A Villain's Journey Begins in the Type-Moon World

Chapter 125: Florence

“Yes, I’ve reflected on it. I’ve kept a close eye on her changes every moment.” Wang Chong nodded, his expression quite serious. “That’s why we can’t overlook any detail, and we can’t underestimate the impact it has on us.”

"This time, it may be both a risk and an opportunity for Ritsuka... If she succeeds, her future potential will only exceed the limit that humanity has given her."

"Alright, I won't say anything more. They'll probably be heading to the Isle of Form today. I need to check things out carefully to avoid any mishaps."

Wang Chong transformed into a cloud of black mist and swiftly departed from the throne. Mordred watched him leave, then glanced at the sign beside him. The thought of having to run through the Sky Garden holding up this "Last Place" sign filled her with unease.

"However, Ritsuka should be able to pass those three checkpoints. I just really hope that Ritsuka breaks through them through her own willpower, rather than being influenced by some unseen force."

Mordred couldn't help but say:

"No matter what, it's only the second singularity. It's a bit far-fetched to expect the Shadow Servant to be able to reach a strength almost equal to, or even greater than, the original Servant. No wonder the Master is so cautious about this matter."

……

Roman palace

"The situation is worse than I imagined."

Nero sighed, looking at the Chaldean group who had been waiting for her, and said:

“I just met with the emperors again. According to the revelation I received from the Divine Ancestor, tomorrow’s divine punishment will be quite cruel.”

"Not only will one more messenger be added to the existing list, but after the next round of elimination, only the top three countries will remain, and all the rest will be eliminated. This means that only the countries that can have sunshine will be qualified to enter the final judgment day."

Upon hearing Nero's news, everyone was shocked; the current situation was extremely dangerous.

"If this continues, I'm afraid by the time the final judgment day comes, we'll have almost nothing left to fight them. According to our information, that divine messenger has more than ten followers!"

Dr. Roman quickly said:

"If we want to fight against them, we need to recruit at least 10 Servants. We should try to fight those Servants one-on-one while also freeing up enough people to fight that divine messenger."

"In that case, we absolutely cannot allow the remaining three kingdoms to be destroyed, otherwise, having lost our numerical advantage, we will have no chance of winning."

"I am well aware of this as well. This time, because I am the champion, my voice naturally carries more weight. At my suggestion, the emperors have indeed begun to consider whether to gather their troops and soldiers together."

Nero slowly said:

"But now we face the following problems: First, the emperors disagree on which territory to merge, as they all want to retain their own land. After some discussion, they were divided into two factions, one supporting the Divine Ancestor and the other supporting the rest. But ultimately, no consensus was reached."

"Secondly, if we merge, how should we cross the Black Mist Wall? I already learned from you how you crossed the Black Mist Wall, and I informed the other emperors of this information yesterday."

"Unfortunately, it seems only you can master this method. The other emperors don't possess the same perceptual abilities as Mr. Archer and the unseen magician." (The last line appears to be a fragment and doesn't translate directly.)

"Once they enter the wall of black mist, their five senses will be completely sealed. Even if they can move quietly without provoking the magical beasts, they will still be unable to discern directions."

"Third, even if we solve the above two problems and unite as one, how can we take the initiative to attack? The entire empire is shrouded in black mist, making it almost impossible to find that person's trace. And the opponent can wipe out an entire country with just a wave of their hand. It's unimaginable how we can defeat the opponent even if we gather everyone's strength."

Nero shook his head and then said, "They agreed to unite against the messenger of God rather than to see if they could withstand the final judgment day."

After hearing Nero's three questions, the three people present fell silent for a moment.

"There's always a way out. Let's go to the island of form first and see if we can get some important clues. Maybe we can find a way to solve these three problems."

However, Ritsuka quickly made up her mind and spoke very seriously to everyone present.

"Moreover, I actually have some ideas about the second question... Since Mr. Archer was able to lead us safely through the Black Mist Wall, could we take turns, with our arms around each other's shoulders, and explore a safe path step by step to lead everyone through the Black Mist Wall?"

Ritsuka couldn't help but ask.

"Are they standing in a line with their arms around each other's shoulders? If the Roman army is of high quality, it shouldn't be difficult to do that. All we need to do is act as the leaders and whisper the message to change direction at key corners. Perhaps we can get everyone away, or at least get those soldiers away without any problem."

Archer thought about it carefully for a while, and finally nodded and said.

"Hmm, that is indeed a good idea. If we can figure out how to solve the second problem, then the first problem will be easy to solve as well. As long as we have the ability to lead people out of the Black Mist Wall, then we can decide which country to merge with."

Nero smiled and nodded, saying:

"There's no time to lose. Let's go and give it a try. Only if I witness it firsthand and confirm its feasibility can we have a chance to persuade the other emperors."

……

Soon, Nero, Ritsuka, Mash, and Archer arrived at the edge of the black mist. Instead of immediately using the metal piece, Nero had Archer lead her into the black mist to experience the possibility of crossing the wall of black mist.

Archer then used his red shroud once again to explore, while the others followed behind him into the black mist.

"It's really dark. You can't see anything except the people in front of you and behind you," Nero couldn't help but complain.

"Shh, keep your voice down, Your Majesty Nero. Don't disturb the monsters in the black mist. Land is not like the sea; they are quite densely packed here."

Ritsuka glanced around and whispered a hint.

At the same time, Ritsuka sensed something was wrong once again. Just like at sea, she could still see her surroundings very clearly, as if the black mist had no effect on her at all.

Ritsuka wasn't sure whether to call this strange phenomenon good or bad news. After deciding to try crossing the wall of black mist a few more times, she informed the doctor, Mash, and the others.

Time passed slowly, and after about 20 minutes, the archer in front suddenly said, "We're out."

As the group behind them took a few more steps forward, they indeed felt their field of vision widen considerably. Although it was still very dark, it was exactly the same as Rome when the sky was shrouded in black fog.

This proves that they have stepped out of the wall of black mist and arrived in a new area.

"Your Majesty Nero, can you recognize where this is?" Ritsuka couldn't help but ask.

“Let me see… Ah, there looks like a city in the distance. Let’s go there and take a look; maybe we’ll find out something,” Nero said, pointing to a dark shape ahead.

As the group began to approach the city, Dr. Roman's communicator sounded again: "Phew, we've connected successfully this time. Looks like you've passed through the Black Mist Wall once more."

"Doctor, can you tell us our current location?" Mashu couldn't help but ask.

"You should be in a city called Florence now, the famous City of Flowers. Although the environment here doesn't quite look like the City of Flowers yet," Dr. Roman said with a hint of regret.

“It is indeed Florence. I still remember the architectural style here very well.” At this moment, the group arrived at the edge of the city and looked at the somewhat dilapidated city. Nero couldn’t help but say.

"This place was originally a retirement home for retired soldiers from Rome, so the city has very generous welfare benefits. I have been here many times and am very satisfied with the living environment here."

Nero smiled at first, then his expression turned slightly regretful:

"Unfortunately, since the Emperor's allied forces appeared a few days ago, captured this place, and were eliminated on the first day, the city that was once filled with happy smiles is no more."

“Don’t worry, Your Majesty Nero, everything will return to normal once things here are resolved,” Mashu said.

"Yes, everything will return to normal. Under my rule, this experience will only make me and my kingdom stronger!"

Nero nodded.

The others saw that Nero seemed to have misunderstood, but they didn't offer any further explanation.

"But this is actually the first city to be eliminated?" Mashu said with some surprise.

"Yes, that emperor seems to be from a later era, and I heard he was a benevolent emperor. That's why he chose this city as his base first, treated the Roman people under his rule well, and even treated other races equally."

Nero nodded and said, "Even I greatly admire his civil administration skills. It's just a pity that they were of no use under divine punishment, which only tests military prowess. In the end, he was the first to be eliminated."

"I see. But looking at the state of this city, although the buildings show signs of destruction, there are absolutely no signs of death... not even a trace of blood. It's too clean. Were all those people really killed by divine punishment?"

Mashu couldn't help but ask.

"I can confirm that for each divine punishment, at least the corresponding emperor was definitely dead. This is a fact described by the Divine Ancestor himself. The Divine Ancestor said that he had a way to determine whether those emperors were dead."

Nero looked around and said slowly, "But as for the rest, I'm not so sure... You're right, Mashu. This place is indeed too clean; it doesn't feel like a city that recently experienced divine punishment."

Chapter 126: Heading to the Island

After walking around the city for a while, I found that apart from some collapsed buildings, I didn't see a single corpse. Not to mention a corpse, I didn't even see any bloodstains.

Everyone in the city seemed to have vanished into thin air, not as if their lives had been taken. The scene was so bizarre that the Chaldea group couldn't help but let their imaginations run wild.

Ultimately, having gained nothing, they had no choice but to leave the city and head to the next Black Mist Wall.

"Could it be that other eliminated cities are in the same situation?"

Mashu couldn't help but ask. Everyone shook their heads; no one could answer Mashu's guess. They could only know the answer by seeing it for themselves.

After another half hour, they passed through the wall of black mist and arrived at the next city, named Medioland, located in the center of the Olona River plain, which was the most famous commercial city in the Roman Empire at that time.

Of course, it has a more prestigious name in later generations: Milan. Nearly half of the world's luxury goods originate from Milan, which speaks volumes about its economic and commercial importance.

However, the Mediola, a symbol of prosperity, is now suffering greatly.

The city was once a collection of luxury goods from that era: silk from the mysterious East, rare minerals and forged weapons from ancient India, gold and silver jewelry from ancient Egypt, and so on...

Now, as if plundered, everything had been looted. This caused Nero, the Roman emperor, to first show a look of regret on his face.

“All that gold should have belonged to me! And all those countless rare items should have belonged to me too! Now I have nothing left…”

Nero looked around and, finding nothing of value, lamented bitterly.

“Rin was able to produce so much jewelry before… could it all have come from here?” Archer stroked his chin, now he understood why Rin Tohsaka was able to fight such a wealthy battle before.

"Alright, alright, Your Majesty Nero, now is not the time to look for these things. The main thing is to see if these cities that have suffered divine punishment have left any clues."

While comforting Nero, Ritsuka continued:

"As it stands, both cities are like this, with no trace of corpses or bloodstains left behind. Either divine punishment is too terrible, capable of silently annihilating corpses and even blood, or there is another possibility that these Roman citizens have all been captured."

"Of course, they might have been buried as well. But based on the information we have so far, we don't yet know in what form the divine punishment will come."

"The clues are still as scarce as ever. Alright, Ritsuka, you need to head southwest now. After passing through another wall of black mist, you'll reach your destination, Marcia."

Dr. Roman's communication came through again at that moment, and he said...

"It's getting late, we need to arrive before noon. Then we can open the tunnel leading to Rome. That way, the Roman soldiers can quickly reach the city, which might help us better search for clues."

“That’s right, Your Majesty Nero, let’s leave. Don’t be reluctant to part with these things.” Ritsuka led Nero and the others away from Medioland again, and followed the doctor’s directions to cross the Black Mist Wall once more.

……

"This is Marcia, the famous port city of Rome."

After passing through the wall of black mist, Nero introduced the customs and culture of Marcia in the past, and led the group along the coastline to a port city that looked somewhat dilapidated.

Similar to the two cities seen before, although the buildings showed signs of damage, there was still no corpse to be seen inside, leaving only an empty city.

Fortunately, unlike the second city, Medioland, the supplies inside were not emptied out; there were still many uncorrupted seafood products in the farms.

At the same time, as a port city for trade, it also had a lot of goods from various places that were not cleared away, which allowed Nero's Roman legions to pick up quite a few leftovers.

“Hmm, I am very satisfied with this city as the location chosen for the iron plate to be opened up. You all are indeed my lucky stars.” Nero smiled slightly after a brief inspection.

Then, the group arrived at a wall of black mist closest to the city. Nero took out the iron plate he had obtained, and with a silent incantation, the black mist before them naturally parted, creating a passage wide enough to accommodate a dozen or so people.

Although the walls of the passage itself were also made of black mist, for some reason everyone could clearly see the internal structure. Moreover, it didn't seem to have a very far end.

The group looked at each other and tentatively ventured inside. After about ten minutes, a light appeared ahead.

As the group approached the light and stepped outside for a closer look, they discovered that sunlight was streaming down onto the earth. And in the distance was the familiar city of Rome. Had they already returned to the outskirts of Rome?

"You returned to Rome from Marcia in just over ten minutes? Do you know that you covered a distance that would take more than a week to traverse even on horseback in just ten minutes? That's unbelievable! Is it some kind of spatial magic?"

Dr. Roman stared in astonishment as the red dot on the screen jumped from Massilla to Rome, still wondering if he was seeing things.

“It’s true, Doctor. We saw Her Majesty Nero use metal plates to create this passage,” Ritsuka said earnestly.

“It’s truly incredible. But this is not good news, Ritsuka. You should understand that the more unbelievable things he can do, the greater the pressure we face when facing him.”

But Dr. Roman's expression was not relaxed at all; instead, it showed deep worry, and he continued:

"Thinking back now, even in such a critical situation, the strength of Mr. Wang Chong that we witnessed in the previous singularity was probably just the tip of the iceberg."

"Doctor, it's okay. No matter what, now that we've embarked on this path, we can't back down," Ritsuka said firmly.

"...? That's true, you're right. Ritsuka, your firmness makes me seem a bit too indecisive." Dr. Roman's eyes flashed with surprise, then he exhaled, as if to relax, and said. (The remaining text appears to be unrelated and possibly machine-generated gibberish.)

"So, Mr. Archer, Mash, and Your Majesty Nero, did you notice anything unusual about the passage we just walked through?" Ritsuka then began to ask the others about their experiences walking through the passage.

However, all three shook their heads, indicating that they did not feel anything special, as if it were just a simple passage.

As for Ritsuka, she could see the lurking monsters when she entered the Black Mist Wall before. But this time, after entering the newly opened passage, she could no longer see the monsters deep within the Black Mist.

Ritsuka didn't understand why there was such a difference between the two, and she planned to walk through it again later to experience it more carefully.

……

After returning to the outskirts of Rome, Ritsuka and the others ate the dry rations they had brought that morning for lunch in the countryside. Then they watched as Nero led a force through the passage to Massilla to reap the rewards of their victory.

Ritsuka and the others followed closely behind, entering the passage again and returning to Marsilia. However, Ritsuka still couldn't detect the difference after passing through the passage this time, and could only give up for the time being.

After Nero had arranged for the soldiers, Ritsuka and the others waited for Nero's arrival on a small boat at the dock.

"Hmm, such a small boat going out to sea. Are you sure it won't capsize in the waves? No wonder you said it can only seat four people," Nero said, looking at the rather shabby little boat.

"There's no other way, Your Majesty Nero. In order to avoid colliding with those magical beasts, the ship's hull cannot be too large, otherwise it will be easily detected by those magical beasts at sea," Ritsuka explained.

"Alright, alright, let's treat it as a fresh adventure. Let's go! Let's see what's so amazing about this island that you claim hides the truth."