DOTM: Chapter 610/612

Chapter 610: Self-recommendation

Shirou's knowledge of magecraft was not just poor. He only knew the bare minimum.

Precisely because he refused to abandon the training method he had stuck to for many years and did not ask Illya for detailed knowledge about magecraft, he still did not know that his method of applying his Magic Circuits was incorrect.

After finishing his usual training, Shirou lay on the floor recovering his strength, while Artoria walked over and greeted everyone.

Since Ethan had already expressed his intention to take her to another King Arthur's world to see the sights, she was no longer in a hurry to leave and had gradually adapted to this peaceful daily life.

"Good morning."

"Good morning!"

After greeting them, Shirou had also recovered some strength and got up to prepare breakfast.

At this time, Sakura, who usually arrived at the Emiya residence on time, also came. She was still here to help Shirou prepare breakfast.

"Good morning, everyone."

They had met yesterday and introduced themselves. Although Sakura did not know why the Emiya household had so many foreign guests, she did not press for details. Because there were so many people, she did not pay too much attention to Artoria's presence.

It was not until she was cooking with Shirou that she learned through casual conversation that the little girl named Illya was actually his adoptive father's biological daughter.

"Oh, so she is your sister? Are these all her family and friends?"

"Uh... not entirely."

Shirou did not know how to explain that Illya was actually his older sister. Fortunately, Illya did not mind this issue.

Because her body had long stopped developing, Illya was used to being treated as a child.

Everyone had gathered in the dining room, sitting there and watching the young man and woman busy in the kitchen. Not a single one of them had the thought of going over to help.

Not only did they not want to help, but Ethan even added to the trouble.

"Sakura? How is Medusa?"

Sakura, who was cutting vegetables, suddenly paused. From Ethan's direction, he could only see her back, but her shoulders clearly stiffened, indicating that his sudden question had startled her considerably.

Shirou, standing next to her, could see her condition more clearly: a stunned and slightly pale face.

"Sakura? Are you alright?"

"Oh, I am fine, Senpai."

Then, controlling her expression, she turned around and replied to Ethan with a smile, "Well, I do not quite understand what you mean."

"Your Servant, Rider Medusa. Did she leave, or is she staying and living at your house?"

Sakura was the Master of the unseen Rider Medusa. In fact, the head of the Matou family, Zouken Matou, known as the Old Worm, had made many secret plans.

This included transforming Sakura into a pseudo-Holy Grail and a whole host of other things. Unfortunately, all these plans were rendered void under Ethan's rule distortion, and even the Old Worm himself died due to the rule change, because Zouken was maintaining his life, which had already reached its end, through magecraft.

Without Zouken's planning and control, Sakura's situation improved significantly, including her modified body returning to normal.

At the same time, due to the distorted rules, the control of Medusa had originally been transferred to Shinji Matou, but because of the distortion, the magecraft item, the False Attendant's Book, was destroyed. Shinji did not have aptitude for magecraft and could only control Medusa through this tool, so Sakura regained ownership of the Servant.

Furthermore, because only Sakura in the Matou family treated Medusa relatively well, this Heroic Spirit had a better impression of and more recognition for Sakura. Therefore, without being restrained by others, Shinji could not do anything to Sakura anymore.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense. Just as Sakura was thinking about how to answer, Ethan spoke again.

"It seems Medusa did not leave, and she is very concerned about you." Ethan looked up at the roof, his gaze seemingly piercing through it. "Do not break through the roof to come in. Just come through the main door. We have no ill intentions."

In just a few seconds, a woman over 1.7 meters tall, wearing a black minidress, with a pair of long legs and long purple hair, walked in.

This woman's eyes were completely covered by a blindfold, but not being able to see did not affect her movements. She easily avoided various obstacles and stood next to Sakura.

"Medusa?" Scáthach looked at this Rider Servant who had not appeared before. "Is it because of the Pegasus?"

The legendary Pegasus was Medusa's child, so she could control the fantasy beast Pegasus very well. Her Noble Phantasm, Bellerophon, is a charge attack against enemies where she and Pegasus act as one.

"No need to be nervous. The Holy Grail War has been destroyed, so we do not need to fight."

Sakura, who happened not to have been involved in the previous events, had no idea what had happened. Perhaps Zouken knew something, but the Old Worm was already dead and gone, and even if he knew, he could not tell Sakura or Shinji.

So this Master and Servant pair had no idea about the current situation. Medusa had only recently discovered that several Servants were gathered at Shirou's house, where Sakura often visited. She had been secretly following to protect Sakura out of concern for her safety.

It was not until Ethan briefly explained the situation that Sakura looked at Artoria, who had been sitting there, with a surprised expression. "So this is Senpai's Servant?"

She did not particularly care about the other people or Servants. Only Artoria, as Shirou's Servant, interested her greatly. The reason was not particularly special. It was just because Artoria was a very beautiful and cute girl, nothing more.

"Yes, this is Saber."

Although he knew her true name, Shirou had not changed his habit yet.

By this time, Sakura also realized how abnormal the people present were.

That seemingly beautiful and cute little boy was actually a god. The tall and beautiful older sister next to him was the daughter of Zeus, also a demigod, and the little boy's girlfriend... Uh, was the age gap not a bit large?

She had not even sorted out the connections when she was shocked by the truth that the girl named Illya, whom she thought was Shirou's sister, was actually his older sister.

"So she is your older sister?"

"Her situation is a bit special, so her body stopped developing many years ago." According to Ethan, Illya was now like a normal person, which meant she could grow up... right?

There were also Cú Chulainn and Scáthach from Celtic mythology. Shirou's Servant was the famous King Arthur.

"King Arthur is actually..." Sakura quickly realized that her reaction was not very polite and immediately apologized to Artoria.

"It is alright. Many people have this reaction."

Afterward, she also learned that Rin Tohsaka was one of the Masters participating in this Holy Grail War, and the Archer Servant she summoned was Shirou from the future who became a Heroic Spirit.

"That is amazing, Senpai!"

She seemed amazed that Shirou would become a Heroic Spirit in the future, but for some reason, she suddenly felt very unhappy deep down. Although Sakura had a beautiful smile on her face, everyone present felt that the aura around this girl had become much darker.

"Actually, according to Ethan, Emiya can be considered me from another parallel world. My future might go in a completely different direction."

Such strong survival instinct.

Ethan was not the only one who thought this way. In a trance, the dark aura around Sakura slowly disappeared, and the dining room seemed to return to its previous state. Everyone ate breakfast while chatting, and as a result, the meal lasted until noon.

Clearly, Shirou and Sakura did not go to school today. In their current situation, they could not continue to be ordinary students.

As various matters were laid bare, there were many problems that needed to be resolved.

Ethan was taking Artoria to another King Arthur's world. Should Shirou go along?

Also, Ethan was taking Illya to school. As the only younger brother, should Shirou also take care of her? Moreover, Ethan had already listed Shirou as a candidate for chef, so taking care of him appropriately was not a strange thing. As for the age, it was not a big deal. Ethan could easily solve it.

If Shirou left, Sakura would likely have some thoughts. As for the young lady Rin, who liked to join in the fun, she definitely would not be willing to be left behind alone.

What was originally a casually decided matter seemed to be turning into a group activity, and there were still some small issues that needed to be resolved before it could actually happen.

For example, at noon, Kazama Ryu, who had specifically come to find Ethan after learning he was back, was a bit surprised by Ethan's childlike appearance, but he quickly returned to normal.

"You want to become my Reincarnator?"

Kazama Ryu adopted a very humble posture. Facing a powerful deity like Ethan, who was completely on a different level, he had no right to put on airs.

"I have undergone a lot of specialized training and learned basic swordsmanship and magecraft. I am definitely more suited to the role of a Reincarnator than ordinary people."

"Why do you want to become a Reincarnator?"

Kazama Ryu did not hide his ambition at all. "When a person encounters such an opportunity and meets an existence like you, it would be too foolish not to seize it."

Ethan nodded. When an ordinary person encounters an opportunity to ascend to the heavens in one step or even become a god, who can remain indifferent? Kazama Ryu was just making the right choice at the right time.

He tilted his head and thought carefully. Ethan felt that training a Reincarnator subordinate seemed quite good.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 611: Conscience in the Lord God

Ethan had a completely different reason for thinking of training a Reincarnator compared to other main gods.

Other main gods trained Reincarnators more as subordinate gods, while Ethan hoped to cultivate someone who could enter and exit different worlds and help him bring back different powers and rules.

As his power and life entered a new level, Ethan now wanted to improve further. Besides increasing his magic power and mastering more types of power to expand his mental universe, he also needed to comprehend various rules, especially the unique rules of certain worlds, which could broaden his horizons and provide mutual reference.

Of course, Ethan could do these things himself, but it would undoubtedly be much easier if someone helped collect them, especially in worlds that had some unique characteristics but were quite boring for the current Ethan. He could let the Reincarnator handle that work.

"You must be clear about one thing if you want to be my Reincarnator."

"What?"

"I do not have a Reincarnation Space."

Ethan spread his hands. He did not have a mature Reincarnation Space that could issue missions, settle accounts, and distribute rewards, while also serving as a resting world. Although he had become a god and mastered some rules, creating a Reincarnation Space from scratch was not something he could do casually.

Moreover, creating such a world required vast energy, and he was still looking for vast energy to complete his physical growth.

"Uh..."

Kazama Ryu felt a bit disappointed. He thought Ethan was rejecting him.

"However... if you do not mind the trouble, I can actually do something similar to a Reincarnation Space."

"Similar?"

"What is the biggest function of a Reincarnation Space?"

Kazama Ryu's mind was quick, and he immediately thought of the answer.

"Sending Reincarnators to various worlds."

The biggest function of a Reincarnation Space is not the settlement and distribution of rewards, nor the ability to exchange various abilities and items, but sending Reincarnators to all sorts of worlds.

As long as they have a bit of sense and the advantage of knowing the plot, Reincarnators can do quite well in most worlds.

"If this can be achieved, whether there are reward points and exchange stores is completely irrelevant, because there are more than enough benefits in those endless worlds."

"I can send you to some worlds, and in return, you just need to help me bring some things back. Other than that, I will not assign you any mandatory missions, nor is there any mechanism for erasure. Naturally, I will not give you any rewards either, you can only strive for what you want on your own."

Ethan thought for a moment, realizing this did not seem to incentivize the Reincarnator to work hard and improve, so he added, "Of course, if what you bring back satisfies me, I will not be stingy in giving you a satisfactory reward."

"Sounds like a transaction?"

"A Reincarnation Space is a transaction to begin with. It is just that Reincarnators have no room to bargain with the main god."

Only Reincarnators who have grown to a certain level are qualified to bargain face-to-face with the main god. The vast majority can only follow the rules set by the main god and do things honestly.

Compared to them, Kazama Ryu undoubtedly got a great advantage. He was very lucky to meet Ethan, a main god who had not grown up yet. Although the main god at this stage is far less powerful than those mature main gods, precisely because his power is not strong enough, he will not directly exploit ordinary Reincarnators like those mature main gods do. That is why, as an ordinary person, he could stand here and discuss face-to-face with Ethan.

"With such good terms, there is no way I would not agree."

Ethan nodded. He did not bother signing any soul contracts or similar things with Kazama Ryu. For him, this was just a casual move he thought of on the spur of the moment. It would be great if it worked, but it did not matter if it did not.

If Kazama Ryu grew up and became his excellent helper, he certainly would not treat him unfairly. Not to mention giving him his own resources, he could even help him go to specific worlds to get things he did not have but needed, or even help him occupy a world as his personal territory.

If the two decided not to continue cooperating after a brief transaction, Ethan would not hold a grudge or complain. Anyway, the things both parties wanted were already listed in this transaction. After getting what they needed, if they did not want to cooperate anymore, they could just part ways amicably.

If he did not cultivate and wanted to be an ingrate, Ethan had countless ways to make him regret it. With Ethan's current strength, even if he died, his soul would suffer endless pain and torment. He could even be sent to reincarnation and continue tormenting him in different ways.

"While you have this time, go back and think carefully, and come up with a reliable plan."

"Plan?"

Ethan looked at Kazama Ryu's rarely seen puzzled expression. This transmigrator, who always seemed very shrewd and calm, looked more like an ordinary person at this moment.

He thought that they had reached an agreement, and the next step was to see what Ethan needed, then send him to that world. As for whether he could do it and what benefits he could get in that world, that completely depended on his own ability.

If he succeeded, Ethan would bring him back, and then they would proceed with the next mission.

Under normal circumstances, this is indeed how it should be done.

However, Ethan did not want to train Reincarnators in such a simple and crude way like a true main god. A true main god has thousands of Reincarnators in their hands, and they only pay a little attention after these Reincarnators show potential.

There are also those like Madeleine, who select some pleasing individuals for focused training, but more often, it still depends on the Reincarnator's own ability.

Ethan was different. He had just accepted this nominal Reincarnator, and he was reluctant to use him as a consumable.

"Your current strength is too poor. You need to improve yourself. Go back and study some things properly. You cannot learn all of Kojirō Sasaki's swordsmanship, but he definitely knows how to lay a foundation for you... You do not need to study Medea's magic too deeply. The magic of this world is completely unusable in other worlds. You just need to understand it appropriately."

Ethan gave simple instructions, and after Kazama Ryu understood that Ethan was deliberately looking out for him, a hint of joy flashed across his face. Ethan was very willing to train him, and he seemed to see a bright future beckoning him.

"Also, you can think carefully about what kind of world is suitable for you to undergo basic training and improve your strength. For the initial worlds, I do not expect you to bring back things like world rules. I will be quite satisfied if you can bring back some relatively special power seeds."

"Power seeds?"

"It is the cultivation method for certain powers and a sample of that energy. If you cultivate it yourself, as long as you can return, I can also extract a sample of this energy from you."

"I understand."

This kind of mission was indeed not very difficult. The most crucial thing was that it did not conflict with Kazama Ryu's own interests at all. He wanted to become stronger himself and would also cultivate some powers. As long as he could remember the cultivation method for this power and cultivate it to a certain extent, he could return.

"Then, the last question, how should I return?"

"I will specifically give you an item. This way, you can contact me through that item in the future. Including returning and departing again, I can help you accomplish it through this item."

Ethan could be said to have considered things quite thoroughly. Where could you find such a good main god? Kazama Ryu now felt like he had been hit squarely by a huge pie falling from the sky, and it had even slid directly into his mouth. Just when he was starving, he ate his fill.

This made him feel a bit floaty when he left the Emiya household. Ethan was even worried that he might get too happy and end up being hit and sent flying by a sudden rush of a small truck halfway. That would be truly tragic.

After seeing off Kazama Ryu, who had come to recommend himself, Ethan returned to the house and found no one, but he quickly confirmed that everyone was staying in the dojo.

With his current perception ability, he could know everyone's location without specifically searching.

He just did not expect these few people to be gathered in the dojo, actually teaching Shirou, excluding Sakura and Medusa, who were purely watching the fun.

Ever since it was decided they would go to other worlds, Illya had been various degrees of dissatisfied with her foolish younger brother's weak strength. Whenever she got a chance, she wanted to give him a good lesson, starting with reviewing his basic magic knowledge.

Especially that incorrect method of using magic circuits, Illya was almost angered to the point of spitting blood when she learned how Shirou used his magic circuits. This was not just a matter of poor strength, it was simply reckless.

She did not know about Kiritsugu's painstaking efforts. Now, she just wanted to give her idiotic younger brother a good scolding.

Watching Illya in the dojo mock and ridicule the exhausted and sweaty Shirou in various ways, Ethan was very worried that Illya would suddenly blurt out, "My foolish little brother, hate me! Only then can you become stronger..." and then Shirou's eyes would turn blood red...

"Did you mention to them that these magic spells cannot be used in other worlds?"

Scáthach, who was happily watching the fun from the side, waved her hand indifferently. "Some magic can be used even if slightly modified and separated from the Root. Besides, I found that this child named Shirou has good talent. It would be a waste not to train and cultivate him properly."

Ethan suddenly understood why Illya was unhappy. His talent was clearly good, yet his strength was so poor. It was a huge waste. That is why she especially wanted to unearth Shirou's talent.

"Since Illya is training Shirou, should we go to the Land of Shadows first?"

"Are you in such a hurry?" Scáthach deliberately looked at Diana nearby. "But is it appropriate to mention these things in front of her?"

"..."

(To be continued.)

Chapter 612: Land of Shadows

Although she was joking, Scáthach had no intention of stalling and directly used magic to let Ethan know the location of the Land of Shadows.

Ethan possessed very powerful spatial teleportation abilities, and using teleportation magic to go to the Land of Shadows was much more convenient than opening the Gate of the Demon Realm himself.

That move was not only too flashy but also quite tiring.

"Together?"

After confirming the location of the Land of Shadows, Ethan glanced at Diana beside him, and Diana's answer was very straightforward.

"Of course."

She believed that Ethan would not actively do anything, but according to the legends about Scáthach that she had specifically collected, this one was not someone to be trifled with. If these two were left alone in a place without outsiders to disturb them, Ethan would definitely be completely devoured by this person. Ethan would not actively do anything, but if someone who fit his preferences actively presented themselves, the possibility of him refusing was not very high, unless that woman had offended him before.

From this perspective, even though Madeleine had shown goodwill to Ethan many times, as long as she could not completely cripple him with her strength, she would never succeed, because Ethan was a petty person.

Madeleine chose the wrong approach from the start. If she had approached Ethan through friendship, leaving him with sufficient goodwill, then even if there were some special quirks, they could be treated as private pleasures between the two.

Her mistake was wanting to suppress Ethan from the beginning, and Ethan clearly had a personality that responded to gentleness but not force. Coupled with his vengefulness, basically Madeleine would never be able to succeed.

Understanding this, Diana specifically came to take a look, her purpose being to witness what a higher-level existence was like.

Hearing about it and seeing it with her own eyes were completely different. Being able to see it firsthand would more or less give her some enlightenment, which was why she insisted on coming along.

Incidentally, to guard against a certain person who liked to impersonate a beautiful girl from making a move on Ethan.

After saying hello to Shirou and Illya, Ethan directly took Scáthach and Diana to the Land of Shadows.

For Illya and the others, Ethan just suddenly disappeared with two people, without any dazzling light or mysterious symbols and patterns, which was not impressive at all.

However, Medusa and Artoria, who were present, were both amazed by Ethan's strength. Compared to Artoria, Medusa understood more about magic and was more full of praise.

Unfortunately, Ethan did not get the chance to enjoy these praises or the admiring gazes of several beauties. The scenery in his sight instantly changed from Shirou's dojo to the desolate Land of Shadows, where everything was black and white. If the two people beside him were not still in color, he would have suspected that he had suddenly become severely colorblind.

"This is the Land of Shadows?"

"Yes."

Diana was also looking around, seeing the desolate appearance of this place, and thinking that Scáthach lived alone in such a world.

"You have been living in a world like this? Spent so many years alone?"

"It was not so desolate at first, but slowly I was the only one left." Scáthach looked into the distance, seemingly reminiscing about her past life.

Ethan glanced around. Just hearing about the life Scáthach had lived for so many years felt terrifying. Anyway, he did not want to try it at all. This was not training where you emerge after closing your eyes for thousands of years. Although Scáthach had become a demigoddess, besides reaching a high level in strength, her living habits were still no different from a human's.

To spend so many years alone in a desolate place... no wonder she was so intent on being killed by someone.

Diana suddenly understood why Scáthach liked to stay on Artemis. Although she did not show it on the surface, she probably felt a little lonely deep down. As for why she did not go to the human world to live if she felt lonely, besides the responsibility of being the guardian of the Land of Shadows, perhaps she also understood one thing. The lifespan of ordinary humans is limited. When she invested emotionally only to watch the other person pass away decades later, that was not a good experience.

There was no such trouble on Artemis. There were no short-lived beings on the ship. Even if someone died accidentally, Ethan had the means to resurrect them.

It was precisely because of this that Scáthach was willing to open up her heart a little and interact with everyone.

Watching Ethan casually stroll around this desolate land, gradually walking a bit further away, Diana glanced at Scáthach beside her and suddenly did not mind her staying on Artemis so much anymore.

If only she did not provoke Ethan.

As if seeing through Diana's thoughts, Scáthach turned her head to look at Diana beside her, and then looked at Ethan in the distance.

"Truly excellent warriors are qualified to enjoy everything they desire."

Diana almost got a vein popping on her forehead from the seemingly provocative words, but Scáthach's subsequent words calmed her down.

"Only the warrior himself can decide what he wants."

Many people knew this truth, but knowing is one thing, and whether they could understand it when they actually encountered it was another matter.

"The fundamental problem is that as a warrior becomes more excellent, he can obtain more and more things. Will he be willing to give up things he can get with a wave of his hand again and again?"

Diana did not speak. She had also thought of this point, which was why she turned a blind eye to the issue between Ethan and Ada. As long as they did not mess around in front of her, she would pretend not to see it.

Thinking of this, she suddenly thought of her father whom she had never met. In this regard, Ethan was a genuine Olympian god. She even wondered if Ethan's changes over the years were influenced by his Olympian bloodline. She remembered that Ethan back then seemed to have had little contact with women for many years.

"What a big change."

Looking at Ethan, who had turned back and was not far away, the child-like him had undoubtedly changed more than when they first met.

"Things always change."

Although they were far away, at such a close distance, it was no different from speaking right next to his ear for the current Ethan. However, he could not easily interject in this conversation.

He could not say that his original intentions had not changed much, it was just that his strength was too weak before, and without that ability, he could only suppress these thoughts deep in his heart. Now that he had the capital, there was no need to continue suppressing them.

If he said that, he was worried that Diana would directly explode. You have had these thoughts for a long time and you still expect me to make the first move? Are you looking down on me?

So some things could be said, but this kind of thing should be kept hidden.

Besides, they came here for a serious matter. He and Scáthach discussed the vast energy of the Land of Shadows.

"The energy is very pure, but the Land of Shadows is a realm of the dead, and the energy here is negative. Even if I could, I would not absorb all of it, so I will only take a portion. Do you have any ideas for the rest?"

Scáthach looked up at the empty sky. In her eyes, the entire sky was filled with a vast, gray energy, which was the energy of the Land of Shadows and the fundamental basis for its existence.

Now that she had offered the Land of Shadows as a bargaining chip, she did not think the disappearance of the Land of Shadows was a big deal. Ethan said he did not need all the energy, but that did not mean she would leave the remaining energy here.

"The rest... I plan to convert it into my own magic power."

"Such a vast amount of magic power... it will probably take you a long time to completely absorb and convert it."

"Anyway, the one thing I do not lack is time."

Ethan asked about Scáthach's plans and understood that she intended to turn the Land of Shadows into a plane of magic power connected to herself. This was somewhat similar to the connection between the Ancient One and the Dark Dimension, making the Land of Shadows Scáthach's magic source, providing her with a vast supply of magic power.

Besides serving as logistical support, Scáthach would also constantly draw energy from the Land of Shadows and convert it into her own magic power. Perhaps after countless years, the magic power of the Land of Shadows would be completely drained by Scáthach, and at that time, the Land of Shadows would completely perish.

Ethan looked up again, then looked at Scáthach in front of him.

"What exists in the Land of Shadows is not just magic power, but also the rules for absorbing the dead and letting them rest in peace."

"You want this?"

Ethan did not answer, just continued looking up at the empty sky.

"Although I am a little interested, I think these rules are more suitable for you..."

He suddenly thought of his own cross world, which he had made like heaven, while this Land of Shadows fit his impression of the underworld.

"Thinking a bit too far ahead, let's extract the energy first."

Ethan stood still and gently raised his right hand. A wind suddenly blew across the desolate Land of Shadows. Wisps of faint gray threads slowly emerged from the void, gradually thickening as they swirled and finally gathered in Ethan's hand.

As a gray ball of light gradually formed in his hand, more and more threads appeared in the sky, and the wind grew stronger and stronger, finally turning into a huge gray tornado. After lasting for a full half hour, it suddenly exploded. When everything settled down, a seemingly solid sphere hovered in Ethan's hand.

The surroundings had returned to their previous calm state, with only a slight breeze around Ethan. Diana, who had felt no discomfort when the strong wind blew earlier, felt uncomfortable standing in this light breeze and unconsciously took a few steps back.

Scáthach, however, felt very comfortable with the wind blowing on her, slightly narrowing her eyes and enjoying the feeling of the light breeze brushing past.

"This energy is not suitable for you, so it is normal for you to feel uncomfortable."

Diana had already noticed this, and she was worried if this energy would be harmful to Ethan.

"For me, this is a tonic."

The energy ball became smaller and smaller, finally becoming like a candy ball. Ethan directly tossed it into his mouth and swallowed it with a gulp.

"But it will take some time to digest."

(To be continued.)