A serpent's shadow at his side

After a quick dinner, Bai Mo returned to the hotel, sat down at his computer, and searched for information about Mifune City, such as whether there had been any gas leaks.

"Serial Murder Case?" Bai Mo glanced at the most-read headline above, which also included art photos of the killer's corpses after committing murders, with the bodies arranged in a peculiar pattern. Even after being censored, the killer's twisted sense of humor was still palpable.

"It seems to be a rather turbulent city." This was the only way to obtain information about their next destination. The system, which should have been providing information, remained completely silent. Bai Mo didn't ask any questions. For some reason, there seemed to be a strange barrier between them.

I shut down the computer; this was all I could find online. Only a few days of the month had passed, and I had plenty of time. Looking out the window at the city, I saw a mesmerizing night view accompanied by dazzling lights and bustling activity. But where the Japan couldn't reach, man-eating beasts often lurked.

There was a knock on the door behind her, Caren stood outside, looking unwell and clutching her stomach.

"I told you before, not everyone can handle that kind of Mapo Tofu." Bai Mo sighed helplessly, placing one hand on Caren's shoulder. A surge of energy flowed into her body, relieving the burning sensation in her stomach.

"That's not why I came here." Caren blushed. Although she had indeed wanted to buy some medicine to reduce internal heat from Bai Mo, her main purpose in coming here was not such a trivial matter.

Only then did Bai Mo notice that Caren was not wearing her previous nun's habit, but had changed into a somewhat revealing nightgown, which made her alabaster skin appear even whiter, like a white lotus flower.

"Go to your room if you want to sleep." Bai Mo was about to close the door when Caren stopped him.

"Of course I know, I have something important to tell you!"

Finally, Caren sat on Bai Mo's bed, swinging her legs, drank a cup of warming black tea, and spoke.

"As I just said, that woman will tempt you to commit a crime."

"I am not Cao Cao; I do not kill people in my dreams."

If someone can actually kill someone while asleep, then Bai Mo needs to really assess what kind of person that is.

Caren's cheeks grew increasingly red, and her voice became somewhat hesitant as she said, "Murder is just the most basic thing; deception, sloth, and greed are all factors that can lead people astray." As she spoke, she placed her hand on her shoulder strap.

"I will monitor other behaviors, but desire is an inherent human trait that is difficult to suppress. Bai Mo is at the age when male desires are at their peak, so if he doesn't release them, it might give that woman an opportunity."

The girl lay on the bed, her bra strap already down, ready to slip off with the slightest tug. Caren said, "So, it's my responsibility to prevent this from happening. Anyway, given Bai Mo's awful nature, he won't find any other women. Be grateful, Caren will..."

Before she could finish speaking, Caren was thrown back onto her bed in her room by Bai Mo, like a cat being grabbed by the scruff of its neck. Along with her was a copy of the "Law on the Protection of Minors," which Bai Mo had bought at some unknown time.

"Finish watching this thing over the next period of time, and don't bother me."

Thump, the door slammed shut.

Bai Mo's opinion of the Church dropped even further. Caren had always seen herself as a tool, believing it to be the path to redemption. Even when treated that way, she only saw it as an exorcism process, a sinful demon possessing a person, not the person themselves.

Having been instilled with such ideas from a young age, she harbored a sense of sanctity, yet acted no differently than a prostitute.

A moment later, there was another knock on the door. Bai Mo sighed and opened the door.

Fran, dressed in clothes that would get him stopped by the police if he walked down the street, stood in the alley, his eyes fixed on Bai Mo with a gaze so intense it seemed like they were about to tear.

"Good night, aren't you going to invite me in? I heard the hotels here offer special services."

The next moment, a gust of wind from the fist was released from the window, blasting Fran directly onto the roof of the opposite building, where he landed with a thud on the concrete slab. Why is a peaceful life so difficult? Bai Mo returned to his room; the spacious room was perfect for cultivation, and he began to train.

Fran-chan, who had been lying on the rooftop, recovered quickly. Then, she felt a jolt of electricity in her brain, as if it had been turned inside out.

Mind reading? No, Bai Mo's mind reading isn't that crude, and he has no reason to treat me like this, does he? Fran wondered, then looked at the hotel where Bai Mo had kicked her out and fell into thought.

"Are you someone who exists beside Bai Mo? Sometimes Bai Mo would suddenly fall into a very brief silence, as if he were having a silent conversation with something unseen. Was that you?"

Having lived for a long time and experienced countless deaths, Fran's intuition was exceptionally sharp.

There was no response, so Fran simply lay down and yawned. "Whatever you like, hehe, this is getting more and more interesting. Indeed, meeting Bai Mo is the greatest luck of my life."

After a while, the feeling disappeared. Fran dusted himself off and changed back into his previous black and white suit.

Clock Tower --

In a somewhat informal meeting, all the well-known figures of the Clock Tower gathered together. Kayneth tapped his fingers, and a beam of light appeared on the table, revealing an image of a bullet.

"The authenticity of this Mystic Code has now been confirmed, so I'll just state the conclusion: Kiritsugu Emiya's Origin Bullet can inflict devastating damage on Magecraft, and at the same time, it can instantly destroy the Magic Circuits accumulated over generations."

No sooner had Kayneth finished speaking than someone impatiently interjected, "If that's the case, why not act immediately and eliminate this threat? Kiritsugu Emiya can hardly be considered a legitimate Magecraft; his father was also a Sealing Designation, wasn't he?"

Kayneth nodded in agreement, and the group began to discuss countermeasures. However, some quick-witted people noticed that some of the people who should have been proactive seemed to be quite indifferent.

These were allies with whom Kayneth had a fairly good relationship. They had already obtained intelligence about Kayneth and were aware of Kiritsugu Emiya's situation. The intelligence was scarce, consisting of only a few words.

"Don't go. He has Saber. Whoever goes will die."

Therefore, Kayneth simply wanted to use Kiritsugu Emiya to eliminate some people who posed a threat to him.

"Enough." The person in charge interrupted the discussion, saying, "Since Kiritsugu Emiya has revealed his trump card, it's a signal of goodwill towards us." He took out a parchment from his robes and said, "Just now, the Holy Church sent word."

One of the more unruly men scoffed, "Since when did we become so close to those Church?"

The person in charge glanced at the man and continued, "The Church claims that it received a revelation recently, foretelling an impending catastrophe. Therefore, the Church hopes to avoid conflict with us in the coming period. Mr. Zelretch has already signed this agreement."

"Hey, seriously? You actually believe this ridiculous nonsense?"

"Whether it's true or false, we need to be prepared. Before things are cleared up, I don't want to see anyone suddenly become a cripple. Therefore, during this period, we must not cause trouble for Kiritsugu Emiya. Let's deal with the immediate issues first."

Everyone acquiesced, and then Kayneth moved his finger again, and Bai Mo's figure appeared on it.

"Ah, so this is the person the Church wants. In that case, let's get rid of him first. If he falls into the Church's hands, he might just turn out to be a saint."

Kayneth sneered inwardly, and not just him, but everyone who had spoken to him sneered as well.

"Beelzebub was killed by him; anyone who's tired of living can go after him."

They had already received Kayneth's intelligence. The leader, looking at the figure in the light, said, "Indeed, it's not a good thing for the Church to have another saint, but let's monitor this guy first. Since Mr. Zelretch has agreed, we must prioritize his will."