"Last night, the central area of Fuyuki City suffered extensive damage, the cause of which has yet to be determined."
"However, as you can see, a massive floating garden has appeared in the skies above Fuyuki City since midnight yesterday."
"Some speculate this sky garden is an alien spacecraft fortress, that it attacked Fuyuki City. Others believe it to be a mirage, or a high-tech projection. The authorities have yet to provide a definitive answer."
"Nevertheless, we have invited expert Mr. Oshima. We now switch to the studio for our interview with Mr. Oshima."
"Hello everyone, I am Oshima. Based on the information I've compiled overnight, the floating garden appearing above Fuyuki City bears a striking resemblance to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon recorded in historical texts. You can see here, this is an image I found in my research..."
Bai Ye picked up an apple from the table and took a bite, then watched the news on television.
He switched through several channels, and although the reporters were different, the content was the same.
Looking at the floating garden again in daylight, it was even more awe-inspiring. Huge and luxurious, beyond the outer gardens, a towering castle could be seen in the central area, magnificent and grand.
The twelve stone pillars surrounding it also evoked a sense of wonder, exuding an ancient aura.
There were also details that Bai Ye found peculiar: fragments of rock floated around the sky garden, seemingly converging towards it.
In addition to this, rings of different colored light consistently swirled around the sky garden, enveloping it.
"What are these halos?" Bai Ye murmured in confusion. "They seem to be merging into the sky garden?"
"That is mana!"
At that moment, Gilgamesh's voice suddenly rang out, startling Bai Ye.
Bai Ye said speechlessly, "Why do you walk without making a sound? And, couldn't you knock before coming in?"
Gilgamesh snorted coldly, walked to the wine cabinet, took out a bottle of red wine, and sat down on the sofa opposite. "Under the heavens, all land is the king's. Where I wish to go, I go without needing to inform anyone beforehand."
"Whatever makes you happy," Bai Ye shrugged and then asked, "What about that mana?"
Gilgamesh said, "Large Noble Phantasms like the Hanging Gardens of Babylon cannot be used at will. The current sky garden is incomplete and is continuously absorbing the mana of this city."
Bai Ye asked, "So, isn't this the best opportunity to attack?"
Gilgamesh replied, "On the surface, it appears so."
Bai Ye pondered, "But in reality, it's still the problem we discussed last night. If this is a trap, why appear so ostentatiously? But if it's not a trap, it shouldn't have appeared so ostentatiously either."
Bai Ye scratched his head. This was a very contradictory issue.
Especially since the Hanging Gardens of Babylon wasn't complete, it shouldn't have appeared yet. Instead, it should have been secretly absorbing mana until its completion before launching an attack.
Considering this from that angle, when things are out of the ordinary, there's usually a reason. Since the other party allowed the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to appear before its completion, they must have ulterior motives.
Bai Ye mused, "Could it be intentional? To use the fact that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon is incomplete to lure others into attacking?"
Gilgamesh replied, "Perhaps."
Bai Ye asked, "You don't seem too concerned?"
"Do I need to be concerned?" Gilgamesh said contemptuously. "No matter who the opponent is, no matter what Noble Phantasm they use, I will obtain the Holy Grail."
Bai Ye retorted, "Then why didn't you charge in last night?"
Gilgamesh explained, "This Holy Grail War is very interesting, with some intriguing individuals involved. However, the Saber and Lancer classes have yet to reveal themselves. I wish to meet them first before ending everything."
Bai Ye shrugged. It was indeed quite in line with Gilgamesh's usual style.
Bai Ye tossed the apple core into the nearby trash can and said, "Shall we wait and see then?"
Gilgamesh nodded, then looked at the sky garden on the television.
...
Meanwhile...
Above Fuyuki City, within the sky garden.
A long, narrow corridor, hollow and silent.
Li Jia Yi walked down the corridor. With each step, the sound of his footsteps echoed, making the corridor seem even deeper and more secluded.
Soon, Li Jia Yi reached the door at the end and pushed it open casually.
This was the core of the sky garden.
In the vast hall, a man and a woman stood.
The man was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with golden curly hair and a handsome, resolute face, but his brows held a violent aura.
Senal Dalilo, one of the executives of the Cang Long Association.
To be precise, he was currently the third-in-command of the Cang Long Association.
A ruthless killer. After all, Senal was the initiator of this wish, and the selection of participants for this wish mission was based on kill count. And Senal's kill count...
Placed him in first place!
However, Li Jia Yi did not take Senal seriously.
Li Jia Yi was more interested in the woman beside Senal.
The woman possessed a beauty that captivated men, with long, flowing black hair like a waterfall, dressed in a black Western-style dress that accentuated her shapely figure. Her eyes held a hazy and decadent look, yet strangely, they also carried a noble elegance.
Most importantly...
She was the mistress of this sky garden. 138 Reading Network
The legendary queen of the Assyrian Empire. She poisoned her husband, and in heroic epics, she was known as the oldest poisoner. However, her outstanding governance and martial prowess led people to forget her cruelty and instead praise her.
She was Semiramis, the woman known as the Empress!
Thinking of this, Li Jia Yi couldn't help but feel a bit dejected.
Look at the Heroic Spirits others summoned.
A legendary queen, the oldest king of heroes, the guardian of the Shadow Realm who controlled souls, a Berserker known as the son of Hercules...
Every Heroic Spirit summoned was terrifying.
What about his own situation?
Fuma Kotaro...
A ninja from the Land of the Rising Sun...
Although a famous ninja and even the leader of the Fuma clan, wasn't he just an employee?
Others were kings or queens, or guardians who were also queens. The only one who wasn't related to royalty had a father who was a king of gods...
Li Jia Yi felt that his situation was too difficult.
At the same time, Senal looked at Li Jia Yi and suddenly asked, "Is your plan feasible?"
Li Jia Yi snapped back to attention, smiling. "There is no absolutely successful plan in this world, but at least it seems to be successful for now. No one has made a move, have they?"
Why did the sky garden appear so ostentatiously?
There was no special reason.
This was an idea Li Jia Yi had given Senal, precisely to make others speculate about why the sky garden had appeared so conspicuously!
And then...
While others were guessing the reason and holding back, mana would be absorbed, making the sky garden complete.
...