IBHJ Chapter 900

Back in his room, Shirou sat on the bed, looking relaxed.

"Is this enough, Artoria-neesan?" Illya asked, looking at him.

First revealing his identity, then offering to give up God's Brain. At first, she was confused and shocked by his actions. But as an educated person who had studied for years, she quickly understood his intentions.

Revealing his identity was a way to seize control, like a salesperson offering a discount to a desperate customer. The customer becomes so focused on the discount that they forget everything else.

In simpler terms, it's like an internet troll using various tricks to lure others into familiar territory, then using their experience to manipulate the situation and ultimately defeat the opponent.

But...

"Are we really going to give away God's Brain?" Illya glanced at Aqua.

God's Brain was their ticket back to Chaldea. If they gave it away, how would they return?

"Of course not. It's all a bluff. I would never give Aqua away." Shirou smiled.

Aqua looked up at him, then back down, her expression as calm as ever.

"But if we don't give them God's Brain, they probably won't fall for it," Illya said worriedly.

"Geez, Illya, you're so stupid!" Mordred suddenly pouted.

"Huh?" Illya looked at her in confusion.

"They just want God's Brain, right? Who said it has to be this one?" Mordred pointed at Aqua.

Illya realized, "You... you mean to make a fake? But will that work? They can tell the difference just by looking at the item description."

"Normally, that's true. But succubi have an innate skill to replace the real with the fake, and the system recognizes it." she puffed out her chest proudly.

"Besides, Mom's goal in Zaun is to get class advancement. Using this strategy to keep these players occupied gives her enough time to level up safely."

"So, Artoria-neesan's real goal is to level up?"

"Right," Mordred nodded.

Illya stared at the smiling Shirou in shock. She had thought his goal was to avoid being hunted, but it turned out that completing the class advancement and leveling up while avoiding them was the real plan. This... this... She had thought Artoria's intelligence was on level three while hers was on level five, but it turned out Artoria was on level ten. Illya was speechless.

Shirou smiled, patting Mordred's head. "Not just that. We can also use this to see if any Chaldea players are among these people. If so, we can contact Chaldea."

"I see," Mordred scratched the back of her head, smiling. "As expected of Mom, you're amazing. I didn't even think of that."

Okay, she's on level twenty, Illya thought helplessly.

But...

"When did Artoria-neesan get so smart?" Illya muttered softly.

Shirou's ahoge twitched violently, and his face tightened.

It seems he had gone a bit overboard.

But this was inevitable. This situation was similar to the Fourth Holy Grail War. However, compared to then, he was now much better at manipulating people and controlling situations. Of course, this was partly due to the information from Illya and other players, as well as what Altera had told him about the game. For example, Shirou had learned about the Emperor's Conquest Guild from the players' bragging and Illya's explanations. Knowing that the final boss was Emperor Frieza, it was easy to understand the purpose of the guild. Thus, he could use it to restrain the One King and Sweet Little Girl.

However, he still couldn't understand why there were so many players in this game world. If these players were AI generated by the system, their emotions seemed way too complex. But it also seemed unlikely that they were players trapped by the Council from other connection points.

What exactly happened in this connection point? He didn't know and could only take it one step at a time.

After reassuring the adventurers, Shirou took Mordred to the Vampire King's castle to complete his class advancement. The players didn't interfere. This was understandable, since they believed Shirou had given up on God's Brain. There were easier ways to obtain it now, so why take unnecessary risks?

They let Shirou openly leave the inn.

They weren't worried about him escaping, because due to possessing God's Brain, the system would track his location. As long as Shirou hadn't truly given up the item, his whereabouts would be known to the players. So what was there to fear?

The Vampire King's castle stood in the center of Zaun, a blood-red structure shrouded in an ominous aura.

From the outside, it didn't look very large, but the interior was surprisingly vast, a clear indication of space-folding magic.

The Vampire King, a pale young man with an air of nobility, sat on his throne swirling a goblet of fresh blood.

"To receive the Ancestor's blood and complete your class advancement, you must first go to Thunder Cave outside the city and bring me the flesh of the Thunder Blood Bat," the Vampire King said.

[Class Quest: Go to Thunder Cave, defeat the Thunder Blood Bat, and bring its flesh to the Vampire King to complete the class advancement. (Thunder Blood Bat flesh 0/1)]

Good, finally a normal quest. Shirou had thought this game was full of sadistic plots from the designer, but unexpectedly, there was a normal task after all.

Thunder Cave was a low-level area, and the Thunder Blood Bat was its final boss. Shirou and Mordred left the Vampire King's castle. Many adventurers saw them on the way but didn't bother to stop them. In their eyes, he had already given up the God's Brain, so there was no need to pay attention to a mere newbie.

Shirou and Mordred headed to the Adventurers' Guild in Zaun City.

The Adventurers' Guild had something like the quest boards in other RPGs. Since they were going to Thunder Cave, it was a good opportunity to pick up some related quests.

The guild was bustling with activity, including many adventurers and players they had seen at the inn earlier. The front desk was staffed by several pale-faced vampires, quite fitting for the vampire capital.

Shirou walked up to the quest board and scanned it. The text was unfamiliar, but strangely, he could understand its meaning.

This connection point was as mysterious as Servants. Servants could gain knowledge of the current world and language through the Holy Grail, and in this world, adventurers could effortlessly communicate with each other and the natives.

Shirou looked at the quest board for a few moments and accepted some quests related to Thunder Cave.

"Hey, aren't you Evil Flower?" A few adventurers approached Shirou, recognizing him from the inn. Most were waiting for Illya to finish creating the lottery, but a few restless souls had gone out. After all, adventuring was what this game was all about.

"Here for some quests, Evil Flower?" a young adventurer asked with a grin. "Need a hand?"

Shirou politely declined, "No, thanks."

"Don't be so quick to turn us down," the adventurer persisted, his smile widening as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "We've got time to kill. We can help, and maybe even become friends."

While gear and items were important in this world, romance and love held their own allure. With the Emperor's Conquest Guild hogging the God's Brain, some adventurers figured they might as well seek a different kind of treasure.

However, Shirou's smile vanished, replaced by a cold glare. Whether he was in control of this body or not, he hated this kind of thing. These players had crossed a line.

Before he could react, Mordred stepped forward, removing the adventurer's hand. "Get your filthy paws off my mom's shoulder," she snapped.

"Uh... mom?" The adventurers looked at Shirou and Mordred in confusion. "I thought she was your sister?"

"Oh my, there seems to be a bit of a misunderstanding. She's actually my daughter." Shirou crouched down, patting Mordred's head with a smile.

The adventurer's face fell. "Sorry, I just remembered something I need to do..." He turned and quickly walked away.

"Hmph. Trying to hit on my mom, the nerve of some people. He got off easy," Mordred huffed, crossing her arms.

"Thanks, Mordred," Shirou said with a smile, ruffling her hair.

"Of course! I'll always protect Mommy!" Mordred declared proudly, puffing out her chest.

He looked at her proud expression and his smile softened. "Then I'll be in your care, Mordred."

"Mm." she nodded resolutely.