really like King Arthur, so I'll have a guard take you to the museum, where you can see with your own eyes the Sword in the Stone that has endured through the ages."
"Alright, thank you..."
Mashiro Shiina nodded calmly, with a trace of joy in her heart.
Soon, led by a personal royal guard, her figure gradually disappeared into the distance...
Various Speculations About Merlin, New Work: Moon Coral!
"Woohoo~ We're taking off!"
Outside the courtyard of Happiness Villa, the young man dressed in a moon-white, wide-sleeved feathered robe grinned.
He stood beneath a beautiful cherry blossom tree, specks of starlight swirling around him and lending him a hazy, illusory air. A gentle breeze passed by.
Cherry blossoms drifted down in abundance, further accentuating the refined charm of a graceful young gentleman.
The atmosphere was mysterious, profound, elegant, and pure...
The man was like jade, the flowers like falling snow, and the land like a painting.
Silver Ripples spread outward as the status panel appeared, displaying a pleasantly surprising advancement.
Creator: Luo Shu Life Level: Celestial Realm (Peak Early Third Order) Bloodline: Ancient Red Dragon Thin Bloodline Usable Secret Techniques: Isayama Style Swordsmanship, Isayama Style Magic Compendium, Mana Burst... Theoretical Lifespan: 819.7 years Divine Authority Jade: 6872361.01
The Heavenly Curtain plan had been perfectly executed, earning him six million Divine Authority Jade at lightning speed!
He had won big...
Completely won big...
If not for increasing the Heavenly Curtain's credibility by reenacting Britannia above Glastonbury when the "Moon Painting" plot appeared, Luo Shu's Divine Authority Jade would have already surpassed seven million.
Still, the cost-performance ratio of that expense had been extremely high!
After the Glastonbury incident fermented.
The Divine Authority Jade, whose growth rate had originally slowed somewhat, shot into outer space like a rocket...
Especially Merlin's mysterious smile at the end of the mirage.
It was as though, across a thousand years of time, he had mockingly watched the more than one hundred thousand tourists.
Many people were terrified.
Netizens frantically hammered at their keyboards, some speaking with horrified fervor as they offered their analyses.
"What was Merlin laughing at? Was he laughing at the collapse of ritual and music, the decay of morality in later generations..."
"No, I suspect his smile contained a sense of smug satisfaction, a restrained flamboyance. This phenomenon only occurred after the Heavenly Curtain descended. It's very possible that the longer the Heavenly Curtain exists, the more epoch-making events will occur."
"If the story of the Parallel World becomes widely known, perhaps Heroic Spirits will descend upon our world."
"No, no, no... You people are getting a little too carried away."
"I feel like Merlin's smile carried a trace of pity. He was sympathizing with King Arthur."
"That makes sense. But why is Merlin so handsome when he smiles?!"
"Maybe he's an incubus?"
"..."
At first, everyone had been speculating about whether Merlin had seen the future.
What his mysterious smile meant, why he had wanted to laugh upon seeing the people of later generations...
But later, the discussion gradually became absurd.
A female netizen who loved domineering CEO novels claimed that she was a psychology professor at the world-renowned Stanford University. Through frame-by-frame analysis, she had figured out every emotion hidden beneath Merlin's smile.
Then she clattered away at her keyboard and posted a so-called analysis essay.
He appeared to be smiling, but he was actually sneering.
There was one part contempt in his eyes, two parts coldness, three parts mockery, four parts casual indifference, and ninety parts disdain, like a divine being looking down upon heaven and earth...
Dissatisfied with how the Celts were treated now, he had descended into reality and decided to punish the British.
"What kind of pie chart is this?!"
Quite a few netizens were left speechless and viciously mocked her.
Because the reply was too ridiculous and blatant clickbait, it instantly drew a flood of criticism.
British netizens cursed even more fiercely.
But no matter what, Director Luo nodded in satisfaction.
You could make up whatever bullshit you wanted.
There was not the slightest flaw in the script he had written. As long as they kept the hype going, more and more people would believe in Fate/stay night.
Every one of them was pocket change that would make him stronger!
Of course, many people also thought of Merlin, the author of Steel Land on Twitter.
That novel was simply too strange, carrying an eerie feeling that seeped from its very bones.
Not only did it possess a convincing world setting and grand scenes, but with only a few strokes, it outlined a soul-stirring story. Its writing was majestic and sweeping, yet it never neglected the delicate emotional portrayal of ordinary people.
The music, text, and illustrations were all outstanding to the extreme, immersing readers in the world of the story.
But such a precious work of art was free...
Strange.
Too strange.
It was as though Steel Land was not a treasured work of art, but a simple pamphlet on fire safety knowledge.
As though some kind-hearted firefighter had merely taken it and used it to educate the public.
But everyone knew that without several world-class teams painstakingly polishing it for months or even years, there was absolutely no way Steel Land could have been created.
If it had truly been made by humans, it would definitely be intended to make money!
Merlin, the novelist of the real-world internet.
Merlin, the Magus of Flowers from the Parallel World.
Could the two possibly have some unspeakable connection?
Perhaps...
People held their breath, their spines stiffening as they struggled to breathe from the tension.
Before you continue