Xyrin Empire
Chapter 496: Pirate Ship

Chapter 496: Chapter 496: Pirate Ship

"Sakura, you and Rider stay behind."

I turned to the two girls who were about to leave with us and said, catching Sandora’s immediate understanding as she rubbed her forehead. "Ah Jun, although this was our original plan, digging under someone’s feet so blatantly—what if the world retaliates in self-defense?"

I shrugged. "Those two lazy bums haven’t reacted at all till now. Honestly, I’m worried something has already gone wrong with them. Besides, we have Dingdang, let’s leave grappling with the gods to that little thing."

"Exactly, exactly! Dingdang is so awesome!"

Little Thing popped out of my pocket, jubilantly flying in figure eights in the air, its body scattering phosphorescent specks all around.

"Wow! How cute!"

Ilya immediately switched to starry eyes and, along with the similarly mesmerized Little Baobao, rushed towards me.

Seeing its two natural enemies (sadly, in just two days, even Ilya had become an enemy of Lord God) charging, Little Thing let out a shrill "Yah—" and zipped back into my pocket, visibly trembling inside—it was so obvious I felt like I had two hearts!

See, this is our extraordinarily badass Lord God.

"Okay, I’ll listen to you," Sandora eventually nodded her head. "We’ve already whisked away quite a few of them, anyway."

Dropping such a resigned remark, Sandora led everyone toward Yododani Temple. There, Avalon had used world interference to open a gateway to the Outer World. Tohsaka still looked utterly perplexed by our antics and, seeing that no one intended to explain, could only stamp her foot in frustration and give me a glaring hiss, "Hmph! Keep playing your riddles! I don’t believe you’ll never tell me the truth! Silly Alien Uncle!"

Eh? Miss’s spoiled mode?

But can we drop the uncle part?

Just as that thought emerged, it was doused by Sandora’s distant spiritual connection, "Suppose you want a high school girl to call herself ’daddy’..."

Sorry, I was wrong. That’s too bizarre.

Besides Sakura and Rider, there was also a clingy little girl who stayed on. Little Baobao simply refused to go back, so she ended up staying, which only added to Caster’s confusion.

"What are you trying to do?" Seeing that I sent everyone away and only kept a girl with purple mid-length hair, a tall female heroic spirit, and, of course, a little girl in a white dress who stubbornly wouldn’t leave, Caster couldn’t guess my intentions. Still, she immediately became alert. She had considered any possible scenario before coming to negotiate with us, including a direct fight where we would evidently have the upper hand and kill her, but clearly, none of my decisions were within her expectations.

"It’s just a small gift," I said with a smile to the woman in front of me, her hands hidden inside her voluminous clothes. But through the brief magic fluctuation just now, I had sensed she had taken out some kind of energy-condensed object, which if I wasn’t mistaken, should be the "All-breaking Talisman," capable of breaking any magic contract. That thing is said to be a representation of Kamijou the Heavenly God’s grievance in this world due to the imperfect projection which only breaks magic contracts. If there was a serial confusion just now, please don’t delve too deep—it happens often.

With the All-breaking Talisman coming out now, she sees Sakura, who appears to be the closest and most unguarded target—does she plan to sever the contract between Sakura and Rider to regain the advantage in an unexpected conflict?

"Medea, Kolcas Princess, one of the servants summoned in this Holy Grail War, your class being Caster, who summoned Sasaki Kojiro through illegal means. You already changed your master once; the previous magician who summoned you lost control over you after utilising all his command spells ahead of time under your scheming and was killed. Your current ’master’ is Sasaki Soichiro, a human who is not a magician but an ordinary person who reached out to help you as you were about to disperse due to running out of magic power. If there are any omissions in the above information, feel free to correct me."

Facing the suddenly sharp gaze hidden under Caster’s hood, I slowly spoke of what should have been the highly classified secrets of a Heroic Spirit, many of which were completely unguessable from her real name, involving recent events of utmost secrecy. As my words concluded, her body trembled slightly—not out of fear, but as a manifestation of her nerves being taut, clearly prepared for battle.

"Who are you exactly?" Medea stepped back slightly, distancing herself from us while quietly challenging.

I calmly observed the tense witch in front of me. The words that could exert tremendous psychological pressure were not meant to be malicious; I had simply found it amusing to tease a Heroic Spirit...

Regarding this woman named Medea, she held a significant place in Greek mythology. She was known as the Betrayer Witch, laden with infamy. However, in the eyes of the modern world, Medea was merely an unfortunate woman. As a princess of ancient Kolcas, she had mistakenly fallen in love with Jason, who came to steal the Golden Fleece. She betrayed her father to help him achieve his goal, but the "elopement" brought her not a sweet romance, but the betrayal of her loved one, along with the cold stares and misunderstandings of others. After experiencing such immense betrayal, even if she turned into a witch, she might still deserve forgiveness, right?

Rather than labeling her the Betrayer Witch, it would be more accurate to say she was merely betrayed.

Thus, in subsequent legends, Jason, once a legendary hero who stole the Golden Fleece, gradually acquired a selfish, cowardly persona. Seen as a man riding on coattails to the end, he even became a treacherous scoundrel in the writings of the ancient Greek playwright Euripides. Yet, all of this had lost significance for Medea.

She had sealed her trust towards the outside world, no longer revealing her true self to others. Once desiring redemption, the only person who could have offered it, Jason, chose a new love instead. Thus, the once innocent and adorable princess who dreamed of heroes became the Betrayer Witch. This was the entirety of Medea’s story—melodramatic to modern people, yet tragically heart-wrenching for those who experienced it.

However, it seemed in this round of the Holy Grail War, she had found a glimmer of light.

Kagari Ge Mu, an old-fashioned and serious high school teacher, once a "killer," nicknamed the "Stoic Man" by students, devoid of the charm that could win over girls, had fortuitously saved the witch on the verge of dissolution. With a single promise, a truly pure and uncompromised, he stirred Medea’s long-sealed heart. From the original story, I still express my utmost astonishment: could fate really work this way?

Regardless, Medea had found her lost love in Kagari Ge Mu, and from what it appeared, the option of "betrayal" would never occur to him in his lifetime. Therefore, the normally combat-averse Medea embarked on a quest to win the Holy Grail War, even daring to appear before our formidable group, hoping we would spare Kagari after killing her. Such a naive thought should not have surfaced in her wise mind, but in that situation, inescapable and unavoidable, she resolutely made a decision tantamount to seeking death.

It was also this decision that suddenly made me realize—perhaps uncovering this corner would prove particularly interesting.

"Who are you exactly?"

My silence unsettled Medea, but in front of a Heroic Spirit of unknown identity and strength and two similarly unfathomable "humans," she dared not act rashly. Hence, she could only repeat the question.

"Medea, have you ever prayed to God?"

I abruptly asked.

"God?" Medea was momentarily taken aback, not understanding why I had suddenly brought up this topic, but she quickly shook her head and let out a disdainful snicker.

It suddenly occurred to me that Medea’s grandfather, Helios, was one of the gods. This meant that Medea also had divine blood in her veins, albeit not the true divinity like Dingdang, but perhaps she could still be considered a demi-goddess?

Thus, my earlier phrase, "have you prayed to God," must have seemed quite laughable to her. Moreover, anyone who had experienced such great tragedies would typically have lost all faith in the gods—let alone praying, they probably didn’t even maintain a respectful attitude towards them anymore.

"I know you’re curious how I came to know your secrets, but that’s not important. What should matter more to you now is how to be with that man forever, right?"

Silently meeting each other’s gaze, Medea’s hands hidden under her clothes slightly rose and then fell.

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

Forget it, trying to get the Betrayer Witch to trust me with just words would be harder than convincing Bubbles to give up her gaming console matrix.

"Let’s be straightforward," I sighed and grabbed Dingdang, who was darting around in front of my eyes, and stuffed him back into my pocket, "You should be well aware that, as a Heroic Spirit, it’s impossible for you to stay with Suzuki for long. The Holy Grail War presents you with only two choices, first, lose the war and become the energy source for summoning the Holy Grail, returning to the Heroic Spirit Hall. Second, win and possibly use the power of the Holy Grail to fulfill your wish to stay with your lover, but as it stands, that’s impossible."

Medea might think I’m referring to the array of Heroic Spirits and bruisers on our side as her no-win situation, but in reality, I was talking about the five-thousand-strong army of Heroic Spirits summoned illegally by the Makoto Family.

If the Makoto Family is after the Holy Grail, it’s impossible for Medea to fight for victory on her own.

"So you want me to just give up," Medea said calmly, "and enjoy the remaining time with Suzuki?"

"No, I’m offering you a third option. Forget the Holy Grail. I have a way to make you into a different being, one that can stay anywhere you like forever. This isn’t a trade, just a benign offer of help."

No sooner had I finished speaking than Rider behind me huffed angrily, "That’s exactly how I got tricked onto this ship!"

You can’t keep your mouth shut, can you!

Faced with such an outlandish proposition, Medea’s first reaction was disbelief. A joke, right? Without the power of the Holy Grail, wanting a Heroic Spirit to permanently remain in this world—and suddenly claiming to help out of nowhere? There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world!

"You’d better make a decision quickly. Suzuki will be here soon, I really don’t want to have to resort to the same methods I used on Sasaki on a girl."

"Suzuki!?" It was only then that Medea sensed the familiar presence heading this way. "Why is he..."

"It would be strange if he didn’t come at this point, wouldn’t you agree? Can you honestly say you weren’t expecting him to show up?"

"What exactly are you plotting," Suzuki’s approach made Medea hastily uneasy, "I can’t believe anyone would be as selfless as you claim!"

"Fine, fine, it looks like I need to give you a reason before you’ll believe me. My request is simple, from now on you work for me. You must have noticed by now, I’ve gathered a large number of Heroic Spirits, their presence is the best proof of my sincerity. All you need to do is work for me, and I will use my own methods to grant you a new life. While it’s not an omnipotent wish like the Holy Grail, it’s a lot more reliable and currently your best hope. It’s a good deal, isn’t it?"

Medea weighed her options quickly and, just before I couldn’t bear it any longer and was about to knock her out using force, she nodded, "Although I still don’t trust you, I have no other choice. I only have one condition: Suzuki must not be harmed. Other than that, even if you plan to use the Heroic Spirits to conquer the world, it’s fine."

Conquer the world with you? I release a couple of one-meter-two beings and humanity would be amazed!

"Sakura, begin the transformation!"

In fact, without needing my reminder, the frail girl beside me had already started her actions. Her purple hair momentarily took on a crystal-clear luster and then, like tentacles (look at this metaphor!), crazily grew out. Before Medea could scream out in shock, she was tightly bound (look at this association!), and at the moment when those hair-like crystals enveloped her, Medea felt something invading her body (reflect on your imagination!). She instinctively felt deceived and immediately struggled angrily, but the powerful Ghost Energy had already invaded her body. In an instant, ninety percent of the woman’s body turned to crystal, and she could only helplessly fade into Sakura’s crystalline locks.

"Is this how you were transformed too?"

The long-haired beauty vigorously shook her head, her waterfall of purple hair cascading down to her feet, "It was way worse than this, the technology was not mature back then, and I was tormented for nearly an hour!"

But Medusa surely didn’t need to be tormented for that long. Just a few seconds later, Sakura’s hair gradually withdrew, just like in Sasaki’s situation, Medusa turned into a crystal sculpture, and at this moment, unfortunately, Kagari Ge Mu arrived at the scene.

And he witnessed the scene of his woman turning into a crystal sculpture.

I originally thought he would scream Medea’s name or roar at us, but unexpectedly he just glanced over calmly and then, head lowered, silently charged over with his fist raised.

Then he was knocked flying by Little Baobao.

Yes, knocked flying by Little Baobao! The Little Loli, whose battle strength was only 9, finally had her moment of glory, roaring as she head-butted the suspicious intruder straight back. It proved that even Little Baobao, who has the second lowest battle strength in our group (the lowest being Dingdang with a 5-6), had more brute strength than an average human. Seeing Kagari Ge Mu being sent flying by the rampaging Little Loli and slowly dropping down, Medea, who had just recovered from her crystal sculpture state, was utterly confused.

"I’m sorry, your husband was beaten up by my daughter."

I sincerely lowered my head and apologized.

Medea was stunned for a moment, then suddenly pressed her forehead, "Hmm, your personality really is just like what these documents say..."

What? Sakura, what in the world did you add to that "employment introduction"?

The sudden influx of information into Medea’s brain made her as dizzy as Sasaki had been initially, her intellectual superiority didn’t give her stronger resistance to the information. Groaning in pain, Medea’s mouth twitched uncontrollably, "If I had known it would be like this, I wouldn’t have been so nervous at the beginning..."

Seeing her new colleague in such pain, Rider reflexively began to reach into her pocket, then pulled out a pink gaming console, but I snatched it away and promptly knocked it against her head.

"Can’t you think of anything else?"

Rider thought for a moment, then calmly took out a deck of cards from her pocket, "This isn’t as effective, but it can still relieve some dizziness."

I knew it, staying with that unpredictable group, anyone would end up like this eventually.

After barely regaining her balance, Medea staggered over to help Kagari Ge Mu up, who had been hit in the lungs by Little Baobao’s Divine Skill mid-air leap. Now suffering from pain in his lungs, stomach, and liver, he gasped for air as Medea supported him.

"What on earth just happened?"

The expression on his face was stiff as steel, and even as he gasped, his tone was still harsh, as he was mainly concerned about what had just transpired.

"We just happened to pass by," I said innocently, shrugging my shoulders, then pulling Little Baobao and turning to leave, "Medea, the rest is up to you, this is your first job!"

Watching her irresponsible boss act like this, even though she had gleaned some understanding from the information that had flooded her mind, Medea still felt a surreal wave and then sighed deeply, "It’s done for, just like Medusa said, I’ve boarded a pirate ship." (To be continued, for further information, please visit www.qidian.com, more Chapters available, support the author, support genuine reading!)