Typemoon: Starting Out as the Lion King's Personal Knight [436] (Patreon)

"Who knows?" Alaric replied calmly. "Ultimately, it's just everyone sticking to their vision for the future: the unification of the world, the burden of humanity carried by a single individual, or a golden future woven together by countless lives.

Words are just talk—what matters is action. Only the victor has the right to decide everything."

With the topic of Qin Shi Huang concluded, Alaric, Da Vinci-chan, and the others turned their attention to improving their spirit foundations.

At this moment, Da Vinci-chan finished organizing the intel and stated her conclusion—

"It's impossible to start in the short term."

She pondered, "All our current equipment needs to be adjusted, and it's hard to match Qin Shi Huang's level of precision. The required materials are also ridiculously expensive—well, it is an emperor's product, after all. Cost-effectiveness clearly wasn't a concern."

Having received Qin Shi Huang's R&D data, Da Vinci compiled two sets of information: one was the original data, the other her own modified design.

This saved lots of time, but two major issues remained: equipment and materials.

The equipment installed on the Shadow Border Shadow Border was already the best Da Vinci could fit back at Chaldea, anticipating such a scenario and aiming for the highest grade possible.

But compared to Qin Shi Huang's setup, it fell short.

Qin Shi Huang hadn't refined things for precision, but when it came to stacking modules to boost performance, he had reached the pinnacle.

He used space and massive structures that even Chaldea wouldn't dare imagine, achieving performance far beyond Da Vinci's reach. The gap alone was something the Shadow Border couldn't close.

If even the equipment problem couldn't be solved, the technology was out of reach.

That's right—technology was the second big hurdle.

Qin Shi Huang's ascension to immortality wasn't some ordinary technique; it was the crystallization of two thousand years of Qin dynasty immortal technology—a culmination, or rather an endpoint, of eternal Qin.

It was fundamentally different from Chaldea's existing tech. Trying to operate Qin's immortal tech with current methods was incredibly difficult.

If the Atlas Institute's TRISMEGISTUS were still at Chaldea, things would be easier, but the Shadow Border's computational power just didn't compare.

However, Da Vinci's second dataset was a manufacturing plan based on existing technology, compiled using the Holy Body's computation abilities.

The Holy Body's processing power was immense—enough to encompass the fate of billions on a planet. It rivaled even the TRISMEGISTUS.

With careful calculations, Da Vinci managed to establish a main framework using current tech, but most of the branches still needed immortal technology to complete.

So, Da Vinci could only adjust the Shadow Border's equipment toward immortal tech as much as possible, using the second dataset as the main plan and the first as support.

"I can help with this," Alaric said, pointing to the rare materials. "With enough magical energy, I can use marble phantasm to create them. If not, magical projections are also possible, though the results may be lower-quality."

"That's a huge help!" Da Vinci-chan laughed, patting Alaric's back. "But we'll need a massive amount of magical energy. The Shadow Border's generator and external mana won't be enough. We'll need leyline mana."

Not only for Alaric's manifestations, but also to power the entire Shadow Border.

It would be a colossal expense. Da Vinci estimated that once they started, they'd burn five million quantum units per second.

Not to mention, Alaric might have to fight as well.

The previous battle had already consumed nearly half the Shadow Border's reserve for imaginary-number navigation. Any more, and they'd be in trouble.

"If we act outside, we'll likely run into Sigurd, who should be Ophelia's Servant," Alaric said. "As for the Lostbelt King, Koyanskaya didn't sell me any information. Da Vinci, what's your take?"

Alaric was less familiar with the Lostbelt than the others, so Da Vinci and the rest had to analyze it.

"This is Ophelia's Lostbelt—" Da Vinci sighed. "She's extremely diligent. Better ask Kadoc later."

Holmes, putting down his work, suggested, "Let's determine our next steps and go find Ritsuka and the others."

Meanwhile, Ritsuka, Mash, and Goredolf were relaxing in the cockpit, enjoying tea conjured by Alaric's marble phantasm.

"Mmm, this is the kind of life a Director should have," Goredolf said, though he kept glancing nervously toward the engine room, aware that Da Vinci's work would affect Chaldea's future—and his own reputation at the Clock Tower.

"The taste really is great!" Meunière, now free, helped himself to snacks, savoring them at the pilot's seat.

Ritsuka danced with joy, delighted that Alaric had conjured everyone's favorite treats.

Suddenly, a ghostly hand gently grabbed Ritsuka's cheeks from behind.

"Guess who?"

"It's Sir Alaric!" Ritsuka muffled out.

"Play later," Da Vinci-chan pulled Alaric away, clapped to gather everyone's attention, and said, "Let's start our strategy meeting. Director Goredolf, any thoughts?"

"A strategy meeting? Are we fighting?!" Goredolf sputtered, "I didn't know about this!"

"It's a new topic!" Da Vinci winked. "To create a Grand-class Spirit Origin—let's call it [True Human]—we need to adjust our plans, hence the meeting."

Holmes continued, "Ophelia's Servant, Sigurd, has already been repelled once. If we stay in the Lostbelt, there's a risk of running into him again. So, we must complete [True Human] first."

"So, Da Vinci's master class is in session!" Da Vinci donned a teacher's outfit, adjusted her glasses, and pointed to the screen. "Let's start with some background, especially about this Lostbelt.

First, regarding our Proper Human History's Norse Mythology: like other Age of Gods, Norse had gods, giants, and much mystery.

But in 1000 BC (about 3000 years ago), the eruption of Katla volcano triggered Ragnarok, causing the reality of the Norse Age of Gods to vanish along with gods, giants, and all mysteries—even the myths and traditions disappeared."

Da Vinci listed sources and displayed the ancient Age of Gods for everyone.

Goredolf nodded, "That's the mainstream view among magi."

"Ragnarök—Twilight of the Gods?" Mash mused. "The final war of the Norse Age of Gods?"

The name was so familiar it was almost a cliché.

"Indeed. Loki's scheming led to disasters," Goredolf explained. "The fire giants of Muspelheim appeared—the true cause of the Katla eruption.

Odin was swallowed by Fenrir, the battle between gods and giants led to mass deaths, and Surtr burned the earth with his sword."

Ragnarok's cause was the hatred built up over years of war between gods and giants. Their conflict destined an unprecedented final war to settle all grudges.

Yggdrasil's roots hid the spring Hvergelmir and the dragon Nidhogg. Muspelheim had the ship Naglfar, made of the dead's nails. Two wolves chased the sun and moon: Hati and Skoll.

When Nidhogg gnawed through the roots, when Naglfar was finished, when the wolves devoured the sun and moon, Ragnarok would come.

The omen: humanity faces three long winters called Fimbulwinter, caused by the death of Baldr, god of light. The world is plunged into cold, conflict, and darkness.

Wars and violence spread. People slaughter each other, the world becomes chaotic and evil spreads like plague. All magical chains and curses break.

Yggdrasil's rooster Gullinkambi crows in warning; Fenrir breaks free, his sons devour the moon and sun; Nidhogg destroys the world tree's roots; Jormungandr floods Midgard; giants and Loki join the battle.

"After gods and giants perished, humanity's age began, mysteries faded, civilization advanced, and the Norse Age of Gods vanished from the earth—at least, that's what magi in Proper Human History believe," Da Vinci said.

"But records differ: Katla's largest eruption was in 930 AD, not 1000 BC," Goredolf added. "But if reality vanished, no wonder records are missing. That's why Norse myths survive only in fragments."

"You sure love mainstream views," Holmes quipped, pleased by the exchange.

"What's wrong with that? It's supported by authorities—it's common sense at the Clock Tower!" Goredolf retorted.

"But we still don't know the real situation," Holmes said. "In Proper Human History, the Norse Age of Gods can only be reconstructed from fragments. Local variations are common."

"But something's off in this Norse," Alaric noted. "Judging by the magical atmosphere and Age of Gods ether, it seems the Age of Gods here hasn't ended. If there's a divergence, it must be after Ragnarok, with gods still present in reality."

"Who knows? It's hard to say," Da Vinci replied. "If the Age of Gods really continued, who knows what's possible. Discussing the divergence point is meaningful—if it happened during Ragnarok, some gods might have survived, which is plausible.

If it was before, maybe Ragnarok never occurred and the Age of Gods continued—but that's less likely.

So the two key questions are: when did the divergence happen, and why? Once we know that, everything becomes clear."

"So far, we've found no human settlements," Holmes reported. "All we see are blue flames and white mountains—a world stuck in an unchanging event due to losing its future.

Did humanity mutate like the Yaga, or did someone like Qin Shi Huang take the world's fate alone?"

Holmes had no answer. Information was just too scarce.

"It's a mess," Goredolf grumbled. "All we know is the Age of Gods hasn't ended. If only a god could appear and explain everything. This Norse Lostbelt is too unfriendly."

"Want me to play the godly tour guide for you?" Alaric teased.

"No thanks!" Goredolf snapped. "Stay human!"

"Yeah, where are we supposed to find a helpful god?" Meunière chimed in.

"Apart from the divergence, there's also the Matter Tree to consider," Da Vinci added. "We haven't found it yet—it's probably hidden. We'll have to search for it, but that's not our main concern right now."

Da Vinci took a deep breath and said, "Now for the main point: in this Lostbelt, we can't summon any other Servants."

Alaric's appearance was a miracle—he forced his way in on his own power, which couldn't be replicated.

"Is it a mana issue?" Ritsuka asked. "Because we haven't found any leylines? Or is it the Shadow Border's lack of electricity?"

Da Vinci looked apologetic. She felt responsible for this failure.

"While the Shadow Border is low on power, the key is we can't sense any leylines," she admitted. "It seems the snow contains molecular-level mana, which even blocks long-distance communication.

Maybe the snow's mana controls both mana and humanity."

"In short, this pervasive snow is likely a magical phenomenon," Holmes added. "The caster must have divine-level power—probably the Lostbelt King's doing.

It disrupts, and maybe monitors, the whole region. We should be careful."

"If the Shadow Border's radar can't find leylines, we have to search manually?" Alaric asked.

"That's right," Da Vinci nodded. "We can't win in one blow, so to proceed quickly, we need people to go out and collect materials and find leyline nodes—without Shadow Border support."

"No problem. I'm stronger in an Age of Gods," Alaric said. "Even if Sigurd returns, I won't lose to him."

Even limited, Alaric was still formidable.

"In summary, although we're underpowered, we'll ask some of you to go out and investigate and gather supplies," Da Vinci said. "Holmes and I will stay to adjust equipment and wait for leyline supplies."

To finish [True Human] as soon as possible, Da Vinci and Holmes had to stay as the technical core.

Alaric, Ritsuka, and Mash would handle the field mission.

"According to our scan, there's a cluster of life signals about 150 km northwest, likely a village or settlement," Holmes said. "Such a place doesn't exist in Proper Human History, but it's worth investigating."

The Shadow Border was now hiding in southern Sweden, dodging Sigurd. While leylines couldn't be found by radar, life signals could be detected.

"When you set out tomorrow, you'll have simple leyline detectors for short-range use," Da Vinci said. "If you get close enough, it should work despite the molecular mana."

The meeting ended, and assignments were made.

…

The next day, Ritsuka and Mash donned snow gear, and Alaric put on a heavy coat as well.

"Looks like it won't snow today," Mash said, seeing clear skies. "Norse Lostbelt, southern Sweden—today is sunny."

The sky was clear, unlike the blizzards of Russia.

Ritsuka stomped her boots, smiling. "It's so different from Russia. But Da Vinci said the air is full of mana-infused snowflakes—can we detect leylines better now?"

"Doesn't seem so," Alaric answered, adjusting the detector. "It just isn't snowing. The overall effect remains unless the caster lifts it or we get close to a leyline."

Alaric grabbed a handful of snow, letting dark light dissolve it into pure mana.

Not just the falling snow—the piled-up snow was also at work.

"It's troublesome," Ritsuka said, smiling. "Guess we have to play it by ear?"

"No rush, Senpai," Mash reassured. "Besides, we have to collect materials too. The ones Da Vinci wants are really rare."

Mash and Ritsuka recognized most of the materials Da Vinci listed, having gathered them before for Servant ascensions.

But for [True Human], Da Vinci needed only gold-tier materials—and hundreds of them.

Just hunting the required monsters would be a massive undertaking, not to mention the drop rates.

"Materials aren't the problem. Mana is," Alaric mused. "If we could connect to the Light Belt, mana wouldn't be an issue—but we can't."

The Light Belt only had one terminal. Even as a Servant, Alaric couldn't duplicate the Grand.

Unless the Light Belt entered the Lostbelt, he couldn't access its mana.

Even though he could draw mana from the land, that would mean open war with the Lostbelt King—not good for Chaldea right now.

"That's why we need to find leylines, right?" Ritsuka smiled. "If only a nice god would show us the way." "That won't happen!" Goredolf's angry face popped up on the screen. "Don't fantasize! Trusting strangers here is dangerous!

And this could be a divine Lostbelt!"

"Director Goredolf just worries too much," Da Vinci-chan squeezed him off-screen, winked, and said, "Don't worry, everyone—Sigurd shouldn't bother the Shadow Border again. We're underwater, and more importantly, I've put up a super-strong barrier!"

She proudly posed. "I prepared it so well that even the local creatures and giants can't sense us. This is my most meticulous barrier since the Mona Lisa!"

"Amazing as always, Da Vinci-chan!" Alaric said. "A genius, always reliable."

Alaric had personally tested the barrier—once he left the Shadow Border, he couldn't find its location at all.

"Da Vinci-chan really put up a barrier to finish her painting in life?" Mash marveled. "Incredible."

"Save the compliments for later—the comm signal will get unstable now," Da Vinci-chan said. "After a few kilometers, the snow will interfere. From here on, you're on your own.

Be careful! If a cute child asks for help, unless they're as cute as me, don't do anything rash, okay?"

"Okay, but you take care too!" Mash said. "We'll bring back good news."

"Check your shield's storage—I left you something!" Da Vinci-chan chirped.

Mash pulled out—a pair of skis.

"Huh, are these for my exoskeleton?" Mash wondered. "Did you make them in your spare time?"

They looked just like Ritsuka's idea of skis.

"These are super cool skis!" Ritsuka exclaimed. "Aren't they awesome?"

"Never underestimate a genius!" Da Vinci-chan's nose almost grew with pride. "That's right—they're magic-powered, high-speed skis! Even the god of skiing would be impressed! They come with anti-slip charms and gyroscopes—you basically can't fall!

Of course, I made special skis for both Alaric and Ritsuka too. It's no big deal to project them with magecraft, right?"

Alaric and Ritsuka said in unison, "You're amazing, Da Vinci-chan!"