Chapter 50: You Evil Cult Heretic (Fourth Update, Debt Repayment)
The Scarlet Card gradually dissolved into a ball of blood-red liquid, which floated midair, rotating slowly.
The blood-red liquid spun faster and faster, and after over ten seconds, a blood-colored vortex appeared.
After using Die's Scarlet Card, there were three chances to draw items. It was possible to draw items from Die's storage space, or her equipment or skills.
Su Xiao had drawn both items and equipment before. As for skills...
He strongly suspected that skills of the deceased could never be drawn from Scarlet Cards—at least, he couldn't draw them.
Bubu Wang poked his head around in front of the blood-colored vortex, looking nervous. After all, this was a third-rank contractor's Scarlet Card.
"It's time to show your skill, Bubu."
"Woof!"
Bubu Wang puffed out his chest. At this moment, he wasn't a dog fighting alone—there were two of them! If Su Xiao knew what Bubu Wang was thinking, he'd pull out the oversized slippers.
Under Su Xiao's expectant gaze, Bubu Wang swallowed, stuck his head into the blood-colored vortex, and began sniffing the items inside.
Su Xiao waited silently. But minutes passed, and Bubu Wang still hadn't retrieved anything. Instead, he had shoved most of his body into the vortex, leaving only his hind legs kicking in the air and his fluffy tail wagging left and right.
Suddenly, Bubu Wang's tail stopped wagging. He pulled back, his whole body emerging from the blood-colored vortex.
Su Xiao focused on what was in Bubu Wang's mouth. It was the item Bubu Wang had spent several minutes selecting. The dog held a small figurine, and from Su Xiao's angle, he could see the base of the small statue.
"Is it a prop?"
Su Xiao took the "small figurine" from Bubu Wang's mouth. It felt soft to the touch. When the full appearance of the "small figurine" came into view, his hand froze.
[You have obtained Luban No. 7 Hand Model (Collector's Edition)]
The scene was extremely awkward. Su Xiao examined the big-headed figurine in his hand, feeling a strange sense of familiarity.
"Is this... a character from some mobile game?"
Su Xiao suddenly remembered—wasn't this the character from the mobile game Bubu Wang had been playing? To play that game, Bubu Wang had even bought a piece of equipment that could connect to the real world's internet, though it couldn't transmit information externally and had many restrictions.
Although Su Xiao had mentally prepared himself before opening the Scarlet Card, pulling out such a novel item left him momentarily stunned.
Su Xiao could only accept the fact. He had once drawn an adult product—a vibrating rod—so a game figurine was nothing. Besides, judging by Bubu Wang's expression, he seemed to like it, so it had some value.
"Continue."
Su Xiao set the figurine aside, and Bubu Wang resumed drawing items from the blood-colored vortex. There were still two chances left.
Having learned from the first attempt, Bubu Wang's drawing speed noticeably increased.
[You have obtained Dior Christmas Limited Edition Lipstick Set (Five Pieces).]
This time it was lipstick. Su Xiao shook his head. This wasn't equipment, just an ordinary item.
[You have obtained Alice's Invitation Letter.]
The blood-colored vortex disappeared. Su Xiao held a pure black envelope in his hand, its opening sealed with wax.
[Alice's Invitation Letter]
Origin: Unknown
Quality: Unknown
Type: Invitation Letter
Effect: Unknown
Rating: Unknown
Introduction: An invitation letter, inviting you to enter...
Price: ???
Su Xiao examined the invitation letter in his hand. Although he didn't know its function, his intuition told him it might be quite valuable.
Su Xiao tried to open the invitation letter, but the envelope seemed sealed shut, impossible to open.
Noticing this, Su Xiao hesitated for a moment, then attempted to tear the envelope open by force.
Gripping the envelope with both hands, he exerted force. The veins on his forehead and arms gradually bulged, showing how much strength he was using.
Crack, crack, crack~
The invitation letter wrinkled under the strain. The tearing sound was unsettling, but the envelope remained undamaged. Half a minute later, Su Xiao's face flushed red, and he reluctantly gave up.
"Haah, haah, haah~"
Su Xiao gasped for breath, his flushed face returning to normal. This thing was surprisingly tough. He, who could tear apart a mech with his bare hands, couldn't do anything to it. This made him even more certain that this item was no ordinary thing.
"It seems brute force won't work."
Just as Su Xiao was studying how to open the envelope, the phone in his pocket rang. He took it out, and the number displayed was actually "Unknown." He was a bit speechless. First, the item's function was unknown, and now the incoming call number was unknown too.
Su Xiao answered the phone. He didn't speak first, and the person on the other end didn't speak either.
"..."
"..."
Both sides remained silent. This silence lasted a full three minutes.
"Emiya Kiritsugu?"
Su Xiao broke the silence first. Only Old Shenfu knew this number. He had previously asked Old Shenfu to contact the Einzbern family, hoping to reach Emiya Kiritsugu through them, as Emiya Kiritsugu was the Einzbern family's son-in-law.
Neither Old Shenfu nor the Einzbern family were likely to contact him with an unknown number. The former had no need to do so, and the latter would disdain or be too proud to do so. After all, they were a major mage family; hiding their identity when contacting others would invite gossip.
Therefore, the only person who would contact him with an unknown number was Emiya Kiritsugu. Emiya Kiritsugu didn't care about reputation. In that man's eyes, as long as the result was good, no matter how dirty or despicable the method, it didn't matter.
"It's me. Contacting me through the Einzbern family—do you want to join forces?"
At this moment, Emiya Kiritsugu was in a manor on the outskirts of Fuyuki City. Except for necessary situations, he wouldn't stay in Fuyuki City.
"Yes, join forces."
A smile appeared on Su Xiao's face. If it had been a day ago, he would indeed have joined forces with Emiya Kiritsugu, given the pressure from the third-rank contractor.
If Emiya Kiritsugu had contacted Su Xiao then, he might even have negotiated using the Holy Grail's ownership as a bargaining chip. Unfortunately, the other party had taken too long to consider. The third-rank contractor had already been driven back, and Emiya Kiritsugu had missed an opportunity.
"If we join forces, what do I get? And how can I trust a Servant who turned his own Master into a monster?"
"What can you get? How about the Holy Grail?"
"..."
Emiya Kiritsugu was in the manor's dining room, having a meal with his wife and female assistant. Saber sat upright nearby.
After some time together, Saber and Emiya Kiritsugu's compatibility had grown increasingly poor—so poor that they rarely spoke.
At this moment, Emiya Kiritsugu had set the phone to speaker. There were no outsiders in the room; everyone present was involved in the Holy Grail War.
Hearing Su Xiao mention the Holy Grail, Emiya Kiritsugu's wife, Irisviel, looked incredulous. The female assistant beside her snorted dismissively.
"You're willing to give up the Holy Grail?"
Emiya Kiritsugu squinted. Although the person on the other end of the phone spoke amiably, he sensed danger lurking everywhere.
"Why wouldn't I be? In most cases, it's the Masters who pursue the Holy Grail. A Servant like me has no interest in it. What, should I wish to be resurrected? Coming to the present world means killing for fun, just like I did 'in life.'"
Su Xiao began to spin a tale. He was luring Emiya Kiritsugu out. He owed Old Shenfu a favor, and if he didn't get something back, it would be a loss.
Hearing Su Xiao's words, Emiya Kiritsugu and the female assistant's expressions didn't change, but Irisviel and Saber's faces darkened, especially Saber's.
"There's no need to negotiate. Cooperating with such a villain is too risky."
Saber spoke softly.
"Is that Saber? Don't treat me like I'm deaf. Killing makes someone a villain? How many people did you kill in your lifetime?"
"Evil cult heretic."
"Heh~ What's wrong with being an evil cult heretic? In my view, knights equal fools."
"What did you say!"
Saber stood up. Although she knew this was the enemy's provocation, no one could insult the word "knight."