Chapter 403
The Night Watchers will act as Hound, letting the players eat the smaller fish first, constantly setting the pace, leading the final battle to the edge of the continent within the Dark Night Tide, until both sides perish together, the catastrophe ends, and all is well.
Seeing everyone quietly retreat, Yuki chuckled and waved his hand:
"Alright, let's continue reviewing the data and see which players participated in this instance, and which ones ventured deep into the Eternal Night. The Night Watchers should have kept records of these."
There have been six cataclysms so far, Night Watchers left behind records of each one. Those who perished were swept away, those with vague descriptions were swept away, and the remaining records are already quite good. The players present all have connections, and they actually found some problems.
"The Fourth Cataclysm, a giant robot? This must be one of the Mechanical Believers."
"Oh, this catastrophe might be related to the quest to defeat the King of the Night, since the players are asking the Night Watchers to join forces in defeating him."
"The Fifth Cataclysm may have been visited by the Judge, according to a player's account, who mentioned the Judgement."
Extermination? Trial?
Yuki up straight abruptly, glancing unintentionally at Mona, who was blinking at him incessantly. The word 'suppression' had appeared in the mouth of the Witch God, and it was speculated that it was the Reincarnation Game organization suppressing his enemies.
For example, the Lost Ones, an existence where other 'games' have fallen into his territory, already knows there's another layer of nested dolls beyond the Reincarnation Game. Combined with Shiki Ryougi Shiki's mention of the 'legacy,' doesn't that mean...?
There's an 80% chance that the King of the Night is related to 'Taiyi' itself, so the Reincarnation Game couldn't possibly be unaware of this. Why then did they choose this place as the stage for the hunting mission?
"Do you think there might be players whose quests are different from ours?"
Everyone turned to look; the data room was deathly silent. Everyone was pondering the possibilities, and they all involuntarily looked at the panel.
57 players – that's the number of survivors at this moment. As the dungeon enters its tenth day, like gold being sifted from sand, the rate at which players perish is slowing down.
"Quick, check how many players the Night Watchers has tracked down, including those who are suspected."
Sekiro is doing this. As the saying goes, even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake. Players are generally vague about information about their own kind, but the Night Watchers, due to their unique characteristics and the intelligence network built over thousands of years, finds far more clues.
Detection doesn't guarantee tracking, and tracking doesn't guarantee finding, but in this instance, most people don't have Transcendental Grade powers, making it easy for players to stand out.
The ninja flipped through the pages, many of which were vague, unclear, or impossible to confirm, but still yielded a result.
"Excluding those confirmed dead, there are a total of 52 people," Sekiro said succinctly.
"There must be double counting involved, or players specializing in disguise are undetectable. Take another look inside the Dark Night Tide; how many clues are there?"
"Of the 15 criteria, six can be definitively confirmed as having never entered the safe zone."
"In other words, at least six players or factions are sitting on the sidelines watching the fight from the sidelines within the tidal range." Yuki stroked his chin. At first, he also thought this was the best tactic to fish out the enemy, but after checking the Night Watchers's information, he found that things were not so simple.
The mention of a campaign against the Wizard God was clearly made. Based on the experience of the Wizard's Tower, the Witch God had also been attacked by players many times. This information was crucial. He was grateful that the Reincarnation Game could not directly interfere with the dungeon, otherwise a fire would have erased the data, and he would still be kept in the dark.
Are they here for the King of the Night? Why not just cooperate with the Night Watchers? Hmm, it seems they don't want to get involved, to avoid fighting with the players. Or perhaps the Night's Night Watchers is too weak to be fooled.
"By the way, how many times was the Powerful Soul Lamp cast? Has anyone seen it?" Yuki wasn't in a hurry to draw a conclusion, and instead posed a second question.
[Hint Four: Every two days, the heavens will drop a powerful Soul Lamp outside the tides and notify players within a 1000km radius.]
Today is day eleven, which means there have been a total of five airdrops.
"I've seen it. Soul Lamp was cast into the Southeast Swamp, and players within a 1000-kilometer radius would receive a notification." Homura Akemi raised her hand and briefly explained, "A total of 20 players participated in the competition, and nearly half of them perished during the process alone. That lamp was too bright and attracted a lot of attention."
"Huh, so grabbing airdrops is another strategy, right? You can't sneak into the safe zone with just a searchlight, can you?" Ilina chimed in, seemingly cleverly drawing inferences from one instance to another. Then, seeing Yuki's calm expression, she immediately stuck out her tongue.
"If I'm not mistaken, the Powerful Soul Lamp can be concealed, right?" Yuki looked at Homura Akemi.
"Yes, but we can't put it in the storage space. We can only try to block the light." Homura Akemi was a little surprised. She hadn't even finished speaking when her words were guessed. After a long silence, she mentioned another detail.
"I couldn't tell who this person was because they used a disguise, but they put a lamp into a box, and the same light emanated from inside."
Um?
Yuki stood up. This meant someone was collecting powerful Soul Lamp. There were many reasons for this, such as the more lamps they stole, the fewer of their kind would be left to reap the benefits. He then compared this with the Night Watchers's intelligence...
"Wolf, how far apart are the Gojo confirmed clues?"
The ninja immediately presented a map. The Night Watchers weren't particularly afraid of the tides, and the Inquisition and its secret forces remained within the tides to gather intelligence. In the pitch-black night, finding a few overly bright lights wasn't difficult.
They are extremely far apart.
Yuki laughed when he saw the map. He had personally experienced the onslaught of the Dark Night Tide. Even if he slaughtered ten players and combined their lights into one, they might not be able to survive a day. And the last intelligence update was two days ago.
Five airdrops, five powerful Soul Lamp, one person managed to grab at least two of them, and then the Night Watchers could confirm six clues.
"The number of people doesn't match up?" Mona blinked, noticing the problem as well.
"Hmm, it seems some players don't even need to pick up airdrops; they can hide inside the Dark Tide from the start."
"Cheating?"
"There's no cheating in the Reincarnation Game; it's just that the tasks the game assigns are different, giving them the option not to waste energy on killing each other."
Yuki realized he had made the right move. By using the Night Watchers, he discovered a message that the game had deliberately hidden, which represented countless possibilities.
Who's vying for the airdrops? Is it depriving players of their right to be the ones to reap the rewards, or preventing them from taking refuge in the tides and affecting themselves?
Is this plundering or collecting? Since player-created lamps can be fused, what about powerful Soul Lamp dropped from the sky?
If possible, what could be done with all the bright lights provided by so many games?
He looked around at the mountains of documents and maps covered with various markings, and finally his gaze fell on a top-secret document.
Lighthouse can illuminate the Eternal Night, but it cannot illuminate the end of that Eternal Night.
Self-destruction doesn't need Lighthouse. If a full-scale war were to break out, the outcome could be decided before the poison circle covers the entire continent. But read tip six again.
[Hint 6: You can only return if you uncover the secrets of the night and defeat the King of the Night, or if only three factions or only one player team survives.]
Some people hide in the Dark Night Tide, and even if they manage to distinguish the victor from the vanquished, they cannot return and will only be poisoned to death. The powerful Soul Lamp is not infinitely powerful, otherwise, staying in the tide indefinitely would be a bug, making the dungeon never end.
Is there a clear distinction between the hustle and bustle of daytime and the silence of night?
With enough intelligence, Yuki seemed to be standing outside the instance, overlooking the entire game, with a constantly shrinking circle dividing the instance into two worlds.
Players within the same circle will inevitably meet sooner or later, and will certainly fight each other to seize each other's lights in order to survive when the Dark Night Tide rolls in.
Players outside the circle can theoretically sit back and watch the show, but in reality, the game can't give them such a big advantage. Otherwise, a newbie could steal a powerful Soul Lamp and hide, while the strong players could only watch helplessly from across the dividing line.
The Dark Night Tide will eventually engulf the entire continent, erasing safe zones. Then we'll see whose lights last the longest. What can endure the longest in the boundless darkness?
The Lighthouse —for survival, even if I discover a problem, I must light the Lighthouse; then certain players will appear.
Why not deliberately control the Night Watchers? Because you don't need to put in any effort. The main storyline will eventually open up, the safe zone will shrink to Night Capital, and players will fight tooth and nail to eliminate the Night Watchers and uncover the secrets of the Lighthouse.
While players within the community are fiercely battling it out, they can prepare other things, such as illuminating the final stretch of Eternal Night.
Knock knock.
Funina then entered the room and became somewhat nervous upon seeing her henchmen deep in thought.
"Robertson wishes to see you. Please follow me."
Everyone's expressions brightened; they were about to discuss the core secret. The Lighthouse sounded like a key item, capable of ensuring their invincibility even without progressing through the main storyline.
As for how the Lighthouse is activated and where it is located, that is top secret.
Yuki glanced at her, then looked at the others, and gently shook his head.
"No rush, I'd like to ask the Night Watchers for a favor."
"What?" Funina was incredulous. Shouldn't this person be all greedy when they hear "Lighthouse"? Why does he look so uninterested?
"Tell Klein the Inquisition has dispatched most of its forces to explore the Dark Night Tide. There's no need for battle; just observe from a distance to see how many powerful Soul Lamp there are," Yuki instructed, then looked at Emiya beside him.
"You all should also set out and do everything in your power to retrieve a powerful Soul Lamp."
"I want to verify my earlier conjecture."
Chapter Fourteen: The Nameless King!
Speculation is based on intelligence, and intelligence needs to be verified.
Undeniably, there was some appreciation for cooperating with the Night Watchers, and also an intention to complete the main quest, but what Yuki truly wanted was that vast information database and data network built over a thousand years.
He can find clues from the previous catastrophe and use the Night Watchers' ability to withstand the Dark Night Tide to penetrate the clearly defined dividing line and explore the world outside the circle. This is what makes Yuki different from other players.
No matter how intelligent a creature is, it is always easily attracted by the crisis at hand.
Foolish players might think of using the Night Watchers's power, while slightly smarter players might think of using this route to complete the main storyline and find an alternative path to return. Only true cunning players would prioritize intelligence and explore any possible threat.
Even before the immediate crisis was resolved, Yuki was already studying the possible outcomes, immediately adjusting his plans, and making clear arrangements.
First, the Inquisition focused its main efforts on exploring the Dark Night Tide; they were numerous and skilled in stealth and disguise, making the task relatively easy.
Secondly, the Night Watchers will continue to consolidate their strength and avoid provoking the players within the safe zone.
These two points align with the Night Watchers's interests; as long as they don't have to fight the players to the death, it doesn't matter. However, because Yuki preemptively defeated the Sloth Bishop and his group, it won't be so easy for the remaining players to unite.
Third, the Valhalla mobilized in large numbers, awaiting the arrival of the sixth powerful Soul Lamp. Seeing is believing, hearing is deceiving; Yuki must personally obtain this thing.
The timing is perfect. The safe zone has shrunk to 9 million square kilometers, so no matter where the airdrop lands in the safe zone, there's no need to search around like before.
"Then this is the second probe; ideally, we could lure out the one who collects powerful Soul Lamp."
In the café, Yuki, dressed like a gentleman, continued reading the newspaper, seemingly oblivious to the increasingly tense situation, which was beyond the imagination of many players.
The fake schemer, hiding in a dark room, staring at a map and biting his fingers, his hair disheveled and his eyes dark-rimmed.
The true schemer, listening to the soothing piano, dressed impeccably, is more composed than the ignorant ordinary person.
"I'm really curious, how did you find the clues from those documents?" Mena Ryougi sat opposite her, taking small bites of cake. Even if a player passed by, they probably wouldn't believe their eyes.
What time is it? Still eating cake and drinking coffee?
"Meticulous observation skills, followed by swift and decisive verification of the conjecture, but before verification, foreshadowing must be laid."
Swift and decisive?
Mona glanced at Yuuki, who was dressed in a sharp suit, holding a coffee in one hand and flipping through a newspaper with Yuki other, and wondered how those four words could have come out of his mouth.
"Tsk, you really know how to order people around. Anyway, Manas Consciousness can't see anything. Hey, pass me the juice."
You're the one who bosses people around.
Yuki rolled her eyes, pushed the juice towards her, and shook her head, saying, "You rely too much on Future Sight. In a game world full of Transcendental Grade abilities, observations made by Transcendental Grade powers are the least reliable. There are a million ways to distort the future or interfere with voyeurism."
"That's because your guess is too outlandish!" Mona pouted. Her Noble Phantasm really couldn't see anything, or rather, she hadn't even thought of that possibility.
Players are all focused on killing each other, and the smart ones can think of the main storyline. But this guy can think outside the box and jump from the main storyline to some player who received a quest to hunt down enemies. The latter has no trace at all. If it weren't for the Night Watchers's historical records, who would have thought of this?
But then again...
The girl bit her straw and glanced at the other people in the cafe. Most of them were well-dressed, but they couldn't hide their fear and panic.
The catastrophe continues, the Dark Night Tide is closing in, and more and more people are losing their lives in the darkness.
"If your guess is true, then those players are the embodiment of Justice."
Yuki paused, his hand holding the newspaper still, and nodded slightly.
Indeed, in a sense, they are the chosen saviors of the Reincarnation Game, tasked with defeating the King of the Night and ending the catastrophe.
According to the Justice person, both sides should contact each other immediately and work together to resolve the main issue.
But this concerns 'Taiyi' and Yuki's vital interests. He has never been a saint and would never do something as noble as feeding an eagle with his own flesh.
So he concealed this crucial clue and was glad that he had learned about the Night Watchers in advance.
"Without Justice, they only think about defeating the King of the Night; saving the world is just a side effect. If they truly wanted to be champions of Justice, they should have contacted the Night Watchers immediately and united with most of the players."
"Then why not do it?"
"Because they don't care about bloodshed and loss of life; every action leaves a trace, so they prefer to stay behind the scenes and let the winner take all."
Yes, it's winner-takes-all. They not only have to complete the raid, but also collect the soul materials and Chaos Item from over a hundred players. The idea of uniting to save the world isn't unheard of, but that depends on what hints the game gives.
"We're such a despicable and shameful bunch of players," Mona, propping her head up and blowing bubbles into her juice.
Yuki. He knew that his personal sense of right and wrong had been distorted by the game, and all he could do was maintain his sense of self within that framework.
Just as he couldn't be a savior, he wouldn't wait until the last moment to step forward for the sake of 'absolute certainty.' Instead, he would calculate non-stop while in a state of leisure.
Even clearing the dungeon a day earlier, a night earlier, or an hour earlier is fine.
The newspapers were full of bad news. The desperate counterattack that the people of the Dark Night Continent had been hoping for had not come. The Night Watchers continued to retreat, but at Yuki's suggestion, they began to evacuate residents to Night Capital.
Those who do not wish to leave need not be forced; they will face the judgment of the night. Those who depart form torrents, converging towards the heart of the continent.
This has created many related problems, but the Night Watchers, as the only beings with Transcendental Grade powers, are doing their best to solve them, for a simple reason.
Yuki tells Erickson that he wants to be the king of the new world and now is the best time to build up his reputation, so that the oath-takers, transitionists, radicals, and conservatives will all be satisfied, and the residents under his protection will be extremely grateful.
Vast areas have been cleared out, providing players with ample opportunities to fight each other. The hordes of Night Watchers to handle, and the deadly poison circle is closing in. Why not hurry and seize the opportunity to grab the lights?