For Fang Zheng and Fiore, this was merely a minor accident. They did not know why the artificial human fell out of the container, probably due to the use of some inferior materials... But, after all, it was just an artificial human and not worth much of Fang Zheng’s concern.
Therefore, after escorting Fiore to her room door, Fang Zheng turned and headed straight back to his own room.
It was already late at night by then. Yoshino and Illya, who had returned earlier, had already gone to their rooms to sleep. When Fang Zheng entered his room, he saw Kurumi holding a book and smiling at him cheerfully.
"You’re back, Mr. Fang Zheng."
"Kurumi, haven’t you gone to sleep yet?"
As he spoke, Fang Zheng walked over and sat beside Kurumi. In response to Fang Zheng’s question, Kurumi simply shook her head.
"I can’t sleep. After all, this is a new world... It’s a bit embarrassing to say, but I feel as excited as the night before an outing in the wilderness, the Holy Grail War. The war where we summon renowned heroes from human history, it is quite thrilling indeed."
At this, Kurumi set down the book she was holding and looked toward Fang Zheng.
"Speaking of which, Mr. Fang Zheng, I have some news to tell you."
"You found something?"
Hearing Kurumi speak, Fang Zheng raised his eyebrows. In the Type Moon World, magicians used familiar spirits for scouting and searching for enemies, and on Fang Zheng’s side, it had been Kurumi who volunteered to let her duplicates undertake this task, which Fang Zheng did not oppose. After all, Kurumi’s duplicates could also move about in the shadows, providing at least some assurance of safety.
"Just five minutes ago, one of ’me’ discovered a man with white hair, dressed strangely, heading towards the highway. From his appearance, he should be one of the Servants you mentioned, Mr. Fang Zheng."
Hearing Kurumi’s report, Fang Zheng frowned, then he turned on a terminal and quickly pulled up a map of the area. Soon, Fang Zheng saw one of Kurumi’s markers flashing at the edge of Tolifas. However, this road was not the one leading to the World Tree of a Thousand Realms’ territory, and since both the MASTER and Servants on his side had already assembled, it was unlikely that the person would have gone so far just to trap the enemy.
Thinking this, Fang Zheng made a decision.
"Shall we go take a look?"
"Of course, although it’s just the beginning, it’s a good choice if we can seize the opportunity."
Hearing Fang Zheng’s response, Kurumi nodded, then clapped her hands.
As Kurumi called out, the shadows began to stir, and in the blink of an eye, several duplicates emerged from the pitch black.
"I’ll leave those kids in your care, report back to me immediately if anything happens."
Hearing Kurumi’s command, the duplicates nodded as well, then quickly disappeared back into the shadows.
"No matter how many times I see it, I always find your duplicates quite handy for taking care of kids, Kurumi."
Watching the scene unfold before him, Fang Zheng could not help but express his thoughts.
"It seems I can finally breathe a sigh of relief after returning to Heavenly Dao Palace."
"Heavenly Dao Palace... That’s the world where you belong, Mr. Fang Zheng, right? Are there many children there?"
"Hmm, probably a few hundred thousand..."
"A few hundred thousand..."
Upon hearing this, Kurumi’s expression instantly froze.
"Are there that many children? Don’t they have parents?"
"This is a rather heavy topic."
As he spoke, Fang Zheng stood up.
"I’ll explain it slowly on the way to our destination."
After this, Fang Zheng and Kurumi used the shadows to rapidly advance toward the location where the Servant appeared. During this time, Fang Zheng also recounted to Kurumi the painful experiences endured by the Cursed Children in the Pitch Black World. He hadn’t told Yoshino and Illya about these things, and they didn’t need to know. After all, that nightmare was too terrifying, not suitable for such innocent and pure children to hear, as it would not be a good influence on their worldview and value system.
"To think that such a world exists..."
After hearing Fang Zheng’s description of the Pitch Black World, Kurumi’s face turned grim. Several times, upon hearing about the treatment of the Cursed Children, she couldn’t help but tightly grip her gun... Yes, Fang Zheng could be sure that if Kurumi were in that world, she would undoubtedly embark on a killing spree without hesitation.
"It’s hard to imagine, being feared for turning into creatures..."
Kurumi looked at Fang Zheng and sighed softly.
"So, what’s happening to those children now? Are such things still occurring in that world?"
"Although I have taken control of that world, hatred is not something that is so easily eradicated. So far, all I’ve been able to do is establish laws to limit the discrimination and abuse against the Cursed Children, and prioritize those with severe erosion for treatment and transformation at the Heavenly Dao Palace. Unfortunately, we are short-staffed..."
"Is the gap that wide?"
"There were less than ten people in the Heavenly Dao Palace, including myself, originally. Plus, the situation in the Pitch Black World is quite complex, and I couldn’t possibly let them enter the Heavenly Dao Palace from there. Although the children are all obedient, they are still little kids after all. Currently, all I can do is let them take care of themselves, but now that you’re here, I can finally relax a bit..."
Kurumi nodded her head, then her lips curved up slightly, revealing a hint of a smile.
"We will take good care of those children. Hopefully, they won’t give us too much trouble."
"Don’t worry, Their obedience is no less than Yoshino’s, it’s just that... alright, we’ve arrived."
As they spoke, the two had already reached their destination. Kurumi stretched out her hand and swiped forward. Soon, a bright slit appeared in the previously pitch dark and gloomy world of shadows, revealing a desolate plain and a highway crossing it.
And a figure standing on a billboard.
Was that the Servant of the Red Faction?
Looking at the man with white hair, clad in golden armor, holding a long spear, Fang Zheng examined him carefully. It looked like he wasn’t just loitering here, but more like he was waiting for someone... Hmm?
Coincidentally, just as Fang Zheng was about to summon "Ratziel" to investigate the true name of this Servant, he saw a bright light suddenly appear from the horizon. Shortly after, a truck came driving from afar, but it soon stopped a good distance from the billboard, and then Fang Zheng saw a girl with long, blond braids step down from the truck.
Her attire resembled that of a student, but the abundant spiritual energy emanating from her... Could she also be a Servant?
While Fang Zheng was puzzled, he saw the girl, carrying a suitcase, walk up to the driver’s seat of the truck, exchange a few words with the driver, and then the driver drove away. Following that, the girl dashed forward with a speed no ordinary human could possess, reaching the front of the billboard in the blink of an eye.
With the girl’s arrival, the man standing on the billboard also stood up.
"...You’ve finally arrived, RULER."
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l