Chapter 677: Crossover: Sweet Dreams and the Holy Grail (45)

Not good at all! Xing let out a howl inside, but the anger faded quickly.

Xing arrived at the office where she works; as soon as her left foot crossed the threshold, a clerk started pointing at her, saying she was late and telling her to quickly set up a desk for herself.

Xing was about to curse loudly, but a hint of doubt arose inside her.

Is this really what she wants to do? Relax, don't be so rough, think about what she truly ought to be doing.

Xing swung back, pulling out a bat to smash the office, but she realized the bat she could always pull out at will wasn't nearby. After all, that bat was a strange artifact of the space station; now that she thinks of it, did she ever actually possess that bat?

Since she couldn't smash it, she simply decided to quit.

However, that odd feeling surged again, tangled with countless complex thoughts.

Quitting is easy, but then? Where will she go? Where can she go? A young person without any special skills like her should probably find a stable job with sixteen insurances and one fund, and work comfortably until the end of the world.

——

Xiao Lin's Dragon Maid.

"Sixteen insurances and one fund?!"

Xiao Lin adjusted the glasses on his nose, his face full of disbelief, "Is this a universe‑level corporation? The benefits are great!"

"What? Xiao Lin, do you want to go?"

"Of course!" Xiao Lin counted on his fingers, "Tor, look, her job was arranged through a back‑door by Station Chief Ai Si Da, which basically makes Ai Si Da her patron in the space station! And Hei Ta is also an acquaintance; which boss or colleague would dare give her trouble? The work environment is safe and stable, sixteen insurances and one fund plus high income… this is literally the ideal workplace for a wage‑earner!"

"But isn't adventuring with the train through the galaxy better? If I could be with Xiao Lin, it would feel like a honeymoon every day~" Tor said shyly, covering his face.

"People who love adventure are ultimately a minority, right?"

Xiao Lin pushed his glasses up, slumped back onto the sofa, "It's like Bei Luo Bo Ge; aside from fire‑ground officials like Xi Er with exceptional skills, most ordinary people would choose a stable life, right? A plain life with high material standards is many people's ultimate dream! No worries about survival, a little hobby, simple work… such a life is blissfully deadly happy."

Actually there was something Xiao Lin didn't say: those who can board the train to explore aren't ordinary people. Not mentioning San Yue Qi, Dan Heng, Ji Zi, Xing and the others, even the seniors of the train crew—Tie Er Nan, Mi Ha Yi Er… each possesses a unique skill, either a watchmaker or a sea‑roving ranger. An ordinary person like her who only knows how to code would probably freeze to death in Bei Luo Bo Ge even if she got on the train.

——

"Xing finally chose to finish the ordinary task at hand first."

"The reports stacked on the desk seemed endless; no matter how she organized them, they never finished. Moreover, the entries were strange."

"Xing kept tidying, when she suddenly saw a familiar figure in a corner of the space station."

"(Wait, that person over there feels familiar.)"

Archer: "If you're asking whether we've met somewhere before, I can answer: no."

"You see, you clearly know me," Xing noticed the red‑haired man also wore an ID badge, which only bore a concise 【A】 and nothing else. His department was 【Housekeeping Dept】… Speaking of which, does the space station even have such a department?

"Come to think of it, Uncle A, don't you feel you don't belong here? You should be a summoned heroic spirit."

"I understand, I understand. Every day a dozen clerks come to chat with me, each declaring they don't belong here. Because their current life is unsatisfactory, they think they belong elsewhere; it's just a prettied‑up excuse for escaping reality."

"Even if you flee elsewhere, as long as the nature of retreat doesn't change, you'll eventually have nowhere to go," Archer said, looking around. "In my view, this place is pretty good. No world crisis, no monsters seeking to destroy humanity. The kitchen's convenient, aside from the odd ingredients. There's still a little girl who can 'wave gems like soil'; for most people that's an ideal land."

——

fate/Wei Gong family's meal.

"That guy… is definitely hinting at me?!"

"And what does 'wave gems like soil' even mean? The gems I use in battle cost, on average, about 500,000 yen each! I'm frugal! Not wasteful at all! And that's a necessary expense in combat, okay?"

Rin Yuan Banlin, who was sipping soup, was nearly choked by Archer's remark; after wiping her mouth with a napkin, she clenched her teeth in anger.

"And this Housekeeping Dept is probably generated from Archer's memory; that guy's domestic skills are unmatched, so the badge is likely a materialization of his subconscious."

"But Archer still remembers these things, indicating his memory hasn't been overly interfered with by Caster. Archer can also analyze barriers; I wonder if he can, like last time in Greedy's barrier, land a single decisive hit?" Shi Lang watched the sky curtain with concern.

Rin Yuan Banlin shook her head, "…I doubt it. Greedy hasn't been enhanced by the Holy Grail, and she also has the ability to alter perception—"

"If Shajin is present, Archer should be able to cooperate with him well, right?" Rider, sitting in the corner, suddenly spoke.

"Clack—"

The words seemed to trigger a switch.

Rin Yuan Banlin's scalp instantly sprouted a visible black line, her whole face flushed red.

"Rider! What do you mean by that!" she sprang up, hands slapping the table, "Are you saying that, as a legitimate mage, I'm still not better than that copper‑smelling merchant?!"

She crossed her arms, proudly lifted her chin, "Hmph! If I had been there, I would have seen through Greedy's trick long ago!"

Rider's lips curled slightly as she calmly asked, "Then, can you now locate a flaw in this Caster barrier?"

"Of course...!"

Rin Yuan Banlin's voice suddenly cracked; she blushed, stammered and turned her face away, "But after all, I'm not beside Archer, separated by the sky curtain, my observation is limited, and such a complex barrier requires time to analyze! However, I must stress that, in the Holy Grail War, what Shajin can discern, I can certainly do as well! As Archer's Master, I will never be outmatched by him!"