Chapter 520 - Side Story: The Pioneer
On the top floor of the luxury hotel Camelot in the Royal Capital Anhemudal, the executives of AFO gathered for their usual regular meeting.
While the primary focus was reporting the results of the Lunatic Demons event that had concluded recently, there were other intriguing reports to discuss. Many members had arrived early, engaging in idle chatter before the start time.
Then, Diite entered the room.
Seeing the broad smile on her face, one could easily imagine that things had gone well. Of course, prior intelligence gathering had already indicated success, but hearing the report directly from Diite's mouth was always more accurate.
"Good work, everyone. The event and everything associated with it went perfectly. First, for the status report..."
During the event, a massive number of Players connected to AFO, and the number of concurrent connections reached an all-time high. Analysis suggested this wasn't just due to the event itself, but rather the new feature launched immediately after: the unique-ification of summoned characters. Data showed a significant increase in Players leveling their summoning skills, making the analysis almost certainly correct.
Even after the event ended, Players continued to play AFO, and the number of concurrent connections remained high. This was largely influenced by the defeat of Demon King Mikan revealed during the event. Data indicated that many Players were searching for the Quest that triggered that encounter.
Another reason for the continued success was the new wristwatch-style device given as a prize to top-ranking participants. This device allowed them to summon holograms of their AFO pets or unique summoned characters in the real world, and it had recently gone on sale to the public.
Owners could check on their pets anytime and anywhere. Furthermore, if they held the item known as Melampus, they could even converse with their pets. Sales after the launch were robust, already reaching a point where production couldn't keep up, resulting in a long waiting list for reservations.
"We received words of gratitude from the head of the Capricorn Foundation. Isn't that right, Ronios-kun?"
"They were quite thankful indeed. Plus, when I mentioned we'd like to consult with them on future projects beyond just this device, they practically begged us to do so. In the old days, I used to get turned away at the door when visiting their Colony."
That's probably because they didn't want anything to do with you, everyone thought. Regardless of whether he realized the situation or not, Ronios remained as aloof as ever.
"Could you also report on the situation with Mikan-kun?"
"Ah, that's right. Capricorn and Hyper Toy Maker have reached a reconciliation... or rather, they've entered a cooperative relationship. Thanks to that, our Gemini Foundation is now on intimate terms with Capricorn. It's funny, considering we were like cats and dogs not too long ago."
"You're the type of person who would enjoy being in a conflict like that anyway..."
"Aha, Ney-kun really understands me. We're practically best friends!"
Ney furrowed her brow to an extent a lady probably shouldn't, but since this back-and-forth was a regular occurrence, the other members didn't pay it much mind.
However, since the two would continue their ambiguous banter indefinitely if left alone, the surrounding members urged Diite to continue her report.
"Indeed. For now, the anxieties of Capricorn have likely been dispelled. They are a Foundation with great strength in precision machinery. I believe we can continue to build a good cooperative relationship with them. Now, as for the next event... I intend for it to be a period of increased information provision from the staff rather than a traditional event format."
"Information provision?"
In response to Ney's question, Diite made a calming gesture with her hand. She then took a sip from her coffee cup.
"There are places and Quests in AFO that no one knows about yet. Perhaps the conditions are too strict, but many locations simply never see the light of day. As the one who created them, I want to tell the Players to try a bit harder."
"...This sounds like it's related to the fact that Parfait and her group defeated Mikan?"
"You noticed? Yes, that is it. Even though that Quest has existed for twenty years, this was the first time he was ever defeated. Even though Mikan-kun was kindly cooperating, the status of the Demon King's defeat might have vanished entirely at this rate."
"No, the conditions for that were simply too harsh, weren't they?"
Rauxal, the leader of the Clan Imperial who roleplayed as the Emperor of the Empire within the game, spoke with a look of exasperation.
"That may be true, but they should have understood to some extent if they had read all the stone monuments in the Demon Country."
"There's too much to do in AFO. Besides, with events happening regularly, I think people just don't have the time. Especially those with jobs... they want to proceed in an Efficient manner, so they won't act unless they're certain a Quest exists."
"That's certainly true. Only a few dozen Players have checked every single monument... Still, I suppose you could say we're reflecting on that this time."
"Does that mean you'll be giving more hints within AFO?"
"Exactly. Now that Parfait-kun and her friends have defeated Mikan-kun, there's a lot of excitement about the fact that there are still unknown things in this world. We intend to capitalize on that. However, just giving them the answers wouldn't be fun, so we'll have the staff provide information in a more natural way."
Diite was always hinting at locations she had painstakingly created but were still undiscovered, or monsters that had yet to appear. However, the members present couldn't do anything about it, so those hints had remained untouched until now.
Given the current situation and Mikan's defeat, everyone surmised that Diite had finally run out of patience.
"I understand the circumstances, but which Foundation are you involving this time?"
When Lunaria-kun asked, everyone looked toward Diite.
By involving various Foundations in AFO, they aimed to equalize the power balance and dispel the anxieties of each organization. This was a strategy designed to protect Hayato and the often-conspicuous Parfait and her friends. Since many of the members here were affiliated with Foundations, knowing which one would be involved was extremely important.
"Are you familiar with a reasonably large Clan called Adventures?"
"If I recall, isn't that the Clan whose goal is discovering uncharted lands? I believe they're the ones who place Teleport devices in various regions for free."
At Ney-kun's words, the members who knew of them nodded in agreement.
"Yes. Regarding that Clan... the next head of the Aries Foundation is serving as its leader."
At those words, Ronios spoke up with delight.
"Oh, that child? Since Aries handles space pioneering projects, perhaps the successor is learning those things in AFO? Or maybe it's just a hobby? She should be close in age to our Wilnel, so I'd love for them to get along."
"I'm not sure if they have the same intentions you're thinking of, Ronios-kun, but I'm considering hiring the Adventures Clan as staff for this period. Since they seem to be composed entirely of people related to Aries, I want to make a proposal. The reward would be the spaceship technology held by Lunaria-kun. It would certainly help their pioneering business."
"Diite, that technology is..."
"Are you trying to say it's the technology from the spaceship Aphrodite, Ney-kun?"
"...Yes. You used to hate the idea of that technology being used, didn't you, Diite? That's why you never provided it to any Foundation."
"That was a long time ago. Twenty years, in fact. Now, Hayato-kun and the others are more important than any of that."
"I see."
"Oops, I've made the mood a bit strange. I've moved past all that, so don't worry. So, Ronios-kun?"
"What is it?"
"Could you go to Aries and handle the introductions as usual? I'll handle the specifics, so just telling them that I wish to speak is enough."
"Of course, I don't mind. It's nice to be able to visit a Colony openly for work. Well then, I'll head to Colony Pioneer right away. Oh, that's right, I'll take Wilnel along too. My, I'm looking forward to this!"
With that, Ronios disappeared, likely logging out immediately.
Everyone except Diite wondered if it was really okay to leave it to Ronios. Most of them rubbed their stomachs, despite no actual pain, feeling as though they might soon need some stomach medicine.