Chapter 135
Under the guidance of Wan'er and Lingyue, everyone visited the botanical garden, climbed Wulao Peak, and admired the distant scenery. Finally, they arrived at the long-awaited Sandiequan Waterfall, which Hiratsuka had been eager to see. To walk from the top down to the base of the waterfall, they had to descend a long slope of over 3,000 steps.
This waterfall originated from the spring waters of Dayue Mountain, which flowed past the back of Wulao Peak and poured out from a cliff, crashing onto the first massive rock platform. Water splashed into mist, then cascaded down like a silver-white dragon to the second platform, then the third, finally plunging into the deep pool below. Hence the name Sandie (Three-tiered).
"Ooohhh! Oooooohhh!!!" Hiratsuka suddenly became extremely excited, letting out strange cries as she pulled out her DSLR and snapped photos wildly.
After all, this was the spot where Shiryu (the Dragon Saint) once punched the waterfall into reverse flow to obtain the Dragon Cloth. Maybe somewhere here was also the big rock where Libra Dohko once meditated.
"Sensei, keep it down, it's embarrassing." Shirou whispered, feeling the odd stares from those around. Luckily, it was the off-season, so there weren't many people.
"Shirou! Shirou! Look at it—it's amazing!" Hiratsuka, lost in excitement, ignored him, occasionally tugging on the boy's sleeve.
"Who are these lovebirds?" "Tourists from Japan? Do they have to flaunt their PDA even here?" "I came all the way up the mountain to see the waterfall, and I still have to be force-fed dog food?"
Around them, tourists cast resentful and envious looks.
"Shirou! Take a picture for me! Quick, quick!" Hiratsuka ran over, shoving the DSLR into Shirou's hands.
"Alright, alright…" Shirou sighed helplessly at the woman acting like a child.
"Hurry, hurry!" Hiratsuka ran to the poolside beneath the waterfall, raised her fist, and struck an uppercut pose.
"You really think you're going to punch it?" Shirou quipped.
But this time, Shirou no longer doubted whether Hiratsuka could reverse the waterfall. After all, in her current state, she could probably send even a dragon flying.
Afterward, the group continued to enjoy Lushan until past three in the afternoon, when they finally left the scenic area. In the afternoon, they visited nearby shops to buy local specialties and souvenirs to take home.
"Big brother, for Komachi's gift, make sure it's something tasty." His little sister's request was still fresh in his memory, so Shirou chose Jiujiang tea cakes.
He had tasted this traditional local pastry at the hotel—freshly baked, it was indeed delicious. The outer crust was slightly hard and chewy, while the inside was crisp and sweet. Even Su Dongpo, who loved rich flavors and fried foods, had once eaten this very pastry while visiting a Buddhist friend at a Jiangzhou temple, and praised it: "The little cakes chew like the moon, with crisp layers and syrup inside."
Meanwhile, back at Chaldea, Da Vinci had been analyzing the collected data with various machines. She had been at it since last night and was still busy now.
It seemed she had drawn inspiration from the small world Li Shuwen had built outside the alternate space.
"Da Vinci-chan, you've worked hard. Have you figured anything out about those black mud Servants?" Gudako, sitting nearby, stepped forward to ask.
Da Vinci shook her head with a troubled look. "No. The only thing confirmed so far is that the summoning of the black mud Servants is based on a system different from Chaldea's. The entities controlling the mud seem to use direct contracts with Heroic Spirits from the Throne, while others form contracts with Servants like Li Shuwen who disappeared from Chaldea. We may end up facing even trickier enemies later."
"Then… could the other top Servants who went missing from Chaldea also have been corrupted by the mud?" Gudako asked.
"I don't know. The deeper I investigate, the more mysteries appear. These worlds really aren't simple. On the surface, there are the black mud Servants who want to kill Shirou, but beneath that, other powers are secretly moving as well.
Although the traces are faint, well concealed, and their exact locations can't be pinpointed, it's now certain that in Shirou's world—besides the black mud Servants and magical beasts—there are other entities with magical reactions."
Gudako exclaimed in shock: "Then isn't Shirou-senpai in great danger in that world? What about Mash and the senpai at her school—will they be alright?"
"Yes. The Counter Force of that world doesn't seem as resistant to the mysterious as it first appeared. Now, it seems to be pushing things along from behind, making everything more complicated.
It'll all depend on Shirou and those girls. But since their compatibility has reached 100%, the Servants they summon by possession can at least unleash real power. Protecting themselves won't be an issue." Da Vinci explained.
By evening, everyone returned to the hotel to rest. In the hall, they held a meeting.
The middle-aged teacher leading the group announced the upcoming schedule:
"Everyone has worked hard this week. The exchange program with Xunyang Branch is now officially concluded. Let me repeat the next part of the plan: Shirou-kun will be taken by Mr. Hiratsuka to a school in Britain for kyudo (archery) exchange. The rest of you will accompany me to another branch in Yuezhou, China."
"Understood." The students casually replied. These arrangements had already been decided back in Chiba. They were all part of the standard exchange with Chinese branches—only Shirou's archery trip was a special case.
"Wow, lucky. You get to go to Europe, to Britain." The classmates looked enviously at Shirou.
Already quite familiar with Britain, Shirou waved his hand dismissively. "Nah, going to Yuezhou means you can eat lots of snacks, see plenty of fun places, and there are even panda triplets there."
"True, when you think of it that way, it doesn't sound so bad. I feel better already. And it's near Foshan—maybe we'll even draw Wong Fei-hung."
"Take lots of panda pictures. The girls back in class will love them." "Shirou, you just stick to eating fish and chips over there and perform well."
The boys laughed loudly.
"Don't forget, give it your all in the Go and ping pong matches too." Shirou encouraged them.
"…." The others instantly wilted. Yes, the past couple of days had been fun, but now the cycle of hellish competitions was about to begin again. No wonder the principal had said from the start that just participating would earn them scholarships—clearly, they never expected them to actually win!
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