Thanks for the invitation. I'm in Type-Moon, inheriting the legacy of Zi-O.

"Hmm..." Indeed, if you look closely, you can see the difference in color between the Dragon Tooth Soldiers and the Skeleton Soldiers. Nian Zhuo couldn't help but stroke his chin and think wildly.

"This time, I'll just be a spectator." Nian Zhuo lay down on the grass. "Mash and Ritsuka, let me see the bond and teamwork you've cultivated!"

"Mmm!" Ritsuka and Mashu nodded excitedly, exchanging a smile. "We're going to go, Mashu!"

"Yes!" Mash nodded in acknowledgment and raised her shield. "Captain Drake, I'm counting on you for backup!"

“OK~ After all, I’m your captain.” Drake drew his flintlock pistol and instantly shattered the heads of two Dragontooth soldiers.

In today's battle, only Nianzhuo was slacking off.

Thunder roar

Well, Nianzhuo, lying on the grass, had mixed feelings.

After fighting to the death with those who were truly formidable enemies, these Dragon Fang soldiers now look rather pitiful.

—Because it is just too weak.

As Mash and Ritsuka gradually got used to it, their teamwork became more and more seamless.

Sometimes, Mash only needs a glance from Ritsuka to understand her instructions.

“This isn’t some kind of protagonist’s halo…” He scratched his head, looked at the few remaining Dragon Fang soldiers in the distance, and whistled. “This is the trust and bond that the two of them have cultivated.”

"Crack—" The last Dragon Fang Soldier's body was slammed into the ground by Mashu's shield, and it seemed that Nian Zhuo's last words had not reached it.

—Perhaps there's simply no way to convey it.

"Phew~" Mashu instinctively tried to wipe the sweat from her forehead, but she couldn't feel a drop of moisture. "The battle is over, Master, and Mr. Nianzhuo who's been slacking off all this time..." In the latter half, Mashu's eyes were sharp as knives, causing Nianzhuo to break out in a cold sweat.

"Hahaha~ Well, this is part of growing up~" Nian Zhuo hurriedly laughed it off, and couldn't help but sigh as he watched Mashu's gaze soften.

“Then, I’ll set up the terminal.” Having found a flat spot, Mash laid her shield flat on the ground.

"...Hmm?" Meanwhile, far away in Chaldea, Mary rubbed her eyes and looked back at the screen. "It seemed like just now..."

"What's wrong?" Mash picked up her shield from the ground. "Are there still enemies around?"

“No, it’s probably just my imagination.” Director Mary lay back in her chair. “You can set up the terminal points as before, Mashu.”

“I understand. Then—” Mash replied, about to place the shield on the ground again.

One by one, magical orbs emerged from the shield and began to spin rapidly.

The magic array overlapped layer upon layer, and white beams of light emerged from within it.

"Hi everyone!" From within the magic circle, Leonardo da Vinci's image twisted and appeared. "Leonardo da Vinci's concise and easy-to-understand lesson is about to begin!"

"Wow! That's amazing." Nian Zhuo looked at it from left to right, never expecting that magic could be used in this way.

"You are now living in the golden age of the Age of Exploration." Ignoring the ever-moving little rascal, Leonardo da Vinci cleared his throat and began to explain to Ritsuka and Mashu, who were already sitting there like curious little children, "Many things flowed in from the East, and Europe began to race towards the New World. One of the things they acquired during this period was spices. Nutmeg, cloves, and black pepper... that is, black pepper."

"And pepper, on the other hand, is an essential ingredient when eating rotten meat. In this era, it is more valuable than gold." Suddenly, Leonardo da Vinci's image blurred slightly, and the voice switched to the communication device that Chaldea had given to the three of them.

"What do you think would happen if you tried to give Captain Drake the pepper shaker I sent you?" The devil's whisper made Nian Zhuo's forehead break out in a cold sweat.

"You heartless merchant!" Although she wanted to shout, Nian Zhuo chose to remain silent in order to maintain Chaldea's image.

"Go try it!" Da Vinci was still trying to bewitch the two originally well-behaved girls.

“A well-behaved girl like Mashu would never do that, right?” Nian Zhuo closed his eyes, seemingly to avoid the trouble. “As for Ritsuka, although she has a lively personality, she has a basic sense of right and wrong…” Before Nian Zhuo could finish speaking, Drake’s scream came from not far away.

"No way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Drake looked at the small bottle that Ritsuka handed him, opened it, and smelled it a few times before his eyes turned into circles and he swayed and collapsed.

"Ah..." Ritsuka shakily picked up the pepper shaker from Drake's hand and looked at the fallen Captain Drake. "Ah, she's passed out."

"Isn't that interesting? Huh?" Nian Zhuo just wanted to stay away from this shrewd merchant who loved to stir up trouble. "Remember to take the pepper shaker back, okay? We can't let a little prank disrupt the market. Looks like the summoning circle is set up, you can use it to your heart's content!"

Then, a snow-white beam of light shot straight into the sky, and azure magical ripples shimmered on Mash's shield, which was lying flat.

“Summoning circle established.” Mash said, hiding the pepper shaker behind her back. “Spirit point setup complete.”

"Ah, right, right. Nianzhuo~" Mary, finally regaining control of the conversation, opened the communicator. "We've also found the results regarding the pirate flag you submitted earlier—"

"Ah, thank you for your hard work, Mary." Suddenly sitting up from the ground, Nianzhuo finally heard a useful clue. "Quick, tell me, whose pirate flag is it?"

However, the magic circle on the shield that Mash had placed on the ground suddenly began to tremble, and the fluctuations of magic power became intermittent.

Mary's communications were naturally affected considerably, making it even difficult for Nianzhuo to hear her clearly.

"That flag belongs to the legendary great pirates [...]." The voice trailed off, until finally, even with Nian Zhuo pressing his ear to the communication device, he couldn't hear it clearly. "In other words, that group of pirates is known as [...]..."

"Mary? Mary?" Nian Zhuo tapped the communication device uncertainly, noticing that Ritsuka and Mashu were in the same situation. "The signal seems a bit weak—Mary? Mary?!"

Then, with a "beep," Mary's communication was completely cut off, but the set spirit point survived.

"The communication was lost." Mashu couldn't help but ask worriedly, "What happened...?"

At the same time, Nian Zhuo seemed to notice that Mashu's figure was swaying. Not only Mashu, but it seemed that everyone around them was swaying.

No, it's not them moving, I'm moving too... Is this an earthquake?!

"Ahhh...!" Mashu swayed and almost lost her balance, but was caught in Nianzhuo's arms just before she fell to the ground. "Nian... Mr. Nianzhuo?! Earthquake...?"

"I know." With a simple reply, Nian Zhuo pulled Ritsuka, who was about to fall, into his arms, squatted down, and covered the heads of the two girls. "So squat down and hold on tight, don't move."

"Get down!" Drake was extremely relieved that they were on a flat plain. "This tremor was incredibly powerful!"

The earthquake didn't last long, and the shaking gradually subsided.

"Hmm..." Shaking off the dust, Nianzhuo looked at Mash and Ritsuka, who were unharmed beneath him. "Are you two alright?"

"...It seems...it's stopped." Drake pulled his captain's hat over his shoulder and looked around at the now calm scenery. "Are you all alright?"

"I'm fine!" Ritsuka stretched out her hand from under Nencho and waved it. "Neither Mashu nor I are hurt!"

Then, Nianzhuo got up from the ground and casually brushed the dust off Ritsuka and Mashu.

“I’m fine too.” Drake looked around at the many trees that had fallen due to the earthquake with slight concern. “Compared to the raging waves, this is just a breeze. But I’m worried about the ship and my men. You don’t mind going back, do you?”

"Okay." Mash nodded and picked up the shield from the ground. "Let's do it this way."

After traversing the devastated plains and collapsed jungles, Drake and his companions once again embarked on their journey back.

Accident-prone sea voyages

Having finally made it back to shore and seeing the intact boat, their hearts, which had been hanging in suspense, were finally put at ease.

However, even more trouble was yet to come.

Mashu patted the communication device in her hand, her eyebrows furrowing slightly. "Although the summoning circle has been set up, the communication still doesn't seem to be restored." After observing the empty beach for a moment, she sighed helplessly, "We'd better leave here."

However, the pirates who were supposed to stay on the ship instead formed a circle around it.

"Huh?" Drake looked at the pirates not far away and asked loudly, "Hey! What's wrong? What happened?!"

"Boss." Upon seeing Drake, the pirates were initially overjoyed, but then dejectedly patted the deck. "...The ship won't move."

"Huh?" Drake's mouth twitched as he examined his beloved boat. "The mast is fine... nothing's broken, is it? Are you sure the boat is damaged?"

"I mean!" the pirate slapped the deck again, raising his voice this time, "The ship can't move an inch!"

“…Sorry.” Turning back to Ritsuka and the others, Drake couldn’t hide his anxiety. “You guys wait here for a bit.” Then, quickening his pace, Drake also rushed towards the Golden Deer.

"No, it won't move." Drake groaned as he stepped on the hull, sounding impatient. "The ship itself should be fine. But—it's like it's been bound by something, fixed in place. What's going on?" He then looked at Ritsuka and the others who had arrived. "Ritsuka, Mash, or Nencho. You guys should be pretty good at solving these kinds of problems, right?"

"Hmm...is this some kind of barrier?" Recalling the magic knowledge Mary taught her, Ritsuka said with an uncertain tone, "It could also be caused by some kind of magic..."

“Yes, I agree with the previous point.” Mash also glanced around. “It seems that the area around us is covered with barriers. Although it’s a level that I, as a Demi-Servant, can easily escape from, the ship itself is not so simple.”

“…Hmm.” Nian Zhuo nodded as well. Even though it was faint, the slight sense of pressure emanating from him was not a lie.

"Besides, if we don't defeat the person who created the barrier, things will stay like this forever." Mashu also pointed out the consequences.

"What should we do?" As expected of pirates, they reacted in such a short time.

“The only way we can escape is to find this person and defeat him.” Ritsuka ruffled her orange hair, her tone resolute. “Otherwise, we have no other way to escape.”

“Very well, since you say so, you must be right.” Drake still placed complete trust in the three of them, and waved to the pirates behind him, “Guys! You wait here!”

"No, Boss! We want to go too!" The pirates pounded on the ship's deck, unwilling to give up. "We can lend you a hand!"

"Stop causing trouble!" Drake roared, carrying out her instructions. "Just rest here quietly for a while. The sea is your stage, don't waste your energy now!"

"Yes, sir!" Those who had reached out all withdrew.

Seeing this, Drake felt reassured and joined Nianzhuo and the others on their journey to find the caster.

Having traversed jungles and sandy terrain, Nianzhuo and the others had almost circled the island.

They even found a fortress on the island, but unfortunately, there was no one inside.

Next, Nianzhuo and his companions entered a vast, uninhabited desert.

"This place is really disappointing," Drake said, idly twirling his flintlock pistol. "There wasn't a soul in sight at that fortress either."

“Speaking of which,” Mashu said, unusually asking, “the reason why there are man-made structures on this kind of island is also a mystery.”

However, in Mashu's eyes, the pattern of the fortress gradually matched something in her memory.

“This style…could it be…?” Mashu’s gaze swept over a different spot.

"...Hmm?" Mashu asked uncertainly, "Is there a cave on that rocky mountain?"

"Okay! Let's go in and investigate." Ritsuka mustered her courage and took a step into the fortress.

The three people who followed her also stepped into the cave.

However, to everyone's surprise, it happened.

Inside the cave, there was no gloomy cavern or dark underwater scene.

Instead, the snow-white walls provided decoration, and torches gradually illuminated the path ahead.

"Where is this...?" Ritsuka looked at the whitewashed walls around her and asked in confusion.

Seriously, officer?

Looking at the wide, white stone walls around him, Nianzhuo felt his blood pressure rise slightly.

"Eh~" Drake, on the other hand, touched and looked around with curiosity. "Is this what they call an underground labyrinth? It's really great, my pirate blood is boiling!" After saying that, he walked deeper into the labyrinth with great interest.