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While the outside world was conducting its various forms of mutual destruction, Wei was tightening screws.
More precisely: Wei had been tightening screws for three hours, in an underground assembly workshop beneath Ryudou Temple, watched by three hundred thousand live viewers who had collectively decided this was worth their time.
The Servant responsible for this situation: Thomas Edison. Lion head, red and blue suit, capitalist energy so concentrated it had a physical presence.
The gender-bend rule that had already processed Artoria, Drake, Nero, and Mordred had apparently extended its jurisdiction to include historical figures from other domains. Edison was a lion. Specifically, a white-haired lion with a human body wearing a tight suit, who spoke with the measured confidence of someone who had never in his life questioned whether his ideas were good.
The assembly-line robots were real. The process that produced them was as follows:
Edison had recruited workers — Fuyuki City's remaining civilian population — through a television advertisement offering exceptionally high pay. After gathering three to five hundred people, he'd led them underground and put them on the assembly line. To supplement magical energy resources, he'd drawn one thousand milliliters of blood from each worker (enough to deplete but not kill), then established a schedule of twenty hours of work and four hours of sleep.
The pay was real. Monthly. Payable at month's end, assuming the worker survived to collect it.
Insurance was also available, covering accidental death, priced at exactly one month's salary.
If a worker died before completing the first month, the insurance did not activate. If they completed the month and bought insurance, they needed to work another month to cover the insurance cost. Their body, in any event, would continue contributing to the magical energy resource processing chain after death.
Edison had explained all of this to Wei with the expression of someone presenting a generous offer.
[Chat]: STREETLAMP
[Chat]: SOMEONE HANG THIS LION FROM A STREETLAMP
[Chat]: the capitalist demeanor is immaculate. I am in physical pain.
[Wei_Update]: Wei is nodding. Wei thinks this is reasonable. Wei has been completely fooled.
[Watching]: Wei is now on the assembly line. Wei is tightening screws.
[Three_Hours_Later]: Wei is still tightening screws.
[Chat]: we watched all of this. every screw. three hundred thousand of us.
As the flood above began to recede — information carried back by the reconnaissance robots — Edison permitted himself a moment of elevated presence.
"Oh! My dear Master — the seawater outside has receded. How many robots have we completed?"
"Sixteen, sir."
"Excellent! Truly worthy of being my Master!"
"Should we mobilize and round everyone up?"
"Is sixteen robots sufficient, Master?!"
"...Not enough?"
"We need at least one hundred thousand units!"
"Of course! Then we keep manufacturing — when our iron cavalry flattens this city, the largest plaza will be named after you, Master!"
"Thank you, sir!"
[Chat]: CULT MEETING
[Chat]: A WEI WAKE UP
[Chat]: they promised you a PLAZA and you said THANK YOU SIR
[Concerned]: this lion head has two of Wei's Command Seals. Wei gave them to him "as magical energy resources." Edison told him Command Seals couldn't actually command Servants.
[Chat]: ...
[Chat]: WEI
[Chat]: BUDDY
The peaceful productivity of the underground sweatshop was interrupted by two mechanical soldiers arriving with a new acquisition: an Emiya Kiritsugu figure they'd found on the street above.
Edison assessed the situation. "Living person on the street? That's unusual. Assign him to a workstation."
The Emiya Kiritsugu figure looked around the underground facility with wide eyes.
"Where — where exactly did you bring me? Is this still Japan?!"
Teacher Pu had been swept somewhere undesirable by the receding tide, had regained consciousness at the entrance to Ryudou Temple, and had been immediately greeted by a cold gun barrel against his head before he could locate his weapon.
He was now assigned a wrench and a work hat.
He was placed at a workstation.
He looked to his left.
The person at the next workstation looked back at him.
Both of them were wearing Emiya Kiritsugu's face.
"...Wei?"
"...Teacher Pu?"
"What are you doing?"
"Tightening screws. What about you?"
"...I'm about to start tightening screws."
"Are you used to it?"
"What does 'used to it' mean in this context?"
[Chat]: THE TELEPATHY
[Chat]: THREE SECONDS AND THEY'RE ALREADY IN SYNC
[Shipping_Chat]: the hot-blooded one and the scheming little round one. I'm in.
[Counter]: Teacher Pu belongs to everyone.
[Watching_Edison]: Edison is watching this with the expression of a man whose workforce just got stronger.
Teacher Pu did remember, vaguely from the story mode, that Command Seals could be used to command Servants. He tried to raise this point.
Wei's confident expression did not waver.
Teacher Pu looked at Wei's face. Looked at the sixty thousand robots they were apparently going to build. Considered the specific feeling of arguing with a friend who is absolutely wrong but completely certain.
Decided to build a robot instead.
What boy could turn down a Gundam.
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