FATE: Target of Grand Master

After the familiar sensation of spiritual transfer subsided, Hu Xia returned to his safe house.

"Welcome back, Hu Xia. Are you hungry? I made meat sauce noodles, matcha Swiss rolls, and coffee pudding."

Boudica poked her head out of the kitchen and said gently.

"Yay! I want a matcha Swiss roll and milk."

Hu Xia happily sat down at the dining table.

"I want spaghetti bolognese."

Artoria Alter (Lancer) followed closely behind.

"I'd like to try something different this time. Give me a bottle of sake and some snacks to go with it."

Katniss also pulled up a chair and sat down.

Of the four who returned, only the newcomer Zenobia seemed somewhat reserved.

"Sit down. You can tell Boudica what you want to eat, and she'll make anything."

Hu Xia pointed with his fork to the empty seats remaining on the table.

"Haha, I wouldn't dare say I can cook everything. But I can handle most everyday meals."

Boudica walked to the dining table with a tray and placed the food the group had ordered on it.

"Boudica? Is she the queen who led Britain in its rebellion against the Roman Empire?"

Boudica nodded slightly.

As a queen who also rebelled against the Roman Empire, Zenobia immediately felt that she had found compatriots here, and her restraint lessened.

"Then please give me any dairy dessert, thank you."

"Okay."

Boudica smiled and walked back to the kitchen.

"Is Lady Murasaki Shikibu staying in her room again?"

Hu Xia asked.

"Yes, I heard she's researching a new technique. I've already sent her afternoon tea to her room."

Boudica then brought out two cans of yogurt, placing one in front of Zenobiano before sitting down herself to rest and enjoy the same yogurt she had given Zenobiano.

Zenobi picked up a spoon, scooped up a spoonful, and put it in his mouth. His eyes lit up immediately.

Delicious! And the flavor is very close to that of Middle Eastern cooking methods.

It's clear that Boudica specifically chose flavors from her hometown for her.

Tears welled up in Zenobi's eyes, startling Boudica, who had been expecting praise from him.

"Huh? Is it not to your taste? That shouldn't be the case. I tried it, and it was quite delicious."

Zenobia waved his hand repeatedly and smiled at Boudica.

"No. This yogurt is delicious; it even reminds me of the taste of home."

To show that he wasn't just flattering her, Zenobia quickly ate several more bites, which finally brought a smile back to Boudica's face, who was a little nervous.

After quickly finishing a can of yogurt, Zenobi suddenly stood up and bowed deeply to Hu Xia, leaving Hu Xia, who was enjoying a Swiss roll, completely bewildered.

"I'm sorry, Master. I misunderstood you during the final match. I thought you would abandon me to recruit Xia Yan, which caused me to lose the composure a warrior should have during the final match. If I could have remained calm, you should have been the one to win, Master."

After listening to Zenobi's apology, Hu Xia nodded very seriously and smiled, "Yes, I accept your apology. Your performance in the final match was indeed not outstanding. However, even if you stay calm, we still probably won't be able to beat Xia Yan and the others."

Why?

Zenobi was somewhat unconvinced.

"Because of Morgan." Hu Xia didn't shy away from Artoria Alter (Lancer) sitting next to him. "Artoria, you should be the one who feels this the most. In the final match, you performed at about 80% of your strength, but Morgan probably only performed at about 60%. And Katniss didn't gain any advantage against Cú Chulainn Alter either."

Artoria Altera (Lancer) quietly slurped her noodles, offering no rebuttal, which was taken as tacit agreement.

"Hmph, that's only because I haven't used my full strength yet. You haven't forgotten that I have two Noble Phantasms."

Katniss tilted her head back, downed a glass of wine, and slammed her hand on the table.

"You're not the only one with two Noble Phantasms."

Hu Xia took a sip of milk and continued, "From what I've observed, the Noble Phantasm Xia Yan used when fighting you wasn't his Berserker Spirit Origin Noble Phantasm at all, but Lancer's. So he at least has two Noble Phantasms. Perhaps..."

Hu Xia recalled that Cú Chulainn possessed two Noble Phantasms when he manifested as Lacner.

"He may have three Noble Phantasms. In short, this Servant is also very strange and should not be underestimated. As for Nero, although she is slightly inferior to the previous two Servants, the benefits brought by her Imperial Privilege still have a lot of room to be utilized, making her a rare and excellent Servant."

buzzing~

Just as Hu Xia was about to remind his followers not to be careless, his phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated several times in a row.

Hu Xia took out his phone with some impatience and started reading the messages.

The message came from a chat group called "Seven People Who Love Each Other".

Gudako: BB's trial was really ruthless. My Master group members have instantly decreased to less than 5,000.

DaoB: You should be content with 5,000 left. I only have a little over 2,000 left.

Human love: I'm pretty much the same.

Type-Moon Heavy Industries Technical Team Leader: I don't even have a thousand left, but there's nothing to miss.

I want to do the high jump: BB has really helped us a lot this time. I just asked BB about the current number of survivors, and there are only 24,000 left. The total number of our six groups has exceeded half of the total number of surviving Masters, which meets the conditions for entering the second phase of the plan.

Gudako: Is it finally going to begin? I've been really curious about what the second phase of the plan will be.

DaoB: Wait a minute, there's someone who hasn't said a word yet. He's usually the most enthusiastic. Quickly report on your situation. @Onlookers

When Hu Xia saw that someone had called on him, he knew he had to say something.

She checked the number of people online in the Master Group chat over the past 24 hours, which was over 500. Compared to the other five Master Groups, it was still the smallest. However, before and after this special trial, the "Knights of the Round Table" had the smallest decrease, only a quarter.

Having roughly figured out the number, Hu Xia started typing in the "Seven People in Love" group chat.

Onlookers: Wow, this is really lively today. I just got back to the safe house and haven't even had a hot meal yet, and they're already discussing moving on to the second phase.

Dao B Dao: Stop with the nonsense and tell me about your situation.

Netizens: Brother Dao, can you speak a little more gently?

Dao B Dao: I've always talked like this.

Spectator: Okay, then I don't have anything to say. Anyway, my group has always been the smallest of the six major groups, both before and now. Also, if I remember correctly, when our group was formed, all seven of us were equals. The way you're acting now makes it seem like a leader is asking subordinates to report. I don't like that!

Dao B Dao: Would it kill you to say a number? @Onlookers

Netizens: Would it kill you to speak properly? @刀B刀

Knife B: Fine, say it or not, it's up to you.

Human Love: Alright, both of you, say less. We're comrades who're going to walk this path together to the end, so let's prioritize harmony.

Type-Moon Heavy Industries Technical Team Leader: Exactly, internal strife is a major taboo.

The chat group fell silent. Neither Hu Xia nor the person in the group called "Dao B Dao" spoke again, clearly unwilling to back down.

Just as Hu Xia was about to put her phone aside and focus on enjoying her matcha cake, the seventh person in the group, who hadn't spoken until now, suddenly sent a message.