481 Chapter 437

Artoria Pendragon POV

This had been an interesting experience thus far.

The Grail, upon my summoning, provided me with the barest context for the culture I found myself in. Thankfully, I was not the center of attention, and I was content to stay quiet and observe as Wilhelm navigated the situation.

For better or worse.

The latter was far more likely.

For a being of this Goddess' caliber, she was very calm and soft when speaking. Despite the awkwardness of our entrance, and my own opinions on such schemes around us, she treated us well as guests.

Specifically, it felt as though she treated Wilhelm as an equal.

Perhaps one much younger and less experienced, understandably so, but an equal all the same.

And I believe this is the first time I have ever seen someone ask Wilhelm to cause trouble. I didn't know if I should laugh or prepare for the worst.

Wilhelm has always been a trouble magnet.

I love him dearly, but where he went, trouble will follow, by his hand or not. At least this time, it did not entail a being of the Goddess' caliber in conflict.

His last conflict with a God of such strength caused a commotion that was hard to manage. I could not fault him for the situation, and even respect his decision to intercede on behalf of Izanami. He liked to say he was not a good person, but he has a very specific sense of honor that I can sympathize with. And I cannot say I would not have acted the same if I were present.

Izanami was ... .reclusive and perhaps introverted. However, I considered her a friend and I enjoyed her company. I did not allow anyone to cause her problems in my presence.

However, that did not dismiss the situation that resulted from Wilhelm's actions.

It was the reason Scáthach and I decided to come along.

We decided the two of us were the correct choice when meeting another being on the same level with unknown intentions.

Even so, this was a particularly strange situation.

The Goddess stood up from her seat and everyone in the room quieted down. A solemn reverence that they all carried. A single word, a simple gesture, and they would gladly die for her. I could see it the same way I could all the years ago with my own people.

"Everyone, I believe it's time to address the issue of our gathering." She turned, gesturing to us. "We welcome Guests from afar to preside over our discussions. We have Scathach, Hailing from Ireland far to the west. We have Artoria Pendragon from a neighboring country of England, and we have Wilhelm Schweinorg from our own neighbor, Japan." She introduced us to everyone. "The topic of this debate is whether to join with outsiders. You all know the contents, so I will not elaborate on that. I will listen to arguments and decide."

An interesting stance to take.

Even though a simple word of hers would settle any debates, she allowed them to argue for their own views.

I found myself agreeing with her position.

It would be easy to simply force her own opinion, perhaps she would do so in any other situation. However, this matter pertained to their own situation, thus she was allowing them some autonomy. This would soften the inevitable dissatisfaction of the 'losing side'.

It shows her care for her people by taking this measure.

It was easy to order and dictate. It was harder to listen to one's subjects and move their hearts in accordance with your desires.

Her opinion was, however, obvious from what she asked of Wilhelm.

It was easy to see the divide.

One side was looking at us with disdain and annoyance, mayhaps bordering hatred.

The other, indifference or even interest and curiosity.

"I Shi Ning will speak against it." A woman from one side stood up, the opposition.

The woman standing near Nuwa who spoke before looked at someone on the opposite side. As if rehearsed, she stood up as well.

"And I Xia Xiaohui will speak in support."

They were wearing identical garb as far as I could discern with little difference. Perhaps a uniform for those who practice within this palace?

It was hard to say and they both gave off a chilly atmosphere. Not merely the unspoken tension between them, as I akin it to a genuine coldness that permeated them both.

I do not know what methods they utilize, but I could guess it involved Coldness to some expect, perhaps Magic based on that?

No, they had Swords at their sides.

I was unsure of how they would fight and found myself curious.

"Why must we support some barbaric outsiders?" The one named Shi Ning coldly snorted with disdain.

"How ignorant, did you not even bother to read the parchments provided?" Xia Xiaohui countered. "If you can't even understand the most simplistic reasoning, why even stand up at all?" She harrumphed. "We lend aid, because aid is needed. We stand on the side of righteousness, and to protect the Mortal Realm."

"Equivocation." The other denied. "You try to muddle everyone's head with words such as Righteousness. What Righteousness? What 'protecting' of the Mortal Word? Is the Mortal World threatened? Is there some great Demon that is wreaking havoc that we are unaware of? Why does the Heavenly Courts not settle it? Why must we get involved?"

The one in favor smiled. "They are involved." She paused looking around. "The Heavenly Courts have even become involved in Mortal affairs for the first time in a millennia. They ally with outsiders, they combine resources and gather heroes. Does this not speak of the direness of the situation?"

"If the Heavenly Courts are involved, then we are unneeded."

"Are you saying that Nuwa's Palace is irrelevant?"

"You put words into my mouth." Another cold snort echoed out. "We are not the Golden Armored Soldiers of the Jade Emperor, we do not March Off into War. Why do you want to sacrifice our sisters for some conflict that does not encompass our borders?"

"Sacrifice? Do you believe our Sisters so weak?"

"Weak? Perhaps not. But I do not trust outsiders to not scheme and sacrifice our Sisters for their own gain!"

"So you want us to bury our heads in the sand like cowards!?"

"Cowards!? A Dragon is not a coward for ignoring the stirring of ants!"

"You believe that outside of this Palace are ants?"

"Hmph, Barbarians and Mortals. Why care for them? No one dares to cause trouble for The Goddess." She said dismissively.

"I see, so you believe the guests that the Goddess personally invited here are Barbarians and Ants?"

The one in opposition narrowed her eyes realizing the trap she walked into. "We Cultivators of Nuwa's Palace need not get involved. You do not use a rock to smash an Egg, why send our sisters?"

"Do you dare back up your words?"

"Why would I not!?

"Then let us settle it properly! You think that we are above them? Then I invite one of our Guests to fight any of our Sisters. Words are empty, let strength speak for us now. If what you said is true, then you should have no trouble defeating one of our barbaric guests without trouble."

"Y-you dare to disrupt the peace of The Goddess' Banquet, you –"

"I approve." The Goddess interrupted. "My disciples have stayed within these halls for many years, they have become ignorant of the outside world. It is a good opportunity to broaden your horizons and to see what exists beyond our own borders."

The opposition frowned.

I believe it is obvious to everyone where the Goddess leaned at this point.

A verbal argument was never going to settle a matter such as this. The opposition stands aloof, considering of nothing outside of this place. They look down on us outsiders, and refuse to acknowledge us.

I was tempted to offer myself up to teach them a lesson, but I knew this battle belonged to Wilhelm.

Despite not outwardly showing much expression, I have known him enough to see the hidden excitement in his eyes.

I would not take that away from him, especially if it led to no trouble.

"Let the youngest fight." Goddess Nuwa stated. "Ling'er, where are you?"

"I am here, Goddess." A familiar voice sounded from the back of the opposition. The same woman who barred our path and insulted Wilhelm so blatantly.

"Wilhelm, would you be inclined to join her for a spar?" The Goddess Asked.

"This Young Master will accompany her." Wilhelm stood up.

I resisted the urge to palm my face.

Thankfully, the Goddess only found amusement in it.

The center of the hall was wide and open, and it was easy for them to spar without problems. However, even so, The Goddess moved her hand and a barrier was erected over them.

Wilhelm decided to take out his staff it seemed, focusing more on Magic.

"Do you believe this is a good idea?" I asked.

"Let him have his fun." Scáthach replied. "He is young, he is allowed to play around like this."

For some reason, I was recalling the spars I had with Kay when we were younger. Despite Kay always losing the spar, he would make up reasons and argue that he actually in fact won due to some strange reasoning and yet, I could never beat him in an argument.

Wilhelm was giving me the same feeling right now.

I didn't….dislike seeing Wilhelm having fun like this. I was not against him finding trouble the majority of the time either. It would be very hypocritical of me to say that he should never get involved in matters with how often my own Knights found themselves in the strangest of situations.

No, in fact, it was a good contrast to how downtrodden he was from earlier. I really did not like seeing Wilhelm being sad for any reason, even if it was something as nonsensical as not finding trouble during his evening.

"He has far too many burdens for someone his age. Let him have his fun when it comes."

"Yes." I agreed.

"Come, I will allow you to have the first ten thousand moves!" Wilhelm declared.

And I found myself sighing in my heart.

I loved him dearly, but he needed a smack upside the head every now and then.

"Ignorant." The girl hissed, already getting upset and he barely started.

Scáthach was smiling and giggling under her breath.

Was it him having fun or was it you?

Truly, you both are far too similar in certain aspects.

"You court death!" She drew her blade.

"Yes I did!" He said proudly.

The girl was confused and didn't get it and I could guess he was referring to Izanami in this situation because he was looking much too pleased with himself.

"Do they really not know Wilhelm? He should be rather famous at this point. And even so, does this girl not recognize she is outmatched?" I shook my head.

"Most of my Disciples do not care about the outside world. Even within the Immortal World, they are isolated, let alone the Mortal World. And as for measuring her opponents strength…..she is far too used to using her own Cultivation as a method of measurement. She has never experienced someone who does not utilize the same system of power as her." The Goddess answered my question.

Ah, the reasoning does make sense.

She is hesitant due to the situation, and perhaps an instinctual regard for her opponent, but no threshold to measure Wilhelm's strength that she is familiar with.

Yes, they have grown up too isolated and being unable to measure her opponent properly will lead to her death if she is not careful.

The woman started off, propelling herself forward with a good speed, stabbing towards Wilhelm.

He of course erected a barrier as her sword clashed with it, unmoving.

"You have eyes, yet you are unable to recognize Mount Tai!" Wilhelm declared.

And….I have no idea what that meant but for some reason, the girl tensed up in what appeared to be a hint of anger.

"Blooming Lotus!" The Girl shouted, and ice gathered around her blade, forming sharp figures of flows. She slashed at him, they expanded outward, increasing the power behind her strike exponentially.

Wilhelm's shield shattered, but he didn't move.

"Zun Haal Viik." Wilhelm casually spoke. The Draconic Words recognizable to me at this point.

The Girl's sword when flying away.

Her eyes widened in surprise, but to her credit, she threw out a palm strike. "Lotus Blooms twice!"

Another Icy Lotus appeared within her palm and it exploded outward, enveloping the entire area.

"Feim zii Gron." Wilhelm's words were not loud, but still audible above everything.

He turned intangible and the attack simply passed him through.

The Girl took the opportunity to grab her weapon again, taking a defensive stance a fair distance away.

"Petty tricks!" She declared, swinging her sword, producing an attack similar to Wilhelm's. The slashes carried a distance towards him.

So this is where he learned it from?

Interesting.

"Feim Zii Gron." Wilhelm said again, once more turning intangible and the attacks passed him helplessly.

The girl almost stumbled at him using it again. Perhaps she believed it was not something he could use continuously?

"Do you dare use any other moves!?" She tried to goad him.

"Zun Haal Viik." He answered her with the earlier words, her sword went flying out of her grasp once more.

"Y-you…!!" She found herself at a loss of words momentarily. Mayhaps, I felt the tiniest bit of sympathy for her. But she also insulted the man I loved, so I found myself leaning more towards a deserving lesson. "I will whip you a thousand times after I defeat you!"

"….kinky." Wilhelm replied.

"S-shameless!" The girl's tinged red face was clear even behind the veil she wore.

"You're the one who said it." Wilhelm harrumphed. "A mere toad wanting to eat swan meat!" He accused.

For some reason, Goddess Nuwa was stifling a laugh and looking like she was trying her best to not show it.

"Ah!" The girl shouted, retrieving her sword again. "Jade Ice Dragon!" She shouted again, and an ethereal Dragon appeared behind the girl, enveloping her and her sword. Her aura magnified several degrees. "Take this!" She shouted.

"Boop." Wilhelm tapped his staff against the ground, and the stone beneath the girl turned to stand, making her feet sink as she was about to move, so she instead fumbled and fell down, her attack, as it were, shot off awkwardly into the side of the barrier.

….it was certainly majestic.

"You're courting Death!" She all but screamed, repositioning herself upward from the slight embarrassment.

"You already said that one, try something else." Wilhelm hummed, putting his staff over his shoulder. "What about 'you don't know the immensity of Heaven and Earth!?' Or 'The Path of Heaven was before you, but you chose hell!"

For some reason, I do not believe Wilhelm's advice was taken to heart.

The Girl suddenly exploded outward with more power.

"Oh dear." The Goddess sighed. "She's really going to use something like that in a fight with no stakes?" The Goddess didn't stop her, nor explain, but she looked dissatisfied.

The Girl raised her sword up, and the hall changed.

A Blue Moon appeared overhead along with a starry sky.

"Azure Moon Reflecting the Winter's Radiance!" She shouted, and a deathly cold permeated the surroundings. The original Barrier of Nuwa's was apparently not enough and she redoubled her efforts to contain it.

I noticed why The Goddess was displeased as blood seeped from the girl's mouth and nose.

Did she harm herself to use that?

It was not worth it for a spar.

"You're a Frog in a well!" She sneered.

"Hmph, the Mantis Stalks the Cicada, unaware of the Oriole Behind!" Wilhelm shouted.

"….does he know what that phrase means?" The Goddess Looked at us.

"Most likely, but I believe he is just saying random things to annoy your disciple." Scáthach answered.

That does sound like something Wilhelm would do.

"Ahh!" The Girl yelled, swinging her sword, bringing a with it an avalanche of snow and ice. "I'll teach you how to write the word Death!"

"Jokes on you, I dropped out of school!"

Wilhelm, don't gloat about that….

"Our shared Lover is certainly talented." Scáthach noted from the Goddess's earlier comment about him being talented in angering people.

"Do you reject your allowance?"

"No." Scáthach shook her head. "He is enjoying himself, so I do not. However, I will give him a thorough beating later."

"As deserved." I nodded.

"It turns out you were actually pretending to be a Tiger to eat the Pig!" Wilhelm held his staff up.

"That's not how it goes!" The Girl's screech was audible over the oncoming torrent of cold.

Still, the Goddess hid her laughing at her Disciples' increasing anger.

"Do you dare take this attack head on!?" The Girl challenged.

"This Young Master will take your challenge!" Wilhelm declared. "If I take a half step back or avoid your attack, I will write my name backwards!"

"Then die!"

"...Feim Zii Gron." He became ethereal again, the attack passing right through him.

Should I have expected anything different?

"Shameless!" The Girl yelled in indignation.

"Zun Haal Viik."

Her sword went flying out of her grasp again.

Her anger was palpable at this point.

"I don't need my sword!" She raised her hands up. "Let's see how long you can avoid me!" The Ice and Cold swirled around like a storm.

"Actually, I don't like the cold. Let's change the weather." Wilhelm's relaxed appearance was certainly sending alarms to the girl.

"What…?"

"Lok Vah Koor." Wilhelm spoke again, an invisible ripple shook the surroundings, forcibly dispersing the strange sky that appeared, returning everything to normal as the Girl's control of the cold diminished significantly.

The Girl…well, all her fighting spirit nearly collapsed. "Shameless, Dishonorable! You rely on small tricks and don't dare to fight me! All of you are the same!"

Wilhelm tilted his head, then glanced at the Goddess.

"I believe it's a good time to stop playing. Please show your true strength." The Goddess spoke.

Silently, Wilhelm's demeanor shifted and a new weight descended down onto the room. I was aware of what he did, shifting his source of power to his Spiritual aspect, pushing it down on everyone so they could physically gauge how strong Wilhelm was.

A good portion of the room faltered, falling if not outright passing out from the pressure.

There were a few that barely even reacted.

Perhaps only the ones closest to the Goddess.

As Nuwa herself did nothing to dissuade the pressure.

The Girl he fought, she turned pale and pressed to the ground. To her credit, she did not immediately lose consciousness.

He took slow steps as he approached her. Taking out his original sword, he stabbed it into the ground next to her head.

"That's right, I was just playing." He said simply, releasing the pressure from the room.

"Do you see?" Nuwa spoke once everyone had a breath to regain their composure. "What did she say? Petty tricks? That's right, Ling'er was defeated by petty tricks. Things that those outside our home can do with ease. And you fell for them so easily."

"Goddess, that's not fair." The woman who argued against from earlier spoke up. "He's –"

"He's younger than Ling'er." Nuwa spoke, shutting up the other woman. "He's younger than Ling'er yet, he has fought the likes of Susanoo-no-Mikoto from our neighbors to the east. The Storm God of Japan, for those of you unaware. He emerged victorious."

There was….silence. They stared at the Goddess with a mix of shock and confusion.

"Later, and most recently, he fought along with the Storm God against Indra." Nuwa emphasized the name of the Hindu deity, and they seemed much more receptive to his name over the Japanese God. "Even the Jade Emperor would respectfully Greet him and treat him as an Honored Guest."

She stood up, walking to the girl Wilhelm fought. She placed a hand on her, and her pale complexion alleviated slightly. "A few words and you were foolish enough to harm yourself for what? A friendly spar?" Nuwa shook her head, addressing the room again. "I will give you all the evening to contemplate what you've learned. We will reconvene and properly discuss the next course of action."

With that, another word and she gestured for us to follow her out of the room.

[***]

Wilhelm POV

"That was certainly something." Nuwa mused as we walked through her Palace.

"Thanks, I try my best."

The Goddess snorted. "Yes, I'm sure."

Well, it didn't go as expected, but I'm satisfied!

"Ah…"

"What?" Artoria asked.

"I never got to finish my Rice." I realized.

"Unfortunate, it was very tasty." My adorable Knight smiled brightly.

It might seem odd to call a simple bowl of rice a Banquet, but I was sure that bowl was worth more than what a normal person in this realm could afford after saving for years.

"I was hoping that one of those would interfere in your fight so I would have an excuse to join in." My teacher let out a small sigh.

"Your group seems fun." The Goddess just watched us out of the corner of her eye as we walked.

"There will not be a problem with Wilhelm humiliating your Disciples, will there?" Artoria asked.

"No, it was within what I expected. Even if I did not anticipate his enthusiasm." She pursed her lips. "But it will do them good. They've become arrogant and content."

Odin mentioned something similar with his own.

Artoria nodded in understanding.

"….perhaps you should keep far away from Ling'er though." The Goddess added. "After what happened, I believe she's going to tie her weapon to her hand and look for ways to cut immaterial things after she recovers."

Heh.

It's unfortunate that Disarming my opponents isn't something that works all the time. The strong you become, the more difficult it is. It's a great Shout to create an opening, but rarely does it just…..disable an opponent of mine so easily.

It's been a long time since I've fought someone on her level.

She was what? A High Class by the majority of the world's standards.

But she had very little true combat experience.

I would bet she's spent most of her time training.

But it didn't really matter to me, I washed my hands of the mess here.

"For thanks from the gathering, I wanted to offer you a reward." Nuwa spoke again. "My Treasure Pavilion is not the greatest, but I have collected quite a bit over the years. So I will give you an option, it has three floors. The First floor has the lowest level of treasures, and the third floor is where I keep the more exquisite and powerful pieces. You may either pick three treasures on the first floor, two on the second, or one on the third. And as an additional Apology, you may pick one additional treasure on the First floor regardless of what you choose."

"Generous." I mused.

"Maybe, maybe not." The Goddess replied. "I have seen the quality of your own treasures. You also wield the Spear of the Biblical God, and the Great Welsh himself. The treasures of that quality are far and few, most of which I possess are in my personal collection. There is nothing within that can match them."

Eh, that's to be expected. As far as weapons go, they're at the peak of the world.

"Where would you like to go first?"

"Let's start on the Third Floor." I may as well see what she considered the best of this place.

Nuwa merely gestured and the walls around us reconfigured. They opened up revealing a wide array of tables with all sorts of valuables presented. Weapons that glittered and shined, artifacts that radiated power, and odd trinkets that could give off strange feelings.

The first thing to grab my attention was an Arrow on a podium.

"Not bad." I looked it over.

"It is impressive." Scáthach agreed.

"It does give off a dangerous feeling."

"Ah, an arrow crafted personally by Hou Yi." Nuwa replied. "It has the ability to contain Fire and suppress the Sun and kill Immortals. Unfortunately, half of its power is sealed without the Bow."

"You wouldn't happen to have the bow?" I asked.

Nuwa laughed. "If I had the bow, it would not be up here for anyone to take. And the Arrow would be retained by me."

Fair.

That Bow would be on the level of the spear, easily.

There were more weapons, many powerful and wonderful ones. But….they were all inferior to my own. Even my worst sword was barely equaled by what I had glanced over so far.

"Wilhelm." Artoria called out to me and I followed.

Two swords sat side by side. At merely a glance, I could tell that these swords were of a high quality and on par with what I'm used to.

"Gan Jiang and Mo Ye." Nuwa introduced.

"The swords of love?" I vaguely recalled the story of the Blacksmith who's wife threw herself into the forge so he could complete the commission to the emperor and not be executed.

"The very same." Nuwa nodded.

I was tempted, they were…good swords.

"May I?" I asked.

"Go ahead."

I picked one of them up, and immediately, I realized that I had to hold the other one, otherwise it would reject me. I held both of them within my hands, feeling their weight. "They're good swords, but they're not for me."

I'm not much of a Dual wielder, and having to wield both of them simultaneously was a big downside to someone like me who switches between weapons depending on the situation.

There were certainly plenty of treasures I wanted, but there was only really one more that drew my attention.

It was a sword, or what remained of one.

I ran a finger along the hilt up to where the blade was shattered.

"Xuan Yuan." Nuwa introduced again. "The Sword of the Yellow Emperor." She spoke and there was an odd….nostalgic and loving tone in her words. I would almost liken it to a proud mother.

Even broken, I was tempted to take this.

A broken sword could always be reforged and even if it was a degree less than its original form, it would still be a sword worth wielding next to my other ones. I could only guess what it was originally like before it broke.

But, I decided against it.

"Let's see the second floor."

With another wave of her hand, another wall opened revealing what I assume was the second floor. It's funny, I'm pretty sure they were actually separate floors, but Nuwa probably couldn't be bothered to walk up and down whatever stairs existed, so she was doing this for us.

There are significantly more things on this 'floor'.

Also, I noticed the rows of scrolls and…..were those Jade Slips?

Basically, what Cultivators used instead of books.

But there were many.

Nuwa seemed to noticed my gaze. "This is where we keep the majority of our techniques and Spells as well."

Makes sense.

Third floor was for the really spicy things. Second floor was more of the main storage while first floor was probably more of an introduction or less impressive stuff or important stuff.

The quality noticeably dipped, but that didn't curb my enthusiasm.

But there was a lot.

"Would it be improper of me to ask for a suggestion?" I wondered what she thought I might want.

Nuwa didn't look perturbed. "Do you practice Onmyoji?"

"Somewhat." I can't say It's ever been my main focus. "I know a few spells, but it's something I use when a sealing spell is needed. But most of what I know is….well, it can't really keep up with the opponents I fight these days."

Really, the spell I use most there is the Five Elements Mutual Generation to amplify my other stuff.

Nuwa tapped her chin in thought. "The third shelf, middle section, I think there may be some things there that will interest you. They are not exactly the same, but they have a similar history and origin so it would not be too difficult for you to learn."

Artoria and Scáthach had wandered to the sides, looking at things, so I went to look at her suggestion.

Third Shelf, Middle section, there were scrolls, parchments, and Jade Slips littering it.

"Twelve Flood Dragons?" I muttered the name of one particular scroll and pushed it back. "Heavenly Cicada's Evening Song. One Dragon soaring the Heavens. Five Elements Sealing the Heavens. Fire Dragon's Fury…"

I was starting to see a pattern here….

I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but, well.

I atleast took a look at the Five Elements Sealing the Heavens. It was…..at its basic it was similar to my Five Elements Mutual Generator at first glance, but instead of amplifying a spell, it instead reversed it to seal away the immaterial.

Interesting, but not something I particularly needed.

I glanced to the side to see Scáthach join me out of curiosity. "Too Delicate." She pushed a scroll away. "Too flamboyant." She said to another. "Fancy and hollow. Interesting…..but too complicated. Weak…." She kept dismissing them. "Here, student, this one only requires that you sever your manhood, but it is rather interesting."

"I want to be petty and do it just to spite you."

"Hmph, as if I would ever allow you to take your cock away from me." My Scáthach snorted with a laugh. She looking through several more until she stopped. "This one." She said,reading over it. "It fills a spot in your repertoire." She handed it to me unceremoniously.

I trusted her judgment and immediately began reading it.

Mountain Sealing Incantation.

A sealing spell? I skimmed it over. It wasn't too complicated at first glance either, and while it used principals I did not practice, I was sure I could substitute them for other things.

Well, color me intrigued.

"I'll hold onto this and see if we can't find anything better."

Scáthach hummed and didn't respond, merely a nod as she continued to look through.

I went the opposite direction, finding some rather odd things thrown about on the shelves. Funny enough, I found a dusty tome on Western Magic.

Out of curiosity I flipped through it, it was rather basic, perhaps even intermediate at some points. Maybe I was being too harsh, it would suffice for someone to practice for a good portion of their life.

If they learned everything in it well enough, I could see a Magician becoming High Class in Strength, at the higher end of the spectrum.

Pushing it away, I noticed something peculiar.

A strange aura nearby, a few feet down. A thin layer of dust, and nearly hidden by other things. I pushed them to the side to reveal a rather thick rolled parchment made of unknown material, but…..it was strange.

As soon as I touched it, I realized it wasn't created by Mortal Hands.

There was power here, a significant power, but it was muted…depleted even.

There was nothing on it from the outside.

I unfurled it, and the first words written in an archaic text made my breathing nearly come to a stop. It was worn, barely eligible, but I could recognize the words and the feeling it gave didn't make me question its authenticity.

"….why do you have this?" My voice wasn't particularly loud, but it was enough that Nuwa, who wasn't taking much of an interest, suddenly looked over.

"Oh, I forgot that was here. It was given to me for something that happened many years ago, but at that point, well, you can feel it yourself. Its purpose was fulfilled, and it lost all of its power, so it's just a decoration at this point." Nuwa replied nonchalantly.

"Student, what did you find?" Scáthach was peering over my shoulder.

"Did you find something valuable?" Artoria asked.

"Can I take this?" I asked Nuwa.

"If you want that old thing, fine." She waved her hand dismissively. "I only kept it because of the sentimental aspect. It's not even worth putting on the top floor."

I took one last glance at the first words on it.

God's Investiture List.

I'm taking this, I don't know why, but I feel like it could be extremely useful in the future.

"Right, then I'll take this and the Mountain Sealing Incantation." I said.

"Hmm, good choice. That's a good spell, and if it's cultivated to its highest level, it's quite powerful." Nuwa Nodded. "Now, shall we take a look at the first floor?"

Scáthach and Artoria didn't question me. I would explain more later when we had more time.

I nodded to her and she did the same thing as before, opening a path to the first floor from where we stood.

Once again, it opened up to a much wider area containing a wide array of miscellaneous objects. And about what you would expect. This floor, I wouldn't call it trash by any means, but this was probably where they stored everything they found that could be considered a 'treasure' that couldn't make it to higher floors.

The quality was about what the majority of the 'things' I kept as my own 'treasures' in my storage. Good enchanted swords that I found in Skyrim? That was basically the same quality as what could be found here.

It may have taken a long time to find something worth it in here. If it weren't for the fact that my eyes immediately landed on what I wanted.

It was Magic, in that, It was the variety I was familiar with.

I analyzed it from sight alone, its enchantments and engravings I could decipher with my eyes closed. Flight capabilities, enhanced durability. Offensive spells. Lots of more miscellaneous things for it to work, but I saw it all. Oh, the spellcraft was utter shit, but that could be fixed later.

I ran up and immediately hugged it. "It's beautiful."

"….Wilhelm, are you serious?" Artoria asked me.

"I want it."

"There are….other things that may catch your eyes."

"Please, I want this."

"….what are you going to even use it for?"

"….I'll think of something." I pleaded. "Please let me have this, I want it."

Artoria let out a sigh. "If it truly makes you happy, then I will not object."

I happily hugged my new boat.

Rather, it was not just a boat.

It was a Pirate Ship. A….medium sized one…I didn't know the specific term or model of it. But it was like straight out of a movie. Sure, it was a bit damaged and weathered from the ages, but it even had a Jolly Roger!

A Flying Magical Pirate ship!

I took Sir Wiggles out, placing him on Artoria's head, much to her chagrin. "First Mate Sir Wiggles."

"This is what you chose?" Nuwa asked.

"Yes." I said happily.

Nuwa let out a laugh. "I didn't think this would ever get taken out of here. It appeared some centuries ago off the coast of China, causing some trouble for the Mortals. One of my Disciples at the time happened across them and took care of the people involved. I believe this ship is the source of the legends in the west….what was its name again….the Flying Dutchman?"

It took all of my self-control not to Squee.

Today was a good day.

[***]

A/N

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