Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

Death is corruption, and corruption is destruction. How can any part of something incorruptible corrupt? How can any part of God be destroyed?

Dee's concept of 'death' is not death in the conventional sense. For this alchemist, death in the conventional sense is 'dissolution'. Dissolution is not for destruction, but for the renewal of life energy. In other words, he believed that everything belongs to God, and human death is merely the renewal of divine power.

There are no inanimate objects in the universe, neither now nor in the future.

Therefore, Dee also had some guesses about Novia—

If that's the case, then it must be some kind of extraterrestrial god from beyond the universe...

But why did he choose this name? Was it by chance or was it premeditated?

A subtle sense of unease arose in my thoughts, though I didn't know why. My alchemist's instinct to explore the essence was searching for the answer.

But before he could instinctively get an answer, Novia spoke:

"Are they all beyond redemption? Perhaps, but for humanity that survived the apocalyptic crisis that never materialized, these nameless individuals lived with dignity and integrity. Regardless of their reasons or the consequences, they ultimately saved the 'world'."

How is this going?

Looking at Novia in front of him, Dee felt like he had overlooked something.

Isn't this kind of thinking completely un-magician-like...?

However, Lushena's words quickly brought Dee back to her senses.

"I have a request."

"What is it, please tell me?"

John answered quite politely.

He naturally understood that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Vairocana would specifically request Eri to help her find the Buddha Fruit and the Buddha Heart, which was also what he had anticipated and planned.

After all, this was a necessary step for this woman of the underworld to become the glory of the Lord, making the 'universe' her sacrifice.

however.

"Could you please help me find the Buddha's fruit and the Buddha's mind? The reward is negotiable, how about that?"

Unexpectedly, Lushena said this to Novia, and for some reason his tone became respectful.

"Let me ask again."

Novia looked directly at Rushena. "You possess Gautama's memories, don't you?"

"Oh? You care about this kind of thing?"

Lushena tilted his head in surprise.

"Let me think. I'm actually a bit of a weirdo. I always admit defeat even when I can win, I always let go even when I can kill, I always abandon what I could have had a good life, and I always try to organize the intelligence piece by piece in those situations, but my brain just can't process it. It's so frustrating. I'm really good at this kind of thing. I guess I'm self-taught or it's just my nature."

Novia paused for a few seconds, then slowly spoke:

"I see. Then I agree."

"Grateful."

Of course, Novia also understood that the girl in front of her, Vairocana, actually had no Buddhahood or Buddha-nature.

Because she is not a Buddha in essence, but an unknown Vairocana Buddha statue itself, in other words, a 'person' created through alchemy.

Moreover, she had no memory of this teacher.

A few seconds later, Lushena frowned, a hint of confusion in his expression.

"……teacher?"

Chapter 518 is about teachers, that's all.

……teacher?

Vairocana frowned as he muttered to himself.

Why did this name suddenly come to mind? In my memory, Gautama had many teachers, in the shadows of houses, on the sunlit riverbank, beside the small boats moored on the shore, in the thick shadows of willow groves and fig trees. But those were more like friends than teachers. Whether it was Arhat, Uddharama, or Uddaka, they were all just guides on the path.

The faint light emanating from the sea seemed to flow into the dark eyes of Vairocana, the capital of the underworld.

She recalled a Brahman prayer she had learned as a child.

Because someone started crying, someone held the crying child on their lap and let them cry, gently stroking their hair and responding to the crying with a smile.

Then, in the distant past, from Gautama's childhood, that person recited the prayer in a singing tone, and the crying child gradually quieted down and then sobbed into sleep.

That man loved all things and made all people happy, but he had no happiness in himself.

But who exactly is that person?

Vairocana began to feel a sense of loss, which she felt was due to the loss of her Buddhahood and Buddhahood, resulting in incomplete memories. So, she just needed to find them... She hoped that Lord Novia would have a smooth journey.

"Then, where can we find your Buddhahood and Buddha-mind, Vairocana? There's not even a process; it's just simple abandonment..."

Eri touched the temple floor, her fingers picking up bits of debris.

“This is Tokyo, even if it’s only part of it, it’s still incredibly vast. And John just said he couldn’t find it either, so I don’t think we, who aren’t very familiar with Tokyo, can find it quickly.”

The name "Metroid Tokyo" does not refer to the original "Tokyo," but rather to Minato Ward, one of its twenty-three administrative districts.

This is normal. Since the advent of the new era, not many old-era cities have survived due to rising sea levels and various other factors. Places like Shinjuku, Tama, and even Akihabara, which used to belong to Tokyo, have become their own cities. Therefore, it is normal for Minato Ward, with Tokyo Tower, to become synonymous with 'Tokyo'.

"Don't worry, I've searched all of Tokyo, but there's nothing here. It can only have been stolen."

A bright smile spread across Dee's face. "In the past six months, no trains have come to Tokyo or left. You, Lady Manazuru, are the only ones to have come during this period."

"I see. If there is neither out nor in, then it can only be in a certain person, right?"

Qian Sui sighed, "But you also said that Lu She appeared suddenly. What if it had been lost before it came here?"

"wrong."

Vairocana made an X gesture and waved it happily in front of Chitose. "No, I vaguely remember that before I came to this Tokyo full of death, my Buddhist heart and Buddhahood were still there. Of course, this can only be explained within the scope of my own memories."

"...This explanation is limited to the extent of my own memory and knowledge."

Eri Se repeated it like a parrot, then rubbed her forehead with a hint of helplessness.

"Regarding information about Tokyo, since this place was transformed into the underworld, it has severed all contact and communication with the city's AI, making reporting quite troublesome. But please don't worry, I have already sent everything I know to your communication devices."

Dee chuckled softly, "But I'm a little curious, with so many people here, why did you specifically seek out Lord Novia?"

Upon hearing this, all the women present except Cleopatra turned their gazes toward it. Of course, Erise looked on with amusement, while Chitose and Tiamat were also curious, since this development was, well, too ambiguous.

"Alas, so you've finally asked me that question?"

Lushana smiled and opened his arms, and in his black gem-like eyes, there was the same gentle light as always.

"If I had to give a reason, it would be quite simple—"

"Your Excellency Novia may resemble my teacher in some ways, that's all."

"How is this going?"

Upon hearing this, Dee frowned instantly.

"I don't know, but that's what I think."

This statement was somewhat vague, and seemed more like a perfunctory remark, but Novia knew it was the truth.

But John Dee felt he should understand what Lushena meant; Novia was indeed her teacher.

After all, this guy was something he created by alchemizing the Vairocana Buddha. If we go along with that, then the teacher she mentioned is Dipankara Buddha from Buddhism, also known as Kavia from India.

However, Dee didn't sense any Indian or Chinese aura in Novia at all. After all, the magic used in the Eastern and Western worlds is completely different. Even if it can be mixed, the aura is still difficult to change. Moreover, as a member of the Atlas Institute, Novia is so familiar with the Quran that she is probably a believer as well.

It's worth mentioning here that mind magic is a type of magic from the East, but the East doesn't just refer to China. It refers to the magic accumulated and practiced in the Middle East and East that is different from Western magic. Volume 9 of The Great Adventure of the Second mentioned that India is also the origin of mind magic. In other words, magicians from both sides participated in the construction of the mind disk during the Age of Gods.

However, Vairocana, who possessed most of Gautama's memories, said that he resembled Gautama's teacher.

Then there is only one answer.

Dee was so certain that Novia was either the saint Belram or possessed by him.

In simple terms, the story of Saint Belram is a Christian version of the Gautama story, adapting Gautama into the Christian saint Josephus, and Belram is Josephus' teacher. The story is based on the Puja and is believed to have been written by Christians in Central Asia or Iran in the 6th or 7th century AD.

After thinking it over, Dee breathed a sigh of relief. After all, if he really was a saint, he wouldn't need to take him seriously.

As for why Vairocana was like this, he felt it was due to some unimportant accident during the alchemy process; in short, everything was fine.

“I just checked the message John sent.”

As if to distract himself slightly, Novia spoke up, "The current Underworld Tokyo can basically be divided into four sections."

Shiba Park, starting with the most tragically depicted Tokyo Tower, is a forbidden zone in the underworld of Tokyo.

Next is the business district that used to be home to many foreign embassies and was known for its strong international atmosphere.

Then there's the area around the Tokyo TV headquarters.

Finally, there's this area under our feet, which belongs to the Night Watchers and is also the smallest. Thinking about it, it makes sense, since the entire Tokyo has long been reduced to ruins, and the Servants here are mostly Evil-type Servants. Plus, John is the only Night Watcher in Tokyo, so it's quite reasonable... right?

Novia understood that Vairocana was probably a forgery created by John using a Buddha statue, but what was its significance? What role would Vairocana, as a Buddha, play in the arrival of Eri Se? Even in the Japanese tradition of combining Shinto and Buddhism, there was no such case.

Shinto-Buddhist integration is a system of beliefs that combines and integrates indigenous Japanese beliefs with Buddhism to form a unified belief system, also known as the "Shūji".

The trace of Mahavairocana Buddha is Amaterasu, the trace of the Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara Buddha is Izanami, and the trace of Shakyamuni Buddha is Izanachi.

Eri, being Izanami's daughter born in this world, is essentially estranged from gods and Buddhas. Vairocana, as the embodiment of the enlightened one, is actually an abbreviation of the enlightened one's Dharmakaya, Mahavairocana. This is because when the enlightened one named himself, he placed the Sambhogakaya and Dharmakaya in the same name, meaning that the Dharma and Sambhogakaya are not two.

In other words, could this be some kind of paradox? But even if the Vairocana before us, who appears to have no power, is actually Vairocana Buddha, then the traces he leaves are Amaterasu.

In the Tokyo Underworld, which has been transformed into the underworld, there is an alchemist who has been plotting for years to save the world, the Alchemist Buddha who is used as bait, the suspected creator god of Tokyo Amanominaka whom Tiamat learned about, the unknown fate of the underworld goddess Izanami, and the strange things that Holmes said before he disappeared about Chitose's behavior in the Holy Grail War...

On the way here, Novia asked Chitose about his situation in the Holy Grail War and found that it was pretty much the same as what was said on the city intelligence website. In short, he and Lucius worked together to defeat their final opponent, the Cyclic Serpent Ouroboros, and then a new era began.

Ouroboros? An incredibly important symbol in alchemy, and revered by alchemists as the King of Magic...

This John may have participated in the Holy Grail War, and might even be the final Master that Chitose faced. Even if Chitose didn't treat him as an acquaintance, it's not impossible, because as a highly skilled alchemist, it wouldn't be strange for him to use a fake body to participate in the Holy Grail War.

As for Cleopatra, the servant next to him, Novia could tell immediately that she was not an assassin, but an imposter like Favia.

But this Cleopatra looked almost exactly like the Cleopatra he had in mind...

Suddenly, Vairocana scratched his head and said:

"Okay, it's decided! Now that we've entrusted this task to you, as a small reward, I'll treat you to some fruit and snacks. I've seen a shop like that before."

"...Tokyo is in ruins and submerged by the sea, yet there are still fruit and pastry shops?!"

Eri was quite surprised, and hesitated before speaking, "Isn't this a bit..."

"You're exaggerating. Although Tokyo is basically deserted, it does have Servants."

"Don't Servants not need to eat?"

"It's just a hobby, but actually I've never been there before, I just took a quick look."

The straightforward Lushena seemed to have no idea how to be polite, and immediately took Novia's hand in a familiar manner, "But Novia, you should like it very much. It's a rare opportunity to go, so I hope everyone can come into the store with me."

John and Cleopatra declined, saying they had some things to attend to. Even Chitose declined, believing that dealing with matters in Tokyo would prevent anything from happening in other cities. So in the end, only Tiamat and Erise went along, and Tiamat also took Novia's other hand.

So the group returned to Tokyo Station, turned a few steps, and entered a fruit and snack shop hidden among a pile of ruins.

As soon as you enter the store, you are greeted by a delightful aroma of fruit.

"Fruit Parlor? They have it here too? That's unbelievable..."

But as Eri-se had expected, there was practically no one there.

"Erise, Mom hasn't heard of her. What does this mean? Hmm, could this be Japanese-English?"

Tiamat, who was holding Novia's hand, turned around and said to Erise, who looked disappointed, "It's not good to eat so many snacks without eating a proper meal, and it's the same for you, Rushena."

"That being said, Tiamat's mom, you seem really excited too. Could it be that I've misunderstood...? Sorry."

For some reason, Lushena naturally called Tiamat, who called herself "Mom," and Tiamat clearly had no resistance to well-behaved children, so she looked flustered as soon as she saw Lushena lower her gaze.

"I made a mistake, I made a mistake, so don't look at Mother like that. No, I'm sorry!"

"sorry?"

Eri felt a snicker coming from Lushena's voice.

If he hadn't lowered his head and was still behind those three people, he would definitely have seen their smug smiles as they reveled in having caught their prey.

The Buddha, who exudes a gentle aura, actually has this side to him? But let's put that aside for now. This guy named Novia, although I had expected it, I still can't help but wonder if he has some kind of charm or protagonist halo? How come he even stuck to the Buddha girl... It's really incomprehensible.

I'm not particularly fond of those southern-style fruits, but it's not a bad feeling to be able to experience that there's still such a peaceful and tranquil place in the ruins of Tokyo.