Chapter 58: Unshakable 01

A cold wind blows.

The air was filled with a damp smell. Weber Velvet avoided the puddle at his feet and walked into a cafe.

The crisp sound of wind chimes rang out, and he looked around, trying to find a suitable position.

Then, his gaze paused slightly.

There were very few customers in the store and their number could be counted at a glance, which made the customer sitting by the window particularly conspicuous.

The young man looked to be in his early twenties, and his appearance was top-notch, with a hint of red painted on the corners of his eyes. However, his expression was as calm and steady as an old man who had been living in seclusion for many years. Just by sitting there, he could make people around him quiet down unconsciously.

His eyes were fixed on the window. As Weber looked over there, he saw only the gray sky, passers-by hurrying by, and the water marks left by the water droplets sliding down the surface of the glass.

What is he looking at? Weber thought subconsciously.

But soon, Weber gave up thinking about this meaningless question: this person might not be thinking about anything and was just in a daze.

He was used to sitting by the window, so after ordering coffee he sat not far from the young man, two or three seats away. Weber skillfully opened his laptop and looked through the documents sent by the Clock Tower.

The Clock Tower, along with the Atlas Institute and the Sea of ​​Wandering, is one of the three major organizations of the Magic Association. However, unlike the other two departments whose research directions are more niche and whose locations are very hidden, the Clock Tower represents the "mainstream" - it is the first choice of most magicians, and is filled with new ideas and research topics.

Weber Velvet was once a student at the Clock Tower.

And now, he is the current monarch and lecturer of the Modern Magic Department of the 12th Department of the Clock Tower, El-Melloi II.

"Monarch" is a special seat in the Clock Tower, usually in charge of one of the thirteen subjects and has a strong family support. Judging from his family background, Weber Velvet should not be among them.

His title of "Monarch" comes from his teacher, Kayneth, the true monarch El-Melloi, who died in the Fourth Holy Grail War.

Holy Grail War. Weber silently repeated the term in his mind.

Seven magicians and seven heroic spirits fight to the death over the universal wish-granting machine called the Holy Grail.

Several years ago, he participated in the Fourth World War with Kayneth and summoned Iskandar, the King of Conquerors. After the battle with the Hero King Gilgamesh on the Fuyuki Bridge, Weber withdrew from the Holy Grail War after being defeated. After traveling for several years, he inherited the title of monarch at the request of Kayneth's sister, Laness, and took on the responsibility of revitalizing El-Melloi.

...and incurred a huge debt, which has not yet been repaid.

Thinking of this, Weber closed his eyes in pain.

He took a deep breath, used the rich aroma of coffee to suppress his anxiety, and continued to check the documents in the clock tower.

A few days ago, the energy of the sea monster in the Pacific Ocean was difficult to measure, and it was speculated that it was related to the magic of the Age of Gods; the landform of Japan was deformed, and the giant rift was designated as a protection zone by the government, prohibiting people from entering. The residual energy concentration inside was extremely high; there was suspected to be an unknown magician...

"Mind if I sit here?"

An elegant voice came from above. Weber turned his head suddenly. Unexpectedly, the young man had walked up to him without him noticing, with a smile as gentle as jade.

"Please sit down." Weber reduced the file interface.

This is not a private cafe and young people are free to sit anywhere, but it is a bit strange that they left their original seats and sat next to him.

"Thank you," the young man smiled, "My name is Zhong Li."

Without waiting for Weber to reply, Zhong Li thanked the waiter beside him, and the silver tassels on his ears brushed across his cheeks.

"You're welcome, Mr. Zhongli." The waiter placed the teacup in front of Zhongli.

Weber took a look and confirmed that this was not a new tea, but the tea that was originally placed in front of Zhong Li.

When he moved, the waiter also brought him tea here.

Weber did not hear Zhong Li's request, which meant that this was a voluntary act by the waiter. Based on his experience over the years, such service was too considerate.

"My name is Weber Velvet," he said tentatively. "The staff at the cafe I used to hang out at were nice, but not as considerate as this. I wish they could be as considerate as this lady."

Zhong Li: "I think you don't want this kind of special treatment."

Weber noticed the "special".

To be treated specially by others, one must either have something extraordinary, such as money and power, or have performed noble deeds; or one must be worthy of sympathy, such as having a superior appearance or a tragic life story...

Guests all hope to receive better service, but Zhong Li said he would not want this special treatment. Obviously, obtaining it requires a corresponding price, a price that Weber is unwilling to pay or is not worth it.

He carefully looked at Zhong Li's face and found that he looked normal, just like an ordinary person.

"What are you looking at?" Zhong Li's voice brought Weber back to his senses.

"Sorry, I was distracted for a moment."

Staring at someone for a long time is quite rude. Weber retracted his gaze, held the coffee in his hand, and waited for Zhong Li's next words.

He stated his name so seriously, probably because he had something to say.

Time passed slowly, the coffee cup gradually became empty, and Zhong Li finally raised his hand - signaling the server to serve more tea.

Weber: “…”

Two strangers sat opposite each other, raised their glasses, without saying a word, and drank completely unrelated things. It was so awkward that Weber wanted to escape the scene immediately.

But he is a reliable adult who has experienced many ups and downs. Instead of escaping and questioning, he chooses to think first.

There is a saying in the magic world: When dealing with crimes committed by magicians, consider Why dun it, that is, the motive for the crime, rather than "how it was done."

Because magic, supernatural powers, spells, etc. are all fantasy powers that turn the impossible into the possible. It is meaningless to think about how to do it. The only unchanging common point is motivation.

This also applies to Zhongli.

After he gave his name, Zhong Li did not initiate the conversation. Was he waiting for him to ask first? Or did Zhong Li think he knew what he wanted to say?

The young man was calm and composed, with no sign of abnormality on his face, and his emotions were not revealed. Weber had dealt with many people like him, and they were all extremely difficult to deal with, and it was obvious that Zhongli was one of them.

Weber sighed: "Mr. Zhongli, you can speak frankly."

"It's okay to try it," Zhong Li said in an ambiguous tone, "but it may not be a pleasant thing for you."

"Oh? What do you mean?"

"Since you are here, you must have some idea of ​​what I am going to say."

Weber raised his eyebrows subtly.

What Zhongli said was very interesting, as it meant that trouble had come to him, and that this trouble was inextricably linked to him.

Weber glanced at his laptop.

Zhong Li's sudden arrival interrupted his reading of the document, but he roughly knew what the rest of the document said - a magician caused several people to disappear, and he came to this small Japanese city for this reason.

Assisting the Law and Politics Department in arresting criminals can earn him a considerable reward. In addition, he also has his own selfish motive: this place is very close to Fuyuki City.

There is news that the Fifth Holy Grail War is about to begin.

Thinking of the King of Conquerors' fearless back, Weber took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and think about the current situation.

Zhong Li knew his purpose from the beginning and obtained some clues in advance.

As a famous lecturer and monarch of the Clock Tower, it is not surprising that Weber was recognized by an "uncommon person", but the fact that he knew his itinerary shows that Zhongli's identity is not ordinary, and there may be some connection with the law and politics department.

The people from the Law and Politics Department arrived before him. Although there was no magician named Zhong Li on the list, the fact that Zhong Li appeared here meant that some accidents had happened in the process, resulting in the information gap.

In short, treat him as a low-key big shot first.

"Mr. Zhongli, you worry too much." After figuring this out, Weber felt relieved. "I have encountered more difficult things. You don't have to worry about my feelings."

Zhongli seemed to be persuaded by him.

Just at this moment, the waiter asked him if he wanted to order another cup of coffee. Weber shook his head and said he would pay for Zhongli's bill as well.

Even though I'm still in debt, if it's just a few cups of tea -

Weber's hand paused as he was about to pay.

...Why does this guy only choose the expensive ones? !

After a moment of heartache, Weber paid the money with a heavy heart.

The wallet had been taken out and the words had been spoken. Going back on his words would lower other people's impression of him, and Weber's self-esteem could not allow him to do such a thing.

After the waiter left, Zhong Li exclaimed: "I didn't expect you to be so enthusiastic."

"This... is nothing."

Weber denied it stiffly, but Xingye Wang, who was disguised as Zhong Li, still insisted on his opinion.

Mr. Velvet is a very nice man and very smart.

Before he even mustered up the courage to say something like "Please pay for me," Weber saw his embarrassment and took the initiative to pay the bill.

Xingye Wang knew that what he ordered was very expensive. Normally, he would definitely not order the most expensive tea. But Zhongli's life creed was like this. When he went to see a play, he would order the most famous actress, when he went to walk his birds, he would choose the most expensive thrush... and so on.

Common name, fastidious.

And he was too particular about it, completely disregarding whether Xing Yewang's own wallet could afford it.

Principal Yega is generous, but no matter how generous he is, there is a limit. In the past few days, Hoshino Nozomi's wallet has shrunk rapidly, and he even thought of "pretending that Thor is still there and sending a text message to Gojo Satoru to ask for money."

Zhong Li: I am Lei Dianying. If you v me for 500,000, I will make you a priest of the shrine.

...Although he felt that Gojo Satoru might really transfer the money immediately, in the end, Hoshino Nozomi was too embarrassed to do so and just thought about it in his mind.

And it's so ooc.

If it was Wendy's alias, it might be understandable, but judging from the information, Zhongli relied entirely on his personal charm to fool people into paying for his services, so it is impossible for him to lie.

Anyway, fortunately Mr. Velvet is a smart and kind person.

Hoshino Nozomi breathed a sigh of relief and confirmed the attributes of the character card again.

Name: Morax/Zhong Li

Gender: Male

Status: God of Rocks, God of Precious Gold, God of Contracts, Guest of the Hall of Rebirth

Strength: 90 (How ~ lonely ~ is being invincible)

Constitution: 24 (Blind but able to fight - don't worry, the system has enabled the thermal imaging function for the host this time.)

Agility: 78 (The best martial arts in the world is invincible with speed)

Appearance: 90 (Yan Wang Di Jun is real)

Intelligence/Inspiration: 84 (long-term vision, deep thinking)

Willpower: 90 (You have a will as strong as a rock)

Luck: 16 (Luck E has always been the standard for spearmen, get used to it)

The situation this time is actually better than that of Venti. After the system enabled cheats for him, there is only one obstacle left due to the so-called blindness.

He couldn't judge the other person's mentality by his expression.

Therefore, Hoshino Wang did not see Weber's inquiring eyes.

Weber: "Okay, now you can tell me the information."

Xing Yewang: “?”

What information?

Did he just get here today? ?