Chapter 238: Information Cross-Counter

Our request was simple and clear: when the coming clash with Schwarz Vulf happened, we wanted the Library to side with us. That was all.

On the second floor of an expensive inn that also functioned as a save point, I faced Professor, the fake magical girl. According to the head of the Library, it was the perfect place for a secret conversation.

???: "We came from the sky. The sky is our domain... There is no god in heaven. God is—"

I cut the video off there with a click.

A trial version only works because it cuts out right when you are thinking, I want to see more! If Professor wanted to know what came next... well, that was the point.

Professor: "...I see. It appears you people... no, you possess more information than we had anticipated."

God, I hated this. No matter how I looked at it, this fake magical girl was the same type as Pencilgon.

The kind of born schemer who could move people with words alone. Not the sort who deceived people like a scammer, but the sort who took the larger share for themself and still somehow made both sides agree to it.

Professor: "I understand what you want. But do you realize that, from our perspective, it would be more convenient if Schwarz Vulf disclosed every piece of information you are hiding? And if you were able to obtain that information, then someone else we have yet to meet may discover the same information later... am I wrong?"

This was exactly the flow Pencilgon and I had expected.

The Library was a theory-crafting clan. It did search for information on its own at times, but most of its analysis was built on information brought in by frontline players. By its very nature, it was the sort of group that walked at the very back of the pack.

If so, it was more profitable for them to wait until Schwarz Vulf exposed all the information we were hiding and receive it afterward than to accept the terms we were offering now. There was also the slow-and-steady option: sometime much later, somebody else might walk the same road I had and uncover the same information. Maybe getting it from that person would be cheaper than getting it from us and dealing with all our extra demands.

Pencilgon had put it like this:

Pencilgon: "That old man is always the one receiving information, so he is good at bargaining the price down. He'll probably act like he already has our situation figured out and casually make some outrageous demand, so we'll turn it around and make him bite instead."

We had known from the beginning that we would have to spend some of our own capital. That was precisely why I had been sent alone to negotiate with the Library.

Just as the person with the most assets has an advantage at an auction, at this exact moment I was the Wolfgang player who knew the greatest number of important world-lore keywords. That was what gave my words weight.

Sunraku: "Project One. Project Two."

Professor: "Mm."

Sunraku: "Bahamut. Behemoth. Leviathan. Ziz."

Professor: "............"

Sunraku: "Delta Device. Cazzeria. Jewel Craftsman. Divine Craftsman."

It hurt to reveal the existence of these things to a theory-crafting guild, but there was no helping it.

Sunraku: "Bonus Unique Scenario 'Epic of Vorpal Bunny'... I don't want to be disloyal, but in the worst case I can't deny the possibility that my motivation could plummet so badly that I end up taking all of this information down with me... maybe."

At this point it was basically blackmail. I had lined up all these words that practically begged to be analyzed, then gone so far as to say, If you don't cooperate, I might quit the game while keeping all of this secret.

Even if I secretly kept playing, I had Rabituza as a place to disappear into. If I seriously committed to hermit play, they would have no idea when their next chance to obtain this information might come. They would have to keep waiting while wondering what all the terms I had just dangled in front of them actually meant.

They could dress themselves up with the grand title of "theory-crafting clan" all they liked, but at heart they were not much different from elementary school kids waiting for next week's issue of a weekly magazine. Give them good enough bait and they would always bite.

Professor: "Heh heh heh... Was that young lady's idea? You certainly understand how to make people who enjoy theorizing impatient..."

Sunraku: "Our leader was proceeding on the assumption from the start that the Library would cooperate with us."

The important part was how much we could narrow down the information we actually handed over.

The dark-side bunch, the bright-side group, and one more person had all discussed that point, and we had decided to play one of our jokers.

Sunraku: "If you cooperate with us... then Wolfgang's position is that we would not object to revealing one truly exceptional piece of information exclusively to the Library. You can take it that way."

Professor: "Oh? What we would most like, however, is for you to hand over the Tome of Truth you presumably possess after defeating Ctarnidd of the Abyss..."

Sunraku: "Ctarnidd of the Abyss can be fought again."

Professor's eyes widened in shock. Until then, the fake magical girl had never once lost that composed expression.

No matter how much you debated something at a desk, in the end it was still only armchair theory. By actually testing things with your own hands and exploring with your own feet, you could learn far more.

If Professor believed me, then this was genuine exclusive information that had not even reached Schwarz Vulf or SF-Zoo. In other words, there were plenty of open party slots.

Sunraku: "We can't voluntarily trigger our Unique... no, scratch that. Two of our members want to accompany the group. What if I said that Wolfgang wants to join forces with the Library and challenge Ctarnidd of the Abyss again?"

Professor: "That is one matter I truly cannot decide on my own. May I consult the other Library members first?"

I gestured that I did not mind. Watching me, Professor continued anyway.

Professor: "That said, I personally never expected much from Schwarz Vulf outside of main-story progression. Therefore, I believe we should help maintain the motivation of Wolfgang, which has an actual record of clearing content related to Unique Monsters."

Professor had talked at length, but once you stripped it down to the essentials, the meaning was simple: the Library was effectively declaring that it would side with Wolfgang.

For the moment, I had fulfilled the role Pencilgon's plan had assigned me, and a weight lifted off my shoulders.

Sunraku: "Is this the kind of situation where we're supposed to shake hands or something?"

Professor: "Hmm... As it happens, our conversation is not over yet."

Sunraku: "Mm."

Now it was my turn to brace myself. In our projection, the other side was supposed to answer our request and that would be the end of it. This was outside the plan.

Professor: "You know that players are currently crossing over to the New Land, of course... We in the Library have also sent several members there and assigned them to gather information."

Sunraku: "Uh-huh."

Professor: "And we received an interesting report from our members on the New Land. If you would personally contribute to our analysis, then we in the Library would not be opposed to providing information in return."

Shit. He was not aiming at Wolfgang. He was aiming directly at me.

Professor: "We have no interest in who happens to discover the information. And entrusting it to someone with clear 'achievements' such as yours would hardly be unnatural, would it?"

At that moment, the information seller and buyer switched places.

Hold on. I had been acting like some sharp, highly capable negotiator, but honestly, I did not feel like I could beat this old man in an argument at all. How was a shallow guy like me supposed to fight a war of words with some brainy senior who looked like he had sky-high real-life INT?

Sunraku: "S-so... I suppose you could say you're expecting quite a lot from me...?"

Crap. My disguise was starting to peel off like skin after a sunburn.

Professor: "From what you just said, I believe it would be fair to say that we have now obtained at least a rough outline of information concerning all seven Unique Monsters."

See!? He was already casually deriving things from my words... Crap, now I really wanted to go home. More than anything, I wanted to shut my brain off and spend some time grinding monsters!

Professor: "The information you possess on the Vorpal Epic... We are a theory-crafting clan. We have no interest in the profit or glory produced by a Unique Scenario. Sunraku-kun, all we want is information... Do you understand?"

Sunraku: "I see... It's almost... almost like... uh, a contract with a demon. You want to trade information about Unique Monsters... is that it?"

This was bad. My mouth had started moving on spinal reflex. From this point onward, I could no longer control what I was going to say...!

Professor: "We are not yet at a stage where I can guarantee the information, but the Library is prepared to give you personally information about the 'Raging Snake God.'"

Sunraku: "Raging... Evil God?"

Professor: "No. Not 'evil.' 'Snake.'"

Snake, huh... I knew Orchestra only by name, but if the Library kept investigating, would it eventually uncover the names of all seven Unique Monsters?

Professor: "Now then, just as you did earlier, that is the end of the trial version... What do you think? Naturally, nothing beats seeing something with one's own eyes, but from a theorist's perspective, it would be extremely helpful if you became our 'eyes,' you see?"

This was not a negotiation with Wolfgang.

Professor's plan was probably to bypass Pencilgon—the person who would squeeze the absolute maximum price out of even garbage information—and obtain information directly from me. And of course, he probably had some benefit prepared that would make it worth my while to cooperate.

Sunraku: "I'll leave it pending for now... Well, I'll keep it to myself."

Professor: "I shall hope for a favorable answer."

The half-naked, caped bird-head and the silver-voiced fake magical girl laughed together.

Naturally, I immediately tattled to Pencilgon. In the end, I was just the bullet she had fired.

[Breaking News] Half-Naked Pervert Enters Private Inn Room with Girl [Incident]

And apparently they were the same sex, with the "girl" being the older one.

The Library desperately wants information on the Unique Monsters, and especially the Tome of Truth, which contains many references to the Divine Era. But they are also combat-minded theory junkies: if fieldwork is possible, they would rather do it themselves.

If Schwarz Vulf takes the initiative, the arrangement becomes something like this—"Naturally, Schwarz Vulf will fill most of the slots for the Ctarnidd battle. The Library... well, I suppose we can let about two of you in?" Schwarz Vulf would also decide what everyone did during the strategy, so the Library would have no choice but to participate in the group operation.

If Wolfgang maintains the initiative, the arrangement becomes something like this—"Wolfgang may be leading the Ctarnidd battle, but the Library can choose most of the party." The two members Wolfgang dispatches only care about clearing the fight, so the Library can take the lead over the seven-day schedule.