Reborn with Steve Stand-Chapter 799-3: Nyarlathotep, I got a job for you

[System Notification: A new module feature has been detected. Researching it will unlock the download permission.]

"...Hmm?"

Fang Mo paused briefly after hearing the system notification.

To be honest, he was a little surprised, since this was the first module he had triggered since arriving in the Fate universe.

Previously, in an attempt to unlock a module, he had forced Archer to project various items in the Dimensional Prison, including weapons like Caladbolg, Kanshou and Bakuya, Rho Aias, and many others. However, none of it had worked. Now, having just stepped into the underground leyline, the system notification had sounded.

With this in mind, Fang Mo looked ahead at the leyline.

The underground cavern housing the leyline was impressively vast, as if the entirety of Mount Enzou had been hollowed out. In this massive space, there was a naturally formed stone altar surrounded by pools of magma, and towering stalagmites all pointed toward the altar.

Streams of powerful magic flowed from various directions, converging in the center. Above the altar, a strange and indescribable orb of light hovered, formed from the gathered magic.

Fang Mo squinted to observe the orb. It wasn't large—perhaps because the Holy Grail War hadn't yet concluded, the Grail hadn't fully activated. The orb appeared small, resembling a compressed magical singularity, shimmering with an eerie glow.

"So, this is the leyline and the Greater Grail?" Fang Mo muttered as he slowly approached the altar.

Once atop the altar, he began analyzing the mechanics of the Greater Grail without hesitation.

Soon, his consciousness began to extend outward, like ripples in water, flowing through the leyline’s magic circuits, gradually encompassing the entire city.

Unlike the Lesser Grail, which was merely a container, the Greater Grail was the true manifestation of the Third Magic, created by the Einzbern family. It enabled the materialization of souls and allowed mages to reach the Root by using the returning spirits of Heroic Servants to open a gateway beyond the world.

As Fang Mo studied it, he realized that the system was more complex than he had initially thought.

Unlike the protective mechanism around the Heroic Spirit summoning, the Greater Grail's magical formation lacked defensive wards, allowing Fang Mo to freely observe its structure and analyze its principles. However, the underlying system was extraordinarily intricate.

If the summoning of Heroic Spirits could be likened to a video game where Fang Mo could hack into the system and modify character data, the Greater Grail system was akin to an entire server, built with a vast array of hardware components. To replicate it, Fang Mo would need to construct everything from the CPU, GPU, and motherboard, to managing the electrical currents, cooling systems, and complex hardware configurations.

"I swear…"

Realizing just how convoluted the Grail's system was, Fang Mo couldn’t help but twitch at the corners of his mouth.

Even in the game world, Fang Mo was primarily a PvP player—the type to single-handedly take on groups in games like Bed Wars. But ask him to build a complicated contraption? That would just give him a digital headache…

However, since the Holy Grail had the potential to send him back to his homeworld, Fang Mo endured and continued his careful research.

Not long after, he encountered another problem: the Greater Grail system required the Lesser Grail as a key to activate it.

The Greater Grail was powered by the leyline of Fuyuki City and did not lack magical energy. This meant that Fang Mo couldn’t simply force the Grail to activate using raw power. The system required a sufficient number of dead Heroic Spirits to act as a medium for triggering the gateway to the Root.

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"...Damn it," Fang Mo cursed under his breath.

Just as he was about to voice his frustration, the system notification chimed again.

[System Notification: Concepts such as ‘Element,’ ‘Mysticism,’ ‘Miracle,’ ‘Corruption and Pollution,’ ‘Node,’ and ‘Magic’ have been researched. You have gained download permission for a new module.]

[System Notification: The ‘Thaumcraft’ module is now downloading.]

[System Notification: ‘Thaumcraft’ module download complete. Would you like to load it?]

"...Hmm?"

The name of the module caught Fang Mo's attention. "So it’s the ‘Thaumcraft’ module? I thought it would be something like ‘Nature’s Aura’…"

For players familiar with modding servers, the Thaumcraft module needed no introduction. It was a classic among magic mods, much like the Industrial Revolution mod in the tech tree, and it had remained active from ancient times to the present day, bringing with it a rich history of features. 𝘙Ἀ𐌽ÖβÊṩ

This mod introduced an entirely new system, covering crafting, enchanting, smelting, combat, exploration, mining, and more. At its core was the concept of alchemy’s four classical elements: Earth, Water, Fire, and Air, along with the special aspects of Order and Chaos. Players could not only cast elemental spells but also create magical golems, delve into alchemy, and even explore dark and twisted rituals.

Fang Mo had played this module before, but he hadn’t delved too deeply into it due to his impatience.

If there was one part he did enjoy, though, it was "stew-making" at a friend's house—essentially tossing a bunch of random items into an Arcane Alembic and causing a Thaumic flux disaster…

That said, the module's scope was immense. Fang Mo recalled that a devoted thaumaturgist once told him that the best version of the mod was Thaumcraft 4, as the later versions, like Thaumcraft 6, had removed many classic features and items.

After thinking for a moment, Fang Mo realized that the Tinkers' Construct mod had also been split into two versions—Tinkers’ Construct 1 and 2—but in his own world, there were no distinct versions of the mods. It seemed like the best features of all versions had been merged into one, so Thaumcraft was likely no different.

"I’ll take a look at it later," Fang Mo murmured, scratching his chin. He then mentally confirmed the system prompt.

[System Notification: Thaumcraft module successfully loaded.]

[System Notification: Because you have downloaded and run a new module, you have been granted a Lucky Block, which will randomly draw an item from any known module.]

"Not bad."

Fang Mo nodded as he saw the Lucky Block appear in Steve's inventory.

Afterward, he turned and began heading out of the underground leyline.

"Archer-sama," Sakura called as she jogged to catch up. "Are we done here?"

"Yeah, seems we’re missing a key," Fang Mo said as he walked. "I didn’t anticipate this, but the Lesser Grail is still with Tohsaka Rin."

"Should we go and take it from her?" Sakura asked, her excitement barely contained.

"...Let’s check out the Einzbern castle first. If that doesn’t work, we’ll extract one from Illyasviel." Fang Mo replied as he tossed an Ender Staff onto the ground, ensuring he could teleport back to the leyline later if needed.

The two of them soon left the Fuyuki City leyline.

As they exited through a tunnel behind Ryudou Temple, Fang Mo passed by the entrance to the temple and noticed a figure lying on the ground—it was the swordsman, Assassin. A deep, bone-revealing cut marred his chest, and his body was slowly dissolving into spirit particles.

Next to him, a small Shiba Inu sat, looking sorrowful.

"...Am I troubling you?" Assassin glanced at the forlorn Shiba Inu and smiled contentedly. "No need to be sad. I’m actually quite happy right now."

"Woof…"

The Shiba Inu whimpered, its ears drooping in sorrow.

"I’ve always longed for a satisfying fight," Assassin continued, reaching out weakly to pat the Shiba Inu on the head. But as he did, he coughed up blood. "I never expected my final battle would be against a dog… It seems I had too narrow a view. You truly are a great swordsman."

As he finished speaking, Assassin’s body began to fade.

However, just before he disappeared completely, Assassin heard footsteps approaching. He turned his head and saw Fang Mo walking toward him.

"Thank you, Archer," Assassin said with a weak smile, showing no anger.

"Thank it, not me," Fang Mo replied, pointing at the Shiba Inu. "Its name is Cheems. In some ways, it’s almost like a Heroic Spirit itself."

"Thank you, Cheems."

Assassin repeated his thanks before his body dissolved into particles of light. "Farewell."

"Farewell, Sasaki Kojirou," Fang Mo muttered, wiping his face. "Not Red Saber this time, huh?"

Of course, Assassin was no longer able to respond, and his long katana disappeared alongside his spirit particles.

"Woof…"

The Shiba Inu let out a sad whimper at the sight.

"Alright, enough with the mourning."

Fang Mo walked over and picked up the dog by the scruff of its neck. "I brought you out to fulfill his wish, didn’t I? He’s not really dead, just back in the Throne of Heroes. If you want, next time I can recreate it… Maybe call it the All-Star Madness Throne."

Muttering to himself, Fang Mo stuffed the dog back into storage.

Then, he and Sakura left Mount Enzou.

Given that it was late, Fang Mo decided not to head straight to the Einzbern castle. Instead, they checked into a nearby hotel for the night.

Although Fang Mo had no identification, it turned out that gold was incredibly persuasive. The receptionist nearly licked his shoes in gratitude…

After they settled into the hotel, Sakura quickly fell asleep on the bed. Even though her magic was impressive, she was still a child, and staying up late had worn her out.

Fang Mo, on the other hand, didn’t sleep. He sat in the hotel’s living room, deep in thought about his next moves.

If he wanted to, Fang Mo could wipe out the remaining Servants in under half an hour, throwing them all into the Grail. But that would be far too boring. Having made it this far, he decided to plan something memorable—something that Rin Tohsaka would never forget.

After thinking for a while, Fang Mo drafted his plan.

He summoned a piece of paper from Steve's inventory and began writing, but soon frowned, tore the paper to shreds, and started again.

After several failed attempts, Fang Mo grew frustrated. Reaching into his body, he rummaged around and pulled out a pitch-black, intricately carved statue.

The figure depicted an eldritch god with a grotesque, three-legged body and an elongated, twisted tendril where its head should be. The room dimmed as soon as the statue was revealed, and an unnamable, dark aura began to spread.

"Hello? Hello, Nyarlathotep?"

Fang Mo treated the statue like a telephone, tapping it as if making a call. "I’ve got a job for you—are you available?"

No sooner had he spoken than footsteps echoed from behind the sofa.

It was the sound of leather shoes on tiles. Soon, a tall figure approached.

"You sure know how to get around, huh?"

The man, who bore an uncanny resemblance to a certain former U.S. president, grinned broadly as he sat down on the opposite sofa. "Hmm… Another new world, I see. Fascinating… A Cosmic Egg-type universe, no less."

"Here, I’ve got a gift for you."

Without acknowledging the comment, Fang Mo pulled out a strange, dark green sword.

"Huh? What’s this?"

The man blinked in surprise. "Wait, is that...?"

"Oh, I had a little falling out with him." Fang Mo waved dismissively. "We fought for a bit. I didn’t want to go too far, so I used some Elder Signs and locked him up inside this sword."

"Pfft! Hahaha!!"

The man burst out laughing. "You sealed him up with a bunch of Elder Signs? Hahaha! Why would he pick a fight with you of all people?"

Still chuckling, the man took the sword from Fang Mo.

Though he held the hilt with ease, he avoided touching the blade as if it were distasteful.

"Oh, and one more thing."

Fang Mo shifted to the real reason for his call. "I need a speech written. Preferably something with memetic hazards. You’re the best orator among the Outer Gods—could you write one for me?"

"A speech?"

Nyarlathotep raised an eyebrow. "What, are you running for office now? Planning to toy with this little island nation’s humans?"

"It’s not about playing with them. I’ve just come up with a brilliant script," Fang Mo explained with a mischievous smile. "The cast is already assembled. All that’s missing is the speech."

Nyarlathotep grinned in response, a glint of excitement in his eyes.

"You know what?"

"I can’t wait to see their reactions.”