Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

Samael watched the two playful friends, chuckled, and shook his head.

It’s great to be young.

Chapter Forty-Six: A Bunch of Old Sixes!

In Shinjuku, a towering building stands like a spearhead, with fully armored black-clad warriors standing guard or patrolling between different floors.

The higher you go, the tighter the defenses become.

At the top of the magnificent tower, a figure standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the entire city turned around in surprise upon hearing the report.

"What? The top three riders in Akihabara City are fighting?"

"If the intelligence is correct, that should be the case, General."

Inside the hall, a woman with black hair and purple eyes, dressed in a black and blue patterned dress and holding books and documents, gave an affirmative answer with a wry smile.

The woman had a graceful figure, yet she was alluring without being seductive. Every gesture she made exuded a strong scholarly air, and her whole being radiated a pure intellectual aura.

Unlike Hinako Akuta, who is a pseudo-literary girl, she is a genuine writer and female poet.

Caster Murasaki Shikibu, one of the four great riders of the shogunate.

A writer, waka poet, and author of "The Tale of Genji" during the Heian period.

She is the type of obedient and well-behaved student. Because she is well-mannered, reasonable, and has a stable temperament, and has served as a lady-in-waiting, she currently serves the general, doing some secretarial work and assisting in the coordination.

At that moment, the figure in front of the French windows pinched the bridge of their nose, a hint of doubt appearing in their eyes.

"They were corrupted so quickly? That shouldn't be the case..."

"Nothing!"

Hearing that the general's thoughts had been led in a dangerous direction, Shikibu Murasaki's expression tightened, and she quickly waved her hand to explain.

"According to feedback from eyewitnesses, they remained conscious."

For these Servants, long-term night watch inevitably leads to the erosion of their minds by some latent force, gradually causing them to lose themselves.

The consequences of getting lost are extremely terrible.

They will attack all living beings within their range indiscriminately, drawing magic from them to become even more ferocious and powerful.

This phenomenon is known as "Servant Corruption".

Of the seven heroic spirits who have changed several times, not all of them died at the hands of those [foreign enemies].

The figure in front of the French windows remained noncommittal to Murasaki Shikibu's alarmed explanation, instead raising an eyebrow to ask a question.

"And then, what was the result?"

"Five people sustained minor injuries, two sustained serious injuries, and the estimated economic loss exceeds 1000 million yen..."

Murasaki Shikibu opened the report, read the data, and was immediately alarmed. She quickly added explanations.

"However, please rest assured that we have entrusted Miss Nightingale with professional medical treatment. No one at the scene is in life-threatening condition. The specific compensation and resettlement arrangements are also being actively handled, and the relevant expenses will be deducted from the salaries of the three people involved..."

She spoke very quickly, with a subtle sense of urgency.

Clearly, Murasaki Shikibu had done everything in her power to exonerate her three colleagues.

Who wants to ask you that?

However, the figure in front of the floor-to-ceiling window waved his hand listlessly, interrupting the female secretary's detailed report, a hint of amusement in his crimson eyes.

"I mean, who won in the end?"

Ah this...

Murasaki Shikibu was momentarily taken aback by the general's unconventional train of thought, and after a moment of hesitation, she cautiously gave her reply.

"It's...it's Saber. She beat up Archer and Lancer."

"Yes, that's pretty much what I thought. Saber truly lives up to her reputation as the most balanced and promising Servant among the seven classes."

The figure standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window nodded in satisfaction and chuckled softly.

General, is it possible that she was simply transformed into a demon and her fighting power increased dramatically because she was starving, had her food taken away, and had her favorite udon noodle shop smashed?

Murasaki Shikibu glanced at the on-site report on the paper, muttered to herself, and after much hesitation, ultimately decided not to report the contents truthfully.

Having finished his immediate tasks, the figure by the window yawned and waved somewhat listlessly.

"There's a purification ceremony tonight, let's call them back first."

"Yes, sir!"

Upon hearing the words "purification ceremony," Murasaki Shikibu's initially apprehensive expression turned to great joy. She quickly bowed to accept the order and then strode out with remarkably ladylike small steps.

She seemed quite pleased for her three colleagues.

The door opened and closed softly, and the empty hall fell into silence.

The shadow cast by the floor-to-ceiling window was lengthened by the twilight, and the crimson eyes gazed at the gradually darkening city, murmuring softly.

Night is approaching again.

Meanwhile, outside Shinjuku Central Station.

"Hey handsome, if you have nowhere to go, remember to come to my place!"

Hua Lin waved vigorously, her little face beaming with enthusiasm, persistently extending her invitation.

Eri, who was traveling with her, grabbed her best friend by the back of her collar with a dark expression and dragged her away without any mercy.

The "dancing dinosaur" that lagged behind gave an apologetic smile, got up, and caught up.

Samael stood there, politely watching the three leave. Then he spread his fingers, looked at the small piece of paper with the phone number on it in his palm, and his lips twitched slightly.

Of all the things a child could learn, why does he have to imitate others' aggressive flirting? Isn't that too precocious?

The ancient snake shook its head, casually tossed the small piece of paper into the roadside trash can, got up and walked on, admiring the scenery along the way.

Mosaic City Shinjuku has been the de facto capital since the Holy Grail War razed Tokyo's Chuo Ward to the ground.

The overall structure is a three-dimensional structure resembling overlapping leaves, with each leaf representing a street block, and the shape unfolds like a giant coral.

Because of the location of the shogunate, this place has developed to the point where it has completely restored the prosperous scene of Shinjuku in his memory, and there are far more people in the normal sense than in Akihabara.

Whether it's a matter of personal preference or something else, Shinjuku has largely restored the styles of the early Showa and Taisho eras, blending retro and modern trends to create a unique sense of awe and beauty.

In the center of the city, a towering tower stands like the tip of a spear.

That was the location of the Shogunate.

However, to be on the safe side, that is not the first choice for your first stop.

As is customary, the first thing to do upon arriving in a new place is to gather intelligence.

Coincidentally, based on what he had learned at the Golden Deer Bar, he knew of a good place to exchange information.

Samael stretched, hailed a taxi, leaned back in the seat, and spoke lazily.

“Kabukicho.”

"Ok!"

The middle-aged driver smirked, revealing an expression that any man would understand.

Kabukicho is one of Tokyo's entertainment hubs. From late at night to dawn, it's a bustling city where people gather and information flows freely, with cinemas, arcades, bars, and more. It's a true city that never sleeps.

Its specific location is in the center of Shinjuku Ward, right next to the transportation hub Shinjuku-Chuo Station, and not far from there.

Furthermore, the former Shinjuku Ward government building and the current Shogunate Gun Tower are both located within Kabukicho 1-chome.

For Samael, it was undoubtedly a suitable first stop for transit, making his next move very convenient.

Of course, the reasons why the middle-aged driver was smiling were not the reasons mentioned above.

In fact, Kabukicho in Tokyo has another name – “Asia’s largest red-light district”.

A dozen minutes later, the taxi came to a stop. The middle-aged driver, who had been chatting amiably the whole way, accepted the fare, which included a tip, and with a beaming smile, gave the generous passenger a complimentary gift. He then gestured for the passenger to cheer him on, rolled up the window, and with a smooth drift, headed off to pick up his next fare.

Samael glanced at the box of Okamoto 001 in his hand, and his lips twitched involuntarily.

He's starting to regret giving the tip.

The ancient snake shook its head helplessly and casually tossed the thing into the trash can.

Then, ignoring the brightly lit shops around him and the scantily clad young women enthusiastically soliciting customers, he walked through a relatively secluded and quiet alley and went straight into a quaint little house.

【Spring Dawn Bookstore】.

It appears to be a Japanese-style bookstore, but in reality, it engages in information trading and security services, making it similar in nature to a general store.

According to Jane's original description, Samael made this his first stop in Shinjuku.

Pushing open the wooden door, a mature color scheme, the reddish-brown of the music, the mahogany furnishings, and the ornate vermilion and dark gold decorations come into view.

The aroma of roasted coffee filled the air, and the room was filled with the sound of thick, sticky music.

The luxurious interior furnishings contrast sharply with the rustic Japanese exterior, making it more like a high-end venue for cultural salons.

Similarly, although the bookshelves around the room were filled with books, the majority of them were light novels, magazines, and comics.

At the counter, a shop owner with black hair, golden eyes, red and blue highlights, and a very fashionable outfit was making a peace sign at the camera, seemingly doing a live stream.

Finally, after Samael stood there for a moment, the fashionable young woman behind the counter noticed the new customer. She quickly took off her headphones, flashed a formulaic smile, and got into business mode.

"Welcome! What can I do for you? We have the latest light novels, magazines, and manga!"

The person in front of me is Sei Shonagon, the owner of the Shunsho Bookstore.

At the same time, she was also a writer and waka poet during the Heian period, a legendary Japanese woman of great talent who was said to be on par with Murasaki Shikibu.

The phrase "Spring Dawn" is taken from the line in her poetry collection: "Spring dawn is the best, summer is the best night. Autumn dusk is the best, winter is the best morning."

Although she left behind many anecdotes that broke with convention for women at the time, the girl in front of us, who looks like a delinquent high school student, seems to be completely out of place compared to the talented woman in history who was ranked among the thirty-six ancient poets.

So, are all of you literature students who have been summoned here to just let yourselves go like this?

Samael raised his hand to his forehead, silently complaining to himself.

Whether it's the dramatic Shakespeare of Tulipas or the party-loving servant Sei Shonagon who does live streaming, their highly modern words and actions repeatedly shatter the cultural filters that these literary figures wear.

"guest?"

Seeing that the other party was standing still, Sei Shonagon coughed lightly and reminded him again, while shifting his body uncomfortably.

For some reason, she always felt that the way the person across from her was looking at her was strange.

"Oh, sorry, I was daydreaming."

Samael realized what was happening, smiled apologetically, then pondered for a moment before tapping his fingers rhythmically on the table and stating his needs.

"I need seven history books from here, starting with the letter G, about the period from 1192 to 1867."

The tapping with the five fingers is divided into five segments, totaling thirty-one syllables of varying lengths.

If you listen carefully, this happens to be a short waka poem written by the talented woman in front of you.

Buying intelligence?

Sei Shonagon stopped typing, glanced at the guest who entered, and looked hesitant.

"Starting with G, seven books at once? These books are hard to find, very expensive..."

Intelligence trading has always been a gray industry, and naturally there are unspoken rules that cannot be openly discussed.

For the safety of both buyers and sellers, some related terms have emerged.

As an information broker, Sei Shonagon could certainly understand what the other party wanted to express.

Historical categories, starting with G, are clearly related to official sources and represent the government.

The period from 1192 to 1867 marks the establishment and demise of three generations of shogunates.

The seven related records refer to intelligence on the seven riders...

Clearly, what he wanted was information about the shogunate and the Seven Riders, the more detailed the better.

Samael pulled out a newspaper from the front desk, casually flipped through it, and asked a question with his head down and expressionless.

"How many?"

"At least 100 million..."