kscans

Chapter 399 - A Calculated Situation

The day after Another Frontier Online terminated its service, it was being reported as major news all over the world.

It was the only full-dive virtual reality game in existence, a one of a kind and revolutionary piece of technology that was generations ahead of its time.

Every organization wanted to get their hands on that technology, but its security was ironclad, and they couldn't even find anyone involved in its development. Moreover, the fact that it was managed by the Libra Foundation had recently kept things calm.

However, when the news of the service termination broke, the clamor started up again.

Many organizations tried to contact people related to the Libra Foundation to get information. Not only that, but many players were dissatisfied with the sudden service termination. Some started petition campaigns online to get the service reinstated, while others went to petition the Libra Foundation directly.

Going that far against a Foundation could lead to criminal charges. However, Ney handled the situation sincerely without resorting to such measures. She set up a customer support department to accept requests from players.

"For now, the only answer we're giving is that it's under consideration, but we don't understand the situation ourselves. Hayato, do you know anything?"

The Crown Cafe was temporarily closed, but all the relevant people had gathered there.

Hayato and Esha were there, of course, but as members of the response team, Ney had brought Relic and Sonia, as well as her assistants, Jolth and Parsha. Furthermore, Jolth and Parsha's assistants, Victor, Blanc, and Noir, were also present.

All of them were looking at Hayato.

"Actually, I do know a little. I'll explain now."

Hayato recounted his meeting with Infinity in the virtual reality, the possibility of the service ending, the purpose of the Another Frontier Project, and the AI modeled after the developer Curtis. He relayed all of this information.

He had told Esha and Diite, but no one else. Also, since Diite was there, he hadn't thought the service would end so soon.

Besides, there was nothing Hayato could do. Even if he knew the service would end, the timing was solely up to the AI named Curtis.

As wild as Hayato's story was, the current situation made it impossible to deny. Plus, everyone accepted it, knowing that Hayato would never lie about something like this.

Everyone let out a deep sigh, and Ney furrowed her brow.

"I understand that it wasn't Diite's intention. The problem is what to do now... I don't even know what we can do. Anything would be helpful, is there any other information? Not just from Hayato, if anyone else has something, please tell me."

Ney crossed her arms and looked around.

She wasn't in her usual casual clothes, but a well-tailored black suit, as if to prove she was a member of the Foundation. Jolth, Parsha, and the others were also in similar formal attire, here not as friends but as members of the Foundation.

Parsha, wearing a sharp suit completely different from her virtual reality attire, took a sip of her coffee and slowly exhaled.

"I have been looking into various things since the matter with Noat-san and Paradise Lost, but I have never heard of a Zodiac Foundation. However..."

Parsha glanced at Blanc, who was standing at attention behind her.

Blanc nodded and began to speak.

"The twelve Foundations were established one hundred years ago. Before that, their predecessors were diverse, ranging from wealthy families and powerful individuals to large organizations, but they all became Foundations at the same time. And around the same time, there was an incident known as Paradise Lost. There is an unproven story that one large organization was involved in both."

"An unproven story?"

When Ney asked, Blanc spoke again.

"It means it was only passed down orally. No one from that time is still alive, but there are some elderly individuals. It is a story passed down from their parents or grandparents. This is also an unproven story, but it seems there were some collaborators who were sworn to secrecy, and their existence was kept hidden. In terms of possibility, that could be the Zodiac Foundation."

"Hmm... there's no word that this Foundation still exists, is there?"

"We have not been able to confirm, but I believe not. If it did, it would mean there is a Foundation above or in control of the twelve Foundations."

"That's certainly unlikely. I've never heard such a story either... Then what about the idea that one of the current Foundations is that one?"

"The twelve Foundations have pre-existing organizations they were based on, so I believe that is also unlikely. To begin with, the original organizations did not have that much power. At Parsha-sama's instruction, I checked with the other Foundations, but there was information suggesting that every Foundation had a collaborator in its formation."

"I see. The information is important, but we can't confirm it, nor can we make it an issue for the Council. So we can't approach it from this angle. Is there anything else?"

"If I may?"

When Jolth spoke up, Ney nodded.

"Regardless of the situation, I believe we need to seize the spaceship Aphrodite. From Hayato's story, if they consider humans unnecessary, they have no reason to remain in Earth's orbit. Isn't it possible they shut down the service because they are about to leave Earth and go somewhere else?"

Hayato was surprised by Jolth's unusually polite words, but he had to agree that it made sense.

According to Infinity, they had no intention of being hostile to humans, but they didn't need them either, so there was no reason to stay near Earth.

There might be room for negotiation regarding maintenance materials, but he didn't know how to negotiate with a spaceship that could last for nearly a hundred years. Besides, if it came down to it, they could just take resources from Earth or from a resource-rich planet.

As Hayato was thinking this, Ney became flustered.

"W, wait! Th, then what will happen to the people on the spaceship!?"

"This is just speculation, but they would likely be taken away as they are. According to Esha-san, the cryosleep pods draw a faint electrical charge from the humans to power the spaceship. That alone can't be enough, so there must be another power source, but I don't think they'd go to the trouble of releasing the humans."

"No..."

(She must be thinking about Rosalie-san...)

Ney was good friends with Rosalie. They sometimes had tea parties in virtual reality, and the Ten Black Rose Saints and Kokuryu would go hunting together. It was no wonder she would panic at the thought of parting without even a goodbye.

Just then, Esha, Relic, and Sonia approached. The three of them had been at another table, examining the headgear used for the game.

But one look at their faces told the whole story. Relic spoke with an apologetic tone.

"It was no use. It's impossible to hack into their system from this headgear."

Ney, who had been panicking, now leaned back in her chair, drained of strength.

"Not that it will take time, but impossible..."

"Yes. The communication technology is different from ours, and the encryption is complex. We can tell that some kind of communication is happening, but we can't piggyback any information onto it. On top of that, they've been thorough. Any attempt to dismantle the headgear results in all the data being deleted. It's hard to believe we used this to hack them before."

"That was during the Treasure Hunting event, wasn't it? Something about increasing the game's load... anyway, I thought we might be able to meet Diite if we could communicate with the Aphrodite..."

"We are sorry we could not be of assistance."

Relic bowed his head with a pained expression.

"However, there is one method."

"There's something!?"

"Sonia and I will board the spaceship Aphrodite directly and hack it. Even if the service is stopped, we will force it to run and create a state where you can log in. We request your permission."

"D, directly? That might be possible, but..."

Ney glanced at Jolth's assistant, Victor.

Victor nodded and stepped forward.

"The problem is, we can't pinpoint the spaceship's location. Even if we say it's somewhere in Earth's orbit, that's a vast area, and it seems to be in stealth mode, so it's not showing up on anything. Plus, with a spaceship of that technological level, even if we find it, it's questionable whether we can board it by force..."

Victor had been in space leading a fleet to seize the spaceship in case Amanda won. He had been receiving information from Diite in real time, so he knew the general coordinates, but now he had no information and didn't know where it was.

"In that case, how about we use the device from Prison?"

Ney tilted her head at Relic's words.

"The device from Prison?"

"Yes. Our fellow inmate, Lee, recently regained her memories through the microchip in her body. That's a communication standard I'm familiar with. If there are any other inmates on the Aphrodite, we could use their communication signals to..."

"Nah, seems like there aren't any more."

Suddenly, the cafe's doorbell rang, and someone entered, answering the question as they came in.

Hayato looked up in surprise to see Ronios in a white suit. Behind her were Cremola in a maid outfit and Harrington in a tailcoat.

"Leaving me out is so cruel. You have to invite me to things like this."

As Ronios said this, Ney sighed.

"It's not about leaving you out. We're not allies in the first place."

"Don't be so cold. We're both next in line to be the heads of our families. You could say we're practically friends."

"I pretend not to be home when you come to visit, though."

"So you were pretending? I'd really like to hang out with you sometime."

"Sorry, but I'm never in the mood. Anyway, you weren't invited, Ronios. We're busy right now, so I really need you to leave. Besides, didn't I tell you to stay away from Hayato's shop?"

Ney said this, glaring at Ronios.

Ronios hugged herself with both arms, a look of ecstasy on her face.

"That's the look, Ney. When you look at me like that, it just makes me so happy."

"I can't deal with you. Jolth, remove Ronios."

"With pleasure."

Jolth's massive frame moved toward Ronios. Harrington stepped between them.

But Ronios placed a hand on Harrington's shoulder and shook her head.

"No, no, I was just joking. It's a bad habit, but I'm having trouble breaking it."

"I don't care. Get out..."

"Now, wait a minute. I've brought some good information. For example, about the coordinates of the spaceship Aphrodite. Are you interested?"

As everyone's faces showed surprise, Ronios smiled and looked around.

"That said, it's not me who has the information. I brought someone who does, so could you hear them out? Come on in."

When Ronios called out, several men and women entered.

Hayato thought he had seen a few of them somewhere before, but he couldn't recall. As he tried to remember, Parsha and Jolth spoke up at the same time.

"Why, if it isn't Ox-san. And Nestor-san, too."

"Lutz? Why are you here?"

When Parsha and Jolth said this, everyone bowed their heads apologetically. They might be on equal footing in virtual reality, but reality was different. They couldn't speak casually with people from the Foundations.

Then Hayato realized.

With this group, the remaining woman must be Loana from the clan Raven. He remembered that was the name of the woman who covered her face in virtual reality.

But more importantly, he had a question. If Ronios brought people who knew the Aphrodite's coordinates, how did they know such a thing?

Ronios had requested information from Prison regarding Lee's memories and had hinted at knowing the situation in virtual reality, but he was completely baffled about Ox and the others.

However, they were in a situation where they would grasp at straws, so Hayato decided to prepare coffee for the newcomers.

Ney also said, "Let's take a break for now," and started drinking her coffee.

Ronios took a sip and smiled.

"You know, I've wanted to try Hayato's coffee for a long time. I don't think it's fair for you and your group to monopolize something like this, you know?"

"I didn't want you near because it seemed like it would be a hassle. More importantly, is it true that you know the coordinates of the spaceship Aphrodite?"

Ney's gaze shifted between Ox, Nestor, Lutz, and Loana as she asked.

Everyone was tense, but Ox seemed relatively calm and slowly nodded. Then he turned his gaze to Hayato.

"Actually, Hypnos and Amanda asked me to pass on some information."

"Huh?"

As Hayato let out a cry of surprise, Ox nodded while looking at him.

"We never met directly in virtual reality, but I heard a lot about you from those two, Hayato. That you're not exactly brilliant, but many people rely on you."

Ox said this, then looked around at the people from the Foundations.

Foundations that could be said to rule the world in reality. The top members of those Foundations were here. If those members were relying on Hayato, then it must be true.

"And Hypnos and Amanda are relying on you too, Hayato. They told me there was information they wanted me to pass on to you if the service ever ended."

"Information they wanted you to pass on...?"

"We made a contract with Hypnos and the others to fulfill each other's wishes. Our wishes have already been granted, so we want to fulfill our end of the contract. Is that okay?"

"Of course. What is the information?"

"There are two pieces of information. One is the location of the ruins of the research facility that the Zodiac Foundation owned. There is a device there that can track Amanda's location. In other words, we can pinpoint the Aphrodite's coordinates using Amanda's location."

"I see. But, a research facility...?"

"As for the location, it seems the Demon Lord who regained her memories, Lunaria, knows it."

"Lunaria-san... Then the research facility where they were creating genetically enhanced humans?"

"It's hard to believe, but that seems to be the case. And she said that Lunaria should know how to get into the facility as well."

While everyone was still surprised, Ox continued.

"The other piece of information is about the spaceship. Apparently, we can't board the Aphrodite with our current spaceships. We need a ship built to older specifications. Something about the docking hatches not being compatible."

"So we need a hundred-year-old spaceship? But something like that..."

"She said that a woman named Lee Sladra should have an old spaceship hidden on Earth. She also said we'd be fine if we used that."

At those words, Relic and Sonia looked as if they had realized something.

"That is indeed true. Lee used to be an illegal transporter, operating not just on the ground but also between Colonies. I believe she said she had a spaceship from that time at her secret hideout, along with the belongings of her fallen comrades."

"I see, in that case..."

"Wait a minute."

Ney cut into the conversation and looked at Ox with suspicion.

"Listening to you, this all sounds a little too convenient, doesn't it? That we can board the Aphrodite as long as we have Lunaria and Lee. It's true that they've both regained their memories and are in this Colony now, but..."

"We arranged for this to happen."

"What?"

"Hypnos and Amanda knew this would happen. That's why, during the Conflict event, we cooperated to be able to handle this situation. It's not a coincidence that Lee and Lunaria have their memories back. It was done intentionally."

As everyone around them reacted in shock, Ox turned his gaze from Ney to Hayato.

"Hypnos, Amanda, Nanagi, and the others sacrificed themselves to create this situation without the AI named Curtis finding out. They've set the stage for you this far. What will you do, Hayato?"

"What do you mean, what will I do?"

"Hypnos said that to solve the problem, you have to meet the AI named Diite in virtual reality. He also said that the functionality of the headgear probably won't be restored. In other words, you have no choice but to board the spaceship directly and log in. The question is, do you have the resolve to go to the spaceship, Hayato?"

"Is there any reason I wouldn't go?"

Hayato answered without a moment's hesitation. In fact, he looked puzzled as to why he was even being asked such a thing.

If anything, it was Ox and the others who were surprised. But he continued.

"This isn't a game. You'll be boarding a place where the AI named Curtis has the strongest influence. If things go wrong, you might end up leaving Earth on the Aphrodite..."

"So?"

"...Aren't you scared?"

"What's scary is not being able to do anything. Thank you, Ox-san. Thanks to Hypnos, Amanda-san, Nanagi, and all of you, I've been given a chance to see Diite-chan. There's no reason for me not to go."

Ox, who had been surprised by Hayato's words, broke into a smile.

"Hypnos said it. That no matter how dangerous the place, Hayato would definitely go. Amanda agreed with him."

"That's more praise than I deserve. But if they're counting on me, I have to meet their expectations."

When Hayato said that, Ney shouted, "Alright!"

"We'll arrange for the research facility and the spaceship. Hayato, I want you to help with both. I feel bad asking you to close your shop during what should be a busy time."

"Don't worry about it. In a situation like this, I wouldn't be able to make good coffee even if the shop were open. I'll reopen once we've taken care of this problem."

"I'm sorry, but I'm counting on you. Alright, Jolth, Parsha, make the arrangements. Bill me for the costs. Spend as much money as you need!"

"Understood."

"Acknowledged."

The gloomy atmosphere in the cafe suddenly became energized.

And so, the operation to board the spaceship Aphrodite began.