Mystery: When the Fool Meets the Masked Fool

Chapter 507 LOSER
The Silver City squad was incredibly efficient, like a finely wound-up toy.

In less than half an hour, a five-meter-high, strangely shaped archway with an ancient metallic sheen stood proudly.

Those present were all well-trained soldiers, and setting up a pre-prepared "teleportation portal" would indeed not take long.

A huge golden archway quickly appeared, and a pale blue vortex slowly formed within the portal.

A few minutes later, the previously empty space within the doorway twisted violently, and vortex-shaped azure energy rapidly condensed, rotated, and expanded. Like a boulder thrown into a deep pool, tangible ripples spread through the space.

Immediately afterwards, a hand with large knuckles, wrapped in rough leather and steel armor, emerged from the smooth surface and rested heavily on the edge of the door frame, as if testing whether the boundary between the two worlds was secure enough.

Then, a tall figure, carrying a mountain-like sense of heavy oppression, slowly emerged from within, bowing low.

His disheveled gray hair fluttered in the breeze as Colin Iliad completely emerged from the portal, straightening his massive, bronze-giant-like body.

Stepping out of the portal, he didn't linger. He simply tossed his hair habitually, his gaze sweeping over the unfamiliar border scenery around him, while stepping aside to make way.

The vortex rippled once more, and Sand Gold, wearing sunglasses and adorned with jewels, stepped out, resembling a peacock spreading its tail feathers.

The Archer group is probably the most abstract combination in this Holy Grail War.

After all, other combinations either have Servants who are far stronger than Masters, or the Masters and Servants are about the same strength and evenly matched.

However, the Archer group is the most special.

They are most likely the only combination where the Master can completely overpower the Servant.

From strength to defense, from special abilities to combat skills.

Even as a newly appointed Guardian, Colin could easily inflict ultimate humiliation on the Ghostly Sands.

Sand Gold stepped out of the portal, adjusted his sunglasses, and looked around.

"Is this your collaboration with that Russell?" Sand Gold asked Derrick, the leader of the Silver City squad, with a smile.

“Uh…yes.” Derrick nodded sincerely, not understanding why Sand Gold had asked that extra question.

Sand Gold paused for half a second, then nodded: "That's right. When it comes to investing, the most important thing is to make yourself happy."

He raised his hand and patted Derrick's arm: "In these kinds of things, as long as you don't feel like you've lost out, you'll always be winning."

He offered a tactful reminder, withdrew his hand, and said nothing more.

Although he is an expert in liquidating bad assets, he has no habit of interfering in other people's investments.

Since Derrick doesn't feel like he's lost out, he's obviously gained, and there's no need to point out the fact that it's a gold mine.

“We are now in a small town on the border of Intis, near the border with Rune,” said a member of the Silver City exploration team, looking at the map in his hand.

“We’ve wandered here without even realizing it.” Sand Gold nodded, adjusting his watch. “It seems our foolish friend really wants us to go to Rune.”

He cleverly used "we" instead of "I." But Colin had gotten used to the gold dust over the past few days, so he would subtly try to get closer to it.

"Hmm, we can take a carriage there. But now that the war has just ended, there might not be many carriages willing to travel between the two countries..."

He was analyzing the current situation on his own.

Colin remained silent, listening to Sand Gold's rambling without saying a word.

"Speaking of which, Mr. Iliad, do you have a strong need for that Holy Grail?" Sand Gold suddenly asked Colin.

This was the first time he had brought up the Holy Grail since he arrived here, except for the very first day.

"Me?" Colin was clearly taken aback by the question, then shook his head. "No, but if I can make a wish, it's not a bad thing to do so."

Snapped.

Sand Gold snapped his fingers.

"So, you have basically no interest in the Holy Grail, right?" Sand Gold's beautiful eyes were fixed on Colin. "In that case, why don't we talk about a collaboration?"

“In that case, we’ll go easy on you in the Holy Grail War and relinquish the right to the Holy Grail.” Sand Gold took off his sunglasses and hung them on his collar. “As for your losses, our Interstellar Peace Company will be responsible for them.”

"how?"

Colin looked at Sand Gold and couldn't tell what Sand Gold was thinking at all. He could only see the sincerity in Sand Gold's eyes, which was genuine and showed that he really wanted "Interstellar Peace Company" to help Silver City.

After thinking for a while and analyzing dozens of scenarios, Colin still couldn't understand how he would be at a disadvantage. Finally, he nodded and said, "Okay."

The enormous information gap acted as an invisible barrier. Colin's thinking was still stuck at the traditional level of "exchange value," and he completely failed to realize that the real core objective of the gold mine was simply to bind him, the "protector," to the giant ship of the Interstellar Peace Corporation and establish the most basic strategic link.

The process of the Holy Grail War itself, and the ultimate ownership of the Holy Grail? Those are completely unimportant. What matters is the "relationship" itself.

The mission was completed without bloodshed. Not only did they gain the favor of Colin Iliad, a powerful ally, but they also accomplished their objective perfectly.

Win-win.

Oh no.

He would also hand over the Holy Grail with Colin, which would also be a small but significant investment.

They have secured the most crucial condition on the Holy Grail battlefield: "allies letting them win." As long as the profits are right, the company can even make a profitable investment when transferring ownership of the Holy Grail in the future.

Whether it's due to personal relationships or other factors, alluvial gold is confident that it will at least not "lose money".

As always, he was very lucky.

It's a win-win-win situation.

He won three times.

“Chief, you’re really generous.” Sand Gold extended his hand warmly, subtly changing his address from “Mr. Iliad” to “Chief”.

When Colin's broad, bear-paw-like hand grasped Sand Gold's hand, it almost completely enveloped the latter's forearm.

"Wow, Chief, your hands are huge." When Sand Gold shook hands, his entire palm was enveloped by Colin's hand.

Colin ignored him, and after putting his hand down, asked the next question: "It seems you want to cooperate with other Masters?"

"Hmm, Chief, you're really smart." Sand Gold put his sunglasses back on.

"Are you so sure that other people will accept your kindness?" Colin pressed.

With a flick of his sand-gold fingers, he tossed a coin over his shoulder and it landed behind him.

Without even looking in the direction the gold dust was falling, he simply reached behind his back and easily caught it.

With a flick of his fingers, the coin vanished from his grasp as if by magic.

“Don’t worry, Chief.” His smile, hidden behind sunglasses, seemed to have a penetrating power, carrying an almost blind certainty. “My luck has always been quite ‘good’.”

Well, it's Lucky EX after all.

Colin remembered the "Luck" attribute on the Sand Gold panel and nodded.

…………

On the high seas, inside the Karen Fantasy.

Fowles picked up the glass and took a expectant sip of the clear, colorless liquid inside.

Her face immediately scrunched up, as if she had tasted something unpalatable.

This feeling is like when you first meet Hugh and find that his cooking is terrible.

"Pah, this kind of Leroyal is so cheap, how come they can still drink it so happily?" Fowles put down her glass, raised her right hand, fanned her mouth, and muttered to herself, "Besides its high alcohol content, it has no other advantages. Oh, and it's cheap!" She sighed as she said this.

"That's true. The only advantage of cheap things is that they're cheap."

Her appearance on Otto's ship wasn't due to some melodramatic story or any unspeakable secret; she simply came from her own "journey."

Although she has been promoted to "Traveler", her memory pathway is still stuck at the pitiful Sequence Six, unable to make any progress.

With no other option, she had to travel around while trying to play the role of a "memory doctor."

Compared to the chaotic seas, traveling on a familiar person's boat is naturally safer and more convenient.

After so many Tarot sessions, she wasn't particularly familiar with Mr. Tower Otto, but they could still easily visit each other.

After taking a sip of cold water from another cup, Fowles picked up his pen and wrote in a rather poor-quality notebook:

"The pirates here only pursue strong liquor and pay attention to the price. For them, getting drunk is more important than anything else."

“Three pirate friends of mine told me that they built this port city themselves. Initially, they anchored their ships here, hid their spoils, and settled their families. Later, bankrupts, adventurers, and tax evaders flocked here, settled down, and cultivated the land and built houses. Eventually, a trading market was formed, and merchants from the sea swarmed in like sharks smelling blood.”

As he wrote this, Fowles looked up at the window and saw a market surrounded by densely packed and haphazardly arranged wooden or stone buildings under a clear blue sky and white clouds. Every now and then, a few children dressed in slightly tattered clothes could be seen skipping and jumping by.

Then, she turned to look at the three pirates playing cards behind her.

"Do you have anything else to add?"

Two of the burly pirates shook their heads simultaneously: "No."

The third pirate rested his chin on his hand and thought for a moment: "Recently, there has indeed been some."

“One of our crew members, John, has been acting strangely lately, saying he’s trying to summon some kind of heroic spirit.”

"Now that the captain has sent himself into outer space, we're not really comfortable helping him collect any materials."

"You can go and take a look if you're interested."

Summoning Heroic Spirits? This seems to be a ritual organized by Mr. Demon? Hey, I have to join in this fun.

For some reason, ever since she drank the "memory" potion, her curiosity has only grown stronger.

Sometimes, I even have these crazy ideas that I want to try to kill myself.

Although her "Xianyu" (a second-hand marketplace app) helped suppress her reckless instincts, her habit of enjoying watching a good show remained.

Fowles immediately perked up, patting his chest proudly: "It's just spiritual materials, right? I have them here. And I also have enough knowledge of the occult. I believe your captain has already mentioned it."

The three pirates nodded.

“That’s settled then.” Fowles stood up.

"I gonna go see."

After getting directions, Fowles set off excitedly.

She pushed open John's door and saw him sighing and groaning because he couldn't summon the Heroic Spirit due to a lack of materials.

John sat on the edge of the bed, looking dejected.

He had a strange premonition that the beginning of the Holy Grail War was just missing his final piece of the puzzle.

However, he was hampered by a lack of materials and was unable to take the final step.

Suddenly, the door was opened.

Fowles descended from the sky like a Valkyrie.

No materials? No problem.

Fowles made a bold move.

So I took action.

John was overjoyed at the sight and raised his hands, shouting "Awesome!"

Ever since Otto launched himself into the sky, no one has had any faith in his so-called "summoning of heroic spirits."

Now that someone had finally come to support him, he was so moved that he burst into tears.

Soon, the red ceremonial altar was set up.

John eagerly stood before the ceremonial altar and recited aloud:
"Pure silver and iron."

"The Duke who made a covenant with the Cornerstone."

"The surging winds were blocked by the four walls..."

A bright red light shone within the formation, and John's lips curled into a smirk.

He had already inquired with the captain; the Holy Grail War summons heroes who have left a deep mark on history, legends and myths from epic tales.

Now, summoned by Him, we are no longer losers!
Rise up, John!

The red light gradually faded, and a humanoid creature emerged from the glow.

John couldn't wait to check the other party's data.

Job class: Loser.

Strength: E-, Magic Power: E-, Durability: E-, Luck: E-, Agility: E-, Noble Phantasm: E-.

John nodded in satisfaction.

Does it start with L?
Oh, I got it.

So he's a lancer with six EX panels? That certainly fits his role.

I never imagined that John could be so lucky.

At that moment, he suddenly had an ominous premonition, a warning from his spirit.

He opened his half-closed eyes and looked at the Heroic Spirit panel in front of him.

“Six…six E-?” John’s eyes widened.

Wait... what does "Loser" mean? Shouldn't it be "Lancer"?
John was brainstorming.

Hey! What's with that expression?!

Before John could speak, the Heroic Spirit spoke first.

The heroic spirit was dressed in a uniform similar to work clothes, with black sunglasses and gray-gold hair. Although he was quite good-looking, he inexplicably gave people the feeling of a "passerby NPC".

Perhaps he'd be a good candidate to be an assassin? After all, he can blend into a crowd with ease...

John thought it from the bottom of his heart.

“Hello…Hello!”

Seemingly because John's gaze was too direct, the Heroic Spirit spoke with a hint of impatience.

"I'm calling you! Are you my Master?"

(End of this chapter)