Published at 25th of March 2019 11:06 pm

Volume 7: Chapter 1: Shiroe in the North

1

The dim red Fox Light illuminated the luxurious room.

Unlike the Bug Light common in Akiba, it was a weak flame. It could not light up such a spacious room. The flickering fire shone in the room unevenly, casting shadows everywhere.

The room which seemed to be empty had an occupant.

A woman with black hair curled up in the dark with a shawl wrapped around her.

But the room didn't look desolate.

This was a room outfitted with extravagant furniture. A beautiful cotton couch, walls adorned with damask, a bed with a canopy and a table made from marble. But you couldn't feel the tender usage of the owner in these items. They were simply commanded to be displayed there, giving off a mechanical atmosphere akin to strangers.

Nureha who appeared to be hiding amongst the shadows of the furniture was mulling away a sleepless night as usual.

She could see papers pouring down like a waterfall from a small round table in her field of vision. A document which seemed to be filled with some words was stained with a red mark like a flower. On closer inspection, it appeared to be red wine.

Nureha focused on the scenery in this dim room.

It was impossible to read the small words written with dedication on the papers in such a dark room. Nureha was just using her eyes to oppose these documents as well as the illusions that were rising from the darkness.

All sorts of things emerged from the darkness, most of them being blurry white humanoid figures.

The figures with hazy outlines were conversing in tiny voices beyond the range of Nureha's hearing, stealing glances at Nureha. The smoke-like shadows with hazy faces seemed to be judging her as they looked at her tauntingly.

Nureha clenched her fist as she glared at them.

Sometimes the illusions could solidify, Nureha had seen such a frighteningly big arm materialized before. If the hand grabbed Nureha's hair, it would drag her towards the white figures.

Nureha let out a feral growl, she learned that the shadows would dissipate if she did that.

She covered her ears to block out the curse like sounds, mulling away the night.

This guild house with 16 luxurious rooms was for Nureha's personal use. Aside from Nureha, there were less than 10 people with the right to access the guild building. At this late hour, only the People of the Land maid on duty might visit.

Nureha spent the seemingly endless night alone in the shadows.

She didn't have the memory of what she had done to deserve this. A deep fatigue encompassed her. Her blood that had turned cold circulated around her limbs as heavy as sandbags, the world was as depressing as a city sunk underwater.

This was normal. She had always felt this way.

The nights were lonely even with this Adventurer body.

She lifted her slender hand before her eyes.

Thin, white and tender, fingers that were like a delicate piece of art.

Like a bewitching sculpture, her nails glittered with a pink glow.

Her flawless skin extended down from her fingertips. Her arm seemed to lack warmth, but was soft to the touch.

Joyous feelings she could not suppress were mixed together with the disgusting darkness.

Even though Nureha did not acknowledge the high value of her body, she understood why others fell heads over heels for her. It was a rotten happiness. Enchanting fingers which were much more alluring than her real life self seemed to be caressing the darkness as they moved.

With a sweet husky voice, fragrance of flowers and clothes that fit snugly over the curves of her body, these were things others craved for. If she thought of it this way, an impure sense of joy welled up.

The white figures that claimed the area around the fallen documents let out a short burst of laughter of contempt. The white figures seemed to be accusing her with groans, but the winds had turned. Nureha was not enduring the pain like before.

Nureha wore her blanket like a mantle as she cawed like a bird.

She thought this was a sound that boded misfortune.

She couldn't let out such a loud and irritating voice in front of anyone, be it the young head of the ruling clan, the chief Sentinal Roreiru, Zerudeyusu or Nakarunado. Tempting others with her alluring honeyed voice was the norm for Nureha. It had always been like this before, and would continue to be in the future.

She thought she was boring.

She thought she was silly.

Even though she thought this way, the crowd craved after the boring and silly Nureha and continued to fight, sigh and belittle others in order to show their own superiority.

Those who looked down on Nureha and accused her of endangering the world were now willing to give their whole fortune and even lives for Nureha's sweet husky voice. This was the weapon and armor Nureha used to mill away the endless night. It allowed Nureha to forget the pain momentarily as the screams of all those fighting over her drowned out the sorrow.

The people who worshiped the worthless Nureha like treasure seemed so silly. The silliness granted Nureha warmth and a numbing sense of healing and sweetness.

Just looking at them gave Nureha so much joy. On top of that, just by observing the bickering of the dull people around Nureha, she confirmed once again that the world was worthless just like she was.

She couldn't help but smile when she remembered the warning given by an Adventurer with a pallid face

'-- This world is not a game. We have to struggle for our survival. '

Nureha was aware of the sinister smile she was showing.

What a foolish thing to say. Meaningless. What's the use of saying this now. Nureha thought they were still half asleep. The young Adventurer who said this was now a member of Plant hwyaden, working and dedicating his life for the guild. Was joining a guild and becoming a worker ant the struggle he was talking about?

Foolish.

Just hours after the Catastrophe, Nureha swindled all the money, food, weapons and armor of the Adventurers around her. It was too easy. They believed all the ridiculous lies she told them after falling into a panic.

A couple of days later, Nureha obtained information of this new world through the dedication of her devotees. After giving up on thinking because of the shock of the Catastrophe, they followed Nureha without question. With her gentle words soothing them, distracting them from their worries, Nureha was able to organize them, and became the richest Adventurer in Minami.

One month after the Catastrophe, she was able to gain control of the Guards in the south after mastering her 'Over level' skill.

The coup was over without anyone knowing it. With her overwhelming military force, Nureha negotiated with the aristocrats and rulers of the People of the Land, amassing even more wealth. With this, buying the cathedral was a piece of cake.

That's right, it was that simple.

This was the struggle for survival the young Adventurer warned her about as if it were some guarded secret.

This was beyond the realms of silliness.

She even hated the young man for being so naive.

This world was not a game. Nureha laughed from the bottom of her heart when she heard this. Nureha was thankful for his naive words. People became trusting when faced with disasters they had never seen before and then turned into cattle ready for slaughter.

Looking at the serious and desperate face of the youth, she was tempted to vent her dark emotions, but she maintained her attitude of a loving big sister. She was aware that this was the mask he wanted the most.

But the impulse to laugh continued to fill Nureha's heart.

She knew. She had always known.

Nureha had never played around.

She only treated Elder Tales as a game or entertainment in the very beginning.

For most players, Elder Tales was just a MMO computer game, but it was a battlefield without mercy for Nureha.

If she stopped shedding blood and tears, she would be forgotten.

If she were forgotten, she would disappear from this world.

If a person were not sought after or cherished by someone else, it would be the same as being dead. No, it would be worse than death.

Being dead might just be a vast emptiness, but to live life without any meaning, without anyone caring about you, just treating you like dirt was unlike a peaceful death. Being an unimportant flawed presence your whole life, that was an unending hell.

In order to gain the goodwill of others, in order to make others love her, in order to make them fight for her, Nureha dedicated herself to research with abandon.

Nureha knew about hell, she knew the burning sensation of solitude.

No matter the hardship, it was a hundred times better than being ignored by others. The fruits of her research allowed her every gesture and word to garner the favor of others, who Nureha discarded like trash onto the floor, and then she repeated the process with new victims.

Nureha thought that they deserved it. It was a ritual to prove 'your feelings for me are worthless'. Only players whose eyes had been muddled by selfish wants would present their goodwill to the twisted Nureha.

'-- We have to struggle for our survival. '

A comedic line.

It seemed to suggest that there was no need to fight for survival in their old world.

Maybe that was true. Maybe that was the case for that youth. Maybe he was pampered in his life, or maybe there was something wrong with his head. When she thought of this, she felt the impulse to laugh out loud, as the darkness and hatred inside her swelled.

From what Nureha knew, every moment was a battle for survival. Be it the old world or this one, that didn't change.

Analyze the system, find the weakness, make them careless, manipulate them, earn their trust, betray them, take everything from them. These were the basic rules of the world. To say it out loud to show your determination was beyond stupid.

She was aware of the reason she gained control of Minami so easily.

Nureha planned this from the very beginning. Of the tens of thousands of Adventurers wandering this world, Nureha was the only one to see this as reality and not just a game from the very beginning. This was the norm for Nureha after all.

Nureha garnered the goodwill of others just like when Elder Tales was just a game, while walking the thin line of sowing discord and gaining the favor of others. She had always been chasing after the advantage for herself. That was why she was beloved by the people and became the center of Plant hwyaden. The world chose Nureha and she obtained happiness. She obtained everything!

She listened to the sound of her own breathing while glaring at the shadows.

Why was she, the chosen one, in such a pitiful state? Nureha shivered as she hugged her tail like a pillow.

Why was she cowering like a wounded beast, struggling to mill the night away with bated breath?

Nureha ground her teeth and her fox ears fidgeted.

She lifted her head and looked up, the door which shaped the light into a rectangle opened, with the figure of the maid in the middle.

"Lady Nureha."

"…"

Nureha averted her eyes, blatantly ignoring her words. The maid who oversaw the actual operations, Indicus. Although she was Nureha's key advisor, Nureha was totally not interested in her. On further thought, she might be a woman who was haunting Nureha like some sort of curse.

"You are not sleeping on the bed again."

"…"

Nureha looked at the silhouette of Indicus standing against the light at the door.

In place of her usual emotionless mask, Indicus was smiling. Although she only showed this smile to Nureha, Nureha felt her stomach cramping every time she saw it. No matter how she tried to cleanse herself, no matter how she attempted to mask it, Nureha still felt the pungent smell similar to the arm reaching out for her from the darkness.

"Are you thinking about Shiroe?"

"…"

Nureha kept on staring.

But Indicus wouldn't back off or disappear from intimidation like the white figures.

Indicus continued to wear her smile like a sticker on her face, glided in and bent down to look at Nureha.

Nureha bit her lips when she smelled cold steel as Indicus came near her. It was the taste of clean blades that didn't match well with women.

"Is that it?"

"Don't talk about him."

Her furious words seemed to fall on deaf ears.

It had always been this way. Of all the demands Nureha made, Indicus refused to oblige on this one thing. Indicus was willing to give up everything for this one.

"I told you so didn't I? Of course I did. That man won't do. It didn't work despite all your efforts. That man has no worries to hold him back. He has always been like this. He is not a normal player, just background noise who has some minor accomplishments… Hey, Nureha?"

Pain and horror seeped into Nureha's view.

"That man is beyond your grasp. He is just a traitor with a little street smarts. Or rather, he has an obsession with cleanliness. And you stink like the sewers."

She knew it was coming and had braced herself, but Indicus' remark still stung like salt on a wound. The countless memories she had suppressed in the darkness squirmed in Nureha's chest like restless spirits.

That was what the white figures had been whispering about.

It was the past Nureha had already left behind in the old world.

"Who do you expect to approach and caress you? A filthy, broken hobo like you? Aren't you nothing but a stowaway on a train? Even the specks of dust on you are lies. The truth is that your past smells more pungent than an open sewage cover. Wearing your disgusting smile, with no control over your desires as you gaze longingly over to our side, a lowlife like you?"

The intense terror that held a stranglehold over Nureha awoke.

The plastic plates. Soup with pieces of trash mixed in. Hiding in the narrow storage compartment, hoping to evade detection. Her belongings were hidden from her, having to walk barefooted on the road. Memories of hiding in the bushes, not wanting her family to find her. The memories of all her failures.

"Please face the truth. Don't ever hope that someone like you can connect socially with anyone. That's right, a dirty woman like you will only be able to make a contract with someone like me."

She grit her teeth to hold back the feeling of nausea.

It worked this time.

Lucky.

To hide her weakness, Nureha had to keep her eyes wide open. Indicus told the truth. But she could not bring herself to say it out loud. Nureha knew better than anyone else how filthy and disgusting she was.

But knowing it yourself and someone bringing it up were two different matters.

"Because you are a princess that looks nice from afar but is far from nice."

Indicus pulled Nureha up by her ears, threatening to tear the fox ears off of the glaring Nureha.

"That's why I told you it is troubling for you to run off to Akiba, Nureha. Please use some common sense. Things are different from your time in the saloon. You have a castle filled with mannequins you collected now. I am going to secure the Yamato server properly this time. Isn't that our deal, Nureha?"

Nureha's hope and dreams.

A dream she bet everything on so she wouldn't have to go back to that place.

She was literally willing to do whatever it took to not go back. That's why she teamed up with Indicus. This was Nureha's castle, the city that never slept with its bright lights and wonderful reputation.

"You want to make a home of your own?"

Nureha nodded defiantly in order to hide her weak side from Indicus.

"Is that so. The Conference of the Ten is about to begin."

Indicus seemed to have lost interest in the current Nureha. It was impossible for Nureha to attend all the meetings too, she had no interest in the actual operation of the guild.

"Because you are our honorable princess. Allow me to bear the message on your behalf. Because you are our precious guild master, Nureha."

Indicus' footsteps grew distant as she left after leaving some sympathetic words as a parting gift.

Nureha was losing herself in her cursed past and self loathing, curling even more tightly into a ball and hugging her tail close.

Her extremities felt painful and cold. The blanket wrapped around her body felt heavy and didn't bring her any warmth.

Her heartbeat grew erratic, her vision turned dark like an anemic attack.

Terrible experiences and shameful recollections welled up, threatening to pull Nureha back to the old world. Indicus' remarks were spot on, forcing Nureha to fight the puppet-like figures alone.

But a hint of a smile grew on Nureha's lips.

'… That's right, a dirty woman like you will only be able to make a contract with someone like me. '

That's not true.

Things are different now.

Such a contract was just a verbal agreement that you couldn't bring yourself to voice out. It was even less binding than remarks between strangers who happened to meet on the streets. Aside from her contract with Indicus, Nureha made another promise with someone else.

'… it is better to be your enemy, your wish would more likely be fulfilled this way. '

The young man whom Indicus had dismissed as useless left these parting words for Nureha, offering some meager support for her.

The dull rings of the bell from somewhere far away told her it was 9pm.

The hands on the face of the clock seemed to be clogged with glue, moving so slow that the night seemed endless. The bodies of Adventurers were able to move effortlessly even when they felt sleepy. This physical advantage became the lock that trapped Nureha in the dungeon of nightfall. She alternated endlessly between dozing off and waking up startled.

Nureha waged her battle tonight in her room as usual. "One day, I will definitely…" Nureha uttered this prayers as she fell into shallow slumber.

2

A group of men and women gathered in the weird room.

Ornaments adorned the pillars and drapes hung on the walls. Flowers were displayed from vases with delicate designs, the tables and chairs were plated with gold. But they paled in comparison to the lively congregation.

The 8 members with colorful personalities and their posse.

"Where did Indicus go?"

A man wearing clothes like a court official's and glasses asked.

"She went to visit our princess. It shouldn't take long. Don't worry, Zerudeyusu."

The woman in military attire replied.

"It has been a while since the appointed time of 'when the moon rises' right?"

"The princess has always been like this."

"Those two should just marry each other."

The young voices filled with arrogance joined in with interest, mixing with one another.

This room was shaped like a stairwell, with the steps about 4 cm apart. Instead of steps, it was closer to a series of platforms with ascending height, an interesting room. Each platform had an unique style, bringing with it an unique flavor.

There were leather couches and chairs on most platforms, some had tables and bookshelves. There were ten platforms. The arched doors at the edges of the room were also placed at differing heights for each platform. The positions of the doors also reflected the status of the owner of each platform. The unorthodox structure of the room represented the relationships among the group.

Kazu hugged his sword and sat on his chair, surveying the room. This was the Conference of the Ten. This was the meeting that decided the policies of the south, the meeting of its core group.

The attendees of the Conference of the Ten were known as the ten seats or seat generals.

There were only two absentees. The guild master Nureha and Indicus who went to get her.

Indicus should be showing up soon. But it was hard to say whether Nureha would show up. She was whimsical and seemed uninterested in the operations of the guild, missing most meetings of such nature. For a mammoth organization, the decision of the founder and leader Nureha was unnecessary for everyday operations. The members had grown used to the absence of Nureha.

This was a periodical Conference of the Ten. Kazu was not aware of any special issues to be discussed.

But that didn't mean he could let his guard down.

The relationships between the seat generals were complicated. It was unique as the guild was formed by absorbing all the Adventurers in the west of Yamato. It was fundamentally different from a guild formed by friends or people with similar interest in MMOs such as Elder Tales. This colossal organisation made from lots of guilds had the goal of helping the Adventurers survive in this alternate world. It had been with this goal in mind from the very beginning.

Although there were individuals that called for equality similar to normal guilds, the fact remained that they were divided into various cliques. People with a normal level of street smarts were able to understand this.

And there was more.

To found such a gigantic guild, Nureha had pulled the Guards from the south to her side from the very beginning. The Guards from the south were under the jurisdiction of the Itsuki clan. It was an order that worked for the People of the Land from the very start.

As the guild master, Nureha obtained the status and power that matched her position, the 'Councillor of the West'.

The senate that ruled alongside the Itsuki clan had also displayed great interest in the rise of Nureha and wanted to get on her good side.

Minami was built on the delicate balance between the cliques among the Adventurers, the Itsuki clan and the senate of the People of the Land.

Kazu represented one of these factions.

The security organisation 'Wolves of Mibu' kept Minami safe, keeping bribery and fraud at bay.

But in actual fact, it was Kazu's private army.

'Wolves of Mibu' was set up by Kazu and his allies, determined to stop the corruption in the south. Their influence was limited in Minami, but they managed to obtain a seat within the Conference of the Ten as an official department within the guild.

Behind Kazu were two bodyguards dressed in black. Few seat generals attended meetings with guards.

Bringing guards was meaningless for this conference. It was just a superficial front.

Kazu squinted his eyes and looked towards the seat on the top platform.

The top seat was a delicately crafted throne for a queen that seemed to be from a fairy tale.

This empty seat belonged to the guild master of Plant hwyaden, Nureha.

One step down was the tea server and silver cart. A round seat that appeared unused. There was no one there, but it actually belonged to the no. 2 seat of the council. It was the seat of the maid Indicus.

Both of them were still absent.

The meeting would probably begin when Indicus showed up.

The 3rd platform was spacious, with a chair that looked practical flanked by large file cabinets. A man with glasses was filling in numbers and instructions on a form. He had a mean and squeamish feel about him. He raised his head and blurted out tacky comments from time to time. The 3rd seat known as the spy tower, Jack.

The man in charge of finance and development, the iron blooded minister.

Further down a woman in military dress relaxed on her seat, with wine bottles littered on the floor. The fourth seat Mistal Torti, general of the east. The strongest general from the senate and the commander in chief of the People of the Land army vanguard.

"Another idle day without any scent of blood. I am rotting here. I have so much time, I won't mind waiting for the moon to set if I get to battle."

She maintained her beauty even after the age of thirty. Instead of the rigidness of a military woman, she had the swagger of a cold criminal. Sitting in the middle of a 2 person couch, she rested her arms over the back of the couch in a relaxed manner.

"Didn't you come here for the high grade wine, Lander?"

An Adventurer of immense proportions teased while seated in his leather chair. The fifth seat. The general of the south, Nakarurano. His armor that was comparable to construction machines showed everyone clearly that he was a Guardian.

Mistal did not take any offence at his words, replying "That's right" without much thought.

"That's smooth." Nakarurano replied with a bitter face and raised the empty glass in his hand. A maid with a presence as faint as dirt on the wall appeared like a spirit and poured wine into the glass.

These two generals were in charge of offensive warfare.

They led the People of the land army and the Adventurer army respectively.

Mistal was ranked higher among the ten seats because the Adventurers in the council wanted to appease the elders in the senate. In terms of actual military might, Nakarurano's army was actually several times more powerful than Mistal's army. In the old world, Nakarurano was the guild master of the strongest guild in Kansai, 'Howling'. His dominance in the past still had influence among the factions in Plant hwyaden.

"Getting sleepy here. Really, why are we having the conference at night."

The 6th seat 'Prophet Quon' complained as he stretched his back.

"You are always sleepy, even in the day."

Zerude commented without lifting his head from his books. At first glance, he looked like a normal guy in shirt and jeans you could find in any corner on the streets. The only fantasy theme clothing is the cloak on his shoulder to ward off the cold.

"I am just standing by for the 'GM call'."

The other participants laughed bitterly upon hearing this.

The young man Quon had neither the ability nor interest in becoming one of the seat generals. But when Elder Tales was just a game, he was a game master. Game masters had game avatars similar to Adventurers, and would investigate any reported game errors and mediate any disputes between players, the operating staff in the game world. In simpler terms, they were customer service officers.

As an employed staff of F. O. E, he was well versed in how the game operated and was knowledgeable in many aspects of the game. He did not log in from the special mainframe from the company, but was online from his home computer; that's why he was affected by the Catastrophe as well. Although most of his abilities as a game master had been sealed, there was still a chance that he could contribute with his deep understanding of the game. That was the reason why he was one of the seat generals.

'GM call' was one of the game master abilities Quon retained, allowing him to receive pop up notifications of events happening within the Yamato server. He was also able to receive messages from F. O. E as well, but he had not been contacted since the Catastrophe. The event notification had been limited to timed and triggered events.

"Are you telling us that the connection with the upper world is fading?"

One step below Kazu, the old man in the eighth seat said with stifled laughter.

"Shut up. The continued supervision of system messages was decided by the conference right?"

The old man laughed as he watched Quon's bashful attitude. There was a hint of cloudy cruelty behind his laughing eyes. The 8th seat, the Sage of Mirror Lake, Jerad Gan. The leading authority on People of the Land magic and history. With his knowledge and magic powers, he pushed the frontier of development of new techniques together with Zerude.

"Our princess… will probably be absent tonight too."

The ninth seat Roreiru Dawn, the chief Sentinal, mumbled to himself when the talented beauty dressed in a maid outfit, Indicus, entered the hall. Her footsteps akin to striking the floor resonated like a bell announcing the beginning of the show.

"Let's start the Conference of the Ten. Let's begin with the report on the social welfare facility in the city."

Indicus forewent the opening address and started the conference abruptly. And this topic had been on the top of the agenda recently. Kazu held his breath like a submarine, keeping his heart cool and collected.

Minami was a peaceful and prosperous city.

But this was built on the exploitation of the People of the Land. There were 10,000 Adventurers living in Minami; the number of People of the Land was 3 times this number. Although the People of the Land operated many eateries and lodging rentals, most of them did this as serfs.

Serfs were People of the Land who provided services for the Adventurers. It was popular as it relieved Adventurers from the hassle of everyday life chores while providing the People of the Land with relatively high remuneration. But this in turn led to the development of troublesome issues. The prosperity of Minami was constructed with the cover up of this filth and corruption in mind.

The conference carried on as Kazu's mind drifted away.

The biggest policy the governing body of Minami was pushing for was the administration of Guildpass.

The People of the Land residing in Minami and affiliated with Plant hwyaden could collect their pass at the state run office. The Guildpass was divided into many ranks, allowing the holder to enjoy free services at corresponding restaurants and hotels befitting their status. This would eliminate the need for members to bring a wallet when going out. The Guildpass was issued free of charge and could be renewed every 3 months, which would contribute to the economical development of Minami in the future.

Kazu renewed his resolve as he listened to the glamorous report.

Things were definitely going to get ugly.

He understood the benefits of Guildpass. It would guarantee the minimum quality of life for Adventurers who were avoiding fighting monsters for loot. It would also enable more meaningful policies for Plant hwyaden, such as purchasing management. But this came at the expense of the People of the Land. Wolves of Mibu existed to uphold justice in the city. This meant protecting the weak. In order to lessen the suffering of the People of the Land who were being ignored by the Adventurers, Kazu's group fought on.

The conference breezed through the survey report of Nakasu and the raiding grounds, and moved on to the situation in Akiba.

"Seems like Akiba is sending a campaign army towards the northeast."

"That appears to be so."

Nakarunado replied to Indicus' query.

"It consists of 5 legions led by the 'Berserker' Krusty. Agent One reports that members from Blackswords, HiRyuji and Mad Hatters are also taking part."

Both Akiba and Minami were troubled by the affairs with the People of the Land in different ways.

Just like Minami working together with the leaders of clan Itsuki, Akiba was collaborating with the People of the Land in the League of Freedom Towns. The seat generals felt the deciding factor was the speed difference in political change between Akiba and Minami.

Minami was able to secure a stable social environment, better quality of life and development of technology before Akiba, and had outstanding achievements in every facet of life. For the Adventurers trapped in this alternate world, Minami provided a stable livelihood that was highly valued by the players. That was the happiness of Adventurers living in Minami.

"Black Heart Glasses is missing too."

The tenth seat pulled up his sleep mask and chipped in.

The 'Transforming Jester' was lounging on his beach chair made from canvas and a wooden frame. His brief words seemed to suck the life out of the conference, quieting everyone down.

"Black Heart Glasses is missing too," the tenth seat repeated as the room remained strangely silent. "I am not sure if he is with the campaign to the northeast, but he is definitely covering his tracks."

His smile appeared more ferocious than delirious. Wearing a cloak with tattered edges, the skinny Summoner was a member of the Debauchery Tea party, KR.

KR smiled mischievously as he looked up at the others from the lowest platform.

"What should we do, Indicus? The noise refusing to stick to your plans is running off again."

3

Naotsugu closed the heavy wooden door and dusted off the snow on his body.

For Naotsugu, the snow storm brewing outside was just a gentle breeze with snowflakes. It should be early noon right now, but the thick clouds made the surroundings dark and cold.

Thanks to his anti-freeze equipment, Naotsugu was able to move in the snow, but it still hindered his movements. As a Guardian, Naotsugu was covered in full armor from head to toe, not equipment fit for traveling in the snow. Naotsugu was able to maneuver in such adverse weather because of his body as an Adventurer.

"Naotsugu… ?"

"I'm back…"

Naotsugu replied to Shiroe's voice which came from the depths of the cabin.

Naotsugu unfastened and removed his gauntlets. These gloves were a state of the art production class item that didn't exist when Elder Tales was just a game. This hand made armor was more versatile than loot the level 90 Naotsugu was able to obtain in raids. As they were made by hand after the Catastrophe, he was unable to take them off with the use of the game menu.

Instead of a gauntlet, it felt closer to being a weapon in terms of weight. Naotsugu took off and stored his equipment in his magic bag one by one. Under his imposing armor were indoor clothes clothes and 3/4 pants. He was as casual now as he was back in the old world.

On this snowy mountain, the builders of this cabin were very practical with their design. The house was made from 2 layers of thick walls, with hay stuffed between them.

Reinforced by the thick curtains, the cabin maintained a comfortable temperature.

After taking off his thick boots, Naotsugu stuck his toes inside his indoor shoes. With his habits of taking his socks off when he returned home, others tended to tease him for acting like an old man. But he kept this habit since he was a kid, so he disliked it when others pointed this out.

"How was it?"

"All is well. The wind is blowing and the snow is falling."

"I don't think the snow will stop even if you cry."

"Crying is for shrimps."

"Don't talk about others behind their backs."

In Japanese terms, this room was about 10 tatami mats big.

The fireplace was burning brightly. Shiroe was sitting on a thick rug, surrounded by dozens of notes and maps. Naotsugu recognized some of them. The map of the region they were in… Notes and legends were written in red words, summarizing Naotsugu's observations from the past week.

Although it was warm and comfortable in the cabin, they had been away from their friends in Akiba for about a week. Naotsugu looked around moodily.

"Where is the tiny old man?"

"He is not an old man yet. I think he is around 30 years old?"

"But he looks just like one when he laughs."

Shiroe was not wearing his trademark white cloak today. He carefully tidied his logs without looking up at Naotsugu.

"Need help?"

"Thanks, but no need. I will be done really soon."

"That so, alright."

He must be focusing.

In order to not disturb Shiroe, Naotsugu took a seat on the fur rug.

"…"

"…"

Shiroe took out a notebook and placed it beside his logs to write something down. There were no typewriters or computers in this world. Although Shiroe seemed to have a hard time consolidating his reports, Naotsugu would definitely be rejected if he offered to help. Shiroe had always been that stubborn.

He's been this way since the day they met. Naotsugu started to reminiscence.

In the Debauchery Tea Party days, the topic of hanging out together for a meal came up. Since this was a server based game, the members must be residing somewhere in Japan. It was unlikely for everyone to join in, but there were still 5 members living in Kanto.

Shiroe was drinking black tea the first time they met.

Is that Oolong tea? Naotsugu asked, and then received an explanation of the difference between oolong and black tea from Shiroe. It took 30 minutes, and somehow led to the topic of the political situation in Taiwan and tea investment in general. Back then, the big news was the European Union going through the 'Vital Fall', so normal college students wouldn't know about the subject of Taiwan politics and the economy of tea.

This offline meeting was the start of Naotsugu and Shiroe's friendship.

Both of them were in university and lived about an hour's bicycle ride away from each other. Having friends not from your school was also a precious relationship. He would bring Shiroe, who preferred to stay indoors, to hang out from time to time.

There were times when they had been blindsided by the willfulness of Kanami.

Go to the fish paste factory in Odawara. They were on the verge of losing it when Kanami said that. But it was a fun trip when they went over, and more importantly, the fish paste was delicious. Naotsugu thought that Kanami's character and penchant for tasty food was top notch.

And so, Naotsugu and Shiroe spent a lot of time together.

Having gotten used to the silent Shiroe, Naotsugu stretched out his legs and relaxed. He did this from time to time when he was in school and was still doing this in Log Horizon.

The heat from the fireplace radiated to his toes which had been buried in the snow. The numbness melted away as he regained the warmth in his body.

Naotsugu twisted his body and took out a metallic flask and cups from his magic bag deftly.

He poured Mog milk into the cup. Crushing the Mog fruit and adding it to milk gave it a taste similar to banana milk on earth.

Naotsugu grunted as he passed one of the cups to Shiroe, who took it and mumbled "Kay". They drank the Mog milk that was slightly too sweet. That's what friends were for. There were quiet times, and there were times when they talked passionately about stuff.

"Shiroe and the old man's snowy mountain prison party."

Naotsugu was muttering nonsense not because he was malicious, but because he was bored.

"Do you miss the crowd, Naotsugu?"

"Yeah. There is nothing around here."

"It feels really rural."

Naotsugu was amazed by Shiroe's reply.

The cabin was a restricted zone, with the snowy mountain zone just outside being a square field zone 64km wide. There was only one Adventurer in this field zone. He checked before entering the cabin with his Border Patrol ability, so that was definitely it. This was not a rural area, it was the wilderness. Tear Stone was like a deserted island in the Yamato server.

"Speaking of which, where were you born, Shiroe?"

"Tokyo."

Naotsugu sighed when he heard this curt reply. Tokyo people were really troublesome. They couldn't even differentiate between a rural area and the wilderness.

The speechless Naotsugu used his arms as a pillow and lay down.

About ten days ago, he received a request from Shiroe to watch over their home. He planned to leave Akiba for a trip, that's why he was asking Log Horizon for assistance. Naotsugu rejected him in a second and ended up here.

He didn't ask where they were going or what they were going to do. But he knew there was going to be trouble so he tagged along. The others might think Shiroe could make the trip alone, but Naotsugu knew Shiroe would need backup. He could tell just by looking at Shiroe's face.

If everyone understood that it was necessary, Shiroe would open up and call for help from the others. If it were necessary for everyone to join in, he would not hesitate to ask the rest to join in. Because it was hard to explain why he had to do this himself.

Naotsugu thought Shiroe had grown since the Crescent Burger incident, but it seemed that it was not that simple for someone to do things contrary to their nature.

Naotsugu thought that Shiroe was too stubborn, but he felt that this was his nature.

This was a weakness of Shiroe although he had many good points to balance this out. But the problem was that Shiroe held back too much. With his intelligence, he should push his dumb friends harder to stride forward. As Shiroe's old friend, Naotsugu thought he qualified.

When Shiroe strode forward willfully, he was usually able to achieve a bright future.

If Shiroe intended to watch such sceneries, Naotsugu did not want to give up his front row seat.

"I think it is about time to explain why I have to be imprisoned in a cabin on this snowy mountain."

"You are not trapped. We are just living in this secluded place."

"Shiroe, that is why you have no luck with girls."

"I mean it is peaceful here."

With Shiroe's nature, he was actually half serious in his reply, what a pain.

"… I'm holed up here because I don't want anyone to know my whereabouts. There are no problems yet, but considering future events, I don't want others to preempt my plans."

Shiroe ended the jokes and explained slowly.

"Anyway, the goal this round is money. I'm looking for a way to generate lots of money. In order to do this, I have to convince someone."

"That old man?"

Naotsugu recalled their companion. The small sized People of the Land elf sage, just staying next door. Literally.

"Ah, that is someone else. ReGan is a chess piece for the battle this time. He is part of the persuading party, I can't do this alone. He is famous here after all."

"I can't tell from his looks."

"Does the Sage of Mirror Lake ring a bell?"

Naotsugu understood now. Shiroe was talking about that guy.

The Sage of Mirror Lake was a well known NPC in the MMORPG Elder Tales. But even so, Naotsugu had never seen him appear in the game before. He was a sage that was referenced often in the rumors and legends of the game. In the raid '9 Prisons of Heroes' he took part in during the Debauchery Tea Party days, he was mentioned in the background lore.

"So that guy really exists."

"Yes he does."

"But why are we in the deep mountains to think about money making plans? Why not borrow some from the Round Table Council if we need cash?"

"Well," Shiroe crossed his legs and sighed with a troubled look. "The amount is rather big this time."

Naotsugu started to feel a headache.

The 'rather big' Shiroe was saying could not be trusted. The 'rather big' he mentioned last time when he schemed to buy the guild building could make anyone's face pale.

"Exactly how much?"

"The total is 80 trillion."

Deranged, you couldn't describe this amount in any other way.

Even if every Adventurer in Yamato server had 10,000 gold, you couldn't reach that amount by pooling everyone's money. Not just Yamato server, it couldn't be done if you added in the wealth of every Adventurer in the world, an impractical amount. Naotsugu looked at Shiroe slack jawed. Shiroe furrowed his brows and mumbled to himself.

Naotsugu understood when he looked at the mumbling Shiroe. Shiroe wasn't joking or having any other intentions in mind. He was seriously contemplating how to earn this amount.

"So, can we earn it?"

"Not all of it, we will need to divide it lot of times… bit by bit."

It was still an astronomical figure no matter how small a bit he divided it, Shiroe smiled bitterly.

"This will be tough. Tell me more about the scheme you are thinking about."

"There are no schemes. We will simply have to beg for it. We have to convince him no matter what."

"Convince who? How?"

As the two of them sipped Mog milk and conversed, the door to the room beside them opened and a robed man appeared.

"Master Shiroe. Seems like our guest has arrived."

A People of the Land mage with shifty eyes tapped Naotsugu's shoulder enthusiastically as he giggled. ReGan had ill manners even for a People of the Land, which annoyed Naotsugu. ReGan continued nonchalantly.

"Please let Sir Naotsugu join us. Even though we are still have a long way to go, the negotiation Master Shiroe is hoping for is about to begin. This is really amazing. In a way, negotiation is war level, no, national level magic."

What do you mean by national level? Naotsugu's query was interrupted.

Because the door to the cabin had been knocked on.

Just 20 minutes ago, there shouldn't have been any Adventurers within a 10km radius of this area. So was this a People of the Land? But could a People of the Land make their way to the snowy Tear Stone?

Under the watchful eyes of Shiroe and ReGan, Naotsugu drew his sword from his magic bag and approached the door cautiously.

4

"Shiroe, your guest is here."

Shiroe stuffed the maps and documents into his magic bag before Naotsugu brought in the guest.

He was already expecting the guest and had prepared tea and cups near the fireplace.

(So it turned out this way…) Naotsugu looked baffled when he returned. Although the guest was contrary to Shiroe's prediction, it was still one of the possible candidates.

"Please take a seat."

It was rude to ignore Naotsugu, but Shiroe kept his priorities, ushering the guest to the solid wooden chair.

"It's been a bit of a challenge to hike up this snowy mountain."

That's what he said, although there were no signs of snow sticking to his shirt. The young man with purple eye pupils, Kinjo of the Kunie clan.

"Have you been doing well?"

"Things are going smoothly."

Shiroe smiled at Kinjo's reply. He sighed in his heart, knowing that this was going to be tough.

Shiroe had been waiting in this desolate cabin to meet the representative of the Kunie to negotiate. There were several reasons he chose this out of place mountain, one of them being that it was close to the base of operation for the Kunie.

(… So it is this man.)

Shiroe felt that this was going to be difficult.

He knew that dealing with the Kunie clan would be hard.

Shiroe came to know about this mysterious clan when he was doing his bank transactions. The banking service was one of the functions that existed in Elder Tales that provided convenient service for the Adventurers. It provided storage facilities for the safekeeping of cash and items. There was no need to go to a specific bank for withdrawal, you could make your withdrawal at any banking outlet in Yamato.

This teleportation technology that differed from the spell Call of Home or the inter-city transport gate was not solely used for banking transactions for the banks.

It was also implemented for personal mail and small package delivery service. It was also used in the bazaar that was open to public. The security system that was installed on most streets also belonged to the Kunie.

The players of Elder Tales, or rather the players after the Catastrophe, took these services for granted and treated them as public utilities. When the Round Table Council was formed, Shiroe said that "Adventurers need the People of the Land to survive". He was already aware of the existence of such a clan.

But he didn't know back then that the services were provided by the mysterious Kunie clan.

After the formation of the Round Table Council, the council led by Shiroe made contact with the Kunie clan. This was accomplished easily. Shiroe met Kinjo, who was in charge of the Kunie clan in the Akiba region, at that point. But there had been no progress after that.

He found out that the Kunie clan provided all sorts of service in the Yamato region. And they were all crucial facilities that Adventurers could not do without. Shiroe had also met their representative for Akiba, Kinjo. But that was all.

Although he did not bluntly ignore Shiroe or display hostility, Kinjo managed to keep all of Shiroe's advances at bay with his steady smile and words.

And the fact was not far from what Shiroe imagined. Adventurers could not live on without the People of the Land, but the People of the Land would be able to scrape by without the Adventurers. They might not be able to prosper on this earth with savage monsters roaming the land, but they could survive with the use of no-combat zone and magic technology. And the clan that had the power to do so was the Kunie clan.

For the Kunie clan, Adventurers were unnecessary. This had limited almost all the cards Shiroe could play.

But Shiroe had strived on and collected intelligence to build up his cards. But his opponent was Kinjo, the young man with an experienced profile. Kinjo had probably sensed what Shiroe was plotting and sealed off all information related to the Kunie. The strength of this clan, the knowledge they held, their base of operation, ideals, goals… He was unable to gather further intelligence from Kinjo.

Almost all the intelligence Shiroe had of the Kunie clan was provided by ReGan.

"This is Sage ReGan, you must have heard about him."

"Of course. First time we met. I am Kinjo, I manage the counter for the Kunie."

"Nice to meet you. This is the first time I meet with the Kunie clan."

ReGan waved his hands cheerfully in response.

Kinjo was also all smiles.

"It is a rare day indeed. Representing the Adventurers is 'The Archmage of the Tea Party', Master Shiroe of Log Horizon. I even get to meet Master ReGan, the Sage of Mirror Lake. It is a great honor to be invited to such a historically meaningful conference. Very few in the history of the Kunie were able to receive such honor. My ancestors would never have expected such a day to come."

Shiroe was troubled by Kinjo's reply.

This young man named Kinjo bore no hostility towards Shiroe or the Adventurers. He was not taciturn either and definitely understood the things they were saying. He was simply not disclosing information and was keeping it under wraps with his silver tongue.

Shiroe sighed at the thought of the coming negotiation. He had hoped to speak to speak with the representative of the Kunie. He had conveyed his request personally through the Akiba branch leader of the Kunie, who was Kinjo. He didn't expect him to be the one to travel all this way to this desolate cabin.

But Shiroe sensed that this could open up other possibilities. But just as Shiroe was about to test it out, ReGan had started to converse enthusiastically with Kinjo.

"You have made this conference more honorable with your presence. Kunie… a mysterious clan supporting the all the counties in Yamato from behind the scenes, inheriting powerful ancient magic technology. And Sir Kinjo is the head of this clan. I am brimming with anticipation."

"Anticipation?"

"That's right, Master Shiroe here is an existence akin to a Jack in the Box."

"Fufu, that is amazing."

(Just stop the show already.)

Shiroe injected his emotions into his glare at ReGan, who continued to smile with curiosity. He was not oblivious. This humorous People of the Land sage did not plan to help Shiroe anyway.

"So…"

"Fufufu."

Shiroe glared at ReGan who was smiling and started the negotiation.

"The things I hope to discuss with Mr Kinjo are as stated in the letter."

"You want to talk about financing, specifically loans, correct?"

It was that simple.

He just wanted money from Kinjo.

"Since we are going straight to the point, this will save a lot of trouble."

"Correct, we will save a lot of trouble."

"Thank you for accommodating me."

Shiroe was hoping to hold the negotiation in Akiba. The core members of the Round Table Council were on a campaign to raid the Citadel of Seven Falls right now, leaving Akiba vulnerable to attacks. He sensed that something was going to happen. Even though Soujirou was around to hold the fort, Shiroe was still reluctant to leave Akiba.

He was holding the conference here because of the way Kinjo was stonewalling him, although Kinjo did not outright reject him. He was simply kept at bay with meaningless talks, the topics being kicked around like a ball. In terms of negotiation experience, Shiroe with his graduate student qualifications had no chance against this professional old timer.

But Kinjo was diving straight into the point this round, surprising Shiroe and earning his gratitude.

"No, please don't mind me. Saving the trouble is also important. For the Kunie, this is a matter of grave importance."

"Ha…"

"Since you are here, that means you have some level of understanding about the Kunie."

"That's right. I heard about from Mr ReGan."

"Ah. I am impressed that this is in the records of Mirror Lake."

"It is only polite to keep notes."

Shiroe replied with a bitter face.

This was not being polite.

According to ReGan's research of his ancient texts, the knowledge that the Kunie clan was based in this zone had become a card for Shiroe to negotiate with. 'I know where your home base is', a move that was threatening by nature. Shiroe knew this bordered on being malicious. He did not forbid or hesitate in doing this, but Shiroe definitely didn't decide to do this gleefully.

He was frustrated when forming the Round Table Council.

He was on the verge of lecturing the major guilds who were ignoring these obvious issues. He was so frustrated that he didn't even care about using intimidation to get his way.

But the Kunie clan did not give up the duty they inherited since ancient times. At least they didn't plan to.

"Although I really hope to provide assistance to Master Shiroe of the Round Table Council, please allow me to reject."

"Why?"

"Because this goes against our obligations to our ancestors."

Shiroe sighed.

Shiroe knew from the beginning that this was going to be hard. That's why he invited ReGan and did all sorts of investigation to prepare for this. Their findings indicated that there were no records of the Kunie banking service providing loans, investing, or financing any business. They simply provided cash deposit and withdrawal facilities.

Shiroe recalled the previous meeting he had with Kinjo. Equity ratio, credit, trust fund… terms that were common sense for earthlings like Shiroe were foreign concepts for Kinjo. If Shiroe explained them, Kinjo would be able to understand what these phrases meant, but that was it.

The entity known as banks in Akiba were not the same thing as banks on earth. This was the conclusion Shiroe and the others had drawn. It was closer to a storage facility, not a financial organization.

That was baffling.

The fact that real banks didn't exist in this world could be rationalized. But the inability to obtain loans was too unnatural. Shiroe was not a professional so he was not too sure, but the act of borrowing money should have a long history. On further thought, Shiroe remembered that the Romans loaned money. Rome existed in the BC era. For this world that seemed to be in the middle ages, the progress of civilization seemed too slow if the concept of loans did not exist.

Shiroe couldn't get a straight answer from ReGan when he explained all of this to him. Going by the account of the People of the Land Elissa, it was very rare to see the act of borrowing money between the nobles and the peasants.

She had not seen such acts of loans between peasants either.

That's why the merchants did not hold much authority in this world. Basically all trades were done between the aristocrats; the merchants just executed the trade and delivered the goods. People of the Land that were half noble and half merchant existed.

Also, the credibility of the currency did not lie with the nobles and royalty.

The aristocrats, who were the rulers, did not create the currency for market use. The currency was all 'discovered' when they defeated monsters. The money supply would increase if they continued defeating monsters. The currency in circulation in a country on earth was created and made legal tender by the government, but this concept did not apply here.

The credibility of the currency lay in its universality.

There was only one currency in circulation in this world. Gold, half gold and quarter gold were the units, there was no name for money. This was different from earth where USD and Euros were in circulation together; there was only one currency here. There was no need to give it a name. It was simply called gold, nuggets, or coins. Shiroe thought that the currency was not limited to the Yamato server, and was applicable worldwide, making it legal tender in the whole world.

This meant that it had the credibility of 'not turning into junk no matter where you went'. The credibility had nothing to do with the military might of countries; it was simply because there were no other forms of currencies. In a sense, it was more credible then the currencies of earth which might lose their value if the countries distributing it went bankrupt. Even if the League of Freedom Towns Eastal or the Holy Empire Westelande crumbled, the gold in Maihama would still retain its value.

On the other hand, the rare metal the currency was made from held value as well, but smelting them requires extra effort. But Shiroe was convinced that the main source of credibility for this currency still lay in its universality.

There were issues with the Kunie's bank as well. Although they were no different than a safe-box, its security was top notch. The money you deposited was guaranteed to be safe. Most of the bank was situated in its own unique zone, and guards were a common sight. The bank also had unknown ID authentication technology. It was entirely possible to deposit cash in one bank and withdraw from another branch immediately. It also included the sale of zones and the collection of upkeep cost. All these convenient services were available by adopting gold as your currency of choice.

This system was too convenient and self autonomous to not take advantage of. But there were other reasons why the governors did not create their own forms of currency.

"We can get gold when we defeat monsters right, Mr Kinjo?"

"Yes, you are right."

Shiroe dove straight to the point.

"We can obtain hundreds of gold by looting chests in the dungeons."

"Fortune favors the brave."

"Since the Kunie do not provide loans, what if we find the person distributing all this gold and take it before it is given out. What do you think about this method?"

5

ReGan was excited.

He had befriended Shiroe of Log Horizon in the Palace of Eternal Ice, and was here on his invitation. Shiroe was like the arrival of a hurricane, bringing the house down.

ReGan held high regards for the young man with eyes that seemed to gaze both into the past and into the future. Just like the time when ReGan heated the library as he explained the findings he devoted his whole life to, World Fraction. This young man managed to grasp all of this in one night, a rare talented Archmage.

ReGan watched Shiroe's profile so intensely he seemed to have forgotten how to breathe.

Shiroe, the young man who introduced himself to be from Log Horizon, was an Adventurer who made his living through the use of magic. Adventurers were strong. They were entities that could overwhelm People of the Land. Be it warriors, scouts, healing magic, or mages, Adventurers were geniuses at whatever they did.

All Adventurers were elites, but there were only a select few who were worthy of the title of Archmage. Although Adventurers were powerful, their abilities were often too specialized for use in aspects other than battle. For the knowledgeable mages who explored the mysteries of the world, magic used for fighting was nothing more than parlor tricks.

Shiroe was one of the few Adventurers who deserved the title of Archmage.

ReGan thought that there were four paths to sage-hood in this world.

All these routes were independent and did not intercept.

In this feudal era, technology and knowledge were secrets not to be divulged. The knowledge was then passed down as secrets which were not made known publicly by those who inherited it.

The knowledge of this world was retained in this manner, and there were four ways to reach the pinnacle of knowledge.

First of these would be the path of research as a People of the Land, which ReGan belonged to.

The options to study openly were available through the academy of Tsukuba, to research in the shadows would be the way of the Mirror Lake. As a Sage of Mirror Lake, he kept watch over the 'Forgotten Lake of Books', also known as the Mirror Lake. They were students who challenged the known perception of the world.

The second way was the Adventurers. As the Sage of Mirror Lake, ReGan thought the magic and knowledge of Adventurers were totally different from People of the Land. Their magic was powerful, but was essentially similar to People of the Land. But even so, their knowledge seemed to have a source that was out of this world.

Did the Adventurers seal a part of their soul in an alternate world? ReGan believed that there were signs that showed this. And this alternate world might be linked with the golden era. After the Catastrophe, the Adventurers came up with all sorts of miraculous discoveries and inventions. It was already common knowledge to the mages of Tsukuba and ReGan that these discoveries were linked to the super technology of the golden era.

The third method was to use the powers of the Ancients. The ones who could easily attain powers beyond the limits of the People of the Land were the Adventurers and the Ancients. Just like Adventurers, the Ancients were heroes that were beyond the understanding of the People of the Land. Those who were on the level of the People of the Land were humans, elves, dwarves, half-alvs, werecats, wolf-fangs, fox-tails, and race of ceremony.

The Ancients also inherited secrets from days of old, a close society that protected the world as bands of knights.

The last way available would be the path of the Kunie clan.

They were shrouded in too many mysteries, so the contents of ReGan's knowledge about them were all speculations. Although they were People of the Land, they were not academics like Tsukuba academy or Mirror Lake. Inheriting the technology passed to them for countless eons, their influence went beyond Yamato and affected continents beyond the ocean.

They had similarities with Mirror Lake which collected and studied the knowledge of the past, but the Kunie did not make this knowledge available to others. The key difference from the researchers of Tsukuba and Mirror Lake was their lock down of information. They did not actively engage People of the Land or conduct research. They had no curiosity, a clan that shied away from contact.

Mirror Lake which focused on all types of knowledge had attempted to contact the Kunie clan dozens of times. But there had been zero records of success in terms of information exchange.

A member of the Kunie, Log Horizon's Shiroe, and ReGan being seated at the same table was a cause of excitement for ReGan.

Shiroe's words had shocked the Kunie's leader.

Kinjo let out a deep breath, wearing his emotionless mask once again in silence. He stayed that way for a long time.

"Master Shiroe, did you really think this was possible?"

After hearing the long awaited reply from Kinyou, Shiroe gave a small nod after stealing a glance at ReGan.

It's about time for me to step in, ReGan thought as he calmed himself and spoke.

"Shiroe has brought up a point that has never been mentioned before. But speaking of which, this is one of the unexplained mysteries of this world. This is a viewpoint that will complement the Spirit Theory. The monsters are ever spawning. But where do their gold and loot come from? There must be some system in place that grants the monsters with these treasures. This is a new perspective that does not exist in the library of books in Mirror Lake. I am sure, I have browsed through all of them."

ReGan pushed the circlet with purple crystals on his head out of habit. This magic item gave ReGan a great sense of insight and memory retention. But it was still a metallic headgear, and ReGan still couldn't get use to this circlet that had been passed down through the generations no matter how long he wore it.

But it would not be possible to complete the investigation this round without the aid of the magic circlet. Even with the circlet, they wouldn't be able to make any headway without the records left by ReGan's predecessor.

"The base of the Kunie and the gold that Shiroe mentioned were found in the records."

"…"

Kinjo kept up his emotionless mask.

ReGan was simply probing. That had always been the case. The men of Mirror Lake collated knowledge. New questions arose from the result of the collated knowledge. More information was needed to answer these queries. Working hard to answer these new questions, repeating this endless cycle.

"The logs state that there is a whirlpool of gold at the lowest level of the depths of Palm. Gold appears out of nowhere and disappears to nothingness, a winding river of gold and the graves of vanquished monsters. The Dead Spirit King raised an army of undead in order to seize the gold for himself. Records of this incident are still available. One of the defenders was the Sage of Mirror Lake 15 generations ago who sealed the passage in the depths of Palm."

This was a common request for the Sage of Mirror Lake.

The Sage of Mirror Lake stood to gain all sorts of knowledge and magical items by taking on such jobs. They usually had to handle cursed items and equipment that were extremely dangerous if used in the wrong way. The owners of such relics, mostly nobles, brought them to Mirror Lake for sealing.

The reputation of the Mirror Lake grew because they were able to fulfill such requests, and they were happy to take on the task in order to collate more knowledge. Even if they were unable to learn anything new, getting their hands on such items meant that they had more experimental materials. Mirror Lake had a vested interest in learning sealing skills. Their techniques applied to both items as well as zones.

"I received the 'Key of Eternal Darkness' during my adventuring of the 9 Prisons of Heroes. This was something made by Mirror Lake."

ReGan handed the floor back to Shiroe when he heard Shiroe speak.

"According to the key, we obtained the rights to challenge the 9 Prisons of Heroes. This area was sealed by Mirror Lake's… I'm not sure how long ago, but it was definitely the predecessors of ReGan. And there were also several sealed danger zones. We have confirmed their location."

Kinjo was taken aback by Shiroe's statement.

ReGan's is a scholar, so his combat magic was very weak. Although he wouldn't lose to the knights ofthe knights of minor lords, it was only at the level of the People of the Land, he couldn't match the powers of Adventurers.

And so ReGan was escorted to the depths of the dungeon under the protection of Shiroe and his friend Naotsugu.

The records of Mirror Lake only mentioned that they were requested to seal the area, but did not explain the details of how it was done and what things they came across. When they reached the place, they found the giant bronze door and ReGan knew how to deactivate the seals with the deep sealing knowledge of Mirror Lake.

Although he did not really understand what Shiroe meant by 'unreleased zones', ReGan understood from this expedition that there were such sealed off areas all over the world. Not all of them were sealed by Mirror Lake, and these zones were areas and facilities with restricted access.

"You intend to borrow the money from the golden whirlpool?"

"That's right."

"You think it is related to the Kunie?"

"You are correct."

Kinjo seemed to have recovered his composure as he conversed with Shiroe.

"… So you are going to plunder the gold from that place? You intend to rob us, man from the Round Table?"

Kinjo's said with a cold voice without any trace of doubt.

Everything was clear.

There was a whirlpool of gold in the depths of Palm. And that place was related to the Kunie. There was no confirmation on this data, and the Kunie might have nothing to do with this. ReGan had discussed this possibility with Shiroe, but made contact with the Kunie on Shiroe's advice anyway.

This had confirmed a query he had.

The Kunie clan had something to do with the Spirit Theory.

There was no hard evidence, but judging from Kinjo's reaction, it couldn't be too far from the truth. The secrets of the Kunie held the answer to the intricate workings of this world. ReGan was overjoyed with this revelation. He was on the verge of literally jumping with joy. The Spirit Theory was the most important research that ReGan was working on. He felt like giving a toast, even though he could not drink wine.

But Shiroe's voice was bitter.

"That is why we wish to meet you here. We do not wish to be enemies with the Kunie. The Kunie are very important. Even if we want to use the money, we can't make any headway without the assistance of your clan."

"Why are you doing this? No, what do you intend to do with the gold, Master Shiroe?"

"If I explain, will there be any chance that you will help us?"

"I am sorry. The ancestors' will is to be followed."

"… Mr Kinjo."

ReGan glanced at Shiroe who was biting his lips and seemed to be holding something back, grasping onto any available possibility.

"Mr Kinjo. I understand about the will of your ancestors. Although this is just the Adventurers' way of thinking, I know this is an iron clad rule since ancient times. We are not asking you to break them. We don't intend to ask you to do anything forbidden. And that is why we need to know the limits of the rules."

"…"

"That's right. The Catastrophe changed the rules. This is a new age. It cannot be stopped. There must be…"

Kinjo closed his eyes, looking just like an iron bust.

Shiroe's explanation did not seem to reach Kinjo's heart.

ReGan's happiness had faded just like the setting sun. He didn't understand what was happening before his eyes. ReGan, who had been schooled in magic since birth, could feel that some matter that he didn't understand was crumbling. It was probably a thing known as negotiation. But ReGan thought that something that could not be expressed by the simple term negotiation was shattering.

3 of the 4 sages in this world were only gathered here, but they didn't achieve anything.

ReGan clenched his fist unconsciously.

6

An icy atmosphere drifted in this room heated by a fireplace.

Naotsugu watched the back of Shiroe as he added wood into the fireplace. The tables had been shifted aside to make space for their sleeping bags.

This was the cabin in the mountains where their conference with Kinjo had ended fruitlessly.

(What a lifeless back,) Naotsugu thought.

Shiroe's was always like this.

Shiroe stirred the flame with a stick. They would be sleeping soon, that's why he was nursing the fire so carefully. But he looked helpless, as if he were being made to go round and round in circles.

Naotsugu speculated that Shiroe must be thinking about complicated stuff and unable to rest. From the discussion in the conference earlier, Shiroe appeared to be at a dead end. This seemed to be tougher than that time when they were forming the Round Table Council.

"Hey Shiroe."

"Yeah?"

"Enough, get some sleep."

"Yeah."

Shiroe shuffled to his sleeping bag and sat with his legs crossed.

Sleeping bags on earth were made from excellent materials, that's why they tended to be thin and convenient to carry. But such advanced insulation materials had not been invented yet, so the sleeping bags here were made from wool. Their insulation capability was much lower and they were uncomfortable to sleep in because of its thickness. But when combined with carpets made with long fur, it was comfortable to sit on.

"Shiroe, you want to drink some?"

Naotsugu showed Shiroe the warm sake he was pouring into his mug. Shiroe attempted to block out the smell by blowing air out of his nose and replied, "No thanks, I'm good."

Naotsugu thought that things would be easier to deal with if he had a drink, but he did not force the issue.

If it were up to Naotsugu, he would just drink the sake, sprawl out on the floor and sleep. But this was not Shiroe's style, and Naotsugu knew that he would pick himself up even if you left him alone. There was no need to intervene in this.

"So it didn't work…"

"Yeah."

Shiroe answered with a troubled expression.

Naotsugu didn't think this was a loss. He didn't know the details, but it seemed like Shiroe needed a huge amount of cash. It was not an amount that could be raised by Adventurers. The means and source of such an amount was very limited.

From the dialogue session with Kinjo of the Kunie clan, Naotsugu had a good idea of what the plan was.

Shiroe wanted to exploit the settings of Elder Tales that were in place when it was just a game.

Adventurers could loot gold from the bodies of the demi-humans they defeated. They were humanoid in appearance and possessed a basic level of intellect, so that was nothing special. But gold could be looted from feral creatures such as wild dogs and large boars as well.

There was no real explanation as to why this was so. Elder Tales was a game; it was structured to reward players with gold and items when they defeated monsters, that's why monsters dropped loot. In simple terms, this was expected of a game.

But a game would not be interesting if the game world mechanics did not make sense. Background lore was then added in order to make the mechanics logical. The setting used to explain was 'A powerful ancient relic implants gold into the spirit of the monsters when they re-spawn'.

A nonsense setting. But since it was a fact that monsters dropped loot, there must be a reason why. When Shiroe saw the fact lying before him, he decided to take advantage of it.

Naotsugu thought Shiroe had already succeeded.

"… Well then, let us meet again. In that place where 'gold appears out of nowhere and disappears to nothingness, a winding river of gold and the forgotten underground garden'."

"… But you will need many warriors. How would you make your way to the source at the deepest level? The Kunie's answer will be dependent on the result of your challenge, Master Shiroe."

Those were the final words the boss of the Kunie, Kinjo left behind.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

Shiroe knew there was a huge amount of gold in the depths of an unknown region. Collecting evidence, visiting sites, undoing the seals and investigating the feasibility of raiding the place.

And he told the suspected owner of the treasure, the Kunie clan.

Shiroe was already successful theoretically when he achieved these goals. To be honest, Naotsugu felt that there was no need for Shiroe to contact the Kunie clan in the first place.

The targeted treasures were in the underground zone and they even had the means to access it. They just needed to simply go there and bring the gold home to achieve amazing wealth.

(Hmm… That means there is another reason why Shiroe is so depressed.)

When he thought about it, the answer was obvious.

This troublesome friend of his conversed with the Kunie even though there was no need to do so.

'… There are no schemes. We will simply have to beg for it. We have to convince him no matter what. '

That's what he said before negotiating with the Kunie.

At that point, Naotsugu thought Shiroe was being humble when declaring 'I don't have any plans'. But it turned out that he really didn't have anything in mind. What a clumsy fellow… Naotsugu thought with a smile.

In order to succeed, Shiroe would plan ahead and consider all possibilities. He seemed to have spent quite a bit of time this time too. Naotsugu took part in the scouting visit to the deepest part of Palm, but he heard from ReGan that preparations were made a long while ago. The long nights Shiroe spent studying and researching in the study room was all for this conference.

Shiroe did so much preparatory work in order to gain all this money. And his hard work was rewarded with a promise straight from the mouth of the Kunie clan. Now they just needed to venture into this new zone and grab the money.

But Shiroe had a more ambitious goal in mind.

Shiroe wouldn't make intricate plans if he wanted to make friends with someone. He could only speak the truth just like an idiot. Shiroe did not want to rob the place by force, take the Kunie clan by surprise or lie about it. This meant he wanted to befriend the Kunie and was feeling down because he failed.

Naotsugu understood this and could only sigh, it couldn't be helped.

"Speaking of which, you were not acting like yourself back there."

"Really?"

"It's like you can't speak your mind. It won't become a festival, a festival that is not really a festival."

"Is that so."

Naotsugu wanted to trash things out with Shiroe to clear the air, but Shiroe's answer was vague and half-hearted.

"He's holding back again." Naotsugu sighed.

The negotiation today was definitely going to fail.

The Kunie clan observed a policy of extreme secrecy. And Shiroe withheld the crucial point of how the funds were going to be used. They didn't discuss or make any compromise either. Both sides were withholding too much information.

That's why the negotiations did not make any headway. Having worked in the corporate world for a year, Naotsugu understood this would not work.

Just like the purchasing he did before, just sell a kg of pepper for 2450 yen. Get the purchase order from the client and submit it to the supply department. There was no need for conversations. But suggesting new products and negotiating long term contracts were another matter. You needed to understand the situation of the other side. You needed to convey the constraints you faced on your side as well. You had to consider the issues for both parties and not simply keep pushing for your own agenda. These were the prerequisites, the rest was sincerity. In order to move forward, both sides would definitely need to compromise.

With the secretive manner Shiroe and Kinjo handled the negotiations, the talks were doomed from the beginning.

Naotsugu didn't know what cards both of them were holding in reserve.

He didn't know what Shiroe intended to do with all that money neither.

Or why Shiroe seemed so troubled.

Shiroe was being too considerate again.

"What are you thinking about Shiroe?"

"…"

"This is just the beginning, so spit out everything that is troubling you."

Troubling things, troubling things, Shiroe chanted like an incantation. He lay down with a moan.

"Hey Naotsugu."

"Yeah."

"Kinjo mentioned that we need many warriors right?"

"Ah."

Naotsugu was wondering what was troubling Shiroe and replied without thinking. The path to get the funds was clear, so the problem was how to get on the good side of the Kunie. Wasn't that the main issue? Shiroe faced the confused Naotsugu and continued.

"No matter how you interpret it, he is hinting at a raid battle. No, this is the only possibility. But this is really troubling."

"Why?"

"We lack the manpower."

"Eh?"

Naotsugu didn't get it. He knew that a fight was inevitable. If you found a mysterious zone in the depths of a dungeon, there was a high chance there would be a raid battle. But he was confident they would prevail. Adventurers were immortal, and Shiroe could tap on the manpower of the Round Table Council. It might take some time, but they would eventually make it through.

"All the guilds in the Round Table Councils are under surveillance. We are being led by the nose here, unable to get away from supervision. I don't want Minami to locate me."

Naotsugu was taken aback.

Not using the resources of the Round Table Council. Not wanting Minami to find out about this operation. And he was withholding the final objective. What kind of handicap play was this? Naotsugu's mouth stayed open. There was probably a time limit too. Since Shiroe didn't want Minami to catch wind of this, they couldn't stay too long. Naotsugu, who sneaked out of Akiba in secret, understood. Except for the members of Log Horizon, other people probably thought that Shiroe was holed up in the guild building hard at work. Since they wanted to complete the mission before others knew about it, there would be a time limit.

"Shiroe you masochist."

Shiroe, who was lying down, replied, "I'm not. I just want to live happily everyday."

Naotsugu was speechless, but Shiroe was not lying. Naotsugu knew very well.

This was Shiroe's true wish. He had been this way since the Debauchery Tea Party days. Shiroe had always been striving for the easiest method with highest chance of success. When the method seemed winding and troublesome, it meant the problem was twisted and hard.

The complex and winding path turns out to be the shortest way. That's how Shiroe's plan feels like.

Naotsugu's friend did not compromise on his target.

That was why Shiroe worked so hard and was burdened with so much.

(Although most of these troubles are created by Shiroe himself. There are many people who can assist Shiroe with his problems.)

"Well, I guess there is no other way."

Naotsugu statement contradicted his heart.

Shiroe was a man who would get it done in the end. He was not someone who would lose sight of his goal. If he were someone who would lose track of his objective, Naotsugu just needed to bash Shiroe's head in with a brick.

Shiroe seemed troubled right now, but he would accept the reality of the situation with time. Not just Shiroe, all men were like that. Naotsugu blushed when he thought about this. He recalled the incident where someone's stubbornness brought a ton of trouble to others. But Naotsugu thought that it was necessary.

It was the same for everyone and probably applied to Shiroe, too.

He might be heralded as a strategist and an intellectual, but Shiroe was actually clumsy by nature. The clumsy Shiroe required time to think things through.

And it would be great if Shiroe let Naotsugu accompany him during this period of time.

Even if Naotsugu left him alone, Shiroe would work hard in order to accept the reality of things. That's the kind of man Naotsugu's friend was. He gave everything he had in the things he did.

"There is no other way. Let's go solicit members for the raid. Don't worry, it will work out in the end."

When Shiroe mumbled hesitantly, Naotsugu kicked Shiroe optimistically and added "It will be fine." Everything can be repaired and mended, Naotsugu thought, but he didn't convey it verbally.

Shiroe will definitely find the sun rising over the horizon.

That was the winning condition for the Tea Party. Naotsugu decided to appreciate that scenery.

After knowing Shiroe for so long, such a night was not uncommon.

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