Capítulo 72: A Kleptomaniac Has Been Detected
Ru warmed his fingers, ready to do pickpocketing, as he said, “Can you tell me about the system in The House? I didn’t quite get that part.”
“How can you not get it? The system may or may not communicate with you,” Amunet said, not intending to say much more.
Maybe she didn't like sharing information, or talking was making her tired. This was because her jawbone had fractured, resulting in a sudden and copious discharge of scarabs from her mouth. In both cases, the result was the same. A tiny object glowed in the pocket of her leather jacket. Ru desired it.
"You said time flows chaotically there, so I'm guessing the spaces must be variable too. It seems like your system is broken," Ru said.
“Where did you get the idea that the system belongs to us? We belong to the system. And it’s not broke, as you think,” Amunet replied.
Ru babbled, "I thought you wanted us players to repair or update your system. I guess I was wrong. Can you tell me exactly why the system is set up this way? The story of energies spilling over from dimensions to destroy other planets seems very complicated."
"If you live long enough, you'll know the system inside out," Amunet said firmly.
Without reacting, Ru pointed to a spot in the hologram and asked, “I think I saw someone walking there. Is that your lord?”
“Walking where?” Amunet asked, focusing on the hologram.
“There,” Ru said, swiftly slipping his fingers into her jacket pocket and pulling them out just as quickly.
“There’s nothing there,” Amunet said, suddenly turning to him.
“I might’ve been mistaken. You have to admit, though, that your Jasper broke my skull. Drank my blood. I’m so helpless,” Ru said, on the verge of tears.
“Jasper didn’t drink your blood, and it was you who headbutted him and broke your skull,” Amunet corrected.
“There’s something off about that room. Look, right over here,” Ru said, pointing to the hologram.
“Which one?” Amunet asked, once again focusing on the hologram.
“The top floor of the sixth tower,” Ru said as he slipped the stolen object into his pajama pocket.
Amunet turned to him, “What are you trying to do?”
“I’m teleporting to claim the best room in the world,” Ru grinned.
“You have the Marionette of Dream card, so you’ve already lost the right to the best start,” Amunet said, clearly enjoying herself as she said it.
“Whatever these cards are even for,” Ru muttered, scratching the back of his neck. Then, leaning back against the pillow and stretching, he added, “Ah, right! You explained. These cards show us who we’ll become in our new lives.”
“You weren’t listening to me properly, again,” Amunet said, frowning.
“I was listening; you just didn’t explain it well,” Ru said, yawning.
“Fine, this is the last time I’m telling you. The cards don’t just show the players their roles in their new lives. They activate once they enter the system, and their real lives begin. That’s why we call them marionettes,” Amunet explained.
“Oh yeah, I’ll be the cultivator of the Marionette of Dream. That means Fanfar’s, right?” Ru said, trying to wrap up the conversation.
“No, you are Fanfar, the cultivator of the Marionette of Dream,” Amunet corrected as she closed the hologram.
"Am I a farmer? I'm a jester. Really, why am I the jester? Was there no other class? Whose choice is this?" Ru asked without even breathing.
“Because the system determined you’re a jester,” Amunet said.
“Oh, so it wasn’t you guys who decided,” Ru said, yawning again.
“If I were the one deciding, believe me, I would’ve given you the worst card,” Amunet said, picking up the tablet.
“How many cards are there?” Ru asked.
“There are ten cards.”
“But there are twenty players and only ten cards. Why?” Ru asked, sitting up.
“The number of players can increase, but the number of cards will stay the same,” Amunet said, standing up.
“Wait! That’s not fair,” Ru said, raising an eyebrow.
“Not everyone can be a caretaker. Those who fail are eliminated,” Amunet said, turning her face toward the door.
“Eliminated how?” Ru asked, concern lacing his voice.
“By dying,” Amunet said gleefully.
“Wonderful,” Ru said sarcastically. As Amunet walked toward the door, Ru hastily asked, “If this is a game, why do you call it a show?”
“When you see the contract, you’ll figure out why,” Amunet said, opening the door.
“Did you invite the witch to the game?” Ru asked quickly.
“No,” Amunet said as she exited the room.
Ru sighed as soon as she left, “Oh,” and pulled the object from his pocket. It was a transparent orb. There was nothing inside it, but it still glowed.
“What could this thing possibly be for?” he thought.
He turned it over in his hands, brought it to eye level, and tried to feel any power in it. Nothing changed. It was still just a shiny orb.
“Feels like I did something pointless,” he thought, tossing the orb into the air and catching it again, continuing to do so.
"I wonder if it'll explode? Oh yeah! If someone bothers me, I'll throw it at their head. We'll see if it explodes then."
Before long, he started feeling genuinely sleepy. He put the orb back in his pajama pocket, found a safe place in bed, and let himself sleep.
And interestingly enough, he just slept.
He wasn't dreaming or having an out-of-body experience. Moreover, he didn't even have a nightmare. When he woke up, he was amazed by this situation.
"When I say the system is broken, am I the one who is broken? What is this comfort," he murmured.
Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out the stolen orb. It wasn't radiating sparkles anymore, but darkness.
"Oh, I guess it was kind of nightmare repellent and, worked."
He brought the orb close to his ear and shook it. In the end, nothing happened.
"I gained object reading skill, that's all," he said. And finally, he stopped bothering with the orb.
Then he went to the bathroom and relieved his needs. Just as he was about to go back and searching everywhere, rummaging everything there was a knock on the room's door.
He remained silent. But the door opened.
"You stole a dream orb. We're impressed by your abilities, thief," Amunet said, her voice flat. She clapped with her little fingers and continued speaking immediately. "Now get ready. Our lord is waiting for you."
"How much time do you give me?" Ru asked innocently.
"You have half an hour. Meet me at the door," Amunet replied.
"Which door are you referring to?" Ru asked sarcastically.
Amunet stepped out and pointed. Then she closed the door from the outside.
Presentes
-- Presente
recebido Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder