The Internet is a hub for information, divided into three tiers based on accessibility.
The first tier consists of easily searchable data and information, often mixed with false or misleading content. There's a high chance of stumbling upon fabricated details.
The second tier requires spending a certain amount of money to access, but the accuracy of the information here is guaranteed to be 100%.
The third tier contains information that cannot be obtained even with money… such as details about Ging. No matter where you look, the only thing you'll find is the word 'confidential'.
To become as enigmatic as Ging and have your information classified as confidential, two conditions must be met: possessing the authority of a national leader and having access to vast amounts of capital.
The advice Sabro gave Law was the complete opposite of Ging's approach… it was about being blatantly high-profile.
If the goal was to quickly establish the Lawlin Museum, Law personally didn't mind making a splash online.
However, the problem was that ever since he started using the Internet, he had mostly lurked without ever speaking up or posting. His reputation on the well-known forum was built by others hyping him up. If he suddenly revealed his identity now, the outcome would be predictable.
In reality, there were already plenty of people impersonating Law on that famous forum. At the same time, many elite users lurked there, ready to tear apart any fake 'Law' who dared show their face, humiliating them to the point of no return.
Law remembered Ging mentioning that he also had a fairly high-level account on that forum, though he didn't know what the ID was.
"A pile of antiques can't be liquidated into cash. Even if their potential value exceeds 50 billion, they're still not as useful as a stack of bills. The association's rent is ridiculously expensive too. If you don't figure something out soon, the company's going under."
Sabro clacked away at the keyboard, having become quite proficient with computers in recent years.
Law scratched his cheek and glanced at Salin, who was reading a book. Noticing his gaze, she ignored him. Her role in the company was primarily as an appraiser, but since the business hadn't taken off yet, she was mostly idle.
"Got it."
Law took a few steps and sat down in front of an unused computer. Leaning back in the chair, he looked at Sabro and asked, "Where's Buhara?"
Without lifting his head, Sabro replied, "He went to help Salin find some books."
"Alright."
Law turned on the computer, preparing himself for a long battle.
If he wanted to reveal his identity on the forum, the first step would be going head-to-head with a bunch of elite users. Once, while lurking, he had witnessed an impersonator being utterly destroyed by those top-tier members.
At the time, he had found it amusing. Now, he realized that schadenfreude was best avoided.
The computer screen lit up, and after a few seconds, the main interface loaded.
Law opened a login software, entered his account and password, and after successfully logging in, opened a browser to type in the URL of the famous forum.
[Hunter Forum]
That was the name of the forum. Its purpose was to facilitate communication and problem-solving. Every user could post queries, with two options: paid solutions or free solutions.
The forum was a mixed bag of people. Paid solutions guaranteed accurate answers, while free solutions might leave you fooled while thinking you'd scored a deal.
The forum's currency was points. You could use points to seek answers, purchase information, or even trade them for real-world money with other users. The versatility of points made the forum highly active, with countless users engaging daily.
Among them were many active professional hunters and plenty of genuinely skilled elites. Their levels on the forum were displayed clearly, and their reputations were well-known.
Beyond discussions and problem-solving, the forum had multiple uses. Many of the world's top billionaires, when looking to acquire something, would also go through the Hunter Forum's channels.
Law logged into the Hunter Forum, and his personal information popped up in the top-right corner.
ID: Law38
Level: Lv0
Rank: Rookie
Assets: 0
Activity: 0
When Law first came across the forum, he immediately tried to register an account. However, the three-letters ID 'Law' was already taken. He then tried adding a '1' to it, only to find that 'Law1' was also taken. He kept stacking numbers, but each time, the system notified him that the ID was already in use.
At the time, Law refused to believe it was impossible, and coincidentally, he only managed to succeed when he reached the number 38. It was truly a tragic story.
The account had been registered half a year ago. 'Assets' referred to forum points, while 'Activity' represented the number of posts made.
Judging by his assets and activity, it was clear Law was an ultra-dedicated lurker. In reality, though, Law only logged into the forum when he needed to look up information, so his total online time wasn't particularly long.
"If only the forum had a verification feature, things wouldn't be so troublesome."
Law opened the post-editing page and muttered to himself.
He didn't stop to consider that most online users deliberately hid their real-life identities, so why would they agree to verification?
[Hello everyone, I'm Law. From now on, all impersonators, please restrain yourselves. Fellow forum-goers, please take note of this exclusive ID.]
Law casually typed up the post and published it.
A second later, replies started pouring in.
[Shajiji: Law38?]
[CorpseUnderTree: I've seen Law1 through Law199, but never Law38. OP, you're a genius!]
[Gacribeng: Every now and then, some clown jumps out to embarrass themselves. Let's not reply… just let this post sink.]
[NoBottomLine: Snacks ready, summoning all the elites for battle. I'm eagerly waiting.]
[Discovering the detoxification method for Rotting Spider]
[Deciphered the connection and secrets between Bliss Mushrooms and Doom Toads]
[Single-handedly wiped out the sand bandits of the Kandhia Desert]
[Freely shared a method to neutralize Landmine Grass]
[Uncovered the truth behind the Headless Horse phenomenon]
[Identified antidotes for 78 different deadly poisons in the Shadowless Demon Forest]
[Discoverer of the 600-year-old ruins of the Dayu Ancient Kingdom]
[Solved the edible preparation of Spiny Sea Pork using Starfish Grass and Sucker Worms]
[Eliminated the curse of a haunted mansion that had claimed hundreds of lives]
[Created a dish that astonished the head chef of a world-famous 10-star restaurant]
[The mysterious Rescuer during the Hunter Exam]
[Saved thousands of patients in a disaster-stricken zone]
A user with the ID [NotUglyButGentle] listed most of Law's known accomplishments across multiple fields, and then replied at the end: [So, which of these Laws are you, OP?]
When Law saw this reply, he responded directly: [Undoubtedly, all of them.]
This ridiculously confident reply instantly set the entire forum ablaze.
What had initially been treated as a joke now escalated… They all felt that this [Law38] guy was either shameless or taking the act way too far.
[CatGod: Waiting for the big-name elites to show up.]
[PurpleBluePig: This is gonna be good.]
NotUglyButGentle only replied with a row of cold, mocking emoticons.
Within just ten minutes, the post's popularity skyrocketed to the day's highest, with the number of replies breaking 500 in an instant… most of them insults and mockery from forum users dismissing Law as a fake.
"Where are the elites?"
Sitting in front of the computer, Law calmly stroked his chin, thinking this wasn't working. Without any well-known elites showing up to back him, he was just being treated as another fraud.
It was not until reply #528 that Law suddenly saw a comment from an ID simply named [Ging].
[I know Law. There's no way he'd pick such a ridiculous name as 'Law38'. OP, have some self-respect.]
Seeing this, Law froze, 'Could this actually be Ging's ID? Did he just register under his real name?'
As soon as he had that thought, he noticed the replies under Ging's comment… most of them were attacks, pointing out that [Ging] was also an impostor.