Chapter 684: Linkage: Sweet Dreams and the Holy Grail (52)

"And on the other side, Archer kept teasing Lancer: "Hey, aren't you the first heroic spirit locked in a fixed barrier? Didn't you make good use of your two proud legs?""

""Just got back and have to listen to your nonsense. Oh my, my head hurts! It feels like I've gone through a long and thrilling adventure!""

"Recalling the recent dream, Lancer's expression was puzzled: "I don't know why, but the person in my memory seems to have a fish's head.""

"Facing the imminent enemy, the two Servants were already eager to test themselves."

"The crowd gathered at the center of the stage, and Lao Ao Di still faced away from them, letting out a hohohoho laugh: "It seems Lady Asna also failed. Unfortunately, she was only one step away from stripping the Servants and the flame of the dream, using them as fuel for the Holy Grail.""

""This is business cooperation; no matter how outstanding your partner is, the most crucial part still has to be solved by yourself.""

"Botticelli stepped forward and asked first: "So, Lao Keai, with this Holy Grail War, what exactly are you trying to pull off, Wuwu Bo?""

""Seeing you look so ageless… I get it, you're after immortality, right?""

"Lao Ao Di calmly shook his head: "I have already lived through ten Amber Eras. As long as I wish, my medical team could even let me live a little longer…""

——

Mortal Cultivation Tale.

"Ten Amber Eras…"

Han Li's divine sense slightly condensed as he calculated in secret. Based on the fragmented information in the light screen, a single Amber Era spanned roughly seventy to eighty years, at most several hundred years; ten Amber Eras therefore amounted to perhaps over a thousand years.

A lifespan of over a thousand years… A complex expression flashed in Han Li's eyes. In the cultivation world, such a lifespan roughly corresponds to the lifespan of a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Thinking back to when the chaotic Star Sea Void Heaven Hall was opened, countless Nascent Soul monsters fought bloody over the Life‑Extending Pill that could increase lifespan, scheming and even risking their lives. Whether it was the Extreme Yin or the Ten Thousand Sky Bright sects, none were less desperate for longevity treasures. Adding a few decades of life made them flock like swallows; a single golden cup granting "immortality" could instantly unleash a calamity in the human world.

Yet the Lao Ao Di in the light screen, who had lived over a thousand years, spoke of lifespan so casually, as if mentioning a trivial matter.

"Truly, a land nurtures its own people…"

In the cultivation world, cultivators, from the moment they start refining Qi, contend with Heaven for their lives; each advancement of a realm first requires an increase in lifespan. The obsession with lifespan has been etched into their bones, becoming a fundamental drive for countless cultivators to forge ahead. Consequently, they resort to murder, treasure theft, betraying their sects, and practicing demonic arts, sparing no extremes.

"Oh? It seems the master is quite moved by this," Silver Moon's small head peeked in from outside the cave dwelling.

"Hmm." Han Li nodded, "It's just that the lifespan we cultivators regard as our life and tirelessly pursue seems, in the eyes of those extraterrestrial beings, not an indispensable thing. That old man named Ao Di is satisfied with a millennium of lifespan. In comparison, we appear… somewhat obstinate."

——

"Could it be to eliminate one's own opponent? I heard there's some friction between you and my Master."

"Hohohohoho! That's a colossal misunderstanding; there's never an absolute enemy in the marketplace!"

Shajin neither affirmed nor denied: "That's not a bad point, but I'm also very interested in Mr. Lao Ao Di's scheme."

Saber: "So, Mr. Lao Ao Di, you wouldn't happen to be like those magicians I know, who, in pursuit of a way to reach the root of all things, would abandon life and humanity, would you?"

"…Miss, the matters you speak of are only chased endlessly by the guys in the Genius Club."

"It can't possibly be for money, can it?"

"Oh hohoho, why not?" Lao Ao Di said leisurely, "I've been clear from the start. The Harmony Festival has ended abruptly, and Pinokangni needs a brand‑new economic growth point; we must create a commercial project that's eye‑catching enough."

"And the 'Holy Grail that can grant wishes' is this goose that lays golden eggs! Once it succeeds, Pinokangni will have a grand celebration capable of making it flourish for another ten Amber Eras, a spectacle even the Harmony Festival cannot match!"

——

Chainsaw Man.

"If I make a wish that all of Pinokangni belongs to me, then that old fat guy would have worked in vain," Chainsaw Man said boredly, biting into an apple.

"Right! But Chainsaw Man, there's a huge loophole in your statement!"

"What loophole?"

"If you wish all of Pinokangni for yourself, and then the winner of the next Holy Grail War wishes all of Pinokangni for themselves, what then? Their wish would override yours, wouldn't it?"

"Eh? Right!" Chainsaw Man suddenly understood, leapt up from the sofa, "Then after obtaining Pinokangni, I'd issue a decree that from now on the Holy Grail War is permanently banned, and the Holy Grail itself is destroyed as well; that should solve it, right?"

"The Holy Grail isn't something that can be destroyed that easily, is it?" Hayakawa Aki emerged from the kitchen carrying three cups of hot cocoa, "Archer and Saber mentioned 'mana'; even to destroy it, wouldn't we need a force of the same nature?"

Chainsaw Man shrugged: "Why make it so complicated? Didn't Lady Black Tower get that so‑called imaginary‑number pulse cannon? Toss the Holy Grail into some empty star system and fire a shot at it; it'll turn to ash! As long as the Grail isn't made by a star god, it can certainly be destroyed."

——

"Of course, during this unprecedented first Pinokangni Holy Grail War, I also have some personal little goals… but that has nothing to do with you all."

"Can't we just ask the Holy Grail for money?"

Lao Ao Di laughed, waving his hand, dismissing Xing's childish financial notion: "Wealth that appears out of thin air only causes inflation! The secrets of finance aren't achieved by idle wishes; they require delicate balance and maneuvering. I like money, but I don't like a mindless numbers‑growth game."

"I love watching people swarm into Pinokangni, spending all their wealth for a chance to join the Holy Grail War! I love Alfalfa Coins flowing out during the 'Golden‑Stamped Moment', pouring into the galaxy's market for buying and selling!"

"I enjoy seeing enemies crushed and rolled by various means, ending up with nothing left! I enjoy sweeping up companies whose names I've never even heard of, making them part of my massive commercial empire!"

Lao Ao Di stroked the jade ring on his finger, chuckling: "The 'Golden Moment' will have its prices set by my mood, and the 'Blue‑Tone Moment' will dictate Pinokangni's fashion trends for me."

"Dreams? Wishes? You truly think Pinokangni is built on those ethereal fantasies? No! What supports it is precisely the mundane thing you see—continuous money! Currency is the most solid Foundation Stone of this star‑shaped grand event!"