My Destiny Illustrated Book of the Moon

Chapter 725: The Loyal and Brave Emiya Family

After arriving at the southern forest, the long journey wore down the team's will. The high temperature and the monsters that posed no threat made people let down their guard, to the point that they unknowingly forgot to whom this forest belonged.

——This is where the gods live.

Stepping into the dense rain forest is equivalent to crossing the shimenawa of the torii gate. The excessively high temperature, the inherent barrier-level magical power, and the occasional appearance of magical beasts from the Age of Gods are all warnings to any visitor who trespasses rashly.

This is where the gods watch.

Pay attention to all actions, pay attention to all actions.

Otherwise, the wrath of God will descend upon this place, and the First Sun will turn into a falling sun disk, cruelly burning away all blasphemy and disrespect.

"Meowhahaha! Hahahahaha!"

The laughter is just an illusion. If you feel it carefully, you will be shocked to find the rising abundance of divinity and the wild premonition of danger.

"Fujimaru, be careful around you!" The doctor's warning came from the bracelet, "Someone dangerous is coming!"

Sakutsuki felt lighter, and Fujimaru and Anna jumped down at the same time, holding their respective round table shields and scythes, and instantly entered a combat readiness posture: "Who is it?!"

"I am... um, what is it? A mysterious beauty?"

"Very good, I understand." Merlin raised his index finger and shouted with great certainty, "This is an idiot!"

"I'm not a hippopotamus!"

As if enraged, the orange-yellow figure fell to the ground, dirt and dust fled from her in fear, blurring her striped doll costume, but unable to hide her angry complaints:
"I just don't understand why people always compare me to a hippopotamus!"

The hot wind blew away the dust curtain, and when a 'creature' that looked like a cheetah at first glance, but standing on two feet, with human-like limbs exposed and a leopard tail swinging behind it, came into view, even a wise man like Merlin could not help but stare with wide eyes:
"What is this strange creature?" Cold sweat ran down his face. "UMA (Unidentified Organism)? Could it be UMA?!"

“No! I am nobody! If I must say, I am the embodiment of the jungle, the embodiment of great warriors!” The mysterious creature leaped into the air, did a backflip and spun ten times, then waved its claws and roared, “Leopard-man! The Servant Leopard-man appears again! If you are not afraid of being torn to pieces by my fangs, then come on!”

The mysterious servant who called himself Leopard Man laughed loudly. His face, which looked like that of a high school English teacher, had a mouthful of white teeth that gleamed from time to time.

"Leopard...man?" Fujimaru repeated the name in confusion. Not only was this servant's real name never heard before, but the way she spoke and acted also had a strong sense of being off-line, as if she was a funny character suddenly inserted into a serious and bloody battle, making it impossible to keep up with her rhythm.

As for Anna, since she couldn't keep up, she just didn't care.

"No matter how you look at it, he's a suspicious person. Eliminate him immediately!"

The small figure turned into dark light, wielding a scythe that could kill the undead, and slashed at the suspicious creature that claimed to be a leopard man. When the cold light of the scythe flashed, the leopard man had disappeared from his sight.

When she looked up, she found that she was already standing on the top of the Parashorea chinensis.

"Very good, I think I understand. See you again if we are destined to meet again, young Master, decadent handsome magician, cat-eared loli who is not to be trifled with, and the hateful disciple No. 2 who just watched from beginning to end!"

"Also, pay attention! I am not a tiger, but a leopard man! This is the key point in the exam, remember it!"

The energetic voice gradually faded away, and just as the rest was about to reach Fujimaru's ears, he slapped it away with a look of disgust, "What are you doing..."

"What an amazing speed! He jumped onto the forest and retreated in an instant." Merlin said happily, "And he also has a great wild instinct. He saw through my disguise to avoid being too dazzling at a glance!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Merlin was stared at by the other three people as if they were scum of the world. It was not until he muttered "I didn't say anything wrong" and squatted in the corner, drawing circles in frustration that Fujimaru and the others resumed the discussion.

“…It’s hard to catch up with her, both in terms of ability and spirit.”

"I agree." The doctor spoke on behalf of Merlin. "Although her appearance was hilarious, the woman who called herself a leopard man was actually a genuine divine servant. If she were to be attacked again, although Shuoyue could handle it, it would probably take up a lot of energy."

"What's more," Da Vinci's voice squeezed in, with a hint of joking, "Whether some people will take action is another matter, don't you think - No. 2 Disciple?"

Disciple number two.

This was exactly what the Leopard Man called Shuoyue before he left. She seemed quite dissatisfied with the young man's indifference.

It couldn't be that Shuo Yue didn't stop and beat her up, right?

"You really have extensive connections as always, Sakutsuki." Fujimaru complained, "I didn't expect that you even know someone in the southern forest of Uruk."

"Eh? Ah, it seems like that." Facing the teasing of everyone, Sakutsuki was visibly distracted for a moment, and when he recovered, he put on a perfect smile on his face. "That leopard... Fujimaru, you really lost out by not bringing Emiya this time. I'm really curious about what his expression would be after meeting so many familiar faces in this singularity."

"Mr. Emiya?" Fujimaru was stunned. "But isn't he a modern Heroic Spirit? How can he be connected to Servants before the Age of Gods... and a divine Servant?"

"Ha, remember to say 'Tiger Dojo' in front of him when you get back. He will definitely show the same stomachache expression as El-Melloi II." Sakutsuki shrugged. "But let's stop talking nonsense here. Before I get cooked further, I want to drink some cool water in Ur City."

So, after experiencing a small episode, the reconnaissance team from Uruk set out on their journey again. After passing through the increasingly dense rainforest, the outline of a building finally appeared in front of everyone.

"Is this Ur?" Without guards or gates, the city opened its arms defenselessly to welcome Fujimaru and his companions. Strolling on the tree-lined streets, the surrounding citizens cast curious glances at them. Looking at this peaceful scene, the young master's eyes were filled with curiosity.

"Is this city safe?"

"Yes, although they look listless, the citizens of Ur are still alive." Merlin stroked his chin and looked at Shuoyue thoughtfully.

Fujimaru couldn't wait to walk up to the woman squatting by the well to scoop water, and said, "Hello, we are from Uruk, and we are here to investigate the situation in Ur under the order of the king."

"Oh, you came from Uruk." The woman stood up in surprise. "It must be hard to come here through the dense forest."

"But fortunately everyone is fine." Fujimaru smiled, "We will go back and report to the king and ask him to organize a rescue team."

"No, no need!"

"Eh?" Fujimaru was stunned. Not only the woman in front of him, but also the citizens around him raised their heads. The emotion in their eyes was not gratitude, but -

fear.

"Why?"

"We don't need a rescue team." The woman bowed deeply and stood up with a look that looked like she was half crying and half laughing. "Ur is a very safe city. As long as we obey the laws of the Jungle Goddess, we won't be killed by monsters."

"So, after entering the territory of Ur, I really didn't sense any breath of magical beasts." Anna looked around, a little shaken, "When I entered the rain forest, I encountered the magical beast Muxiu Huxiu..."

"So, there are no casualties?" Merlin stepped forward and asked softly.

"You mean, it's safer here than in Mesopotamia, so you didn't contact Uruk and thought it would be okay to hide in Ur?"

"How is that possible!" The woman suddenly became excited. "We have also thought about sending reinforcements to Uruk! But... this..."

"This goes against the law of the so-called Goddess of the Jungle. I see, I see." The sage holding the staff nodded, revealing a look of understanding. "I understand the situation. While you are safe, you cannot leave Ur. Whether it is the people who come to rescue you or the people who go out to support you, they will all be killed by the forest equally."

——This is why Uruk’s reconnaissance teams disappeared one after another.

"Maintain the status quo and do nothing." The green light in his eyes disappeared, and Shuoyue folded his hands. Although he was smiling, it seemed that he was not smiling at all. "This is Wuer's self-defense method."

For a moment, the woman opened her mouth as if to argue, but finally lowered her head in frustration: "...Yes, thank you for understanding."

"Hey, Merlin, and Sakutsuki." Fujimaru looked at the two people who were vaguely hostile, and was a little confused. "What happened?"

Suddenly, he felt someone pulling his arm. Fujimaru lowered his head and found that Anna was staring at the citizens who were gradually gathering around her, with the same cold light in her eyes as that of Shuoyue Meilin.

"Pay attention to your surroundings, Fujimaru - don't you notice anything unusual?"

At this moment, the young man's calm and compassionate voice slowly sounded:
"Yes, of course I can understand that. As long as you don't resist, you can survive."

"Because this is a common tactic used by those who give up on themselves. And then, how many people are chosen to be sacrificed?" Shuoyue narrowed his eyes and said in a mocking tone, "About one a day?"

"!!!" Fujimaru's pupils suddenly shrank. When the citizens of Ur gathered because of the arrival of the envoy from Uruk, he finally discovered the biggest abnormality of the city during his observation.

"There are too few adult males here."

"You finally realized it?" Sakutsuki glanced at Fujimaru who was speechless with shock, then turned his head and continued to question the woman in front of him and all the citizens of Ur City:
"For Ur, who claimed that no fighting took place, the imbalance in the number of men and women is too unnatural. If that's the case, then their disappearance must be due to other reasons. Am I right?"

"That is to say..." The smile on the young master's face disappeared, and he began to tremble. An indescribable anger and sadness rose from the bottom of his heart, causing him to clench his fists involuntarily, and the third magic ritual outfit on his body made a sharp and mournful sound.

"The city of Ur... is offering living sacrifices in exchange for survival."

(End of this chapter)