kscans

Chapter 208 - Resuming Exploration and Checking the Situation

Ney immediately assembled the members.

Her spirits were high, and while the members of Kokuryu and the NPCs were a bit taken aback, they seemed to have been inspired by Ney's joyful demeanor, and it was decided that they would all tackle their respective buildings simultaneously with similar energy.

The various circumstances had been explained to the members of Kokuryu. Ney had explained that she was a member of a Foundation, and she had also shared the secrets of this game. Perhaps they had already suspected something, as they didn't press for details about Ney or the game's secrets, simply saying, "Oh, is that so." The conversation ended with a "Let's keep working together."

Besides, the members of Kokuryu didn't seem to work, nor did they seem to have any money problems. Hayato thought they were people of a class that allowed them to live with a certain degree of freedom, though not to the extent of a Foundation. They didn't seem to need the prize money either, so they probably weren't driven by financial desires.

However, the fact that the NPCs were human was causing a small problem. Not with the members of Kokuryu, but mainly with Ney. She had become unusually familiar with the NPCs, especially Rosalie.

"I hadn't seen you for a while because you were unwell, but you've become quite clingy now that you're better. Even between women, please show a little restraint."

"Oh, come on, it's fine. Let's get along from now on!"

"I had no intention of getting along with you before, but I suppose I can agree to party with you occasionally—I told you not to pull on my clothes."

Ney must have been happy that Rosalie was human, not an AI. Her attitude likely wouldn't have changed even if she were an AI, but she had thought that NPCs were beings who existed only in the world of virtual reality. No matter how close they became, the NPCs would disappear if the game's service ever ended. Perhaps as a backlash to that worry being gone, Ney seemed to be paying more attention to Rosalie than usual.

(I also once thought that Esha and the others would be gone someday. I understand how Ney feels.)

After that exchange between Ney and Rosalie, the members at the campsite each set off to explore. Only Hayato, Esha, and Diite remained at the campsite.

Incidentally, the Bandit clan had returned to the surface as soon as their airship was repaired. Esha had been flashing her Beelzebub at them. Jolth, with a wry smile, had retreated as if fleeing.

So, only three people were left at the campsite. The three of them were sitting in the meeting room, drinking coffee and talking.

"Thanks to Ney-kun, a lot of things have been settled. The number of new players has increased, so giving her a portion of the sales is no problem at all. And we can now openly perform maintenance on the spaceship. Before, we had to hide a lot of things when we were transporting necessary items to the ship."

"That's good. So, were you able to relieve your stress?"

"I feel somewhat refreshed. Though, I was thinking of crushing Scorpion, so it's a bit unsatisfying."

"Please don't say such problematic things. It's bad for my heart."

Diite, who managed this virtual reality, could say that and no one would find out, but for Hayato, who had it ingrained in him that he must not defy the Foundations, it felt like his lifespan was shortening.

"Ah, my apologies. But the real world is complicated. No, perhaps the structure of the world is complicated. It's a strange value system where bloodline, not personal ability, determines absolute worth. The current Foundations must have done a very good job over the past 100 years."

A hundred years ago, although there were hints, the organizations known as Foundations did not exist. In other words, one could say they built this system in just 100 years. Earth's population had decreased, and most of what could be called countries had sunk into the sea, but even in such a situation, creating and establishing a new system would have been difficult. The twelve current Foundations had accomplished that.

"Does it seem comical to you, Diite-chan? You've turned talented people in specific fields into NPCs, so maybe that's why you feel that way. But it would be a problem if the value system was that it's okay for someone to disappear if they're not talented, right? With that value system, coffee would disappear from our cafe…"

"It's troubling when you say such self-deprecating things. But you're right. It seems to be something Ney-kun's Foundation values, but harmony must be important. I'm learning a lot."

Hayato didn't know what she was learning, but he figured that Diite was also learning various things from humans.

Be that as it may, what Hayato wanted to ask about was Relic and Sonia. They had gone out exploring today. They seemed normal, as usual, but their memories had returned. Hayato hadn't asked, but he wanted to know what they planned to do from now on.

It would be proper to ask them directly, but Relic and the others had logged out yesterday. That was to hack into "Prison." To be precise, it was to activate what they had already planted there. After that, they had logged in normally, but Relic and the others hadn't told Hayato any details or about their future plans. They had only said, "It's finished." Hayato was a little concerned.

"Diite-chan, how were Relic-san and the others after they logged out?"

"It seems it was difficult for both of them to even move at first. Sonia-kun, despite her appearance, is as old as Relic-kun, and unlike in virtual reality, her body doesn't move just with her will. It must have been a struggle."

"Even for me, it was hard to move right after logging out, so I imagine it was even worse for Relic," Esha stated. Esha was also a person from 100 years ago who had been in cryosleep. While special technology had prevented muscle atrophy, her body, which she was moving for the first time in 100 years, probably didn't listen to her.

"It was like that for you too, Esha?"

"Yes. I did my best because I wanted to eat a real chocolate parfait."

(I wish she'd say it was because she wanted to see me—no, she wouldn't. And come to think of it, I'd be troubled if she did.) Hayato coughed to cover it up, even in virtual reality.

"Ahem, so, Relic-san and the others' hacking was successful, and their bodies are fine now, right?"

"That's right. However, after confirming that the problem was gone, they got back into their pods and logged in right away."

"Did they say anything about what they'll do from now on?"

"They seem to be undecided about that. They said they'll decide by the time the exploration of this island is over. Oh, I've arranged to have the machines implanted in their bodies properly removed. They'll have to log out at least one more time."

"Undecided… does that mean they're also considering living as NPCs in virtual reality?"

"I haven't asked, but that's likely the case. They are both elderly. There's no reason for them to live in reality now. As I said before, they can't move their bodies well in reality, but they can move without any issues in virtual reality. If it's just about living, virtual reality is more comfortable than reality. However—"

"However?"

"Relic-kun and Sonia-kun don't want to live in virtual reality because they've despaired of life. It's more like an escape from Prison. They have no particular reason to live in virtual reality."

Esha, Ash, and the others had logged out of virtual reality because they had found something they wanted to do in the real world. If they had nothing to do in reality, they could have lived as NPCs in virtual reality. Hayato tried to imagine if Relic or Sonia had something they wanted to do in reality, but he couldn't think of anything.

"I don't know what they'll decide… What about Ban?"

"That's simple. He wants to return to reality as soon as possible, so after we remove the machine implanted in his body, I'll give him a little money and send him on his way."

"Is that okay?"

"It's no problem. I'll also erase some of his memories. Just so you know, this is what he wants. He's probably scared of me, thinking who knows what I'll do if he remembers strange things."

"Your face is getting scary."

Diite's face was undeniably that of someone plotting something evil. Or rather, a wicked face promising to do something bad. Feeling a bit awkward being stared at by Hayato, Diite returned her face to normal.

"Oops, my apologies. And to be frank, there are other members sent from Prison at that time besides Ban-kun. I have to deal with them in the same way, so I've decided to leave it all to Ban-kun. They were originally criminals, but I'll give them a chance to live honestly. After that, it's up to them. Of course, if they cooperate with some organization and meddle with this virtual reality again, I won't show any mercy."

"I see. Well, I guess that's fine. Even if not as much as Relic-san, if they have enough knowledge to hack, they won't have trouble finding work."

"No, he said he wants to stop hacking. He doesn't want to touch a computer again. He said he wants to work up a sweat, so I'm planning to send him to Colony ‘Farm,’ which has a lot of agricultural and livestock work."

"…Diite-chan, did you do something to Ban?"

"How rude. Well, I won't deny it."

"Please deny it."

"Oh, come on. Anyway, for now, various things have been settled peacefully. Let's just enjoy this island. Ney-kun and the others were in high spirits, so we should be able to go to the lake building tomorrow. I plan to go with you then."

Ney and the others were in high spirits, but Diite's spirits were no less high. Even an AI has frustrations and stress, and when they're resolved, their spirits rise. Watching the happy Diite, Hayato thought so.