135: Chapter 135 Attempt

[Character: Dean;

Recommended Heroic Spirit Type: Success in Youth;

No.1: USA, Favorability 41

No.2: Sakura Country, Favorability 38

...

No.4: Ottoman, Favorability 27

...

No.9: Dragon Country, Favorability 10]

A day passed, and the USA's favorability with the [Dean] rose from 32 to 41, while second-place Sakura Country's rose from 29 to 38. Every country gained favorability, except for Dragon Country, which remained at the 10 favorability points they had when they first met the [Dean].

As for the City Defense Army [Commander]'s favorability, Dragon Country's was even more eyesore:

[Character: Commander;

Recommended Heroic Spirit Type: Career Promotion;

No.1: Britain, Favorability 13;

No.2-8: USA, Sakura Country, Ottoman... Favorability 10;

No.9: Dragon Country, Favorability 0]

With both known compass NPCs, Dragon Country's favorability was at the rock bottom. The critical issue was that if they couldn't come up with a strategy, this situation would continue indefinitely.

The morning light outside the window was faint; a whole night had passed.

The four of them sat in a circle once more, each sharing the results of their night of contemplation.

Fan Ling was the first to speak,

"If you ask me, the best way to break this deadlock right now is to find the next NPC on the compass.

Every country has four Raiders, which is just enough people to handle tasks for two NPCs.

If there's one more, they will definitely end up neglecting one for the other.

If we find a new NPC that other countries haven't discovered, that's even better. We can decisively abandon the [Dean] and [Commander] tasks and focus entirely on the new one!"

He had the same thought as Chen Aoyun, but Zhao Hongxiu expressed a different opinion,

"We definitely need to look for the NPCs on the compass, but we can't put all our eggs in one basket.

What if we can't find one?

What if we find them too late, when other countries have already mostly completed the tasks for the [Dean] and [Commander], allowing them to dedicate all their energy to raiding the new NPC's tasks?

Or, what if other NPCs simply won't appear at all before the tasks for the [Dean] and [Commander] are completed?

We must look for new NPCs, but we cannot abandon the tasks for the [Dean] and [Commander]."

Her words brought the problem right back to square one.

It was precisely because they didn't know how to deal with being 'intercepted' that they had to pin their hopes on the next NPC.

Zhao Hongxiu hadn't come up with a countermeasure either, and she had no ideas herself, but she knew that giving up was the ultimate taboo in the Game of National Destiny.

Pulling out a pen and paper, Zhao Hongxiu sorted through all the details of the past two days, finally writing down two terms on the paper: 'Exclusive Skill' and 'Coins'.

"A single-use Heroic Spirit Exclusive Skill.

And the coins we can obtain after resolving 'injustices'.

These are the only two known tools available to us.

Since focusing solely on avoiding being 'intercepted' yields no answers, why don't we try shifting our thinking to how we can apply these two tools?"

Zhao Hongxiu slid the paper with 'Exclusive Skill' and 'Coins' written on it over to Chen Aoyun. Only Chen Aoyun could make good use of these two sole tools.

Chen Aoyun only glanced at the words 'Exclusive Skill' and didn't look further.

Thanks to Sakura Country and the item [Optimal Choice], the Heroic Spirit available in Dragon Country's 'backstage' for the first act was Duke Xiao of Qin, [Ying Quliang].

[Ying Quliang] didn't have many well-known historical anecdotes.

The only anecdote Chen Aoyun could think of for [Ying Quliang] was 'historically, he supported Shang Yang's Legalist Reform'.

Should he construct this anecdote into the skill—[Legalist Reform]?

Chen Aoyun really couldn't think of how to construct the effect of [Legalist Reform] to help resolve their current predicament.

Shifting his gaze away from 'Exclusive Skill', Chen Aoyun's eyes lingered on the word 'Coins' for a long time.

Suddenly, an absurd yet incredibly logical idea struck him like a bolt of lightning through the darkness!

"Coins can strengthen civilization characteristics... and there is only fear in the 'Scar of Chaos'...

Hiss~

Wait! Actually, wait a minute!

Now that you've put these two words in front of me, a bold idea has really popped up in my mind!"

Suddenly rising from his chair, Chen Aoyun swept his gaze over Zhao Hongxiu and Xiao Zhenghong.

"Two questions:

First, how many coins do we have in total right now?

Second, in this anachronistic scenario world, are there any stores or malls in the city that sell cassette tapes or Walkmans?"

This massive leap in topic left all three of them stunned.

Not knowing what Chen Aoyun was up to, Zhao Hongxiu and Xiao Zhenghong pulled out all the coins they had earned over the past two days and placed them on the table.

"This is all the coins we have, forty in total.

As for the cassette tapes and Walkmans you asked about, would an MP3 music player work?"

Chen Aoyun: "Yes! Is that thing expensive? How many coins for one? It needs to have a recording function."

Since they hadn't asked about the price, none of them knew, so Chen Aoyun decided to take a trip himself.

"How about this, I'll make an attempt today.

I'll go buy an MP3 player, then head out of the city.

Zhao Hongxiu, Xiao Zhenghong, your tasks are the same as yesterday: search for target objectives in areas where criminals frequent, see if you can find any new compass NPCs, and handle some 'injustices' along the way.

As for Fan Ling, you won't be coming out of the city with me today. Aren't you on the [Path of the Artist]? Try using your abilities to see if you can set up a stall in the city to earn some coins.

If my attempt works, we might need a huge amount of coins later!"

Fan Ling patted his chest and said,

"I'm no good at fighting, but leave making money to me. You can put your mind completely at ease!

Although the [Path of the Artist] isn't as good as the [Path of the Entrepreneur] for raking in massive sums of wealth in scenario worlds, it actually has more of an advantage when it comes to earning quick, small amounts of cash. Just you wait. I'll earn some seed capital today, and within three days, I'll set up a shell company for you!"

Having assigned today's tasks, the four of them left the small inn separately.

Zhao Hongxiu and Xiao Zhenghong plunged into the city crowds just as before.

After splitting up with Chen Aoyun, the disguise of [Pseudo: White Clothes Crossing the River] on Fan Ling temporarily faded. Fortunately, he could disguise himself, though the effect was slightly worse. As long as he didn't get too close to other countries' Raiders, there was no danger.

As for Chen Aoyun, under the disguise of [Pseudo: White Clothes Crossing the River], he quickly arrived at a store specializing in audio equipment.

The store not only sold MP3 players but even had a professional recording studio.

However, a single MP3 player cost 30 coins, which was almost the same price as the phone Zhao Hongxiu had bought. It was indeed quite expensive.

After checking a few other stores, the prices were almost identical. Considering that the phone Zhao Hongxiu had bought was a basic 'elderly phone' with no features at all, 30 coins for an MP3 player fit the cost of living in this scenario world. Chen Aoyun could only pinch his nose and accept it.

Tearing open the packaging, Chen Aoyun found a quiet place, turned on the recording function, shouted a few lines, and then rushed out of the city at top speed.

The 'Scar of Chaos' outside the city was still there. After passing through the 'Scar of Chaos', Chen Aoyun wandered around for nearly two hours before finally finding a student trapped there.

The student was a girl with outstanding looks. Could she be the campus beauty senior mentioned by that extrovert back at the academy?

"Hello, I saw that you came out of that terrifying area. Could you help me..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Chen Aoyun shoved the MP3 player into the campus beauty senior's hands without a word.

Not only did he shove it to her, but Chen Aoyun even went so far as to put the earphones on her himself, leaving the campus beauty senior completely dazed for a moment.

Right at that moment, the hairs on Chen Aoyun's body stood on end once again. The 'interceptors' were coming!

Sensing the approach of Raiders from other countries, Chen Aoyun disappeared from the campus beauty senior's sight without even saying goodbye.

After handing over his only MP3 player, Chen Aoyun didn't rush back to the city but instead tried to continue wandering around the vicinity.

He wandered until the sun was about to set, and only then did he walk back toward the city.

"Escorting students... a student is like a bright beacon. As long as the distance isn't too far, they can be detected by the Raiders of other countries.

That's why I get intercepted every single time.

A student appears roughly every three hours, and escorting them takes about the same amount of time. Therefore, as long as two Raiders stay around here, they can cover almost all the students..."

Summarizing the patterns he had figured out today, Chen Aoyun returned to his room at the small inn before the sky grew completely dark.

Zhao Hongxiu and Xiao Zhenghong were already in the room, both looking rather grim. It was likely another fruitless day.

After a short while, Fan Ling also pushed open the door,

"I made some money, and as we discussed, I've invested all of it.

In two days, I'll be able to set up a shell company that will bring us a steady stream of money!"

After giving Fan Ling a thumbs-up, Chen Aoyun noticed everyone's eyes were fixed on him.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, he said,

"Don't worry. Once the clock strikes midnight, we'll know if my attempt was reliable or not!"

After asking the front desk of the small inn for some dinner and packing some dry flatbreads as rations for tomorrow, the four of them chewed on their food while waiting.

Finally, the clock on the wall pointed to twelve midnight.

The chimes rang out.

The information on the compass began to change.

[Character: Commander;

Recommended Heroic Spirit Type: Career Promotion;

No.1: Britain, Favorability 16;

No.2: USA, Favorability 13;

No.3-8: Sakura Country, Ottoman... Favorability 10;

No.9: Dragon Country, Favorability 0]

On the compass, Dragon Country's favorability with the [Commander] was still zero.

Looking at the changes in favorability with the [Dean].

[Character: Dean;

Recommended Heroic Spirit Type: Success in Youth;

No.1: USA, Favorability 50

No.2: Sakura Country, Favorability 46

...

No.4: Ottoman, Favorability 36

...

No.9: Dragon Country, Favorability 11]

The favorability went from 10 to 11 points!

It only increased by one point, which seemed insignificant, but it proved that the method Chen Aoyun had devised was correct!

"It worked!

It actually fucking worked!" Chen Aoyun himself found it hard to believe.

An hour ago.

In the hotel room where the Sakura Country Raiders were staying.

"Have there been no signs of the Dragon Country people these past few days?"

Saku Kenichi looked around at the Sakura Country Raiders, and everyone shook their heads.

"Strange. Even if the Dragon Country people are cautious, it's impossible for them to make absolutely no attempt to complete the tasks.

You haven't run into Dragon Country, and messages sent by other factions also say they haven't seen any Dragon Country people.

They haven't appeared to escort students outside the city.

Nor have they been seen in areas where criminals appear inside the city.

Just what are the Dragon Country people doing?"

High-tier [Roleplayer] Kayahara Ao sat with his legs crossed, completely dismissive of Dragon Country.

"In all these years of the Game of National Destiny, hasn't Dragon Country always been a cowardly country?

Don't take Dragon Country too seriously just because we suffered losses twice.

With me here, of course Dragon Country wouldn't dare show its face. If they do show up and run into me, I can wipe out the Dragon Country team single-handedly."

Setting aside the fact that Dragon Country's disappearance over the past two days seemed bizarre,

even if it were as Kayahara Ao said and he did encounter the Dragon Country team, Dragon Country still had one opportunity to use their Exclusive Skill. In Saku Kenichi's view, Kayahara Ao's claim that he could wipe out Dragon Country on his own was complete nonsense.

Saku Kenichi didn't want to pay heed to Kayahara Ao's arrogance, which relied on his status as a high-tier [Roleplayer]. Instead, he spoke to everyone present,

"The objective of the first act is still unclear.

The method of recommending Heroic Spirits also leaves a lot of room for maneuvering, which has allowed all countries to avoid consuming each other's resources, each carving out an area to complete tasks separately.

For both known compass NPCs, our Sakura Empire's rankings are near the top.

We will continue with this strategy. Do not actively provoke other countries, though Dragon Country is an exception."

Turning to look at Kayahara Ao, whom he didn't really want to deal with, Saku Kenichi used his authority as a [Strategist] to pressure him,

"Force Dragon Country to consume their backstage Heroic Spirit's Exclusive Skill. I will not deploy Sakura Country's backstage Heroic Spirits to support you.

Once Dragon Country's Exclusive Skill is consumed, they will completely lose their trump card in combat. That is the only thing you need to do when you encounter the Dragon Country people!

The Game of National Destiny is undergoing changes. Once this game ends, the Empire will take major action against Dragon Country!

We cannot allow Dragon Country to seize even a single grain of national destiny!

Every bit of national destiny Dragon Country gains will make the Empire's subsequent 'major action' against them that much harder.

Raiding this Game of National Destiny can be placed second in priority; the number one objective must be to prevent Dragon Country from reaching the top three!

You should have been told how high-level this order is before the Game of National Destiny began!

If any accidents occur because of you, you know the consequences!"

Kayahara Ao sneered,

"Look how terrified of Dragon Country you are.

Dragon Country is at the bottom for both currently known compass NPCs.

This shows that even with an extra [Strategist], Chen Aoyun, Dragon Country hasn't fundamentally changed; they are still bottom-tier trash.

Such garbage doesn't deserve special treatment in my eyes.

Why don't you hand over the [Strategist] authority to me?

You might suffer losses against Dragon Country, but I certainly won't when dealing with such a garbage country!"

Whether Dragon Country was truly garbage was evident from the fact that Saku Kenichi had not been stripped of his [Strategist] status even after suffering losses at their hands twice.

Kayahara Ao's words made Saku Kenichi highly dissatisfied—not because the other party coveted his [Strategist] authority, but because of his attitude of underestimating Dragon Country.

Just as he was about to issue a few more stern orders to Kayahara Ao, the clock on the wall happened to point to twelve midnight.

Saku Kenichi swallowed the words he had planned to say to Kayahara Ao and checked the changes in favorability on the compass.

The rankings for the two NPCs.

Sakura Country was still near the top, which was good.

Dragon Country was still at the bottom, which was also good.

Just as Saku Kenichi was about to shift his focus away from the compass, a subtle change in Dragon Country's favorability with the [Dean] caught his attention.

"Dragon Country's favorability with the [Dean] increased by one point?"

Saku Kenichi was slightly taken aback. Successfully escorting a student would increase favorability by 3 points. A student couldn't possibly be chopped into pieces and escorted, so where did this single-point increase in Dragon Country's favorability come from?

Vaguely, Saku Kenichi had a bad premonition.

"Could it be that Dragon Country's lack of action for two consecutive days really resulted in some unexpected development?"

Sitting with his legs crossed, Kayahara Ao lit a cigar for himself. "Making a mountain out of a molehill. It's being live-streamed! It's just a single point of favorability, what are you getting so worked up about? You're really fucking embarrassing the Empire!"