Although this sudden meeting wasn't a pleasant one … with Rorschach's mouth, it was unlikely that it would ever be pleasant. Everyone in the Game Church heaved a sigh of relief when Rorschach safely left the secluded area where the meeting had taken place.
And so, the black-blood elf in the shadows hurried off on his own, while the little bat also suddenly disappeared without a trace.
"At the very least, it's better than the worst-case scenario."
"… Although the benefits are limited."
The worst-case scenario? That would probably mean that no matter if it was the old city lord or the new city lord, they were both the Evil God's minions. That Xi Xi and the information from before were all intentionally leaked bait.
But now, it would seem that the old city lord and the Evil God weren't on the same side. Although there were many omissions and inaccuracies in the conversation, Rorschach's scheming questions confirmed that everyone was currently on the same side.
That was more than enough.
There was no need for a further alliance. When both sides were suspicious of each other, contracts and whatnot were meaningless. Contracts were nothing more than useless pieces of paper that could be torn apart at any moment. Even if both sides formed an alliance with common goals and benefits, they only needed to do their own things … After all, both sides lacked even the tiniest bit of trust.
The trust they lacked wasn't just sincerity in their cooperation, but also trust in their strength.
Being dragged down, exposed, and betrayed were actually no different from being betrayed. After a short discussion, both sides decided on their future alliance.
They wouldn't interfere with each other and would communicate regularly. That was it.
Rorschach once again strolled through the streets of Cape Town. Compared to several hours ago, he was in a much worse mood.
Previously, he had been on a mission and a vacation, so the burden wasn't that heavy. He had been in the mood to enjoy the scenery and snacks of a foreign land rather than work. It could be said that the entire trip had been quite relaxing.
But now, the scenery was the same, and the villagers were the same, but everyone seemed to be the Evil God's minions and assassins in the shadows.
This wasn't because he was being overly sensitive. It was because of the difference between a vacation destination and an enemy's territory. Once his vigilance reached the highest level, his vacation would naturally end.
"What should we do next? Plan B or Plan C? "
Rorschach didn't get an answer to his question. It seemed like Lori and the others hadn't decided on their final response.
Before coming, the Game Church had come up with a simple action plan. The normal plan was Plan A. If there were any gains, they would slowly develop and build a stronghold for temporary communication. After all, the Game Church had developed to this stage and needed a long-term and stable trading partner.
Plan B was that the situation was rather bad and they would immediately retreat when they gained nothing. Plan C was that the fun was too big and the problem was so big that they had to prepare for battle. At that time, the other descenders would also come to support them.
Rorschach fed the pigeons while waiting for the results. Ten minutes later, he finally got the answer.
[… Follow plan A and be on high alert as planned. The scale of the missionary work must be of the highest quality. We are going to set up a branch church, and Isabella will be in charge.]
In an instant, Rorschach stood up. It was clear what this meant.
"You've decided? Other New Gods? "
[They will send people over. We need a stronghold. Considering the spread of the Evil God's believers, prepare for a long war.]
"… Underground gang?"
[That's right.]
Rorschach facepalmed and was rendered speechless. Plan A now wasn't "nothing will happen and everything will go smoothly." Instead, it was the worst plan of all: "solve all problems at all costs." In fact, the other churches were probably already prepared to organize a direct war.
"Got it. Do I have a mission? You won't want me to waste time in this city, will you? "
[Yes. After the situation here stabilizes, go to the frontlines and take a look. We need information, no matter if it's about the situation on the battlefield or the strategic value of that mountain peak. We need your eyes … your eyes that won't be deceived.]
Rorschach silently nodded. This arrangement was indeed within his expectations.
But since the decision had been made so quickly, and Lori had used "we" instead of "me," it would seem that the other New Gods' churches had already reached an agreement. At the very least, they had formed an alliance with mutual benefits.
Why was it so quick? Rorschach's ability to directly communicate with the Gods was the main reason for the high speed of information gathering. If Rorschach wanted to exchange information with the other churches in Ansorenne, where transportation was difficult, it would probably take months. But, we can ask the audience … Cough, I mean, we can use other methods.
Although Ansorenne's information was blocked, that didn't mean that the Aishi's information was blocked. The New Gods' churches had always been in contact with each other, and they had even made deals and alliances with each other. Now, communication was only a matter of a single phone call.
Originally, direct communication would have been quite troublesome, and there would have been many reservations. But now that everyone was facing a common threat, everything became much more efficient.
If Rorschach's guess was correct, the New Gods would soon send out their most capable descenders to directly participate in this battle.
Perhaps it wouldn't be long before this city would become a new battlefield.
But now, Rorschach didn't need to consider such things, because he already had a new goal in mind.
"… Splitting up churches? This is such a headache."
Perhaps he was the only one who understood what this meant.
After crossing half of the city, Rorschach stood at the city gate's warehouse area, where Hermit was already waiting for him.
Rorschach took out a key and opened the door to warehouse number 3. He heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that the goods covered in plastic wrap were still intact.
"Nobody went in."
"… So, did anyone want to go in?"
"Four. One was from a local thief guild, one was a domain lord's subordinate, and two other thieves. Their corpses were left outside, and they were all taken away."
Rorschach silently nodded. Although Hermit spoke even less than before, two years of life and death experience had made him much more reliable and steady.
But it was precisely this reliability that made Rorschach's heart ache.
"… They're all combat types. They're all trying to screw me over again."
Of the four members of his party, Su Nanna and Hermit, they were all combat types. Isabella, on the other hand, was quite skilled in logistics and diplomacy, but … who would dare to leave such matters to her?
In the end, even if Lori didn't say anything, the others wouldn't ask. Everyone knew that the job of establishing a branch could only be left to Rorschach.
The warehouse's curtains were pulled open, and a rare ray of sunlight shone down, causing the cards, cardboard boxes, and board games on the shelves to emit a holy glow … That's right, the goods in warehouse number 3 were the various game products that the Game Church had brought over.
Don't underestimate these little toys. Even in this chaotic world … No, because of this chaotic world, in Ansorenne, where there was a lack of entertainment and the pressure to survive, these little toys were expensive and interesting luxury goods in the eyes of the local residents. This was especially true for the upper-class nobles who didn't have much pressure to survive.
Rorschach rummaged through the shelves and finally found a tattered sign. It seemed that it was time for it to make its debut.
Establishing a branch church? Although there was nothing wrong with that, if you were to randomly preach among the local residents, the leaders of many regions would immediately fight you to the death.
But over the years, the God of Games' preaching had been extremely smooth and domineering. Of course, this was inseparable from a certain someone's wicked idea and what was written on the sign.
"Three Guns Arcade."
That was the name written on the sign.
Church? As the Game Church, an arcade was enough. What could be more suitable than an arcade filled with all kinds of games to preach the God of Games' teachings?
At that moment, Rorschach silently found the one he needed from the large pile of work cards.
Since there were only four members, he took out four of them and put on one of his cards, writing his fake name on it.
"Three Guns Arcade's boss, Penda Law."
Hermit also silently made his choice and picked up another one.
"Three Guns Arcade's accountant."
Seeing Hermit's choice, Rorschach silently shook his head and handed him another one.
The corner of Hermit's eyes twitched again, but when he saw the last one, he quickly took the one Rorschach handed over and quickly signed his name, as if afraid that Rorschach would regret it.
"Three Guns Arcade's bouncer, cashier, cleaner, and bar attendant, Hermit."
What? Was there a worse sign than this? The last sign that was left behind was written simply …
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