Typemoon: Starting Out as the Lion King's Personal Knight [427] (Patreon)

Hinako gazed at the ancient-style central control room, fully aware of what kind of perspective Qin Shi Huang would have.

Unlike in Proper Human History, the Qin Shi Huang of this Lostbelt bore the entire world on his shoulders—proclaiming himself as the one and only person, the one and only human.

In his eyes, if Proper Human History required resurrecting the dead just to continue its existence, then it was undoubtedly a failure.

Moreover, summoning the souls of the deceased as familiars was, in Qin Shi Huang’s view, far too roundabout.

After all, his army had never left him.

"Your Majesty, please reconsider."

Hinako’s expression was calm, but her tone carried a firmer edge, making it clear she would not yield on this matter.

"If you wait until those people reveal their true violent nature, it’ll be too late."

She had no intention of letting Alaric and Da Vinci off, especially Da Vinci.

Having once worked at Chaldea, Hinako knew full well the threat posed by this genius—so much so that even without Da Vinci nearby, she’d still be a major threat to the Lostbelt’s Crypters.

Since they appeared here, it meant Kadoc had failed, right? Hinako couldn't understand why Kadoc failed so quickly.

Was Chaldea really that hard to deal with?

Though she hadn’t seen Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others, Hinako felt they were all the same.

Alaric, who once worked at Chaldea, and Leonardo Da Vinci, still an advisor to Chaldea, both threatened her world!

She could only hope this Lostbelt would last until the end.

For that, Hinako was willing to give her all, do anything—be it fighting or submitting to others.

"If you’re so adamant, then why not take action yourself?"

Qin Shi Huang, slightly intrigued, responded, "Don't you also have a so-called Servant by your side?"

He didn’t particularly care about the conflict between Hinako and Alaric. He simply wanted to meet them.

Now, all under heaven belonged to the king, and all within the land were his subjects.

Even though Alaric and Da Vinci were outsiders, and local customs didn’t apply to them, what intrigued Qin Shi Huang was Alaric as a person—a being observed by the satellite Great Wall, whose life form approached that of a True Human.

A powerful energy reaction was just a side note; more important was his balance.

Someone gradually approaching true perfection, whose life was subtly changing, whose self-renewal was balancing yin and yang.

The True Human of ancient times did not dream in sleep, worried in waking, found no joy in food, breathed deeply... The True Human did not delight in life nor hate death, came and went freely.

In ancient times, there were True Humans who grasped the heavens and earth, held yin and yang, breathed essence, stood alone, so their flesh was as one, and they could live as long as heaven and earth.

Neither dying nor living, neither empty nor full—that is called True Human.

In short, a Taoist immortal—Qin Shi Huang’s original pursuit.

But before attaining that, for other reasons, he chose a different path.

Though Qin Shi Huang saw himself as the only true human, Alaric was a remarkable example—different from Hinako, but extremely valuable for comparison.

He’d need to see Alaric in person to know more.

"Ah, yes, of course."

When Qin Shi Huang mentioned her own Servant, Hinako looked flustered for a moment, then replied, "If Your Majesty doesn’t mind my using such barbaric means to disturb the eternal paradise of Qin, I’ll take care of it right away."

"Granted. Let me witness the true might of otherworldly power."

Qin Shi Huang replied flatly.

Hinako’s hostility toward Alaric and the others was trivial to him, but this was a good opportunity to observe their combat abilities.

"Understood!"

Hinako answered at once, turning and leaving as if she couldn’t wait another moment.

…

…

A black off-road vehicle sped through the wheat fields, leaving a straight track behind.

The land had long since been flattened for better cultivation, allowing the vehicle to run smoothly.

They headed straight for Xianyang City.

Riding shotgun, Alaric casually fiddled with a wheat stalk and remarked, "Lady Da Vinci, these wheat crops seem to be a special variety, genetically modified—maybe they could thrive even without farming."

"Let’s discuss that later. Something just launched from Xianyang!"

Da Vinci stared at the sky ahead—whatever it was, it was visible even without instruments. After a brief moment, she said, "Predicted landing site: right in front of us!"

Before the swiftly approaching object could hit the vehicle, Da Vinci’s eyes narrowed. With barely a moment’s hesitation, she yanked the steering wheel; the enormous inertia sent her hair flying, brushing past Alaric’s nose.

The off-road vehicle, engineered and tuned by Da Vinci herself, boasted top-tier acceleration and perfectly synced handling—it roared across the field.

The spinning front wheels abruptly turned, sending the vehicle into a near-360-degree drift through the wheat.

It plowed a wide swath through the field, flattening everything in its path.

Boom!

Almost instantly, the object from Xianyang punched straight through the wheat field, right where the car would’ve been driving!

If Da Vinci hadn’t swerved, they would have collided head-on!

"There’s a Servant response, Lady Da Vinci—"

Alaric, sitting rock-steady in the passenger seat, looked out the window. From the object standing in the field came two spiritual signatures: one Servant, and another—human, yet almost fairy?

Alaric raised an eyebrow.

From what he’d seen of this Lostbelt, there was no autonomous summoning of Servants via leylines—other than Xianyang, there weren’t even any real cities, and none of the wheat field workers registered as Servants.

Plus, Qin Shi Huang’s control over the Lostbelt was absolute; nothing could escape him.

By that logic, there was likely only one Servant in this Lostbelt—the one summoned by the Crypter, Hinako.

If that Servant was Hinako’s, then the other signature must be Hinako herself?

Alaric had missed his chance to meet the A-Team when he arrived late at Chaldea, so he’d never seen Hinako.

He mused to himself—was this normal?

Weren’t all A-Team members supposed to be human?

He realized now that he’d underestimated these Crypters; each seemed to have their own mysterious strengths.

Only Kadoc seemed a bit out of place.

"Is that Hinako?"

Da Vinci, having stopped the car, also sensed the Servant, saying, "Looks like they’ve come to greet us."

Kadoc’s example had already proved that the Crypters and the Lostbelt Kings weren’t a monolithic alliance. Even if their interests aligned, their relationship wasn’t truly equal.

"But what’s with this method of travel?"

Having once ridden on Arash Airlines, Alaric commented, "Brutal. Stuffing people in a container and launching them like cargo—no elegance at all."

"That’s probably not a makeshift launcher. It looks like something they use regularly."

Da Vinci added, "Given the current tech concentration, Xianyang might actually use this for all their outbound logistics!"

High-precision launches, unknown range—they could easily cover the surrounding regions.

After a brief discussion, Alaric and Da Vinci got out of the vehicle.

As soon as they did, two figures landed not far away, standing in the trampled wheat.

Da Vinci looked at the newcomers with a calm expression. "So it is Hinako; Koyanskaya’s intel was accurate."

Hinako, having left Epang Palace, stood opposite Da Vinci with her Servant—expression frosty, her Servant in a beautiful mask, slender enough to be androgynous, but with unmistakable warrior’s eyes.

Besides Hinako and her Servant, several humanoid constructs stood by her side.

Alaric felt no life in them—more like mechanical puppets.

Qin Shi Huang’s soldiers?

He knew that Qin Shi Huang had pursued mechanical ascension. Producing robot armies made sense, but their construction seemed off, neither magical nor purely technological—

"Miss Da Vinci, you really didn’t die. Was that priest’s failure inevitable, or just luck—"

Hinako said flatly, "So-called humanity... never mind. Since you’re with Chaldea, you’re my enemy. I won’t let past ties sway me."

"Are you really Hinako?"

Da Vinci quirked an eyebrow. "You’re nothing like the girl at Chaldea."

As an advisor, Da Vinci had briefly interacted with Hinako before—quiet and reserved, but nothing more.

Now, she seemed completely changed.

That gaze seemed to loathe humanity on a biological level, rejecting them psychologically as well.

"I won’t hate or despise you; that disgust isn’t worth my feelings."

Hinako replied coldly, "I’ll just exterminate you as pests. My Saber, my servant—erase these people, don’t let them defile my sight."

Spotting Alaric and Da Vinci, Hinako realized she just needed to eliminate them—no need for negotiation.

"Oh, you want to fight me?"

Seeing Hinako’s Saber draw his sword in silence, Alaric raised an eyebrow. "You’re serious?"

Faster than words, the puppet soldiers attacked. Designed for combat, they charged at Alaric.

Invisible energy bolts and force fields came in waves, acting not as individuals but as a coordinated assault—orders ingrained to suppress and destroy the enemy as quickly and effectively as possible.

No need to form a weapon—Alaric raised his hand to attack, but paused as he saw Hinako still standing motionless, while Saber had already unsheathed his sword.

A cold blade flashed before Alaric’s eyes, as if to take his head in a single strike!

So fast—

Saber's speed was swift and light, breaking the sound barrier at launch—impossibly fast for the average person to follow.

Such sharp swordplay chilled the blood, as if one’s head had already been severed!

But to Alaric, it was nothing!

Standing perfectly still, Alaric glanced sideways, tracking Saber’s movement.

He moved with the grace of a startled bird, the sword like a shadow in pursuit.

Seeing this, Alaric couldn't help but remark, "Impressive—worthy of a war god."

There were few beautiful masked men in history.

Alaric instantly recognized him—Gao Changgong, better known as the Prince of Lanling.

A general of Northern Qi in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, famed for both beauty and martial prowess, celebrated as the god of war of Qi.

Born the fourth son of royal Emperor Wenxiang, his mother was a maid named Xun, but prophecy said she would bear a beautiful child.

She gave birth to Gao Changgong—the Prince of Lanling.

As for why he hid his beauty, there are two main theories:

One, to prevent his soldiers from being distracted and losing morale.

Two, to avoid being underestimated by the enemy.

Either way, his beauty became legendary, inspiring many tales.

Having finished this brief thought, Alaric turned his head slightly, dodged the incoming sword, and stepped forward.

Boom!

A nameless storm surged, its shockwave flattening the wheat for tens, even hundreds, of meters—the golden waves rippled far and wide.

"Huh?"

Hinako, still standing, looked stunned, her calm expression turning to confusion.

Lanling, thrown far away, carved a deep trail in the sea of gold, vanishing from sight—only the lingering wind continued to ripple the wheat, and Hinako’s heart.

Was that too strong?

Broken puppet soldiers collapsed in the background, forgotten.

Alaric calmly lowered his fist. "How should I address you—Hinako, or Consort Yu?"

He recognized the girl before him—or rather, the ancient beauty in the guise of a girl.

Not just a former Chaldea staff member, but someone with a far older identity: Consort Yu.

Historical records have little on her—her real name, ethnicity, birthplace, birth and death dates, how she met Xiang Yu, and her fate are all unknown.

Alaric only knew part of the truth: Hinako was a physicalized spirit, a vampiric being who sustained herself by absorbing energy.

Not a magical or fantastical beast, but an earthborn spirit terminal—akin to a True Ancestor in magecraft, though with different origins and goals.

"Tch—"

Hinako ignored Alaric, shot him a glare, then immediately ran off.

Alaric didn't give chase. Instead, he looked up at the Great Wall in the sky, stared for a while, then turned back. "Lady Da Vinci, any findings?"

"Plenty! Now I’m sure how Qin Shi Huang achieved his technological revolution."

Squatting, Da Vinci eagerly examined the wreckage of the puppet soldier, her eyes sparkling. "Qin Shi Huang has recovered immortal technology—probably from the Shang dynasty, though it was lost by the Qin era.

Do you know Nezha? Based on records of the Nezha summoned by Chaldea, these puppets are built similarly, though nowhere near as strong.

If Qin Shi Huang reverse-engineered technology from Taiyi Zhenren, Nezha’s creator, and developed it further, then their rapid tech development makes sense!"

Da Vinci excitedly disassembled the puppet, intent on bringing it back to the car for further analysis—while staying careful, knowing Xianyang was full of surveillance.

"Shang dynasty—"

Alaric stroked his chin. "So it’s not science as we know it, but an immortal arts-based technological revolution."

Flesh is weak, but with machinery, one can ascend?

Alaric grew even more curious about what lay inside Xianyang.

…

While Alaric and Da Vinci were occupied with the puppet remains, Hinako found the fallen Prince Lanling a hundred meters away, and received a call from Qin Shi Huang.

"I’ve seen your combat style. With just one Servant, victory is unlikely, right?"

"Yes—"

Though unwilling, Hinako could only nod.

The gap between her and Alaric was too great; Prince Lanling alone was not enough.

"Then I’ll send reinforcements. But since Servants are supernatural warriors, and that person is even more so, sending a hundred or two regular soldiers is pointless. By the way, how about your Xiang Yu?"

"Send—Lord Xiang Yu?! But—"

Hinako froze in shock, suddenly unable to decide.