Dragon veins?
All three of them were slightly stunned upon hearing this vocabulary.
In the mystical realm, dragon veins referred to the meridians rooted in the planet (earth), through which massive amounts of the planet’s Primeval Magic flowed.
It was one of the important manifestations of the planet’s surging vitality.
Similar terms included “ley lines” or “earth veins”.
The term dragon vein appeared more often in Shenzhou.
After all, Eastern and Western “dragons” looked different, which was why only the East compared earth veins to dragons.
When they heard Grimm’s name, they knew he was mostly a person from Shenzhou.
Since he said dragon vein, it naturally referred to earth lines.
“That’s right! If we want to bypass Odin’s blockade and try to contact the outside world, we can only take an indirect approach, and explore the underlying architecture of this Niflheim world. I believe we cannot bypass dragon veins on this point,” Grimm explained.
Ishtar rolled her eyes, and seeing that the other two were still lowering their heads in thought, she preempted them by saying:
“Hey! When it comes to dragon veins, surely nobody understands them better than me.”
The Einzbern puppet possessed by Ishtar was inherently a vessel acting as the lesser grail in the Holy Grail War, situated within the earth veins and Greater Grail system.
While others at most had an indirect, knowledge-level understanding, she could be considered directly related to it.
Ishtar actually didn’t care much about Grimm’s “great ideal” of spreading the “Odin conspiracy theory”.
But that didn’t stop Ishtar from giving it a hard try to vie for the initiative.
Besides, what if?
What if they could successfully make contact, would it be possible to go a step further and allow her to break free from here?
Ishtar continued thinking blissfully.
And once she broke free, whether it was her lost divinity or authorities, they would all return to her body.
Heh heh, by then, she would summon the heavenly bull Gugulana!
She could easily handle the entire Holy Grail War held in the outside world.
Then she would build a temple, max out her own state to its peak, treat the likes of Gilgamesh and Enkidu as roadside pebbles to be trampled to death with a single kick, and add some priest retainers for facade — perfect!
Right, and there was also that fellow Grimm.
During these days, he had shown zero awe toward her as a goddess and ordered her around all day long, which was simply heinous!
But considering that Grimm had saved her at the start, Ishtar decided to grant him a temporary reprieve.
Capital punishment could be spared, but lesser crimes were inescapable; she would first punish him to become a stepping stone trampled under the goddess’s little feet, drinking her foot-washing water for the rest of his life.
It was time for the useless goddess’s fantasy time again.
“I also understand earth veins!” × 2
Lagging by just a few seconds, Ereshkigal and Francesca stepped forward in unison.
“Ha? What right do you have to understand it as well as me?”
The goddess was furious.
The number of times she had her face slapped recently was a bit too much, as if everyone was deliberately targeting her.
“Heeheehee, I have many years of hands-on operational experience!” Francesca giggled.
She was one of the organizers of the Snowfield City Holy Grail War.
The entire architecture of this counterfeit Holy Grail War imitated the Fuyuki Holy Grail War, and even stole a portion of the Grail system and black mud.
Among it was the earth vein adjustment work that lasted for decades aimed at making the environment of Snowfield City close to Fuyuki.
Francesca had participated in this colossal project spanning several generations from beginning to end, which was why Fadius called her an old thing every day; in reality, she was a senior predecessor.
Saying that she, Francesca, didn’t understand earth veins?
What a joke!
As for Ereshkigal…
“I… I also have experience. My (Tohsaka Rin’s) family has it.”
The blonde goddess said so.
This one even spoke from personal experience under the guise of a legitimate representative.
Tohsaka Rin, whom she possessed, was the current head of the Tohsaka family and managed the ley lines of Fuyuki City.
Anyway, Ishtar had already “requisitioned” her host’s things time and time again.
Well then, since her arch-enemy used it, she would use it too!
Ishtar: “…”
Damn it, why!
The goddess was furious and wanted to vomit blood in her heart.
Why were you all targeting me like this?
Grimm couldn’t care less about Ishtar’s messy inner monologues.
People’s joys and sorrows were not connected, and at this moment he only felt refreshed.
He had thought no one would understand an ultra-large Alchemy matrix like a dragon vein.
After all, Grimm only knew the original work’s settings to find the direction for solving the problem, and he himself was just a newbie who had learned Alchemy for less than a day, not understanding the operating principles of large Alchemy matrices at all.
As it turned out, everyone around him was an expert!
Sure enough, the most important thing in the 21st century was talent!
Although they had all been targeted by Odin and ended up stranded here, at this moment they were undoubtedly closely connected because of this targeting and could be put to use by him!
As long as this situation was maintained, making more friends and fewer enemies, defeating Odin, the path ahead was promising!
Grimm continued: “…Alright then, you guys don’t need to argue. I estimate that the matter of ley lines is complicated, and one person is not quite enough. Time is tight, you guys set off with me first.” Get faster updates on g.com.
Hearing this, Ishtar followed behind the others in low spirits, not saying a word, thinking to herself that if all three of them went along, she wouldn’t have any advantage anymore…
“Eh? Why are you coming? It has nothing to do with you.”
Just as the goddess was about to step out the door, she was stopped by Grimm.
“Ah?” Ishtar was confused.
Hadn’t she just been called?
Grimm said flatly, “I need someone with hands-on operational experience. Let me ask you, do you have it?”
For a moment, Ishtar felt a tightness in her chest from being asked.
Aside from a bit of combat talent, her host Philia was no different from other Einzberns; she didn’t understand ley line studies nor knew how to operate them, being simply a “connected person” carrying the lesser grail.
She glared at Francesca, who was gloating and giggling endlessly, and her arch-enemy Ereshkigal, who had turned her head away, and then lowered her head to say:
“…No.”
“If you don’t, then don’t come,” Grimm continued.
“Besides, if everyone leaves, who’s going to do the remaining work?”
Ishtar immediately had a bad premonition.
“Wait, you mean…”
Grimm nodded and instructed, “That’s right, just as you thought. Ereshkigal, Francesca, and I are leaving.”
“And you, stay behind and continue organizing the manuscript for the abyss of odin. The handwriting must be neat and legible, and copied out clearly without any omissions. Understand?”
Ishtar: “…”
The others got to go out on duty lightly and happily, while she had to stay right here messing with these unofficial-history-like Odin conspiracy theories?
Knowing full well that she didn’t care for it at all…
This was simply bullying too much!
Ishtar’s fists hardened.
Grimm smiled and flashed the battle saber hanging at his waist, the battle in Odin’s divine domain that day seeming vaguely before his eyes.
Ishtar’s fists relaxed.
“…Fine!” The voice squeezed out from between her teeth.
The incompetent Goddess of Heaven.
“Neat handwriting, oh! Not a single word missed, oh!” Francesca maliciously repeated Grimm’s words and pushed a stack of materials in front of her.
“Hard work, do a good job.”
Ereshkigal offered encouragement with a clear conscience, but remembering how Ishtar had beaten her to it in the Alchemy class earlier yet was now in such a miserable state, she couldn’t help the corners of her mouth curling up.
At this very moment, it was just like back then!
The wheel of fortune turns, sister!