Fate's Choice: Livestream at the Start Summoning Billions of Ravens

The air wall cracks open.

August strode out.

As his leather shoes touched the asphalt outside the blockade again, the crack behind him instantly closed, the invisible wall returned to its deathly stillness, and sealed off that ancient and terrifying medieval world once more.

"Mr. Prime Minister!!"

"Mr. Ionescu! What just happened?!"

Did Vlad III launch an attack on Romania?!

"Have you reached some kind of agreement?!"

The global media reporters, who had been kept outside the cordon, surged forward like sharks smelling blood the moment they saw the Prime Minister return safely.

The flashes of light created a blinding white expanse, and the rapid clicking of shutters sounded like machine gun fire on a battlefield.

August raised his hand to shield his eyes from the glare.

The cabinet members behind him finally dared to breathe heavily, their legs so weak they could barely stand, and they had to support each other to avoid embarrassing themselves in front of the cameras.

August straightened his slightly disheveled tie and patted the dust off the knees of his suit trousers.

Facing countless cameras that were practically right in his face, he spoke in a voice that was slightly hoarse from excessive tension, yet unusually firm.

"Your Highness Vlad, please accept our respects."

The scene fell into a deathly silence.

All the reporters stared wide-eyed, even forgetting to press the shutter button.

Accepted?

Ignoring the shock around him, August continued.

"His Highness promised that as long as this land still recognizes him as king, his spear will forever protect Romania."

He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping across all the cameras present.

"But Your Highness needs a voice."

"A 'voice' that can bear his magic, convey his will, and possess sufficient awareness."

After saying this, August did not answer any further questions.

He and a group of cabinet members, surrounded by bodyguards and special police, got directly into a black bulletproof car.

The convoy started and quickly drove away from the scene, leaving behind a group of reporters who hadn't even reacted yet and a global audience in a frenzy.

Three minutes later.

Reuters, AFP, and CNN almost simultaneously released urgent news reports.

The headlines are strikingly similar:

Romanian officials announce: Vlad III Lancer is searching for a Master!

The global internet exploded instantly.

#RomaniaSearchingForMaster#

This term, in a rather unreasonable manner, suddenly appeared at the top of the global trending search list, pushing #textbookwelcome# to second place.

"Holy crap! This is a public job posting?!"

"This works? Other countries are still figuring out how to lure Heroic Spirits out, and Romania is fast-forwarding straight to hiring secretaries for them?"

"What do you mean by 'voice'? This is a Master! Vlad III is giving me a job interview!"

"Is this the treatment for Tier 0 players? No need to search yourself, the government selects for you?"

"At this moment, an unnamed prime minister from Japan left the live broadcast room, cursing and kicking over a trash can."

"@Prime Minister of the White Elephant Country, stop jumping around! Come and learn how others play! This is the difference between high-level and bronze-level games!"

Countless young people who believed they had some magical potential, or simply wanted to try their luck, began frantically searching for flights to Bucharest.

Some betting companies even quickly opened betting odds on who would become the Master of this "Piercing Lord".

……

Rome, InterContinental Hotel penthouse suite.

Jiang Ming leaned back in the soft sofa and casually turned off the holographic projection in front of him.

The image disappeared, and the room returned to silence.

He picked up the iced cola from the coffee table, tilted his head back, and took a swig. The exhilarating sensation of the carbon dioxide bubbles bursting in his mouth made him exhale contentedly.

Jiang Ming shook the can in his hand, a thought suddenly occurring to him.

The system panel, which only he could see, instantly unfolded in his field of vision.

[Host: Jiang Ming]

[Emotional Value Balance: 6,145,820,000]

Six billion.

Looking at this long string of dazzling numbers, Jiang Ming showed no excitement; instead, he frowned slightly.

Vlad III's appearance, coupled with the Romanian Prime Minister's dramatic kneeling, directly garnered a billion points of emotional resonance.

With his previous inventory, his net worth has reached an unprecedented level.

"Having too much money can sometimes be a problem."

Jiang Ming put down the cola and tapped his fingers lightly on his knee.

With his emotional state soaring, his script, which originally seemed quite grand, now appears to be... a bit insufficient.

This Holy Grail War has spread from its initial location in Shanghai to the entire world.

Everyone was going hysterical over the legendary "omnipotent wish-granting machine".

"If they eventually discover that this so-called Holy Grail was just a high-end power bank I created using ten million emotional points..."

Jiang Ming stroked his chin.

"Then the ending of this scene was a bit too disappointing."

The Holy Grail he possesses now is a "concept weapon" he created in his early days to initiate the Holy Grail War.

Although they possess the ability to fulfill their wishes, that ability has an upper limit.

That is, the degree of reality distortion that ten million emotional points can trigger.

This amount of energy is enough to help ordinary people get medical treatment or make a fortune.

But if someone actually wished to "eliminate US debt," "unify physics," or "stop the Earth from spinning," this cup would probably explode on the spot.

Since the whole world has been dragged into this, the final prize must be worthy of this crazy spending of over eight billion.

"system."

Jiang Ming called out in his mind.

"Can those 'miracle devices' I made be recycled if I no longer need them?"

[Answer to the host: Items produced by the system's ability [Artifact Creation] are essentially a collection of concepts solidified from emotional values. If the host actively chooses to destroy and recycle them, the system can restore them to pure emotional energy.]

The recycling rate is 80% of the manufacturing consumption value.

"A 20% buyback? That's not out of the question."

Jiang Ming didn't care about this loss.

It only cost ten million to make that Holy Grail.

The total cost after recycling is only eight million.

For him, who now has a net worth of six billion, this amount of money is not even a fraction of what he has.

"Recycle."

Jiang Ming extended his right hand, palm facing up.

A golden ripple suddenly appeared in the air.

An ornate cup with an antique design, made entirely of gold and inlaid with countless rubies, appeared out of thin air in his palm.

Click.

A crisp cracking sound rang out.

The golden Holy Grail did not shatter into pieces, but instead disintegrated into countless fine golden specks in Jiang Ming's palm.

These specks of light, like fireflies returning to their nests, surged down his arm and into his body, disappearing instantly.

[Recovery successful.]

[Emotional Value +8,000,000]

The numbers on the panel flickered, but the change was barely noticeable.

Jiang Ming did not pause.

He brought up the [Artifact Crafting] interface again.

This time.

He's going to play big.

A truly ultimate prize that can make the world tremble and deserve the title of "omnipotent".

"Start building the concept blueprint."

Jiang Ming's mind raced, inputting rules into the system like code.

[Concept blueprint being entered...]

【Item Name: Holy Grail (Genuine)】

[Appearance Design: Remains unchanged, in the shape of the Golden Grail, but with added absolute attributes of "indestructible," "unanalyzable," and "untouchable." Unless victory is achieved, no physical or magical means can touch its physical form.]

Rule 1: Coverage Area.

Jiang Ming thought for a moment.

"The scope of influence will be expanded to the 'solar system'."

Since Newton has already emerged, and we still need to relearn physics, then our perspective cannot be limited to Earth.

What if someone wishes to go to Mars and grow potatoes?

Rule Two: Energy Sources and the Desire Mechanism.

This is the most crucial part.

"The Holy Grail itself does not store the energy to fulfill wishes; it is a 'connector'."

"Its energy source is directly connected to the host's (Jiang Ming's) [Emotional Value] account."

"In theory, as long as the host's account balance is sufficient and the host 'approves,' it can grant any wish."

This rule directly turns the Holy Grail into a wish-granting machine with infinite possibilities.

Of course, this is all contingent on Jiang Ming agreeing.

After all, the money comes from the consumer; when someone makes a wish, it's their money that's being spent.

Rule 3: Security Protocol.

"The Holy Grail can absolutely not probe, interfere with, curse, or harm the [Fate Selection System] or its host (Jiang Ming) in any way."

"Any attempt to target the host's wishes will be deemed 'invalid' and will directly result in a backlash against the wisher."

This is the bottom line.

Anyone who dares to promise to "kill the mastermind" or "remove Jiang Ming's system" is simply courting death.

Rule Four: Paradox Shielding.

"It is impossible to realize desires involving fundamental paradoxes such as 'erasing the existence of the system' or 'reversing time to before the system existed.'"

Rule Five: Winner's Rights.

"The final victor of the Holy Grail War (limited to one Master and one Servant) will gain the right to make a wish upon the Holy Grail once."

"After the wish is made, the Holy Grail will automatically send a 'deduction request' to the host. Once the host confirms, the wish will take effect immediately."

Jiang Ming looked at the rules and nodded in satisfaction.

This is the real magic weapon.

It presents the world with an irresistible temptation while firmly holding the final interpretation in its own hands.

If the victor's wish is too outrageous, such as wanting to destroy the universe, or to turn Jiang Ming into a girl...

He can simply click "Reject Payment" in the backend.

You could even conveniently deliver a divine punishment to the other party.

"System, calculate the cost."

Jiang Ming took a deep breath.

[Blueprint scan complete...]

[Conceptual Complexity: Extremely High]

[Affected Area: Star System Level]

[Rule Priority: Absolute Law]

[Energy conversion in progress...]

[Calculation complete.]

Creating this conceptual weapon requires 1,000,000,000 Emotion Points.

"Confirm creation."

Without any hesitation, Jiang Ming pressed the "confirm" button in his mind.

The mood value balance on the panel instantly dropped from the "6"s to the "5"s.

A full billion points of emotional value were extracted, compressed, and transformed by the system in that instant.

The light in Jiang Ming's hotel room suddenly became distorted.

All sound disappeared.

An indescribable, sacred, and majestic aura surged forth from Jiang Ming's body.

If someone with exceptional clairvoyance were to look toward Rome at this moment, they would be horrified to discover that a golden sun seems to be rising there.

Countless golden particles gathered in front of Jiang Ming.

They spun, collided, and merged wildly.

Gradually, the outline of a cup is drawn.

It was no longer the exquisite work of art it once was.

It hovered in mid-air, and the surrounding space seemed unable to bear its presence, emitting a faint groan.

The glass was shimmering with a light that seemed to come from the other side of the Milky Way.

Just one glance is enough to evoke an urge to worship.

That is the embodiment of rules, the end of desire.

It is the power to rewrite reality.

The real Holy Grail.