Otherwise, you can find another savior.

Now she understands that the current situation is an "overreaction".

Holding her teacher in front of everyone, Olga Marie was too shy to look at anyone else.

tide Jian did not make any further moves, but instead embraced her with utmost tenderness.

"Relax, or I won't be able to bear it," tide Jian reminded her with a smile.

"Hmm, hmm..." Olga Marie was still trying to adjust to the situation.

"By the way, where were we?" Shio tried to change the subject.

Orange replied, "The Devil's Den."

"No... I meant before that, I think we were talking about dolls?" Shio said. "After this, do you think we should give Mary another check-up to see what's causing the doll to be unable to reproduce her original magic circuits?"

Upon hearing this topic, Olga Marie suddenly snapped out of her reverie, and her unease lessened considerably.

“Probably not.” Morgan looked at Olga Marie. “As I said before, Marie was born as an Animusphia for a specific purpose. Like the homunculi of Einzbern, she may have been modified before birth, while she was in the womb. Otherwise, there is no way to explain why the number of magic circuits is only E-, but the quality is as high as EX, which cannot be measured.”

Morgan originally thought that Olga Marie was just a rare genius born into the Animusfia family lineage.

However, the reality was far more brutal than she could have imagined.

“In other words, it’s not that Orange’s dolls are incapable of reproducing the magician’s original qualities, but rather that Mary’s original body was a product of modification from the very beginning,” Artoria said. “But if that’s the case—”

Her gaze fell on tide Jian.

“But my beloved student himself is nothing special,” Scáthach said. “I already confirmed it when I picked him up from the Land of Shadows.”

Those with the talent of a magician can also be forged into warriors.

The only special thing is that he was able to survive in the Land of Shadows, where the concept of death is everywhere, and that alone meets the requirements for taking on a disciple.

Whether you arrive alone or are brought here by someone, it makes no difference.

The issue Artoria was referring to was Shiomi's ability to access the source of power and ultimately ascend to godhood.

Did the trials arranged by Mooncell ultimately point to this outcome?

Or is becoming a god just an extremely important step?

“How about we try a different approach?” Skadi said at this moment. “What’s special is not the body, but the soul. Even if Tianxi’s body is damaged in the explosion you mentioned and he has to use a spare doll as a new body, it won’t have any impact.”

"Why did it suddenly turn to me?" Xi Jian grabbed her hands and held them together like she was holding a doll. "I'm not going to delve into my origins anymore. Anyway, even Grimm said that I'll know when the time comes. Even if I don't trust anyone else, I at least have to trust the great god Odin."

Skadi nodded slightly, expressing the same sentiment. She could sense that Shiomi's trust in Odin had surpassed that of hers.

After all, judging from the outcome, Odin's favoritism towards Shiomi was a bit excessive.

Not only in the Pan-Human History, but even Odin in the Lostbelt, after foreseeing his appearance, left Skadi a way out.

Thinking of this, Skadi got up from the bedside and hugged Shiomi from behind.

No matter how many times, she would feel a special kind of blessing because of this unpredictable fate, which felt like walking a tightrope.

As a goddess, she should be the one looking after others.

"Hello..."

In the blink of an eye, tide Jian seemed to have fallen into some strange trap. One after another, everyone surrounded him, hugged him in the middle, and even his mouth, which wanted to complain, was silenced.

It was Olga Marie.

Driven by a conditioned reflex, she immediately turned around and kissed him.

The decorative scarf was untied during the struggle and fell under the table.

Shiomi's hands deftly unbuttoned Olga Marie's coat and pulled it off.

At the same time, she herself, like an orange, was stripped naked by Morgan and the others, and pressed tightly against Olga Marie's chest.

"I always feel like... prey surrounded by wolves..." Shio chuckled softly.

But before he could say two words, his mouth was shut up again.

Surrounded by their different body temperatures, his rationality was quickly stretched to its limit and snapped with a crack.

He reached out his arm, trying to embrace someone's body, his fingertips brushing against skin as smooth and flawless as cream, and tide Jian fell onto the carpet.

At the last moment, Shio felt her fingers touch something wet.

Final Chapter: Flying Bear Enters the Dream (1)

In the dimly lit room, Olga Marie lay on her side next to Shiomi on the bed, and the breathing of the others could be faintly heard in the quiet room.

Everyone else was asleep, but she was still awake.

Olga Marie couldn't remember how long she had been tossing and turning. All she knew was that she felt extremely tired, but she couldn't close her eyes and fall asleep.

Then, Olga Marie carefully raised her hand and stroked the muscles on Shiomi's chest and shoulders.

Unlike the last time when I was invited by Morgan to give my teacher a massage, this time, without touching through clothes, I could feel that it wasn't really as hard as a rock, but rather a more indescribable supple texture.

When she thinks back on what has happened these past few days, it feels like a beautiful dream from which she can never wake up.

Even though I'm firmly on the ground, it feels like I'm walking on cotton clouds, teetering on the edge of a fall, yet I won't fall. I'm just trapped in a gentle embrace from which I can't escape, and I don't want to escape either.

She opened her mouth, paused silently for a moment, then closed it again, her lips moving slightly.

Olga Marie suddenly realized that there was something crucial she hadn't told her teacher.

In this kind of relationship, should I say "like" or just say "love"?

Or rather, do you both like and love it?

The joy of first love filled Olga Marie's heart. She sat up slightly and, in the dim room, by the faint light of the bedside device's standby light, looked at Shiomi's sleeping face.

I was thinking of giving her a kiss, then going to sleep so as not to disturb anyone.

Just as she leaned down, preparing to press her lips to Xijian's, she suddenly noticed something was amiss.

Or rather, Shio's expression was uneasy, as if she was having a dream.

She already knew that her teacher's spirit was connected to Tiamat, and that they could meet at any time in her dreams.

Did Tiamat tell tide Jian something in his dream, or foreshadow something to him?

Curious, she hesitated whether to kiss him, but then she saw tide Jian slowly open his eyes, which startled her slightly.

“…Teacher?” she asked in a very low voice.

"Aren't you asleep yet, Mary?" tide Jian asked, also surprised.

"I just woke up and was about to go back to sleep." Olga Marie, feeling tired, lay back down.

tide Jian said softly, "Mmm. You must be tired. Go to sleep early."

Olga Marie agreed and closed her eyes, wanting to sleep, but Shiomi's expression in the dim light made her feel that something was strange, so with her eyes closed, she asked Shiomi with concern in her ear:

"Teacher...did you have a nightmare?"

“It wasn’t a nightmare,” tide Jian replied softly without hesitation. “It was just a rather strange dream.”

"What did you dream about?" Olga Marie asked.

tide Jian lifted Olga Marie's hand and pinched her brow: "It's nothing, I just dreamt that I was walking in the countryside... and then a winged bear rushed into my arms."

“What a strange dream,” Olga Marie said.

"Rather than saying it's strange... it's more like some kind of omen or hint." There was a hint of confusion in Shiomi's voice. "It's something that will inevitably happen after becoming a god."

“Perhaps that’s really the case,” Olga Marie subconsciously agreed.

Dreaming itself is not strange, but the teacher is no longer an ordinary human being, nor a mundane magician, so his dreams must have some special meaning.

Thinking about this, Olga Marie couldn't help but become even more concerned.

However, perhaps because she hadn't been able to do what she wanted to do, and her mind was temporarily free of worries, sleepiness quickly overcame her. With her teacher holding her and gently patting her shoulder, Olga Marie soon fell asleep.

When she opened her eyes again, the room lights were already on, and everyone was taking turns washing up in Shiomi's bathroom, then picking out their clothes from the pile of clothes on the floor and putting them on.

At this moment, Shiomi was discussing with them the dream she had while sleeping.

"Dreamed of a winged bear?" Skadi looked puzzled. "In the Norse world, there doesn't seem to be any symbol that can explain this kind of thing."

“Perhaps it’s just a strange dream,” Artoria said. “I thought I wouldn’t dream after becoming a god, but Tianxi can still dream, which is really special.”

Morgan glanced away, a thoughtful look on his face: "In my dream, Flying Bear... I feel like I've seen a similar example somewhere before."

"Is that the one? It's a very famous Chinese legend," Orange said. "It's called 'The Flying Bear Enters the Dream.' It tells the story of King Wen of the Zhou Dynasty in ancient China, who dreamed of a flying bear. Later, following the hints in the dream, he searched everywhere and finally found Taigong Wang."

“No wonder…” Morgan remembered.

In the Chaldean library, she read stories and historical materials about the period between the Shang and Zhou dynasties, and there was indeed such a passage.

"Let's say you get one point," she teased Orange with a smile.

Orange shrugged, knowing Morgan was joking.

Right now, Shiomi's dream is more important.

“But I also encountered a flying bear entering my dream.” tide Jian sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing her shoulders helplessly. “In this kind of apocalypse, is there any need to seek out wise men?”

Of course, this was just a casual remark he made.

After Orange's reminder, Shio began to take the meaning of this dream seriously.

He had originally planned to go to the Lostbelt of China, but now he dreamt of omens related to Chinese heroic spirits.

Does that mean there's a Servant waiting for him in the Lostbelt?

Moreover, that Servant could very well be the famous Taigong Wang?

"What do you know about Taigong Wang?" Seeing that Xijian was organizing her thoughts, Chengzi didn't urge her. While tying her hair up with a hair tie, she asked the others, "By the way, I mean the magic aspect."

"What do you mean?" Skadi didn't quite understand.

"In fact, in the pan-human history, although the magic world... especially the Clock Tower, follows the magic system established by the Magic King, there is also Atlas's alchemy and other divine magic from the Wandering Sea. Plus, there's the Rune Plate that I barely revived. The magic system isn't singular," Orange slowly explained. "Besides that, there's Middle Eastern sorcery and Chinese magic."

“I don’t know,” Skadi shook her head.

The Nordic world she lived in was already isolated and had reached its end, so naturally she knew nothing about the outside world.

"The same goes for Scáthach."

Artoria and Morgan shook their heads in succession, showing their ignorance.

This didn't surprise Orange much.

"As expected. China's magic system is very independent. Even the Clock Tower doesn't know much about it, having only had limited contact with a few Chinese magicians. Even now, they are still among the most mysterious types of magicians."

Final Chapter: Flying Bear Enters the Dream (2)

“I’m pretty much the same.” Shiomi looked up. “The information I have access to is all based on what I get from the Clock Tower. It seems that their magic system is something called mind magic.”

“That’s the problem,” Orange said. “Based on the legends I’ve heard during my years of traveling the world, Taigong Wang was one of the top magicians in ancient China. His master was Yuanshi Tianzun, one of the highest beings in Taoism, which means he was also a disciple of a god.”

Olga Marie listened to their discussion while getting dressed: "So, if we were to draw an analogy to our side, which magician from the past would be closest to us? Merlin, the Flower Magician? Or Morgan, the Great Witch of Pan-Human History?"

"Well, judging by the length of time he's been active, he's at least on par with the Magic King." Orange shrugged.

Shiomi nodded in agreement: "After all, just considering the principle that the more ancient and mysterious something is, the stronger it is, Taikomochi is an extremely ancient divine magician, and he may also be qualified for the Grand rank."

"So why would my beloved student dream of something related to a magician like that?" Scáthach asked. "Could it really be related to the Chinese Lostbelts?"

“It’s hard to say.” Shiomi leaned down. “In fact, I originally planned to search for Beast Koyanskaya, who was probably hiding in Russia, before entering the Chinese Lostbelt.”

"It's a choice between two options," Skadi began to ponder. "Originally, you planned to pursue both simultaneously, but this dream is reminding you to pay more attention to the side that's related to it? In that case, why not try divination?"

At this moment, tide Jian raised her hand: "I did learn rune divination from my master, but it's impossible for me to be accurate in my own divination, right?"

Moreover, the closer the relationship between the diviner and the person being divined, the more likely it is to affect the accuracy of the divination.

Then, the room fell silent again.

These are all excellent magicians, but the problem is that they all have close relationships with him, and these relationships will hinder the results of the divination.

“If I hadn’t already talked to the teacher…” Olga Marie hugged her knees in frustration, “maybe I could have tried using astrological magic.”

Celestial magic originally originated from the ancient Chaldeans' magic of drawing power from the universe. It later declined and evolved into magic used for astrology and stargazing.

Even so, it still has its uses.

"Putting aside the possibility, on a planet that's practically a blank slate, there's no way to access the universe. How can you do astrology?" Seeing her distress, tide Jian couldn't help but offer a word of comfort.

Olga Marie shook her head: "Using the planar moon provided by the Atlas Institute, and based on the existing vast celestial records, it is possible to recreate the hypothetical starry sky with just a little divination. Miss Sion told me that before."

Animusphia had been observing and collecting records of the movement of celestial bodies before he took charge of the astronomical sciences at the Clock Tower, and even before the Clock Tower itself was built.