by N. Heller
Aker sat at the entrance, smoking. When he heard the sound of the roller shutter opening, he leaped up. He turned to look behind him and stared at Lin Sanjiu as if slightly taken aback, "How did you end up like this?"
Lin Sanjiu looked up and her appearance scared Aker immediately. Even though Lin Sanjiu's eyes were light-colored. Their color was now so faint that her eyes were almost fully white. It was creepy. It took a long time before Lin Sanjiu gradually regained a bit of color and vigor. Her eyes slowly returned to their natural color.
Sighing, she walked to the ticket seller and obtained 12 stamina points before sitting beside Aker. It was really a coincidence when she met Aker after the end of the previous round. After questioning Aker, she found out that he entered the attraction 30 minutes later than her and had also just completed the first round.
To avoid the situation with Geran and Livia, Lin Sanjiu and Aker decided not to participate in the "Haunted House Dare" at the same time. They decided that they would take turns to enter the attraction. Lin Sanjiu did not know if Aker's round was easier or if he was just capable, but he took less than two hours to complete his second round. After that, he smoked while he waited for Lin Sanjiu to complete her second round.
"I don't want to talk about it," Lin Sanjiu couldn't help trembling when she recalled what had happened during the second round. She wasn't willing to discuss any details. "The first round is just a house made of candy compared to the second round."
Aker nodded his head understandingly. The young man was in the same long robe as he held his cigarette and commented, "After all, this is a pocket dimension for Growth-types… sigh."
"In the past, I thought that only our physical attributes would improve," Lin Sanjiu looked down at her own body when she brought this topic up. "After I entered this pocket dimension, I realized that any aspect of our being can be improved, regardless whether we are aware of it. I think this might be a good thing but a person can die really quickly here if they enter these attractions without any preparation."
Lin Sanjiu wasn't exaggerating. The first round of Haunted House Dare was bad enough. But, once the second round started, Lin Sanjiu found out that she had underestimated this pocket dimension. The demands in terms of her observation, eidetic memory, analytic ability, courage and bravery for the second round was very much higher. This round, Lin Sanjiu barely had the resources to deal with the challenges. She didn't even know how she escaped. For the next round, using her [Consciousness Mimicry] might be unavoidable.
"You should have a proper rest before the third round," Aker put out his cigarette casually and tossed it. It fell to the ground far away from them. "I was too caught up with completing this station, I forgot to discuss something with you."
Lin Sanjiu gave Aker a slightly skeptical glance before laughing, "If you are going talk about that plan of yours, I'm sorry but my hands are tied. When Livia and I went to check on the situation previously, the thing Santa Claus gave me—"
"I know," Aker interjected and smiled at her. His cheekbones rose when he smiled, making his face look even more elongated. "Zagger told me what he had witnessed. As for what he didn't see, I more or less could infer."
"Okay… I am useless for your plan now."
"Cough. Miss Lin, you are too direct," Aker slipped his hands back into his robe. His robe immediately slipped downward. "We can both benefit from this, so we should definitely work together… I know you are not someone that likes to beat around the bush. Let me put it this way. The plans have changed and I'm hoping to get some help from you."
Lin Sanjiu frowned, "Help?"
"Even though Progressor Alliance is currently coerced by Puppeteer to be here, we are still one of the administrators of Red Nautilus. I have already given all members I can mobilize in this amus.e.m.e.nt park their own missions." Aker used a tone as if he was trying to convince Lin Sanjiu, "I do believe that our plan would work but I hope to get your assistance so that we have a better chance of success. This involves keeping Puppeteer in a particular location. He only needs to be delayed for two hours."
After saying that, Aker looked at Lin Sanjiu as he waited a little anxiously for her answer. It was obvious that Aker wasn't going to divulge more details about their plans unless Lin Sanjiu showed more interest to help.
"Why don't you use your own members to delay him?" Lin Sanjiu questioned instead. "What do you plan to do after delaying him?"
"That's not possible," Aker replied bitterly. "Have you forgotten? Our members are affected by his ability. If he is unhappy, he can turn us all into puppets. Without our lives, what's there to plan?" Aker reminded her.
"As for the next step, I already have an alternative. Even though the Santa hat might not be with you, we can proceed with this evil vs. evil plan with some changes…" Beneath his slight messy and curly hair, Aker's eyes darted toward Lin Sanjiu. "I have sent quite a few members to the entrances of the amus.e.m.e.nt park. They should be loitering around the entrances now. If Santa Claus doesn't give up on his plans, he would definitely find for another Growth-type to enter the amus.e.m.e.nt park. I am sure I will get a paper crane when one of our people get that Santa hat. It should be soon. I'm not going to paint a rosy picture for you. I am sure this is somewhat risky for you but I trust that with your capabilities, you should be able to escape."
When Lin Sanjiu did not give him any response, Aker grew a little anxious. He walked closer to Lin Sanjiu and explained further, "To be honest, the other reason why I need your help is because Puppeteer has a grudge with you. It is quite reasonable for you to confront and cause trouble for him so he probably won't suspect anything. Sure, I understand. This is quite troublesome for you and there isn't really anything in it for you… How 'bout this? Once we leave the amus.e.m.e.nt park, if you need help from Progressor Alliance, just state your request and we will acquiesce! We might be small but we still have resources such as our various bases and consular officers… Your share of the rewards from this pocket dimension is also negotiable."
From the incident with Santa Claus, Lin Sanjiu knew that Aker was a crafty person. Thankfully, he was also a person that was willing to show his cards and was transparent about his intentions. He had a sort of objective, somewhat "business is business" attitude.
There was only one thing that Aker did not discuss openly. However, both Lin Sanjiu and Aker knew what it was. Once Puppeteer and Santa Claus were removed from the equation, Progressor Alliance had the greatest chance of getting the present at the final pitstop. Notwithstanding the desperation to escape from Puppeteer's control, that present was probably another reason why Aker would go to such lengths to create this plan…
If Lin Sanjiu looked at the situation from another perspective, she knew that she would look for Puppeteer even without this request. She still needed to get Reno and Rena's current location from Puppeteer. Besides, if she did manage to save them, those two kids would fare better in Progressor Alliance with Aker backing them up...
"If I agree to your request," Lin Sanjiu said slowly, "what do I need to do exactly?"
The eyes of the tall and skinny young man, who wrapped himself in his robe like Dracula, lit up instantly.
"We have Puppeteer's exact coordinates. Even if he moves a meter, we'll know." Aker laughed confidently, "Additionally, we have strength in numbers. After we entered the amus.e.m.e.nt park, we spread ourselves out so we have clear intel of the situation on each route. Once I receive information that our people have been marked by Santa Claus' Santa hat magnet, I will plan the shortest route for you to reach Puppeteer. When you meet him, it is best that you do not enter an attraction with him for your own safety. Just try to delay him outside."
"If you could delay him for two hours, that would be ideal. If you can't, you need to delay him for at least an hour. Meanwhile, our members will try to reach you via the fastest route. As you leave, we will use the Santa hat to summon Santa Claus. The rest is up to fate and them."
Lin Sanjiu didn't find anything in th
e plan that did not sit well with her, other than the fact that she might need to spend a longer time than expected with Puppeteer. After all, she wasn't even a worthy target to both Santa Claus and Puppeteer.
"Where is Puppeteer now?" Lin Sanjiu asked despite knowing the answer. She didn't know how the people from Progressor Alliance could track Puppeteer. Actually, not every staff knew the exact location of each player. Even the plump store owner only knew a general location.
"He's on Pumpkin Route. He had just completed his fifth station," Aker replied unreservedly. He even provided her additional information she did not know. "Pumpkin Route's difficulty is quite high, so there are fewer stations… If Puppeteer continues without changing routes, he will reach the final pitstop after completing the next two stations."
Lin Sanjiu nodded. Aker's words verified her conjecture. If Aker only wished to free Progressor Alliance from Puppeteer's control, it was completely unnecessary to execute the plan to delay Puppeteer before he reached the pitstop. However, Lin Sanjiu couldn't be bothered with all these complicated plans and schemes.
"Okay," Lin Sanjiu agreed. Since she had already made up her mind, she didn't want to mull over it too much. "If it is possible to split the present at the final pitstop, I want 30%. If it can't be split, you can compensate me with other means."
Since they were going to work together, they had better work things out properly.
"That's no problem!" Aker consented without missing a beat. He stuck out his hand, beaming from ear to ear. When Lin Sanjiu reached to shake his hand, she felt that his fingertips were icy cold.
"It is decided then. I hope we'll work well together, Miss Lin." Aker stood up as he said that. "Since we have settled the big matters, let's complete this haunted attraction as soon as possible. Going back to the topic, the stations in Swan Route are all very tricky. I wonder why you chose this route in the first place."
"Why are you so familiar with the stations in these routes?" Lin Sanjiu asked a little inquisitively.
"Cough. There are only 12 routes in the Starry Carnival Amus.e.m.e.nt Park. We definitely have more than 12 members in Progressor Alliance. Before we entered the amus.e.m.e.nt park, we already agreed on how we can communicate with each other. I am collating all the information about events and situations that our members meet as they explore their own routes. With all the information we have gathered, we can more or less get a general picture.
"It is quite hard to imagine a small organization like ours would actually use a 'strength in numbers' strategy," Aker showed a self-deprecating smile.
Suddenly, Lin Sanjiu couldn't help thinking of Reno and Rena. If the two kids were with her, this place would probably be more like an "amus.e.m.e.nt park"...
Just as Lin Sanjiu expected, Haunted House Dare was a rare nightmare for her. Even though she had experienced so much, and had been to Kisaragi Station, she nearly had a nervous breakdown midway of the third round. In fact, if Mrs. Manas didn't prompt her to use her [Consciousness Mimicry] in time, Lin Sanjiu would probably be trapped in the haunted house for a long time.
After Lin Sanjiu imitated Nüwa with her ability, the thing that saved her wasn't the woman's wisdom but Nüwa's incredible willpower. Before this experience, Lin Sanjiu never believed that anyone could be unaffected by their own emotions. However, with Nüwa's steel-like willpower, the emotions that Lin Sanjiu had acc.u.mulated beforehand simply disappeared like they did not exist in the first place. Rationality and absolute composure, these were the only two things Lin Sanjiu experienced.
When Lin Sanjiu came out of the Haunted House Dare attraction the last time, she felt as if she had finally returned to the real world after a lifetime.
"You're finally out," Aker had already been waiting outside for some time. "Your difficulty level for the attraction must be pretty high."
Lin Sanjiu was exhausted. She wanted to give him a perfunctory smile but she couldn't even move her muscles.
"Do you need to rest for a while?" Aker asked after looking at her for some time. He frowned. He took his hands out from his robe and stretched out one of them. There was a small paper crane lying in his hand. "When you were inside, I received information that Santa Claus had released one of our comrades into the amus.e.m.e.nt park. He is now holding on to that small Santa hat magnet. Our plan commences."
Chapter 358 - King Meets King?
"As one would expect, there are many capable people in the Twelve Worlds." Lin Sanjiu couldn't hold back from making that remark to Mrs. Manas. She watched as the walls at the back of the 4D Fantasy Experience attraction slid open noisily. After she had completed Haunted House Dare on the Swan Route, she had already changed route three consecutive times based on the path that Aker had planned for her. She had completed the Merry-go-round, Pirate Ship and this 4D Fantasy Experience. Just as Aker had predicted, she spent slightly more than one day to complete all three stations.
The three attractions were not exceptionally easy but Lin Sanjiu managed to complete them quickly because of Aker. This was precisely the reason why Lin Sanjiu was impressed by Aker's meticulousness.
Apart from the members of Progressor Alliance, Puppeteer, and Santa Claus, there were other individuals with no affiliations that came to this pocket dimension to train themselves after somehow getting information about the place. For example, Hei Zeji found the pocket dimension by accident and just decided to stay. In the beginning, Aker had already informed the other Progressor Alliance members to try their best to exchange information with these random stragglers. Additionally, there were quite a number of members in the amus.e.m.e.nt park. With that, Aker managed to gather information from all over the amus.e.m.e.nt park.
With such a rich source of information, it was much easier for Aker to arrange and plan things compared to Lin Sanjiu. After Aker inquired about Lin Sanjiu's previous experience with the other attractions, he chose three attractions that were similar to the stations that Lin Sanjiu had completed. Since the attractions were on the routes which had more stations, their difficulty level was naturally lower.
Even though Lin Sanjiu did not specifically question Aker about his arrangements, it was obvious that he had spent significant efforts to understand Lin Sanjiu. The attractions that he had chosen for her worked well with her natural advantages. With all these ideal conditions in place, it was no surprise that Lin Sanjiu managed to complete all the stations in such a short time.
"We did game the system a bit," Aker reminded Lin Sanjiu with a serious tone. "It is impossible to reach the final pitstop by strategizing in this manner all the way. At most, I have helped you reduce some unnecessary distance so that you can chase up with Puppeteer as soon as possible. After all, none of us have been to the final pitstop. Once you get out of 4D Fantasy Experience, I have no idea how you should proceed either."
"But, reaching here is already good enough." Lin Sanjiu sighed as she walked out of the 4D Fantasy Experience attraction. The moment she stepped out of the attraction, a small shadow appeared in the horizon. It moved extremely quickly. With the sound of fluttering wings, it grew larger as it approached her. Finally, a paper crane settled on Lin Sanjiu's outstretched arm.
After the crane had "verified" Lin Sanjiu's identity, it started playing the recording of Aker's voice.
"When you walk out of 4D Fantasy Experience, you should have received this message." When Lin Sanjiu was in the process of completing a station, the paper cranes could not enter the arenas. As a result, the two of them only communicated between stations. "Puppeteer is still in the same location. He is still on Pumpkin Route… He has not exited the second-to-last station. That attraction should be quite difficult. After you rush to that location, you should be able to ambush him."
"Okay," Lin Sanjiu replied curtly before releasing the paper crane. Lin Sanjiu did not start moving even after the white paper crane disappeared from the blue sky. Lin Sanjiu crooked her head. She thought about the situation for some time and took out a paper crane from her card deck. Lin Sanj
iu had gotten quite a few of these convenient paper cranes thanks to Santa Claus, who wanted to report her location when she was still "bait".
"Hey… where are you now?" After Lin Sanjiu said that, she wasn't quite sure if she should send the paper crane out. In the end, Lin Sanjiu released the paper crane with some hesitance. At first, she was worried that he intended recipient might not receive her message if he was still completing a station. Fortunately, she saw the same paper crane, flying through the blue skies and bright sun, back to her after a short while.
From the background noise, Hei Zeji seemed to be eating something.
"I am on Velvet Cake Route. It should the fourth station on this route." After Hei Zeji's reply, Lin Sanjiu was certain that she heard the sound of a metal fork hitting something. "What's up?"
After some consideration, Lin Sanjiu recorded another message with the paper crane. When she saw the crane disappear the second time, she let out a long sigh. This time, she couldn't help being envious of the large amount of information that Aker had. If she had the information to design her own route, it would be so much easier. However, obviously, she couldn't ask Aker for information this time.
Ultimately, Lin Sanjiu did not really understand Aker so she needed a backup plan. The paper crane did not come back with Hei Zeji's reply even after Lin Sanjiu waited for a long time. Perhaps, she had taken too much time and Hei Zeji had already entered a new attraction. Or, perhaps, Hei Zeji was acting up again. "If he thinks that a reply is unnecessary, there was no way anyone could get him to speak."
Lin Sanjiu knew that she couldn't continue waiting. After she steadied her breathing, she continued on the route before her. According to Aker's plan, Puppeteer would be in the next station.
The decorative style of Pumpkin Route was different from the previous routes. It had a Halloween theme. Fake cobwebs and fake skulls were hung everywhere. Instead of the normal street lamps, the route was lit by carved pumpkin lanterns with all sort of faces, hanging from lampposts. Screaming animatronics leaped out at every corner. If it wasn't as bright as it was then, Lin Sanjiu would have destroyed every single one of them.