You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

Theseus killed the calf, and Medea was Theseus's stepmother.

Atalanta once traveled on the same ship as Medea. The huntress had an acquaintance named Peleus, whose son was the future Achilles, who would become famous in the Trojan War.

Achilles' mentor was Chiron, and he also had a comrade-in-arms named Odysseus, who was the one who dumped Circe...

At first glance, it's puzzling, but upon closer inspection, it's not surprising, given that this Holy Grail War is taking place in Europe.

Given their fame and the difficulty of obtaining artifacts, it's natural that there are many Greek Servants. Furthermore, Greek mythology is highly complete, and it's always possible to find connections between named characters through various means.

"I never expected that the red team's caster would be you, Aunt... I thought having Atalanta was already embarrassing enough."

Medea was quite helpless. Her memories of Atalanta were beautiful and pure; she wasn't the vengeful witch she would later become...

"I should be the one saying that... Sigh!"

Circe complained, "Honestly, nothing good has happened since we were summoned!"

She wasn't just talking about recognizing Medea; she was also talking about her Master being controlled by Amakusa.

Yes, although Amakusa has not yet revealed her hand to the other Servants, Circe, as a great witch, will not be fooled by the Empress's methods. She already knew that her Master was in trouble and roughly understood what had happened.

However, she did not expose the conspiracy, but pretended to be completely unaware of it and diligently carried out Amakusa's mission.

"Let's call it a day then. I've been waiting here for nothing..." Medea shook her head. "I'm sorry, I accidentally destroyed all these artifacts. Did that affect the construction speed of your magic workshop?"

"No, not at all."

Medea gleaned an unexpected piece of information from Circe: "It may have had an impact, but it's not my workshop, so it doesn't matter."

"what?"

Medea was taken aback: "The culprit in these recent phantom thieves cases should be Auntie, right? Wasn't it to collect materials to build your magic workshop?"

"I don't care about these things at all, and the main force behind the Phantom Thief case is the priest!"

Circe scoffed: "It's just the Master's order. Collect these materials for Assassin to build her own 'temple'."

Why would Assassin have a temple? Medea temporarily suppressed this question.

After hearing Circe's words, a sense of superiority rose in her chest, and the corners of her mouth curved into a pleasant smile, even her voice became somewhat cheerful.

"What? Aunt, you're such a powerful magician, and the Red Team isn't building a workshop for you, but instead building a temple for some assassin?"

What a waste! They're using a proper Caster character instead of making her an obstacle for the Assassin!

But this isn't bad either; having workshops isn't always a good thing.

Look at me, even though I own the largest magic workshop in Yggdrasil and even have the Greater Grail as my magic core, I still get a lot of work assigned to me!

Creating golems and repairing spirit origins, this is such a hassle!

"I'm actually quite envious of you, Auntie. You don't have to be locked up in the workshop all day, and you can even come out and play a phantom thief or something!"

"..."

boom!

Circe smiled, but her tin staff crushed a section of the floor.

Medea became alert, ready to have a magic duel with her teacher at any moment.

But this tension quickly dissipated, because Circe keenly picked up on a piece of intelligence:

"Medea, you said you have access to the Greater Grail?"

"Uh, yes, what's wrong?" Medea's eyebrows twitched, as if she had thought of something, but her expression was quite hesitant.

"Aunt, do you mean to..."

"Don't worry, I was just curious and asked casually."

Circe asked with a smile, "Am I the kind of person who would disregard the bigger picture and cause trouble just to vent my anger?"

Medea: “…”

At that moment, she remembered a saying that was widely circulated in Kolksky and even throughout the Greek seas:

Never offend the witch Circe—that woman is petty!

Chapter 122: Fishing Requires Willingness to Use Bait! (4K)

"That's how it is. In the end, she still managed to escape. I'm so sorry."

In the hall, Medea bowed slightly and calmly recounted her experiences.

Vlad III, seated above, nodded slightly and said dismissively, "The Caster class is not good at direct combat. This time, I only sent you out to gather intelligence and conduct tactical interference. I did not issue any combat orders... It would be more accurate to say that you launched an attack on your own."

"This was my mistake," Medea said without offering any explanation.

"Fortunately, there were no adverse consequences, and this serves as a warning to the other party... Since that's the case, let's not pursue the matter any further." Vlad III waved his hand magnanimously, indicating that Medea could go back to create the puppets and maintain the barrier.

"Okay, then I'll take my leave."

The phantom thief incident was not resolved smoothly. Although the World Tree sent Medea to deal with it, the enemy was also skilled in magic. After detonating the museum, they took advantage of the chaos to escape. As a Caster, Medea was unwilling to leave her post to pursue them alone, so she returned to the castle to report the situation to Vlad III.

Lancer was not entirely satisfied with the result, but he was not disappointed either. His original intention in choosing Caster was to first move all the valuable items out of the museum and turn the venue itself into a huge bomb.

Medea, on a whim, used the "mystery" of numerous artifacts to create a simple yet effective barrier against spirits, attempting to trap the other's followers—something Vlad III had not anticipated.

Regardless, Medea was unharmed, and the enemy reportedly suffered some minor losses. As long as there were no major casualties, this outcome was acceptable to Yggdrasil.

As for the traitorous witch who disobeyed orders and acted without authorization, she seemed to have realized her mistake. Originally proud and reserved, she became very humble and cautious after returning. After apologizing to Vlad III, she returned to the underground workshop to adjust the Greater Grail.

The Black Faction's Servants are not only powerful in themselves, but also have an abundant supply of magical energy. They draw magical energy from their Master, the artificial life form battery, and the Greater Grail, so their Spirit Origin is always at its peak.

Medea claims she can adjust the output power of the Greater Grail to increase support for the Servants, thus redeeming herself.

It was a good thing that her subordinates were motivated, and Vlad III had no intention of being harsh on her anyway. He even praised her for the project she had proposed.

In fact, Medea was not exaggerating. Apart from the magic circuit array of the "Heaven's Cup" as its core, this rare witch had long mastered the structure and operation mechanism of the Greater Grail. Making some external modifications was just a trivial matter for her.

Sure enough, just two days later, the Black Faction Servants received a comprehensive boost to their magical power, making the amount from the Master and the Homunculus Battery seem insignificant in comparison.

With their overall strength further enhanced, the Black faction is full of confidence for the upcoming Holy Grail War. From Vlad III to many magicians, no one doubts that they will win!

In contrast, Amakusa Shiro Tokisada of the Red team was filled with anxiety about the road ahead.

In his original plan, Assassin Semiramis's Noble Phantasm, "Hanging Gardens of Vanity," was the key to success; this aerial fortress was essential to seizing the Greater Grail from the Thousand World Tree.

However, the Berserkers of the Red faction (Sera & Iori) inexplicably harbored hostility towards him. Not only did they refuse to meet him at the church, but they also took advantage of the situation to destroy many precious artifacts. These were materials used to build the Hanging Gardens, which he had barely managed to gather over half a century. Even if they could still be used now, their effectiveness would be greatly diminished.

It's important to know that rooftop gardens have a very important characteristic:

The higher the total value of the resources invested during construction, the higher the garden's completion level and the higher the Noble Phantasm level will be!

This is why Masters who summon Semiramis must be prepared to go bankrupt when they participate in the battle...

Iori's actions were undoubtedly a huge blow to Amakusa, so he had no choice but to send Circe to collect resources. Even if this would cause Red Caster to be dissatisfied, he could only try his best to appease him. The general direction could not be changed!

Originally, as a representative of the Holy Church and an ally of the Red Master, Amakusa could have reported to the Clock Tower and condemned the Berserker Master and Servant for their infighting.

But after he learned about the Berserker Master's identity and background, he silently swallowed this bitter pill.

Serra von Einzbern—when he saw this surname, his first reaction was a sense of nostalgia and melancholy, followed by an immediate suspicion that his identity had been exposed.

Back then, Ai-kei illegally summoned the Ruler on his own territory, so he definitely preserved Amakusa Shiro's data. Although this family has declined, it's not surprising that he can be recognized from the historical data.

He had no choice but to temporarily set aside the matters of Sera and Iori, and instead devise a new plan to attack the Thousand Worlds Tree:

Without the Hanging Gardens, they would have to take the initiative to attack the Black faction's main base and fight to the death against those Servants who are backed by the Magic Workshop and the Greater Grail... Even if the Red faction has excellent Servants such as Karna, Achilles, and Semiramis, it would not be easy to do this.

Therefore, he restrained Achilles and others who were eager for war, patiently gathering materials bit by bit, waiting for the day when the Hanging Gardens would be completed.

—It was against this backdrop that both Black and Red received an important message at the same time!

[The ultimate relic, the "Rhine Gold," a treasure from Norse mythology, will be on public display at a manor outside Tulipas, with only truly discerning guests invited to participate.]

The news was published in the newspaper, and most of the local residents thought it was just a prank by busybodies. However, only the Chikyuu and Amakusa Shiro took it seriously after receiving the information.

Because at the same time, they also received ore fragments delivered by someone using a familiar.

The stone itself has no value; it is neither gold nor jade nor any rare material. Yet, magicians cherish it because it carries a peculiar magic, somewhere between a curse and a blessing, with an extremely long history, as if it were some kind of "mysterious" remnant.

If that were all, it wouldn't be so bad. Yggdrasil has no shortage of relics, and Amakusa Shiro is quite knowledgeable in the Middle East. However, both sides have true experts among their Servants, the "distinguished guests" mentioned in the newspapers. They recognized the origin of the ore, thus verifying the newspaper's claims.

"It really is Rheinmetall?"

In the council hall, Fiore gasped softly, her face filled with disbelief. Although the other Masters had different expressions, it was clear that they were all deeply affected by this unexpected information.

It's no wonder they're so agitated; after all, this isn't an ordinary relic, but a treasure that occupies a key position in a mythological system and has extremely special significance.

Even setting aside its symbolic significance, RheinGold possesses the ability to accumulate wealth, which is something no one can resist!

From cultivators to magicians, regardless of their power system, the consensus is roughly the same:

On the path of cultivation, abundant resources are the greatest aid, and money is the most direct form of resources.

None of the magicians in Type-Moon are able to see through fame and fortune; on the contrary, they are all pursuing them.

The infamously poor Rin Tohsaka needs no introduction, and even industry heavyweights like Nissan and the Aozaki sisters have a significant need for money.

"There couldn't possibly be any Rhine gold on Romanian soil, otherwise we would have found it long ago."

"It looks like a trap no matter how you look at it."

"At this time... it's most likely related to the clock tower!"

"Saber, are you sure?"

Vlad III raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet and then asked a tall, white-haired young swordsman present.

"No one is more qualified than you to judge what is true and what is false."

"It's genuine."

The swordsman with a serious expression and resolute eyes is named "Siegfried," also known as Siegfried. He is one of the strongest human heroes in Norse mythology and had a deep connection with the Rhinegold during his lifetime. In a sense, this is even considered his sacred relic, so it is impossible for him to mistake it.

"It's probably a rock that broke off from the base. This kind of magic that leads people to misfortune cannot be faked by conventional means."

"Oh my, it's really true..."

Vlad III chuckled knowingly: "It seems the organizers are very sincere; it's worth a visit."

"king!"

The bespectacled female magician, Sereneka, directly advised, "This is undoubtedly a trap. As long as we stay in the castle, we can maintain our advantage. Even if the relic is real, there's no need for us to create trouble for ourselves."

Other Masters also stepped forward, their words differing but their general message being the same: ignore this overly obvious bait, continue with the original defensive counter-attack strategy, and wait for the right moment (when a certain number of Servants have died) to activate the Greater Grail and declare victory in the war.

"Hmph~ You are even weaker than I imagined, and you also lack the wisdom to judge the situation."

Vlad III said with displeasure, "I am both a general and a king, and I will not let momentary impulses control my mind. Of course, I will not be attracted by bait, but don't you realize the opportunity in this battle?"

"Fighter?"

The Masters were taken aback, but in the end, it was the wheelchair-bound girl Fiore who was more intelligent and quickly grasped the key information.

"Do you mean the other side has set up the battlefield in Tulipas?"

"Hmm~ Although he's slow, he's not beyond help."

Vlad III said, "Turifas is my 'territory' and the region where the influence of the Thousand World Tree is strongest. To display Rhinegold in such a place is a challenge that fills me with confidence!"

"Your Majesty is wise..."

Fiore sighed inwardly: Vlad III was virtually invincible within his own "territory," and his so-called defensive counter-attack strategy was also to avoid fighting outside his territory as much as possible.

But this time the enemy came directly into their territory, and into the core area!

As a monarch, a Grand Duke might choose a "cowardly" strategy to consider the overall situation, but as a general, he would probably not tolerate such provocation from the enemy on his own doorstep.

After all, as long as he didn't leave his territory, Vlad III had nothing to worry about, and he could handle even so-called traps with ease.

"Of course, I will not take risks easily. From now on, send out all the spies and familiars to closely monitor every move that happens on this land. Then expand the scope of the investigation and pay close attention to the enemy's invasion trajectory."

As long as precautions are taken in advance, I can command the battle as a general, whether in Tulifas or inside the castle.

Furthermore, Servants must remain stationed within the castle to protect the Master and use Command Seals to recall combat power in critical moments.

"As ordered!"

"……king!"

Seeing that King Frider III had made his decision, the Masters knew that it was difficult to reverse the situation, but Fiore still intended to make one last effort.

"It is only right to give the enemy a good beating for daring to provoke us like this, but we do not yet know what kind of Servants they have prepared... If they are just trying to distract you, then you have fallen into their trap."