Xyrin Empire
Chapter 478 The Thrifty Spirit of the Imperial Leaders

Chapter 478: Chapter 478 The Thrifty Spirit of the Imperial Leaders

Within the wreckage of the Emiya Shirou’s mansion, the barbecue party filled with snide remarks and merriment continued for almost two hours before it ended noisily. In the final event, as expected Saber and Sandora locked horns over who could eat more, the two gluttonous kings went head to head in a brutal dismemberment of the clearly excessive prepared meat. Just as I can’t understand Sandora’s stomach structure, in fact, Saber’s appetite has already exceeded what biology can explain. If it weren’t for Sandora’s bizarre hunting range, perhaps they really could have been evenly matched in terms of eating capacity.

Unfortunately, in the end, Saber was slightly outdone. The moment Sandora, with a triumphant smile, broke off a piece of metal from the grill, Saber’s defeat became a foregone conclusion.

"I admit defeat," The King of Dai Mao sincerely lowered her noble head to Sandora. But seriously speaking, as the solemn and serious Knight King, do you think it’s appropriate to be led by a scatterbrained Queen Xyrin into such a bizarre competition?

Since the main house had been destroyed by the landing pod’s crash, the sleeping arrangements for Shirou and a bunch of other tenants became a huge problem. Shirou had always complained that the mansion was too big and felt empty living there alone, but now he no longer had to complain, instead, he was troubled by where to sleep at night.

But in the end, I politely declined Tohsaka Rin’s kind offer to let everyone stay at her place, because I could be absolutely certain that a certain Miss who pretends to have a big family business but is actually scared of poverty wouldn’t pass up any chance to exploit her tenants. Especially when Pandora miraculously pulled out a standard planetary residence pod from her Personal Space, the look in Tohsaka’s eyes sparkled like gemstones with frenzy. I bet that if there was the slightest chance, this poor Miss would unhesitatingly extort our "precious Alien Star wealth" down to the last screw.

So, less than three days after arriving in the FATE world and being inside the Emiya Mansion, we found ourselves sleeping in the steel barracks from the Xyrin Empire again. Although Shirou himself found this novel experience quite interesting and even Tohsaka Rin seemed eager to try it, I just felt a wave of Dan Dan’s sadness.

The next morning, we got up early to have Pandora retract the residence pod into her Personal Space as soon as possible. After all, having the Emiya Mansion destroyed overnight was shocking enough. If someone saw a row of high-tech, integrated residence pods just pop up in the yard, Shirou’s second half of his life would be spent in a research institute.

Then came the expected scene where Fujimura Taiga, who usually came over to freeload meals, was left speechless by the battlefield-like state of the Emiya Mansion grounds.

"Emiya—Shirou!!!" Fujimura’s high-pitched scream set off a car alarm in someone’s house next door. The formidable woman, known as Fujimura Laohu, hoisted the unlucky Mr. Emiya into the air with one hand while pointing at the ruins with the other. "Don’t tell me this was also caused by a gas explosion?!"

"Fujimura Sister, Fujimura Sister, you must stay calm!" Shirou, hoisted mid-air, hurriedly tried to pacify his guardian, who went ballistic. "This was just a regular gas pipeline explosion accident. The house was old and in need of repairs, plus the gas supply lines had frequent malfunctions. The explosion was just an unlucky accident, that’s all. The police also came to this conclusion when they came by this morning."

The police who came by this morning? Sorry, they had already been "controlled" by the omnipotent Miss Tohsaka, using certain methods. For the Society of magicians, using unconventional means to deceive ordinary people and cover up the disastrous consequences caused by magical activities is quite common.

"Tell me the truth, did you mess with someone you shouldn’t have? The Mafia or terrorists?!" Still in a frenzy, Fujimura suddenly set Shirou down and then firmly grasped his shoulders, asking very seriously.

Although her speculation was bizarre, it seemed like she truly cared for her friend’s orphan. Faced with Fujimura’s genuinely concerned expression, Shirou, not good at lying to begin with, immediately silenced.

Should he admit that his house was bombed by aliens?

Fortunately, Tsuruya stepped forward in time to defuse the situation: "Fujimura Sister, Shirou didn’t lie. Last night there really was a serious gas explosion accident. If it weren’t for us being at the dojo... uh, practicing Sword Dao, it would have been really dangerous."

"En?" Seeing even the always well-behaved and honest Zuotian Tsuruya testifying like this, Fujimura also became half convinced, and Shirou quickly struck while the iron was hot: "Yes, yes, Fujimura Sister, this house is really too old, the gas pipeline underneath must have been damaged, plus the past two gas explosions, it looks like the pipelines here are entirely done for."

"Is that so?" Fujimura seemed to be completely brainwashed, nodding in agreement, "In that case, isn’t this place completely unsafe to live in? Shirou, it’s decided, starting tomorrow, you’ll move in and live with me!"

"Ah?" Shirou was taken aback and quickly shook his head. It’s easy for him to move, but what about the host of aliens in his home? Plus, he was now the target of magicians participating in the Holy Grail War, and moving in would surely get Fujimura, even as the daughter of a Mafia leader, implicated. "I don’t think that’s necessary. After all, this is the house left by my dad, Kiritsugu. As his heir, how can I leave at a time like this? I should stay and clean up the mess!"

"And what about your friends here?"

Fujimura showed a pleased expression at Shirou’s response and then turned her gaze to us.

"As friends of Kiritsugu from a long time ago, it’s our duty to help his family through tough times!"

I lifted my face, a voice resounding as if thrown to the ground, the brilliant morning sun casting a resplendent glow on my face.

"Too... too touching," Fujimura Laohu exclaimed dramatically, "What a moving display of sparkling quality! Don’t worry, even though the old master at home is a headache of a guy, I will definitely convince him to help you rebuild the estate!"

Sandora and I exchanged a glance, cheering in our hearts simultaneously, "Yay! We’ve found a sucker~!"

This time, we even saved on hiring the construction team from Avalon.

"By the way, Sister Fujimura, didn’t Sakura come again today?"

It was only after Fujimura had calmed down that Emiya Shi Lang found the opportunity to bring up the question he had wanted to ask from the start. "She used to come every day, but recently... Sakura seems to be really busy."

"You blockhead, you’re certainly reaching that age," Fujimura teased, giving Emiya an ambiguous look, then swiftly changed the subject before the latter could retort, "As for Sakura, she said yesterday that she suddenly felt a bit dizzy, and it seems she needed to rest at home today."

"Sakura is sick?" Emiya immediately became anxious, his concern evident in his voice, making Fujimura’s expression turn even more suggestive.

"It’s just a minor issue. She sounded quite spirited when she called, so it’s probably just a cold... Wow! It’s already this late! I haven’t even had breakfast yet! Damn that gas explosion incident, might as well annihilate this world that’s full of gas explosions—La—La—La—"

With a string of elongated sounds, Fujimura, who seemed to have taken being late for work as an instinct, left our field of vision in a cloud of dust, leaving everyone exchanging confused looks.

"Alright, it’s getting late, I should be going to school."

Emiya sighed helplessly as he watched Fujimura disappear into the distance, then turned back to speak, but Saber suddenly stopped him.

"Saber?" Emiya asked, surprised.

The golden-haired girl hesitated for a moment, then cast an inquisitive gaze towards us.

Obviously, she wanted to divulge to her summoner the facts that Rider was assigned by someone and that the girl named Makoto Sakura was actually one of the masters in the Holy Grail War. For someone who abided by the code of the knights, keeping such a secret from her own master was terribly contradictory.

Sigh, I knew we shouldn’t have let Saber get involved in the first place, and now we’d inadvertently let her learn some of the "observed" intelligence. Trouble was finally catching up with us but then again, catching a Heroic Spirit and keeping Saber, a Heroic Spirit herself, out of it was probably unrealistic. Moreover, Emiya himself was one of those involved in capturing Rider, and he was bound to ask about it sooner or later, and Saber would inevitably refuse to lie.

"What’s the matter?" Emiya was no fool, just by the exchange of glances between us, he knew we were hiding something from him; and Saber, always so honest and sincere, her hesitance only made his curiosity harder to suppress.

I casually pulled out a phone that Bubbles had made personally, which boasted a direct line to the White House but mostly served as a high-definition handheld gaming device, and dialed the Tohsaka family’s number: "Hello, Tohsaka? It’s me, uh, ’Alien’... Please take a sick leave for Emiya, he’s been out sleepwalking since yesterday and probably won’t make it to class today... You know it’s a hoax and you still ask! Just make up some excuse!"

To speak to Miss Tohsaka like this, probably only our group of "Aliens", who had earned her respect, were left, huh?

"Hey! Don’t make decisions on your own like that!"

Seeing how I decisively destroyed my perfect attendance record for the semester in a single stroke, Emiya immediately protested loudly.

"If you still decide to go to class after listening to Saber, it won’t be too late to protest."

I rolled my eyes at this guy and dumped the whole mess onto Saber.

Rider was still locked in a special cage in the dojo. It was said to be imprisonment, but it seemed more like a healing device. Beyond preventing the patient from leaving at will, the crystal platform had no harm and even served as a treasure for Heroic Spirits.

Presumably, Rider had already noticed this, because when we approached her, she immediately moved closer on her own.

"Sakura Makoto didn’t come today," I preempted her, "Ghost Energy has invaded her brain nerves, and she started to feel dizzy yesterday."

"How can this be ... you said that erosion was harmless to humans, didn’t you?"

"When did I say it was harmless? I just said that it was relatively less harmful to humans. Plus, you don’t have to worry. According to the current information, Sakura’s condition isn’t too bad. As for you, how is your recovery?"

"No big problems," Rider shook her head, "but when will you start treating Sakura’s body?"

"That’s what I’m here to talk to you about," I said, pulling out a chair and sitting down next to her. "Every word I say from now on is true, and you must keep it a secret, understand?"

Rider hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "As long as it doesn’t harm Sakura, I have no interest in revealing your secrets."

I took a breath and then continued slowly, "Firstly, regarding everything about Sakura, and I mean everything, including what time she yawns in the morning on average while she was still in the Tohsaka household— we know it all. That’s the premise."

Rider was stunned even longer this time. Such news obviously surprised her, but in the end, she nodded—probably agreeing that "peeping is an alien’s prerogative."

"Next, we now have a way to put an end to everything and let Sakura have the happy life she deserves. All of this is related to the Ghost Energy erosion you are experiencing. I need you to cooperate with an experiment, one that is unprecedented and comes with a certain risk to you. But our technology will ensure the risk is minimized to the lowest. So, between a one percent risk and Sakura’s rebirth, which do you choose?"

"If it’s as you say, then there’s no problem with me cooperating with any experiment. Heroic Spirits are undying, after all."

It took her about ten seconds to roughly understand what I meant, and Medusa, the Heroic Spirit, gave such an unwavering answer.

"Good. Then the Ghost Energy in Sakura will calm down temporarily tomorrow, and I will arrange for her to see you," I nodded, then casually took some items out of my Personal Space. "Here’s the contract. Sign here. About the compensation for the experiment, do you have a bank account?"

Rider, who had been serious and even a bit anxious up until now, nearly stumbled and fell: "You guys sign contracts?"

"Nonsense! My subordinates are a legitimate scientific research organization!" I said, taking it for granted, watching as Rider struggled with her expression and scribbled on the paper, and then I suddenly realized something quite amusing, "Hey, Medusa, you can’t be illiterate, can you?"

The awkward way she held the pen, the scribbles that looked like drawing circles— it was just like me... er, just like a primary school student who had just learned to write!

"How could that be! It’s just that I haven’t written for a long time and I’m not used to modern text..." Rider contradicted me on the spot, then suddenly paused, "You know my real name?!"

Heroic Spirits’ true names, that was their greatest secret, connected to their past achievements and the Ultimate Skills and Treasures that they relied on for existence. Once summoned, aside from their master, Heroic Spirits would not let anyone else know their true names. Therefore, when I accidentally called out her true name, Medusa immediately felt very surprised and vigilant.

This, it seems, can’t be explained by aliens’ spying technology, and that excuse was rather lame...

"It’s a secret," I brushed it off with the universal excuse, "Anyway, I know the name of every Heroic Spirit in the entire Holy Grail War, their signature moves, Treasure usage, preferences, living habits, feeding territory, hibernation cycles, height, weight, cholesterol level—I know it all!"

"Although you sound impressive, I still feel like something odd was mixed in at the end."

Rider said with a subtle tone, handing back the signed contract. The string of symbols more abstract than my sister’s drawings on it was breathtaking. Moreover, it was odd, Medusa was just a very simple name, even if you add some familial or clan surnames, it shouldn’t take up two full lines, right?

"Got it wrong, crossed it out."

Rider turned her head awkwardly, still in that eternally unchanging indifferent tone, but was it my imagination? It seemed like her face blushed just a moment ago?

When I came out of the dojo, the first thing I saw was Emiya Shirou, who had already been waiting at the front.

Judging by his complexion, I could roughly guess how much Saber had told him. He probably now knew everything that we got, about Sakura being adopted by the Makoto Family since she was a child, transformed by the Engraving Worms... all these things, Emiya must be fully aware of now.

Casting my gaze into the distance, I could see Saber standing next to the ruins of the old main house, casting an apologetic yet unwavering look in this direction. Clearly, for those hard-to-accept truths that would eventually come to light, the honest Saber had finally made the decision to reveal everything.

"Is all that true?"

Slowly approaching us, Emiya asked with a tone that seemed calm. He bowed his head, making it hard to see his facial expression, but one could easily guess that it definitely wasn’t a good one.

"What’s your decision now?"

I didn’t answer his question, but such a counter-question already said it all. So, Emiya, what are your thoughts? About that girl you’ve always had feelings for but didn’t realize, what will your answer be after learning about her past?

"Of course, it’s to rescue Sakura!" Emiya Shirou almost reflexively blurted out the words without a second of hesitation.

"A wise choice, young man," I said with an artificially aged pat of approval on his shoulder, "then let’s thoroughly rescue her. We’ll help you."

This time, it was Emiya’s turn to be surprised.

Facing his unexpected look, I chuckled, "Consider it compensation for smashing up your house. Fair enough?"

Immediately, Sandora nudged me in the ribs with her elbow: "First you trick people into taking part in bio-experiments, then shirk the demolition compensation, isn’t that a bit harsh?"

Psh, just watch, this naïve kid is so easy to trick.

Sure enough, Emiya Shirou didn’t hesitate at all and immediately showed a grateful expression: "If such a price is all it takes to help Sakura, then it’s a real bargain!"

See, I told you he would fall for it! (To be continued. For the continuation, please visit www.qidian.com. More Chapters available, support the author, support genuine reading!)