Having foreseen the terrible news of humanity's impending extinction, Su Shu immediately tried walking in and out of a local hospital's main entrance repeatedly, attempting to transmigrate back. Unfortunately, it didn't work.
He was forced, once again, to accept reality.
The silver lining was this: although he was a transmigrator, and no matter how much he prayed for one, no "System" awakened, Su Shu was truly a peerless talent.
After struggling to gain initial control over his Clairvoyance, he finally looked inward and realized that the strange shadow in his brain wasn't a tumor... but dormant, mutated Magic Circuits. Their Quality and Quantity were so exceptional that the mana they passively absorbed and leaked caused his severe headaches. If he didn't activate and master them soon, they would be just as deadly as a malignant tumor—he might really only have a few months to live.
Thus, with a recommendation (and some strings pulled) from El-Melloi II, Su Shu began his life as an exchange student at the Clock Tower.
After a period of theoretical study, he gradually learned that the future he observed with his Clairvoyance represented only one "possibility." This was why the form of the disaster he foresaw differed each time.
World Lines often contained infinite possibilities...
In other words, the future could be changed!
If humanity could advance and develop faster, perhaps that miserable end could be averted.
For that very reason, besides focusing on his own survival, Su Shu dedicated himself to advancing the world's fundamental research, hoping to promote a synthesis of science and magecraft.
His research topics all shared this practical and down-to-earth starting point: "A Study on Increased Wheat Yields Under Varying Aether Concentrations,""A Feasibility Study on the Use of Runes for Water Purification,""An Exploration of Magecraft as a High-Efficiency Clean Energy Source," and so on.
Unfortunately, the Mage's Association, represented by the Clock Tower, was a hopelessly sclerotic institution, filled with academic monopolies, bloodline discrimination, and narrow-minded prejudice. The so-called traditional magus families were essentially just conservative, feudal clans. The factionalism and political infighting had created a corrupt quagmire that dragged down everyone who stepped into it.
As magi, very few cared about the thoughts of "muggles" or sought to benefit ordinary people. Not using commoners as raw materials for rituals was already considered the mark of a highly moral magus. After all, the "big brother" chimera from Fullmetal Alchemist would be considered just an appetizer in the world of Type-Moon magecraft...
Su Shu's efforts alone were not enough to change such a toxic environment. In fact, due to his dazzling performance, many of the Clock Tower's aristocratic factions already saw him as a thorn in their side.
After all, the talent displayed by an Easterner with no pedigree, who was wiping the floor with the heirs of the great magus families, sounded utterly absurd in the bloodline-obsessed Clock Tower.
Instead of staying at your Spiral Manor in China, you come to the Clock Tower as an exchange student and reach the rank of Pride in a year? What are you trying to prove?
To many, this was an outright provocation.
What was even more infuriating was that this guy was always going on about "combining magecraft research with scientific practice" and "working for the future of humanity." He showed not a shred of the reverence a magus should have for Mystery and the Greater Grail. He was like an uncouth barbarian!
This led to growing hostility towards Su Shu. Although it wasn't expressed openly, covert antagonism had been targeting him since the day he was promoted to Cause.
As the saying goes, the person who stands tallest is the one everyone wants to knock down.
When you're out in the world without status or backing, you easily become a target of envy. Su Shu understood this, of course, but he didn't have the time to lay low and bide his time.
As one of the highest seats of learning in the world of magecraft, the Clock Tower offered an unparalleled environment. Despite the chaotic power struggles, its research into the field of magecraft was undeniably at the cutting edge of this world. It wasn't that Su Shu didn't want to go to the Spiral Manor; he simply had no choice. He had no home in the China of this world. He hadn't even heard the name "Spiral Manor" until El-Melloi II told him that his home country had its own established magus organization.
Time didn't allow him the luxury of choice. Su Shu desperately needed the Clock Tower's resources to help him activate and master the Magic Circuits in his brain—to upgrade his own head. If he delayed any longer, he might just bleed from every orifice and drop dead.
Advancing his rank at the Clock Tower would help him build a foundation. And upon reaching Pride, Su Shu gained the qualification to open his own workshop, allowing him to conduct many sensitive research projects in private.
In short, he was currently in a stage where he needed to rely on the Clock Tower, not the other way around. Therefore, for the sake of his own survival, Su Shu had to choose this high-profile path and reveal some of his talents. The resulting hostility was an unavoidable side effect.
For instance, the black box containing a Holy Relic on the coffee table before him was a form of insidious malice, disguised as an opportunity.
After a majority vote by the council of Lords, it was decided to grant Su Shu the slot to represent the Clock Tower in the Far East Holy Grail War. Nominally, it was an "extremely rare opportunity," a "great honor," and "recognition of his magical talent."
They were just pretty words.
As a direct participant in the Fourth Fuyuki Holy Grail War, Lord El-Melloi II himself knew better than anyone the dangers involved. Sending someone to participate in the Fifth War now was no different from sending a soldier to clear a minefield—cannon fodder.
The Greater Grail of Fuyuki was suspected to have been contaminated during the Fourth War. Now, a mere ten years later, it was about to accumulate enough mana to start the Fifth Holy Grail War.
Everyone at the Clock Tower coveted the Grail, but the gruesome deaths of Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald and his fiancée were still fresh in their minds. The Magic Crests on their bodies were almost completely destroyed, causing the Archibald family's status at the Clock Tower to plummet, so much so that a branch family under Reines could take over.
The battles between Servants were brutal enough.
And the Grail itself might be corrupted...
This Fifth War in Fuyuki, with its turbulent undercurrents, was bound to be perilous, a nine-out-of-ten-chance of death. The Clock Tower, as a leader in the magus world, was expected to send a representative. So, whose turn was it?
Many were watching.
And so this hot potato was passed around, finally landing in the lap of Su Shu from the El-Melloi classroom. After all, he was, on paper, the number one magus of the younger generation at the Clock Tower. And given his well-known "obsession" with magecraft research, people assumed he would never refuse such a "rare" opportunity.
After all, it's the Holy Grail! The lifelong pursuit of a magus, the path to the Root, the so-called omnipotent wish-granting machine!
We gave the precious spot to you. If you're not skilled enough and end up dead, you can't blame the Clock Tower, right?
You could hear their scheming all the way across London.
From a moral high ground, the Clock Tower was unimpeachable. To an outsider, it would only seem like they were investing heavily in Su Shu's development. The council did its best to hype up how precious this opportunity was.
But unfortunately for them, they could never have guessed...
...At the Clock Tower, there was no one who knew the Holy Grail War better than Su Shu.
As an otaku who had only watched the Fate series anime, Su Shu was completely clueless about the various settings in the later FGO. Not having played the mobile game was one of his greatest regrets after transmigrating—he was missing a lot of key intel.
But the Fifth Holy Grail War was just too famous. So famous that even a casual fan like Su Shu could recount its details by heart.
A corrupted Grail, fallen Servants, hedonistic priests everywhere, and traitors galore... The frequency of "gas leaks" in Fuyuki City was a powerful testament to the "craftsmanship" of Japanese manufacturing. He'd have to be a fool to willingly walk into that.
Su Shu considered himself a cautious person who cherished his life. He lacked the protagonist aura of an Emiya and the resolve to be a Hero of Justice. Besides, even as the protagonist, Shirou, who was destined to be the winner in every route of Fate/stay night—did he really have a good ending?
Putting aside the 40-some Bad Ends, just look at Archer. He mocked his past self's immaturity, yet he was the pathetic soul who had drowned in his own ideals. The term "a family of martyrs" was never a blessing.
Worse still, the world line he was in might have already changed due to his transmigration. There was no telling what kind of strange new things might pop up. If he participated now, even with his foreknowledge, his chances of getting out alive were fifty-fifty at best.
So, Su Shu chose to stay far away.
Of course, he couldn't very well tell his teacher about his life as a transmigrator.
Regarding the matter at hand, Su Shu pondered for a moment before speaking calmly.
"I have no interest whatsoever in the so-called Holy Grail."
The black-haired young man lowered his gaze.
"A wise man does not stand beneath a collapsing wall. To willingly place myself in danger for a hollow wish... such an idea is far too foolish."
"My ideals do not rely on empty wishes."
"I will rely on my own two hands to make them a reality."
Hearing his disciple's resolute answer, El-Melloi II couldn't help but see the stark contrast with his own immature past self. He exhaled a cloud of smoke, his tone filled with a trace of melancholy.
"That's a conviction that puts me to shame..."
"You're right. With your talent, you have no need for a wish from the Holy Grail. I personally agree with your decision to refuse."
"You are far too normal, Shu. But most magi are a bunch of lunatics. So, a normal person like you ends up looking like the odd one out. To be in a quagmire like the Clock Tower... it's like a pure lotus in the mud, a bright pearl covered in dust."
Su Shu couldn't help but give a wry smile at the words. "I'll take that as a compliment, Teacher."
"Interacting with a sane disciple is much more pleasant than navigating the politics of those detestable old men," El-Melloi II said, taking another drag from his cigar. "I'll handle the council. You don't need to worry about it."
"Even the rank of Grand at the Clock Tower should be far from your final destination."
He gazed at his cheap disciple. Because he had nurtured a Pride-rank magus in just one year, El-Melloi II had become the most sought-after special lecturer at the Clock Tower. The threshold of the El-Melloi classroom was being worn down by students, forcing him to add more and more classes. The tuition fees were rolling in, leaving him in a state of painful yet joyful overtime every day.
However, Waver knew best. He had hardly taught Su Shu anything, merely guided him through the door.
Over the past year, muttering incomprehensible things like, "Aren't Foundations and Crests just like writing computer programs?", Su Shu's progress had been so fast it was like he was cheating.
According to Su Shu's own words, it was because he once had a profession very similar in nature to a magus—he was a "code monkey" or something—which was why he could learn magecraft so easily. Waver didn't quite understand it. But what was undeniable was that in the realm of magecraft, his disciple had likely already surpassed him, the teacher.
"Above magecraft, there is a realm that transcends magecraft," El-Melloi II said. "That is the peak you should be aiming for."
"A realm that transcends magecraft..." Su Shu mulled over the words. "...Are you referring to 'Magic'?"
"Correct," Waver nodded. "Even your hope of returning home might lie within it."
"Returning home."
Not buying a plane ticket back to China, of course, but "returning to his original world."
Yes, as his teacher, Waver Velvet actually knew his disciple was a transmigrator. After all, Su Shu, an Easterner, had appeared out of nowhere in London, thousands of miles from home, without so much as a passport. His strangely designed ID card even said he was born in '99...
When Su Shu had shown Waver his Huawei smartphone, faced with such an exquisite piece of technology, Waver had immediately understood the young man's origins. Although he was shocked, he was more amazed at his fortune in encountering a genuine case.
Because transmigration was not without precedent in the world of magecraft.
That precedent was...
"...The Second Magic," Su Shu said the name slowly. "Parallel World Operation."
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