Chapter 258 - IRO Management (2): World Quest Progress Check
"Excuse me."
GM Choco entered the room without waiting for a reply to her knock.
She grandly ignored Misha P, who was slumped over her desk, and sat on the sofa.
"How did it come to this…"
"How did it come to this?"
GM Choco echoed Misha P's murmur.
"How did it come to this~♪ How did it come to this~♪"
"Shall we dance?"
"Please do."
GM Choco put her tablet on the low table, stood up, and was about to start the "How did it come to this" dance, but—
"Just kidding. My apologies."
"I'll make some coffee."
She brewed coffee for two and placed one cup next to Misha P, who was still slumped over.
From GM Choco's perspective, she understood why Misha P would want to slump over, but honestly, her own feeling was "Yeah, that's about right."
"What should we do?"
"Why don't we just let things take their course? We did anticipate a situation like this, didn't we?"
"That's true, but this is too fast…"
Misha P finally sat up and took a sip of coffee.
Then, after pondering for a while, she let out a sigh, "Haa…"
"I don't think the matter of Ancient Ruins having ownership is something we needed to particularly hide. It was an element that would eventually be revealed, wasn't it?"
"Well, yeah~. But it was planned for after the current World Quest finished, at the earliest…"
She said, resting her chin on her hand.
It was supposed to appear as a guild-versus-guild element when a player established a nation and an Ancient Ruin was within its territory.
So, the correct answer was that there were no immediate plans for it.
"So, that's not your report, is it?"
"Yes. Concerns have been raised that the Necropolis capture speed might become extremely slow."
"Huh? Part One was slow to start, but thanks to Shou-kun, it really sped up, and weren't we even looking to move to Part Two a bit early?"
In response to that question, GM Choco operated her tablet and sent a report to Misha P.
Misha P received it, projected it onto her personal holographic display, and read through it with a nod.
"Ah, the prediction that prices will skyrocket at the Frontline Base for the Necropolis. I mean, some increase is unavoidable, and I thought tourist prices were within our expectations, but…"
"Could you read a little further from there?"
"Hmm? What is this? This projected increase is a bit abnormal… Ah, so there's a high possibility that player guilds will monopolize it and drive prices even higher…"
Misha P looked away from the holographic display after reading that far.
However, GM Choco swished her finger, as if to say, "Keep reading."
"The information that Ancient Ruins have administrators, and that players can become them, leaked out early, so that seems to be contributing to the impact as well."
"Ehh…"
Misha P made a grimace.
The report expressed concerns that prices could triple from the anticipated level, leading to a decrease in World Quest participants. It predicted that progress would drop significantly, extending the estimated duration of Part Two by 3 to 5 times.
"A little more… how should I put it?"
"...Leniency, you mean?"
The two exchanged firm thumbs-ups.
"Even so, if they overdo it, it feels like a blame game will start among players regarding the poor progress of the World Quest, won't it?"
She put away the holographic display and took another sip of coffee.
While their policy was to restrict player actions as little as possible, they couldn't overlook insults flying around the Official Forum.
"Don't they just feel confident they can clear the World Quest on their own? They're top-tier guilds with lots of members, after all."
"Hmm, what about the others?"
"Normally, I think they'll wait and see until the returns with clear rewards become apparent. Other Ancient Ruins have confirmed returns, and they might aim for those administrators, too.
Then there are many guilds leisurely leveling with new players who've joined, so in a way, the World Quest feels like someone else's problem…"
It was certainly true that there were plenty of other enjoyable elements even without desperately chasing the World Quest, and in a way, that was good news.
However…
"Why are they so nonchalant about it? The guilds trying to monopolize the Necropolis are being aggressive, but isn't the difference just too vast?"
"It's mostly the island's influence.
Lately, there's been a huge movement to improve food. A while ago it was Camlus, but now it's Leppelin. Pepper is quite expensive, after all.
Also, there are people searching for mythical beasts and fairies, people who want to build their own homes, people content with just farming, people content with just fishing…"
"The Butterfly Effect, huh…"
GM Choco made a grim face at Misha P's murmured words.
"I'm not really fond of that movie. I mean, it's a very well-made film, but…"
"It feels like an ending without salvation, doesn't it…
No, I mean the general butterfly effect. That 'Does the flap of a butterfly's wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas?' thing."
"In his case, I don't think it's such a subtle flap, though."
GM Choco replied with a laugh, then drained the rest of her coffee in one go.
It was already time for the date to change. Since she was in the midst of overtime, she seemed to be planning on leaving, as expected.
"We'll watch for two weeks, and if it looks bad, we'll go with Plan B."
"Roger on Plan B."
Of course, Plan B was 'Huh? There's no such thing.'
[Update History]
4/22 Chapter 224: Nameless Goddess Statue ~ To This Chapter
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