Typemoon: Starting Out as the Lion King's Personal Knight [428] (Patreon)

There was only one person whom Hinako cared about in her lifetime. That person was now a dream lost to the past, their memory lingering in a song of curses passed down through generations, until the end of humanity.

That was how things should have remained.

Until a singularity appeared before her. The vanished era flickered in her eyes, and the once-dead overlord bloomed with renewed life right before her.

She could not return to the past, but the past returned to her.

Even if it was just a flower of the same kind, Hinako still believed it was the same person—her overlord.

“Under my rule, he would still be a useful minister. After all, he was always a piece best utilized when facing unknown enemies,” Qin Shi Huang remarked lightly, his tone tinged with amusement. “Given the current circumstances, it would be a waste to keep him in Xianyang, so I’ll entrust him to you. Make good use of him.”

Qin Shi Huang was increasingly curious about what qualities Alaric could display—could he command Heroic Spirits in battle? According to Hinako’s testimony, Qin Shi Huang didn’t fully believe in things like singularities or pruned timelines, but he was at least partially convinced of the existence of Heroic Spirits, especially after meeting Da Vinci.

A world where even the dead could not rest—a history so fragile it could collapse at any moment.

Such a thing could never occur under Qin Shi Huang’s reign. Those who died with honor would never worry for a peaceful age, and the people living in that peace had no reason to pray for wishes—the present was already their best.

Therefore, there was no subconscious collective known as Alaya.

Hinako also emphasized: aside from the Round Table held by Chaldea and a single summoning used by their hidden group, Heroic Spirit summoning was essentially impossible.

Summoning Heroic Spirits under normal circumstances simply did not exist.

Naturally, Qin Shi Huang would not believe this.

Of course, the main reason for sending Xiang Yu was Alaric himself. Qin Shi Huang could see that Hinako alone could not make Alaric reveal more of his potential.

“Still, if I want to send that one to the front lines, I’ll need to prepare accordingly. It’ll take some time.”

“Ye—… Yes, Your Majesty, this is a grace I dare not hope for,” Hinako replied, still reeling from surprise. “I am deeply honored, Your Majesty!”

The communication ended, but Qin Shi Huang was still unsatisfied.

“Hmm, Chief Warden.”

Qin Shi Huang said calmly, “Compared to commanding dead Heroic Spirits, my subordinates slumbering here are even mightier heroes, aren’t they? Captain?”

The Captain of the Royal Guards, who had always been nearby, slowly approached, his crisp footsteps echoing in the central control room.

He was an elderly man in a red suit, his hair slicked back, standing tall and straight as a pine.

Though past the age of knowing fate, he was still vigorous, even sporting a pair of small sunglasses.

“Yes, Your Majesty is absolutely right,” Li Shuwen replied. “In times of national crisis, I believe we should summon the heroes who slumber in Mount Li.”

Mount Li.

In proper human history, it was the Emperor’s resting place, but in this singularity, it was different—a resting place for all pre-Qin heroes of great achievement.

But here, all heroes born of the Emperor’s expanding empire, of different eras, races, myths, and civilizations—even those who were mortal enemies in proper history, here fought side by side for the expansion of Qin.

Over two millennia of Qin Shi Huang’s life, this treasury of heroes he built was his greatest treasure—each a shining star of human history.

If compared to the Throne of Heroes, it would not be far off.

Yet, the heroes of Mount Li entered in the prime of life, not limited by the scaled-down spirit core of typical Heroic Spirits.

“Indeed, this is good,” Qin Shi Huang said. “I order the awakening of the frozen heroes.”

“At once.”

Li Shuwen turned and left the control room.

…

Meanwhile, Alaric and Da Vinci had not yet headed to Xianyang.

After returning to their vehicle with a few puppet soldiers, Da Vinci began dissecting deeper into their structure, with Alaric assisting. With his years of accumulated magical knowledge, Alaric could keep up with Da Vinci’s work.

Da Vinci’s thinking was simple: rather than entering Xianyang unprepared, she preferred to be ready.

But first, Da Vinci needed information—how had Qin Shi Huang achieved such technological revolution? The appearance of puppet soldiers was a perfect opportunity.

After confirming that Qin Shi Huang’s core was neither the scientific system they knew nor the mainstream magecraft, but rather the Immortal Arts, things became clearer.

In AD 1, the First Magician established the Fifth Imaginary Element, preserving Mystery after the Age of Gods. The Magecraft system originated from Solomon’s foundation.

But this was not absolute.

Even in AD 1, the Age of Gods had not fully vanished—some remote islands remained divine into the fifth century.

According to Chaldea records and Da Vinci’s memory, these Immortals set the rules for the continent’s magecraft system, becoming almost like gods.

So, could Qin Shi Huang have extremely high-level access?

Based on Da Vinci’s intel, anyone with a key could access the Zhenren and use Immortal Arts, Daoist arts, or even higher-level magic of the God Age.

This was crucial intel—Qin Shi Huang had developed science for two millennia using Immortal Arts. If he also had high-level access to the Zhenren, he was a terrifying being.

Time ticked away as Da Vinci’s analysis of the puppet soldiers progressed smoothly.

As independent soldiers, these puppets must represent mainstream pre-Qin technology. Da Vinci dared not claim total understanding, but she wasn’t completely in the dark either.

“Materials, structure, movement logic—”

With Alaric’s help, Da Vinci disassembled several puppet soldiers into tiny parts, arranging them on the workbench for analysis. The materials and construction were clear.

Using a certain game’s terms, these were not gold-tier, but rather bronze-tier—common and mass-produced.

Cheap mass-production models, yet surprisingly effective. Not on par with Servants, but beyond ordinary humans.

“Is this a spirit core?”

The only thing Da Vinci couldn’t understand was the round sphere before her. Extracted from the puppets’ limbs and torso, it emitted a faint magical response.

Structurally, it resembled a Servant’s spirit core—a heart.

If considered as an energy source, Da Vinci could understand it, but what drove these puppets?

Even familiars created by magecraft have unique circuits for consciousness and action logic, like integrated circuits.

But in these immortal-tech puppets, Da Vinci saw no such circuits—everything seemingly handwaved by Immortal Arts.

“Here, it’s called a Golden Pellet,” Alaric said, using a scalpel with exquisite swordsmanship to open a pellet and fully expose its inner structure.

With keen perception and skill, even at first contact, Alaric dissected it with the precision of an expert.

“The Golden Pellet—what a fascinating system,” Da Vinci murmured, peering through a microscope.

Truthfully, she knew little of this mysterious technology.

But even so, she would not back down—she was Da Vinci, after all.

As the analysis continued, Da Vinci grew uneasy. She put down the pellet and turned to look at the dissected puppet parts.

Information storage is not hard to understand—the smaller the vessel, the smaller the area that stores information, hence integrated circuits.

By crafting all necessary transistors, resistors, capacitors, and inductors onto a small semiconductor chip, then packaging it, electronics become smaller, more efficient, and smarter.

But the puppets were different—no micro-scale technology.

Their core succeeded simply by throwing immense Immortal Arts Power at the problem.

To Da Vinci, dedicated to intricate artistry, this was almost infuriating. Pre-Qin Immortal-tech seemed to favor brute force over finesse.

“Oh, so that’s why the Emperor’s holy body is so massive?”

When Da Vinci shared her conclusion, Alaric nodded in realization. “Since he’s unified the world and faces no outside competition, there’s no need for miniaturization—as long as it works, cost doesn’t matter.

Efficiency and cost-effectiveness matter only when serving the masses. If the only beneficiary is one person, those concerns disappear.”

“That’s true,” Da Vinci agreed wryly. “Like the satellite Great Wall’s surveillance and management—the cost alone is astronomical, but for Qin Shi Huang alone, there’s no problem.

It’s a wild kind of beauty, I suppose.”

…

As Alaric and Da Vinci wrapped up their analysis, Li Shuwen arrived at Mount Li.

Two thousand years of development had pushed Mount Li’s interior to the limit, even deeper underground, with layers of defensive Immortal Arts and tech for mystery-sealing and maximum defense.

Space was anchored, denying transfer or mental interference—a fortress-like mausoleum for countless heroes, with defenses equal to the Emperor’s own.

Without Qin Shi Huang’s permission, only a supreme assassin could hope to infiltrate.

“Arrived at Mount Li—who should I unseal?” Li Shuwen mused, walking past rows of stasis pods, each holding a hero whose glory spanned two millennia.

By time and type, generals and scholars slumbered in separate zones.

“For external war, those unruly fellows would do, but for internal unrest, such wild ones would be trouble,” Qin Shi Huang’s will echoed in the mausoleum. “It shouldn’t be settled by force.”

Li Shuwen’s eyes gleamed—he already had someone in mind.

“If their awakening caused unrest, that would be a disaster,” Qin Shi Huang chuckled. “Brothers like Liu Bei and his oath-sworn siblings are famous, but if awakened, they might just seize power…”

Those were stories from before the world was united. Even Qin Shi Huang could not control every heart.

With so many heroes, choosing the right one was a headache.

“Still, I hope for one who can become a protector of the nation—loyal, courageous, yet humble. But sheer strength is essential.”

Qin Shi Huang stated his requirements. “I’ll leave the choice to you.”

“Is it really okay to entrust me with such a heavy task?” Li Shuwen was taken aback—unsealing a hero was no small responsibility.

“Think carefully why I sent you, Li Shuwen, to Mount Li,” Qin Shi Huang said. “You know the risks of reviving a frozen hero, don’t you?”

“Yes, I understand,” Li Shuwen replied after a pause.

He had never undergone cryosleep himself, but knew the dangers.

Long sleep could cause unpredictable mental changes—even the best could lose control.

“Any mistake during unsealing could cause insanity and disaster.”

Qin Shi Huang spoke calmly, “We must never allow a hero meant to quell chaos to become a calamity. That’s why you must oversee the process. Do you understand?”

The weight of his words was the hard-earned wisdom of countless past mistakes.

Those frozen in Mount Li were all legendary heroes, mighty enough to fight thousands alone. If one lost control in the mausoleum, the losses would be immense.

From his earliest days, Qin Shi Huang had built Mount Li’s mausoleum, freezing contemporary heroes for use until unification was complete. Several internal uprisings had occurred during such unsealings.

Each incident became a lesson for the future.

Thus, finally—

“So, if the worst happens…” Li Shuwen understood, “I am to handle it?”

If the awakened hero went insane, someone needed to subdue them immediately.

“Yes. This person must be able to match even otherworldly invaders—the strongest of their era.”

Qin Shi Huang said, “But even if there’s trouble, your fists can handle it. After all, your skills have reached their peak.”

Li Shuwen was a renowned martial artist.

His mastery of martial arts was legendary; his spear and boxing were said to be unrivaled: God Spear Li Shuwen, Peerless Iron Fist.

As a young man, he was famed for his fierce spear, but in old age, he became a calm elder.

Though still deadly, he kept his power strictly controlled—the peace of age replacing the wildness of youth.

Yet any who fought him would see his edge never dulled.

Famed for his Bajiquan, Li Shuwen’s skills had reached divine levels—A+++ mastery.

He could even briefly erase his presence for stealth.

Thus Li Shuwen was qualified as Captain of Royal Guards—unmatched in martial arts.

“Your Majesty’s trust is overwhelming,” Li Shuwen said humbly.

Two thousand years of accumulated wisdom, and the Emperor who governed all beneath the heavens—Li Shuwen deeply admired such accomplishment.

From childhood, he had aspired to such knowledge.

The Emperor’s radiance reached across the stars.

“If you could choose, wouldn’t you want to choose yourself?” Qin Shi Huang teased. “As long as it’s within your power, or even a bit beyond—it’ll depend on your choice.”

Qin Shi Huang cared little who was unsealed—just an extra flourish, since his real objective was already in motion.

“Understood.”

Li Shuwen replied, “Your Majesty is generous. I am deeply honored!”

Though he’d expected it, Li Shuwen was still excited.

Even after all these years, he still longed to meet strong heroes in person—those he’d only known from history now stood before him.

How could he not be thrilled?

…

As Li Shuwen began picking a hero to unseal, Alaric and Da Vinci, still in the wheat fields, received a new visitor.

Analyzing the puppets was delicate work. By the time they finished, hours had passed.

Dawn approached.

“Something else just launched from Xianyang…” Alaric gazed at the rapidly approaching object, unease flickering in his eyes.

Somehow, he had a bad feeling this time.

“Here we go again.”

Da Vinci, packing up the puppet remains, looked in the same direction. The object was speeding toward them at several Mach, shrouded in expanding rings of air.

“Weren’t we allowed an audience? Why are they attacking us?” Da Vinci complained, ducking back into the vehicle. “Even if he’s allied with Hinako, isn’t this a bit much? Hedging his bets? I can hear the scheming all the way from Xianyang.”

“Who knows? But this time, the level is much higher—what did they send over?”

Sensing the enormous magical power within the object, Alaric narrowed his eyes. “A dragon?”

The magic leaking from the container was on par with that of a dragon.