Chapter 364

"Just follow along, don't worry, I won't hurt you. I have Monster III rating, you know, I'm not some burden." Mona clenched her little fist, looking like she was 'I'm strong'.

"Do you realize that your identity is extraordinary and will bring a lot of trouble to Valhalla?"

"I know, but if Mom doesn't care, then don't blame me." Mona slapped her forehead and pulled out a jade tablet. "Oh, I almost forgot, the contract is already written, so it definitely won't cause any trouble."

Yuki subconsciously looked down and, sure enough, it was a cross-faction contract item. He had seen two of these rare items in one day, with tadpole-like characters on it.

[1. Mena Ryougi will perform all reasonable tasks for the player.]

[2. Mena Ryougi will keep all related secrets from the player at the end of the game.]

[3. The Mena Ryougi will do everything in her power to help, but must not be hostile to the player.]

Hiss, these Shiki Ryougi have figured out my identity? Otherwise, why would she place a bet? This is like selling her daughter.

Yuki didn't think he was handsome enough to make Shiki Ryougi look at him differently, so he considered contacting her a low-risk gamble, but he never expected to make such a huge profit.

"Why? Miss Ryougi Shiki and I haven't reached the point of mutual trust yet, and besides, I haven't completed her mission or offered my pledge of loyalty."

"So I'm here to spy on you."

"What kind of surveillance is this?" Yuki pointed at the jade tablet, frowning. "What exactly are you plotting? Why are you so eager to know my secrets?"

"The contract is signed, and even if I knew, there's nothing I could say. As for a conspiracy? What conspiracy could possibly escape your notice, Mr. Li? Given your personality, you must have thought this through before even coming here."

That's true. The reason why the risk was relatively low was because of our understanding of Shiki Ryougi and Kokutou Mikiya, this exemplary couple. After detailed calculations, we were able to roughly determine Shiki Ryougi's goal.

As he expected, Shiki Ryougi wanted to escape the Reincarnation Game but had no way out. Combining all the clues, Yuki vaguely felt that the legacy she was looking for was related to 'Taiyi'.

"No signing. Stop flattering me and go back to your mother." After rational consideration, Yuki chose to refuse.

"Why? This is entirely beneficial to you, okay?"

"Because I don't know you well enough." Yuki shook his head. He had long since passed the stage of prejudice. The knowledge of a transmigrator can only be used as a reference. One must never judge a person by their appearance.

"That's incredibly cautious; who would be so timid..."

"What did you say?!"

"She didn't say anything." Ryougi Suona, who had just been pouting, smiled broadly, put away the Mena Ryougi, and leaned closer. "Then let's take advantage of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons to learn more about it. You don't think Mom is using me as bait, do you?"

Of course not. Mona is the apple of Shiki's eye. Who would dare to touch a hair on her head? Believe me, Shiki Ryougi opens her Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, she could even slaughter a god.

Yuki's expression changed continuously; he really couldn't do anything with this brat, so he could only place his hand on her slender shoulder and give her a gentle push.

"Suit yourself. I've done my duty to remind you. Just don't let Valhalla come after me later."

"Understood!" Mona stood ramrod straight and saluted, then grinned and leaned closer. "Since you agreed, shall we start with how we address each other? Calling me 'Mr. Li' all the time is too formal."

"What ever."

"How's your younger brother? I have a feeling you're definitely younger than me."

My intuition was right, but it's so strange that I only ever get taken advantage of by my senior classmates.

Yuki couldn't help but turn around and glare at him fiercely. "Don't you dare call me 'little brother,' absolutely not allowed."

"Didn't you say you'd take my name? Okay, okay, it does feel a bit strange to call you 'little brother' in this body. Let me think about it." Mona put her finger to her lips, then her eyes suddenly lit up. "How about I call you 'older brother'? That'll make me look better."

The black-haired, blue-eyed loli called out "Onii-chan" in a sweet voice, and even though Yuki still felt a little strange, his instincts still made him nod slightly.

"Great! I have another brother!" Mona cheered and rushed up to hug Yuki's hand, making the man's cold expression disappear.

It's inexplicable, yet somehow makes sense. Also, I finally understand why Shiki Ryougi fixes the origin of Mona.

Considering Mona's seniority, this childlike liveliness shouldn't be present. According to the setting of the Reincarnation Game, she should be a cunning player with a cute loli appearance but a deep mind and ruthless methods.

Her jewel-like eyes had long been filled with killing, plunder, and betrayal, because naivety was no longer fit for this world.

But Mena Ryougi is not naive, nor is she a little girl at all. She is quite powerful, and her planning ability ranks among the top in the players Yuki has ever seen. How could she be naive in the slightest when fighting the Witch God?

A strange loli—no, is she even a loli? She's definitely older than me.

Naïve yet ruthless, lively yet powerful, Yuki glanced down at it, momentarily at a loss for words, and simply sighed.

Let her be; it's all beneficial anyway.

Rationally speaking, allies are needed to achieve the goal, and Shiki Ryougi is the most suitable ally. Her wishes, her strength, her foundation, and the clues she possesses are all of great value. Yuki a fool could see that.

Even if a way to escape the cycle of Reincarnation Game is found, the process will inevitably be arduous, just like playing chess, where the earlier the strategy is laid, the better.

Knock knock knock.

There was a knock on the door, Yomi Isayama stood in the doorway with a complicated expression. She glanced at Mona, who was tightly hugging her forearms, before turning her attention to Yuki's face.

"Mr. Li, it's time to move to another location."

Miss Yomi, you've concealed it well, but could you please stop looking at me like I'm trash?

Yuki swallowed hard, feeling Mona hug him even tighter, and could only nod gently.

"Lead the way, don't keep me waiting too long."

"Miss Yomi might be interested in you." A soft female voice came from beside her ear, not loud, but not quiet either. "Look, she's shy."

Yomi Isayama quickened her pace, and beneath her black hair, a slightly flushed face could be seen, leaving Yuki speechless as she looked at her.

To retract the foreword, this might not be a loli, but she's definitely cunning.

The battle to Demon Extermination Squad has begun; inviting allies to join is merely the final step.

This time, Yuki didn't need to help with the planning anymore; he only needed to be a sharp blade. The entire plan was quite meticulous, and the building next to the agency had already been quietly bought. Yomi led him out through a side door, and after a brief disguise, they immediately blended into the countless players in the Borderlands, easily shaking off the demons' surveillance.

It's still the same old trick of striking while the iron is hot, and even players can't stay on guard all the time. One or two strange occurrences might raise their awareness, but if they happen too often, it becomes commonplace.

Upon inquiring, I learned that similar invitations had been made hundreds of times, and they even went so far as to use points to hire extras, offering 100 points for simply sitting in the agency for half a day.

It's a mix of truth and falsehood, making full use of the fact that Borderlands can't be hostile to each other. You have to understand that every background investigation requires a lot of manpower and resources, and even the most responsible evil spirits can't handle that.

"Then it's all about deception. Anyway, there aren't many players who dare to interfere in the internal affairs of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons. We can just gather them together when needed."

Before long, Yuki was taken to another small building, a Chinese-style wooden building with a somewhat otherworldly feel. Yuki saw the long-lost Yin-Yang symbol, the unfamiliar Bagua diagram, many yellow talismans with red characters, and various light and thin fairy costumes in the hall.

Holy crap, this art style is completely different.

Yuki looked around, as if he had entered a cultivation-themed camp. Reincarnation Game encompass countless genres, and in fact, they have never lacked cultivation elements.

"This is the shop of the 'Ghost Hunter.' There aren't many players in this faction, and they're not very famous." Yomi nodded to the two shop assistants dressed as 'fairies,' who then peeled off a yellow talisman from the wall, and the wall turned into a door.

"Let's wait here and await orders from our seniors."

They are indeed not well-known; at least, they weren't mentioned in the intelligence reports about the Iron Faith.

"Your allies?" Yuki felt he had asked a pointless question, but he couldn't understand what the difference was between the two besides their art styles.

"Yes, true allies. I drew inspiration from them, Gojo. Please follow me."

Yuki pressed down Ryougi Mena Ryougi, who was looking around, and followed Yomi into the Yomi. After a familiar sense of spatial disorientation, he discovered that the inside of the doorway was a small world.

The dark passageway, with yellow talismans pasted on both sides and a few torches flickering, resembled a haunted house.

This small world is immune to communication; hiding inside not only ensures safety but also prevents spies from reporting to you.

Yuki knew what inspiration was Yuki just one glance.

A man and a woman stood in front. The woman had waist-length black hair, wore a plain white dress, and had pale skin that exuded a chilling aura. The man was burly and wore a brown breastplate, making him a formidable warrior. What was even more striking was that he carried five long swords on his back.

The woman is a ghost, and the man is Zuo Qianhu, isn't he?

He suddenly understood what the world of Ghost Hunter was like—similar to the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, but where humans and ghosts were one, and they only caught evil spirits.

"Miss Yomi, I, Zuo, have been waiting for you for a long time." The man's voice was loud and clear, and he performed a fist and palm salute.

"Thank you, Mr. Zuo." Yomi Isayama nodded slightly, pointing behind her, "This is Mr. Li, and this is Miss Mona; they were the last to join."

Zuo Qianhu glanced at the two men, then stepped aside and waved his hand.

"Please."

The two sides have a good relationship; these storage items usually contain a lot of supplies for their respective factions, yet they didn't even bother to check them.

Yuki raised an eyebrow and immediately followed, eavesdropping on the conversation between Zuo Qianhu and Yomi Isayama. He then learned that the battle had begun, and the allies of the Demon Extermination Squad had entered in five teams in turn.

After planning for so long, it's impossible that there wasn't a single player from another faction. And the fifth team, where Yuki is, is the strongest and last force to intervene.

The Demon Extermination Squad and the demons have been fighting for so long that they have long since figured out the strength of both sides. The variable is the reinforcements that Satoru Gojo found, because one of his permissions is to suppress other factions.

This is a prerequisite, or rather, without this permission, no matter how good the relationship is, it is impossible to participate. According to Yomi, based on the completeness of this permission, it is possible to suppress players from other factions by 1-3 orders of magnitude.

In other words, the highest level of suppression could Yuki from Monster IV back to Monster I. Wouldn't going in be suicide?

'Even I don't have that authority, but speaking of which, directly prohibiting combat is the highest level of suppression, right?'

Yuki kept searching through the settings, guessing that this permission should not distinguish between friend and foe, when suddenly an idea struck him.

"Contact Satoru Gojo. He can summon people, and so can demons. If a demon summons more people than he can, should this permission be granted or denied?"

Indiscriminate suppression, if both sides have players from other factions, wouldn't it put everyone back on the same starting line?

"Senior has also considered this point, but so far there is no sign of the evil spirits having a large number of reinforcements. Sukuna will eventually return with his men on the mission, so we must seize the opportunity."

"Aren't you afraid this is a trap?"

"We're scared, but there's nothing we can do. The authority to adjust the mission frequency is in the hands of the evil spirits. If we can't get any missions, the gap will only widen." Yomi was somewhat uneasy. The Demon Extermination Squad was also aware of these problems.

Should we counter each other's schemes with open strategies?

Most of the players' resources come from within the instance, so this permission is indeed crucial. Both sides are gambling, betting that things will develop according to their plans.

If the demon is successfully ambushed, the balance of power will immediately reverse, and Sukuna will be a stray dog even if he returns; if it is a trap, the demon can also achieve its goal in one fell swoop, and even if Satoru Gojo can escape, he will not be able to deal with the other factions that come to settle scores with him.

People like me who rely on personal favors are definitely in the minority. To get players from other factions involved, besides having a close relationship and becoming friends, you also have to give real resources.

At this moment, her hand was gripped tighter, and Mena Ryougi sensed something was wrong. However, Yuki knew that it was impossible to back down now; the die was cast.

"Don't panic. If you can't win, just surrender. With your status, the evil spirits would never dare to kill you."

"But they dare to kill you." Mona's expression was unusually serious, but he only received a low chuckle in return.

"Don't worry, if I want to leave, no one can stop me."

Chapter Thirteen: Faction Wars

Yuki has clear goals and always strives for a balance between returns and risks in everything he does.

On the surface, he needed the favor of the Demon Extermination Squad to prepare for the final plan; secretly, he wanted to infiltrate various forces in the Borderlands and, incidentally, create alibis to clear the names of his seniors.

But beyond his objective, he also had many contingency plans. For example, the contract signed by both parties didn't have many restrictions, so if a real crisis came, he could simply abandon the favor and run away.

More importantly, he had already obtained a lot of information from Shiki Ryougi, some of which were relevant to the current situation.

First, it's not difficult to enter other factions' Outpost; even someone with only a tiny bit of authority can invite them. Just like Yomi Isayama in front of me, she was assigned a negligible amount of authority.

This thing isn't very useful, but it's enough to bring people into the Outpost. It does confirm the 'authority fragment' setting, which is what Levi Ackerman meant by 'unusual situation'. I misunderstood at the time, thinking there was only one Trailblazer.

As it turns out, there can be many pioneers, or rather, many 'kings', and even Yomi Isayama could be called a 'little king', but he himself is the only 'king'.

Secondly, it is difficult to leave the Outpost of other factions. If we compare the pioneers of each faction to 'gods', then when gods meet, it depends on whose authority is more complete.

Even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake. While stronger players can't use their privileges across factions, if a powerful dragon wants to run away, the local snake simply can't stop it.

Since the permissions for the 'Night Parade of One Hundred Demons' have been divided into many parts, who has more complete access than themselves?

This second point is crucial; the fact that the Mena Ryougi have come to one's side is beyond question.

Third, joining this faction war has many benefits. On the surface, you gain a friend, but there are at least ten hidden advantages, the most important of which is the 'matryoshka doll plan'.

Once Li Dan becomes famous, the Judge can easily find the 'Wizard's Tower' and use the dungeon's rule that 'the same faction cannot appear in two towers' to clear Thorny Rose of suspicion.

This is a form of post-event remediation, diverting attention to the "Night Parade of One Hundred Demons".

"Why wouldn't we do a business that's guaranteed to make a profit?"

Yuki chuckled inwardly, but outwardly maintained a righteous and chivalrous demeanor, which earned him the favor of Zuo Qianhu, the guide.

He's a real man to risk his life for someone's sake.

At the end of the corridor was a carved wooden door. After Zuo Qianhu pushed it open, there was an antique-style hall inside. Several Chinese-style armchairs were placed on both sides, and players sat on each one with their companions standing behind them.

Some were dressed in armor, others in light sailor uniforms; combined with the setup that resembled a martial arts tournament, it all looked rather bizarre.

Five player teams, huh, there are quite a few familiar faces.

Yuki glanced at the list and felt even more confident. One of the purposes of joining Satoru Gojo's plan was to broaden his horizons and meet more players outside of dungeons. Because of his strength, he had only met powerful players.