Chapter 354: Magician? Magician!
Listening to the words of the Snake Immortal, Shilang's eyes seemed to reappear the scene of their first meeting.
A few years ago, in Longdi Cave
"Emiya Shirou, I've met the White Snake Immortal."
"No need to be so distant, just call me mother-in-law. Oh, by the way, you probably can't stand this, so I'll change it."
As he spoke, the scene in front of Shilang's eyes distorted. The big snake in front of him had disappeared, and in its place, there was an old woman.
Looking at the dazed Shilang, the Snake Immortal smiled and said, "I can see that you are a little confused. Tell me about it. I hope to get along well with you."
"Why did you choose me? Senior Orochimaru shouldn't be that kind of person. Besides, the inheritance of the three holy places shouldn't be given away so easily."
It's no wonder Shiro had this idea. Unlike Jiraiya's active contract with Myoboku Mountain, Orochimaru's contract with Ryuchi Cave was obtained through his own hard work.
Even he had gone through many trials, but what about Shiro? He just defeated a small snake and that was it. Shiro was not Orochimaru's apprentice, so he couldn't be so careless.
Therefore, after the Snake Immortal said that, Shilang asked directly. He would judge whether it was true or not himself. At this time, there was no need to pretend not to see.
In this situation, any normal person would know that it is not simple. It came too easily. That is Longdi Cave.
Therefore, after hearing Shilang's words, the snake immortal smiled and said: "As expected, I knew you would ask this. It's actually very simple. The world has changed."
Shiro frowned, "Wouldn't it be nice if the war ended?"
The Snake Immortal shook his head. "It's not about that, it's about the nature of the world itself changing!"
"World? What do you mean?"
"I don't know the details, I just have a rough guess. A few years ago, some changes began to appear in the ninja world. Natural energy also began to show some abnormalities and began to show other effects."
"Even the immortal arts have undergone significant changes. The details haven't been clarified yet, but as of now, they appear to be benign changes. If you want to learn immortal arts in the future, don't worry about these. By the way, do I need to tell you about immortal arts?"
"Senjutsu? No need for that. I heard it from Senior Jiraiya. We can talk about this later. Then why did you choose me?"
"Jiraiya? Oh, so enthusiastic about the choice of the new magic of Mount Myōboku?" After saying that, the snake hermit raised his right hand slightly, and a stone platform rose under Shiro's feet.
"You must be tired of standing. Sit down first and we'll talk slowly."
After Shiro sat down, she continued, "There's a reason why I chose you. You're special enough, and the nature of your chakra fits the changes in the world very well!"
"If I hadn't met those little devils, I might have thought that the world had changed because of you."
"Anyone else?"
Hearing this, Shiro asked in surprise.
There is nothing much to say about chakra. Perhaps the system transformation can be concealed from the third generation and others, but it will definitely not be concealed from people like the Snake Hermit who are suspected of having experienced the process of chakra from nothing to something.
Moreover, the development of fairy arts also requires a sufficient understanding of chakra. Therefore, Shiro was at most a little surprised that they knew him.
What interested him most now was the "little ghosts" mentioned by the snake fairy. Their situation was very similar to his, which meant that it was very likely related to magic.
Shiro is still very interested in this.
"Yes, but the power of those little ghosts can only be said to be close. Whether they can change in the future is still unknown. Although their abilities are strong, they are not what we want."
"So what do you want? World domination?"
Hearing this, the Snake Immortal smiled, then dispelled his fantasy, hung high in the air, leaned against the stone wall behind him and said:
"Not really. What we want is simple: to survive. The world is changing, and all we can do is adapt to it, otherwise we will eventually be eliminated."
"We have no other ideas beyond that."
As he spoke, the snake immortal moved his body, twisted to Shilang's side, and transformed into a human. "What belongs to humans shall belong to humans," and then he dispersed the illusion and coiled in front of the stone wall again.
"Beasts belong to beasts. Don't worry about the past, don't look to the future, just count the present!"
After saying this, the Snake Immortal just looked at Shilang quietly, waiting for his decision.
Just like that, the man and the snake stared at each other for a while across an invisible boundary, and Shiro said:
"Why should I believe you? Can you prove that what you say is right?"
"It's impossible to prove, and there's no need to prove it. Whether the facts are as I say, you will find the answer yourself. I tell you this just because I hope you won't be too wary of us."
"After all, we may need your help in the future. We won't interfere with all your decisions, but people are uncontrollable. No one knows which path they will take. Orochimaru is the best example."
"So I hope to gain a privilege from you, a privilege that allows me to interfere with your development trajectory."
Hearing this, Shiro frowned: "What do you mean?"
“Everyone will take different paths according to their own development, and those paths may not be what you want, but in order to survive, you have to do it this way, just like you.”
As he spoke, the snake hermit glanced at Shiro's collar.
Shiro was stunned for a moment, then he touched his collar where he had performed the magic trick and thought silently.
"Your method is indeed powerful, but it's better to open it than to block it. One day, you will be harmed by it. If you change, we don't know your attitude. Therefore, keeping a backup plan will benefit both you and me."
"But the final decision is yours, now and in the future."
Thinking of the conversation with the snake immortal, Shiro smiled self-deprecatingly.
"Grandma, you know what? I thought I wouldn't regret it. Now I think about it, I was so naive."
"It seems you've woken up." Looking at Silang with a self-deprecating look on his face, the Snake Immortal said lightly. Having lived for so many years, she had already guessed Silang's situation.
But just as she said, she would not interfere too much with Silang's choice. She would only wake Silang up at the critical moment and let him make the decision.
"Yeah, I never thought that I would do such a thing. Haha, a partner of justice? How shameful." Silang thought of what he had done in Loulan and couldn't help but laugh at himself again.
"Okay, enough self-deprecation. What's your decision? Are you still going to proceed with that plan?"
"Plan? Of course I'll carry it out!" Shiro said, pulling off his collar. "But I'll do it as a human, no, as a magus. And at the same time, I'll apologize, even though it's already late."
(End of this chapter)
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