124: Chapter 124 Cave King Meat Pigeon

"Hahahaha! Did you see that, brothers! Open this panel and take a look, a level 100, 5-Noble Phantasm Hero King! What is prestige? This is what you call prestige!"

In PD's livestream, a rich, nouveau-riche atmosphere was currently permeating the air.

He was controlling his game character, swaggering beside the fountain in the Chaldea plaza. Behind him, the holographic projection of his accompanying Servant was switching at an outrageous frequency.

One second it was the cold and arrogant Scathach, holding a crimson demonic spear; the next second, it switched to the beautiful and sharp Okita Souji, surrounded by cherry blossoms; and in the blink of an eye, it changed again into the lazy and bewitching Shuten Doji, carrying a wine gourd.

In this newly launched "Servant Companion" system, players could not only take their Heroic Spirits out for a stroll but also display their training progress to others.

And the "Noble Phantasm Level 5" tag hovering above PD's head, which remained brightly displayed despite the constant switching of Servants, was like a walking neon light, showcasing the bottomless resources of this super-whale from every angle without any blind spots.

Every time a max-Noble Phantasm limited popular Servant was switched out, it would attract a flurry of sour exclamations and photo requests from ordinary players nearby.

PD took a blissful puff of his e-cigarette, finally switching the companion back to Gilgamesh, who best showcased his super-whale status. Looking at the screen filled with comments like "Dirty rich guy," "Vile capitalist," and "Just how many gods are you raising?", he couldn't stop grinning.

To get his account's collection to full-Noble Phantasm and max-training for all Servants, he had poured in enough money to cover a down payment on a house.

However, PD couldn't help but sigh in his livestream about Old Thief Gu's "conscience."

"Brothers, honestly speaking, having played so many pay-to-win online games, FGO is the one that makes me feel the most frustrated yet the most at ease when spending money."

PD gazed at his max-Noble Phantasm Gilgamesh and couldn't help but complain, "In other games on the market, when you pull a top-tier character, that's just the beginning of a bottomless pit! Things like equipment refining, gem inlaying, strengthening and star-upgrading, enchanting and socketing... after a whole combo of that, you can't fill that stat hole without millions!"

"But here in Chaldea, you pull 5-Noble Phantasm, max out the level and skills, feed them some Fous, and that is literally the stat limit."

"I'm sitting here with my bank card wanting to keep throwing money at it to boost my combat power, but Old Thief Gu doesn't even leave me a crack to recharge!"

Just as he was lamenting that he couldn't spend his money and was preparing to take his golden bodyguard to the infirmary to show off, the massive virtual light gate on the north side of the hall, emitting dark and gloomy flames, slowly opened.

[Integrated Strategy Mode: The Count of Monte Cristo and the Deep Prison of Grudges, has been activated.]

"Oh? Is this that new gameplay mentioned in the announcement?" PD's eyes lit up. "Brothers, it's showtime! Watch me take this fully-equipped Hero King inside and steamroll this so-called Prison of Grudges!"

Amidst the jeering of hundreds of thousands of viewers, PD didn't hesitate to take the Hero King and dive headfirst into that gate of black flames.

However, the moment he passed through the gate, the clamor that had been filling his ears suddenly vanished.

PD only felt his body suddenly lose weight, sinking into a cold and deep black ocean, and his consciousness experienced an incredibly realistic, momentary detachment.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself sitting at the end of a cold, damp underground corridor. Around him were mottled, peeling stone-blue walls, and drops of murky water fell from the moss-covered ceiling, making hollow "drip-drop" sounds in the deathly silent space.

Behind the mottled iron bars, a tall figure wearing a green trench coat and a top hat had their back turned to him.

The moment he saw this back, the comments in the entire livestream exploded like boiling water, and even PD's breathing involuntarily stalled for a second.

[The Count of Monte Cristo]! Edmond Dantes!

Back when the main storyline was halfway through, Gu Yi had launched a limited-time high-difficulty event in the game titled "Inside the Prison Tower - The Avenger's Crying."

And in that event storyline, which was filled with individual heroism, this tsundere, handsome, "Master Love" type Servant, who silently lurked in the shadows, instantly captured the hearts of countless players across the entire internet.

That classic line, "Wait and hope," earned him the supreme title of "Moon Boyfriend" from the vast number of female fans, and his popularity remained sky-high.

At this moment, the person slowly turned his head, his eyes, which seemed to be burning with black flames of vengeance, staring intently at PD in the dark cell.

"You look very exhausted, Master of Chaldea."

The Count of Monte Cristo's deep, hoarse, yet highly penetrating magnetic voice slowly sounded:

"The decisive battle at the Grand Temple of Time, although it successfully saved humanity, those despair-filled curses and mental waste from the Demon God Pillars before they died have already quietly eroded your soul... If not stripped away, your mind will eventually collapse completely."

"Therefore, I have forcibly dragged your subconscious into the deepest part of my Prison of Grudges (Château d'If)."

The Count of Monte Cristo revealed a cold sneer, the black flames behind him burning wildly: "Here, the military power you once possessed and the Servants you were proud of will be completely isolated."

"You can only rely on your purest soul, climbing upward through endless nightmares and trials, to face the fear within your heart!"

"Only by overcoming this deep despair and completing this tempering of the soul can you be reborn!"

"Kuhahahaha — go struggle, my accomplice!"

"...Wait and hope!"

Accompanied by that wild, signature laughter, the figure, like an avenging demon, turned into a mass of black karmic fire and dissipated into the damp air.

"Holy crap! The Count! It's actually the Count himself!"

PD excitedly rubbed the goosebumps rising on his arms. "My good brother, the Count, even pulled us into the Prison Tower in our dreams for mental special training just to save us!"

"This brother is reliable; when there's a curse, he really helps me carry it!"

This restrained yet fate-filled scene introduction made the audience in the livestream hold their breath, and the screen was filled with exclamations like "Old Thief Gu's art and direction are amazing," "The Count is my husband!", and "Good brothers for life."

However, when the system's combat UI interface slowly unfolded at the edge of his vision, PD immediately threw the brotherly affection aside and reverted to his wealthy, arrogant demeanor.

"I don't care what kind of mental special training this is, as long as it's tower defense, there's no hurdle I can't overcome! Once I enter the map, I'll just slap down the Golden Squad! Once the Noble Phantasm is activated, no matter how many monsters come, I'll wash them all into slag!"

PD turned his head, full of confidence, and was about to open the Servant formation interface: "Gilgamesh, get ready to enter... Huh?"

A gust of silent, cold wind blew by.

PD froze.

He looked at the empty space behind him. The Hero King, who had been shining with golden light and looking invincible just a moment ago, didn't even leave a single golden leg hair behind.

"Damn it! Where did my huge, level 100 Gilgamesh go?!"

PD hurriedly clicked on his Servant deployment panel, and was instantly dumbfounded.

He saw that his Servant storage, which had been neatly lined with five-star gods, had now turned into a gray, locked state.

A cold system prompt popped up in the center of the screen:

[Prompt: Fallen into the Château d'If dreamscape, the bond between the physical body and the real world has been severed. Only phantoms of the subconscious can respond to the summon.]

[Your external Servant lineup has been completely locked and cannot be brought into this exploration.]