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"Bind!"
The moment Shirō placed his hand on the ground and attempted to synchronize with the earth, a powerful repulsive force surged upward. His connection was forcibly severed, and a violent buzzing filled his mind, making it impossible to calm his thoughts.
After a long moment, Shirō finally stopped shaking his head. Panting slightly, he stared in shock at the empty space before him—or rather, at what lay hidden beneath it.
The underground Dragon Vein.
He had anticipated that the Dragon Vein's energy would be immense, but he hadn't expected it to be this overwhelming. A mere attempt at synchronization and analysis had nearly drowned his consciousness in an endless torrent of information.
If his body hadn't instinctively released the connection, he might have truly collapsed on the spot.
It was no exaggeration to say that it lived up to its reputation—energy capable of enabling time travel could hardly be ordinary. This power wasn't merely on par with a Tailed Beast; it was vastly more profound, more boundless.
However, this also meant that Shirō could not construct his Magic Workshop here.
At present, he had no way to control such a colossal energy source. Forcing the construction would be nothing short of courting death.
With a quiet sigh, Shirō inscribed a Magic Mark as a coordinate, then mounted his flying bird and departed.
Witnessing the Dragon Vein's power didn't mean he was abandoning it.
On the contrary, its value to Shirō had increased dramatically—so much so that it might even influence the final battle in the future.
Thus, in addition to leaving coordinates, Shirō arranged layers of suggestive magic around the area, subtly guiding outsiders to unconsciously overlook this place.
Unfortunately, this magic was ineffective against the people of Loulan themselves. The spell carried only faint guidance, and generations of living alongside the Dragon Vein had rendered them immune to such shallow interference.
Moreover, Shirō had no intention of provoking them.
Though a great deal of time had passed, the Dragon Vein ensured that this plotline remained vivid in his memory. He vaguely recalled that the Queen of Loulan possessed a special procedure—a unique jutsu—that allowed her to directly manipulate the Dragon Vein's power.
Until he had absolute certainty, Shirō would not act rashly.
Even if he seized control of the Dragon Vein now, it would be meaningless. His current magical foundation was far from sufficient to carry out such a plan.
In the end, Shirō only made preliminary arrangements.
Fortunately, intelligence from the village indicated that the people of Loulan rarely left their homeland or interacted with the outside world, making exposure unlikely.
Afterward, Shirō casually submitted environmental data about the surrounding region to the intelligence department, then left the Land of Wind and headed toward the other locations he had previously marked as suitable for constructing a Workshop.
Most of these sites lay within the Land of Rivers, with only a few promising Spirit Veins located in the Land of Fire.
There was logic behind this choice.
One day, he would inevitably begin that experiment. Just because he couldn't act now didn't mean he never would. Compared to the Land of Fire, the Land of Rivers was less contested and more convenient—though Shirō himself hadn't consciously realized this yet.
In truth, his subconscious had already made the decision for him.
He would become a Magician, not merely a Magic User who borrowed power.
Thus, even though the Spirit Veins in the Land of Fire were clearly superior, Shirō still headed without hesitation toward the Land of Rivers.
Along the way, he continued studying his magic scrolls. Regarding the construction of his planned Magic Workshop, only two issues remained.
One was purely magical and needed to be resolved as soon as possible.
The other was… special. Shirō didn't dare touch that domain yet and could only postpone it. Fortunately, it wasn't critical to the Workshop's main structure and wouldn't affect its construction.
Before long, Shirō arrived in the Land of Rivers.
He had five pre-selected locations here, but his understanding of their Spirit Veins was only superficial. To gather precise data, he would need to investigate them personally.
It wasn't difficult—no, not synchronization anymore. A simple magical detection would suffice.
Even so, despite the Spirit Veins here being far weaker than the Dragon Vein, Shirō couldn't help but feel lingering psychological trauma.
Reality proved even worse than he had expected.
In recent years, with the war coming to a halt, the Land of Rivers had experienced noticeable development—even while still suffering under the pressure of two great nations. Prosperity followed favorable conditions, and that progress had created unexpected complications for Shirō.
He intended to develop discreetly.
Yet the areas surrounding the Spirit Veins were densely populated, which was deeply frustrating.
Out of the five locations, two were already occupied.
There was nothing Shirō could do but abandon them.
Fortunately, the remaining three were of excellent quality—far superior to the two that had been taken—so the loss wasn't severe.
In the end, Shirō chose a site bordering the Land of Rain.
First, the area had once been close to a battlefield, leaving it sparsely populated—ideal for concealment.
Second, it lay at the intersection of four nations, making it exceptionally chaotic. Even if a few unfortunate souls stumbled upon Shirō's Workshop, silencing them would be easy.
Lastly, geography worked in his favor.
Chaos bred darkness, and darkness meant underground bounty stations.
Quick money.
And easy access to materials and instruments.
With the target selected, Shirō began preparations.
His first task was to quietly eliminate the local threats without alerting others, while simultaneously setting up layers of suggestive magic.
After all, this was a multinational junction filled with criminals in hiding. Fortunately, most were third-rate at best, requiring little effort to handle discreetly.
Shirō's battle was never meant to be intense.
It had to be silent.
Of course, he possessed a suitable Noble Phantasm for this task—one of relatively low rank, capable of repeated use.
Perfect for covert operations.
Combined with the groundwork Gray Snake had laid while gathering intelligence, the plan was flawless.
"Yew Bow."
Rank: D
Type: Anti-Personnel Noble Phantasm
A bow crafted from yew wood taken from the forest that once served as its wielder's base during his lifetime.
In Celtic and Nordic traditions, the yew is regarded as a sacred tree.
To fashion a bow from it symbolizes a ritual of unification with the forest.
The Yew Bow possesses the ability to instantly amplify—or forcibly expel—impurities accumulated within an opponent's abdomen, including toxins and disease. If the target has been poisoned, the effect can cause the poison to erupt violently, like ignited gunpowder.
This was the Noble Phantasm Shirō intended to use.
Gray Snake had already spread mild toxins among the targets. Though weak, this was precisely what allowed the Noble Phantasm's effect to be maximized.
It wasn't that Shirō lacked stronger poisons—but potent toxins were difficult to deploy discreetly. After all, he wasn't a poison master, merely someone with a passing familiarity with the field.
Thus, the plan relied on synergy.
The poison Gray Snake administered lingered quietly within the body, and under the activation of the Noble Phantasm, it would be released all at once.
In that moment, regardless of its original potency—
any poison became lethal.
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