Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes.

Chapter 310, Section 57: Initial Objectives

[New games updated monthly]

[Anatoming Britannia (Cooperation, Reality): Erudition, handsomeness, freedom, health, wealth, love, nobility. Why can't I possess one of these? Why do those who possess them not know how to cherish them?]

[Size: Medium]

[Difficulty: Difficult]

[Additional number of supported players: 0]

This game takes place in reality; please play and attempt to complete it in real life.

Players can use 3 play attempts per day to exchange for 1 exclusive possession paper doll. The paper doll will self-destruct after the game ends.

Before the game ends, each player will receive a Mercy Crystal in their system inventory. Each use of the Mercy Crystal will teleport the player to a location in England, and subsequent use will return the player to their original location. Cooldown time: 12 hours.

This game requires teamwork to break through the multiple rituals set up by "*****" in Britain and eliminate them. All player performances will be scored cumulatively.

In the game, there are key nodes that can be activated using Mercy Crystals. Successfully activating them at the correct time and place will grant you key information about the ritual ahead of time. Note: Most nodes can only be activated once.

[Countdown to the start of the first round of ceremonies: 72:00:00]

Since the update, these newly updated games have become increasingly fond of using fancy tricks.

In fact, Shin Higashiyama still prefers the old game style. He plans to use the 'Game Type Designation Card' he received as a reward in the next round. He has already decided on the type: real-time strategy.

That's about all the card is good for anyway.

"Because this game is played in real time and requires the player's abilities, it's not open to newbies to avoid them dying right away," Higashiyama Shin said thoughtfully.

"Difficult, medium-sized projects, can they handle them?"

The last Yellow Springs Pact was of the same scale and difficulty. Even with the option to repeat the trial and error, they still couldn't achieve a perfect victory. The real-world disaster was insurmountable despite their best efforts, and he had to step in and put on a show.

Of course, the game system may have taken this into account, so the difficulty level is based on a low margin for error.

However, it is equally difficult. If this game is like the Pact of the Underworld, and no player gets the perfect reward, he probably won't be able to unlock the platinum reward.

However, he certainly wouldn't stand idly by and watch this happen.

Sigh, you guys are really going to great lengths to help players grow. If you don't work hard, I'll have to earn my platinum trophy myself.

After carefully reading through the rules, Higashiyama Shin understood the key information for this round of the game.

The information received by the player is different from his/hers. For example, the difficulty level is not displayed. Only the game name, introduction and a part of the description are displayed.

Higashiyama Shin looked at the extra crystal in his backpack; it was completely transparent.

【Merciful Crystal - Lord】

[Effect 1: Fixed teleportation nodes rotate, with a 12-hour cooldown]

[Effect 2: Activate the illusion node]

[Effect 3: Nine players simultaneously voluntarily shatter their own crystals, each losing nine years of their lifespan, and are provided with a certain degree of safety and protection within the circle of nine crystals.]

Sacrificing your own lifespan to protect others? Gathering nine players is a big problem.

Furthermore, it's unknown how much of the player performance score will be based on rescuing people.

If the effort and reward are disproportionate, not many players will be willing to do it.

Nobita, Hayato, Ludu, Oshima, and Taki are likely to be willing, Uesugi and Wada will consider it more, and the others will depend on the benefits.

Inside the player lobby, everyone was carefully reading the rules of the new game, trying to glean useful information from them.

"It's obvious that this game still requires our cooperation, and even more thoroughly than Silver Cup Manor, with almost no restrictions," Nobi spoke first. "The only thing that could affect our cooperation is our performance rating, but our willingness to share information is itself a performance, don't you think?"

Iwasaki remained noncommittal, taking the crystal out of his backpack and examining it closely.

Uesugi nodded in agreement; this was precisely what she excelled at, and probably the greatest contribution she could make.

However, since she could exchange game opportunities for possession paper dolls, she wasn't so afraid to even send out her clones.

Takii closed the virtual screen and focused her gaze on Iwasaki's group:
"This game will bring disaster directly to the UK, which means we will have fewer opportunities to try and make mistakes than ever before. But I know that it is impossible for us to cooperate perfectly from the beginning. There will always be people who are unwilling to give up, who want to get the highest performance score, who will hide some key information, or even cause trouble in secret."

As she said this, she glanced at Ethan almost imperceptibly.

“I suggest we act separately. Our players’ association shares information, and if you are willing to show full cooperation, we are also willing to share information with each other.”

After she finished speaking, she just stared at Iwasaki.

Instead of getting bogged down in ambiguity and wasting energy on internal strife, it's better to be upfront and make everything clear.

As she said at the beginning, this round of the game doesn't offer them many opportunities to try and make mistakes, and it could even be life-threatening. They can't repeat the mistakes of Silver Cup Manor.

Iwasaki listened silently and did not immediately object to Taki's suggestion of complete sharing.

The previous game also emphasized the importance of cooperation, but due to Ethan and Arthur's sabotage, a lot of time was wasted.

So this time
“Okay, I’ll cooperate.” Iwasaki put away the crystal and replied.

His answer surprised most people.

Nobita's eyes widened beneath his helmet. Was this really Iwasaki? Had he been possessed by someone?
Most of the others shared this view: Iwasaki's usual behavior was hardly friendly; he was rather domineering and profit-driven.

But now, in a statement with a rather unfriendly tone, Takii expresses a willingness to cooperate and fully share information?

Takii was not surprised.

Based on the time she's spent with Iwasaki, she's learned that he doesn't dislike cooperation, but he dislikes cooperation that doesn't bring any benefits.

Moreover, completing the game is a very high priority for him.

It was because she had these confidences that she was able to speak those words to the other party so directly.

The only one present who might have felt uneasy was Ethan.

His heart sank. Looking around the mutual aid association, no one seemed to have any objection to what Takii had said, and judging from their behavior, it didn't seem like they had communicated in private messages beforehand.

This is troublesome. It means that the control of the mutual aid association is unknowingly shifting towards Muramasa Taki, and what's more troublesome is that Nobi is completely unaware of it—or rather, he is aware of it but is willing to accept it.

Compared to Taki, Nobi is obviously easier to approach.

Nobita still retains some of his indecisiveness, but Taki is the kind of person who would rather make a mistake than not make one, and is willing to make amends later.

All I can say is that it's very similar to her fighting style.

"Well then, I wish us a pleasant cooperation in advance."

Taki was ruthless to himself, and he truly didn't let the hatred of losing the cup interfere with his official duties.

"Let's go to the meeting room." Nobi glanced at the private message Takii had just sent, then looked at Ethan, Arthur, and Park Min-woo, and nodded slightly. Most of the players got up and headed towards the Mutual Aid Association's private meeting room.

Hayato and Oshima gave Ethan a strange look, opened their mouths, but ultimately said nothing and got up with the rest of the group.

Halfway there, Lu Du curiously glanced back at the three people remaining at the round table, then leaned over to Yui and asked her something. He seemed to have received some kind of answer, nodding his head as if he had "suddenly realized something but actually didn't understand anything."

Ethan watched them leave, never seeking cooperation like Iwasaki had, because he knew that would only bring him humiliation, and Taki would never let him join.

The Mutual Aid Association had already guessed his and Arthur's underhanded tactics during their recap of Silver Cup Manor, which meant he had a history of sabotaging cooperation.

The things Park Min-woo did in the South were taboo for the Mutual Aid Association. He was even more ruthless than Iwasaki. At least Iwasaki would not target ordinary people who had not committed any obvious evil deeds on such a large scale.

The most I've ever done was at the Tokyo Shokonsha (a Japanese religious organization), but those people were mostly far-right, and none of those things were anthropomorphic.

More importantly, Iwasaki did indeed contribute significantly to the collaboration with Silver Cup Manor.

“It seems we’ve successfully isolated them,” Ethan laughed.

Arthur and Park Min-woo just looked at him without saying a word.

Very good, two incredibly tight-lipped people.

“In that case, we can only rely on ourselves.” Ethan put aside his emotions and began to analyze the clues.

In the conference room.

"Anatomising originates from the medical anatomical term anatomise, which was widely used metaphorically in the fields of political and social analysis in the 18th and 19th centuries to express the meaning of dissection."

"Britannia, as the classical name for England, can be traced back to Roman times and was gradually replaced in modern times."

"In other words, the dissection of Britain, placed after the 18th century, has two meanings: one is the physical dissection, and the other is the abstract dissection of things such as class and society."

What comes to mind for everyone?

The above information was definitely not something that Taki herself recalled.

Instead, Uesugi voluntarily quit the game, then searched for information in real life, sent it to her, and asked her to share it with everyone for discussion.

"When did anatomises first appear?" asked Oshima, whose English was only average.

"14th to 15th centuries."

In other words, the origin of this story can be traced back to the 14th century.

"Can a game name really dismantle so many clues?" In Hayato's eyes, this was practically a superpower.

We all have the same brain, so why do we seem to think completely differently?

Unlike him, who often finds pirated content when searching websites.

“The last game was called Silver Cup Manor, but the direct French translation is Silver Oak Plantation, which means the game's name does indeed contain clues,” Nobita explained to him.

Hayato asked in confusion, "Then what happened last time didn't seem to have anything to do with the Silver Oak, did it?"

Everyone fell silent.

It seems that's true; even now, no one knows what the silver oak tree actually represents.

But you shouldn't say it so directly!
"Although we can get direct support from the authorities in many areas, I think we shouldn't rely entirely on the think tank." Taki temporarily skipped Hayato's questions and the game's name. "The game's introduction was very helpful last time, but this time it includes freedom, wealth, love, and seven other things. Combined with the explanation of the multiple rituals that follow, does this foreshadow seven disasters? What we need to do is destroy these seven rituals?"

“Jealousy,” Tian suddenly said.

Taki's gaze sharpened: "What do you mean?"

"What this statement reveals is nothing but jealousy and resentment."

"I envy those who possess qualities that I lack, I resent not having those qualities myself, and I also resent those who possess them for not appreciating them."

"Britain, anatomy, the 18th/19th century, jealousy. Can't you make that connection?"

Taki was a little uncertain: "Frankenstein?"

She was referring to the famous novel, *Frankenstein*.

The plot does indeed involve jealousy, and the book was written around the same time.

But it is, after all, a novel, while the games that have appeared in the past, although they contain a lot of fantasy content, have been verified to be a part of real history.

She felt that even the Bible was more credible than this kind of novel.

Although the legend of the Holy Grail Knights also comes from novels, at least the books were written early enough, and the stories described are set within history.

"Oh." Yui suddenly gave a blank "oh," "I know, you're talking about Jack the Ripper."

What the hell?
Takii Mita did not refute, and immediately fell into deep thought.

The general information about Jack the Ripper replayed in my mind.

A world-renowned serial killer who brutally murdered multiple prostitutes during the Victorian era, and whose case remains unsolved.

There were supposedly many people, but only five were actually discovered. Of course, there might be others who went undiscovered, but to put it bluntly, it seems petty.

"There's no evidence that he killed out of jealousy, right? And jealousy of a prostitute?"

Oshima asked hesitantly.

"Health. What if he's a terminally ill patient, while those who resign themselves to their fate still have health?" Yui replied with a strange, bright smile.

That's not entirely wrong, but it just sounds a bit morbid. So, Jack the Ripper was mentally ill?
Why does Yui seem to know so much about mental illness?

"At least we have some initial ideas, and there is quite a bit of information about Jack the Ripper. His historical activities took place in an area called Whitechapel. Perhaps we can try using crystals there to see if we can activate the key nodes mentioned in the game and get more clues."

Takii stopped dwelling on it and looked at Iwasaki, who had remained silent.

"I agree." Iwasaki finally spoke his first words after being looked at.

It seems like he mostly got something for free in this collaboration.

"If we confirm in Whitechapel that our target this time is indeed the Ripper, I will inform the authorities so that they can at least be prepared and minimize casualties."

No one objected to what Taki said. This kind of thing didn't take much effort from them, they could get help, and it might even improve their performance score, so why not?

But then I thought, England is the country where that classic play was born.
'First step, we declare that nothing has happened; second step' is the famous Humphrey four-step method.

It's unclear whether this four-step approach will still be effective in the face of extraordinary events.

Or at least it can demonstrate half the mobilization capacity of Japan and the United States.

(End of this chapter)