My family runs an adventurer's guild.

What does the Holy Grail War in the Type-Moon universe specifically represent?

From its presentation, this is a magical ritual in which seven Masters and seven Servants fight each other to the last person for their own selfish desires. It is said that the final winning Master and Servant can obtain an all-powerful wish-granting machine called the "Holy Grail"... However, this competition is completely unfair. The three families that are the organizers, the Tohsaka family, the Matou family, and the Einzbern family, all have cheated. Moreover, from the start of the first Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City to the final "disintegration of the Greater Grail", it seems that no Holy Grail War has ever succeeded even once.

In fact, if the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City were to succeed, it would bring a huge disaster to the wisher and the entire Type-Moon world.

However, for the native inhabitants of a certain fantasy world, this sacred yet cruel ritual has a rather eerie impression.

"...A grand melee of seven adventurers (Heroic Spirits) and seven native guides (Masters): Saber, Lancer, Archer, Rider, Caster, Assassin, and Berserker?"

Princess Catherine, the Golden Dragon, muttered to herself, "...I never expected this! My first-ever interdimensional adventure is going to involve killing each other with my teammates? This feels really awkward. Oh well, I'll just treat it as a practical exercise!"

At this point, she turned her head, "...What about the remaining six spots? Who's coming with me to that other dimension this time?"

"...Ah, as the guild master of the Adventurers' Guild, I certainly have an obligation to participate in this first interdimensional adventure..."

Miss Silver Dragon Lulutia yawned and replied lazily, "...And my magical pet will naturally come with me to the other dimension..."

As she spoke, she stretched out her dragon claw, lifted Phily up, and brought her close to her eyes, "...Am I right? Phily?!"

Faced with his mistress's glare, Phil, being just a pet, could only nod frantically.

"...I won't go! After all, our teleportation magic circle needs a mage to observe, record, and operate it."

The Dragon Sage Helena said calmly, "...Currently, besides Lulutia, only I can control this kind of magic circle."

"...Sigh, I really want to participate in such a historically significant and grand adventure! Just sitting here watching the battle scenes in another dimension makes my adventurous blood boil! But, right now, Princess Mengmeng only has me as her proxy..."

The demigod golden dragon Harald sighed helplessly, "...I have to keep an eye on this dream kingdom for my lord at all times, so I can't leave for the time being!"

Thus, only three of the seven "foreign aid heroes" slots were filled, leaving four vacancies, and efforts were needed to recruit volunteers.

Random Thoughts: A Humorous Look at "The Tanuki"

When watching the classic anime "Doraemon," a national favorite, we'll notice the frequent mentions of "tanuki" (raccoon dogs). For example, there are references to Doraemon resembling a tanuki, Nobita resembling a tanuki, and even Nobita and Doraemon turning into tanuki. Perhaps the most memorable aspect is Doraemon's intense hatred of being mistaken for a tanuki, which often makes him angry.

—At the time, I found it strange. After all, a raccoon dog is still a cat, so what's there to be angry about?

It was only much later that I learned that the "raccoon dog" in the above context was actually not a cat at all...

Next, in "Pom Poko (Pom Poko)" and "Uchitetsu Family", the mischievous tanuki monsters appeared as the main characters, full of lively, cute, and joyful goofy charm.

But strangely, if we check a Chinese dictionary or Baidu Encyclopedia, we will see a completely different kind of "tanuki"—a beautiful lynx with leopard-like markings. This is clearly not the same as the tanuki in Doraemon.

This "tanuki"... no matter how you look at it, it doesn't seem to match the "tanuki" in Japanese anime at all.

In modern Chinese, "狸猫" refers to a leopard cat, but in classical Chinese, "狸猫" seems to have another meaning. For example, the "狸猫" in the famous Peking Opera "狸猫换太子" is clearly a Chinese tabby cat.

The confusion surrounding the concept of "tanuki" stems primarily from two factors: firstly, the use of the same character with different meanings in Japanese and Chinese kanji; secondly, the creative interpretations by translators; and finally, the fact that the meanings of "tanuki" and "cat" in Chinese have changed multiple times over time, making the situation inherently confusing if we disregard the historical context.

First of all, it is quite common for Japanese kanji and Chinese characters to have the same meaning but different connotations. As we all know, kanji were first introduced to Japan from China, but at that time there were no picture books for learning characters. Monks or students who had traveled across the sea could only translate by speaking and gesturing, matching the kanji with words in spoken Japanese to teach those who had not traveled abroad.

However, the Japanese of that era had only recently emerged from ignorance, and their knowledge was quite limited. The envoys sent by the Yamato court to Tang China were traveling across the ocean for academic purposes; they couldn't possibly carry everything they saw with them. The meanings of many words, especially obscure terms, had to be recorded or described orally. Furthermore, Japan was an island nation, and its natural environment and flora and fauna differed greatly from mainland China. Unfortunately, these Japanese envoys and monks were primarily scholars, not professional naturalists. Their translations weren't rigorous, and when they encountered mismatched or vaguely recorded terms, they would often improvise, guessing and making things up, sometimes even fabricating entirely. This inevitably led to misattributions and nonsensical expressions.

For example, the book *Japanese Language Without Knowledge* mentions a story about the character "鮪" (tuna). In the Tang Dynasty, "鮪" originally referred to sturgeon, but after being introduced to Japan, it came to mean tuna. Why? Because Japanese envoys studying in China described "鮪" in their notes as a large and valuable fish (sturgeon). Even this definition was obtained from inquiries made by Tang Dynasty people; they had never seen a real "鮪" (sturgeon) and weren't even sure whether it was a saltwater or freshwater fish. When they returned and translated it, they looked at their notes, realized, and exclaimed: "A large and valuable fish! That's マグロ (tuna)!" And so, the name stuck.

Even more problematic is that, with the cultural exchange between China and Japan, especially after Japanese dishes such as "black tuna sashimi" appeared on the banquet tables of coastal Chinese citizens, some people were puzzled to find that the "tuna" (sturgeon) in ancient Chinese books and the "tuna" (tuna) in Japanese cuisine seemed to be inconsistent—how did the tuna in the Tang Dynasty travel from the Pacific Ocean to the Yangtze River?

There are many similar examples. For instance, "先生" (shēnsheng) is an honorific title for an adult male in China, while in Japan it retains its archaic meaning and refers to a teacher. The Japanese word "野菜" (yàcai) refers to all vegetables, while the Chinese word "野菜" (yàcai) refers specifically to wild vegetables. The Japanese word "大根" (dàigen) actually refers to a radish… and the "tanuki" (raccoon dog) in Japanese anime is naturally different from the Chinese one. However, when translating Japanese text, people may lack knowledge of the relevant information and often directly use Japanese kanji as if they were Chinese characters.

Secondly, there is actually no such thing as "tanuki" in Japanese. If you look closely at the manga, you will find that there is only one character, "tanuki," in the original Japanese text of "Doraemon."

The reason for the extra "cat" is entirely due to the original translator of *Doraemon* translating "raccoon dog" (狸猫) as "raccoon cat" (狸猫) for the sake of sounding better. They also translated the manga title *Doraemon* as *Machine Cat* (机器猫) and the protagonist, Nobita (野比のび太), as Nobita (野比大雄)—it should actually be translated as Nobita (野比太) or Nobita (野比申太). There's also a translation as Nobita Yasuo (野比康夫).

Although these translations are truly terrible, neither scientific nor rigorous, we, the later generations, have no choice but to grit our teeth and continue using them due to preconceived notions. Even worse, because of Doraemon's immense influence in the Chinese-speaking world, the character "狸" (tanuki) in subsequent Japanese anime and films has also been perpetuated as "狸猫" (tanuki cat).

Finally, the meaning of "狸猫" (limao) has undergone several changes in ancient and modern China. Initially, in classical Chinese, "猫" (mao) specifically referred to wildcats, while domestic cats were called "狸" (li), "阿狸" (ali), or "狸奴" (linu). For example, Li Shangyin of the Tang Dynasty wrote in his poem "狸奴睡" (linu shui shuì) on the mandarin duck tile, and Lu You, in a series of "cat slave poems," referred to all his beloved cats as "狸奴" (linu). After the Song Dynasty, the two terms gradually became confused, and "狸猫" (limao) became a shortened form of "狸花猫" (lihuamao).

The "狸猫" (limao) referred to in modern Chinese is scientifically known as *Cercopithecus leopardica*, also called lynx or wildcat. It belongs to the Felidae family in animal classification.

So, what exactly is the "tanuki" (狸) in Japanese anime, or more accurately, the "raccoon dog" (狸)? Well, it's pronounced "tanuki" in Japanese, called "raccoondog" in English, and "貉" in Chinese. It belongs to the genus *Raccoondog* in the family Canidae, order Carnivora. It's this little guy:

Please note, this is important and must be said three times! It is a canine! A canine! A canine!

Now you should understand why Doraemon gets angry when someone calls him a tanuki (raccoon dog), right? Because it's like saying a cat (even though it's a robot cat) looks like a dog!

It's understandable why the Kyoto citizens in "The Eccentric Family" would eat tanuki hot pot, since it's essentially a Japanese-style dog meat hot pot or "fragrant meat hot pot".

In short, the tanuki (raccoon dog) mentioned in Japanese anime is actually a raccoon dog, a type of canine. In Japanese folklore, this creature can transform into various forms simply by wearing a leaf on its head. It is full of demonic energy and has its own special abilities. It also likes to play tricks on humans, similar to the fox spirits in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. In addition, it has a cute face, so it has become a popular species for manga characters.

Traditional Japanese folklore about tanuki (raccoon dogs) mostly describes how they transform into beautiful women or use leaves to turn into coins to trick humans, similar to a "harmonious" version of the fox spirits in *Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio*. Later, Studio Ghibli director Isao Takahata popularized this idea in an animated series called *Pom Poko*, in which the tanuki (raccoon dogs) unite to overcome difficulties, embodying a positive message. Thus, the tanuki spirit gradually became a symbol of kindness and friendship in anime.

Besides the three types of "raccoon dogs" mentioned above, because the raccoon dogs in comics differ from real raccoon dogs, their fur colors are often depicted as more vibrant and colorful. Therefore, many people easily confuse these other cute creatures with them:

Its scientific name is *Procyon lotor*, and its Chinese name is 浣熊 (huanxiong). It belongs to the genus *Procyon* in the family Procyonidae of the order Carnivora.

Its scientific name is *Ailurus fulgens*, and it is commonly known as the "little panda" in Chinese. It belongs to the genus *Ailurus* in the family Ailuropodidae of the order Carnivora.

Although these adorable creatures may look somewhat similar, they are actually not from the same family. Please be careful to distinguish them!

Chapter 20, The Great Recruitment Operation

However, despite the demigod golden dragon Harald personally taking action, flying between the floating islands of the Dream Kingdom and spreading the word with a cheerful smile, the recruitment of volunteers was still not going smoothly. Although those long-lived species such as dragons and elves were extremely bored and very interested in interdimensional adventures, they also valued their lives and safety. Before confirming the safety of this interdimensional teleportation method, they still maintained a wait-and-see attitude, hoping to let others go as scouts first before considering whether they should go along themselves.

"...Interdimensional adventure? Projecting a clone into another dimension? Sounds interesting, but how reliable is this spell?"

"...That sounds reasonable, but there's no successful precedent yet, so I feel uncertain about it."

"...What if, with a 'whoosh,' we're teleported to some hellish place like the void or the abyss? That would be terrible."

"...That's right, to be on the safe side, let's wait and see! Let's be patient and participate in the next batch."

Such discussions arose from all sides, but no dragon was willing to personally lead the way.

Among the short-lived species like humans and orcs, quite a few were eager to participate, but upon closer inquiry, they all backed out: since this was only the first test, the current "interdimensional sleepwalking" technology was still very primitive, without the function of automatic idling or logging off midway. All volunteers participating in this interdimensional adventure had to persevere from beginning to end, with no possibility of slipping away halfway.

In other words, their bodies, which remain in this dimension, will not suffer any real harm during their adventures in the Type-Moon world, but in order for their souls to complete the adventure, they will have to sleep continuously for several days.

If they are left here without the constant care and support of family and friends, wouldn't their bodies be in danger of dying of thirst and hunger in their dreams?

While those physically powerful dragons can easily sleep for months or even decades without any problem, if cats and humans were to sleep for more than ten days without eating or drinking, they would at least lose half their lives, even if they didn't die!

Even if they have family members to take care of them and don't have to worry about starving to death in their dreams, it still means that they have to stay in bed for several days or even more than ten days in a row, unable to participate in any work, which will inevitably lead to heavy economic losses.

Especially for salaried workers who earn a living by working for others, it's almost impossible to get such a long vacation from their bosses. If they were fired and unemployed because of participating in adventure activities, the consequences would be even more unbearable.

Of course, as the saying goes, "a great reward will surely attract brave men," if the "three-person movie-watching group" that organizes this event in the dream, well, it should be called the "three-dragon movie-watching group," can offer some generous prizes, it might be able to recruit a few money-grubbing guys.

The problem is, in the eyes of Helena the Dragon Sage and Guild Master Lulutia, it's already a great favor that we've given you—a safe and free trip to another dimension to see unheard-of scenery, without asking you to do any difficult tasks. We're already doing you a favor by not charging you a service fee. How can you expect us to pay you a reward?

—What onlookers see as a life-threatening adventure, while the organizers see it as a free travel perk; such a difference in mindset is simply irreconcilable.

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Seeing that the recruitment of volunteers for the interdimensional adventure had been repeatedly thwarted from the very beginning, causing the adventure to be delayed indefinitely, Princess Catherine, who had been so enthusiastic just moments before, couldn't help but frown again, her expression growing increasingly grim...

Fortunately, just before she could lose her temper and roar in anger, the "Three Dragons Watching Movies" group, which had spearheaded the event, managed to gather a few "brave warriors" who volunteered to participate, and they were all acquaintances of Phil.

"...Your Highness, my slave and I are eager to serve you and participate in this great and glorious interdimensional adventure. We hope to atone for our past mistakes in the process, and we will obey your every command... Please forgive our previous offenses..."

Ernest, the former adventurer who had retired many years ago and now the pseudo-dragon owner of the Gladiator's Tavern, approached Princess Catherine with his slave, the kobold sorcerer Quark, bowing and scraping obsequiously.

—Due to the embarrassing incident of a sewer explosion and vomiting during Princess Catherine's inauguration ceremony, Boss Ernest, who was in charge of the sewer cleanup task, has been having a terrible time lately. Not only has his tavern in the [Wasteland] been shut down, but he himself has also been arrested and imprisoned.

Therefore, being fined a large sum of money by the authorities is only a minor matter. Even if he has to spend a few days in jail, Mr. Ernest can tolerate it. But he is afraid that those bastards in the city hall will find fault with him and make things difficult for him in order to please the princess, making it impossible for him to continue his business. If that happens, he will not be able to live a normal life.

Originally, he was just sighing and groaning in his cell, wrapped in a tattered blanket, trying to fall asleep and find some friends in the dream world of the goddess of sleep to vent his frustrations and complain. But then he suddenly heard that Princess Catherine was looking for people to go on an adventure to another dimension, so he hurriedly came to curry favor with her.

Anyway, this pseudo-dragon and his kobold slave, no matter what, can be considered a branch of the dragon race, and to some extent, they also possess the dragon race's ability to hibernate. Sleeping for years is obviously not an option, but sleeping for a month or two without eating shouldn't be too much of a problem.

In fact, to ensure he could get this chance to redeem himself, Ernest reluctantly bribed Miss Lulutia the Silver Dragon in advance, begging her to say a few good words for him to the princess. In return, he would have all of Lulutia's debts at his tavern wiped clean.

As for the opinion of the kobold warlock Quark? The slave's opinion is not worth considering.

Moreover, as the direct perpetrator of blowing up the sewers, Quark's public offense against royalty could easily result in beheading. Even with a lenient sentence, he would at least go from a ten-year contract slave to a lifelong slave with no hope of release…

To avoid ending up in such a miserable state, the kobold warlock Quark naturally had to do his best to flatter Princess Catherine.

Chapter 21, The Type-Moon World Adventure Team is assembled!

"...Your Highness, although these two fools have offended your dignity, please give them a chance to atone for their sins!"

Lulutia, the silver dragon who had just received a benefit, also shamelessly came over to chime in for Ernest, the fake dragon boss who had volunteered to "atone for his sins," "...otherwise, if we can't gather seven people, we can't set off!"

"...Alright, Ernest the Pseudo-Dragon, although I have lost face in town because of your and your slaves' mistakes, I promise to forgive your sins as long as you perform well in your interdimensional adventures."

Princess Catherine wrinkled her nose and snorted, but still nodded reluctantly in agreement.

Meanwhile, Phil also managed to fool two teammates, the first being Portia, the ghost librarian from the neighboring library who had lost her physical body.

"...Miss Portia, Miss Portia, haven't you always wanted a suitable new body? Come with us on an adventure to another dimension! We're going to fight a small war there, and maybe we can get a lot of young and beautiful female corpses!"

"...Eh? Really? But, Phili, your interdimensional adventures aren't real-world travels; it's just projecting an avatar. Even if that avatar finds a suitable body over there and successfully creates a beautiful corpse princess, it's useless to them!"

"...Sigh, although I can't bring the completed Corpse Princess back, at least you can practice over there and gain experience!"

Miss Portia, painters always make a draft before they paint, and students always make a paper before they write it! You're creating a new body for yourself, which is as important as getting married and having a child. How can you just start without making a draft?

Unfortunately, you can't afford a bunch of fresh corpses to practice on. If you don't find a way to improve your skills, what if you finally manage to get a usable corpse, but ruin it because of your poor technique? You'll regret it then!

“…Ah, that seems to be the case…but I still have library work to do…” Miss Portia was still somewhat hesitant.

"...Oh dear, we've reached this critical point, why are you still worrying about the library?"

Did you know that your library, like our Adventurers' Guild, was among the first to be shut down?

"If you don't seize the opportunity to curry favor with our new lord during this interdimensional adventure and beg her to retract her decision, then in a few days you'll be taking your house and ending up on the streets with a bunch of old books!" Feline revealed.

"...What? They're going to shut down the museum?! How can this be! Fine! Looks like I'll definitely have to participate in this interdimensional adventure..."

And so, in order to find a female corpse to practice "Corpse Princess Transformation" and save the library from its impending demise, Miss Ghost Portia was successfully tricked into joining the party!

Then, his next target was Flor, the fairy signboard girl of the "Forest Fairy Pastry Shop" next door on the other side of the Adventurers' Guild.

"...Hmm! A completely safe interdimensional adventure? And I can be a knight? It sounds like a lot of fun! I really want to go! But this adventure will take many days, what excuse can I use to ask my boss for leave?"

"...It's very simple. Just tell your boss that this interdimensional adventure is our guild's last effort to save itself from bankruptcy. If we fail, all the debts my master and I have incurred at your store will become uncollectible debts."

Then, if the adventure succeeds, we can take the opportunity to establish a relationship with our new lord, the noble Golden Dragon Princess Catherine. The benefits of that are self-evident, aren't they?

"...What you said seems to make a lot of sense. I'll go talk to the boss about it right away...Yay! The boss agreed!"

—The fairy mascot Flor has successfully joined the team! The seven members of the Holy Grail War are now complete!

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And so, the seven team members were assembled, but since they were going to participate in the Holy Grail War, the class of each person still needed to be assigned.

According to Ms. Lulutia, the Holy Grail War they are preparing to participate in in place of the Servants is the Fourth Holy Grail War from *Fate/Zero*. Therefore, after understanding the plot and some discussion, the class arrangement for the Type-Moon World Adventure Team in this Holy Grail War is as follows:

The most powerful and prestigious swordsman (Saber) class naturally belongs to the golden dragon princess Catherine; no one dares to challenge her for this position.

Then, Flor, the fairy-like mascot of the dessert shop who loves knight games, naturally took on the knight (rider) class.

Lulutia, the silver dragon who dislikes close-quarters combat and prefers to solve problems from a distance with her dragon breath, chose the archer role.

Next, Portia, a ghost with a lack of presence and a talent for concealing her aura, saw that the Assassin Master was a clergyman and thought that she might be able to find a few fresh young female corpses in the church cemetery to practice making Corpse Princesses. Thus, she took on the Assassin class.

Ryunosuke Amusei, the Master of the Caster in the Fourth Holy Grail War, is portrayed as a mad, extremely disgusting, perverted, and grotesque killer—his fondness for killing is a minor matter; brutal warriors can be found anywhere.

The problem is that Ryunosuke Uryu's thinking is too chaotic, making him impossible to communicate with or understand. As a result, no one wants to partner with him, so he was assigned to Quark, a slave kobold sorcerer who had no choice in the matter.

—Quark happens to be in charge of disposing of corpses in the arena, so his experience in skinning and dismembering should be as extensive as his Master, Ryunosuke Uryu. Furthermore, as a kobold sorcerer, Quark is at least a legitimate spellcaster, basically fitting the caster class…

Heroic Spirits who acquire the Berserker class lose their sanity and become completely subservient. Master Kariya Matou is a lovelorn man covered in insects and on the verge of death, making him no better off. As a result, he is "voluntarily" taken in by the pseudo-dragon boss Ernest, who is "awaiting punishment and making meritorious contributions."

Finally, the last remaining Lancer class was assigned to Firi, the cat.

Relatively speaking, this place is neither good nor bad—in any case, the slick-back-haired Director Kenneth and his red-haired fiancée are easier to get along with than the grotesque killer Ryunosuke Amusei who likes to create "artworks" from human organs, and Kariya Matou, who is hard to describe and is full of self-destructive tendencies and a lover of married women...

Despite the drawback of "Lancers being unlucky since ancient times", we never expected to win anyway, so it's okay if the luck value is a little low!

Random Musings: The Story of Cats