Dark Organization (2)
The Administrator said, "The Administrator is classed as a non-player. It only belongs to a higher tier—part of the system. So emotions are part of the system too. If you gain the upper hand in the Crime Dice, you can persuade me."
If the human heart was probability, the Administrator's heart was probability governed by law.
"However, the method of persuasion changes depending on the Administrator's personality. There are many types: rigid, cold, positive, critical, and so on. I'm in the positive category. If the Crime Dice roll high, I will be persuaded."
"Do we only have to win once?" Shirone asked.
"Even with the same personality, there are degrees. In my case, one defeat causes a 40 percent emotional shift. Once it exceeds 100 percent, the persuasion is complete."
It would take three straight wins.
Shirone thought, 'At least Shirone will force a draw. That means the other two are the key.'
He asked, "What exactly are we responsible for?"
"If you attempt persuasion, every time you roll the dice it costs one million Crime Points. Also… your Crime Points are currently decreasing."
Iruki checked, "About ten thousand points gone. Looks like a device to prevent hiding out in the internal track."
"That's true, but this is a place criminals shouldn't be able to enter. You're still being accommodated because Crime Points are deducted. If your Crime Points hit zero, my personality will switch to hostile and I'll call for guards."
The Administrator added, "This rule applies to all Administrators under the Melkidu citadel. If you meet guards on an external track, your Crime Points will be deducted."
Shirone asked, "The Crime Points needed to persuade—that is, the points to roll the dice—are different for each Administrator, right?"
"Yes. Depending on personality and its degree, the required points are set differently."
Shirone turned his head. "Fine. Let's get out."
After leading his friends out of the system operations department, Shirone suddenly stopped.
"I think I've got the gist."
"What?"
"The hidden mission. I think I figured how the bribery program triggers."
Shirone raised a finger. "You turn an Administrator's emotions into dice. That's persuasion. Each Administrator demands different Crime Points. What bothered me was this—why did Curtis say it needed at least fifty million? At first I thought it was a condition for obtaining an item, but it wasn't."
Eden said, "It's persuasion. It was bribing someone at the office. The cost was at least fifty million."
"Right. The rules depend on personality. If you win outright in one go, fifty million might be enough, but if the contest drags on you'll need more."
Nade clicked his tongue. "Even if it's five straight wins, a single dice roll costs ten million, right? Is that for real?"
Iruki said, "On the other hand, the large units avoid confusion. We won't have the luxury of two tries anyway. And if it's a dice duel, dice boosts are a must. First, let's check item types and prices. Points are being deducted while we talk."
Time literally equaled points, so they hurried to the shopping corner.
Vending machines were scattered about, and three shops run by non-players stood there.
Eden inspected a vending machine. "Looks like you can change the type of Crime Dice here. Shape, color, material, pips. Designs vary—some faces even have gems. Nice—sapphire set into a crystal die."
"How much?" Eden read aloud. "3.7 million points. Also, persuasion not allowed."
"Work, work." Nade walked straight for a shop without looking back. Eden snorted. "Who told you to buy it?"
They entered the first shop and were greeted by a bespectacled man in his mid-thirties. "Dice Enhancement Item Shop."
Cards were laid out on the counters, and items affecting die faces were displayed.
"More than I expected," Nade said.
"For beginners, yes. To buy high-grade items you need to be in at least the 100-level sectors."
"So beginner items aren't sold there?"
"That's right. There's a code of conduct—selling like that wouldn't be allowed."
Everyone knew the setup was to prevent a fast track.
"We're going to have to buy something eventually. Late-stage items won't be available later." Nade muttered and examined the wares.
"Tenacity. Sprint. Runner's High."
One face of a die +1, all dice faces +1, one face of a die +3.
"Sprint's solid. Single-use items are risky because of dice variance—higher failure chance. Sprint's more reliable than Runner's High." The price of 800,000 points seemed reasonable.
Shirone asked, "Do you only sell dice-enhancing items here?"
"Yes. The shopping corner is broadly divided into four categories: items that enhance die faces; items that enhance dice computations; items unrelated to dice—mostly movement items; and vending machines."
There were plenty of other items besides what Nade had checked, but Shirone wasn't interested. "Can you be persuaded?"
"Ha! Of course. If you persuade me I'll give a five percent discount. My personality's critical, and my rule pits odd against even. One hundred thousand points per attempt."
The discount varied with each Administrator's personality, but that wasn't the answer Shirone wanted.
"No, not that."
"Hm?"
"The dark organization. I heard there's a bribery program that gets you into Melkidu's core."
Everyone who'd been browsing turned to look. The man, after a moment's thought, chuckled and shrugged. "Who knows if I know? If you want confirmation, you'll have to persuade me."
Shirone was certain: persuasion applied to everything. It wasn't only used for discounts.
The man said, "I'm critical; my rule is odd versus even. Twenty million points per attempt."
Their eyes widened. "Twenty million points?"
They couldn't even be sure the information existed—and yet they'd be asked to stake twenty million.
'So that's how it is. You can't just open the back door for anyone. At this rate we'll lose our points fast. Curtis must have gotten his info the same way.'
The outcome would mean bankruptcy.
As they hesitated, the man pointed at Eden. "But for that cute girl I'll knock off ten million. Want to try to persuade me?"
Shirone blinked. 'Wait a minute. This…'
"Think carefully. You won't get another chance. To persuade me with only that many points…"
"We'll come back later."
While the merchant stared, Shirone steered his friends out.
"What? Why? We just found a hint."
"I was mistaken," Shirone said. "I thought it was just a system mechanic—persuasion as a feature. But that merchant has emotions like us. It's just that the change in those emotions is governed by law."
"So?"
"Let's go to the next shop."
They stepped into the adjacent store and were greeted by a woman with a tattoo on her right arm. "Welcome. Dice Computation Enhancement Item Shop."
Seeing a younger customer than the Melkidu average, she smiled. "Hi. Having fun?"
"Uh, so-so."
Behind glass were items that altered dice computation symbols.
Bonanza. Deathgross. Accountant's Obsession.
Not as rock-solid as Pungshin, but useful depending on how they were used.
Shirone checked the price and asked, "We're looking for the bribery program that gets you into Melkidu. Can you be persuaded?"
"Oh my." She didn't hesitate. "If it's that, you should come to me. I'm hot-blooded; my rule is designated numbers. Twenty million points per attempt."
Shirone feigned playfulness. "That's expensive. I'll have to think about it. Instead, I want to be your lover."
"Hey, hey." His friends stared in disbelief, but the woman grinned like she found it amusing. "Heh heh, trying to seduce me? Well, lovers get extra discounts. So… you?"
Shirone clenched his fist. 'Good. If emotions are mechanical, raising the ratio of reason helps our odds.'
"All three of us like you. The points required per attempt might differ, right?"
"Of course. Let's see. If you want to be my lover—blond hair, that's you—one million points."
Pointing in turn, she listed the prices for Nade, Iruki, and Eden. "You get four million. This one's two million. This girl is three million."
Nade raised his hand. "Wait. Okay to make Shirone cheap, but how am I more expensive than Iruki? And Eden being three million—does that make any sense?"
"Hoho! So what? Taste is free."
Shirone hadn't expected that either. With Nade momentarily speechless, Iruki stepped up. They needed to rotate turns before the final match, which Shirone would have to take.
"I'll do it."
"I love you. Please accept my heart." The seller nodded. "I'll use two dice. From 2 to 12 you call four numbers; whoever's set contains the rolled result wins. If neither matches, you lose. If both match the same number, it's a draw and we go again. Points are still deducted."
Iruki's lips trembled. "You go first."
Because a draw would force them to pay another two million unnecessarily, it was best to avoid the same numbers.
"Um. I'll choose 4, 7, 9, 12."
"Then I'll take 3, 5, 8, 11." The scenery vanished and a vast phase-space for resolving the dice unfolded. 'No sleight of hand is possible here.' Except for Shirone.
"Go." Iruki challenged, and the seller didn't hesitate—he threw his dice high.
The seller's dice showed 6; Iruki's showed 3.
"You win."
With Iruki's victory confirmed, the phase-space dissolved and the shop interior returned. A flush spread across the seller's face.
"From the very first time I saw you, my heart raced. Alright, let's date."
The shift in attitude was startling.
'Win with the dice and anything's possible. In the internal track, the dice are truly king.'
She beamed. "Where shall we go on our date? I can close the shop."
They didn't have time to waste; points were draining even now.
"Before that, I'll ask something. First, your name and age?"
"Oh my, right. I'm Kara. I'm twenty-eight. Older than you, but… now we're lovers."
Iruki's eyes went cold. 'If you succeed in persuasion you get at least this kind of information. It wasn't an easy match.'
Given the high chance of a draw, Iruki had been lucky.
"Good. Then just one more thing—about that bribery program you mentioned earlier…"
Kara's face hardened. "You're not asking me to tell you. I just want to know whether you definitely have the information."
"Hah. What to do… really." Under their watchful eyes, she sighed and then suddenly lifted her head. "Yes."
She said clearly, "I have it—the information."