"Last night, the central area of Fuyuki City suffered widespread destruction, the cause of which remains undetermined."
"However, as you can see, since midnight yesterday, a massive floating garden has appeared above Fuyuki City."
"Some say this aerial garden is an alien spaceship fortress, that the garden attacked Fuyuki City. Others claim it's merely a mirage or a high-tech projection. The authorities have yet to provide a clear answer."
"We have invited expert Mr. Oshima for an exclusive interview. We now switch to the studio for our interview with Mr. Oshima."
"Hello everyone, I am Oshima. Based on the information I've gathered overnight, the floating garden appearing over Fuyuki City bears a striking resemblance to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon recorded in historical texts. You can see here, these are the images I found in my research..."
Bai Ye picked up an apple from the table, took a bite, and watched the news report.
He flipped through several channels, and although the reporters were different, the content was the same.
Looking at the aerial garden again during the day, it was even more breathtaking. Vast and luxurious, besides the outer gardens, a towering castle could be seen in the central area, magnificent and grand.
The twelve stone pillars surrounding it also gave a peculiar feeling, exuding an ancient aura.
Bai Ye also noticed something strange: fragments of rock were floating around the aerial garden, seemingly drawing closer to it.
In addition, there were also halos of different colors that continuously swirled around the aerial garden.
"What are these halos?" Bai Ye murmured, puzzled. "They seem to be merging with the aerial garden?"
"That is magic!"
At that moment, Gilgamesh's voice suddenly rang out, startling Bai Ye.
Bai Ye said speechlessly, "Why do you walk without a sound? And why don't you knock before entering?"
Gilgamesh snorted, walked to the wine cabinet, took out a bottle of red wine, and sat down on the sofa opposite. "Under the heavens, all land belongs to the king. Where I wish to go, I shall go without informing anyone beforehand."
"As you wish," Bai Ye shrugged, then asked, "What about that magic?"
Gilgamesh replied, "Large Noble Phantasms like the Hanging Gardens of Babylon cannot be used lightly. The current aerial garden is incomplete and is continuously absorbing the magic of this city."
Bai Ye said, "So now is the best opportunity to attack?"
Gilgamesh replied, "On the surface, it would seem so."
Bai Ye pondered, "But in reality, it's the same problem we discussed last night. If this is a trap, why appear so conspicuously? But if it's not a trap, it shouldn't appear so conspicuously either."
Bai Ye scratched his head. It was a very contradictory problem.
Especially since the Hanging Gardens of Babylon was not yet complete, it shouldn't have appeared at all. Instead, it should have been secretly absorbing magic until its completion before launching an attack.
From this perspective, something unusual is bound to happen. Since the other party allowed the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to appear before its completion, they must have a hidden agenda.
Bai Ye said, "Could it be intentional? To lure others into attacking by revealing the incomplete Hanging Gardens of Babylon?"
Gilgamesh replied, "Perhaps."
Bai Ye asked, "You don't seem too concerned?"
"Do I need to be concerned?" Gilgamesh said disdainfully. "No matter who the opponent is, or what Noble Phantasm they use, I will obtain the Holy Grail."
Bai Ye then asked, "Then why didn't you go in last night?"
Gilgamesh replied, "This Holy Grail War is very interesting, with some intriguing individuals. However, the Saber and Lancer classes have not yet appeared. I wish to meet them first before concluding everything."
Bai Ye shrugged. It was indeed very much in line with Gilgamesh's style.
Bai Ye tossed the apple core into the nearby trash can and said, "Then shall we wait and see?"
Gilgamesh nodded, then looked at the aerial garden on the television.
...
Meanwhile...
Above Fuyuki City, in the aerial garden.
A long, narrow corridor, hollow and silent.
Li Jiayi walked along the corridor. With every step he took, the sound echoed, making the corridor seem even deeper and more secluded.
Soon, Li Jiayi reached the door at the end and pushed it open casually.
This was the core of the aerial garden.
In a spacious hall, a man and a woman stood.
The man appeared to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with golden curly hair, a handsome and resolute face, but with a violent aura emanating from his brow.
Zenaru Darilo, one of the executives of the Hidden Dragon Society.
To be precise, he was currently the third-in-command of the Hidden Dragon Society.
A ruthless killer. After all, Zenaru was the initiator of this wish, and the participants of this wish mission were selected based on their kill count. And Zenaru's kill count...
Ranked first!
However, Li Jiayi did not pay much attention to Zenaru.
Li Jiayi was more interested in the woman beside Zenaru.
The woman possessed a beauty that captivated men, with long, flowing black hair like a waterfall. A black dress accentuated her graceful figure. Her eyes held a misty and decadent look, yet strangely, they also possessed a noble elegance.
Most importantly...
She was the owner of this aerial garden. 138ReadingNet
The legendary queen of the Assyrian Empire, who poisoned her husband. In heroic epics, she was known as the oldest poisoner. However, her excellent governance and military prowess made people forget her cruelty and instead praise her.
She was Semiramis, the woman known as the Empress!
Thinking of this, Li Jiayi couldn't help but feel a bit dejected.
Look at the Heroic Spirits summoned by others.
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?
Fūma Kotarō...
A ninja from the Land of the Rising Sun...
Although he was a famous ninja, the leader of the Fūma clan, wasn't he just an employee?
Others were kings or queens, or guardians and queens. The only one who wasn't directly related to a king had a father who was a god-king...
Li Jiayi felt he had it so tough.
At the same time, Zenaru looked at Li Jiayi and suddenly asked, "Is your plan feasible?"
Li Jiayi snapped back to reality and smiled, "There are no absolutely successful plans in this world, but at least it seems to be working so far. No one has made a move, have they?"
Why did the aerial garden appear so conspicuously?
There was no special reason.
This was an idea Li Jiayi had suggested to Zenaru, to make others speculate about why the aerial garden had appeared so prominently!
And then...
While others were guessing the reasons and holding back, it would absorb magic and make the aerial garden complete.
...