Not long afterward, Ryo opened the Dimensional Forum with a thought and posted a question in the Forum Q&A section.
"If I want to invite people from Little Garden to join the forum, what are the requirements?"
|Answer: Spend 1,000 points to invite one person to the forum and grant them access to restricted functions.
Ryo narrowed his eyes and immediately followed up.
"What if I want to invite a large number of people? More importantly, what's the cheapest way to invite at least a thousand members?"
Ding! Special command from the holder detected.
Analyzing available data and extrapolating a corresponding function...
...Would the holder like to spend 50,000 points to add the function: [Multi-User Network]?
Seeing that, Ryo fell silent.
A long while later, a faint smile finally spread across his face. "So that's it... this thing really is incomplete."
That realization eased the tension that had been sitting in the back of his mind.
For a long time, he'd secretly worried there was some mastermind lurking behind the forum—that he was nothing more than a pawn. After all, despite being the forum's holder, with full access to its backend database and every one of its functions, he'd even discovered a way to unbind himself from it.
And according to the simulated data, if he severed the connection, he wouldn't suffer any negative consequences. He could walk away safely, keeping all the power he currently possessed.
But knowing that and actually pressing the button were two completely different things. There was no way he could abandon the forum, his greatest trump card.
So the idea that he could leave safely had always been nothing more than a conclusion drawn from the data. He was never going to test it himself.
Now, though, learning that the forum was actually unfinished—that it relied on him to expand its functions—put him at ease instead.
"It doesn't prove it completely, but I can put my mind at ease now."
Ryo closed the backend and declined the Multi-User Network function.
It wasn't useful right now. Or rather, with fewer than ten members on the forum, there was no need for anything that elaborate.
At its current scale, the "single-player" version was actually much more advantageous.
Besides, he hadn't forgotten that Aizen also possessed a subordinate forum terminal.
That man was far too clever.
Guarding against Aizen—and being guarded against by him in return—had practically become routine between the two.
Now that he'd confirmed his suspicions, Ryo finally began designing the functions he actually wanted.
"The dragon species I brought back to Little Garden... quite a few of them used to be Last Embryos. Orochi was defeated. Niðhöggr was defeated. Even Ladon was ultimately slain by heroes arranged by the gods."
"The only Last Embryo still alive is the Three-Headed Dragon, Azi Dahaka. But one of his avatars is still active in Little Garden. If I bring out the DxD Azi Dahaka I have, it shouldn't raise too many suspicions."
Rubbing his chin, Ryo carefully weighed the risks of releasing those dragons into Little Garden.
"First, I'll need to block their memories of me. At least while they're inside Little Garden. It should only be possible to unlock those memories through a special method, so no one can read them."
"Once I let them go, I can't have any direct contact with them anymore. But I still need some way to communicate with them secretly without anyone noticing. One-way communication would be best."
"And they should operate in pairs... like the Black Organization in Detective Conan, or the Akatsuki from Naruto. Two people working together, keeping each other in check."
"I'll also need some kind of survival mechanism to keep them from being hunted down too easily. And to prevent anyone from noticing the difference between them and the originals, I'll have to fake their identities as genuine Last Embryos. After all, gods killed by a Last Embryo can't be resurrected... and the corpse of a god is an incredibly valuable resource."
"I'll also need a way to recruit actual Little Garden members. Something similar to Ouroboros's contribution point system... In other words, an exchange shop."
"And all of these functions have to be separated from the existing forum. If they're mixed together, someone will eventually notice something's wrong. So... a dedicated subforum?"
Ryo looked over the long list he'd drafted in the forum with his thoughts.
His expression immediately darkened, "...How many points is this going to cost?"
He checked his balance. Exactly 370,000 points.
If he wanted to build the "Trickster" organization from scratch using everything he'd just listed... How many points would disappear into that hole?
More importantly, where was he supposed to get that many points?
Frowning, Ryo's gaze drifted back over his notes.
God corpses... Last Embryos...
His eyes narrowed, and he posted another question.
"If the forum recycles the corpse of a god, how many points would it yield? Assume it's a standard four-digit deity with a common elemental Authority."
|Answer: Returning a four-digit Spirit Rank to the Little Garden Center yields 1,000 points. The divine body yields an additional 1,000 points. The divine Authority grants another 1,000 points.
Ding! The forum has received a request from the Little Garden Center Core. The 'Recycling Shop' has been activated with the support of the Little Garden Center. The holder and all members possessing forum tokens may use the recycling function through their tokens.
Any living being may be returned to its origin through this function, contributing back to Human History. In return, the Little Garden Center Core will bestow a portion of its Spirit Rank and award corresponding points.
Would the holder like to activate this function?
Ryo stared at the messages. Then at his balance of 370,000 points. Then back at the forum.
He remained silent for a very, very long time.
Slowly, his heart grew just a little darker.
A moment later, he typed another question.
"Forum... you and the Little Garden Center Core are pretty close, aren't you?"
|Answer: Please clarify what the holder means by 'pretty close.'
Ryo ignored the reply.
Squinting slightly, he continued typing, "Organize all the proposals I just made. Calculate how many points they'll cost, then send the report to the Little Garden Center and ask whether it's interested in acquiring Last Embryos in bulk."
As he said that, a bashful smile spread across his face. "I'm pretty sure creating a single Last Embryo costs way more than implementing all those features. But here's the thing: I can manufacture Last Embryos for next to nothing because I already have a previous-generation counterpart. Sooo... I make Last Embryos instead. They recycle dead gods, and everybody gets richer. Best of all, our buddy Center Core gets to sit back, make money, and keep itself safe. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal, doesn't it?"
[...]
The forum froze.
But Ryo wasn't in any hurry. Rubbing his hands together, he patiently waited.
Ding! 7,300,000 points have been allocated by the Little Garden Center Core. Beginning installation of new functions.
Subforum activated. Point Exchange Shop activated. Multi-user one-way communication activated. Mass invitation function activated. Simulated Last Embryo Spirit Rank function activated. Targeted wide-area spacetime transfer function activated...
Watching line after line of "Activated" scroll past, Ryo couldn't help feeling a little guilty as he glanced toward the direction of the Little Garden Center Core.
All requested functions have been installed. Would the holder like to name the subforum?
Taking a small breath, Ryo answered, "Call it the Trickster Forum."
'Trickster Forum' has been successfully named!
Ryo slowly let out a long sigh.
He'd pulled it off. He'd successfully gotten the whole thing for free.
'Big thanks to our generous sponsor, Center Core.'
The grin spreading across Ryo's face was positively wicked.
.
.
.