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

She was thinking that if she wanted to complete her mission of placing the Greater Holy Grail in Tokyo, she would have to stay there permanently. She needed a stable place to live and relatively decent living conditions... This was reasonable, wasn't it? A dignified Dragon King couldn't live a humble life.

Look at Norton, he has become a rich man now, and look at Odin... He probably controls a large number of companies spread across the world. His living conditions must be top-notch in the world.

When Xia Mi thought of this, she couldn't help but envy him so much that she almost bit her teeth to pieces, after struggling for many years but only being able to get a cheap rental house in an old neighborhood.

Damn rich people! I, the King of Earth and Mountains, hate rich people the most in my life.

What he hated even more was that he couldn't become rich!

Xia Mi's original plan was to enroll in the preparatory program jointly run by Kassel College and Shenzhou University. However, since the start of the partnership with Norton, her original plan was disrupted. Kassel College's admissions office gradually withdrew from Shenzhou, forcing many preparatory students to choose between the Secret Party and the Shenzhou families.

Xia Mi considered it and ultimately declined the invitation from the secret party. Firstly, her goal was to be stationed in Japan. If she enrolled in Kassel, unless she had a specific mission, she would have to study all the way through her senior year internship before she would have a chance to apply to the branch in Japan.

Moreover, the secret party's artificial intelligence Norma is extremely strict in reviewing information. Her own identity as Xia Mi is still doubtful, and the all-pervasive artificial intelligence will definitely find loopholes.

In comparison, the Shenzhou family's control is not so strict. Perhaps it is because of the vigorous development of emerging technologies and everything is still in its infancy. Xia Mi hardly feels the constraints of rigid dogmatism.

Since Norton could use his identity to arrange for his brother to be an assistant, maybe he could also get a ticket to Japan and a stable warm house.

So Xia Mi began to think about how to reasonably get free food, drink, and housing, and inadvertently slipped away from the teaching area. No one could detect the Dragon King's actions. At most, they could only glimpse the long, slanting shadow cast by a small animal after it darted past, mistakenly catching the midsummer sun...

Finally, Xia Mi landed lightly outside a spacious workshop. Several young people were having an intense conversation inside. The sound was very subtle and vague when it reached the outside, but the Dragon King had excellent hearing and was not affected at all.

"...Move this, move that. Put the information here. I'll sort it out later." "Here's the list of personnel going to Japan. Don't forget to include our VIP representative."

"There are three people in total, right? Their names are... Shirou Emiya, Chen Motong, and..." "You're wrong. The representative is Shirou Emiya. The entourage includes people who have already been decided by Lord Wa. The rest need to be decided by Mr. Emiya himself."

A rapid and efficient conversation passed through the room. Xia Mi, who was eavesdropping, rolled her eyes. Emiya... was it him? Apparently, he was going to Japan? Oh, that's not right. Wasn't that where his hometown was originally?

As clever as she was, she quickly thought of something - it seemed that as long as she got together with the other person, she would have a boat ticket and a place to live?

No! That's not right. She's the Dragon King. How could she eat and drink for free so blatantly? She must eat and drink for free with dignity.

Xia Mi thought about it and decided to try to apply for an assistant position similar to the one Norton arranged for Constantine as an excellent student. As long as she brought a decent job, she couldn't be accused of being a freeloader!

Xia Mi, who thought of the solution instantly, felt relaxed and in high spirits. She strode back to the teaching area. However, at the entrance, she ran into Emiya with his signature red hair, who was hurriedly walking out.

Emiya was stunned for a second when he saw Xia Mi's face so close to him. It was not until he noticed that Xia Mi was wearing a standard student uniform that he subconsciously felt something was wrong. "Magic apprentice? Students are not allowed to leave the teaching area, right?"

Next, it was Xia Mi's turn to be stunned. Damn it, she was so happy that she forgot to sneak! How did this Emiya become a teacher?

Not actually a teacher.

After learning from Lord Wa about the aristocratic families recruiting students, Emiya took a look at the teaching area to understand the situation and rules. Then, when a large number of students heard that the "God-killing Hero" was coming, they gathered around and shouted to ask for autographs.

This scene left Emiya stunned. After asking the teacher nearby, he realized that their family was setting Emiya up as a role model - killing a god, that was a feat only recorded in myths and legends, and even he learned it in this small place, why don't you study hard and roll up your sleeves!?

It's like returning to your alma mater and finding that the school has arranged for your image to be cast into a bronze statue placed at the door. It's that embarrassing feeling of social death.

After being harassed for a while, Shirou couldn't stand it anymore so he ran away and happened to run into Xia Mi.

Xia Mi blinked her watery eyes. She was quick to act and before Emiya could question her, she opened her cherry lips slightly and spoke in a lively and playful tone:

"Is that you, Brother Emiya? I've heard of your deeds, the god-killing hero. You must be a wealthy man, right? Are you still short of an assistant, Brother Emiya?"

"Yes, my name is Xia Mi. I'm hardworking and proficient in everything from moving bricks to writing research reports. I have many years of experience working in restaurants and have good housework and cooking skills. Brother Emiya, would you consider taking on a project? I'm just looking for free food, lodging, and support!"

The fragrance of the graceful girl wafts in your face, yet it also exudes a strong aura of a pretty and scoundrel girl.

"..." Emiya fell silent, not knowing how to respond for a moment. Old Tang, the ditch, really has a pretty junior assistant?

Chapter 123 Encountering Xia Mi as Strong as a Monster

On such a bright afternoon as the summer sky gradually brightens, Xia Mi's tall and slender figure bathed in the golden sunlight emits a faint, white and soft luster.

She leaned forward slightly with balletic grace, pretending to bow to Emiya and make a request. Her movements were light, smooth, and pitiful. She spoke silly nonsense like "hanging out with a rich man," but her fresh, charming, and playful spirit was completely captivating.

Emiya secretly took a deep breath, deeply feeling that Xia Mi's cute appearance was so terrifying. He thought to himself that he had encountered a quirky and eccentric junior school girl with a charm as strong as a monster. Even if he tried his best, he couldn't resist her. Where did this female monster Xia Mi come from?

"...I don't have any plans to lead a project here yet. Besides, what kind of research topic can a student like you, Xia Mi, have? Besides, I'm going abroad to Japan soon—"

The two people standing at the door had an even more extraordinary conversation because of an unexpected encounter, because Emiya thought that once this junior sister Xia Mi came to him with a research project to be his assistant, his surroundings would definitely be extremely lively every day.

Let him imagine that on the left is Miss Nono, who is unruly and hot-tempered, with her eyebrows raised three centimeters, pulling Emiya and saying, "You must accompany me to the supermarket, aquarium and cinema for the whole day today."

On the right is the playful and cute junior sister Xia Mi, who comes close to him with a fragrant smell. She opens her pink lips and says, "Senior Brother Emiya, I have made a version of this research report. Please tell me how to revise it."

Behind him was the white-haired, young, exotic dragon girl, Mei Liuqina, who pulled the corner of her clothes and stuck out her tongue, saying in an innocent and straightforward tone, "Ermiya hasn't had enough just now, and I want more. Besides, when can we find a place where there is no one to have a good time again?"

Finally, at the crucial moment, Wa-sama made a fateful phone call, overhearing all the lively scenes around Emiya. A spectacular and astonishing multi-party melee was about to break out...

……

Oh my God, when he thought of this, Emiya was so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat in the hot summer.

"Junior Sister Xia Mi, right? I think you should think it over carefully before considering it. After all, Japan is not China. It's so far away from your hometown. Not only is it a matter of being unfamiliar with the place, but the customs and habits are also different."

"Furthermore, although your teachers use me as a role model for educational propaganda, I must honestly say that personality cult is unacceptable. Legendary fictional figures floating in the air and real people with flesh and blood are different in heaven and earth, and cannot be lumped together..."

"Hey! Senior Brother Emiya, do you think I'm also a fan?" Xia Mi laughed happily.

"Please, I'm not someone who falls in love with someone so easily. Although you are powerful and a good person, you must have many suitors. If you break the rules and intrude without permission, you will probably be hacked to pieces. Anyway, I, your little sister, am not worthy of such a chance!"

Then she opened her lips slightly again, stuck out her tongue playfully, and changed her tone.

"But traveling to Tokyo has always been my personal dream. I've always wanted to see places like Sensoji Temple, Akihabara, and the Skytree. But as a girl still in school, it's not easy to make such a trip. Saving money and getting a passport and visa are all issues."

"Besides, I have elderly parents at home and a brother with dementia. Brother, tell me, it's fine if I don't go abroad to work on weekdays, but it's inconvenient to contact them when I go abroad, and the expenses are high and there's no income. I can't bear to leave them."

"But I've heard that as long as you stay on a research project, you can get a decent salary. If you can achieve some results, you can also get a lot of patent fees and bonuses. I roughly calculated that it can not only offset my tuition and fees, but I can also send the money I saved to my hometown in the north..."

Oh no, he actually resorted to the method of playing the emotional card and gaining sympathy!

When Emiya heard Xia Mi muttering non-stop, a strong smell of a poor working man broke through the graceful body fragrance of the young girl and emanated.

Those who heard it were sad, those who listened to it cried, and even the people passing by felt distressed and sad for the rich and diverse experience of this pretty girl as a migrant worker.

Countless people secretly sighed that it was really a penny that made the beautiful girl unable to make ends meet. What kind of miserable environment would force such a cute, lively and innocent girl to work so hard every day to wash dishes, distribute flyers and do odd jobs to supplement the family income?

At this moment, they noticed Emiya standing aside.

As the god-killing hero of the crowd's imagination, he seemed to be enshrined in a golden halo of grandeur. He was lightning, he was light, he was the only myth. In everyone's eyes, he was a partner of justice! The righteous judge of the Chen family's evil experiments and foreign gods!

Now he has become a charity hero who listens to the hardships of life for the poor and is undoubtedly the compassionate savior of the damsel in distress!

As a result, Emiya, who had endured countless stares, felt a headache at the moment. He suspected that if he rejected this girl again in a cold and cruel manner, his junior sister Xia Mi would cry even harder...

"Don't worry, I never said I wouldn't give you a chance!"

Emiya decided that he had to stabilize the situation first and not panic, so he gave her a tactical detour first.

"If you insist on applying for a project and going to Japan with me, I need to first confirm whether it's feasible... I'm not talking about the process, but whether you, as a freshman, have the knowledge and level to meet the standards for independent research."

Although Xia Mi's family background is indeed worthy of sympathy, this is not a reason to take advantage of loopholes. Emiya has also made a preliminary understanding of the assistant requirements stipulated by Lord Wa.

First of all, this position is not open to anyone. A new magic apprentice who knows nothing will definitely not pass the test. No matter what, he must learn it for a few years before he can even pass the job test, no matter how good his grades are.

Moreover, Emiya has already discussed this with the teachers. This group of apprentices from the aristocratic family were only recently recruited, and most of them have been using rote learning to lay a theoretical foundation... At this level, it is difficult for them to even practice magic, let alone practice any projects themselves. That is simply trying to build a castle in the sky, which is absolutely impossible to achieve.

"Xia Mi, I understand your situation is special. I can talk to the Academic Affairs Office here and see if they can make an exception and arrange an on-the-job test for you. Normally, students can't meet this requirement, but as long as you are good enough, everything can be accommodated for you."

"It's okay if you don't pass. I can tell people about your family situation and maybe there's a scholarship available."

Emiya felt that the chicken soup he had given Xia Mi was perfect. It not only expressed sympathy for the poor girl's hard struggle, but also did not monopolize power and trample on the rules. It also showed that he had indeed helped Xia Mi by running errands.

Even though Emiya hinted at the extreme difficulty of this exam, Xia Mi didn't seem to care at all. She just stretched out her two white and tender little hands and happily shook them with Emiya's, her expression of satisfaction concealing the cunning that flashed in her eyes:

"Okay, okay, then thank you very much for your support, Senior Brother Emiya. If you pass the exam, Junior Sister will definitely treat you to KFC... No!"

After thinking about the amount of money in her own small treasury, Xia Mi gritted her teeth and changed her words, "Please treat me to a meal at Quanjude!"

"Forget it then. After the exam, I'll have already flown to Japan. I'm afraid I won't be able to have that Quanjude meal...Xia Mi, just don't tell anyone that I helped you get in through the backdoor or anything like that."

Emiya loosened his hands, and the soft touch from his schoolmate's hands instantly faded away. He turned and left, preparing to go to the Academic Affairs Office.

"I didn't expect that my senior brother is not only kind-hearted, but can also make such jokes!" Xia Mi laughed so hard that her body was shaking. She also took a step forward and left in another direction - the school building in the teaching area. She disappeared from everyone's sight like an agile rabbit.

Having solved her travel and accommodation issues in an instant, she was in a wonderful mood. Her melodious voice sounded like she was humming a light ballad, or whispering to herself:

"Oh, Senior Brother Emiya is such a good person. He protects me so much. The trouble that has been bothering me for days is solved in the blink of an eye. Xia Mi, be careful not to get taken advantage of. Stay alert and beware of fire, theft and Senior Brother!"

----

When Emiya came out of the teaching area and walked towards the magnificent palace complex in Tang City, he looked up and found that the sun was already setting in the west.

He personally reported the matter to the Academic Affairs Office, and in order to prevent the teachers from misunderstanding his meaning and thinking that he wanted to abuse his power for personal gain to allow Xia Mi to get a promotion through the back door, Emiya also specifically emphasized that the test for the specially arranged assistant position needed to be extra difficult.

After personally checking the test questions and feeling that they were fine and extremely difficult for magic beginners, Emiya breathed a sigh of relief. This way, he could avoid having one more person in the accompanying team... Anyway, he didn't turn his face and ruthlessly reject them on the spot. It just happened that the other party couldn't meet the requirements.

Just like many companies' social recruitment, HR will claim that the company's employment opportunities are equal for everyone, but not everyone meets the company's requirements.

He secretly thought that he already had a little witch, a little dragon girl, and a little snake girl around him, so he couldn't have another little demon girl, otherwise they would become a mahjong table...

At the dinner that day, Emiya and Wazhu, together with Nono and Melusina who had just returned from outings, tasted the Zhou family's authentic Chu-style cuisine after a long absence.

Lord Wa specially ordered a grand banquet today, so the dishes on the table were visibly rich.

"...For this eel dish, I had the kitchen stir-fry small dried eels until they're crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. You also can't miss the authentic Mianyang Three-Steamed Pork and the tender and flavorful Huangzhou Dongpo Pork. And this Du Fu dish is great for soothing the stomach and spleen, so eat more."

"Hmm." Emiya, whose appetite has increased recently, stuffed food into his mouth suddenly. Wa was quite happy about it and did not ask any extra questions. She probably thought that the dishes she arranged were to Emiya's liking.

However, Nono, who was eating next to him, suddenly stopped eating and said, "Emiya, I heard people say that you hooked up with a student girl from the courtyard during the day?"

Chapter 124 The Dragon King will never be a slave unless he is provided with food and shelter

Hook up?

Emiya almost vomited when he heard Nono's slanderous words. He chewed twice and swallowed a mouthful of food, "What do you mean by hooking up? We just happened to run into each other and exchanged a few words. How come it's spread like this in just half a day?"

Wazhu was not surprised by this. "It's just that the tribe members like to gossip. It's human nature. If you don't like it, I will also issue a gag order, forcing all the tribe members to stop talking about similar things. It's just a matter of course."

"Hey, no, no, no, just let them talk. It's not a big deal."

Emiya thought that if he left it alone it would be fine, people would just brag about it and talk about it, but if he directly ordered that no one should talk about it... then everyone would have to consider in their hearts whether the rumor was true.

Nuonuo wanted to roll her eyes in disdain. She saw that it was unlikely that Lord Wa would order the tribe members to stop discussing such a small matter.

This vicious little woman was just trying to show off her intimidating thoughts like "her power as the head of the family is unlimited!"

Nuonuo was not impressed, and the guests present were not from the Zhou family. Master Wa, why are you showing off so proudly?

She casually picked up a bite of braised catfish with her chopsticks. The tender and delicious fish meat was placed between her rosy lips, mixing with her flexible pink tongue and white teeth. After two seconds, she made a new sound:

"By the way, what exactly is going on? Why were you standing there chatting with that girl, Emiya? The stories I heard are all so strange. Something about saving a good girl who has fallen from grace, a little fangirl confessing her love and being rejected and bursting into tears, a conversation between a hero who gives alms and a poor civilian..."

"Hey, what a mess this is! Don't believe it. Nine out of ten times what you hear is a lie."

When Emiya saw Nuonuo burst out a series of shocking rumors, he almost vomited his food again. He quickly drank a few sips of pork ribs and lotus root soup to calm his nerves.

"The truth is actually very simple. The girl came from a poor family. After enrolling in school, she looked everywhere for ways to make money. When she happened to meet me, she asked if I could arrange an assistant position for her under the guise of leading a project, so that she could get a salary and save some tuition fees."

"Did you agree or refuse?"

The alert Nono asked immediately. At this moment, she seemed to have a telepathic connection with Lord Wa, and their thoughts overlapped. In an instant, she focused her sharp eyes on Shirou.

"No, I neither agreed nor rejected her." Emiya thought he had handled it properly, so he appeared neither arrogant nor impatient.

"I had already told her we were going to Japan, but she kept pestering me for the assistant position. There were a lot of people watching, and it was ridiculous to just let her cry and make a scene. Finally, I had no choice but to ask the Academic Affairs Office to issue an assistant position assessment in advance."

"Don't worry, I'll personally check the questions. They'll definitely be difficult enough for freshmen to handle. But Master Wa, if that girl's family is truly in financial difficulty, you could try to approve a scholarship for her if she fails the exam..."

Lord Wa nodded, thinking that this was not a big deal, so she decided to change the subject.

Only Nuonuo felt something was wrong. "Why did that girl choose you? Since she knew you were going to Japan, shouldn't she be begging for someone else to lead the project, especially someone who can stay in China permanently?"

"She said she had dreamed of visiting Tokyo for a long time, and now that she had the opportunity to go abroad, she probably didn't want to miss it."

"Is this true? Is it such a coincidence?" Nuonuo was full of doubts. She didn't know if it was because of her preconceived notions, but she always felt that there was some ulterior motive hidden in so many coincidences.

"It's understandable, right? There's something called a 'pilgrimage,' you know? It's a kind of recreational activity based on reminiscing about good memories. Maybe that girl was motivated by that mentality."

"...Hehe, she's the best."

Nuonuo thought to herself that if that girl really came, she would not want to just come and not leave... No, she might as well not come.

However, the reality was not as she wished.

----

Two days later, Emiya and the others packed up and headed for the airport to board their flight, with the Zhou family's personnel following closely behind. The two groups would split up, each heading for a direct flight to Tokyo—because while their starting point was the same, their final destination was different.

While there was still plenty of time, Emiya and the others planned to go back to Emiya's home first. The people arranged by the Zhou family would stay in the arranged hotel rooms to rest and wait until the sword culture exhibition arranged by the Japanese families opened, and then the two groups would reunite.

Melyusina followed Emiya and Nono into the airport, and looked curiously at the huge floor-to-ceiling windows inside the terminal, the marble pavement reflecting the shimmering light, and even the ceiling covered with rows of densely packed white lights. A look of slight confusion appeared on her calm and innocent face.