The journey of dragon transformation starting from Demon Slayer

Over the past few days, he has been experimenting and eliminating options bit by bit until the most unlikely option remains, the one that shocked him the most.

This might be a more advanced "mystery", the "materialization of rules", or the "crystallization of concepts".

This is Shichen’s current guess about “Baoyu”.

If this is true, then the reason why he cannot analyze it is clear, because he has never seen this kind of crystal in his life, let alone experienced this form of power, so he cannot understand it.

Minerals and gemstones are products of the influence of natural spirits. Since the Toosaka family has special channels for purchasing gemstones, Toshiomi knows all the properties of the known gemstones on the market.

This precious jade cannot be simply explained by being influenced by the spirit of nature. It is a materialized concept and may even be a product of the Age of Gods.

As we all know, the five elements correspond to a certain phenomenon in reality, so what does this gem correspond to?

Is it a new element? How was it born? How did it appear in this world?

What story does it tell? What kind of power does it contain?

I have to say, all of this is really curious! It simply aroused the most basic curiosity of Tōsaka Tokiomi, a magician, towards "mysterious" things!

Just then, footsteps suddenly sounded at the door of the workshop.

The sound seemed to blend in with the surrounding environment, but it also had a presence that could not be ignored.

It was different from the light footsteps of his wife and the cheerful running of his children. This footstep seemed particularly steady, and each step seemed to carry the weight of time.

"Are you still studying that thing? Teacher..."

A male voice echoed in his ears. Tokito turned around and saw that it was Kotomine Kirei, his disciple who had been studying magic in the Tōsaka family mansion for over a year.

Shi Chen smiled and responded to his trusted disciple: "Ah, after all, it is something that suddenly appeared, and it happens to be a gem, so it is worth my time to study it..."

Shichen did not explain too much to Kirei. Rather, Kirei knew the general idea of ​​the matter and was invited to participate in the research on the gem.

Unfortunately, he did not contribute much to the research.

Let’s first talk about Kotomine Kirei.

He has short brown hair, brown pupils, and wears a cassock made of special fiber material, a cross necklace on his chest, brown short boots, and all in black, looking exactly like a church priest.

Kotomine Kirei is the child of his good friend Kotomine Risei, and both of them belong to the church and are clergy of the church. However, their duties are fundamentally different from those of ordinary priests.

The full name of the church that Kirei and his friends belonged to was the "Cathedral Church". Its specific duty was to brand miracles and mysteries outside of doctrine as heresy and to expel and bury them in darkness.

In other words, they are clergymen who stand on the side of banning blasphemous acts such as magic.

The opposition to the "Church" is the magician organization called the "Association".

The association is like a magic kaleidoscope, which brings together all kinds of magicians. No matter they are from a large family with a long tradition or a wild magician from a "grassroots" background, they can all find their place in this association.

As a descendant of a family of magicians, Toosaka Tokiomi naturally knew about the association. He even had many magic patents there. The dividends alone could earn him tens of millions a year, which could be said to be a major source of income for the Toosaka family.

Then why would a magician like him get involved with this clergyman? Aren't the Association and the Church in a hostile state?

In fact, this is true. If the association and the church had not signed an agreement, he and Kirei would not have been able to get along peacefully like this.

To be more specific, the Tohsaka clan and the church have had a close relationship since a long time ago.

The Holy Grail War, which takes place once every sixty years, is now in its fourth iteration.

Since the first war, the country of RB has embarked on the road of civilization.

Although it is a small country located in a remote area of ​​the Far East, it is difficult to carry out large-scale sabotage activities completely without being noticed.

Therefore, since the Third Holy Grail War, the Cathedral Church has sent people to supervise, striving to minimize the harm caused by the war, hiding those involved in the "mystery", and ensuring that magicians fight according to the established rules.

In short, the purpose of the church's existence is to prevent supernatural powers from being exposed to ordinary people, to act as a referee in the struggles between magicians, and to uphold justice for them.

And since it was a fight between magicians, if the Magic Association presided over it, it would inevitably fall into factional disputes and it would be difficult to make a fair judgment. Therefore, they had to rely on external authority, that is, the Holy Church, which was of comparable size.

Furthermore, the treasure that caused all this was named the "Holy Grail", because the "Holy Grail" mentioned in various folk tales and myths is likely to be the same holy object as the Holy Grail in church doctrine, so the Holy Church cannot sit idly by. It cannot ignore the possibility that it is a genuine object that has inherited the blood of the Son of God.

Kotomine Kirei and his son Risei both belong to the Eighth Mystery Society, which is responsible for managing and recovering holy relics in the Holy Church. The Third Holy Grail War was presided over by Kirei's father Kotomine Risei. This is the beginning of the relationship between the Tōsaka family and the Church.

Admittedly, such a brief explanation is difficult to analyze the true connection between the Tousaka family and the church, so the deeper reasons for the cooperation between the two need to be further explained.

In fact, the Holy Grail that appeared in Fuyuki was not the "holy relic" left by God, because the church had found conclusive evidence long ago.

The object of the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City was a replica of the Universal Cauldron.

This is a treasure that magicians need, but because it is a fake, it has no connection with the church.

If this were not the case, would the church be content to serve as just an overseer?

If the Holy Grail is involved, the Church will certainly break the truce agreement and seize the Holy Grail from the magician, accurately holding the relic of the Son of God in its own hands.

However, if we follow the original purpose of the "Holy Grail War" - it is only a means to reach the "root", then it has nothing to do with the church, and the church has no right to interfere.

However, if left unchecked, the power of the fake "Holy Grail" would be too great.

After all, no matter what, it is a universal machine that can fulfill any wish.

If the "Holy Grail" falls into the hands of extremists, there is no telling what kind of disaster it will cause, and it will also be difficult to eliminate it as heresy.

The magician's obsession with this holy grail is extraordinary.

A direct interrogation would inevitably lead to a head-on conflict with the Magic Association. It seemed that the sacrifice was too great and meaningless.

As a second best option, it would be better to entrust Fuyuki's Holy Grail to the person who wants it to be entrusted to him. This way, everyone knows each other well and the risks encountered in the process can naturally be reduced.

After all, there are seven Masters participating in the war. In addition to the known "Tōsaka", "Matou", and "Einzbern", there are four foreign magicians whose purpose and identity cannot be confirmed.

No one knows what kind of desires they have and what kind of thoughts they have in mind when pursuing the Holy Grail.

Now, the Matou family has gradually declined, and the Einzbern family has deviated from its original intention, so the only family that can be recognized by the church is the Toosaka family.

Originally, the church supervisor Kotomine Rizheng and the father of Tōsaka Tokiomi were close friends. Based on the consistency of interests of both parties, Kotomine Rizheng's son, Kotomine Kirei, obtained the Command Seals more than a year ago and accepted a visit from Tōsaka Tokiomi.

Tokishi brought up the topic and directly told Kotomine Risho all his plans, so under his father's orders, Kirei became Tokiomi's wife.

While learning magic at the Tousaka family and improving his qualifications as a magician, he secretly assisted Toki in investigating other masters and helping him obtain the Holy Grail.

At this point, the cause and effect of the matter has been made clear, and it all depends on what kind of news Kirei will bring to Shichen.

"Hmm? You said that Matou Zouken came to visit?"

Soon as Kirei's report ended, a hint of surprise flashed in Tokishi's eyes, and he spoke in disbelief.

Tōsaka Tokiomi had a look of astonishment on his face, as if he was puzzled by Mr. Matou's visit.

Facing Tokiomi's gaze, Kirei nodded slightly to express his affirmation, and then replied without any fluctuation: "Yes, at this moment, he should be standing in front of the Tōsaka family's house waiting for your summons..."

After hearing this, Tokiomi lowered his head thoughtfully, thinking to himself.

There is still more than a year before the Holy Grail War begins. What does the old man from the Matou family want from him?

Since the two families signed a non-aggression treaty, this old guy definitely did not come here to attack Tosaka.

To gather intelligence? Or...

After a moment of silence, Shi Chen raised his head and said firmly: "In this case, it would be better for me to go out and meet him in person..."

Then, Tokiomi picked up the cane beside him and prepared to set off.

The figures of the master and the disciple intertwined in the darkness.

Just as Shichen was about to walk out of the basement, he suddenly turned to look at Kirei and carefully warned him: "Kirei, you should stay here. Don't let him realize the special connection between us... Thank you for your hard work..."

“Understood…” Kirei nodded slightly to show that he understood, then watched Tokiomi slowly walk towards the exit of the basement.

As time passed, the entire basement fell into silence again.

Kirei slowly lowered his head, his eyes involuntarily falling on the blue sphere emitting a mysterious light placed on the table in front of him.

There was a reflection of blue light in his eyes, and he seemed to be thinking about something.

"Blue light... Master, do you want to make this into jewelry..."

Kirei's voice continued to echo in the empty room, as if it was trying to penetrate the endless darkness and explore the mysteries hidden within.

--------

Today, Sakura Toosaka was driven by her mother as usual, and went to a public place in Fuyuki City with her sister to play.

This place is located on the outskirts of the new urban area being developed in Fuyuki City. There is a large seaside park on the left side of the Fuyuki Bridge that crosses the Mion River.

The destination that the mother and her two daughters were heading to was called Fuyuki Central Park, which was adjacent to the Seaside Park. It would take more than half an hour to get here from the Tosaka family residence.

Fuyuki Central Park is loved by the public as a place where the whole family can have fun and find peace of mind.

Early that morning, the mother and her two daughters drove to the Fuyuki City Park Square. After parking the car in a nearby parking lot, the three of them got out of the car together and walked towards the park.

Although he had gone out early enough, Aoi was still a little surprised when he arrived here.

The reason is simple: there are too many people here, but this also shows from the side how popular this place is.

In the center of the venue is a huge fountain, surrounded by emerald green lawns and lush, dense woods.

The ground is paved with flat stone slabs, and the trees are tall and straight, with branches and leaves intertwined to form a green sky.

The sunlight shines through the gaps between the leaves, casting mottled shadows, lighting up the flowers and plants, swaying gently like golden chains.

The children are like happy little deer, running and playing everywhere. Their laughter is as clear as silver bells, accompanied by the morning breeze, making people's hearts feel refreshed.

The adults stood guard by with smiles on their faces, as warm and kind as the spring sun.

The sound of birds singing overhead and a gentle breeze rustling the leaves.

All of this is interwoven into a picture of tranquility and peace, which makes people intoxicated.

“What a nice weather...”

She sighed for no reason, and after looking at it a few times, Aoi felt that this was a good place to relax.

Sudden.

"Rin! Sakura! Come play!"

"yes!!"

Suddenly, children's voices were heard from a distance, and it seemed that they also noticed the new playmate.

Taking in the children's expressions, Aoi looked down at her daughter, while Rin and Sakura stared at their beautiful mother like adorable puppies.

The three people's gazes crossed in the air. Even without communicating with words, the two sisters could understand the meaning of their mother's gaze.

"Don't play too crazy!"

The mother admonished softly, and smiles spread across the sisters' faces.

"Well! Let's go play, Mom!"

“Bye~!!”

Lin took her sister's hand, and the two of them ran towards the distance together. Soon they met up with the other children.

Looking at her daughter's cheerful figure, Aoi raised the corners of her mouth slightly, found a place to sit down in the shade, opened the physical book she carried with her, and used it to kill time.

In this era, when smartphones had not yet been invented, physical books and appropriate hobbies were the best way to kill time.

Of course, if it's work...that's fine too.

However, even if there were products like smartphones on the market, Aoi, who was born into a family of magicians, would probably not use something that conflicts with "mystery" out of conservativeness.