They've already fought their way through the Holy Grail War, and you still call them dragons?

Caesar scoffed, "Such a cliché villain rhetoric."

"Very plain, right? But I feel like Odin didn't lie. This is at least one of his purposes."

Emiya shook his head. "Later, I found traces of his actions during the Holy Grail War a few years ago. You know, that Herzog and his blood exchange plan were the work of Odin. This was also confirmed in Abbas's memories."

"But what use did this thing have for a pure-blooded Dragon King at the time? During the singularity, the alien god even wanted to throw Abbas into the celestial sphere. What was his intention?"

"If you think about it carefully, it's nothing more than the word 'container'."

"Container?" Caesar and a group of Chaldeans pondered over this seemingly ordinary but actually somewhat mysterious word.

"Hmm, a container. Power is like water, and the right object is like a cup to hold the water. Odin needs this cup to store the water—a certain ethereal power."

Emiya analyzed.

To use an analogy, it's like the relationship between a Heroic Spirit and a Servant. If a Heroic Spirit wants to leave the Throne of Heroes and interfere with reality, it must undergo a summoning ritual, infusing its power into the vessel of the real world—the Spirit Base—to form a Servant. The entire process is like pouring a certain amount of water into a fixed cup.

During this emergency soul transfer, Odin, whom Emiya had captured, disappeared inexplicably.

He suspected that this guy had already made some changes on Chaldeas. Once his condition was not right, he could quickly transfer to the celestial sphere in the form of spirit particles to replace his alien god account.

This speculation is not groundless. At least in the original story of FGO, the old director Marisbilly did the same thing - he committed suicide by swallowing a gun and then moved to the celestial sphere.

However, Emiya thought Odin's design wasn't complete yet—if it were, he wouldn't have lost his composure when facing him—

Therefore, the consequence of incompleteness is that the alien god transferred to Chaldeas cannot freely interfere with reality. He needs to rely on containers to fight and carry out various actions.

Therefore, in addition to summoning servants who may not be obedient to do work, the alien god is hurriedly searching for a container suitable for him to carry his power.

Why are you in such a hurry?

There is no time to be impatient. Emiya's momentum of pressing forward seems to be about to change the dynasty in Chaldea, and the demon pillars outside who burned the history of mankind may also come to kill them, so the alien god started jumping around in the Tokyo singularity, summoning thugs to make trouble.

And isn’t this a coincidence?

Whether it's Caesar or Abbas, they can both be considered as the vessels of the Dragon King's parentage chosen by Odin. Now that Abbas has appeared in the singularity, then there's no need to waste it...

"I think this is the reason Abbas was targeted," Emiya concluded. "Abbas was able to recall those memories at the critical moment of his battle with the Demon Pillar for control of his body. There must be a reason for it."

Caesar's brow remained furrowed. "Wait, this doesn't make sense—why did the Demon Pillar choose to lurk within Abbas so early on? Do the Demon Pillars and their so-called 'King' also know about the Alien God Project?"

"No, it's probably a coincidence. It's lurking in Chaldea simply because it needs to be investigated," Emiya denied. "If the Demon Pillar knew from the beginning that there was something wrong with the Celestial Sphere Chaldeas, then it wouldn't have needed to remain hidden for so long. It probably chose Abbas because he serves as a vessel, harboring some of Odin's power, resulting in his superior bloodline."

Caesar pressed his forehead with some worry, "I hope it's just a coincidence..."

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Emiya summoned BB again and asked her to send the results of her investigation in Tokyo to Caesar and Chu Zihang. "The facts prove that the Tokyo Holy Grail War that occurred in the singularity, just like the one in our reality, involved multiple forces, and the person sent by the secret party is Chu Tianjiao."

Chu Zihang's eyes sharpened, and he stared at his terminal screen, refusing to miss a single word, as if his father was hidden between the lines.

Caesar frowned as he stared at the terminal. "You actually found the investigation notes of Singularity Chu Tianjiao. This man is quite capable. He almost discovered the truth about the Holy Grail War single-handedly, but unfortunately he still couldn't escape that one-night fire."

Chu Zihang lowered his head slightly and remained silent.

"Well, this note is very valuable. Combined with the statements of the two servants, it at least proves that our current inference is correct."

After saying this, Emiya pressed the pop-up BB back into his phone, and the latter made an angry face at him.

But Caesar wasn't optimistic. "According to you, there's nothing we can do about that celestial sphere right now. Not only can we're unable to destroy it, but we also need it to travel back in time to repair the singularity. And if we abandon the singularity, we'll only facilitate the conspiracy of those demon pillars out there."

Abbas also interjected, "And we can't guarantee whether there are still lurking Demon Pillars or alien gods in Chaldea. Not to mention that the alien gods' headquarters is the celestial sphere. According to my experience, when Demon Pillars parasitize the human body, the host is unlikely to detect it, and we have no way to identify them."

After this analysis, everyone suddenly realized that the current situation not only did not improve, but it was getting worse.

What can we do about internal and external troubles?

Of course, the Chaldeans were unaware of the impending clash between the Demon Pillars and the minions of the Alien God. Putting that aside, Chaldea had no intention of relying on luck or hoping that the two sides would be too busy fighting to attend to their own side.

Just when everyone was at a loss, Emiya raised his finger and said, "Don't worry, I have three strategies: the best, the middle, and the worst. They can keep us safe and sound, while also systematically eliminating the two biggest threats from the demons and the aliens!"

Caesar was delighted when he heard this. He cleared his throat, clapped his hands and smiled, "Brother Emiya, if you have any brilliant ideas, feel free to tell me!"

"..." Chu Zihang, who immediately tasted the flavor, was stunned. Are you performing the Romance of the Three Kingdoms here?

"The best strategy is to build a second Chaldea, or New Chaldea, as a branch of the main Chaldea building. This New Chaldea is located in an independent time and space similar to the Nibelungen, and is therefore inherently invincible."

What Emiya was talking about was actually the plan he had been preparing in recent years - to build a stronghold around the Nibelungen "Avalon", using it as a springboard as a retreat for Chaldea, to prevent Chaldea from being unable to recover if it encounters any Grand Bomber incident.

"And surrounding this Chaldea branch, we also have a supporting space-time interference plan, 'Imaginary Submersion', as a backup for spirit particle transfer. This is enough to free us from being controlled by Chaldeas."

"The middle strategy is actually a rather mediocre strategy of countering the enemy's strategy, and if the enemy comes, we will use our own tactics to counter it," Emiya said. "For example, we can build explosion-proof layers to prevent explosions, or establish a comprehensive internal monitoring system to prevent the infiltration of spies, and so on."

Caesar nodded, realizing that the middle option was the least troublesome. "So what's the worst option?"

"The worst option is a radical strategy. Since both the Demon Pillar and the Alien Star are likely to spy on our movements or cause trouble in Chaldea, why can't we take the initiative and send spies or spikes to them?"

Caesar stood up instantly, his brows stern, "This mission is not a safe one."

Emiya nodded. "So I'm just suggesting that even if someone is willing to take it, figuring out how to properly lay the groundwork and effectively execute it will be a huge challenge."

Caesar pondered for a moment. "But we have no room for retreat. If we're not careful, the world will be destroyed. I've made up my mind. We must implement all three strategies!"

I have to be all!

"Okay," Emiya looked at Chu Zihang beside him. Seeing that he didn't move, he withdrew his gaze. "How about this, I'll prepare the best plan. It's a good opportunity to see how the thing I asked Da Vinci to make is going."

Caesar said, "Then I will order trusted men to prepare the middle plan. As for the spies for the worst plan, we will decide on the specific implementation based on whether we have the right people."

Not long after, Emiya led a group of people out of the office.

Only Chu Zihang stayed behind. He held Murasame tightly, as if brewing some kind of resolution.

Just as Caesar was about to ask, the latter suddenly said something shocking:

"Director, I'm applying to carry out the worst possible mission."

Chu Zihang's words were like a sharp blade drawn from its sheath, swinging towards the enemy without hesitation.

"You..." Caesar was surprised, then realized, "So, is it because of your father?"

Chu Zihang was silent for a moment, then continued, "That's why I entered this mysterious world. That man suddenly disappeared without saying goodbye, and I just want to track down his whereabouts."

"That's all? At all costs?"

"That's all, at all costs."

After hearing this concise and clear answer, like that of an ancient knight, Caesar smiled in admiration. "I'm the exact opposite of you. You're determined to chase that man at all costs, while I, after hearing today's intelligence, have also decided—"

"I will rebel against that man's (Pompeii) plan at all costs!"

After he finished speaking, he lit up his golden eyes and looked into Chu Zihang's bright eyes. The atmosphere became quiet and everything was self-evident.

After a long while, Caesar finally broke the silence. "Since we are going to secretly ambush in the dangerous enemy camp, people like you should have a special title, different from the titles of Group A members."

"I think we can call it Crypter, how about that?"

Chapter 336: A story about Hidetaka Miyazaki's childhood

"The 3986th... imaginary submersible test failed..."

In Da Vinci's personal workshop, Helwell, who had just emerged from the shadows, spoke weakly. Before she could utter the word "failure," she collapsed to the ground as if all her strength had been drained away. She looked like a lost fish, a lost dream.

“…Ah, I’m so tired. I can’t do it anymore.”

"Come on, sister, why can't you do it? Think about your paid vacation, think about your membership package, and think about the admiring eyes of your sisters--"

The sister next to me sounded very energetic.

"Which of your eyes can show your admiration for me? Have some self-awareness, Jimei!" Helweier wanted to lie down, but after hearing this, she couldn't help but roll her eyes and shouted angrily:

"Besides, why haven't I heard you call me sister before? Now you're so sweet, like you're covered in honey. I think your admiration for me is fake, and you really want me to take your place and work overtime!"

Orluun's words of encouragement seemed like empty talk to Helver. Originally, this job belonged to Orluun alone, but Da Vinci's feedback said that the imaginary number technology still lacked too much data feedback, and one assistant was far from enough. So Helver had to join the battle with her sisters.

But if there were only two of them, they would work in shifts. Orluen would help Da Vinci with the work for a while, and then Helver would take over. But now Orluen wanted to be a little lazy, so he tried hard to persuade Helver to work for a while longer.

"Oh, sister, you have changed! You were not like this before. In the past, you would always give me the good things and keep the dirty work to yourself..." Orluen looked nostalgic, hugged her arms and sighed.

"Huh? You're talking about something that doesn't exist!"

Helweier hadn't expected that this sister, who hadn't been with Da Vinci for long and whose other abilities were unknown, had made significant progress in adding drama to her own performance.

"If your memory serves you well, you should know that a few years ago, when we sisters were still on Vincent's wrecked ship, we earned all the goodies and rewards through our own abilities and strength! When old man Vincent trained us, he was just using the Dark Forest Law to train cold-blooded private soldiers. When did he ever cultivate any 'comradeship' among us?"

Helweier sighed inwardly. This was all old news. A few years ago, they had been kicked out by old man Vincent and sold to Odin, but not long after, they were captured by Emiya again. They had changed hands as fast as a dollar bill.

If possible, neither she nor Orluen wanted to live a life of wandering. Fortunately, they had been diligent and obedient over the years, so they had settled down under Emiya's command.

To be fair, Helver and the other sister have always been obedient to Emiya, but over the years, Emiya's way of dealing with people has become unexpectedly peaceful. He possesses the power of a natural disaster but is not overbearing. The image of the "God-slayer Demon King" that the two sisters feared was just an exaggerated fantasy from beginning to end. Even Rigidreve, who has the least exposure to worldly affairs, has gradually become more and more accepting of Emiya.

Therefore, now, their essential emotions have changed from respect and fear in the beginning to a little flattery and closeness now.

So, even though Orluen and Helver were blaming each other verbally, neither of them was being dishonest. They consoled themselves by saying, "Just bear it for a while," and considered it all for Emiya-sama's greater plan.

"It's really rare to see you guys actually have the time to talk about your past."

They didn't know when, but Emiya had walked in and stood in front of them quietly.

"Ah hey hey!" Helwell hurriedly stood up from the ground, a blush on her cheeks because Emiya saw her in such an embarrassing and indecent state.

"Sorry, I didn't notice Emiya-sama just now..."

"Greetings. Welcome back. Thank you for your hard work on the singularity strategy, Lord Emiya." Orluen beside him greeted her appropriately, in stark contrast to Helver's behavior.

Just now, before she spoke, she was actually silently covering her mouth and smiling. It was obvious that her good sister had noticed Emiya's arrival in advance, but deliberately did not remind her.

It's worthy of the plastic sisterhood that was trained on the YAMAL cruise ship since childhood - during the training period, they learned how to get the best performance from the big guys to improve their own status, and at the same time, getting rid of the troublesome sister competitors around them is also part of their ability.

Humph! Helweier glared at him after noticing this.

"Where is Da Vinci?" Emiya noticed the little movements between the two but didn't say anything. He paid attention to the progress of the imaginary submarine. After all, this was related to the plan of the second Chaldea. Other strategies might fail, but the best strategy must be fully prepared.

"Sir, Ms. Da Vinci is still debugging the system in the imaginary submarine. I will take you there."

"Row."

Orluen calmly took the lead. As for Helver, still exhausted from the submarine experiment, she could barely walk properly and had to grit her teeth before surrendering.

----

"Hey, you're back. Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that this tool vehicle's imaginary submersion is so interesting, I'd probably want to try out the spirit particle transfer myself."

As Emiya entered the car, Da Vinci poked his head out of the driver's seat and said.

"You, a technician, also want to experience repairing a singularity? Maybe next time—so how's the progress of Shadow Border's construction? I heard from Orluun that the imaginary submarine technology still lacks data support?"

"Yes!"

Leonardo da Vinci inevitably felt a bit melancholic. As a genius, she occasionally encountered problems. This wasn't to say they were unsolvable; given time, she was confident she could complete them. Unfortunately, celestial observations indicated that the world was in imminent danger, and the Shadow Border project actually faced a tight deadline.

"Let's not talk about this anymore, my Captain Emiya. Instead of being frustrated by the part where the progress is stuck, why not take a look at what I have already completed?"

Da Vinci led Emiya on a tour. "The interior of Shadow Border is quite complete, albeit small. Besides the necessary living quarters for food and lodging, the engine room and cab are also nearly complete. The remaining space is used for secondary areas like warehouses and storage..."

Emiya followed the female magician and nodded frequently. She was indeed an all-round genius. She was able to make all kinds of tools with ease. It was not difficult for her to make a large armored vehicle like Shadow Border. Her efficiency was comparable to that of an entire heavy industry manufacturing team.

“No poking!”

Emiya was full of praise. Indeed, technology is the primary productive force, whether it's science or alchemy. In other words, Caster is Chaldea's indispensable productive force and source of production materials! If these technological geniuses suffer, humanity will become a better place!

Hiss! Da Vinci, who had no idea what Emiya was thinking, suddenly felt a chill all over his body, but he couldn't find the source.

"That's about it for the explanation of the internal facilities. These are all hardware, and there's also the software..."

After putting aside her distracting thoughts, Da Vinci led Emiya to the driver's seat. Emiya glanced at the huge, pitch-black screen, which subtly surrounded the driver's seat like multiple walls. Da Vinci didn't waste any words. She completed the authentication process, and the screen instantly lit up.

A girl who looked similar to Leonardo da Vinci—no, almost exactly the same, but a little smaller—jumped out.

Welcome to Shadow Border's cockpit and operations center. I'm Da Vinci Lily! The most powerful secretary-type beautiful AI of the next generation, created to assist the original! —Ah, we have a new guest today. Surprisingly, it's not a lab assistant, but the infamous God Slayer!

The Da Vinci Lily, or the little Da Vinci on the screen, talks unexpectedly a lot and chatters non-stop. It can be said that he is full of energy. Compared with the larger Da Vinci with a more mature and charming style, he seems smart and lively.

Emiya crossed his arms, "You know me?"

"Of course!" Little Da Vinci smiled sweetly. "Although I'm a smaller genius and can't move freely, I've accessed the Chaldea database and have access to a lot of information to learn from, including information about you, Lord Emiya."

"Interesting," Emiya turned to look at Da Vinci, who had already taken the driver's seat. "You actually created your own AI clone, intending to replicate your own thinking patterns to support the operation of Shadow Border's system?"

"Well, after all, the Shadow Border isn't just any armored vehicle. It needs to be adaptable to a variety of terrains, including those in imaginary worlds. So, rather than creating a complex, massive system, it's much faster to use a powerful AI to assist in operation... Of course, this is all thanks to the incredibly tight deadline set by Emiya-sama."

"So, it's my fault?" Emiya spread his hands. If he hadn't prepared these things in advance, when the Demon Pillars and the alien gods all attacked together, Chaldea, without any precautions, would probably not even have time to cry.

"How could that be?" Da Vinci glanced at the little Da Vinci on the screen. The latter seemed dissatisfied with the real Da Vinci for stealing the topic without permission, and secretly rolled her eyes at her.

"—The biggest problem right now is the imaginary voyage itself. Once we enter the deep dive phase, Shadow Border will be unable to locate specific spacetime coordinates. Even with an anchor point from reality, it will be difficult for us to reach the correct location via the correct route."

"What's the specific reason?" Emiya also felt a little tricky. As expected, this engineering development was not that simple. "Can't we imitate Helwell and the others' stealth method and copy their research on navigation methods?"