Chapter 291: Big Fish (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 291: Big Fish (3)
Funnily enough, this was how all human relationships worked. Most of the time, the more desperate side became the side at a greater disadvantage in any given interaction, just like right now.
"One more cup."
"Ah, here you go."
"Haaah..." I drank another glass of lemon-lime soda. The old man looked like he wanted to stop me and finish the conversation now, but not a chance. "Can I have some cola too?"
"Haha, I guess you really miss your home."
"Haaah...!" Yeah, this was the stuff. My whole body shivered at the refreshing sensation of carbonic acid, a sensation I hadn't gotten to experience in so long. However, I decided to stop my drink-based power trip here.
Since he knows what these sodas are, I guess he really has been to our world. But then, how did he cross over? I'm sure he hasn't opened the Gate of the Abyss...
Many questions swirled through my head.
If I can figure out how he does it, can I go home without having to climb the floors?
Of course, it was just a thought. I wasn't that desperate for it to work. To be honest, my biggest concern these days was whether I really needed to go back or not. I had already adapted to life here very well. It was an uncomfortable world in some ways, there was no doubt about that, but it was a good enough place to live. Yeah, even without soda.
"Haha, seeing you so happy puts me in a good mood too. How about it, would you like another?"
"No, that's enough for now."
"Really?" Auril cocked his head and then asked me the same question he did earlier.
"I'm sure it was my turn?"
When I rebuked him, Auril cleared his throat. "Ahem, ah, sorry. I got ahead of myself. As you said, it is your turn this time. Ask me anything."
Are you joking? You haven't actually answered any of my questions.
"The questions end here," I said firmly.
"Huh?"
What do you mean 'huh'? You really have no shame.
"Is there any reason to go on? I can't even discern whether what you say is true or not."
When I criticized how shady it was of him to run a lie detector behind the scenes, the old man protested like I was the one being unfair. "But I have not told any lies!"
Yeah, I'm sure, because you didn't tell me anything important.
Actually, the fact that he didn't was what gave me faith that he hadn't lied to me.
"It's true that this is unfair, though." All this old man had to do was change the subject when he wanted to avoid a topic, but I couldn't even hold my tongue without giving something away. "...What can I do?"
Hmm, I don't know.
I pretended to think it over and waited until the exact right moment to open my mouth. "How about I get to ask ten questions for every one of yours?"
"What?" the old man said, clearly aghast.
Hmm, was that a bit harsh? I hurriedly whipped out the excuse I'd prepared. "I'm already taking a great risk by talking to you."
"Risk?"
"Since I don't know how this will change the future." That line simultaneously reminded him of the amount of risk I was taking on right now and how valuable information from twenty years in the future was.
"What? Hahaha!" Auril burst into laughter as if I'd just told him a genuinely hilarious joke. The laugh was so joyful that it pissed me off. I wasn't trying to be funny.
"Ah, sorry for laughing out of nowhere." When I glared at the laughing old man, he coughed and reigned in his expression. "It's just that I hadn't even thought of that. Of course, it would be natural for you to assume something like that... But the Fragment of Records Stone cannot change anything."
That was the reason he'd laughed at my statement.
I experienced a temporary mental blue screen. But even after I rebooted my brain and tried to process what he'd just said, I still couldn't understand it. So I asked outright. "What do you mean it can't change anything?"
"Oh, is that your question?"
I felt both speechless and out of breath.
Just when I was getting desperate for another sip of lemon-lime soda, Auril laughed in amusement and provided an answer to my question. "Haha, that was a joke. Since explaining the concepts of time and cause and effect to you would be too complicated, here's what you need to know. It doesn't matter whether the chicken or the egg came first. The universe only has one single history regardless."
History of the universe or whatever... I still didn't get it. But while I may not have understood the theory behind it, I got the gist of what he was trying to say. "Whatever I do here, it won't change the future?"
"That's right. A timeline once observed cannot be changed."
"Simpler."
"That means that whatever you do for whatever reason, whatever conversation we have here and now, has already happened in the future you're from."
Understanding and accepting were two different things. I got the theory he was operating under, but... then what about Dwalkie? The letters I left in the holy land? In the end, nothing would change no matter what I did.
No way.
I decided to carefully hear the old man out, but not to trust him too much. Even an old man like him couldn't know everything. He didn't even know I was the only person to clear the game on the original setting.
"Looks like you don't believe me. Well, you'll find out once you finish everything you have to do here and get back to your present. What it means to answer the call of the times." Then Auril changed the subject and returned to our original topic of conversation. "So, in terms of fairness... Ten is absurd. How about three?"
Geez, badgering me right when I was overwhelmed. I set the whole "history of the universe" thing aside for now and focused on the negotiation. "Three is too little. Maybe five."
"...Have you no conscience? Although information from twenty years from now is valuable, the things I know aren't inferior either." Auril frowned like I was hurting his pride.
Well, it wasn't that I couldn't understand where he was coming from. If you asked a hundred players from Earth, every single one of them would be interested in the information Auril had and would think it was more valuable than any they could offer.
"If you really think that, then you don't have to agree." However, the value of water was dependent on the environment you were in. A handful of water was more precious to someone dying of thirst than a hundred pounds of gold. "The questions are five to one. Take it or leave it." I presented my final offer on cue.
Which was when something happened.
"These damned bastards..." The old man's expression suddenly hardened. For a moment, I was terrified I may have crossed the line. Thankfully, though, it seemed I wasn't the cause of his anger. "Oh, sorry. I wasn't talking to you. It's just that those people from earlier broke the rules again," the old man continued, looking concerned about me misconstruing his expression. "Looks like I should leave for today. Why don't we continue this conversation next month? I will think about the issue of fairness in the meantime."
"What? Hahaha!" Auril burst into laughter as if I'd just told him a genuinely hilarious joke. The laugh was so joyful that it pissed me off. I wasn't trying to be funny.
"Ah, sorry for laughing out of nowhere." When I glared at the laughing old man, he coughed and reigned in his expression. "It's just that I hadn't even thought of that. Of course, it would be natural for you to assume something like that... But the Fragment of Records Stone cannot change anything."
That was the reason he'd laughed at my statement.
I experienced a temporary mental blue screen. But even after I rebooted my brain and tried to process what he'd just said, I still couldn't understand it. So I asked outright. "What do you mean it can't change anything?"
"Oh, is that your question?"
I felt both speechless and out of breath.
Just when I was getting desperate for another sip of lemon-lime soda, Auril laughed in amusement and provided an answer to my question. "Haha, that was a joke. Since explaining the concepts of time and cause and effect to you would be too complicated, here's what you need to know. It doesn't matter whether the chicken or the egg came first. The universe only has one single history regardless."
History of the universe or whatever... I still didn't get it. But while I may not have understood the theory behind it, I got the gist of what he was trying to say. "Whatever I do here, it won't change the future?"
"That's right. A timeline once observed cannot be changed."
"Simpler."
"That means that whatever you do for whatever reason, whatever conversation we have here and now, has already happened in the future you're from."
Understanding and accepting were two different things. I got the theory he was operating under, but... then what about Dwalkie? The letters I left in the holy land? In the end, nothing would change no matter what I did.
No way.
I decided to carefully hear the old man out, but not to trust him too much. Even an old man like him couldn't know everything. He didn't even know I was the only person to clear the game on the original setting.
"Looks like you don't believe me. Well, you'll find out once you finish everything you have to do here and get back to your present. What it means to answer the call of the times." Then Auril changed the subject and returned to our original topic of conversation. "So, in terms of fairness... Ten is absurd. How about three?"
Geez, badgering me right when I was overwhelmed. I set the whole "history of the universe" thing aside for now and focused on the negotiation. "Three is too little. Maybe five."
"...Have you no conscience? Although information from twenty years from now is valuable, the things I know aren't inferior either." Auril frowned like I was hurting his pride.
Well, it wasn't that I couldn't understand where he was coming from. If you asked a hundred players from Earth, every single one of them would be interested in the information Auril had and would think it was more valuable than any they could offer.
"If you really think that, then you don't have to agree." However, the value of water was dependent on the environment you were in. A handful of water was more precious to someone dying of thirst than a hundred pounds of gold. "The questions are five to one. Take it or leave it." I presented my final offer on cue.
Which was when something happened.
"These damned bastards..." The old man's expression suddenly hardened. For a moment, I was terrified I may have crossed the line. Thankfully, though, it seemed I wasn't the cause of his anger. "Oh, sorry. I wasn't talking to you. It's just that those people from earlier broke the rules again," the old man continued, looking concerned about me misconstruing his expression. "Looks like I should leave for today. Why don't we continue this conversation next month? I will think about the issue of fairness in the meantime."
Although this was sudden, I didn't let my disappointment show. The moment I gave away my true feelings, the terms of the negotiation we were about to conclude would go down the drain. "Fine." I nodded like I was in no rush at all, and in response he waved his hand.
"...I'm back."
When I came to, I was lying on my bed at the inn. It was midnight on the 15th. I headed back to bed after checking the time. Of course, sleep did not come easily to me. Countless thoughts, worries, and anxieties passed through my mind in a chaotic whirlwind. Regardless, morning came like it always did.
"...Nothing changes."
As soon as the day dawned, I got dressed and headed to the library. The fact that the future wouldn't change after this anyway? That no matter what I did, it would be meaningless because it had all already happened? So what? That couldn't become an excuse to do nothing, because there was a possibility Auril was wrong. If I did nothing, that just meant that the possibility would really become zero.
She's not here today.
I stopped by the library with that thought in mind, but Raven was nowhere to be seen. Where did that little kid go? Did she get a beating for shocking people with electricity while I was gone?
She didn't come after all.
I even waited until the time Raven usually headed home but she didn't show up. The next day was more of the same.
...Jeez, this is worrying me.
Although I was beginning to regret not finding out where her house was, I continued to visit the library. It wasn't until what looked like another unsuccessful day that Raven appeared.
"Why weren't you here?"
"I had something to take care of. You?"
"Just 'cause," Raven blatantly lied, sat down, and started reading a book.
But what was this now? "Why do you keep turning your head away?"
"I didn't turn my head."
You're turning it now too. And your hair is suspiciously messy.
"Come here."
"No."
"Then I'll come to you." I stomped over and brushed Raven's bangs to the side. When I saw what was underneath, I barely managed to keep my cool.
So, this is what you were trying to hide.
There was a large bruise around Raven's eye.
"Who was it?"
"...It's none of your business."
Ha, how was I going to get her to cough it up?
As I sighed and contemplated how to handle this, Raven carefully studied my reaction. "...Don't worry about it," she said, her voice low and consoling. "My mom just caught me coming home late from the library."
The explanation left a bad taste in my mouth. Even setting aside the fact that this little kid had been beaten by her mother, this was also a kid who never failed to head home right on time.
Got home late, huh? Why?
"Were you late because you were waiting for me?"
Raven kept quiet, and her silence spoke volumes. A beat later, she said, "No."
It's already too late for that, kid.
"Enough about me. Tell me about the labyrinth. You didn't finish your story last time."
"...How far was I?"
"Doppelganger Forest. You said that Doppelgangers specialize in playing dead. But that's not very interesting, so tell me something else."
I told Raven about the labyrinth as she asked, pretending everything was fine until the time came for her to go home.
"I'm leaving now."
"Sure."
"Are you... coming tomorrow?"
"If I don't have anything going on."
Once she had my answer, Raven hurriedly left the library. I left, too.
Should I follow her?
I began to follow Raven. I wanted to avoid sticking my nose in someone else's family affairs wherever possible, but...
It's not like she did something worth getting hit for.
This had gone a little too far.
Although this was sudden, I didn't let my disappointment show. The moment I gave away my true feelings, the terms of the negotiation we were about to conclude would go down the drain. "Fine." I nodded like I was in no rush at all, and in response he waved his hand.
"...I'm back."
When I came to, I was lying on my bed at the inn. It was midnight on the 15th. I headed back to bed after checking the time. Of course, sleep did not come easily to me. Countless thoughts, worries, and anxieties passed through my mind in a chaotic whirlwind. Regardless, morning came like it always did.
"...Nothing changes."
As soon as the day dawned, I got dressed and headed to the library. The fact that the future wouldn't change after this anyway? That no matter what I did, it would be meaningless because it had all already happened? So what? That couldn't become an excuse to do nothing, because there was a possibility Auril was wrong. If I did nothing, that just meant that the possibility would really become zero.
She's not here today.
I stopped by the library with that thought in mind, but Raven was nowhere to be seen. Where did that little kid go? Did she get a beating for shocking people with electricity while I was gone?
She didn't come after all.
I even waited until the time Raven usually headed home but she didn't show up. The next day was more of the same.
...Jeez, this is worrying me.
Although I was beginning to regret not finding out where her house was, I continued to visit the library. It wasn't until what looked like another unsuccessful day that Raven appeared.
"Why weren't you here?"
"I had something to take care of. You?"
"Just 'cause," Raven blatantly lied, sat down, and started reading a book.
But what was this now? "Why do you keep turning your head away?"
"I didn't turn my head."
You're turning it now too. And your hair is suspiciously messy.
"Come here."
"No."
"Then I'll come to you." I stomped over and brushed Raven's bangs to the side. When I saw what was underneath, I barely managed to keep my cool.
So, this is what you were trying to hide.
There was a large bruise around Raven's eye.
"Who was it?"
"...It's none of your business."
Ha, how was I going to get her to cough it up?
As I sighed and contemplated how to handle this, Raven carefully studied my reaction. "...Don't worry about it," she said, her voice low and consoling. "My mom just caught me coming home late from the library."
The explanation left a bad taste in my mouth. Even setting aside the fact that this little kid had been beaten by her mother, this was also a kid who never failed to head home right on time.
Got home late, huh? Why?
"Were you late because you were waiting for me?"
Raven kept quiet, and her silence spoke volumes. A beat later, she said, "No."
It's already too late for that, kid.
"Enough about me. Tell me about the labyrinth. You didn't finish your story last time."
"...How far was I?"
"Doppelganger Forest. You said that Doppelgangers specialize in playing dead. But that's not very interesting, so tell me something else."
I told Raven about the labyrinth as she asked, pretending everything was fine until the time came for her to go home.
"I'm leaving now."
"Sure."
"Are you... coming tomorrow?"
"If I don't have anything going on."
Once she had my answer, Raven hurriedly left the library. I left, too.
Should I follow her?
I began to follow Raven. I wanted to avoid sticking my nose in someone else's family affairs wherever possible, but...
It's not like she did something worth getting hit for.
This had gone a little too far.