The unnamed gangster, identified by his appearance as Servant Yan Qing (燕青WP, En sei?), is a character appearing in the Grand Orders of Fate/Grand Order.
Profile
Background
Yan Qing was a late 19th century gangster who was involved in an auction held by Sieg and masterminded by James Moriarty. Within the An Old Spider Spins Webs of Memory singularity, the auction and the proceedings of a Subcategory Holy Grail War are mixed together, so the exact events are not fully depicted.
Personality
He cares very much for his subordinates and only wishes to ensure they're accepted by the city.[1]
Appearance
Through a phenomenon that affects Ritsuka Fujimaru during some rayshifts, they subconsciously substitute Yan Qing's name and appearance upon the gangster to avoid the overwhelming visual stimulation that would come from the experience.[2]
Role
Fate/Grand Order
Event: An Old Spider Spins Webs of Memory
Yan Qing’s gang came to the city twenty years after Diarmuid’s gang established the status quo. Their aggressiveness and willingness to take the jobs that Diarmuid’s gang would never take led to a series of turf wars between the organizations. This lasted for several years until three years ago when both sides put an end to the violence. But matters became complicated when Izou’s gang came along. All three gangs then entered a stalemate, ever at the odds with one another.[2]
With the stalemate, Yan Qing became increasingly worried about his subordinates’ future.[1] Despite being in the city for 20 years, the people still haven't accepted them, and certain members of Diarmuid’s gang constantly harassed them.[3][1] Of course, it didn’t help that Yan Qing’s gang are aggressive in making the city accept them.[3] Then one day Sieg invited him and the other gang leaders to bid on his family’s relic, the bloodstained linden leaf, convincing them acquiring the relic would break the stalemate between them.[1] They all accepted his invitation and were each contacted by a different mage who each sought to acquire the relic for the upcoming Subcategory Holy Grail War. Yan Qing agreed to sponsor Prince of Lanling for the auction, believing whoever wins the Grail War will control the city.[4]
Arriving at Sieg’s mansion for the auction, Yan Qing tries break up Diarmuid and Izou's bickering by reminding them Sieg invited all of them. Diarmuid calls him a hyena, but Yan Qing deflects the insult by remarking how hyenas always come out on top because they’re carrion eaters. The gang leaders then go their separate ways to wait for the mages to arrive.[2] Later that night, they each privately tell their men that they’re going to kill the others once the Grail War is over.[4]
When the mages arrive the next day, the gang leaders accompany their sponsored mages to see the relic. Sieg implores the mages to pay handsomely for a chance to own the leaf, as it is the perfect catalyst to summon Siegfried. However, only one of them may own it, since dividing it would comprise the catalyst’s effectiveness. He will hold an auction for it tomorrow, with only Alexander, Lanling, and Vlad III being allowed to bid. This arrangement will not change, even if other mages hear about the auction and enter a higher bid. He then adjourns the meeting, saying they’re free to relax or gather the money they need until tomorrow.[4]
On the day of the auction, however, everyone finds the relic has been stolen. It wasn’t left anywhere a regular thief could reach it, so the only possibility would be a mage. But regardless of how it was stolen, the catalyst’s defenses should have sounded an alarm throughout the mansion. Sieg claims he doesn’t know how his family’s security spell works, as he isn’t a mage. Vlad accuses Alexander and Lanling of the theft as stealing the catalyst without triggering the alarm would require two skilled mages working together. Alexander, however, suspects Sieg of faking the theft, so he could keep his heirloom for himself. Sieg replies he only saw the relic as a burden, affirming he has no emotional attachment to it. Yan Qing accuses Diarmuid of cutting a deal with Sieg ahead of the auction, given that they’re old friends. Izou also finds Diarmuid the most suspect. Alexander and Lanling plead their innocence and accuse Vlad since he had the least money to spend, unlike them. Sieg stops Alexander and Vlad from fighting and suggests everyone makes their case to someone impartial. He wants RItsuka and James Moriarty to be the judges and determine who can be ruled out as suspects. Moriarty agrees but on condition that a mage from an opposing faction is present as a silent observer during questioning, so he and Ritsuka aren’t accused of bribery. Everyone agrees with his condition.[3]
That evening, Yan Qing meets Ritsuka, only knowing them as an apprentice bartender. He asks if they deduced who the thief is, though he changes his mind about wanting to know it now since it’d only complicated matters. He then asks what Izou was grumbling about earlier. Hearing what Izou is going through, Yan Qing sympathizes with him about wishing the world was simpler. He then describes how the city still hasn’t accepted him and his crew even though it’s been 20 years, saying it’s hard not to get depressed when people make a big hullabaloo when you go out to eat. For that reason, he brought his people together to make the city admit they needed them. But with mages getting involved and all of them competing for a relic, life has gotten bizarre, and Yan Qing doesn’t know what to make of it. He believes you must suffer for some things, though he admits he’d rather have an easy life. He tells Ritsuka not to make the same mistake he did and to choose a fun life, not a hard one, and leaves. But hearing gunshots moments later, Yan Qing and the other gang leaders come back. Moriarty advises them not to get involved as the situation will only get worse. They agree and leave.[3]
The next day, in Sieg’s office, Moriarty reports his findings. He explains the gang leaders seek to break their stalemate between them by acquiring the relic. But they do not care which mage gets it as the stalemate will be broken regardless, thus none of them had any motive to steal the relic but a motive not to steal it. With the current state of affairs, none of them can risk moving large sums of money, whether from selling the relic or anything else, because whoever does would automatically be suspect. Each had reasons for wanting the auction to proceed. Yan Qing's concern was only ever to ensure his subordinates would be accepted by the city. But if he or Diarmuid stole relic, it would cause problems no amount of money could resolve. None of the mages could be the thief either, because they would still need to wait for auction results first if they were to engage in foul play. The guests had their honor on the line, but the culprit feared losing the relic more than the theft because losing it even once meant losing everything his family passed down for generations. That would remain the case even if he stole it back, so the relic leaving his possession was the one thing the culprit couldn’t allow. For those reasons, only Sieg could be the culprit. Sieg confesses and explains he wanted to keep the relic from being tainted by the Grail War. He hoped the bidders’ suspicions of one another would prompt them to wipe each other out. He would then use the ensuing gang war as a cover to disappear with the relic. At Yan Qing’s behest, Izou attacks Sieg from behind, only for Sieg to admit he was lying about not being mage and reflects Izou’s attack back on him. Sieg then jumps out the window, not wanting to damage his collection of artifacts and books with his magecraft. Everyone follows after him.[1]
Diarmuid ends his friendship with Sieg and orders his men to open fire on him. But Sieg blocks the bullets with a barrier and kills Diarmuid’s men. Diarmuid prepares to engage in close combat, but Yan Qing and Izou tell him that will be useless. Alexander, Vlad, and Lanling decide they’ll fight Sieg, with Vlad declaring the winner of the battle will claim the relic. Moriarty joins in the battle as well.[1]
Moriarty defeats all four mages and claims the relic. When Diarmuid disagrees, Moriarty tells him and the other gang leaders that they’re at advantage now they don’t need to spend a fortune on the auction. He also advises them to discuss ending their stalemate, saying that while it keeps the peace, it also makes them vulnerable to outside forces. Izou and Diarmuid agree to end the stalemate, with Diarmuid lamenting that they’ll be tossing their honor aside. Yan Qing agrees on the condition that his people are made full citizens of the city. Diarmuid promises to make it so, though warns there will be pushback. In exchange, he’ll his hideout and other property, and appoint a level-headed man as his successor. He’ll also send Yan Qing a list of his men who have been harassing Yan Qing’s men, saying he’ll tell their families that they’re away on business. Yan Qing happily accepts.[1]
After the mages leave, Yan Qing and Izou agree with Diarmuid in hoping they never see Moriarty again. The gang leaders all then leave.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Fate/Grand Order: Cosmos in the Lostbelt - An Old Spider Spins Webs of Memory, Section 5: Old Spider
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Fate/Grand Order: Cosmos in the Lostbelt - An Old Spider Spins Webs of Memory, Section 1: A Little City's Tiny War
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Fate/Grand Order: Cosmos in the Lostbelt - An Old Spider Spins Webs of Memory, Section 4: Triangle Magus
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Fate/Grand Order: Cosmos in the Lostbelt - An Old Spider Spins Webs of Memory, Section 2: Triangle Gang