Infinite Journey: Dark Souls

"You bunch of bastards! Get back to me the intelligence right now!"

The commander's authority was once again maintained with a shrewish roar. The crowd swept up in the sound immediately dropped their boastful attitude. After a flurry of activity, they neatly put the intelligence that Yuri had compiled back on the desk.

"Well done, men. You defeated the angel honorably. Looks like you deserve a reward."

With his arms crossed and leaning back in the wide chair, his legs crossed and propped up on the desk, the leader exuded the air of a yakuza boss, enjoying a massage from Asahina's mascot while instructing his underlings.

"Not at all, not at all. It is our honor to have helped Lady Yuriko gain an advantage in the battle against the angels."

The younger brothers sat upright, bowed slightly, and humbly expressed their loyalty.

"Very good, very conscientious. It seems that the greatest reward for a loyal subordinate can only be another arduous operation. No problem, I just happen to have prepared such an operation. Operation name: 'Angel's Fall', Operation objective: to pull the angel down from the student council president's throne, Operation plan: to make the angel completely fail the exam tomorrow!"

"Huh? Why is the reward combat?"

"What happened to the big gift package that Yuriko was supposed to give you?"

"Tempura! Tempura! Tempura!"

"Extremely superficial!"

SSS is not a yakuza organization after all, and the oddballs and idiots don't have the awareness to be underlings. After yet another action plan was announced, the members began their routine resistance again.

"To ensure you have enough energy for the upcoming battles, I will have the logistics department provide you with unlimited meal tickets for the next two days."

"Does that include tempura?" ×n

"Including tempura."

"It is our duty to go through fire and water for our commander! Please await good news, commander!" ×n

The prosperity of the world is for profit; the hustle and bustle of the world is for profit.

It seems that this rule applies to all worlds as well, and the Ashes who have been observing the SSS group's interactions have come to this conclusion.

"That's settled then, go and enjoy your tempura."

"Oh—!" ×n

With a wave of his hand, the gang leader sent his underlings rushing toward the cafeteria with even more excitement than when they had entered.

Only the helpless newcomer and Hinata, who glanced at the ashes left behind with a complicated expression, consciously closed the principal's office door.

The two hung at the very back of the line and slowly walked toward the cafeteria.

————————————————————————————————————————

The principal's office was cleared out again, leaving only the commander and Ashes behind.

The atmosphere remained silent as always.

"I didn't expect you guys would have the time to participate in a baseball game."

The group leader, exhausted from a long afternoon, expressed his indignation towards the allies.

"It wasn't just that we participated in the competition; we also found some clues."

"Oh? I hope you can tell me some good news."

"Well, it's hard to say whether it's good news or not, but we've discovered some problems with the student council members."

The subtle keyword "student council" made the group leader abandon his nonchalant sitting posture and adopt a serious stance with his hands supporting his chin.

What exactly is the problem?

"Their physical abilities have clearly been enhanced in some way."

"Enhancement... Are you sure it wasn't the angels who shared 'Angel Player' with them?"

Zhi did not participate in the invasion of the angelic realm. This information was given to her by Xiaoyan. At that time, Xiaoyan was concerned about the information about the gods. After discovering that the power of the angels did not come from the gods, she did not pay attention to the program itself. Therefore, it was only after recalling and comparing that the two ashes answered.

"No, when they exhibited extraordinary physical abilities, there was no binary program reconfiguration effect."

"I see. It seems my next plan was timely. Maybe after we bring Angel down, these guys who seized the student council will make some new moves and then slip up."

Having shared the clues about the Ashen Ones, it's now her turn.

She organized the documents on the table, distributed them to Ash, and then began to explain the abnormal disappearance of the group members.

PS1: Thanks to reader 【水煮灬沉浮丶】 for the monthly ticket~

Intermittent dialogue between eighteen time travelers and natives

"I'm actually very curious, what exactly is the purpose of that infiltrator doing this? Is it simply to make us disappear? Or is it, as you explained, like the Dark Spirits, to collect our tongues and hand them over to some goddess?"

Yuri explained the unexplained disappearance of the group members to the two Ashes, and then raised her own questions. According to the Ashes, it was because Asahina had been staying in their world that the Dark Spirits invaded. The Dark Spirits' behavior was easy to explain; they could confirm that he was frantically collecting tongues.

So what about that Lurker, the one whose existence was inferred by the Ashes and confirmed by the leader? What is it up to? Its behavior is completely different from that of the Dark Spirits. It never shows itself to kill, but silently lurks behind the scenes, giving its targets the characteristics of Ashes, and then making them disappear one by one.

This was clearly not about collecting tongues; they didn't even know if the creature that was supposed to be ash had invaded in the form of a dark spirit.

"To be honest, we can't guess what that guy's purpose is either."

"Aren't you the same kind of people? Judging others by your own standards, what would you want to gain from our world?"

"Gather information about God."

"Spreading the sun's brilliance."

Faced with the Ashes' instant answer, Yuri slapped herself in the face. It seemed she had overlooked the fact that the two Ashes in front of her were probably the odd ones out among the Ashes.

"Um, we should add one more thing: the Survey Corps' request."

Well, thinking about it seriously, these two are probably really oddballs among the ashes. Not only do they not properly complete the Heartfire Trial, but they also don't properly explore the secrets of the Flame. They run away from home every few days, and even forget about the tasks assigned by the organization.

"By the way, speaking of the Survey Corps, our organization has an adversary. So if the infiltrators are from an enemy organization, we might be able to deduce the enemy organization's objectives by looking at the Survey Corps' missions."

Zhi tapped her palm, changed her starting point of thinking, and suggested that she consider the other party as an equal organization.

"The task assigned to us by the Survey Corps is to explore the world clearly, including its culture, technology, worldview, and a whole host of other things, and then write a report and submit it."

Xiaoyan recounted the mission information given to them by the captain who came in a hurry, left the mission behind, and then left.

"Hey, are you some kind of immigration inspection team? Or colonists preparing to invade? Why do I get this feeling of the Age of Exploration, when natives faced the Spanish?"

Upon hearing the keywords in the Ashes quest, Yuri instinctively made a sarcastic remark, but what she said stunned everyone.

They also realized that when Ash revealed the Survey Corps' purpose, the negotiations had now become a direct dialogue between the Farron Guard and the Afterlife Front. To put it more seriously, this could probably be considered a diplomatic act, and as Yuri described it, it was diplomacy between natives and time travelers.

This change in understanding left the one dead and the three ashes somewhat bewildered, especially the ashes. They had a very strong sense of individuality but had no sense of belonging to the organization, and had never even been to the organization's headquarters. Suddenly being asked to represent an organization, or even a race, in diplomatic operations, they had no idea what attitude to take.

Wait, what did they talk about last time?

It seems that they still told Yuri about the Ashes and Dark Spirits from the perspective of their three-person team, while emphasizing that they came to this world to help Asahina drive away the Dark Spirits. However, they did not bring up the role of the Survey Corps at all, and only considered their own needs.

The question now is, what is the attitude of the Survey Corps, or rather the Farron Guard, towards the natives of other parts of the world?

I have absolutely no idea!

Ultimately, their predecessors were still feeling their way forward regarding the goal of "building an alien ash society." They probably hadn't even considered what their needs were for other worlds before sending them over to explore the path.

Is this tantamount to letting them do whatever they want...?

"I always felt that your organization was just as unreliable as you people—it seems I need to redefine your nature. You're not just chasing after the Dark Spirits, like international police; rather, to some extent, you're like the Dark Spirits, bad guys coveting some of our resources. Don't you think so, Miss Ash, who looted a bunch of our weapons?"

As a leader, Yuri was better suited to dialogues between interest groups. She immediately adjusted her role, seizing the opportunity with a touch of sarcasm, and took control of the conversation.

The two Ashes realized they had let something slip. If they only considered their attitude towards the Dark Spirits, the three of them were naturally Yuri's allies. However, when their stance was elevated to the level of the Survey Corps, their target was very likely to provoke the natives' dissatisfaction. To put it bluntly, they were intelligence agents who had illegally entered the country, and naturally they would not be welcomed.

So, to what extent do they need to go? To achieve their personal goals? To achieve the team's goals? To achieve the organization's goals? These intertwined factors force the Ashes to make a choice: what did they come into this world want to gain?

Only by making this decision can they determine their stance and how to proceed in this afterlife.

Without a doubt, Xiaoyan's top priority is finding a way to save the gods. So, if we remove the emotional component and analyze it purely rationally, as long as the other items serve her ultimate goal, they all need to be achieved.

The team's objective is to help Asahina exorcise the dark spirits. From the most pragmatic perspective, gaining Asahina's trust could potentially persuade her to open up her original world, which would be helpful to her personal goals and must be accomplished.

The organization's objectives now appear to go beyond simply investigating the afterlife. To achieve their goal perfectly, they need to find a way to reach a cooperation agreement with the Afterlife Front, since they let something slip, or at least prevent them from becoming hostile towards the organization. This is their current headache. However, once they achieve this, Captain Levi has promised to allow other Ashes to open the Intermittent and Original Worlds in the future, so she must also accomplish these tasks.

What about the other two? Xiao Yan glanced at her two companions.

Zhi laughed heartily, giving off an air of "Princess, do whatever you want."

Asahina looked bewildered, completely confused by their antics.

The decision was in her hands, and everything was clear. Just as the elders had always emphasized, once something was taken on, regardless of whether they were aware of it or not, the responsibility that came with it would fall on their shoulders.

They had no choice but to avoid the Survey Corps' duties.

Therefore, from now on, they must firmly label themselves as members of the Survey Corps and gradually get used to considering issues from the organization's perspective.

"Since we've come to this point, we have nothing to refute. Yes, in your eyes, we are in competition with the Dark Spirits and that lurking creature, and what we are competing for is the resources of your world. But it's clear from their actions that what they seek will cause your people to disappear continuously; while we simply hope to establish communication with you and discuss future cooperation in a more peaceful way."

With her stance and mindset adjusted, Xiao Yan immediately found her side's advantages and regained control of the negotiation.

Ultimately, based solely on the difference in combat power, they retain the possibility of directly overturning the table in this world. And no matter how much trouble the Ashes and Dark Spirits cause here, the only ones who will truly suffer losses are these dead boys and girls.

"Tch, you've switched roles so quickly? Why can't you be idiots with off-the-charts fighting skills?"

Yuri really didn't have many choices. She couldn't help but recall the words the Ashes had warned her about in a previous conversation.

The pursuit of the truth often leads to disastrous consequences.

Disaster has truly struck. Even if the Dark Spirit and the lurking forces behind him can be banished, it is foreseeable that the Ashen Ones will be entangled with this afterlife from now on. Perhaps from the moment Asahina's remains were thrown here, a new destiny was forcibly imposed upon them by a new god.

But if they don't investigate, the disaster will only continue to happen outside their sight, and one day it will eventually drag them in and tear them apart.

"The alliance we discussed earlier remains in effect. As for your organization's demands, let's discuss them in detail after we've dealt with your rival organizations."

She leaned back in her chair, feeling somewhat exhausted, and realized that what she was doing was getting further and further away from the original intention of establishing the SSS group.

The operation of any world is independent of anyone's will.

There may be no gods in the afterlife, or there may be only one god in this vast world.

Otherwise, it would be truly incompetent for a god to be unable to protect even his own world, allowing it to be easily invaded by others.

"No problem, we'll prioritize expelling the Dark Spirits."

Having only just adjusted their stance, Homura was still concerned about Asahina's relationship with the SSS group; otherwise, with their superior combat strength, they could have fought for more for their organization.

It is still necessary for the Fran Guards to choose a proper approach to dealing with the native inhabitants of other parts of the world.

"We've settled our positions, so let's come back to the question we discussed at the beginning: what exactly does your opponent want to do?"