Chapter 516: Once You Get Used to It, Poison is Just Spice

If we were so primitive that we beat each other with rocks and clubs, everything in this world would be solved with sheer brawn and physical subjugation.
But though we are Pioneers, we are also Modern People (Gamers); we can correctly recognize the value of information. That is precisely why information worth its weight in gold sometimes exerts a power far exceeding a physical beating...

"I triggered the Unique Scenario EX related to the Orchestra of the Reverberating Nether. I'm going to sell it off to 【Library】 now, but do you guys want to hear about it first?"

"I super want to hear it〜"

"Waah, I heard the rumors, but he's a total pervert〜"

"It's going to lower the dignity of me and Nina (217)-chan who belong to the same clan, isn't it〜"

""Right〜?""

"Displeasure (Ugh, annoying): Liriel=217, shouldn't your unit return to your duties as a unit affiliated with 'Strawberry'?"

"Refutation (Too baaad): This unit (I) also formed a contract with Pencil-chan, so I have permission to act independently〜"

"Hey, hold on. Don't just naturally make a fool out of me and then brush past it."

I can't deny it, but at least let me say something! Being brushed aside as a lost cause is the most painful thing of all.
Before I could drop by the investigation clan 【Library】, I ran into Pencilgon. I could have chosen the 'Flee' command, but seeing as she had a Conquista Doll tagging along with her, I had no choice but to talk to her.

And, just as expected, it seemed Pencilgon had put Saina's previous advice into practice. The Conquista Doll calling herself Liriel=217 was spitting venom at Saina with incredibly calculated, cutesy movements.

"Man, I absolutely love jam-bread girls who have a gooey, jam-like malice stuffed inside a cutesy-wutesy exterior!"

"This unit doesn't want to hear that from a missile warhead like Pencil-chan (Contractor)〜!"

Hmm, a poison-filled cream puff and jam bread... what a trashy combo. Or rather...

"Hey, Jam Bread, you know about Protocol 'Orchestra' too, right? Is it okay to talk about it?"

"Permission (Sure thing): Protocol 'Orchestra' is strictly just a condition, so Conquista Dolls (We) only take action regarding Orchestra's unauthorized export cases!"

Export cases...?
Our gazes—the two players—momentarily intersected. It's hard to imagine that she wouldn't think of what even someone of my level could think of, but seeing as we're in the same clan and she's the one calling the shots, a consultation is necessary, right?

"What do we do?"

"It's probably useless to hide this anyway〜. Judging by Nina-chan and the others' attitudes, people who would figure it out will figure it out, so selling it off quickly is the right move."

"Right? Honestly, it's at the level where it wouldn't be surprising if someone had already noticed."

And so, dragging the Pencil-Nina duo along, we stormed into Library's New Continent base. It seemed the fake magical girl and his followers hadn't logged in yet, so having no other choice, we passed the message to the players affiliated with 【Library】.
Watching a player manipulate a window that clearly wasn't part of the ShanFro UI, I whispered to Pencilgon.

"That's a window from the VR system side, right? The one for communicating with the real world, if I recall..."

"Yep, yep. It's hidden in a super hard-to-find spot on the menu screen... They're probably sending an email to the Professor's mobile device since he isn't logged in, right?"

I mean, there's a screenshot function, so of course there's a feature to export things outside the game... Whoa, it's true. It's way down at the bottom of the menu settings. I bet a lot of players haven't even noticed this.

"...Yes, I've received an email from the Professor. He said, 'Judging by Pencilgon-kun's behavior, the condition to trigger the Orchestra EX Scenario must not be that difficult', and asked me to relay that."

"Reading our entire hand just from a text message... He really is a cunning old geezer..."

"This guy is totally plotting to fleece us dry."

Money is important, you know. I won't say it's the utmost priority, but it's the lubricant of life; the moment you run out, things start creaking. Look at me—thanks to the scorpion industry, the gears of my life are spinning smoother than ever.

"Then pass this on to Library through you. The condition to trigger the Orchestra EX Scenario is 'forming a contract with a Conquista Doll and possessing a certain amount of information regarding the Divine Age civilization'."

"Addendum (Also): Reaching the required threshold of combat capability is also included."

"Saying things like that first is what you call intelligence."

"Is not the intellect to supplement missing information true intelligence?"

I see, an intelligence stalemate... Well, I was prepared for it from the start, but the Concert (combat) is now officially confirmed, yep.

"Does that mean the correct sequence for triggering Orchestra is befriending a Conquista Doll first and then capturing the Leviathan?"

"Affirmation (Yep, pretty much〜): Conquista Dolls (We) cannot enter the Leviathan without going through a Contractor... So it's like there's no place to meet, you know?"

"A sudden mixer element...? Anyway, how did you two even meet?"

Since there are a lot of identical models among the Conquista Dolls, I've seen similar faces (mugs) quite a few times. I've spotted quite a few of Saina's Elma models as well, and every time I do, Saina makes this smug, 'winner-in-life' face, so it acts as a paradoxical radar. Smug face = Elma model nearby, something like that?

"Hmm? Well, you know, I kind of used Saina-chan's name as bait to lure her out?"

"Pencil-chan (The Contractor) is so mean, you know? She lured this unit (me) out by saying, 'Saina-chan is calling for Liriel=217-chan from an environment with cut-off communications〜'!"

Naturally, there was no such fact as Saina being in a pinch. In other words, it was 90% lies, but it seems she fully utilized that 10% of truth to reel in the exact fish she wanted.

"And then, you know... I just kind of sweet-talked her like an unmarried woman?"

"I'm not going to let you make that triumphant face anymore〜, bleh!"

"Report (Look at this): A facial expression utterly devoid of reason. This unit cannot help but say, as expected of a Liriel model."

"I don't want to hear that from a stick-in-the-mud Elma model〜! Actually, hasn't Elma=317's personality gotten kind of nasty?!"

"Hahaha, impossible. Intelligence: No Abnormalities (All Green), you see?"

"That's right, she has a good, virtuous soul that values harmony, just like me."

"It's no good, Nina-chan. Your friend has already been corrupted by a fiend."

Even taking a hundred steps back, I absolutely don't want to hear that from YOU! If anything, starting off with fraud and still keeping her affection rating high is what's truly terrifying!!

"Ah, um, regarding the compensation for providing this information..."

"Hm? Oh, I'll leave it entirely to her."

"Lookin' forward to workin' with ya, yeah?"

"Unless it's Seto-san or the Professor, handling this is impossible for us..."

Pitiful 【Library】 players. Engaging in a negotiation battle with her of all people is enough to make you press your hands together in prayer. It's precisely because you know that just punching her from the start would get things done faster that makes it extra hollow, yep, yep. Curse yourselves for being born into modern society.

"Well, I'm taking off."

"Okaaaay. Make sure to run any information regarding Orchestra through me〜"

I make a move, Pencil hoards the information, and the one left crying is 【Library】... Truly sorrowful.

Just as I was about to exit the Library's base with a casual wave of my hand, a single player approached from the front, passing right by me.

"...About the 'Snake'."

"...Mhm."

And the moment we crossed paths, I smoothly accepted the rolled-up parchment handed to me... No, you just wanted to do this, didn't you?! I know you were standing by outside waiting for this! Well, I guess I'm also to blame for eagerly handing over the money.

"Go buy yourself some booze with that..."

"Ah, nice, that sounds legit."

Oi oi, at least maintain the roleplay until the very end, man〜

Author's Afterword
Pencil knows the ugly sides of humanity inside and out, so she treats the overly cutesy, sharp-tongued Liriel completely normally. She has high ignoring skills and high provocation skills, so they get along well.

Sunraku and Saina are the type who will be punching each other, but the moment someone steps in to stop them, they somehow engage in co-op play to beat up the interloper.
In the case of the three fiends, they put up a facade, so it's a slightly different breed.