To think that this walker named Arthur could actually be a descendant of the King of Knights. No matter how one looked at it, Lin Luo found the situation rather awkward. While Artoria and her sister Lily certainly had a child born from the latter... or perhaps a daughter, that offspring, whose gender remained unknown, was ultimately slain by her own hand. Logically, there should have been no continuation of the lineage, and history itself recorded no descendants of King Arthur.

Well, of course, history is never a hundred percent accurate; even fifty percent truthfulness would be considered generous. After all, history is written by the victors. Who knows how much of it is fabricated? This world is not filled with saints who meticulously document their misdeeds; they’d be lucky if they weren't busy singing their own praises.

So, getting bogged down in historical authenticity is just asking for trouble. In history, King Arthur was male, but in reality, she was female. Furthermore, this world entertains the concept of parallel dimensions... the dimension of Magical Teacher, the Nasuverse dimension, the A Certain Magical Index dimension, and even this Shokugeki no Soma dimension—all existing on the same Earth but in different planes. Therefore, this Arthur before him might just be the descendant of King Arthur from another dimension.

Thus, Lin Luo stopped caring which King of Knights he descended from. Probing that question would lead to endless speculation without ever finding a definitive answer.

However, since he was a descendant of the King of Knights, Lin Luo’s favorable impression of Arthur increased significantly. After all, his own harem already contained several Kings of Knights, plus there was the genuine Saber who was already slated but not yet fully incorporated.

“Speaking of which, since Arthur is just your surname, what is your real name?” Lin Luo finished gazing at the sky and asked.

“That would be…” As soon as this question was posed, the youth, who had maintained a solemn and serious expression, awkwardly turned his face away, scratching his head as if genuinely troubled, displaying a hesitant demeanor.

Lin Luo had only asked casually, but seeing his reaction only deepened his curiosity. Was a name truly that difficult to utter?

“I can tell you, but Brother Lin Luo, you absolutely must not laugh at me…” Finally, after Lin Luo asked again and promised not to mock him, Arthur stammered out the answer. “It’s like this: because I am the ninth among thirty-six generations of descendants in my clan, my name is E’se Nine. While the name was fine at first, the character ‘Nine’ seemed to acquire another meaning later on, so I stopped using it…”

“…”

E’se Nine! What a powerful name, and the person who bestowed it must be utterly audacious. Lin Luo genuinely wanted to laugh, but he had promised the other party; laughing now would make him untrustworthy. Still… Nine Knights, that’s absolutely insane!

Lin Luo’s face twitched as he desperately suppressed the urge to laugh. Honestly, it was a real struggle.

Lin Luo felt this guy was practically made for roasting—his name, his background, his demeanor—everything about him was a source of potential ridicule. It would be a waste not to let out a few sharp comments.

But, regrettably, this wasn't the time for critique. The immediate concern was: “What exactly is this matter you mentioned about the Three Kings?” Regarding the God War, Lin Luo only possessed fragmented initial information from Liu Ziwen; everything else remained vague. Arthur, however, seemed knowledgeable about the God War, and Lin Luo certainly wouldn't pass up such an opportunity.

“The Three Kings are the three World Kings who have emerged victorious in the God War so far,” Arthur replied without hiding anything. “The victor of the first God War was Big Brother you, known among the walkers as the Bright King. The victor of the second was the Evil King, and the victor of the third was the Dark King. You three are currently the strongest among all walkers, standing at the apex of the pyramid.”

“The God War has already held three rounds?” Lin Luo was deeply shocked. Although he had heard him mention three World Kings before, the confirmation still felt unbelievable. Only such a short time had passed, yet three rounds had concluded, and he hadn't received any notification whatsoever.

“Big Brother, you don’t even know this?” Arthur was even more astonished. He had assumed Lin Luo was just being low-profile, unaware of his own widespread fame. “This is the most basic information about the God War; every walker knows it.”

“Basic information? Where did you get it from?” Lin Luo found it even stranger; he had never received any updates.

“From the Proxy Gods, of course,” Arthur said as a matter of course.

“Proxy Gods?” Lin Luo paused, immediately recalling that woman, Gui Qulai Xi, whom he had almost forgotten. “You mean the one who told us strange things when we obtained the Heart Codex?”

“Exactly.” Arthur nodded. “Although they refer to themselves merely as administrators, we walkers call them Proxy Gods. They convey basic information about the God War to us walkers through various means. Moreover, half a month before a God War begins, the Proxy Gods notify us in advance so we can prepare… Big Brother, you truly didn't know any of this?” Arthur looked at Lin Luo with uncertainty.

“...Damn it all!”

Lin Luo’s face turned ashen. He desperately wanted to curse. Did he know? He had only met Gui Qulai Xi twice, and the woman was notoriously elusive. Though she had subtly helped him during the first God War, there had been no news of her since—not a single message, not even a shadow!

Lin Luo felt that woman Gui Qulai Xi must be going through some sort of extreme hormonal phase; otherwise, things wouldn't be this frustrating… Forget it, he wouldn't dwell on Gui Qulai Xi for now.

“My Proxy God never told me any of these things. Say, since you know, tell me a bit about the basic information of this God War,” Lin Luo managed to calm his mood slightly and asked Arthur.

“What? Your Proxy God never told you anything? That’s completely irresponsible!” Arthur expressed considerable indignation, which once again raised Lin Luo’s opinion of him. It would be even better if he could curse her a few more times.

“Yes, that’s why I have to rely on you now,” Lin Luo admitted with resignation. This statement was entirely sincere. Since Gui Qulai Xi was unreliable, he had no choice but to rely on this... his fan?

“No problem at all!” Hearing Lin Luo say that, Arthur was as thrilled as if his idol had acknowledged him; his excitement level absolutely exploded. “Everything I know, I guarantee I will tell Big Brother everything without reservation.”

Following Arthur’s lengthy explanation, Lin Luo gradually learned things he was previously unaware of.

What was the ultimate goal of the God War? Was it to elevate the Proxy Gods behind the walkers to godhood? Or was it to select a god from among these walkers? Or did it serve some other purpose… Regarding this, not only Lin Luo but also Arthur and other walkers were clueless.

All they knew was the process.

Generally, walkers are not perpetually engaged in the God War; it only initiates at specific, non-stable intervals. During the periods between wars, walkers travel to other worlds to enhance their strength. If lucky, they might even encounter a World Heart Host… though even that depended on fate, as some World Heart Hosts were far stronger than the walkers themselves.

A hunter can sometimes be killed by the prey they are tracking.

Furthermore, the walkers’ pursuit of strength was not entirely aimless. Apart from not being told the exact location of a World Heart Host, their respective Proxy Gods would designate several worlds where they could rapidly increase their strength. For instance, a walker skilled in magic would be directed toward worlds flourishing with sorcery; one adept at technology would go to highly advanced worlds; and a walker proficient in martial arts would be sent to high-martial-arts worlds.

Worlds are diverse and multifaceted, so the worlds designated by Proxy Gods varied in difficulty and accessibility. Whether to choose worlds with higher danger for greater reward or worlds with higher survival rates remained entirely up to the walker.

Generally, unless someone was pathologically afraid of death, most walkers chose slightly more difficult worlds, as crisis inherently represented opportunity, allowing them to grow stronger faster.

Aside from these points, there were various minor matters to observe within the God War. Arthur spent a full half hour detailing these miscellaneous points before concluding, leading into the most crucial topic: the God War itself.

So far, three rounds had been held, determining three World Kings.

“Not every walker participates in the God War. Each round randomly selects five to ten walkers, who are then sent into the same world to fight. If anyone leaves that world before the God War concludes, it signifies withdrawal from that round and means defeat.”

Arthur watched Lin Luo as he spoke: “The round you participated in was the first, making you the first World King upon victory. However!” At this point, Arthur’s expression darkened, tinged with visible frustration. “The first God War was actually irregular—no, perhaps unfair.”

“How so?” Lin Luo felt a touch of surprise.

“Brother, did you encounter two walkers at the Spirit Rank Peak after that God War ended?”

“Yes.”

“That’s it. Although those two were also walkers, they did not adhere to the rules; they resorted to cheating. Their Proxy God used a special method to forcibly elevate them to the Spirit Rank Peak, aiming to secure maximum benefit in that first God War.”