Magician in Type-Moon

Page 258

Matou Ike didn't say something else: he suspected that the erosion of the white paper had penetrated deep into the inner part of the planet—the Star Inner Sea—otherwise, the unique ability of this place to mass-produce mythical beast materials would be inexplicable.

Only when the habitats of the mythical beasts are threatened will they be eager to return to the planet's surface, to places where the magic concentration is unsuitable for survival.

Weber and Melvin were both stunned after hearing Matou Ike's analysis.

Needless to say, Waver began his round-the-world trip after the Holy Grail War, and he couldn't obtain any firsthand information. Therefore, he couldn't understand any of the terms in their conversation, which is why he was stunned.

Melvin, on the other hand, was at a loss because Matou Ike had guessed his hand and he didn't know how to continue the deal with Matou Ike.

Matou Ike seemed to see through Melvin's embarrassment and said softly:

"It's alright, the transaction can continue. Compared to materials from mythical beasts, I need a concept item like the Magic Core that can be used directly right now."

“Ah, that’s good. In that case, shall we draft a contract?” Melvin nodded and asked Matou Ike.

"Wait a minute, there's something I need to figure out first." Matou Ike paused here.

He then fumbled around on the towering machine beside him that controlled the entire spiritual vein. After some time fiddling with it, he finally stopped his finger on a spring.

“Found it,” Matou Ike said softly.

"What did you find?"

"You'll know in a minute."

A faint smile appeared on Matou Ike's lips as he pressed his fingertip lightly on the spring—a soft click was heard.

He then used his magic to draw the magic pattern structure analyzed by the Magic Eye on the spring through his fingertips, and pressed it down.

As the crisp sound rang out, the flow of magic within the tower's machinery instantly changed.

The tremors of the entire ruins suddenly stopped, but the magic in the air continued to surge, silently sweeping around like an undercurrent.

Melvin and Weber simultaneously sensed the changes in the spiritual veins, and their expressions changed slightly.

“Hey, what did you do?” Weber asked cautiously.

"I just wanted to see what a white storm was like."

The moment the words left his mouth, an invisible surge of magical power swept up like a storm, instantly compressing the air within the ruins to a suffocating degree.

The thick fog that condensed after the magic evaporated spread out, as if countless invisible chains were binding their limbs, making even breathing difficult.

The main structure of the spiritual vein underwent a series of mechanical transformations, unfolding into a gate formed by a spiderweb of magical energy.

The magically woven spiderweb door slowly opened, and a gust of extremely cold wind rushed in.

The coldness was the kind that could freeze a person into an ice cube in an instant, seeping in from outside the door.

Even after being weakened by layers of barriers, it still cuts through every inch of exposed skin like a blade.

Weber involuntarily shivered, while Melvin tightened his collar, a hint of unease flashing in his eyes.

“Where is this place…” Weber murmured.

Through that door, he seemed to see a pale and endless ice field, with corrosive snowflakes drifting in the void.

A deep echo came from behind the door, as if some unknown entity was calling to the one who stepped in.

It was a suppressed and indistinct sound, like a deep-sea monster murmuring in its sleep beneath the ice.

At the same time, an ominous magical force swept in from the pale world.

Matou Ike's pupils contracted, and he instantly grabbed Melvin and Webber by the collar, throwing them forcefully.

The two were immediately sent flying backward.

Webber and Melvin were thrown backwards and crashed heavily to the ground, sliding several meters before coming to a stop.

Melvin struggled to lift his head, wanting to say something, but was choked with emotion when he saw the scene behind the door.

An enormous fox tail was constantly slapping against the barrier.

"Hello, are you there? This is NFF service. Your order has been delivered, please sign for it!"

Chapter 313 Koyanskaya

"Oh no, it seems my client is dead. We just established a business relationship last time we met."

The words, like those spoken by a customer service representative promoting an adult product, quietly fell into the gaps of the blowing snow.

It's impossible to imagine, from words alone, what kind of person possesses such immense and ominous magical power.

"I thought this deal would last longer, but it ended in less than half a month. It was such a hard-won partner, and I haven't even received any payment from him yet!"

"Tell me, how are you going to compensate me?"

The voice sounded particularly frivolous in the strong wind, as if it had drifted unintentionally from the laughter and conversation of some blissful banquet.

However, the moment the sound faded, the surrounding temperature plummeted again, and the heavy snow roared in as if it were alive, forcing Melvin and Webber to involuntarily take a step back.

Melvin's eye twitched; the oppressive force of the magic before him felt like a boulder pressing down on his soul.

He swallowed hard and said in a low voice:

“Weber, do you know this kind of guy? This one is even more troublesome than the one in front of us…”

"How could I possibly know him?! But whoever he is, this guy is definitely not someone an ordinary magician can handle."

Weber's tense nerves couldn't relax at all. He quickly scanned his surroundings, but the owner of the voice was still hidden in the gaps in the wind and snow, not revealing his figure.

On one hand, the ruins were inherently dark, on the other hand, the pure white storm was too eye-catching, and the unusually dense magic blurred his cognitive abilities.

This way, even enhanced eyes cannot see what's happening outside the door.

Meanwhile, Matou Ike stood in front of the door, seemingly lost in thought, when suddenly a name came to mind.

"Koyanskaya?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the wind and snow outside the rift gate formed by the spirit-summoning array suddenly stopped, and even the fox tail that had just been used to strike the world's crystal wall disappeared without a trace.

Instead, a woman slowly emerged from the snowstorm, her long, cherry-pink hair swaying gently in the cold wind.

She was wearing a fitted light gray uniform with the neckline slightly open, revealing a glimpse of alluring white skin.

Behind his white-rimmed glasses, his eyes gleamed with a meaningful light, and the curve of his lips carried an indescribable, sinister charm.

“Oh dear, someone actually called my name here.” She raised her hand to adjust her glasses, her tone flippant. “How strange—but then again, I don’t recall NFF ever having a client like you.”

Her pale lips matched her earlier lines so perfectly that she looked like a demon.

Just like a mouth that shamelessly proclaims its love for humans, only to immediately whisper sweet words of immorality and betrayal to them—that impression is separated by a fine line.

"How many tails do you have now?" Matou Ike ignored the question from the woman who was only separated from him by a thin membrane of the world, and instead asked her.

Koyanskaya was taken aback by what she heard, narrowed her eyes, and then smiled.

"Oh, you seem to know me quite well, but I have no idea what kind of person you are. If we were to make a deal under these circumstances, I would be at a huge disadvantage."

She continued:

"Let me ask first. Based on the principle of reciprocity in transactions, I will answer your questions as well. So, what do you say, you guy from the Lostbelt who suddenly appeared?"

Matou Ike simply nodded upon hearing this, then realized something was amiss:

"You seem to have already secretly asked the first question. You probably aren't even sure if this world is a Lostbelt, and you want to confirm it through my reaction? No, you can even find out if the people in this world know they're in a Lostbelt. You're really cunning, fox."

"Oh, you've seen through me. But your reaction does answer the question. Now, let me answer your question—four tails."

Koyanskaya spoke with a light laugh, showing none of the emotions that would arise in a human being if their thoughts were not seen through.

Upon hearing Koyanskaya's answer, Matou Ike frowned. The fact that this fox had discarded her original tail meant that she had already collected three Lostbelts.

However, this world was visited by Chaldea and others during the Holy Grail War six months ago, and the intelligence obtained at that time indicated that Chaldea had already cut the Lostbelt of the Eternal Empire.

How come half a year has passed and they still haven't broken through to the fourth Lostbelt?

Before Matou Ike could think for long, Koyanskaya asked her question:

"You must know something, right? The client I did business with before didn't know anything. Since you know something..."

Before Koyanskaya could even ask a question, she was interrupted by Matou Ike's answer.

"I am indeed someone who knows the truth."

Koyanskaya, who was abruptly interrupted, gritted her teeth, and a vein seemed to throb on her forehead.

"You don't need to play these kinds of tricks in trading, do you?"

"Didn't you go first?" Matou Ike shrugged and said.

"Alright, we're even now, so tell me your question."

Koyanskaya almost laughed out of anger. Don't blame her for being a bit irritable right now, after all, she had only just come out of the Third Lostbelt.

The physical pain of being slowly sliced ​​to death is still vivid in my mind...

"How far have the Chaldea people progressed in their conquest?" Matou Ike thought for a moment before asking the question.

"It seems you not only know you're in a Lostbelt, but you also have some understanding of the outside world. This Lostbelt is indeed special, almost like a complete world. But I can tell you that the Chaldea Masters have only just entered the Lostbelt in India, right?"

Have they just entered India? This timing doesn't seem to match up.

Although he had a vague suspicion when he learned that Koyanskaya only had four tails, he wanted to rule out some external factors, such as the fox not completing its recording work after certain Lostbelts were cut.

He then used one of his question-and-answer opportunities on this question.

Matou Ike quickly retrieved the concept of Lostbelts from fragments of her past life memories—vast, unobservable areas that suddenly appear on Earth.

Its true nature is a history of humankind that has been revived from the "cutting out of the facts" and continues to exist on a premise different from the present history, that is, a history of strange tales.

The so-called "cut-out phenomenon," as the name suggests, refers to the "If" aspects of human history that have been cut out from the course of human history and deemed "should not exist" due to the narrowing of the limits of possibility.

In the course of human history, it was regarded as an "unnecessary existence, an unnecessary fluctuation" and was discarded as a relic.

"History is cut off because the future is the Dead End," and even "what if history is excluded from this universe" is abandoned by the parallel universe theory.

Since it's history, the timeline of Lostbelts and the timeline of Chaldea should be the same, which is—2018.

Chapter 314 Daydreaming Time

Koyanskaya didn't give Matou Ike time to think before continuing with her question:

"As someone in the know, you should know why this 'if' scenario appeared, right? Ever since this Lostbelt appeared, I've been trying to infiltrate it. Although I've found a few rifts like this, I always have an instinct telling me not to try to get in at this point in time."