Preparation: An Intelligence Broker, a Café, and a Snail Statue

Early the next morning, on a pedestrian street in Whitewash City's Canal District.

The sky was overcast. Heavy, lead-gray clouds piled up along the distant horizon, and even the cold wind, laden with snow and moisture, seemed to carry a hint of gray. Several crumpled, blackened newspapers blew down the street and rolled past a pair of sneakers.

"The Milk-Foam Café is just ahead. That's where I agreed to meet White Line."

Xia Lun stood like a shadow in the darkness of an alley, silently scanning the hurried pedestrians. Then he raised his head and looked toward the café on the corner.

The café looked ordinary enough. The only notable thing was that the wall facing the pedestrian street was made almost entirely of transparent glass.

Xia Lun narrowed his eyes and looked past the snow on the street and through the glass into the café.

There were plenty of customers inside, so it hardly looked like a good place for a clandestine deal. Most of them were in groups, too. No one appeared to be waiting for somebody.

After a moment's thought, he pulled an old black flip phone from his pocket and reread the message the intelligence broker White Line had sent yesterday.

"I happen to be in Whitewash City, so we can meet. I also have some 'special merchandise' on hand. We can discuss the price. If you're willing to meet, come to the Milk-Foam Café in the Canal District at around nine tomorrow morning. Once you get there, you'll see me."

The location was right. It was just a few minutes before nine.

Maybe he hasn't arrived yet.

As Xia Lun waited, he recalled what he knew about White Line.

White Line was an intelligence broker active around Herno Strait, on the fringes of the Grand Alliance. His information network was vast and tightly woven. Often, he knew about an "unexpected incident" and even its eventual outcome days before it happened.

The broker had countless connections to warlords and independence activists in the border regions, so the Grand Alliance's Internal Affairs Department had once put out a warrant for him. Strangely, the warrant was withdrawn only days later.

People had all sorts of theories about why Internal Affairs had wanted White Line and then dropped the matter so quickly.

Some said White Line was an Internal Affairs intelligence operative on a special assignment, and the warrant had been a mistake.

Others said White Line had switched sides and joined Internal Affairs, which was why the warrant had been withdrawn.

There were even wilder rumors claiming that the Internal Affairs Department Officer who ordered the warrant had been mysteriously dismissed only hours after issuing it.

Whatever the truth, the outcome was clear: White Line, whose intelligence trade operated in a gray area, had ended up with legal backing and the Grand Alliance's official seal of approval.

More than a decade ago, Xia Lun had saved White Line's life by sheer chance. That favor had given him a connection to the broker, who was then beginning to make a name for himself.

Xia Lun's rapid rise in Whitewash City had depended on his own abilities and a necessary measure of luck, but White Line's far-reaching channels and help had played a part too.

Over more than ten years of dealings, they had helped each other countless times and become close. In fact, Xia Lun had obtained both the Investigator game chip that saved his life and the Voidwood Box through White Line's channels.

All told, White Line was a partner he could trust. Xia Lun was not worried that the broker belonged to the so-called Foresight Club, so he had brought no bodyguards.

But despite their long friendship, White Line had an eccentric habit: he never showed anyone his real face. He liked disguising himself as someone else or wearing a mask.

Xia Lun glanced at his watch. It was nine. He looked through the café window again, but still saw no one who looked like White Line.

Forget it. I'll go take a look. He shook his head and walked straight into the Milk-Foam Café.

Jingle.

A brass bell rang as Xia Lun pushed open the door. The moment he stepped inside, the biting chill of the winter street gave way to warmth and the aroma of freshly ground coffee beans.

Xia Lun looked up, and his eyes narrowed.

A man in a white Wide-Brimmed Hat and a black carbon-colored mask sat at ease by a window. A huge Briefcase stood beside his feet.

Incredibly, despite his peculiar appearance, the customers and waiters paid no attention to him or the huge case. Everyone simply walked around his table.

He was playing with a coin, passing it between deft fingers. It darted up and down like Alice falling into the rabbit hole.

At the sound of the bell, the man who might as well have had "I'm suspicious" written across his face stopped working the coin and slowly raised his head.

"Psychological Invisibility. Amazing, isn't it?" He stood. A mechanical, blended voice came from behind his black mask. "Long time no see, Xia Lun."

Xia Lun pulled out a chair and sat across from White Line, his expression calm. "Psychological Invisibility?"

"People see you, but their minds disregard you. You're inside its range now too, so we can talk freely."

White Line pointed out the window, then shook his head. "Still, shouldn't you look at least a little surprised? You've just seen something supernatural."

"I've already played one round of the game," Xia Lun explained. "My worldview has taken its beating. Seeing something supernatural in reality doesn't surprise me as much now."

"What would you like? Black coffee or coffee with milk?" As he spoke, White Line went to the counter and returned with two freshly made cups. "H-here, have a packet of sugar."

He took the coffee with milk and began drinking it.

"A wealthy merchant like you isn't going to pay?" Xia Lun asked incredulously.

White Line shook his head. "This is Whitewash City, where the locals keep things simple. When in Rome, right? In intelligence work, blending in is everything. Taking a little coffee doesn't count as stealing here."

"..." After a moment's silence, Xia Lun took several large-denomination bills from his pocket, went to the counter, and fed them into the cash-counting machine.

"I'm guessing you have plenty of questions about Investigator." White Line drank his coffee as he spoke. "Take your time. I'm free all day. You can look at the 'special merchandise' later."

"Did your Psychological Invisibility come from the game too?" Xia Lun picked up his cup and watched the steam rising from it.

The bitter aroma of roasted beans spread with the warm vapor. Beneath it, he could make out a rounded tartness and the faintest hint of sweetness.

"Of course. I've been playing for more than twenty years." White Line nodded, then fetched a plate of baked croissants from the counter. "You weren't a player before, so I couldn't tell you. Now that you've played, it doesn't matter.

"You probably haven't encountered supernatural abilities yet, but you should know that abilities gained in the game can be used in reality. Psychological Invisibility may be the skill best suited to how this game is played."

The intelligence broker tapped the table. His tone abruptly turned stern, like a teacher beginning a lesson.

"Listen carefully, my friend. After one round, you must understand the basics by now: investigate, evade, use Stealth, communicate, gather information and resources while maneuvering around your enemies, then find that narrow path to survival."

"..." Xia Lun nearly said something.

In his experience, it did not have to be so difficult. Kill the monsters, kill the pirates, kill the cowards, kill the Walking Corpses, kill anything in his way—that seemed to work too.

Then again, White Line had a point. If Xia Lun killed everyone, that probably, perhaps, technically counted as Stealth?

"A friendly tip: once you have enough Memory Points, prioritize upgrading your Information Panel. The upgraded panel is useful in all sorts of ways." White Line raised his cup to the edge of his mask and took a small sip. "Players can only exchange Manifestation Authority after upgrading their Information Panels."

"Thanks for the tip. I see." Xia Lun struggled to keep a straight face, but his thanks were sincere.

White Line nodded and gently set down his cup. "Upgrading the Information Panel takes a lot of Memory Points. Most players are lucky to get the basic reward of a hundred points from their first Scenario. Don't worry, though. Generally, you only need to upgrade it by your fifth round. Oh, right—what did you want to ask?"

"Does the game have any hidden rules? Something like having to log in every few months or being erased?" Xia Lun asked.

"Of course not." White Line shook his head. "It may not be an ordinary game, but it doesn't force players to do anything. Playing is entirely voluntary. Most people play because there's something to gain."

Xia Lun continued, "Then what do Specializations, Specialties, and skills each represent?"

"Together, they determine how much of a fight you can put up." White Line gave a cold laugh. "Take a competitive game as an example. Specializations are your level of play. The higher they are, the more of your abilities you can bring to bear."

"Specialties represent your stats. Once you upgrade your Information Panel, you can see your attribute values. Aside from training in reality, Specialties are the only way to raise them."

"But whatever you do, don't try to fight the Evil Spirits in a Scenario." White Line's voice turned stern again. "No matter how skillfully you fight or how high your stats are, you can't stand against those grotesque things."

The broker paused, then went on. "L-let me give you another example. There's a kind of Evil Spirit called the Abyssal Hand. They're far stronger than ordinary people, and they can contaminate the mind. Even a fleeting glance can drive someone mad."

"I once knew an exceptionally formidable martial artist." White Line picked up a croissant and dipped it in his coffee. "He entered the game to pursue greater mastery of his art. In his third round, he encountered an Abyssal Hand. When he returned, he briefly described what had happened, then lost his mind completely. He became a pitiable madman."

"..." Xia Lun fell silent.

Wasn't the monster in my last Scenario an Abyssal Hand? It didn't seem that hard to kill.

He did not quite agree, but he had no intention of arguing. White Line was telling him this out of genuine concern.

Besides, Xia Lun had lived two lifetimes and was old in mind. He had long since outgrown boasting for the pleasure of it. If showing off served no larger purpose, it was pointless.

"I see. I'll remember that." Xia Lun kept his manner modest and thanked him sincerely. "That covers Specializations and Specialties. What about skills?"

"Skills?" White Line's tone turned odd. "Skills are the game's special mechanics. Every skill is powerful. Without one, you don't stand a chance of surviving an encounter with those terrifying Evil Spirits."

He glanced at Xia Lun from behind his mask. "Skills come much later. Don't get ahead of yourself. Save enough Memory Points to upgrade your Information Panel first. Besides, gaining a skill isn't necessarily good. A skill can severely damage the will of someone whose mind is weak."

Although Xia Lun already had the Heightened Focus skill, he did not contradict him. He nodded and asked, "Apart from upgrading the Information Panel, what should I spend Memory Points on first?"

"Xia Lun, do you know what I admire most about you?" White Line raised a hand. "You're always quick to get to the heart of the matter. Spend Memory Points on manifesting items first. Items make the clearest difference to your ability to protect yourself. Putting points into Specializations or Specialties isn't wise."

"Why? Could you explain?" Xia Lun asked, encouraging him to go on.

"First, both Specialization Memories and Perk Memories are expensive," White Line said. "Many players need the rewards from two Scenarios just to improve one thing.

"Yet despite their price, the results are mediocre. The Specialties and Specializations we pick up in Scenarios tend to be garbage.

"Most Specialties, such as Alcohol Addiction, don't improve your stats. They lower them. Most Specializations are stuck at the beginner or basic level, where the improvement is hardly worth mentioning.

"More importantly, even if you happen to acquire a useful Specialization Memory or Perk Memory and choose to use it, Memory Points aren't the only price. Players pay a steep mental cost. Even the strongest mind can begin to lose track of reality if it keeps slipping into dreams.

"In Investigator, Mental Health matters just as much as Physical Health. From a certain point of view, going mad is no different from dying. So it's best not to spend Memory Points on Specializations or Specialties."

"Do Specialization levels go 'uninitiated, beginner, basic, proficient, Mastery, master'?" Xia Lun asked suddenly.

"Yes, exactly," White Line answered without hesitation. Then the veteran player froze. "Wait. How do you know that?"

"Just a simple deduction." Xia Lun smiled, leaving it at that.

"Ah, I get it." White Line seemed to have figured something out. He picked up his coffee and took a sip. "I remember you're an excellent shot. By the game's reckoning, you must have proficient-level Firearms Use."

"Not proficient. Mastery," Xia Lun said, shaking his head.

"What?" White Line jerked his head up. Brown coffee trickled from beneath his mask. "Mastery? Your marksmanship is at Mastery level?"

"Is Mastery level particularly high?" Xia Lun blinked and feigned ignorance.

"..." This time White Line was the one left speechless. It took him a long while to recover.

"A Specialization reaching Mastery is a huge deal, Xia Lun." White Line took a deep breath, his hand trembling slightly around his cup. "In over twenty years, I've gone through more than thirty Scenarios. I've only seen a handful of people in them with a Mastery-level Specialization."

"I understand." Xia Lun smiled and nodded, then abruptly changed the subject. "White Line, that's all I wanted to ask. Now for something else—I have a proposal."

"What proposal?" White Line asked reflexively.

"I want you to invest in me," Xia Lun said openly. "Lend me Memory Points, items, Manifestation Authority—whatever you have. In six months, I'll give you an outsized return. How does twenty percent monthly interest, compounded, sound? Give me a million Memory Points, and I'll pay you back three million in six months."

He was under the Withering curse. If he could not find a way to survive within six months, he would simply drop dead, and repayment would be beside the point.

"What?" White Line was stunned. He had come to sell merchandise. How had Xia Lun turned the pitch around on him?

"High risk, high reward," Xia Lun continued smoothly. "I have a Mastery-level Specialization, so I'm bound to grow quickly. The odds that I can earn it back are excellent.

"Besides, we've been friends through life and death for more than ten years. You know my character and whether I keep my word. Invest in me and you'll get your return. Once I'm stronger, I can help you in turn. The benefits you can't put a number on will be even greater.

"And even if I die halfway through and your investment fails, you'll still have helped a friend. At the very least, you'll have a clear conscience. What do you say?"

"No. Only a fool would believe in an interest rate that high. Besides, Memory Points can't be traded, so your proposal doesn't even get off the ground." White Line rejected him flatly. "And even putting that aside, a million Memory Points is absurd. You have no idea what they're worth. That's an astronomical sum—the equivalent of a normal player's earnings from ten thousand Scenarios!"

"Then let's look at the 'special merchandise' you brought." His investment pitch having failed, Xia Lun switched topics without missing a beat.

"..." White Line fell silent again. He drew a deep breath, rose somewhat unsteadily, and opened the huge travel case beside him. From it, he took four small boxes, each about the size of a palm.

"This is the 'special merchandise' I brought." White Line, the intelligence broker, composed himself, his voice calm again. "Allow me to introduce it: the Snail Statue."