[Light Curtain Commentary]
Upon hearing Li Sushang's words, the audiences of the infinite multiverse quickly realized who she was referring to: Xuanzang.
The very same woman who had been hiding behind the mountains from the very beginning, looking incredibly timid.
The story of Tang Sanzang's journey to the West to retrieve the scriptures was a familiar one to the people of the infinite multiverse; one might even say it was deeply ingrained in their culture.
The fame of the book Journey to the West needs no elaboration. Not just within the Asian cultural sphere, but even on a global scale, it is a world-renowned masterpiece.
This has led to Tang Sanzang himself achieving immense fame. While not as famous as Sun Wukong, his name is still a household one.
However, being famous doesn't necessarily mean he is well-liked.
It's common knowledge that the Tang Sanzang in Journey to the West is not a very likable character, even bordering on annoying. As a mortal, he is almost always a burden. He is incapable of distinguishing truth from falsehood and repeatedly doubts Sun Wukong, who has saved him from peril time and time again.
Although the Tang Sanzang of the Type-Moon world is different from the one in the novel, the viewers outside the screen still found it difficult to feel any fondness for her.
---o---
[Light Curtain Commentary]
Detective Conan: "Judging from what Tang Sanzang said earlier, this Xuanzang isn't the historical figure, but the one from the novel Journey to the West."
Tanjiro Kamado: "Eh? Is there a difference between the two?"
All Riejuu Should Explode: "Of course. While our modern understanding of the Tang Monk's image mostly comes from the original Journey to the West and its many adaptations, in reality, Xuanzang's journey to the West was a real event in Shenzhou's history. In other words, Tang Sanzang was a real historical figure."
Yukino Yukinoshita: "Journey to the West is, after all, a mythological novel. Things like Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and the various demons and monsters are mostly fictional. But the Tang Monk is the one character with a historical prototype. However, in the world of Type-Moon, perhaps the two Tang Monks are, in fact, one and the same."
Inside the Service Club room, Yukino Yukinoshita brewed a cup of black tea, her expression serene. The history of the Type-Moon world… those who knew, knew. If even gods and immortals could exist, it didn't seem entirely impossible for Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie to be real as well. From this perspective, Xuanzang's journey to the West probably truly involved ninety-nine-times-nine, or eighty-one, tribulations. The only question is, given that Tang Sanzang is female, how did she get through the Woman's Kingdom chapter?
Li Sushang: "Hiss— Xuanzang's journey to the West, that I know. But… who are Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie? And what's Journey to the West? I've never heard of it."
In the Honkai world, Li Sushang was a bit lost. The era she was born in, based on the history of Shenzhou, should be around the mid-Ming Dynasty. At this point, Journey to the West was still a long way from being written. While a person named Xuanzang existed, figures like Sun Wukong were completely unheard of.
Sushang (Cloud Knight): "Ugh, I don't think I even know who Tang Sanzang is. But that's not important! What's important is whether we can rescue Little Gui! A whole day has passed already, Little Gui must be suffering so much!"
In the Xianzhou Alliance, Sushang was still worried sick about Guinaifen, terrified that Lancelot would break his promise and execute her.
---o---
[On the light curtain, the scene shifted to the military fortress.]
A day had passed, and Guinaifen and Hassan of Serenity had grown closer.
After all, in this massive prison, they were the only two inmates. Since they were in adjacent cells, it would be strange if they didn't get along.
Guinaifen had no idea how much time had actually passed. She couldn't see the sun from the dungeon and could only judge by feel.
"Sigh, I wonder if revealing my Spirit Origin now would be enough to get out of here."
Sighing, Guinaifen thought to herself. While it wasn't unbearable, it would be best to leave this troublesome place as soon as possible. For now, she could only place her hopes in Chaldea.
Ritsuka Fujimaru, Mash, and Da Vinci… they were the first friends Guinaifen had made in this world. Oh, and Bedivere, too. They were all good people.
Guinaifen had to admit that at the beginning, she had misjudged them with a petty heart. If she told them about her current situation, she was sure they would be more than willing to help her get back to the Xianzhou.
Just as Guinaifen was lost in thought, an unexpected visitor suddenly appeared in the prison.
Dark purple armor, a resolute face, and a tall stature. Without a doubt, it was Lancelot himself.
The moment she saw him, Guinaifen's neck started to ache. She quickly lay down on the pile of hay and pretended to be asleep.
But Lancelot just stared at her and said, "Continuing to feign sleep is useless. With your level of magical energy, you can't even hide your own breathing. Even the Old Man of the Mountain next to you, whose magical energy is sealed, is doing a better job of pretending than you."
Hearing this, Guinaifen stopped pretending. She got up from the ground with a resigned look and said in a low voice, "So what, Lancelot? Are you here to gloat? It can't be that the three-day limit is already up, can it?"
The name "Lancelot," when spoken from Guinaifen's lips, had a strange, discordant feel to it.
After all, the Lancelot of the Honkai: Star Rail universe was her brother. Addressing a stranger with the same name felt awkward. It was like your enemy and a close relative happened to share the same name; no matter how you said it, it just felt weird.
However, while it felt that way to Guinaifen, from Lancelot's perspective, her way of addressing him was rather strange.
Normally, when facing the villain who captured them, wouldn't a person show some anger or displeasure? Even if they didn't show it on their face, their tone of voice should betray some emotion.
But Guinaifen was completely different. The way she said his name, it was as if she had known a "Lancelot" for a very long time.
Yet, Lancelot himself had no impression of her whatsoever.
"What is going on… this woman, and that girl with the shield… why do they both give me this heart-stirring feeling?"
Lancelot suppressed the emotions in his heart. As the strongest knight of the Round Table, his intuition wasn't as strong as King Arthur's, but it was still far beyond that of an ordinary person.
To be honest, compared to young women like Guinaifen and Mash, Lancelot preferred more mature women. Like Da Vinci, or… the divine form of King Arthur.
During the previous battle, he had clearly intended to capture Da Vinci, but for some inexplicable reason, he had brought Guinaifen back instead.
Clearly, this was abnormal. It was wrong.
And this time, Lancelot's visit was clearly for this very matter.
"Of course, today is only the second day. You can continue to wait. But… before that…"
Lancelot trailed off, suddenly falling silent as he stared at Guinaifen.
This made Guinaifen instinctively take a few steps back.
This Lancelot was acting strangely. He wasn't going to suddenly attack, was he? She knew this world didn't have the IPC's policies on the preferential treatment of prisoners.
Just as Guinaifen's heart was pounding with anxiety, Lancelot finally spoke: "Guinaifen… do you know me? Or rather, have we met somewhere before?"
"Huh?"
Hearing Lancelot's words, Guinaifen was speechless. What kind of overconfident pickup line was that? If she didn't know what he was getting at, she would have really thought he was some kind of pervert.
As Lancelot took the initiative, Guinaifen began to wonder if she should tell him about Guinevere's Spirit Origin right now. Although she wasn't the Guinevere of this world, relying on the Spirit Origin to save her life shouldn't be too difficult.
Guinaifen hesitated, but seeing this, Lancelot became even more convinced of his judgment and was about to press further.
But just then, a Purified Knight suddenly appeared before Lancelot in the dungeon.
"Sir Lancelot, Lord Agravain has arrived. He is waiting for you in the reception room."
Lancelot's body tensed upon hearing the news. He gave Guinaifen one last, deep look, then strode towards the reception room.]
---o---
In the infinite multiverse, the viewers who saw Guinaifen again all breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Unlike the previous protagonists, Guinaifen was truly the weakest in terms of combat ability. If not for Guinevere's Spirit Origin, she would have absolutely no fighting power at all.
Because of this, when Guinaifen hadn't appeared on screen for so long, the audiences of the infinite multiverse were naturally concerned for her safety.
Sushang (Cloud Knight): "Phew… seeing Lancelot like that, it doesn't seem like he's going to do anything to Little Gui. I can relax for now. But… I still won't forget what he did. If I get the chance, I'll definitely let him taste my power!"
Detective Conan: "Has Lancelot started to suspect? Although he hasn't thought of Guinevere yet, at this rate, it's only a matter of time. Guinaifen doesn't understand Lancelot's character, so she doesn't know. But once she reveals her Spirit Origin, I expect Lancelot will defect without a second thought."
Otto Apocalypse: "Guinevere and Lancelot? Compared to that, I'm more interested in seeing Guinaifen's expression when she sees Li Sushang. Another flower of similar bloom… I wonder what she will think…"
---o---
[On the light curtain, in a military fortress just a few kilometers from the Holy City, Agravain, clad in black armor, sat in a chair in the fortress's meeting room, quietly awaiting Lancelot's arrival.]
[His fingers tapped lightly on the table. Though his expression was impassive, he exuded a sense of urgency.]
[After Lancelot entered the reception room, he closed the door and sat directly across from Agravain.]
"What is it, Lord Agravain?"
"To come and find me yourself, instead of sending a Purified Knight or using a more direct magical communication… this must mean something major has happened, correct?"
As soon as he sat down, Lancelot asked directly.
His relationship with Agravain wasn't good; every Knight of the Round Table knew this. For Agravain to appear at a time like this, and to come specifically to find him, meant something had gone wrong.
This was also why Lancelot had cut his conversation with Guinaifen short and come here instead.
After all… he was now a Knight of the Round Table, a loyal knight to the King. He had to place the King's orders as his highest priority.
Agravain nodded, his expression grave as he said, "The Holy City has been attacked!"
As Agravain spoke these words, Lancelot's pupils contracted, and he immediately stood up.
"Is it the Sun King? Are they trying to break the stalemate first?"
In the current Singularity, the only one capable of confronting the King head-on was that ancient Egyptian Pharaoh.
However, Agravain shook his head and said in a low voice, "The Sun King is powerful, but he is still no match for the King. The ones who attacked the Holy City were a group of demonic beasts."
Hearing Agravain's words, Lancelot frowned. "Demonic beasts? Are you joking?"
A group of mindless demonic beasts? What could they possibly do to attack the Holy City? One must remember, the knight guarding the Holy City was Lord Gawain. With his blessing of "Nightless," he was an opponent that even Lancelot found extremely difficult to handle. Under such circumstances, not even a dragon could break through the Holy City's defenses.
Seemingly sensing Lancelot's disbelief, Agravain continued, "This is no joke, Sir Lancelot."
"The demonic beasts attacking the Holy City are an existence that even Lord Gawain cannot handle."
Agravain's expression was grim, which only deepened Lancelot's confusion. Could it be some mythical beast like the three-headed hound of hell? Otherwise, how could Gawain, with his power, be unable to resolve the situation?
"Those demonic beasts have a vaguely humanoid form, with tree-like branches growing from their bodies. Their individual power is average, but their life force is terrifyingly strong. Even Sir Gawain's Excalibur Galatine cannot completely kill them. They seem… completely immortal."
"Terrifyingly strong life force?" Hearing Agravain's description, many demonic figures flashed through Lancelot's mind, but he dismissed them all.
Still, if it was truly as Agravain said, and even Gawain couldn't solve the problem, then this was indeed a massive issue.
"So… do you need me to return to the Holy City to help?" Lancelot asked with a frown. If he and Lord Gawain joined forces, they should be able to annihilate this bizarre group of demonic beasts.
However, Agravain simply shook his head. "No. His Majesty's order is this: before this Singularity is completely destroyed, all enemies within it are to be eliminated. In other words, you do not need to concern yourself with the matters of the Holy City. Your mission is to cleanse all of humanity, including the Sun King, the mountain people, and all ordinary humans."
Lancelot: "..."]
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