My Level Zero System-Chapter 317: Internal Conflict

Even if the rule designer had anticipated both aspects and listed them, the boundary between "cooperation" and "manipulation" or "deception" is very thin and can completely intertwine.

For example, the initial alliance proposal by the Zento Family representative was actually "manipulation" and "deception" disguised as "cooperation," as the Zento Family representative wanted to create three shields to take hits for him. Only after considering the further future did he redesign the strategy to turn the four-person alliance into pure cooperation.

This shift can happen very quickly and is difficult to distinguish. The more the game designer tries to create restrictive rules, the harder it will be to restrict.

Unless the interaction between players is completely isolated from the start, turning this game into a purely bidding game. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

But by then, the noble families would likely not accept it.

Therefore, instead of directly mentioning cooperation, the rule only forbids players from trading gold coins with each other.

This leads to cooperation not being easy because there is no actual value supporting it.

Hence, Faith took action.

In turn 1, after recognizing that Cyrus's strategy was beneficial to him, Faith proceeded to block Cyrus in turn 2 and exposed the nature of the game, forcing individual players to always consider the option of "bidding 0 gold coins" in every bidding turn.

And there is only one way not to consider that: forming an alliance with other players to control the direction of the bid, as the Zento Family representative did.

At the same time, because of Cyrus's moves in bidding turn 1, the players were vaguely separated into target groups. This is also a good condition for forming an alliance, because only when balanced, under conditions without actual value guarantees, would people dare to do so.

Just like Faith at this moment.

He and the three other players are all people who have suffered losses and are desperately seeking to regain an advantage, so at the starting step, they can reluctantly join hands for a common goal. If the one proposing the alliance were Kain, the thought that would appear in the minds of these three players would inevitably be, "this person is trying to exploit me to protect his own interests."

And that is also the reason why, when Kain had not yet deduced that the Zento Family representative had built a four-person alliance, Faith deduced the truth immediately upon seeing the bidding board.

Some things can be predicted, some things need to be deduced, and Faith combines both.

"But what makes you think we have to cooperate with you?"

A question was posed.

Faith maintained his smile, leaning back slightly.

"Because if not, we are sure to lose."

"Lose?"

"Of course."

"How will we lose?"

"Imagine this game as an economic environment with ten component groups. Now, tell me, if someone manipulates four of those component groups, can this person manipulate the entire market?"

Hearing this, the expressions of the three players changed.

Four out of ten is less than half the total number, but compared to individual component groups, or in this case, a direct reference to individual players, it is an overwhelming force. To the extent that the entire game can only turn in the direction of this group of players who have joined hands.

"Where is the proof? This is not a joke."

Another question was directed at Faith, who still responded calmly.

"There is no direct proof. But if you look back at what happened in bidding turn 2 and bidding turn 3, you will see the signs."

"Especially you."

Faith directly pointed out the Acer Family representative.

"In bidding turn 2, you must have thought that if you put all 17 gold coins in your hand onto the bidding table, you would surely win, right? Because you thought the players would restrain each other and not dare to take a risk, and the bid amount would be significantly lowered, so as long as you dared to bid high enough, you would win."

"Am I right?"

Faith's concluding statement made the Acer Family representative's face look ugly, because Faith hadn't been wrong by a single word.

The calculation was very good, but the reality turned out completely opposite.

The Zento Family representative was the winner.

"Don't you find it strange? In your anticipation, the group of players who possess 18 gold coins should have been the least dangerous targets, second only to the Egretta Family representative. But that guy from the Zento Family dared to bid all the gold coins he was holding, regardless of the possibility that if someone bids an amount equal to or greater than him, he would nearly lose all that money."

"And the number of players who could do that was up to four people, even if the probability was very small."

Seeing the Acer Family representative's expression darkening, Faith paused for a moment, then continued.

"I'm sure you are thinking that this is the nature of this game, that whoever can read the pattern of money flow and go against the majority is the winner. But I ask you one thing that you might have forgotten: in your own calculation, if that Zento guy intended to go against the majority and win, he should have lowered the bid amount to limit the loss of gold coins, and at the same time save money for the next bidding round."

"Because... from my statement onwards, players will either bid a certain amount of money, or they will bid 0 gold coins. If the Zento guy dared to take such a risk, what's wrong with risking lowering the amount a little? Because in this person's judgment, the three other players who also hold 18 gold coins will bid 0 gold coins."

"Because if these three players bid a moderate amount of gold coins, the chance of losing or tying and sharing the money will increase sharply, so they either have to spend all their money, meaning bidding 18 gold coins, or they will not spend anything at all."

Hearing this, the Acer Family representative suddenly raised an objection.

"Then what if the Zento guy predicted that, and thus went against the majority?"