He was imprisoned in Nibelungen for a thousand years, only to find out upon his release that he was

A strange familiar.

However, it's just strange.

There are plenty of other magicians' familiars in this city, so they're not worth paying too much attention to.

......

some corner of the city.

The crow flapped its wings and flew down, landing steadily on a figure's shoulder.

On Odin's shoulder.

He stood silently in the shadows, his single eye piercing through the buildings, surveying the entire city.

A mechanical, monotonous voice slowly emanated from His mouth, as if a device of fate was analyzing something.

"That monster... is still getting stronger."

"A cage... I'm afraid it's difficult to confine them."

"Through your rituals...we will solidify it..."

His voice was flat; the grand ceremony meticulously planned by the Ancestors of the Dead Apostles was, in His eyes, a superb tool.

A crow cawed twice on his shoulder.

After speaking, Odin fell silent again, like a cold statue.

......

at the same time.

Nibelungen.

Standing outside the base, Lu Ming felt the surge of pride he had just mastered as he practiced his inch-force technique.

Suddenly, as if he had foreseen something, he raised his head and looked at the distant horizon.

"Ok?"

He squinted, and on the distant horizon, something seemed to be... constantly emerging?

One after another.

Countless linear protrusions rose from the earth, like...

City walls? A massive city?

Lu Ming frowned.

What the heck?

Volume 1: Chapter 72 I understand, this is Bronze City (3k)

Within Nibelungen, if one stands on the high ground outside the base, one can clearly see massive city walls rising from the ground on the distant horizon.

Like steel bars emerging from the depths of the earth, they have fragmented this land, treating all living beings as perpetual prisoners in a cage.

The city walls were very high and wide, and if you looked closely, you could occasionally see a dark metallic luster, with ancient runes hidden within them faintly discernible.

Lu Ming's pupils contracted slightly.

This luster... it's somewhat like the unique, dark metallic sheen of recycled metal? And this kind of city that moves on its own also looks quite familiar to Lu Ming.

His heart sank suddenly, and an unexpected thought flashed into his mind.

Is this Baidi City?

Speaking of White Emperor City, a city modeled after Nibelungen, one must mention its original owners, the Bronze and Fire Lords, Norton and Constantine. In the original Dragon Raja, the brothers' fate... was not so good.

Lu Ming recalled the plot of the original work: Norton died, Odin consumed Constantine's dragon bone cross, and afterwards Odin's avatar displayed astonishingly high temperatures, clearly having successfully usurped Constantine's "power".

If these sprawling city walls are truly part of Baidi City...

Does that mean that Tang's identity was exposed and he was killed, which means... the two brothers, the King of Bronze and the King of Fire, both suffered at Odin's hands?

But why did it turn out this way? Was it the butterfly effect caused by his time travel?

But Lu Ming didn't know what was going on outside, so even if he wanted to investigate this matter in detail, there was no way to find out.

More importantly, the situation has worsened, and Odin's actions are even more reckless than before! To deal with enemies, He is turning against His own brothers and sisters without any scruples!

Thinking of this, Lu Ming's back instantly broke out in a cold sweat. A chill that went deep into his bones shot up his spine to the top of his head.

Although it was expected, Odin finally revealed his ruthlessness without any attempt to hide it—the kind of ruthlessness that would even kill his own kind, his own brothers and sisters.

Lu Ming clenched his fists, took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself down.

The more I thought about it, the more panicked I became, feeling like I had thorns in my back.

Odin is already so strong, and now that he has taken action against the brothers who are the Kings of Bronze and Fire, he will inevitably become even stronger, and his strength will definitely reach a new level.

And what about yourself?

Although I have been making progress during this time, it's nothing compared to Odin's immense strength and profound resources...

Perhaps after learning the One-Shot Technique, Lu Ming still held a sliver of hope. But this glimmer of hope was instantly extinguished by the worsening situation caused by Odin's increased strength!

This can't go on any longer.

Faced with the current situation, we must... figure out a solution. Just panicking and getting desperate is tantamount to sitting and waiting for death.

Lu Ming turned around and strode towards the base.

His steps were heavy; what had been a joyful stroll due to his progress in martial arts had turned into a return journey filled with gloom and pessimism.

......

at the same time.

The construction site inside the base.

Inside the workshop, magical light and shimmering runes flickered in the corners.

Aozaki Touko was engrossed in reinforcing the base's defenses, using her magic pen to rapidly and meticulously draw intricate runes on the ground.

Caster Skadi stood beside her, a faint aura of icy coldness surrounding her. She was responsible for assisting with the rune work in other large areas.

At that moment, the purple-haired goddess suddenly paused, as if she had noticed something from outside the window.

Is it interference from the primordial runes? Why does the aura feel so strange?

She closed her eyes slightly and began to perceive the changes in this world using a similar runic technique.

However, the deeper Skadi sensed it, the more surprised she became.

This is......

In a short period of time, the richness and intensity of the rules in the Nibelungen were significantly increased. The entire world became more solid and interconnected.

It's as if something is constantly pulling in more and more external elements to seal off this Nibelungen.

The entire "cage" was constantly expanding and multiplying, just like upgrading from a simple wooden cell to a large prison made of reinforced steel.

Who could be behind this? Who has such supreme authority and such skillful rune manipulation to do this?

That's so hard to guess.

Skadi's heart skipped a beat.

It really is fate.

As for why they did this, it's obvious that it was for that "end device".

Skadi knew perfectly well what was going on.

She was originally in the "enemy camp" of the "End Device". Or rather, from the moment she "joined", she was already labeled with a negative tendency by fate.

Before that, things were alright. Although they were locked up in this strange prison world, at least they could still move around and get by day by day.

When the Holy Grail War ends someday, she will be able to temporarily escape her suffering, return to the throne of God, and then pray that fate will not pursue her "aftermath" in a higher dimension.

But now, fate says:

Things are different now; I need to step up my efforts!

The entire Nibelungen region is being fortified and sealed off.

If things continue like this, the rules of the Holy Grail War will likely become completely ineffective, fading into insignificance. Heroic Spirits and Gods who fall into this place will face field-level seals, and even if they are released from their current state, they will be unable to return to the outside world...

Simply put, even in the best-case scenario, he would end up like everyone else, a "life inmate."

There will never be a chance for them to get ahead.

As for a comeback? Don't even think about it.

Skadi slowly opened her eyes, her gaze filled with helplessness and frustration.

No, what terrible things did she do?

Could it be that my curiosity about the Holy Grail War and my decision to enter this world have violated some inviolable divine law? Why does fate have to torment me like this?

"what happened?"

Aozaki Touko, who was standing next to her, noticed that something was wrong with her.

Orange stopped carving, straightened up, and exhaled a smoke ring while holding a cigarette.

Seeing Skadi's dejected look, she thought for a moment, then suddenly understood something and immediately offered words of comfort:

"Are you worried about being enemies with Odin? You don't need to be so worried. I've heard that the Holy Grail War is often a 'battle of acquaintances'. Plus, you two are gods, so you can take a more relaxed view of many things."

Orange thought that Skadi was feeling troubled and pressured because she had to make an enemy of someone she knew, Odin.

Skadi shook her head upon hearing this.

She thought to herself, "If it really is Odin on the other side, that would be better."

No matter how much Odin likes to manipulate things, at least He can communicate and reason.

But fate...

Those are the supreme, mechanical rules. There is no emotion, no logic.

Purely human-machine interaction.

You can talk yourself hoarse, but she's just stubborn. What to do?

Look at this time, fate wants to lock us up here and torment us for the rest of our lives. Who can stand it?

"It's not Odin's problem."

Skadi was too lazy to tell the truth, lest she speak out of turn and be targeted by fate.

She sighed, her tone revealing an undeniable weariness, "...The hope of escaping this world is too slim."

Orange raised an eyebrow.

Escape? She hadn't thought that far ahead.

Orange's top priority right now should be to figure out the situation and uncover more of the truth. As for everything else, survival is the most important thing.

Besides, she's the type who's never settled down, and she's traveled to many places throughout the year, experiencing even the worst living conditions.

In Nibelungen, is it like being in jail?

I don't feel anything.

This place is so big, isn't it quite spacious?

—The master and slave failed to communicate at the same frequency.

but......

After thinking about it, Orange realized that staying here and working in silence wasn't a solution.

“In that case,” Orange put away her carving brush and dusted off her hands, “let’s go find Lu Ming and discuss a plan together.”

In her view, the suggestion was pertinent, insightful, and in line with team spirit. After all, according to procedure, such an important matter should definitely be discussed in a meeting.

However, Skadi's mood worsened upon hearing this.

Should we meet with Lu Ming to discuss countermeasures?

If I were to be tasked with taking the initiative and breaking free from this cage, wouldn't that be tantamount to me attempting to take action against the supreme being of fate?

Skadi felt her heart sink instantly. She was probably still relatively low on fate's "hunt list." But if she joined in, actively defying fate... wouldn't her ranking jump dramatically?