Heroes' Prison-Chapter 1486 - 1412: Sharp Sword’s Answers to Questions
In the blink of an eye, three days passed.
During these three days, players’ emotions gradually calmed down, and they began to strive to adapt to life in the Underworld.
In the Underworld, the sky is covered by thick, perpetual clouds, with no sunlight, moonlight, or brilliant starry sky. There is no day or night, and the world is essentially limited to three colors: black, white, and gray, which is very oppressive.
Many rules in the Underworld are also quite different from those in The Second World.
For example, in terms of equipment, gear from the Mortal Realm is almost useless in the Underworld. Even Finished Divine Artifacts are greatly affected, completely losing the status they should have.
However, similarly, there is equipment exclusive to the Underworld. Just like there are wild bosses in The Second World, there are corresponding wild bosses in the Underworld, and defeating them will cause corresponding equipment to drop. Huang Yi had verified this when he first discovered the Underworld.
In the Underworld, the vast majority of Heroic Spirits are unconscious, aimlessly drifting in the wilderness. Those souls that possess consciousness have either experienced a particular adventure or are indigenous to the Underworld. But such NPCs are very few, a mere drop in the ocean compared to the endless souls.
The differences in the Underworld are reflected in various big and small aspects. In short, players still need a long time to fully adapt.
That day, the world’s renowned Super-First Masters and the leaders of each major power gathered at the Oskan Royal Academy in the Underworld to participate in a meeting hosted by Dao Feng.
With ten minutes left before the meeting started, all parties had basically arrived, but the most important person, Sharp Sword, had not yet shown up.
They were located at the mountain gate of the Oskan Royal Academy, and down below was a long staircase, with statues standing in the middle, figures who made great contributions to the history of the Oskan Royal Academy.
The closest statue to them was that of the Deputy Dean—Divinr Marksman Ica.
"Since NPCs, after death, come to the Underworld, theoretically Divinr Marksman Ica’s soul should also be in the Underworld. I wonder if we can find it?" Suddenly, the super-first-class master Dante from the United States said.
"It would be difficult," the Pope shook his head, "When Heavenly Demon, Spirit Demon, and Blood Demon killed Divinr Marksman Ica, it’s unknown if they dealt with his soul. If they did, then he wouldn’t come to the Underworld. And even if he could come to the Underworld, do you think Sharp Sword would let go of such a quality soul? He’s been in the Underworld for so long; there’s no reason he wouldn’t utilize such high-quality souls."
"Countless people have died in history, and all their souls should come to the Underworld. It’s terrifying to think about how many powerful souls Sharp Sword might have collected!" Giant Bear clicked his tongue.
In their minds, the most terrifying person isn’t Spirit Demon, but rather Sharp Sword.
No matter how terrifying Spirit Demon is, they have an understanding, but the terror of Sharp Sword is entirely unknown to them.
As time ticked by, right at the scheduled meeting time, a figure suddenly flew from afar, carrying a long sword, emanating an aloof aura, with fierce eyebrows and starry eyes—it was Sharp Sword.
Sharp Sword quickly descended beside everyone, and when he landed, a gust of cold wind swept through, making everyone’s faces tingle.
"Sharp Sword, you really cut it close!" Dao Feng stepped forward with a smile.
"I originally didn’t want to come, but in the end, I decided to give it a look." As Sharp Sword said this, he glanced around at the crowd.
His gaze swept over the individuals one by one; these people were among the top-tier players worldwide, yet at this moment, in front of him, they seemed to be at a lower standing.
Ultimately, Sharp Sword’s gaze returned to Dao Feng, "I know each of you has many questions. You may each ask one question, but I do not guarantee I will answer them all, nor do I guarantee I will speak the truth; truth or not, you will have to guess."
"Then I’ll go first!" Kid stepped forward, inquiring, "The rules of the Underworld greatly differ from our original behaviors and habits. Since you can modify the rules of the Underworld system, can you alter them to be the same as The Second World? This way, it would be more convenient for us to live in the Underworld."
Sharp Sword shook his head heavily, "No! You should know, when God of Slaughter became the King of the World, he was only able to modify a portion of the rules in The Second World. It’s the same for me; there are many rules in the Underworld that I cannot touch at all. Actually, you are very fortunate; originally, after opening the Underworld, it would be like opening a whole new virtual world, and all players would revert to Level 1 in the Underworld Level and have to start leveling up again. Only by resurrecting back to the Mortal Realm could you restore your original level. However, I modified the rules so that the Underworld Level and the Mortal Realm Level share, saving you the time to relevel. Don’t be too greedy."
"Why did you open the Underworld right when Spirit Demon killed players worldwide? Is it because opening the Underworld required reaching certain conditions, or could you have opened it anytime and chose that moment on purpose?" Pharaoh asked.
Sharp Sword replied expressionlessly, "In truth, I could have opened the Underworld anytime but hadn’t because once opened, it would have unpredictable and significant impacts. But the emergence of God of Slaughter changed many things, forcing me to open the Underworld three days ago."
"It wasn’t because of Spirit Demon that you opened the Underworld? How does this relate to Brother Yi?" Qin Shiyu questioned hurriedly.
Sharp Sword looked at Qin Shiyu and, unusually, smiled, "Because your Brother Yi accelerated the progress of the plot. The virtual world is a precise and complex world, where everyone’s actions can directly or indirectly change the direction of the entire world. God of Slaughter repeatedly took some dangerous actions, leading the Demon Clan to hasten the destruction of The Second World. If God of Slaughter didn’t exist, I reckon that the Demon Clan would set the World-Ending Formation at least a year later. It’s precisely because God of Slaughter broke a certain threshold, causing the Demon Clan to perceive a threat, that they had to hasten the destruction process to preemptively eliminate this risk. So, on the surface, it appears that Spirit Demon caused the destruction of The Second World, but the fundamental reason lies with God of Slaughter. In other words, although God of Slaughter saved the world, his actions to save the world led it to destruct faster."
"Plot progress? How do you know the plot in advance? Otherwise, how would you know God of Slaughter accelerated the plot?" The Pope inquired, puzzled.
"I do know some future plot directions, because the data I’ve gathered, the places I’ve visited, the people I’ve encountered, and my adventures are beyond what you could imagine. I’ve even sneaked a peek at the ’Book of Fate’ in the Temple of Fate in the Heaven Realm, knowing the destiny of many future events. Of course, these so-called futures are the NPCs’ futures, as players’ actions are unpredictable, and players’ actions significantly alter the future. So, I only have a general prediction of future plots, not guaranteed accuracy. Such as with God of Slaughter’s character, so much destiny was altered, leading me to frequently make incorrect predictions. Whenever I face him, my feelings are complex. We have no grievances in essence, yet conflicts arose invisibly."
After Sharp Sword finished speaking, everyone began to ponder, and silence fell over the scene.
Then, Heavenly Dao rubbed his chin and fixed his eyes on Sharp Sword, asking, "I have a question that touches on your privacy. May I ask? It’s also the question Brother Yi most wanted to ask. Now that he’s not here, I want to ask on his behalf."
"Oh? God of Slaughter wanted to ask me a question?" Sharp Sword smiled with interest, "I can probably guess what it is, but I can’t guarantee I’ll answer it."
"What is your relationship with Era of Corporation?" Heavenly Dao finally asked.
This question was the one that everyone on the scene wanted to know. The rumors about Sharp Sword and Era of Corporation are well-known among all.
Back during the award ceremony of the martial arts competition, when Mr. Huang Huapeng, CEO of Era of Corporation, awarded the prizes, he merely shook hands with the competitors. However, when it came to Sharp Sword’s turn, he warmly patted Sharp Sword’s shoulder, a gesture even champions Huang Yi and Miyamoto Musashi didn’t receive.
This implies a relationship beyond the ordinary between Sharp Sword and Era of Corporation!
Various analysts and commenters on the forums later speculated about Sharp Sword’s and Era of Corporation’s identity, with some even suspecting Sharp Sword as the president’s son.
But no speculation could provide concrete evidence; the guesses remained irresponsible assumptions.
"As expected, it’s this question!" Sharp Sword seemed to have anticipated it, smiled slightly, and said, "This question, you’ll never know the answer to. I’ll only say that I do have some relationship with Era of Corporation, but this relationship doesn’t affect my actions in the virtual world. They won’t alter data for me or provide equipment. I, like everyone else, have reached where I am today through my efforts. I must inform you all: no matter how significantly the plot fluctuates in the virtual world, Era of Corporation will not intervene. Henceforth, should the virtual world face any crisis, don’t expect Era of Corporation to intervene through system programming to prevent such plots."
"But the virtual world and the real world are so closely linked now; a disruption affects everything. In the financial sector, for instance, if the virtual world were destroyed, how much wealth would vanish? How many companies would go bankrupt? How many listed companies’ valuations would plummet? How many investors would lose everything? The financial crisis could set human society back ten or twenty years; doesn’t Era of Corporation care about the repercussions?" Thunder God asked, frowning.
Sharp Sword, unconcerned, replied, "This is the normal economic law! Where some lose money, others profit; wealth doesn’t vanish into thin air but simply flows from one to another. Just like the stock market, the evaporated market value is virtual, essentially wealth redistribution."
