After Silver Wolf left, the police finished organizing the paperwork. The senior officer turned to his colleague and asked, "Have you extracted the footage from the body cameras?"
"Yes, it's ready."
"Good. Send it to the news station and issue a public notice. Those two were armed."
"Understood."
In the livestream chat:
Seele: "They just let Silver Wolf go?"
Zhu Yuan: "There's no evidence. Unless they track down the barbecue vendor who sold her the duck blood."
Jaina Doe: "Silver Wolf will never let that happen."
Seth: "Th-then what? She's not going to silence the poor vendor, is she?"
Qingyi: "Relax, young man. Silver Wolf knows magic. A simple spell to blur his memory will solve the problem."
Seth: "Oh… right."
He finally relaxed. If anyone actually harmed a civilian over a game, he knew he wouldn't be able to live with it.
Bronya: "This is bad. Miss Kafka is going to be wanted."
Topaz: "As if she hasn't been wanted before."
Valerius: "If Kafka and Silver Wolf get arrested, does the IPC cover bail?"
Jade: "Mr. Valerius always has the most unusual concerns."
This was just a game, after all. And even if the IPC offered Credits, would the police accept them?
Early the next morning, Silver Wolf was already waiting outside the barbecue stand. The moment the owner arrived, she planned to cast a spell and alter his memory.
Meanwhile, at the villa on the outskirts of the city:
Asta adjusted her gloves and looked toward Acheron.
"Miss Acheron, let's begin."
"Very well. Be careful."
"Don't worry. The recognition-blocking effect is still active. Other Masters won't be able to identify me."
"That's true."
Acheron nodded. The system had granted every Master a cognitive filter. Even if another Master stood right in front of her, she might not realize who they were.
Asta was relatively safe.
"Then we split up."
Without another word, Acheron leaped away into the distance. Her plan was straightforward. She might not recognize the Masters themselves, but anyone accompanied by a Heroic Spirit was almost certainly one.
In the livestream:
Boothill: "Well, I'll be. Masters get a passive skill like that?"
Rosaria: "Then how did Raiden Ei recognize Silver Wolf yesterday?"
Herta: "Because Kafka was standing right beside her. If there's a Heroic Spirit next to someone, it doesn't take a genius to figure out they're the Master."
Natasha: "Which means Silver Wolf is currently the only Master whose identity has been exposed."
Seele: "All because of Dance Dance Revolution."
Serval: "All because of Dance Dance Revolution."
Sunday: "If Acheron finds Silver Wolf, she won't stand a chance."
Bronya: "But Miss Kafka is still protecting her."
Sunday: "Kafka is no match for Acheron."
Valerius: "Not necessarily. Kafka's class should be Lancer. In a straight fight, she may be able to hold her own."
Herta: "Speaking of classes, what exactly are they?"
Valerius: "The seven standard classes are Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Caster, Assassin, and Berserker. There are special classes too."
Seele: "Speak normally. What do they actually do?"
Valerius: "Simple."
"People who cut you with swords."
"People who stab you with spears."
"People who shoot you from a distance."
"People who run you over."
"People who stab you in the back."
"People who blast you with magic."
"People who charge in like maniacs."
"People who rig the game."
"People who settle personal grudges."
"And people who walk around on the moon."
"How's that? Clear enough?"
Firefly: "...…"
Dan Heng: "...…"
No one could deny that the explanation was strangely accurate.
Herta: "Understood. If I participated, I'd definitely be a Caster."
Valerius: "That sounds about right."
While chatting, Bronya tugged on Valerius's sleeve.
"Valerius… what do you think of this outfit?"
Valerius glanced at her screen. Her game character was already dressed in an elaborate, luxurious costume.
Without hesitation, he waved his hand grandly.
"If it's not too expensive, buy it."
He couldn't help thinking that Bronya had real potential to become an online gaming addict.
In the livestream:
Lynx: "Wow, there are so many outfits! I want to play too."
March 7th: "This actually looks pretty fun."
Yun Jin: "Being able to dress up your character sounds delightful."
Xiangling: "I want to try, but I didn't participate this round."
Seeing so many people becoming interested, Valerius's eyes lit up.
Valerius: "10,000 Credits per hour. Anyone want to rent a computer?"
Topaz: "Really? I'm in."
Qingque: "Open the door! I'm coming!"
Fu Xuan: "No. You're staying on guard duty."
Guinaifen: "Me! Me!"
"Heh. Quite a few customers."
With a wave of his hand, all the benches and furniture in the church disappeared, replaced by rows of computers.
Xiangling: "I want to come too."
Venti: "How much in Mora?"
Valerius: "10,000 Mora per hour."
Furina: "Open the door. I'm coming."
Kuki Shinobu: "I'd like to try."
Arataki Itto: "Shinobu, bring me too!"
Kuki Shinobu: "Do you even have Mora?"
Paimon: "Haha! I do! I do!"
10,000 Mora was practically nothing. As soon as Valerius opened the portal, players poured into the church.
Seele immediately sat down beside Bronya.
"Battle!"
"Bring it on."
Bronya lifted her chin confidently.
"You don't even have an account yet, and you think you can beat me?"
Her character was dressed in a dazzling premium outfit.
Clearly, this was the appearance of a true professional.
Elsewhere, in a city park, Yanagi Tsukishiro wandered through the pathways.
She and Hoshimi Miyabi had already agreed on their strategy. Miyabi would search for Heroic Spirits, while Yanagi familiarized herself with the city. If they could identify favorable terrain in advance, they would gain a significant advantage.
As she passed an elderly man sitting on a bench, the radio hanging from his belt crackled to life.
"Attention, residents. Two suspicious individuals carrying bladed weapons have been spotted in the city."
"It is reported that both suspects are female and armed with a sword and a spear…"
"Bladed weapons… suspicious individuals…"
Yanagi's eyes narrowed.
This sounded very much like the kind of clue she was looking for.
Without hesitation, she followed behind the old man, listening carefully to the report.
"Yes. This has to be them."
The more she listened, the more certain she became.
Other players.
And somehow, they had already managed to get themselves placed on the police watch list.
Yanagi couldn't help but smile.
It was honestly impressive.
This was just a game.
How had they already escalated things to the point of becoming wanted by the authorities?
"Miss, why are you following this old man?"
The elderly gentleman turned around and looked at her warily.
The radio had just warned that the suspects were women with unusual hair colors.
The report mentioned purple hair.
Yanagi's hair was pink.
Not purple.
But she was still a woman.
And who was to say she wasn't connected somehow?
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