Chapter 414: Carrot, Stick, Information, and Jelly

Sunraku: "Sorry for going off on a tangent right away, but how are you staying so calm with someone dressed like this standing in front of you?"

Sete: "People wearing equipment like that aren't especially rare, so..."

I turned to the side, quietly changed my headgear into a salmon, then whipped back around with some momentum. With one thumb raised, I delivered the line.

Sunraku: "Ngh... heh."

Sunraku: "I am sea grapes."

Sete: "That has absolutely nothing to do with fish...!!"

Nailed it.

Anyway, enough fooling around. Time to get to the point.

Sunraku: "I haven't even shared this information inside Wolfgang. You're the first person I've told... well, at least the first player."

Sete: "...Why?"

Why? Well, that was a fair question. I barely remembered the details, but if we'd just followed the rules of whatever alliance or federation arrangement was supposed to favor Wolfgang, we could probably have set terms that were completely one-sided in our favor.

But this time, trying to monopolize it could actually be the wrong move.

That was exactly why I approached Library first. Sometimes a favor is worth more than money.

Sunraku: "The activation condition for Unique Scenario EX: My Endless Struggle is 'form a party with a Goldhuneenay'... and the one I formed a party with was the Eighth Goldhuneenay."

Sete: "The Eighth?"

Sunraku: "I've personally seen at least a ninth one. I don't know how many still exist, but... multiple players backing different Goldhuneenays — you recognize that kind of setup, right?"

Sete: "An election."

Thanks for the intelligent answer, but this is a game. Minus one point.

Sunraku: "It's a battle royale. I have no idea how the game treats players who backed a losing Goldhuneenay, but..."

Sete: "...I see. So the basic premise is that this is a Unique Scenario that can't be monopolized."

Sunraku: "Glad you catch on fast. If that's the case, the move isn't monopoly. It's getting the first move."

Our Goldhuneenay is a coward. An almost impressively pathetic coward. Sammy-chan-san's stealth is so ridiculous that it's probably the only reason WIMP has survived this long, but throughout history, stealth-and-ambush builds have always been weak to area bombardment.

Especially the naga serving that other Goldhuneenay. That thing's very existence is basically an area attack. Right now, I can't imagine a way for us to win.

My Endless Struggle is probably some weird battle royale where we wear down the other Goldhuneenays while sometimes cooperating so we can deal with that Goldhuneenay.

Sunraku: "I'll get straight to the point. I want Library to back our Goldhuneenay."

Sete: "I see... I see."

Sunraku: "Would you get mad if I told you to decide right here and now?"

Sete: "The Professor has a lecture tomorrow, so waking the Professor at this hour is out of the question."

Sunraku: "I'm joking. I'm not desperate enough to make somebody sacrifice their real life."

At least, this didn't feel like a Unique Scenario where something was about to happen immediately. WIMP was probably vacationing — leveling, really — in the world's safest vacation-home prison.

That busted intelligence doll had said, "Leave it to me," but was this really okay...? I'd been deliberately trying not to look too closely, yet Armlet Gargantula materials were piling up inside Inventoria at a terrifying rate.

Sunraku: "Ahem. More specifically, if you get information on players backing other Goldhuneenays, I want you to pass it to me."

Sete: "Tomorrow... no, the day after tomorrow... no. I'm sorry, but it may take us as long as a week to reach a conclusion. Is that acceptable?"

Sunraku: "Yeah, that's fine. But let's keep it secret from our scumbag Pencil."

A battle royale full of deceiving people, getting deceived, and murdering each other was exactly the kind of battlefield that scumbag Pencil would go wild over. At worst, a huge number of completely unrelated players could end up as casualties.

And if Pencilgon started sticking a hand into another matter before the Siegwurm situation was settled, those of us being sent around as errand runners would only suffer more. If Oikatzo and I were going to show off with smug faces, we'd do it after the Siegwurm Unique was over.

Sete: "...Understood. I can't promise anything, but judging by the Professor's curiosity, there's a very good chance you'll get a favorable answer."

Sunraku: "Good to hear."

All right... gear change.

Sunraku: "Amatsu-Mikaboshi."

Sete: "That's from a completely different mythology...!"

Impressive. An intelligent comeback.

---

My business here was mostly finished. All that remained was to respawn at Bryubas, the mobile base I'd placed at Sigmonia Canyon Frontline — or more precisely, underground beneath it.

Then a thought hit me.

Sunraku: "Hey, Emul. Can you teleport to Bryubas?"

Emul: "Bryu... ah, that weirdly shaped ship?"

Sunraku: "Yeah, that one."

Emul had ridden Bryubas before. It hadn't been finished then, but even at that point it already had a bed installed as a save point. I asked on the off chance it would work...

Emul: "Mmmmmmmmm... I think I can do it."

Sunraku: "Seriously!?"

A private car? A private jet? Was the era of one Vorpal Bunny per household finally arriving? It was, Emul! I could feel the winds of a new age!

Sunraku: "All right, do it!"

Emul: "Where did you even leave it?"

Sunraku: "At the Goldhuneenay hideout."

Emul: "Oh... huh?"

All right, let's go.

Emul: "W-wait! Wait, wait, waaaahhh!!?"

Before Emul could panic and make the gate disappear, I grabbed Emul by the neck and jumped in.

When one coward meets another coward, what happens...? Do you get some kind of coward-repulsion effect?

After several seconds of whiteout, the coordinates themselves switched from a room inside Skull Azuchi at the frontline base to the cramped cabin of Bryubas. Considering the thing has to fit inside Inventoria along with... that stuff, I guess they did a pretty good job squeezing out this much room.

Sunraku: "I see... so as long as you bring it out into physical space, you can use it as a Locate point..."

Isn't this nerf bait? No, wait. Just because all we've seen so far are tents doesn't mean there can't be permanent mobile bases. Carriages, for example. Yeah, there have to be carriages.

Actually, this still comes back to Inventoria being nerf bait. I'm starting to feel bad about making the official website's news page say, "Adjusted the performance of a certain item," every single time.

Emul: "A-ah, aaaaaah..."

Sunraku: "Don't freak out so much. This one's pretty different from... actually, basically the exact opposite of the one who invaded Rabituza's underground."

Emul: "W-what are you talking about, Sunraku-san!? It's a Goldhuneenay! A Goldhuneenay!!"

Sunraku: "It's fine, it's fine. That one is basically harmless... but Emul, don't forget your manners around the other one, okay?"

Right now Sammy-chan-san is both more important and more dangerous than Sammy-chan-san's attached parts. If I get ambushed through true stealth, I'm dead instantly. In a normal open fight rather than a duel, Sammy-chan-san has exactly the kind of abilities that make it a natural enemy of a high-mobility type like me.

Emul: "W-what kind of person is the other one...?"

Sunraku: "A snake overflowing with intelligence and compassion."

Emul: "Sunraku-san, did some kind of poison get to your head... mmph."

I squeezed Emul's mouth shut from both sides before any more unnecessary words came out, then left Bryubas to look for Sammy-chan-san, WIMP, and Saina.

Sunraku: "Ah, there you are. I'm ba...ck?"

WIMP: "No more spiders! M-mnghgh!?"

Saina: "Picky eating is unacceptable, Individual Designation: WIMP. The Jelly Material supporting an Armlet Gargantula's motor functions contains an extremely high concentration of mana particles. Therefore, consuming Jelly Material will allow for more efficient growth."

WIMP: "Mmph... ngh... blegh, mmph!"

Saina: "It is fortunate that the material is gelatinous in its raw state. It can be poured in."

WIMP: "Ugh... bleegh... Sammy-chan, eat it for me..."

Saina: "Reprimand—hmph: Individual Designation: Sammy-chan already possesses strength above the prescribed threshold. Therefore, Individual Designation: WIMP must consume Jelly Material immediately and process the next lured group."

WIMP: "Saaave me..."

H-hell on earth...!!

× Jelly

○ A jelly-like substance halfway between spider bodily fluid and flesh

Armlet Gargantulas gain impact resistance by circulating this gelatinous internal substance throughout their bodies. They also store enormous amounts of mana inside it, then convert that mana into explosive force either automatically or manually.

By the way, the priority is overwhelmingly Auto >>> Manual. If Maman orders them to die, they scatter like artillery shells. Such is their sad fate. What was alive just moments ago ends up scattered all over the place... oh yeah!!

It looks like cloudy green gel jelly. Being tasteless and odorless is either a blessing or... well. If it's properly cooked, it becomes a tasty edible item.

(Experience gained +5% for a set time; it does not stack with itself or with other experience boosts.)

At the very least, it isn't suited for eating raw.