kscans

Chapter 324 - Interlude: The Clan Meeting (Part 1)

Two men were walking down the main street of the Royal Capital Anhemudal.

One was Jolth, the leader of the large-scale clan "Bandit Clan," dressed like a barbarian. The other was a man in black attire, Victor, who served as the second-in-command.

Both Jolth and Victor were in their late twenties, but they looked older, likely due to their somewhat stern features. However, both men were good at looking after others, so they were well-liked by their members.

But that day, Jolth had been in a gloomy mood since the morning.

Today was the meeting of the large-scale clans.

He had returned from the floating island he had been exploring for this very reason. Normally, he would look forward to the meeting, but this time, his honest feeling was that he didn't want to attend.

Jolth sighed again and again as he walked toward the Royal Capital’s high-class hotel, the "Camelot," where the clan meeting was being held.

The Royal Capital, being the place with the most players, was vibrant and bustling, but that liveliness conversely weighed on Jolth’s spirits. It highlighted the gap between his own feelings and his surroundings.

Why am I feeling so down while playing a game, he thought, and sighed once more.

Victor, walking beside Jolth, wore a wry smile.

"How many times have you sighed now?"

"Even so, everyone has people they don't want to meet, right?"

"You should be careful with your words, even in virtual reality."

"It won't make a difference whether I say it or not. They’re bound to bring trouble either way."

Jolth said this, then let out a heavy breath.

It wasn’t just that they would bring trouble, trouble was already brewing. It was influenced by a clan participating for the first time.

That clan was "Shooting Star."

Jolth knew the members of that clan in the real world as well.

"Ah, I wish I could have gone to the Eastern Country like Hayato."

"Wouldn't he be the one to object?"

"So you’re saying I’m someone Hayato wouldn't want to see. But don’t you think we built a slightly better relationship on the floating island?"

"I wonder about that. We acted as messengers for someone we didn’t want to get involved with. He might not show it, but he could resent us for it, don’t you think?"

"No one could have refused that, could they?"

"No one, huh. Well, it would be nice if he took that into consideration. But even so, the fact remains that we were the ones who brought him trouble. There’s a chance he doesn't mind, though."

"I hope so. Honestly, what a rotten job we were forced to do."

"You should have asked your family."

"Are you kidding? They made the request specifically to me. My family passed on the information to curry a little favor."

"Now that you mention it, that makes sense. It's ironic that you tried to distance yourself from them because you hated that kind of thing, only to be used by them in return."

"You’re pretty blunt. But you’re right."

Jolth made a jesting gesture of surrender.

"But what’s strange is that nothing has happened since then, right? What kind of move did Hayato make?"

"It’s better not to ask about that. Another star is involved."

"Are you serious?"

‘Star’ was a common code word between the two, meaning that a Foundation bearing the name of a constellation was involved. In this case, he was warning that a different star, a Foundation different from the one that brought the problem, was involved.

Jolth had previously brought an envoy from the Foundation "Scorpion" to Hayato while he was exploring the floating island.

He couldn’t refuse due to his real-life connections. In the first place, it was impossible for the current Jolth to refuse a request, which was effectively an order, from a Foundation. He had reluctantly complied with the request.

As a result, an NPC maid shot the person, albeit within a virtual reality.

Even a child could understand what kind of retaliation would fall upon Hayato, who employed that maid, even though an NPC had done it.

Since Jolth had brought the matter to him, he intended to help Hayato if it came to that.

However, nothing happened, and at a Council meeting a few days later, word got out that the investor for this virtual reality, "Another Frontier Online," was a blood relative of the Libra Foundation.

Furthermore, information reached his ears that someone from Libra had defeated Scorpion at that same Council meeting. He didn't know the details of what had happened. But it was apparently quite a shock to the people of the Foundations.

Since then, the number of new players in the virtual reality has increased, and Hayato has been playing normally.

Why did it turn out this way? Even Jolth, who knew some of the circumstances, didn't fully understand.

But there were some things he did understand.

(The leader of Kokuryu… I haven’t met her in real life, but there’s no doubt. Judging from the situation and the outcome, Scorpion must not have known. And that envoy contacted Hayato, not Ney-sama. It’s highly likely Hayato has a connection to this virtual reality independent of the Foundations. I don’t know what kind of connection it is, though. Libra is involved, so I don’t want to probe too deeply. I personally don’t want to oppose them either.)

He could probably find out more information if he investigated. But doing so would involve the Foundations, making the risk too great. What would happen if he did such a thing merely to satisfy his curiosity? The outcome was as clear as day.

Perhaps noticing Jolth's silence, Victor lowered his voice slightly.

"Is it really that serious of a matter?"

"Ah, no. That star isn’t that aggressive, so as long as we don’t do anything strange, we’ll be fine."

"Then is it the matter with Shooting Star? Do you think something similar will happen this time?"

That wasn’t what he had been thinking about, but he went along with Victor’s words to change the subject. Besides, that matter was also a big problem now.

"I think they'll know their place in that regard. But it's scary not knowing what they might say. And according to our investigation team, they apparently messed with Hayato."

"I heard about that. That they fought at his shop in the former slum district. And apparently, they bought the base next door. They started selling things at a thirty percent discount compared to what Hayato’s shop sells."

"A thirty percent discount, huh."

"The NPCs with him are powerful. It’s probably a case of ‘if you want us to stop the harassment, become our ally.’ I wonder what that person is thinking."

Victor spoke, but Jolth simply stroked his chin and said nothing in return.

"What's wrong?"

"Would that even be considered harassment?"

"Meaning?"

"I’ve never been to his shop, but according to the investigation team, it seems they always have potions and equipment of every possible quality, as well as food of three stars or higher. They mainly sell consumables, and apparently at a reasonably low price."

"Hayato’s a production player. That's why they opened a shop at the base next door, right? Wouldn’t that count as harassment?"

His sales would drop. That would be a major blow to Hayato as a production player. Not only would he not make money, but if no one bought what his shop was selling, the appeal of being a production player would also fade. As a form of harassment, it would be quite effective.

"That's true, but it's impossible to continue selling consumables at a thirty percent discount. The cheapest consumables would be bought up immediately, so they’d be sold out in no time. They could probably keep it up for about a week."

"So even if his sales temporarily decrease, it wouldn't be a problem?"

"If things didn't sell for a month or two, it would have an impact, but they’d run out of stock before then. Still, the other side should know that too. It’s probably a strategy to steal customers with a temporary discount."

"And after that, they’d return the price to normal. No, maybe they’d make it just a little cheaper than Hayato’s shop?"

"Probably. Though I don’t think they have a chance of winning even if they do that."

"No chance of winning? What's the reason for that?"

"Apparently, Hayato’s shop is almost never out of stock."

"Almost never out of stock…?"

"A stable supply is a welcome thing for players, isn't it? Even if they steal his customers, the question is whether they can provide the same quantity at the same price."

Being able to buy necessary items in large quantities at any time. In a game where stock exists, that is precious. For adventures like multi-day expeditions, a large amount of food and potions is necessary.

Making them yourself is cheaper, but it takes a considerable amount of time. Many people think it's more efficient to buy that time with in-game currency. The time it takes to earn money for a hundred potions is easier and faster than the time it takes to make a hundred potions. And leveling the skill is a pain to begin with.

Furthermore, it allows you to allocate those skill points elsewhere. For small to medium-sized clans with few members, it would be a valuable shop.

"And you know, I asked our production team if they could imitate Hayato’s shop. What do you think their answer was?"

"Given the way you’re putting it, they can’t?"

"Correct, but the reason was interesting."

"The reason was interesting?"

"We have a general idea of how much Hayato’s shop sells in a day, but they said it’s completely impossible to sell items of that quality and variety every day without running out of stock. To do it, you’d have to be producing constantly for the entire time you’re logged into the game. That’s why they said they wouldn’t want to do it, even if they could."

"They wouldn't want to do it, huh. For our production team to say that much must be a big deal, but I don't quite get how amazing Hayato is."

It came down to what made a production player amazing.

Nowadays, there were additional recipes that allowed one to create new equipment, so you could differentiate yourself with the items you could make, but other than that, being able to make items in large quantities was one benchmark.

However, mass production could also be achieved by increasing manpower. From Victor’s perspective, it didn’t seem like something to be considered so important.

"Do you remember when we fought Tiamat with Hayato and his friends on the floating island?"

"Come to think of it, the production team was surprised. They said that speed was impossible, but what were they talking about?"

"Yes, that. His speed of creating production items is extraordinary."

"Isn’t the speed of making items the same for everyone? There’s an animation where light overflows from your hands, so it takes about five seconds, right?"

"For one item, yes. But if you’re making multiple, there’s the time it takes to select the item from the production menu. In his case, it’s almost instantaneous. I caught a glimpse of it myself, but his hands were constantly glowing."

"You’re kidding."

The production menu closes every time you make an item. To make another one, you need to use an item like a knife or a mortar to open the menu and then select the item to create. It was a system with a poor reputation, but there were no signs of it being improved at the moment.

Repairing or recycling materials back into components through blacksmithing skills used a different method, but that was generally how production items were made.

"It’s true. During the battle, his hands were constantly glowing, except when he was handing items to his allies. And what’s more, he instantly changes the item he’s making while watching the state of the battle. I could understand if he were making many of the same item in a row, but selecting multiple types with almost no delay is a bit strange, isn't it?"

"I can only think of it as a circus trick, but from the perspective of mass production, that’s quite something."

Jolth laughed and nodded at Victor's words.

"Well, a normal person can do half that or less. And Hayato can produce for hours on end, as long as he has the materials."

"So as a production player, he can do the work of several people. And he can use multiple production skills, to boot."

"Exactly. You could probably do more than Hayato if you increased the number of people, but you can't gather that many production players, can you? Besides, most players also serve as combat players. We don’t have anyone who would just do production all day. Even an hour straight would be difficult. Just thinking about that, Shooting Star has no chance of winning."

"But Hayato is in the Eastern Country right now, isn't he?"

"They’re probably trying to deal some damage while he’s gone, but I think his sales will just drop a little, and there won’t be any real damage. They aren’t thinking about the daily sales volume. Once they steal the customers who come to Hayato’s shop, they’ll sell out in an instant, even at the regular price."

"So the harassment is meaningless."

"Probably. However, if that’s the case, there’s a possibility that some proposal will be brought to us. Ah, I hate this, I hate this."

Just as he said that, Jolth and his companion arrived at the hotel "Camelot."

Jolth resolved not to sigh and stepped into the hotel.

In the banquet hall on the tenth floor of Camelot, the leaders of the large-scale clans and several of their assistants were already waiting.

The furnishings in the room were of high quality and taste, things one would likely never see in reality. Although it was a virtual reality, the carpets, desks, and chairs were all of the highest quality, and the level of detail was such that there were even paintings on the walls.

When Jolth and Victor entered the room, several people greeted them with smiles and raised hands. Jolth and the others returned the gesture.

Originally, the clan meeting was something like a reporting session to prevent the expeditions of large-scale clans from overlapping.

Clans with many members had to coordinate everyone’s schedules. After finally deciding on a schedule and going on an expedition, they would find that another large-scale clan was there and be forced to withdraw. Such things happened often.

It began as a place for discussion to avoid this.

There was talk of doing it over voice chat, but it was decided to meet in person, as voice chat felt bland in such a realistic online game. Then, coordination for joint hunting grounds and information exchange began to take place, and the scale of the clan meeting gradually grew.

Now, clans with a total of over one hundred members in their alliance and a certain level of recognition in the virtual reality were allowed to participate in this meeting.

There were other large-scale clans, but they often took the approach of checking the schedule decided here and adjusting their own accordingly.

It influenced many clans. This clan meeting. Participation in it was recognized as quite an honor.

Currently, there were eight clans in this place, including Jolth’s Bandit Clan. Shooting Star was set to join them.

Everyone except Shooting Star had already gathered and were seated around a large round table with a diameter of about three meters.

There were two empty seats. Jolth sat in one of them. And Victor stood behind him to his left, remaining in attendance.

"Yo, Jolth. You were at the floating island until recently, right? Find any super rare items?"

The man sitting to Jolth’s right spoke to him.

He was Keith, the leader of the clan "Over the Top."

The clan’s name meant exaggerated or over-the-top, and they were a combat group focused on firepower, said to be able to deal more damage in a shorter amount of time than any other clan.

Because they prioritized firepower, their equipment was often mismatched, and many members had a poor sense of balance in their appearance, but the leader, Keith, was normal, wearing a set of bright red armor called the Apollo Series, which was modeled after the sun.

"If you ask Jolth something like that, he’ll demand different information in return."

The person who said this with a laugh was the man to Jolth’s left, Rauxal, the leader of the clan "Imperial."

The clan’s name meant empire, and Rauxal himself was called by the nickname Emperor, and his leadership and command abilities were considered high.

In the case of Imperial, they did not have alliances of equal standing, but rather many clans under their umbrella, and they were the largest clan with a total of nearly three hundred members.

Among them, the particularly strong ones were called the Imperial Knights, and all of them wore the same silver armor. However, Rauxal alone wore gold armor and was very flashy.

These two clans had been famous since the beginning of the game and, like Bandit Clan, were large-scale clans that had existed since the very early days.

He had spoken with the two of them often since that time, and they were the reason he had started the clan meeting. For Jolth, they were good friends and also rivals.

"I don’t mind that much. You can fish for a shark monster called a Megalodon in the lake on the floating island, and its higher-tier version, Tiamat, is there. I think it drops two rare items. A swimsuit for women that provides poison immunity, and a dagger that ignores defense and always inflicts a random bad status."

Everyone present was surprised.

Jolth was a secretive person and had the impression of placing a high value on information. And that same Jolth had just disclosed information without any reward.

"Hey, hey, what’s wrong? You caught a cold or something?"

Keith asked Jolth with a worried tone. Rauxal was also gaping in surprise, but for those who knew the old Jolth, it was an understandable reaction.

"I just didn’t think it was something worth hiding. Besides, you guys have to start by building an airship first, right?"

"Give me that information. I’m still missing one more blueprint."

"That one’s for a fee."

When Jolth said that, everyone felt relieved, or rather, they laughed, thinking it was the usual Jolth.

Amidst this, Jolth opened his mouth with a serious expression.

"Has the person from Shooting Star not arrived yet?"

Jolth asked, all the while hoping they wouldn't come.

It was Alvie, the leader of the clan "Kiss of Death," who raised her right hand slightly to request permission to speak.

The clan’s name meant the kiss of death, and though the reason for the name was unknown, the leader, Alvie, was quite beautiful, and those around her said that if they were kissed by her, they would surely die.

Alvie was a slender woman in her early twenties wearing a white dress. With her pale skin, waist-length blonde hair, and blue eyes, she was said to look like a fairy, and indeed she did. With her singing, dancing, and violin playing, she could single-handedly use three different support or weakening effects.

She had many fans of both genders and was often invited to go on joint expeditions. Although they were a new clan, the number of clans forming alliances with them to support her had increased, which was how they had grown.

That Alvie opened her mouth after receiving permission to speak.

"I hear that the leader of Shooting Star might not be able to make it due to real-life circumstances. That’s why they’re delayed."

"Oh, the leader, is it."

Jolth spoke with a suggestive tone.

However, no one pursued his words. Jolth’s face was different from before, and he looked to be in a bad mood. It was a common understanding that Jolth’s personality worsened when he was like this.

After about ten minutes of harmless small talk, the hall door opened.

"My apologies, everyone. Thank you for waiting."

The one who entered speaking was Ronios, dressed in a butler’s uniform. Her silver hair covered her eyes, so from a distance it was hard to tell if she was male or female, but her voice was unmistakably that of a woman.

The woman in a maid uniform next to her was Cremola. She bowed her head in silence.

Ronios and Cremola quickly moved to the empty seats, but they did not sit down, instead standing behind them. Then Ronios bowed her head again.

"My sincerest apologies for this occasion. My master was unable to come here due to a sudden matter in the real world. I have been instructed to express her deepest apologies to you all."

"It’s only natural to prioritize real-life matters, so there’s no problem."

When Rauxal said this, everyone else also expressed that there was no issue.

"Then let’s get started. We’re in the middle of an event, so time is precious."

Jolth said this bluntly.

Jolth had been clearly out of sorts ever since the topic of Shooting Star came up. As the surrounding members thought this, Ronios offered a smile.

"Jolth-sama is quite right. It is not for us who are late to say, but let us begin at once. As this is our first time attending a clan meeting, let us start with an explanation of our clan."

With that, Ronios began her explanation.

About an hour later, the clan meeting discussions came to an end.

The schedules of each clan were adjusted, and arrangements for information exchange and item trading were also finalized.

Just when everyone thought the clan meeting was over, Lutz, the leader of the clan "Starkest," lightly raised his right hand.

The clan’s name meant "strongest," and their creed was to defeat boss monsters solo. Lutz had become famous for soloing a monster that would normally take ten people to defeat.

The clan "Starkest" was made up of solo players who admired Lutz and researched solo combat.

"I heard that Shooting Star messed with Hayato of Daedalus. Is that true?"

At those words, some were surprised, while others made bitter faces. The reactions were varied.

All eyes focused on Ronios, but she met them without flinching and nodded.

"Yes, that is correct. And my apologies. I heard afterward that there was some kind of non-aggression treaty in place regarding Hayato-sama. I would be grateful if you could forgive this as the rash act of a newcomer."

Ronios said this as she bowed her head.

"Then are you going to stop messing with him?"

Jolth spoke up.

This was not unusual. From his attitude in previous clan meetings, everyone knew that Jolth showed a great deal of consideration for Hayato.

Even though it was a game with no player-versus-player combat outside of Clan Wars, making an enemy of Bandit Clan was too disadvantageous. Information from Bandit Clan was of great value, although a price was required.

Every clan desperately wanted the information from Bandit Clan, which conducted extensive investigations within the game, especially since information gathering on the internet was not possible.

If Jolth were simply making unreasonable demands, they would not obey, even if the information was valuable. But considering his past contributions, they were not averse to listening to Jolth’s request. That was why they had not laid a hand on Hayato or his clan.

That was the situation, but Shooting Star had laid a hand on him. The members who hadn't known the circumstances now understood why Jolth was in a bad mood.

"Jolth-sama, my apologies. This is my master’s wish, so I cannot say that we will stop."

"…So that’s your strategy."

Jolth muttered this, then crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and fell silent. It seemed to be a sign that he would say no more.

Seeing this, Rauxal spoke up.

"Ronios, then tell your master this. Do not be too reckless. In this virtual reality, all things are free. But there are traps in that freedom. I know what kind of trouble you caused, but if you’re not careful, you could be driven into a situation where you can’t even play the game. Especially since Hayato is on good terms with the NPCs. If you do anything strange, you’ll take a major hit."

"I am well aware. This world has an order similar to reality. If you break it, you will be punished by the NPCs."

"If you understand, then that’s fine. And Hayato is Jolth’s favorite. I won’t tell you to absolutely listen to his request, but if you do anything too unnecessary, Bandit Clan will become your enemy."

Ronios’s smile was evident even just from her mouth.

"I am aware of that as well. Jolth-sama, may I have a moment of your time after this? There are several things I would like to discuss."

Jolth slowly opened his eyes, looked at Ronios, and nodded without a word. Then he closed his eyes again.

Although it ended on a strange note, the clan meeting, for the umpteenth time, came to a close.

Only Jolth, Victor, Ronios, and Cremola remained in the conference room.

Jolth alone exuded a tense atmosphere, while Ronios had a faint smile on her face, and Cremola was completely expressionless.

Victor checked various parts of the room, and finally, after checking the hallway, he locked the door.

"It’s fine. There’s no one around."

Jolth nodded to Victor and looked at Ronios and Cremola. Then he stood up.

"Please have a seat, Ronios-sama, Cremola-sama."

"You seem to be in quite a bad mood, Jolth-sama?"

Ronios spoke, her tone much more casual than before.

At those words, Jolth’s face twisted.

"Please spare me the ‘-sama.’ It shortens my lifespan. I might actually die."

"Then I suppose I have committed the crime of attempted murder. But that can’t be, can it? We were on equal footing a few years ago."

Ronios said this with a laugh.

Then Ronios swept her bangs, which had been covering her eyes, back with her hand and tied them behind her head before sitting down in a chair. She elegantly crossed her legs and leaned back against the chair with her arms crossed.

And the maid, Cremola, also sat down in a chair and began to drink tea. However, she did not prepare any for anyone else, only for herself.

Jolth suppressed a sigh and sat down, looking at Ronios.

"What is someone from the Foundation doing here?"

"The same could be said for you, couldn't it? Though the prefix ‘former’ is attached to you. The head of your family is still trying to get you back, you know?"

"I have no intention of returning. I want to live as I please."

"I agree with that. I would like to talk about such things, but more importantly, you seem to have something you want to say to me, don’t you? For old times’ sake. I shall listen."

(Good grief, my clan meeting is only just getting started…)

Looking at the smiling Ronios, Jolth felt dejected, but he endured it and decided to talk.