Lu Mingfei is transforming into the final boss.

Chu Tianjiao deeply realized what it means for birds of a feather to gather. A beautiful girl like Lu Mingfei would naturally have beautiful female friends. This was only natural. This friend, whose name was too long for him to remember, was a standard Western beauty with hair so light it was almost indescribable as gold, and features that looked like they were sculpted by a god.

Aside from her figure and height being a bit of a disappointment, she doesn't seem very Slavic in that respect. I wonder if her flowering period is just as short. Well, she's probably a hybrid too, since short flowering periods don't happen to hybrids.

"So, where are we going now?" he asked.

"I'm looking for a place to rent long-term, preferably away from the city center, not in a crowded area, and ideally near a mountain."

"Um, I'm not a real estate agent, where am I supposed to find you a place?"

"That's the question you should be considering."

"Okay, I'll figure something out. Give me some time." Chu Tianjiao agreed. She shouldn't be short of money, at least her friend wouldn't be. After all, her name contained Romanova, and her clothes didn't look like she would be short of money. In comparison, this guy who seemed to be the master giving orders was like Cinderella. The cost of his clothes was probably less than the gas money he spent on this trip.

Even though she looks a few points prettier than Romanova.

"Okay, we can get off now."

It was the place where they had just had tea. In Chu Tianjiao's opinion, this person was becoming more and more strange. It seemed like there were no secrets between them. It felt like he was being read mind by her. People who always seemed to be smiling and easy to talk to were usually not good people. To give an example of someone he knew, there was Hilbert Jean Angers, a guy who looked as elegant as he was actually crazy.

"Long time no see." Lu Mingfei started the conversation as they walked.

"Long time no see, what do you mean?" Zero looked at her with a strange expression.

"After nearly twenty years, I've finally arrived in this country where spring reigns all year round. You're right, Renata, no, I forgot I was the one who helped change that name, right, Zero?" Lu Mingfei said with a smile.

Zero didn't know what expression to make when she looked at her—surprise, delight, or a combination of both. She had never imagined that this would be their farewell.

It was bland and tasteless, like seeing a friend on an ordinary day, or greeting a neighbor.

She didn't know what to say in response, so she could only come up with a simple sentence.

Welcome back.

That one sentence is enough; it encompasses all her emotions.

"An unexpected and touching reunion... Hmm... Good girl."

Zero hugged her tightly, her smaller body nestled in her arms.

Pure affection, sincere love, such fervent feelings brought her satisfaction.

"The plans have changed?"

"Yes, or rather, it's obsolete." Lu Mingfei rested her chin on her right hand, a smile playing on her lips. "Because there's no point in continuing, it's obsolete. My ascension to the throne has become unnecessary, because I've already ascended to a higher throne."

Zero wanted to say that she didn't need to know so much. It was always the boss who gave the orders and she carried them out. But... it was fine this way. And was it really okay to talk about this kind of thing in public?

She took a quick look around and noticed that there seemed to be a light-colored film surrounding their location, like one-way transparent glass.

"Of course it's worth letting you know so clearly. Don't worry, I've set up a barrier, no one else will know about our conversation."

As Lu Mingfei spoke, she intentionally or unintentionally poked at the cake on her plate with her knife and fork, like a naughty child playing with a toy, dividing it into several pieces but not putting it in her mouth. She seemed to really enjoy the feeling of dividing things in two, as if she were tearing something apart. Even Zero could see the look of pleasure on her face.

How should I put it? Without a doubt, she is the same person she knew, but her personality and temperament seem to have become somewhat strange, sometimes like the little seal from that year, and sometimes like a loving goddess.

"I'm curious why I became like this? It's a long story, like the war I participated in."

She seemed to sense Zero's confusion and spoke first.

"war?"

It's no secret that the girl named Lu Mingfei has stayed in this city since birth and has never been anywhere else. As the daughter of those two people, she has received a lot of attention since the moment she was born. As for Ling, she only pays attention to her because she is her, not because she is anyone's daughter. That kind of thing is not important at all.

"To be precise, it's the Holy Grail War. Great heroes from history dance on a false stage, vying for the glory of only one person, for the Holy Grail that is said to grant any wish. Zero, if it were you, what would you wish for?"

"I have no wishes to fulfill, and besides, is the stage a false one, or does that mean the Holy Grail, as the prize, is also false?"

Zero suddenly pointed out a very important issue: if the stage is fake, then the authenticity of the prizes is highly questionable.

"It's true, it's a wish-granting machine in a broad sense. It's just that the way it grants wishes might be a little...unusual?" Lu Mingfei suddenly paused. "Wishes like world peace and the happiness of all humanity will be granted in other ways."

"That is to say, there is an upper limit to the output; it is a wish-granting machine, not an omnipotent wish-granting machine."

Zero possesses exceptional analytical abilities, so much so that she is considered a monster and abandoned by her parents.

To her, it was just a simple word game. Things created by the world cannot create the world, so omnipotence is impossible. However, if there are other conditions outside the scope of human knowledge, that's another matter. Just like the paradox of omnipotence, in the realm of human logic, it will eventually become a circular argument, which is a meaningless problem in itself.

"Did Mingfei make a wish with it?"

But then again, even a limited wish-granting machine is very useful. As Mingfei just mentioned, the two examples cannot achieve world peace and the happiness of all mankind. Conversely, this means that its actual output limit is surprisingly high.

"No, I destroyed it. I didn't need that thing, so I destroyed it." Lu Mingfei finally took a bite of the cake. "The so-called wishing machine is originally a reward for achieving a goal, a reward for reaching the truth."

"So, Mingfei, did you win?"

"I wouldn't call it a victory. Would you like to hear the story?" Lu Mingfei gently rested her chin on her hand and looked at the girl opposite her.