FATE: Target of Grand Master

"Why isn't anyone eating? This is really delicious, Mom can guarantee it."

Seeing everyone staring blankly at their bowls, Tiamat urged them on.

However, none of them dared to move.

"You...you guys are disgusted by Mom's cooking... *sobs*"

Seeing that Tiamat was about to cry, Xia Yan, as her Master, steeled himself and took a big gulp of soup.

As a warm current flowed down his esophagus into his stomach, Xia Yan was surprised to find that the taste was quite good, much like a stew of pickled cabbage, pork, and glass noodles.

"tasty."

The two simple words immediately brought a smile to Tiamat's face.

"I knew my baby trusted his mother, and I love him so much."

After saying that, Tiamat ignored the other people around and grabbed Xia Yan's head, put him in her arms, and stroked him with a smile.

Xia Yan wanted to refuse, but he couldn't push Tiamat away at all. After trying twice, he gave up completely and simply let Tiamat touch him until she was satisfied.

The others, seeing that Xia Yan actually praised the strange, unidentified substance in the bowl as delicious, suspected that Tiamat had put some hallucinogenic or bewitching ingredients in it.

"Xiao Shi, let me go first."

Sitting next to Linghu Shi, Arthur once again tested the poison for his master.

Like Xia Yan, Arthur only tasted a sip of soup before putting down the bowl.

"How is it?"

Wearing glasses, Linghu Shi missed the afternoon tea that Tiamat had prepared for Xia Yan and was indeed a little hungry.

Although this bowl of stew did look a bit strange, looking at Tiamat's genuine smile, she figured it wouldn't harm her Master. If Arthur ate it and didn't find it problematic, she wouldn't mind giving it a try.

"The taste is indeed very good."

Arthur picked up his fork, stabbed a piece of meat from some unidentifiable magical beast, and put it in his mouth to chew.

After swallowing, Arthur focused intently on sensing the changes within his body.

After a while, Arthur did not feel any discomfort. In fact, in addition to relieving his hunger, the fatigue of his spirit foundation and the depletion of his magic power were also improved to some extent.

With that, Linghu Shi was completely relieved and followed Arthur's example, drinking the soup before eating the meat.

Linghu Shi's other three Servants, Charlemagne, Richard, and Gawain, also started eating. Seeing this, Tiamat finally let go of Xia Yan, who felt like she was suffocating him, and happily returned to the pot, saying with a smile, "If you want more, you can tell Mom."

Seeing Xia Yan and Linghu Shi start eating, Tian Ye and Cai wanted to join in, but every time she saw the messy state of their bowls, she couldn't muster the courage.

"Master, let me go first."

Astolfo took the bowl from Tianye and Cai's hands, opened his mouth, and gulped it down.

Chew, chew...

Afu's eyes lit up instantly.

"Master, this is really delicious!"

"real?"

At this point, Tianye and Cai no longer doubted the taste of the food. The only reason they asked the question was to give themselves a little more confidence.

"Really, come on, open your mouth."

Afu took a spoon, scooped up a spoonful of soup, and brought it to Tianye and Cai's lips.

Looking at the dark green soup, Tianye and Cai gritted their teeth, opened their mouths, and swallowed the spoon full of soup.

Indeed, as others have said, this doesn't have the fishy smell one might expect; it only has the aroma of the meat itself mixed with the flavor of spices.

"Another bowl, please."

Xia Yan took the lead, and Arthur, Gawain, and Astolfo also ordered another bowl. Even Enkidu and Noah had to drink a bowl because of Tiamat's enthusiasm. Only Tianye and Cai's Ping Jingqing and Camilla had been in spirit form from the beginning to avoid this occasion.

After eating and drinking their fill, everyone discussed the battle plan for tomorrow. Although it was a meeting with everyone participating, basically only Xia Yan and Linghu Shi were speaking.

"Should we split up? She and I will launch a feint attack from the front, while Xia Yan, you take Tiamat and Enkidu and infiltrate along the route we used to escape last time."

The "she" that Linghu Shi was referring to was naturally Tian Ye and Cai. Although the three of them were currently acting together, Linghu Shi was not prepared to forgive this guy and didn't even want to mention his name.

"Our current fighting strength is not abundant. Dividing our forces will not have the effect of a surprise attack. On the contrary, it is likely to backfire and allow the Babylonians to defeat us one by one. Rather than that, we should attack directly from the front and defeat them in one fell swoop."

It sounds like Linghu Shi's tactics are more advanced than Xia Yan's, but being more advanced often means being more complex and requiring more room for maneuver, which is exactly what Xia Yan and his team are currently lacking.

At first glance, they already have as many as 10 Servants, but they are heading to the enemy's stronghold, and in addition to a large number of Babylonian soldiers, they will also have to face many more Servants.

The reason we can conclude that the Babylonians definitely had more Servants is because Draco said the following when he took Nebuchadnezzar II away: "Lost Servants can be summoned again."

Draco possesses the Holy Grail, making it incredibly easy for him to summon Servants. Blackbeard and Atalanta were likely summoned using the Holy Grail.

Unlike in a game, the enemies in the trial don't just follow a pre-designed program. Knowing that we already have so many Servants, Xia Yan is certain that the Babylonians will prepare even more combat power to deal with us.

Xia Yan and the others' ultimate goal was not just to defeat Nebuchadnezzar II, but also to defeat Draco behind him. As a beast, Draco was not someone that ordinary Servants could contend with.

With Morgan not present, Xia Yan's greatest reliance is Tiamat. Of course, Enkidu, Arthur, Charlemagne, and other Servants of Linghu Shi are also very important. Therefore, they must preserve as much magic power as possible while defeating Babylonian Servants such as Nebuchadnezzar II in order to deal with the "fallen" beasts that follow.

This is no easy task.

Xia Yan could only do his best to suppress Draco while praying that His Majesty Morgan would arrive soon.

After Xia Yan's analysis, Linghu Shi also agreed with the strategy of a joint frontal attack. As for Tian Ye and Cai, she was very self-aware and only said that she would fully cooperate from beginning to end, without expressing any other opinions.

After the meeting, the three of them each chose a room to rest and recharge.

Noah, having signed a temporary contract with Linghu Shi and being invited by her, went to a room with Linghu Shi. Enkidu, who could continuously replenish his mana simply by touching the earth and did not need sleep, took on the responsibility of keeping watch.

"Is there something you need, Ms. Tano Kazuya?"

Enkidu, who was standing alone near the door, suddenly spoke.

"As expected of Enkidu, even though I had Camilla bring me here, you still managed to find me."

Now that they had been noticed, Tianye and Cai walked out of the darkness without hesitation.

By the light of the moon, Enkidu could see the faces of Tano and Aya. Compared to dinner, her makeup was even more glamorous, as if she had no intention of resting at all.

"Don't misunderstand, I mean no harm. I just have a suggestion I'd like to discuss with you."

Although he didn't understand why Tano and Aya had deliberately put on makeup, Enkidu still maintained a good attitude towards the three Masters, Xia Yan and others.

"Please speak."

"You see, I am a Master, and you happen to be a lone Servant who needs to replenish your mana. Therefore, I would like to invite you to sign a contract with me, even if it's just a temporary contract. Would you be willing?"