FATE: Target of Grand Master

"Don't move!"

chug chug!

Shi's last impression of Linghu was before she slid into the pipe, because Linghu never came looking for her again after that.

After enduring a long descent through dark, confined, and foul-smelling garbage pipes, the poem finally appeared at a landfill.

Without even turning back to take another look at the research institute where she had lived since birth, Shi followed Linghu's instructions and ran in a direction far away from the institute.

After leaving the landfill, Shi quickly entered a forest, but before she had gone far, the guards caught up with her.

This is where storybooks come in handy.

Instead of rushing to escape, which would only expose his whereabouts, Shi found a hidden tree hole and quietly slipped inside.

While adjusting her breathing and recovering her strength, Shi carefully observed the movements around her.

Just then, Shi accidentally touched a piece of paper that had been folded many times inside the blue coat that Linghu had left her. After opening it, Shi finally learned everything.

Poem, I'm sorry, I dare not tell you the truth in person, I can only do it this way. If you don't discover it, it can only be said to be fate, and perhaps that's not so bad. But if you do discover it, it means that heaven believes you have the right to know the truth. Please prepare yourself, the following information may shock your understanding...

Simply put, poetry is actually an artificial person, an existence whose value is defined from birth, and that value is her body.

What the research institute does is to create and cultivate artificial humans like her, much like the livestock industry, and then sell them at the right time.

In fact, the institute's initial goal was to create bodies that could resist various diseases, which is why it began researching artificial humans.

In order to obtain experimental funding, the research institute would also sell some human tissues after successfully developing artificial human technology.

However, as time went on, the research institute discovered that selling these bodies was a far more lucrative business than studying bodies that were immune to all poisons.

From initially simply drawing blood for sale, to later harvesting human tissue, the artificial human like Shi was seen by others in the research institute as nothing more than a walking commodity.

However, compared to other androids, Shi has an unusually high resistance to poison, which led the research institute to conduct three more years of research on her cells and foundation. But in the end, she is just a commodity with a slightly higher value.

Compared to the black market for organs of dubious origin and the risks associated with human trafficking, these androids in the research institute are like poems, completely unnoticed. They have no family, no household registration, and no trace of their existence. They come into this world silently, have their organs harvested at the right time, and leave silently.

With low risk, high returns, and controllable quality, the institute's artificial humans have always been in short supply.

After reading the piece of paper, Shi was stunned for a full three minutes. During those three minutes, she felt like she had thought about a lot of things, and at the same time, she felt like she hadn't thought about anything at all. She felt like she wasn't herself anymore, because she couldn't even find the meaning of her own existence.

If Shi could have pulled himself together, evaded the guards' pursuit, and started a new life, it would have been a fairytale ending. Unfortunately, reality is never a fairytale.

Having lost the will to live, Linghu Shi was soon found by the guards after a thorough search and was brought back to the research institute.

Gone is her former optimistic and cheerful self. Like a puppet, she was put through surgery again, but fate seemed to enjoy playing tricks on her.

Just as she lay on the operating table, thinking she could finally be free, BB's Master Trial began.

At first, she was so self-destructive that she even mutilated herself during the Master Candidate Trial, trying to find relief in this way. However, when her blood dripped onto the ground, it just so happened to activate the Heroic Spirit Summoning Circle.

"Servant Saber, true name Arthur Pendragon, summoned as requested. Are you my Master?"

Upon seeing the blond-haired servant who called himself Arthur Pendragon appear before her, Shi felt an even more unreal feeling than when she learned that she was a homunculus, and her self-destructive mentality began to waver slightly.

"May I ask your name, Master?"

When asked her name, Shi wanted to answer that she didn't have one, but a gentle face suddenly appeared in her mind.

That's Linghu.

A name that has always treated me gently and tried to give me freedom, a benefactor and a mother figure.

"Linghu Shi, my name is Linghu Shi."

At that moment, Shi decided to inherit Linghu's surname, because that way, she would feel that Linghu was still by her side.

"Linghu Shi. It's a bit of a tongue twister, but I've memorized it."

Arthur's answer was concise and powerful.

"Little Poem, every life has its value and meaning, which cannot be denied just because you are a man-made product. Besides, if we're talking about deliberate creation, I seem to exist in the same way."

As she went through one trial after another, although Shi still carried a sense of despondency, with Arthur's encouragement, she gradually found meaning in continuing to live.

Since I'm already a worthless person anyway, I might as well struggle to my heart's content in this equally damned Master Trial.

Linghu Shi suddenly opened his eyes, finally waking up from the nightmare.

Arthur, who had been sitting beside her with his eyes closed, opened them at the same time and said gently, "Having another nightmare?"

Linghu Shi nodded slightly.

Not wanting to continue on that topic, Arthur immediately changed the subject, saying, "Would you like some water?"

"it is good."

Linghu Shi sat up, and a bottle of water was immediately handed to her.

Taking the water Charlemagne offered, Linghu Shi gulped down several mouthfuls, only then feeling some of the malice brought by the nightmare dissipate.

"Little Shi, don't be afraid. If you dream of any monsters or anything like that, we'll chase them away for you."

Although Charlemagne's words of comfort were somewhat naive, they still warmed Linghu Shi's heart.

"Then remember to call me when the time comes," Gao Wen added.

"Alright, then you guys take care of killing the monsters, and I'll protect Xiaoshi closely," Richard said with a grin.

Seeing the several boys around him giving him sunny smiles, Linghu Shi suddenly remembered something he had once said.

"Some things, even if they are destined tragedies, must be faced."

Now, she wants to add one more sentence to that statement.

"Perhaps, even when faced with it, tragedy is not necessarily predetermined."

While Xia Yan and his companions were resting, the Great God Tower on the other side was unusually lively. To relieve his frustration from the defeat, the King of Babylon summoned all the city's dignitaries and held an extremely lavish banquet.

Nebuchadnezzar II sat on his throne, drinking heartily from a golden vessel of sweet wine. Below him were four separate seats, and further down were the many dignitaries and nobles of Babylon.

Halfway through his drink, Nebuchadnezzar II, still unable to swallow his defeat, threw the golden vessel to the ground.

clang!

clang!

clang!clang!clang!

The golden vessel bounced a few times on the floor, which was also made of gold, before lying quietly to one side.

The unfinished wine in the vessel was absorbed by the red carpet, leaving a dark red stain.

Nebuchadnezzar II's outburst brought the lively assembly to a standstill. The previously boisterous atmosphere froze instantly, becoming so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Only the four men sitting in separate seats just below Nebuchadnezzar II's throne continued to speak calmly.

"Speaking of which, isn't there a big battle tomorrow? Is it really appropriate for us to relax like this today?"

The girl with animal ears on her head wiped the sword in her hand and asked somewhat boredly.

"Haha, there's nothing wrong with it. Live for the moment, that's the way to enjoy life. It's just that the wine in Babylon has a rather low alcohol content."

The young man sitting opposite him tilted his head back and took another gulp of wine.

"Ah, why are we surrounded by such vulgar and uncouth people? Is there no noble person in Babylon at the height of its prosperity?"

"The glamorous woman sitting next to the man drinking sighed."

"I think anyone who knows who you are wouldn't dare call themselves noble. Besides, in Babylon, there are many wealthy people, but as for nobility, you probably can't find a single one."

After complaining, the man tilted his head back and took another sip.

The girl with animal ears grinned mischievously, "You've included King Nebuchadnezzar in your calculations too."

"Hahaha, I've had too much to drink. Wang won't stoop to the level of someone talking nonsense while drunk. Hiccup!"

To show he was drunk, the man even let out a burp.

"It's rare to have so many people gathered here, so how about I hold a concert?"

Seeing that the other three remained silent, the last of the four, a girl with rose-red hair, made a suggestion without considering the occasion.

"no."

"Please spare me."

"Then I'll take my leave now."

The other three all expressed their denial.