Archer, Napoleon.
He is a Servant summoned from Proper Human History, the last Servant able to act freely.
He will spend a long time alone in the Scandinavian Lostbelt until the arrival of the Chaldea team. As for how long that will be?
Li Mo does not know. Koyanskaya hasn't even come to this Lostbelt yet. Chaldea will probably take a while longer, right?
Earlier, he forgot to tell little Ophelia to notify him when Koyanskaya arrives.
A miscalculation.
Koyanskaya—to Li Mo, this name is special. Does that pink rabbit know him now? That's still a question mark.
Only upon meeting her would he know.
Leaving Napoleon's side, Li Mo acknowledged that the other was a variable. The so-called creation of possibility is the creation of variables. But... Li Mo seemed quite relaxed.
Napoleon was not his enemy. On the contrary, when facing Surtr, he would be an ally. He just needed to prevent Napoleon from sabotaging his research before that.
Having seen Napoleon, it was time for Li Mo to proceed with his research.
"Dear Illya, let me tell you, I may have abandoned that particular research project. But it doesn't mean I've given up on achieving that goal."
The Scandinavian Lostbelt is covered in ice and snow. But there are parts that Scáthach-Skadi's ice and snow cannot cover. In those places, Surtr's flames burn.
Li Mo came to the border between ice and flame.
Ice and snow and flames—two contradictory things coexisting in one place. It completely overturned common sense.
The well-traveled Li Mo was not surprised. The energy Surtr autonomously leaked was immense, enough to become one of the conditions for completing the "Spear of Deicide."
The question was, how to utilize it?
Li Mo's previous research was about utilizing Surtr's power without using his own body. After that project failed, he was forced to activate a backup plan.
He couldn't become the "water purifier" for refining Surtr's power. There were many other research projects waiting. That efficiency was too low; he didn't have that much time.
But...
What about the opposite? If the entire Scandinavian Lostbelt was considered part of his 'body,' could he then purify it directly? Would the efficiency of purification greatly increase?
"Pseudo·Simulated Star Chart·Mystery Foundation" expanded externally.
Like deploying a Reality Marble.
Li Mo had never seen a Reality Marble. During the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City, there was no need for Shirou Emiya or Archer to deploy one; the enemies were ganged up on and killed. But knowing the principle of a Reality Marble was enough.
He already had a plan for expanding his internal "Cosmology" outside his body. Coming to the border of ice and flame was to test it.
Previous preparations were set into motion. Li Mo alone expanded his "Cosmology."
A "Simulated Star Chart" is, at its root, a unique worldview, a cosmology. Like the geocentric or heliocentric models in ancient times. Even if the world isn't like that, if that's how people see the world, then the world should be as they perceive it.
The cosmology expanded. The surroundings seemed unchanged. But from a mysticism perspective, the worldview of this place had changed.
"Situation stable. Begin attempt."
Li Mo raised his hand. He stood on the snowy ground. Not far ahead was the fiercely burning flame. Part of the world-destroying flame was drawn by Li Mo into the snowy area, stopping before him.
The flame was enveloped by the "Cosmology." The aura of destruction was extracted, absorbed. The mystery of the entire flame was continuously stripped away until only pure flame remained. Then, using a spell to convert flame into energy, it was successfully transformed into magical energy.
Humans often use energy by boiling water. Whether it's hydro, thermal, or nuclear power, it's all about boiling water.
Anything humans can do, magecraft can do. As long as there is a beginning, one can leap over the process to obtain the result.
Pure flame was converted into the purest energy. Absorbed by Li Mo. Thus, Surtr's world-destroying flame was converted into energy.
"It's feasible. But isn't the time consumed too long?"
Li Mo looked at the sky. The sun set, the moon rose. The dark starry night covered the land.
Night had fallen.
The refined flame was minuscule. Compared to the total amount, it was a drop in the ocean. Yet even this had consumed so much of Li Mo's time.
It still needed improvement.
With this thought, Li Mo settled here temporarily. A small, temporary workshop was set up. He began working day and night to improve the plan.
Time passed day by day. After about a week, Li Mo finally had a solution.
The answer was a bounded field.
Using a bounded field as a medium to carry his "Cosmology." This way, even if he wasn't nearby, the process could operate.
"Am I being a freeloader?"
Li Mo stroked his chin. The immense energy needed for the "Spear of Deicide" was now handled. When he needed to forge the "Spear of Deicide," he could simply activate the pre-arranged bounded fields.
Next, he needed to consider what could contain such vast energy.
Forging the "Spear of Deicide" required not just immense total energy but also a peak output requirement. If there was no peak requirement, the magical energy from his "Pseudo-Immortality" alone could accumulate enough over time.
According to research, the energy peak provided by Surtr's flames should theoretically meet his needs. He had left some redundancy; it should be fine.
"Next, I need to deploy bounded fields across the entire Lostbelt. Is this equivalent to nationwide transmutation?"
Undoubtedly, this was a grand undertaking. Deploying bounded fields across a nation's territory was no easy task. If he did it alone, by the time the bounded fields were set up, Chaldea would probably have already chopped down the Fantasy Tree.
With the Fantasy Tree rooted, the Scandinavian Lostbelt would prosper or perish with it.
"Need more people. Assembly-line operation."
In the Scandinavian Lostbelt, manpower isn't lacking. The Emissaries are the best labor force.
Li Mo packed up the temporary workshop completely. After finishing, he headed straight for the ice and snow castle. If he wanted to borrow the Emissaries, he would need Scáthach-Skadi's permission.
Moreover, he needed to prepare the groundwork for the assembly-line operation.
His already busy life became even busier, reaching a point where he had to race against time.
Returning to the castle, he unexpectedly encountered Ophelia.
This Crypter stood at the castle gate, as if waiting for someone.
Li Mo quipped: "Well, little Ophelia, are you waiting for me? How honored I should feel."
"I am not waiting for you."
"Ah, is that so? That's truly a pity. Then I'll head in first."
Li Mo passed by Ophelia to enter the castle, but before entering, he glanced at her.
The female mage with an eyepatch stood there, indeed looking like she was waiting for someone.
Hmm... She couldn't be waiting for Napoleon, could she? That's impossible. But there shouldn't be anyone else within the Lostbelt who would make her do this. Could it be... someone from outside the Lostbelt?