"You, showing up all of a sudden, and doing things just as abruptly!" Alaya remained expressionless, as always, but Gaia seemed distinctly annoyed. Seeing Lin Luo, she immediately blurted out, "Hey, you need to tell me right now how you plan to settle this business of snatching Servants from me?!"

"Snatching Servants from me?" Lin Luo blinked, momentarily taken aback.

"You think I wouldn't know what you’ve been up to? Don’t play dumb with me!" Gaia stepped forward, her posture aggressive. "After you left last time, I checked the Throne of Heroes and realized several Servants were missing. Tracing back through the timeline, I saw that it was you who spirited them away… I was being kind enough to help you, and you steal my people! That's utterly shameless!"

"Oh, so that’s what this is about," Lin Luo realized with sudden clarity, throwing his hands up. "But honestly, you should really manage your own Throne of Heroes better. To be this slow on the uptake, you are excessively naive."

Lin Luo’s tone was casual, as if the person who had lured away the Servants wasn't him at all.

"You!" Gaia was naturally furious, so enraged she couldn't speak. She spun around violently to face Alaya, looking at him with an expression of profound disappointment. "Hey, say something! You were also involved in having your Servants taken; stop standing there like a wooden post!"

Alaya, however, was completely unconcerned, stating calmly, "If they're gone, they're gone."

"How can you be like that! Servants are minor; dignity is everything!"

"What dignity? It’s just a few Servants. You’re being too petty, haggling over this," Lin Luo retorted, adopting the air of a newly rich man looking down on Gaia’s small-mindedness.

"Petty? You brazenly steal my people on my turf; that's showing me no respect, stabbing me in the back! Why shouldn’t I haggle?" Gaia argued righteously, then sighed. "Ah, what a pity. If I had realized ten years ago that that weakling, who looked like dross, was you. I would have tracked you down to settle scores then and there, and you wouldn't have managed to slip away."

"Ten years ago?" Looking at Gaia’s expression of deep regret, Lin Luo didn't quite grasp it. Then, a thought struck him... Ten years ago was the end of the Fourth Holy Grail War. His power had brushed against the true reality of this world, directly drawing out the two Counter Forces. Sensing they meant him ill, he hadn't dared to linger and immediately activated the Starlight Avenue to flee the Moonlit World.

Originally, after having direct communication with the two Counter Forces in the Type-Moon world a millennium prior, he had dismissed that encounter as a misjudgment on his part. But hearing Gaia say that now, it sounded like they genuinely intended to confront him.

Good thing I fled fast... Lin Luo felt a surge of relief.

When the two Counter Forces forced him out of the Type-Moon world back then, Lin Luo had considered exacting revenge later. But so much time had passed, especially combined with that thousand-year-old experience, that the thought had long since flown out the window—after all, it wasn't a major incident to begin with.

Moreover, regarding the incident itself, if Gaia hadn't brought it up, he would have forgotten it entirely by now.

So, Lin Luo said, "It’s such a small thing. Whoever you are, stop dwelling on it. Besides, I’m here to apologize this time."

"Apologize?" Gaia looked at Lin Luo’s completely insincere expression and refused to believe he was there to atone. It was far more likely he was there to cause trouble.

Thinking back, in both their previous encounters, had any of them not led to trouble?

This time was probably no different.

With that realization, Gaia immediately became wary.

Lin Luo noticed Gaia's apprehension and smiled. "I'm serious. I accidentally 'borrowed' a few Servants from you last time, so as an apology, I'm gifting you several Servants this time."

As he spoke, Lin Luo flicked his fingers. In an instant, figures materialized one by one beside him—they were the girls from Gensokyo.

"Servants?" Gaia immediately recognized their nature, but her brow furrowed momentarily. "Something seems off. While they look like Servants, they also seem... not quite right..."

As expected of a Counter Force, it’s hard to shield them completely.

Lin Luo praised silently, then pulled Marisa, who was closest, from the group. While gently rubbing her cheek, he said, "The worlds are different, so the Servants from my side are a bit different from yours, but these are genuine Servants... Look, how fair and smooth is this complexion? So delicate it could break with a touch. And this figure, petite and exquisite. And these lantern pants, totally unafraid of the light, allowing them to fly freely. And that flowing blonde hair—if she stood under the sun, she’d blind so many people... If they weren't Servants, no one would believe it."

"..." Marisa remained limp like a doll as Lin Luo manipulated her, her eyes narrowed in an 'Aka-rin' expression, with a few beads of cold sweat faintly visible on her forehead.

After hearing Lin Luo’s words, Gaia scrutinized Marisa carefully, then nodded. "Hmm, they do look quite good on the surface, promising... Wait! Are you introducing Servants? Why does it feel like you're introducing young ladies?"

"..." Behind her, Alaya was just as speechless as Marisa.

Lin Luo shook a finger, wearing an expression that suggested, You wouldn't understand. "This is just a specialty of my side. Your Servants only consider utility, but the Servants from my world value both appearance and strength. Being cute and powerful is the most crucial standard for becoming a Servant. They can work when needed... and when there’s nothing to do, they can also be entertained to relieve boredom, like serving tea, massaging legs, or rubbing backs. Imagine if it were some burly, rough male Servant—how disgusting would that be? Don't you agree?"

Hearing such incredibly rude remarks, the girls of Gensokyo desperately wished they could rush forward and give Lin Luo a good thrashing, but having agreed to the ground rules beforehand, they could only endure it for now.

Gaia nodded slowly, as if not quite grasping it. "So, your Servants are all girls?"

"Yep," Lin Luo replied without blushing.

"And now, all these Servants are mine?"

"That is the general idea, but there is a condition first." Seeing that Gaia was beginning to look tempted, Lin Luo immediately set the trap.

Gaia was hardly an innocent maiden. Hearing the word 'condition,' she immediately understood Lin Luo wasn't here for nothing, and asked warily, "What condition?"

"You know about the Holy Grail War, right?"

"Oh, that," Gaia paused, then said, "Of course I know. A bunch of insignificant humans trying to pull tricks right under my nose—how could I not know? I watched the previous four Holy Grail Wars like movies. But the human Magicians are disappointing; they haven't utilized the Servants to their full potential at all."

"Really?" Lin Luo looked at her with some doubt. While he believed Gaia wouldn't be ignorant of the Holy Grail War, claiming she paid attention to every single one seemed far-fetched. Otherwise, she wouldn't have failed to notice him appearing in the Fourth Holy Grail War, which allowed him to successfully escape the Moonlit World in the end.

"Naturally. Do you think mere human actions can escape my notice?" Gaia boasted proudly.

"Because she noticed her Servants were missing, she traced the timeline to find when they were lost, only to discover that their power was being utilized by humans. This shocked her greatly, and she began paying attention to the Holy Grail War... That person wasn't me." At that moment, Alaya suddenly spoke a long sentence.

Only the two Counter Forces could observe the timeline. If it wasn't Alaya, it could only be Gaia.

"..." Lin Luo was speechless with embarrassment. So that's how it was—it turned out Gaia truly hadn't known that the Mages had found a loophole... That made sense too; given Gaia's mischievous and playful nature, if she had known about the Holy Grail War long ago, she would have secretly intervened.

However, Alaya also possessed a cunning side, which was hard to detect.

Even Gaia, exposed to the harsh truth so suddenly by Alaya, flushed slightly. Fortunately, her mental fortitude was strong; she immediately calmed down, her face expressionless. "Then, what is the condition you mentioned related to the Holy Grail War?"

"It’s like this." Lin Luo dropped the previous topic, not wishing to humiliate Gaia further. "I plan to host a game, using the structure of the Holy Grail War so that our Servants can compete against each other. If your side’s Servants win in the end, my Servants are yours."

"That sounds rather interesting, but... it seems a bit unfair, doesn't it? The Holy Grail War only has seven Servants, but you have dozens. It looks like I’m bound to win, doesn't it?" Gaia instantly saw through Lin Luo's scheme.

Lin Luo laughed. "That's not quite right. I will also use the Holy Grail War system, and the Masters will be selected from this world. So my Servants will also kill each other off. Determining the final victor won't be obvious from the surface, right? At most, I’ll add the condition that my Servants cannot gang up on your Servants. This way, it’s one-on-one matchups, eliminating the issue of unfairness. The choice of Master will be key."

"You cannot influence the Master's judgment!"

"Naturally."

"It's a deal."

"A promise is hard to take back!"

Thus, the two cheerfully sealed the agreement with a high five.

Afterward, Lin Luo produced a sheet of paper and handed it to Gaia. "Since we’ve agreed, let’s sign this contract as well."

"What contract?"

"The Game Protocol, of course. We hold the most authoritative official interpretation."

Gaia read it carefully for a while, found no loopholes, and quickly signed her name. Then she gave Lin Luo a slight smile... Seven Servants didn't matter; this was her territory. If she made minor adjustments to the game subtly, Lin Luo wouldn't notice, and victory would surely be hers.

Lin Luo remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was also smiling... What does it matter if they are Counter Forces? Intelligence is always the fatal flaw. A mere little girl like her was easily dealt with.

PS: Posting so early today—the sun must have risen in the west...