owlsbooks Chapter 597 Treat
Chapter 597 Treat
Chapter 597 Treat
Not only are Ye Zi and Kainz a couple, but the guild's vice president, Grimrock, and the president are also a couple. Taking this into consideration, it seems that there is a reason for Grimrock to create the blood-red spear.
Kobayashi sent Ye Zi away again and arranged for someone to protect her.
In name, it was care and protection, but in reality, it was surveillance, after all, she was one of the seven members of the guild. Before everything was revealed, Krillin, Kirito, and Asuna also remained suspicious of her.
Come to the street.
"So, who should I ask now?"
"Given the current situation, it would be better to look for Grimrock, and Xiaolin has also found his location."
"It's all thanks to Satou Kazuma."
"But I don't think we should go to Grimrock now."
"Ok?"
Asuna's words made Kirito slightly stunned, and Krillin couldn't help but look at her.
"What's wrong? According to my current speculation, if the criminal is really Grimrock, then he should be hiding. And the same goes for asking other people. Even if we can get information that contradicts what Miss Yako just said, what does it matter? We have no way to judge which side is telling the truth, and it will only add to the confusion. We need more objective materials for judgment."
Her words were very precise.
"Then now we can only choose one option."
"——Find a PK method to kill Cainz."
Although it may sound harsh, the reason why Krillin and Kirito and Asuna are so enthusiastic about this matter is that they just want to find out the PK method in the circle to kill Keynes.
"But I still hope someone more knowledgeable can come and help."
"But it's not good for Miss Yezi to spread the information casually, but I want to find someone who is familiar with the SAO system..."
The two of them looked at Xiaolin at the same time.
"Ah I?"
He pointed to his nose.
Kirito said, "Among the people I know, Xiaolin is the one who understands the system the best. After all, you are known for your ever-changing abilities."
"Yes, I thought so too." Asuna followed closely.
"No, no, no. Although I am very grateful for your high praise, I just discovered this method by chance. Apart from that, I don't know more about the system."
Xiaolin waved his hands quickly.
Seeing that he didn't seem to be faking it, the two were a little disappointed.
"But even though I don't understand the system very well, there is one person who definitely does."
"who is it?"
"Heathcliff."
“President?!”
Upon hearing this name, both Kirito and Asuna's eyes widened as big as copper bells.
Kirito was a little surprised and asked, "Xiaolin, have you ever been in touch with President Heathcliff?"
"Of course, we are the leaders of the two major guilds after all, so it is normal for us to know each other. However, the reason why he and I became friends was because of what happened at the World's No. 1 Martial Arts Conference some time ago. If I invite him, there will definitely be no problem," Kobayashi smiled.
Of course, regardless of whether the two agreed or not, Kobayashi had already sent the invitation message.
And thirty minutes later, Heathcliff appeared at the transfer gate on the 59th floor.
Asuna bowed quickly when she saw him, and then explained, "I'm sorry to bother you this time. I really encountered some problems..."
"It's okay. I was just thinking about having lunch. Besides, there aren't many opportunities for Xiaolin to treat you. I have a meeting with members of the Equipment Department in the evening, so I can accompany you until then."
Heathcliff's tone was smooth.
"Don't be so reserved, Asuna." Xiaolin smiled and patted Heathcliff's shoulder: "Your president and I are good friends, this little thing is not a big deal."
“Is that so… Hehehe.”
If it was Kirito who was beside her who did this, Asuna would definitely take action without saying a word, but it was a different story if the target was Krillin.
The man in front of her was a man who had made a name for himself on the first floor. After that, everyone treated him with respect, and even Heathcliff often praised him in front of her.
"Haha, you're right."
"Come on, I'll treat you to some interesting food today, and then I'll let you hear some good news."
"Are you sure you're not lying?"
The two walked towards the street first.
Kirito and Asuna obviously didn't expect the two to have such a good relationship. After looking at each other, they hurriedly followed.
Under Kobayashi's guidance, the four of them walked in the maze-like narrow alley for about five minutes, turning around for a long time before finally arriving at the interesting store that Kobayashi mentioned.
"Oh, it's here."
Kirito nodded suddenly.
In fact, he also likes this restaurant very much, because the NPCs in this restaurant are very strange, and the overall atmosphere created touches his heartstrings.
Asuna asked worriedly, "Can we go back to the square later?"
"Don't worry, just ask the NPC standing here and pay ten kol, and they will take you back to the square. Of course, if you don't have this little money..."
Heathcliff is indeed the one who understands the system best.
Just a little showing of his skills made Kirito and Asuna stand in awe.
Kobayashi was the first to push open the door. The narrow shop was empty. After sitting down at a cheap table for four, he ordered four servings of noodles from the gloomy manager.
Then there was an eerie silence.
After a long while, Asuna couldn't stand it anymore and said with a subtle expression: "Why does it feel like... it feels like a review meeting?"
"Then the atmosphere in your guild is quite solemn."
Kobayashi DISSed it.
Then he signaled Asuna not to waste time and to speak out their problems.
Asuna first gave a brief account of what happened yesterday. During the time he was listening to her narration, Heathcliff's expression barely changed, except for his slightly raised eyebrows when he heard about the scene of Keynes' death.
"That's just the way it is."
After Asuna summarized, she said, "Although it is a bit troublesome, I still hope that the captain can give us some advice..."
Heathcliff drank a sip of ice water, groaned, and then said, "Before that, can I hear your speculation, Xiaolin? What do you think of the method used in this murder case?"
"I can only think of three options. One is legitimate PK within the circle, one is to combine known methods to find system loopholes, and the last one is to use items or skills that can invalidate the instructions prohibiting crimes."
"Don't consider the third possibility."
Heathcliff asserted so.
Kirito couldn't help but stare at his face. Asuna blinked a few times before saying, "Captain, how can you be so sure?"
"Think about it. If you were the developer of this game, would you set up this kind of skill or weapon?"
"probably not."
The person who answered was Kirito.
Heathcliff nodded with satisfaction, and as if to give him a chance to show it, he said, "What's the reason?"
"Of course it's because it's unfair. Although I hate to admit it, the rules of SAO are basically fair and just... Of course, special skills don't count."
Kirito's dual swordsmanship and Heathcliff's sacred sword.
Unlike skills that can be learned by everyone, skills that only a few people can possess cannot be said to be fair and just.
Asuna sighed and shook her head. "Anyway, discussing the third possibility right now is just a waste of time since there's no way to confirm it. So, let's discuss the first hypothesis, which is the possibility of a legitimate duel."
"it is good."
Heathcliff nodded, then frowned and looked deep into the counter and said, "This restaurant is a little too slow in serving food."
"As far as I know, the store manager here is the least motivated NPC in all of Aincrad, and this is also one of the characteristics of this store. Hahaha, how about it, isn't it very interesting?"
Xiaolin's laughter was full of strange meaning.
Kirito picked up the kettle and poured him a glass of ice water. He said, "If a player dies in the circle, it must be because of a duel. This is common sense. But I can confirm that when Keynes died, there was no window indicating the winner. Is there such a duel in the circle?"
"...By the way, I never noticed before, how exactly is the position of the window showing the winner determined?"
“Ask this now?”
Kirito was dumbfounded by Asuna's question.
He had participated in the world's number one martial arts tournament and even made it into the top eight, but now he's asking such an obvious question.
Heathcliff answered without hesitation, "It will appear in the middle of the duelists. Then, if the two parties are more than ten meters apart when deciding the winner, two windows will appear at the closest distance to the two parties."
Xiao Lin shrugged: "You're lucky you know this kind of rule. I never cared about it."
"That is to say, no matter how far away it is, it will appear within five meters of Cainz."
Kirito stroked his chin and thought for a while before saying, "There were no windows in the open space around. This can be confirmed because there are many witnesses around. Also, there was no one else in the church, which Asuna can also testify to."
"Well, there are no windows in churches."
Asuna said.
"Sure enough, isn't that a duel?"
I don't know who was muttering to himself, making the already creepy atmosphere in the cafeteria even more heavy.
“Maybe I chose the wrong store?”
Asuna grumbled, but she couldn't say anything because of Xiaolin and Heathcliff.
"Then there is only the second possibility." Asuna continued: "But I always feel that there is something wrong with the loophole in the system."
"What's wrong?"
"Persistent damage."
She picked up an unwanted toothpick that was lying on the table and stabbed the air with the miniature weapon.
"I think that spear is not just used for public executions. Maybe it is used to achieve continuous damage in the PK circle... or something like that."
"I agree with that."
Kirito nodded, then shook his head and said, "But we have tested it. Even if you stab the spear outside the circle, the damage will stop as long as you move inside the circle."
"That's when we move by walking. What if we use the corridor crystal? We can prepare a crystal with the church exit in advance, and then move to that place from outside the circle... Will the damage stop if we do that?"
"Of course I will."
Heathcliff interrupted again and said, "Whether you are on foot or in the corridor crystal, or even thrown into the circle, as long as you enter the street area, the command will work without exception."
"Wait, what if it's high up in the air?"
Xiaolin suddenly thought of this question. If the damage can be stopped on the flat ground or in the building within the street area, what about the high altitude?
This question made Heathcliff hesitate, but he soon spoke again:
"Strictly speaking, the circle rises vertically from the street boundary to the floor of the upper floor. The moment you move into that three-dimensional space, the command will protect the person. Even if the exit is set a hundred meters above the street and then moves from outside the circle to the air, there will be no falling damage, but you will still have to experience an unpleasant nerve shock."
"I see..." X2
Kirito and Asuna exclaimed at the same time, but Krillin had a complicated expression. He really wanted to know why Darkness had been hanging out on top of the church for a while.
"Awaited……"
At this moment, the shop owner dragged his lazy voice and took out three bowls of noodles from the square plate and placed them on the table. Because the bangs under the greasy chef's hat were too long, people couldn't see his face clearly.
Asuna wanted to say something, but in the end she said nothing and obediently picked up a bowl of noodles.
"…What is this, ramen?"
"It should be similar food."
Kirito wasn't too sure either.
Xiao Lin smiled and said, "Try it. Anyway, it's better to let the taste speak for itself."
"Yes, yes, maybe it tastes good." Asuna persuaded herself.
Then, four monotonous eating sounds were heard in the creepy shop.
An unusually dry Buddhist breeze blew through the door curtain, and some unknown birds chirped in the sky.
A few minutes later--
Heathcliff stared at the Chinese characters on the bottom of the bowl and said, "This is not ramen, absolutely not."
"Yeah, I think so too."
Xiaolin touched his mouth.
Then, Heathcliff put down his bowl and chopsticks and said, "Based on the current information, I can't judge what happened, but I can say that... the only absolutely reliable clues in this incident are the first-hand information you have seen and heard with your own eyes and ears."
"what does that mean?"
"What I mean is... everything you see and hear in Aincrad is a digital file that can be converted into program code. There is no possibility of so-called hallucinations or auditory hallucinations. On the contrary, various information that is not a digital file usually carries the possibility of fantasy or deception. If you want to track this incident, you can only trust your own eyes and ears, in short, get the file directly from your own brain. And thank you for your hospitality."
Heathcliff thanked him, and Xiaolin waved his hand and watched him turn and leave.
As he walked out, Kobayashi heard him murmur, "Why does a store like this exist?" He seemed to be a little bit unacceptable.
Kobayashi shook his head and laughed.
When Heathcliff disappeared as if melting into the maze-like streets, Kirito and Asuna looked at Kobayashi at the same time.
"Did you understand what I just said, Xiaolin?"
"Ah."
Xiaolin nodded.
Kirito's eyes lit up.
As expected of a vice-leader of the Axis Cult who could be ranked alongside Heathcliff, he could understand such a profound answer.
"That……"
"Sure enough, what was served just now was Tokyo-style ramen without soy sauce, so it had that half-baked taste."
"……what?"
"I've decided. When we get back, I'll ask Sato Kazuma to make soy sauce. Otherwise, this feeling of being unsatisfied will never go away."
"No, no, no, that's not what I'm asking."
Kirito couldn't help but complain.
(End of this chapter)