Don't use Type-Moon references in Oregairu!

Ryoko Yakushiji didn't answer immediately. She first lit a cigarette, blew a smoke ring, and then leisurely replied, "What else can we do? Suppress them."

Izumida knew perfectly well what was going on but didn't say anything.

Whether viewed from a capitalist or feudal perspective, these powerful figures desired only one very simple thing—consolidation.

Only by leading from the front and suppressing the people below with absolute opposition can the greedy and lazy lion remain forever on its throne, wantonly preying on its weak subjects. But for Chaldea to do this is tantamount to spreading modern firearms production technology globally as soon as they were invented, fraught with immense risk.

But at this moment, what was etched in Yakushiji Ryo's eyes and brows was deep disdain: "But Izumida, you also know. Now, the frequency of strange events and the appearance of demonic caves has increased by almost 300%. Whether it is the headquarters or the branches, they are basically on their way to a mission. Even if they talk until the end, at most they can only reprimand Chaldea administratively and then rush to introduce laws to restrict this behavior."

"But think about it, how many forces are involved in Chaldea? Those nine council members are just representatives, and there's a whole bunch of affiliated allies. In the short term, there's little chance they'll touch this organization. And in my view, what Chaldea is trying to achieve is precisely this short-term goal. Get ready, Izumida, don't die."

She ruffled her loyal dog's hair vigorously, then strode out—she had received intelligence yesterday about a dangerous den that posed a significant threat to the city, and she couldn't delay any longer; the mission was the priority.

-------------------------------------

Yang Nai was naturally very familiar with the situation at the Special Affairs Bureau. She pushed off forcefully, and the executive chair she was sitting in was pulled back. Leaning back on the cushion of the executive chair, Yang Nai finally felt her nerves relax a bit.

She used every possible method to spread Rohan Kishibe's prophecy through black market bounty hunters, not only without spending any money but actually making a small profit. With the aid of telekinesis, she manipulated the puppets to conduct numerous transactions, the source of which remained temporarily hidden.

"I listened to you, boss, and took a gamble. It can buy us a month, and we'll be safe for a month. Ah, I both hope it's true and hope it's false, what a contradiction." Yang Nai gave a bitter smile, then patted his cheeks to cheer himself up.

Today is July 1st, time to work overtime and check on the progress of the Gadgetzan Project and the data collected by our allies.

Setting aside the intelligence that was destined to cause a huge uproar in the black market, she used her telekinesis to lift up six tablets and simultaneously processed and read six documents at a glance.

The Fujimaru Ritsuka she was thinking about was sitting in the quiet room of the mansion, pondering the horned crown crystal in her hand.

The mansion feels so quiet. There's not a soul around outside the training grounds, not even Yukino and the other awakened warriors have gone to the city...

Even Abi and Artoria were taken away to the city to relax and go shopping, but the two madmen in the laboratory still didn't stop for a moment.

Fujimaru Ritsuka also tried to contact her family, but only learned that "she" had been selected to participate in a confidential project, and as a working person, she had no way to contact them.

Damn it, I found the mastermind behind my organization, and now my own guardian is reduced to a wage earner and can't even be found.

He sighed in resignation and continued to look at the horned crystal in front of him.

The perfect octahedron, composed of fragments of dragon horns and a crown, rotates continuously from beginning to end, possessing a rhythmic beauty, as if it were a living thing.

It is formed from the aura that remained on Artoria's spirit core during the battle of Albion, the Tomb of the Spirits. It is the last aura of the Great Red Dragon, the one who proclaims the apocalypse, and even the Messiah.

Logically speaking, this object could represent destruction, prophecy or judgment, or even salvation; it does indeed possess remnants of the aforementioned powers. However, Fujimaru Ritsuka always felt something was amiss; she was still a little short of mastering its mysteries.

Furthermore, if one were to truly forge it into a demonic sword, without understanding the nature of its current coexisting state, even forging it would only result in a substandard product. Not to mention, attempting to enhance any particular aspect of its aura might inadvertently erase all its divine power.

Fujimaru Ritsuka sighed, put away the horned crown crystal that she had been studying for more than half a month without any new findings, and decided to take a break.

Only then did he realize that his phone, which was set to silent mode, had been bombarded with hundreds of Line messages.

It was a boastful message posted in the [Chaldea Never Causes Trouble] LINE group by those guys who went to the city to relax.

All I could see were pictures of food and videos.

For example, Ms. Artoria won first place in the national Death Motorcycle online racing competition at the arcade; Abby punched the punching power detector and ended up tearfully waiving the compensation; after finishing their meal, the self-service dessert restaurant respectfully gave the small team a set of coupons from their competitor; Yukino and Yui dragged Mrs. Yuigahama on a shopping spree, which led Mrs. Yuigahama to jokingly consider joining Chaldea...

Wait a minute, isn't there something wrong with the last one?

He noticed a private message on Line from someone whose profile picture was a goofy golden retriever.

Click to listen to the audio.

"Ah Teng... I talked to my mom for a long time, but she's still worried. She hugged me and cried three or four times, which made me cry too. She just wants me to live a good life, but I told her there's nowhere to run away, and if we don't continue, living a good life will just be a dream. We talked for a very long time, and finally I took her to see the materials and documents we left behind, and she started to soften a bit. Don't worry! I will definitely convince my mom completely!"

Hey, this seemingly silly girl isn't actually that stupid at all. At least she knows better than most people how to make a choice.

Perhaps a blessing of wisdom could help her come up with a solution, but she still resists trying to persuade her mother with rational calculations. She simply hopes to move her mother with genuine affection as a daughter. It's irrational, but very much in the style of Yui Yuigahama.

Come on.

Fujimaru Ritsuka pursed her lips. Anyway, even if your wife disagrees, I'm going to take your daughter away. You can rest assured and fight Yui Yuigahama! We Chaldea can't afford to lose a single one. Yui is too useful; we can't let her go easily.

Just as he was wondering if any silly messages were coming from the girls on LINE, he heard Kaiki Deishuu contact him using a prop built into the mansion: 【Come quickly!】

No way, something good would appear at this time?

Without a word, Fujimaru Ritsuka dashed towards the laboratory, brimming with excitement: "I knew you guys would create miracles, it's practically unparalleled magic... uh?"

It's truly a unique case, because Rohan Kishibe was suspended in the middle of the laboratory. It's really not easy to hang someone who is said to have inherited the power of Merry.

Rohan Kishibe remained calm and even casually greeted, "Fujimaru-kun, could you lend me your phone so I can record this? I want to document what it feels like to be hanging upside down. It's surprisingly different from being physically upside down. I can feel the direction of gravity, but the rest of my body is still functioning normally. It's so amazing..."

"Shut up." Lisa stuffed a cloth into Rohan Kishibe's mouth before leisurely raising her head: "This guy said he was in touch with you, is that true?"

Lately, have more and more people been making me take the blame? But to be honest, I didn't make a mistake this time. I even got the compensation I was the one who fought for for Rohan Kishibe's secret help!

So Fujimaru Ritsuka once again used her signature move, changing the subject: "Oh my! That's amazing, my dear Lisa Lisa! You should know, right? Kishibe Rohan is known as Little Merlin, and he's at the level of a Grand Caster candidate! You were able to catch him, that's incredibly powerful, your level is almost surpassing Medea's! Truly, the student has surpassed the master!"

It was... pretty straightforward. But Lisa seemed to enjoy it, nodding with her eyes narrowed. So Fujimaru Ritsuka went even further, showering her with compliments in various ways, acting like an entrepreneur facing an investment guru, wanting to praise even a peanut the guru picked up with chopsticks.

Lisa Lisa finally couldn't take it anymore and shouted for them to stop.

Fujimaru Ritsuka quickly shut up; he was also getting impatient and was running out of words, almost resorting to sycophantic platitudes. But being a sycophant is unacceptable. Even if you're incredibly wealthy, you're still just a rich sycophant; even if you're as handsome as Pan An, you're still just a handsome sycophant. Once a dog, always a non-human.

So Fujimaru Ritsuka successfully saved herself, smiling amicably at Merlin while constantly gesturing with her eyes: "Hey, isn't this Kishibe Rohan, the one known as Little Merlin? What's wrong? You look so tired after just a few days?"

Rohan Kishibe: Bullshit! If it weren't for you constantly asking me to sneak into people's dreams to help them, would I have ended up like this?

Fujimaru Ritsuka: Typical...blaming the toilet for constipation! Your specialty has been successfully countered, and you still have the nerve to talk about it?

Rohan Kishibe: There's no way around it! Magicians are practically two different beings inside and outside their magic workshops, sometimes even more so than primates and reptiles!

Fujimaru Ritsuka: Stop talking, I'll think of a way to rescue you right away!

"Is your eye twitching?" Lisa asked, seemingly concerned.

Shake your head; you can't admit it at this point.

"Oh, it wasn't a cramp, so it was a secret signal with Rohan Kishibe, right? I didn't expect even our boss to be so worried about us that he sent someone to keep an eye on us. Sigh, where has all the trust between people gone?"

“Ms. Lisa Lisa...you know what you’re saying is utter nonsense. I just saw yesterday that you were going to develop a mind-reading device. Although the proposal was rejected, I remember your first sentence was, ‘[People can never truly understand each other, therefore they can only spy on one side.’ Aren’t you the one who distrusts others the most?”

Lisa spread her hands innocently, but communicated with Fujimaru Ritsuka in a more sophisticated and tactful manner: "The Mind-Reading Mirror? Actually, the way I caught Kishibe Rohan this time is quite similar to the technique of that mirror, isn't it?"

"Hmm? What is it?" Fujimaru Ritsuka asked curiously, completely ignoring Rohan Kanbe's resentful gaze as he remained hanging upside down.

Hey, middle-aged people, it's good to suffer a bit, especially since it's a benefit from your own older sister. Why not take advantage of it? It's good to learn a lesson.

Lisa Lisa tacitly took out a document containing a magic circle, which was similar to the magic circle that had been used to capture Ryu on the shore.

During their research, they made an initial discovery that the problem with past experiments on Spirit Origin was the lack of participation from truly intelligent species.

The research at Chaldea differs from the laboratories that Fujimaru Ritsuka had previously raided; they insist on not using non-volunteers. However, the experimental materials here are so precious that they simply cannot find reliable volunteers to serve as experimental subjects.

When even the highly intelligent primates proved ineffective, Lisa Lisa disregarded all advice and took matters into her own hands. She discovered an astonishing secret: emotions and complex consciousness can activate spirit core fragments.

190. Direct trade with the other side of the sea

Rohan was hanging there, looking dejected and miserable, like an innocent orange cat caught red-handed stealing dried fish. The worst part was that I hadn't been able to record my feelings at that moment—such precious material!

And he also had to listen to Lisa brag about the whole process of being caught in front of him. He was so miserable.

Before departing for Kyoto, Fujimaru Ritsuka and Kishibe Rohan met in a dream, and the former asked him for a favor. Having acquired some knowledge of Grand Caster candidates, Kishibe Rohan was fully capable of assisting their project. Therefore, he readily agreed.

It wasn't just to help the revered Boss Lisa, but also to contribute my strength to the upcoming test.

For Rohan Kishibe, a half-dream demon, his skills in mental interference were highly refined. He could not only subtly inspire Lisa and the others in their dreams, but also give them hints in the form of dream spirits when they were tired. And these subtle actions would not trigger the alarms in the laboratory, which had been built like a magical fortress.

In a sense, the potion that allows ordinary people who cannot adapt to extraordinary materials to gain extraordinary abilities is also a spark generated by their collision of inspirations.

But if you walk at night too often, you're more likely to see ghosts.

Even Rohan Kishibe did not expect that his frequent visits to the two, who were not asleep or in their dreams, would trigger a special situation.

During his several visits, the monitoring rituals in the laboratory frequently detected strange, faint fluctuations. These fluctuations appeared to be caused by fragments of the spirit origin that had been cut apart. And these fluctuations often occurred at moments when their project made even slight progress.

As great magicians, the two naturally felt a sense of curiosity, but at the same time, they were also puzzled by this pattern. They both concluded that someone was monitoring them in ways they couldn't detect.

Thanks to Kaiki Deishuu's masterful deception, they upgraded several spells under the guise of testing spiritual origins, and through a series of interconnected methods, they finally succeeded in capturing Kishibe Rohan and pulling him out of the dream.

"Tsk tsk... So this guy can even transform into a spirit? Isn't that a bit creepy?"

"Ah, it's not that exaggerated. It's just that his consciousness was captured, and then we pulled his body over."

Rohan Kishibe muttered, "They even brought them over? They blew up my house directly, then immediately sent people over to pretend no one was there, and set up a bunch of traps in case there were any backups. If I hadn't quickly told them about our collaboration, those two probably would have dissected me and studied me."

Lisa Lisa remained expressionless, gave a cold laugh, and Rohan, who was hanging in the air on the shore, trembled involuntarily.

She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows: "If it weren't for the fact that we can now use magic to verify the truth, you would have been drugged by us long ago and willingly become our guinea pig. It's a top-secret project to begin with, and you come here every day to see everything without even saying hello. Who knows if you're colluding with those inhuman bastards?"

Rohan Kishibe knew he was in the wrong and dared not utter a word. After all, he really didn't want to meet Lisa Lisa, nor did he want to see Merlin's creditor, Artoria, and things had turned out this way.

Knowing that his body had been dragged out of the house by the Chaldeans, he was constantly mocked by King Arthur. She would find opportunities to deliver his meals three times a day, taking the opportunity to eat with Lisa and the others while watching him with sarcasm.

Thanks to Rohan Kishibe's arrest, Lisa and Deishuu no longer eat so irregularly. They still occasionally have a few bites of hot food every day, and it tastes delicious with Rohan Kishibe's miserable state.

On another note, the reason Rohan Kishibe was kept hanging was because, as an extremely useful experimental subject, he kept thinking about escaping—the severed spirit core fragments, under the cultivation of diluted progenitor blood, not only had improved integrity but also developed compatibility, but for some reason, they didn't react when implanted into living organisms.

Lisa Lisa and Bemishino once thought it was because the crimson, violent will in the blood of the True Ancestors had been disposed of by the Soul of the Planet.

It wasn't until Rohan on the shore fed through dreams that the intense emotions evoked stirred those fragmented spiritual foundations.

So they kept sending Rohan on shore to feed—but instead of consuming those wonderful or intense emotions themselves, they used them to come into contact with the spirit core fragments.

As a result, the spirit core fragments exhibited a random activation state without direction, but after losing their emotions, they fell back into an inactive state.

In order to confirm whether it was a coincidence, and to further confirm which emotions were more likely to activate the spirit origin fragments, Rohan Kishibe found himself in the miserable situation of facing delicious food but being completely unable to eat.

As Fujimaru Ritsuka listened to Lisa Lisa's excited summary of the experiment report, she looked at Kishibe Rohan, who had already become quite listless, with deep sympathy, and finally felt the other's sadness.

If you don't feed me, fine, I'll just go hungry, at worst I'll starve to death.

You even demand that people take the food back, but you don't even give them a chance to steal a bite; you just let them smell it. That's just too cruel!

Rohan Kishibe, did you really not offend Lisa Lisa?

Wait... so Rohan Kishibe is only more likely to trigger reaction fluctuations in those spirit core fragments when he's eating? Then the question is, did he eat in the lab?

Fujimaru Ritsuka's eyes sharpened; he finally understood the enormity of Kishibe Rohan's actions. "You secretly tasted a few bites of someone's sweet dream, didn't you? No wonder they wanted revenge! Kishibe Rohan, you have some nerve; this is your own fault, you'll have to pay for your own workplace injury."

"...So, that's the situation. I think the next phase of the research project should continue." Lisa made no mention of the offense she had suffered, simply explaining the recent progress.

"Hmm... so what's next?" Fujimaru Ritsuka asked in return.

If we take stock of the situation, the blank spirit origins in my hand are recoverable; even if I cut off a certain amount each day, they can be restored.

The blood of the True Ancestor on one's hands can give the fragments of the Spirit Origin a versatile adaptability, enabling them to fuse with living organisms.