Multiverse: Why does the world show a health bar? !

Li Mo dragged his exhausted body back to Mount Enzou. The lady from the Clock Tower, despite wearing a traditional kimono, was surprisingly difficult to deal with.

**Reines El-Melloi Archisorte**, a woman as cunning as a snake. Her long, smooth black hair cascaded down her back, complementing the kimono and giving off an air of classical Eastern beauty.

That is, unless you looked into her eyes, where a chilling coldness lurked.

Li Mo wasn't unfamiliar with this name. After all, in the world of *The Case Files of Lord El-Melloi II*, Reines was one of the most frequently appearing characters from the Department of Policies—a cold-blooded political creature.

Interacting with her fully demonstrated this. Her entire focus revolved around one word: **"benefit."**

But this also made things easier. As long as they could offer the right reasons and benefits, she would be all smiles. People like her only cared about solving problems. How the problems were solved, whether the process was reasonable, or whether the truth uncovered was accurate—none of that mattered to her.

But still, it was exhausting. Why couldn't things be settled with a straightforward agreement? Why did everything have to involve endless back-and-forth?

Standing at the entrance of the cave, he sighed. The negotiations with Reines had been his responsibility alone, with Rin Tohsaka and Illya assisting from the sidelines, while Sakura Matou and Shirou Emiya simply observed.

He was the main negotiator.

There was no way he could let a group of students handle negotiations with a crafty fox like Reines.

Only Li Mo, who had experience dealing with cunning individuals like Yae Miko, could step up. During his time in Teyvat, he had handled many tasks for the Grand Narukami Shrine while compiling books. When the other shrine maidens asked for his help, how could he refuse?

He glanced westward. The sun was already hanging low in the sky, and it wouldn't be long before it dipped below the horizon.

He had left in the morning and only returned in the afternoon. Wasn't this just like a regular workday? At least he wasn't stuck in a 996 work schedule, right?

How frustrating.

Li Mo trudged into the cave with a dejected expression.

Tomorrow, he would have to waste more time on that woman from the Department of Policies. She looked so beautiful when she smiled, so why was she so difficult to deal with? Couldn't she just turn a blind eye? Maybe he should lure her into the magic crystal business?

In any case, the existence of the Greater Holy Grail couldn't be revealed to her.

To the people of the Clock Tower, the Holy Grail War was just a rural ritual from the Far East. But if the existence of the **Greater Holy Grail** became widely known...

He could imagine magicians flocking to Fuyuki City. The Greater Holy Grail itself wasn't particularly rare, but the fact that it was created by a wielder of the **Third Magic**, combined with the help of magical tools like the **Heaven's Dress**, meant that the Einzbern family still had a chance to master the Third Magic.

"I'm back."

Shaking off his thoughts, Li Mo decided to deal with Reines after a good night's sleep.

"Welcome back, Li Mo."

"Huh?"

The voice that greeted him wasn't Medea's.

It was the shrine maiden.

Hanachirusato stood in the living area of the cave, still wearing her red and white shrine maiden outfit and the familiar fox mask.

At first glance, nothing seemed to have changed.

But Li Mo felt something was off. Miss Hanachirusato should have undergone some transformation. The morning's conversation flashed through his mind, and he activated his "other vision."

"Miss Hanachirusato, have you already obtained a new body? Hmm... why no fox ears? I remember giving Medea the bloodline."

The **Hakuzosu bloodline**.

The bloodline of the Heavenly Fox from Inazuma in the world of *Genshin Impact*.

This bloodline inherently contained power. Li Mo's path to transcendence had been paved by using the Hakuzosu bloodline to increase his potential, setting him on the path of the **Beast**.

Li Mo hadn't used up all the bloodline given by Yae Miko. Instead, he had saved a portion for Hanachirusato. But... she hadn't used it?

"That's right, I didn't use it. This body is just an ordinary homunculus."

An Einzbern homunculus.

Now, Hanachirusato's body was the same as Irisviel's from the past, or the two maids by Illya's side.

"Can you still use magic?"

"No, I can't. I plan to learn the magecraft of this world. Miss Medea said that while this body's Magic Circuits aren't as good as Illya's, both their quantity and quality are considered top-tier in this world."

Hanachirusato hid her hands in the sleeves of her shrine maiden outfit and said, "So I've decided to learn magecraft. I'll be relying on you, Li Mo."

"Alright, I understand. It seems Medea wants to get rid of me, her troublesome Master..." Li Mo said with a laugh.

In truth, Li Mo had already stopped participating in Medea's research. Even though his intelligence had increased significantly—partly due to his own efforts and partly due to his transformation—he still couldn't keep up with Medea's pace.

Intelligence, as Li Mo understood it, was a combination of accumulated knowledge and thinking speed. The transformation brought about by the Greater Holy Grail had boosted his intelligence by two points.

Even so, Li Mo still couldn't match Medea's level. It was a matter of accumulated experience.

"Li Mo, you were the one who asked Miss Medea to speed up her research. How can you blame her now?"

"I'm not blaming her. Fine... my mistake. I'll make sure Medea gets some rest. By the way, why are you still wearing the mask, Miss Hanachirusato?"

"Because underneath it is a face with no features."

"Eh—?"

Miss Hanachirusato.

Ever since her resurrection in this world, she had developed a habit of smiling.

Even with the mask on, Li Mo could sense it.

"So, Miss Hanachirusato, you were just teasing me?"

"That's right."

"Miss Medea must have seen your real face by now, right? Can I see it too?"

"Only you can't, Li Mo."

"That's unfair!"

Li Mo and Hanachirusato walked deeper into the cave, intending to drag Medea out for dinner. But when Medea finally emerged, they realized they hadn't bought any ingredients for the day.

The group then made a trip to the shopping district.

At the seafood shop, Medea spotted a familiar figure—short blue hair and a tall build.

"Lancer, why are you here?"

"Ah, Caster! I'm working here. Since Bazett is heading back to Britain, I thought I'd find a job. Luckily, a fishing buddy of mine had some connections, so I ended up here." Cu Chulainn replied.

Li Mo chimed in, "I have money, you know."

"Master, I just want to experience ordinary life for a bit."

"Alright, suit yourself. Give me a fish. We're having fish for dinner tonight."

Since they hadn't decided on dinner yet, Li Mo settled on fish.

He wasn't going to prepare sashimi, though. As for what to make... he'd figure it out later.

It seemed like Fuyuki City was turning into a scene straight out of *Today's Menu for the Emiya Family*.