Chapter 639: Linkage: Beautiful Dreams and the Holy Grail (7)

"——It's us." Si Ke Te exploded in impotent fury, swearing, "Is this *company profanity* called hidden resentment? I didn't even know everyone here has a grudge against me?"

Lao Aodi kindly reminded from the side: "A little personal experience: not everyone has a grudge against you, kid. You need to learn to distinguish between conflict of interest and personal grudge."

"The core difference between the two is that the former can be negotiated, the latter cannot. So, if I were you…"

Si Ke Te quickly picked up Lao Aodi's line: "I would prioritize personal grudges. Hehe, thank you, Mr. Aodi, I've benefited greatly."

"What a clever story loop—characters who once met on a narrow path are destined to settle their victory or defeat on the stage of the Holy Grail War."

Si Ke Te let out a low laugh: "Hehe, fortunately, I drew this top-tier lot, Assassin! With your Noble Phantasm, we should be able to seize the initiative…"

"If we're talking about seizing the initiative, merely knowing what the opponent will do isn't enough. It's like having a script but not filming it. I must remind you, Master, that the nameless guest you dislike most is currently preparing the ritual to summon a Servant…"

——

Fox Spirit Matchmaker.

"This Lao Aodi is actually somewhat interesting."

Inside the Tushan Fox Domain, Tushan Yaya and Tushan Rongrong stood shoulder to shoulder on the cliff edge, looking up at the Holy Grail War about to unfold. She originally thought it was just a chaotic brawl among seven people, but she didn't expect Lao Aodi's words to contain the meaning of "forming alliances and countering them."

"In a melee, the worst thing is to become the target of everyone. His remark actually points out a basic rule of the Holy Grail War: find your allies, confirm your opponents. Guide the initial chaos into controllable attrition, reduce strong rivals… If he himself is also a competitor, just this mindset makes him a tough opponent."

"The older sister sees through it completely."

Tushan Rongrong still squinted, wearing her signature smile: "However, if I were to plan for that 'Si Ke Te'… the first step would be to, with thunderous force, eliminate Xing before anyone summons their Servant."

"Take out the Pioneer? But can it succeed?" Tushan Yaya raised an eyebrow.

"Xing, before summoning a Servant, is at her weakest in this Holy Grail War; once she summons her Servant, Si Ke Te's chances of victory become slim." Tushan Rongrong explained, "Moreover, this Pioneer herself is highly unpredictable—her relations with all sides are delicate, and her potential is astonishing. Only by removing her from the field can the second step be carried out smoothly."

"And what is the second step?"

Tushan Rongrong held up two fingers: "Second, Si Ke Te should immediately turn and form a temporary alliance with the company faction's 'Shajin', concentrate their forces, and eliminate Zhigengniao, whose influence is equally great. Zhigengniao gets along well with Bo Ti Ou; we can't let them ally so comfortably."

Tushan Yaya gave a slight nod, indicating she should continue.

"However, for Si Ke Te, the true difficulty of this Holy Grail War still lies in these two—" Tushan Rongrong's eyes flashed with a glint—"Bo Ti Ou and Shajin. Shajin originally wanted to get on good terms with Bo Ti Ou, making them turn against each other would be difficult… So we still need to seek a Master's help, preferably to eliminate either Shajin or Bo Ti Ou."

"For Si Ke Te to win the Holy Grail War is really no easy feat." After hearing this, Tushan Yaya gave a cold snort: "But if anyone's to blame, it's only himself—if he had gotten along with the Pioneer back in Jinren Xiang, this Holy Grail War wouldn't have put him at such a disadvantage from the start."

——

"\"Next up is the most exciting moment! Xing will step into the summoning circle, chant the incantation, and summon one of the greatest souls in Pinokangni's history! \""

"The host excitedly launched the report and pointed the camera at the red summoning circle on the ground."

"\"Which historical figure from Pinokangni will answer the summon? Is it the dream-weaver Glaxus? Or the original hound? Let's wait and see! \""

"(The atmosphere has been built up to this point—should we go to the summoning circle and start the ritual?)"

"Xing slowly walked into the summoning circle, while at the same time, the other Masters began chanting their own incantations."

"Zhigengniao: \"Your body shall be under my command; my fate shall be attached to your sword. \""

"Pam: \"In response to the train's whistle, I come as the crispy, fragrant Pam faction! \""

"Bo Ti Ou: \"I did not come to accomplish all good in the world, but I am destined to die while destroying all evil in the world. \""

"Shajin: \"Seven souls flowing forth from the heart of the Amber King's stone…\""

"Xing stepped forward, raised her right hand: \"Appear, Guardian of the Scales, crossing the Wheel of Balance! \""

"However, nothing happened except a cold wind blowing on her face."

"\"…So, where's the Servant? \" the host wondered, leaning forward."

"No light pollution, no thrilling music, no souls descending from the heavens—just an awkward silence."

"Xing then belatedly scratched her head: \"Huh?? Where's my Servant?? \""

——

Delicious in Dungeon.

"Huh?!!"

Marlu Shir was the first to cry out; her violent motion almost spilled the soup from her bowl: "Lost, lost? The summoning failed? How could that be? Could the incantation itself be flawed?"

Qi Er Cha Ke stroked his chin and analyzed: "If Pam's incantation had a problem, I could understand, but Xing's looks normal—did she mispronounce some crucial byte? Or is the summoned heroic spirit just too incompatible with her, eliciting no response?"

"Another possibility is that she summoned something extraordinary." Lai Ou Si rarely took his eyes off the food in front of him, joining the serious discussion: "Maybe it's not that the Servant didn't respond, but that the manner of response… exceeds ordinary comprehension? For instance, she might not have summoned an independent 'Servant' but some kind of… concept? Or power itself?"

Although they weren't entirely clear on the specifics of the Holy Grail War, given Xing's own uniqueness, they could also understand that the summoned Servant might be a bit 'special'.

Marlu Shir still couldn't accept it: "But if there's no physical Servant, or no Servant at all, how is she supposed to fight? Does she have to go up and whack things with a bat herself?"

"... Actually, it's not impossible—one could say that Xing, who has been glanced at by the three Star Gods, is someone few heroic spirits in Pinokangni's history could beat in a bat fight."

"But she doesn't have a Noble Phantasm, right?"

Earlier, Si Ke Te had briefly mentioned that every Servant seems to have their own Noble Phantasm. Although she wasn't entirely clear on what a Noble Phantasm exactly is, Marlu Shir simply understood it as each Servant's 'ultimate move', akin to a mage's trump card spell they hardly ever use.