Chapter 581: Ruler

The scent of milk drifted to her nose, and following instinct, after half a minute of lingering in bed, the witch slowly opened her lapis-lazuli eyes.

"Sneaking into a girl's room without permission is a despicable act."

On the side of the bed, Su Lin sat lazily in a chair, legs crossed, eating breakfast with a faint smile directed at her.

"Didn't you do the same thing last week? Now we're even."

Unlike his gentle, handsome face, he's truly a petty man inside.

Irene wrapped herself in the blanket, rose, glanced at the untouched croissant and milk on the table, lifted her chin slightly, revealing her white teeth.

"Are you the type who brings breakfast to help court a girl?"

Irene said casually: "Then I'll make an exception and allow you to stay in my room every morning."

A normal person, especially a boy just awakening to love, would secretly rejoice and feel delighted that his actions had been approved by the girl.

"Why would I do something so troublesome?"

Su Lin made a reluctant, annoyed expression, dipped the fried dough stick into the soy milk until it softened, soaked it full of juice, then pulled it out and put it in his mouth:

"If you don't need both legs, donate them to someone who does."

No hope left for this guy.

Irene half-closed her eyes, propped her cheek on her hand, and stared at Su Lin for a long while; she was certain that under normal circumstances, he'd remain single for life—even if he went on blind dates.

Then again,

Who else but someone beautiful and kind-hearted would put up with him?

"Finish breakfast and come with me to Kamar-Taj."

Su Lin smiled: "You're not seriously expecting me to feed you, are you?"

"I thought you really meant to go to Ghana to watch a bunch of girls in wedding dresses," Irene brushed back her slightly disheveled gray hair, yawned lazily, and stepped off the bed.

"That wouldn't be bad either—could make a fortune off Ye Fan and the others."

Su Lin thought for a moment and said: "Unfortunately, I don't have time to gather everyone right now."

"True," Irene drifted into thought, mentally calculating how many group members had financial means.

Although she'd never encountered such a custom of giving gifts for occasions, if the one collecting money was herself, hosting a few more such ceremonies wouldn't be out of the question.

She opened her storage wallet with ten thousand cubic meters of space, inside which lay only scattered coins, a few spirit stones, magic crystals, or similar equivalents.

The vast, empty space seemed to say: "What a waste."

Indeed, it was an undeniable fact.

Lately she'd bought plenty of expensive materials and travel souvenirs, plus she'd made gifts for the man beside her, and her daily lavish eating and drinking had been a major expense.

She was out of money.

Irene took a bite of the croissant, turned her head toward Su Lin, and asked:

"Do you want to see me in a wedding dress?"

"Cough! Cough!"

Su Lin nearly choked on his soy milk; after a moment of frozen stare, he lowered his estimation of this wicked witch's moral bottom line even further.

But then again,

Seeing her dull, lifeless eyes and her pitifully clutching the wallet, Su Lin suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to give her every last coin in his pocket.

"."

【Gu Tianwang activated!】

No, that would make it outright sponsorship.

Su Lin had always respected personal independence and economic independence.

"Not possible?"

"I have a commission for you to earn money."

In the end, it's practically no different.

Irene returned to normal, finished breakfast, used her Suspension Ring to draw an arc and open a spatial gate, then set off with Su Lin toward the Himalayas.

Outside a secluded little village.

The sky and earth were dyed a uniform gray-white.

Perennially unmelted snow, biting winds howling through, each breath exhaled turned instantly into frosty mist.

Everywhere was a blinding white, with only the buildings retaining black outlines, allowing one to distinguish direction.

"So cold..." Irene shivered.

Su Lin pulled a crane-feather cloak from history and draped it over her, then drew her close, wrapping a scarf around her shoulders.

In truth, Irene's current physique would adapt naturally soon enough, but she glanced at Su Lin and said nothing.

Light elements drifted around them, warm, illuminating the dim snowfields in this region where time flowed differently.

"Never mind," Irene suddenly said.

"What's 'never mind'?" Su Lin asked, puzzled.

"Gathering girls who like you—or me..." Irene thought for a moment, "It's not right. Too extreme."

After all, they were going there to hold a divorce ceremony.

"You actually considered it seriously?"

"After all, it could earn a huge sum."

"True."

Just by sheer numbers, the two of them together could fleece Ye Fan, Meng Qi, and the others—those rich but boastful bastards—until they were bald.

But as she said, such a move isn't right.

Snowflakes drifted down like feathers, covering the earth.

In this silver-clad world of wind and snow, the two walked in silence across the snow, leaving a trail of footprints.

As they were about to reach the village.

"You like your teacher Fran, and you're just as cozy with Emnesia and Saya and those girls."

Su Lin suddenly spoke: "It feels like I've kidnapped your future."

"What matters is the journey—you've got the wrong focus," Yi Leina rebutted.

"Besides, about kidnapping your future—your harem…"

"You're slandering me! Everything needs evidence!" Su Lin widened his eyes.

"I'm just closer to cute girls, that's all," Yi Leina rolled her eyes.

"We're even—I kidnapped you away from those girls too. Now that it's done, even if we break up, we can't go back."

The logic was sound enough.

"Feels kind of romantic," Su Lin scratched his head and grinned. "Sounds like we eloped together."

"Eloped?" Yi Leina blinked.

What the hell is this man thinking?

Wait—now that he mentioned it, there really is a hint of that feeling… but something still feels off.

Unaware, the two, cloaked in moonlight over the silver sea, arrived before a temple-style building; just then, a gust of wind blew, and snow slid softly from the branches.

Su Lin reached out and brushed the snow from her hair. "What are you staring at?"

"That word isn't right," Yi Leina buried her small face in her scarf.

"It feels like I stole someone else's husband from them."

"You're fixating on this?" Su Lin gave her a strange look.

"Aren't I the first one?"

Yi Leina tilted her head. "In short, we both betrayed our original fates—so we're both traitors."

That description isn't without merit.

But honestly—

Su the man didn't envy Su Tuoni's romantic luck at all; it was a peach calamity, not a peach destiny.

Yet every time he saw Luo Xiaoying, remembering how she was seven or eight years younger and hadn't changed in appearance for years, Su Lin wondered if, when he set up his banquet table, he should sit with Weigong Shilang and Xiao Yan.

What was that saying again?

Reject white, thin, young—start with him.

"So it seems we really can't turn back."

Su Lin turned and embraced Yi Leina; in her startled gaze, he said slowly: "Let's betray fate together, my witch."

As the glass sword's durability just refreshed, he gently tilted her chin and pressed his lips to hers, exhaling mist.

"Welcome to Kamar-Taj."

An ill-timed wooden door creaked open.

A massive impact struck his chest—Su Lin's compressed magic exploded against him, hurling him backward until he crashed against a dead, crooked tree.

Long trails marked the snow-packed street.

The bald woman, her face clearly painted with "I meant to do this," smiled calmly and politely said:

"Should I step aside?"

"What's the Wi-Fi password here?" Su Lin brushed snow off his head.

"I thought you knew?" Gao Yi smiled. "Shamballa."

Su Lin, expressionless, suggested: "Suggest changing it to hhhhgysl."

Entering Kamar-Taj through the door, the interior was opulent and ancient, filled with magic and mystery.

This library held countless magical books and scrolls, built upon the foundation of Vishanti's power—a force considered one of the strongest in the universe.

Of course, this power came at a cost.

Practitioners here meditated, studied magic, and performed various arcane rituals, first signing a pact with Vishanti—the embodiment of Earth's consciousness—whereby, upon death, their power would return to Vishanti.

It was like giving you a seed of power; the strength gained through cultivation was the interest on the transaction. If you achieved immortality, it didn't matter.

"But not learning the magic in the Book of Vishanti would be a shame."

Su Lin said to Yi Leina, who kept a cautious distance from him.

"Don't worry about the pact—I'll find a chance to kill Vishanti and bring over a childlike Gaia as the planet's consciousness."

Hearing this, Gao Yi glanced at Su Lin, shook her head, and quickened her pace toward the inner chamber.

Gao Yi had just pulled out an ancient copper-colored Ring of the Vishanti when she noticed Yi Leina also holding one.

"I already have this item," Yi Leina said, drawing a circle in the air to open a portal.

Gao Yi asked curiously: "How long have you been learning?"

"I learned it on the first try," Yi Leina said. "The key is absolute mental focus."

"One try?" Gao Yi paused, murmuring:

"If you're truly human from this universe, I might have chosen too early."

She could clearly sense the vast, nearly inexhaustible magical power within her—and even, when magic was used, faintly perceive multiple magical attributes.

Even without studying Kamar-Taj's magic, she was an exceptional mage.

"You may learn all magic stored within Kamar-Taj."

Gao Yi's gaze swept over Su Lin, then opened a portal to the archive room: "Including forbidden magic."

Su Lin nodded to Yi Leina; she sighed silently and stepped inside.

Gao Yi closed the portal and opened another—inside lay intricate carvings and decorations, rich in color and patterned artifacts.

"Then, let's discuss our cooperation."

Wong extended his hand in invitation: "I hope you truly came for peace, O Divine One who stirs the true tides of history."

That was the Holy of Holies.

Located at 177A Blake Street, Greenwich Village, Manhattan, years before it would become the private residence of Doctor Strange.

"The Lord appeared above the Mercy Seat in the cloud, forbidding priests from entering the veil at will; thus, His dwelling was called the Holy of Holies."

Su Lin walked in and surveyed the surroundings: "Based on Exodus 25–30 and Hebrews 9."

Here ran a magical nerve center, analogous to a dragon vein, piercing through the Earth.

Simultaneously, this was a nexus connecting the multiverse and supernatural phenomena.

The activation of the Holy Grail War was not entirely Su Lin's whim—at least more than ten percent of it was not.

"There should be an Ark here, containing the Ten Commandments of Moses, Aaron's budded rod, and the golden jar holding the manna," Su Lin said, gazing at the empty space.

Instantly, an Ark of acacia wood, overlaid with gold inside and out, materialized within his line of sight.

Su Lin looked up at the ceiling, where a circular skylight displayed four curved lines—the seal of the Book of Vishanti—that protected the temple from supernatural intruders.

Though shattered countless times, its defenses were still precarious.

"Repeat after me: Amen."

【Amen】 The four curved lines on the window came alive, spontaneously forming the shape of a cross.

Wong's expression grew even more serene; she silently watched Su Lin, lost in thought.

Su Lin then withdrew a magnificent golden chalice, stomped his foot lightly, causing the floor of the Holy of Holies to crack open and reveal a basement, exposing the very foundation below.

The earth continued to collapse silently, growing larger until it formed a terrifyingly vast hollow.

"All participants believe the true Holy Grail is the Greater Grail, requiring the collection of souls, magical energy, and the power of wishes."

Su Lin threw the miniature Greater Grail of Fuyuki downward, raised his right hand, and a universe emerged—containing infinite, boundless layers, yet whose conceptual form was ambiguously manifested.

Like the "cosmic marble" suspended from a cat's neck in Men in Black.

Since placing the Type-Moon universe inside the Marvel universe, he had carried it within the Light of the Heavens, like a nesting doll: in this timeline, there was Su Lin; within Su Lin was the Light of the Heavens; within the Light of the Heavens lay the Type-Moon universe.

Precisely because of this, the Laws gained universal applicability wherever Su Lin went.

The astonishment in Wong's eyes deepened as she watched Su Lin toss his "handheld multiverse" toward the expanding Holy Grail below, then

Leapt forward!

The Holy Grail began drawing upon the dragon vein network piercing the Earth, and the Marvel universe's nexus of supernatural phenomena aligned with the Type-Moon multiverse.

The Laws were fully linked!

"All souls return here."

The souls of all Reincarnators who died in the Holy Grail War, along with their fragments of the Light of the Heavens, would be absorbed by this battlefield world.

He was the true core.

"Wong"

The floor of the Holy of Holies began to heal, yet Su Lin's voice echoed throughout the mansion.

"You shall be the Ruler of this Holy Grail War."