Chapter 355: Shijo Family's Repayment
"NERvGear..."
Hearing Miwa Ashikaga's introduction, Katahara Metsudo, Shijo Maki and her mother, Kure Erioh, and Shinomiya Unyo could not help but change their expressions.
Looking at the NERvGear placed inside the briefcase, disbelief appeared in their eyes.
"Ms. Ashikaga, allow me to confirm one thing. This complete simulation you mentioned... is it exactly the same as reality?"
"That's right."
Miwa Ashikaga nodded and spoke in a flat tone.
"Including the user's five senses, everything is exactly the same as reality. Rather than calling it a simulation, it would be more accurate to call it an immersive reality."
"This thing..."
Hearing Miwa Ashikaga's words, everyone present immediately realized the value of the NERvGear.
That value did not refer to commercial value.
It referred to its value as a training device for Players.
After all, something with such a heaven defying effect, if used to develop some fully simulated online game, would simply be a waste.
Katahara Metsudo took a deep breath, looked at Asagiri sitting opposite him, and spoke slowly.
"The cooperation you mentioned... don't tell me it means letting the Players under our forces use this thing too?"
"Otherwise?"
"Are you serious?"
Shijo Maki's mother, a dignified and beautiful woman, spoke softly.
"I don't need to say more. You should also understand how attractive this thing is to Players. If it remains solely in your hands, then combined with the fact that Tokyo has become your trump card, many Players will definitely take the initiative to join the Ashikaga Budo Association. By then..."
"That is meaningless."
Before Shijo Maki's mother could finish, Asagiri waved his hand and interrupted her.
"Admittedly, as long as the Ashikaga Budo Association has the NERvGear and firmly controls the right to use it, we can always ensure our status as the strongest Player faction."
His tone remained calm as he continued.
"But don't forget, the Game has already reached the fourth stage. Whether it is the invasion of Players from other worlds or the descent of Dead Realms, it has already brought an undeniable threat to this world. No matter how strong our Ashikaga Budo Association is, right now, we can at most protect one city, Tokyo."
Asagiri swept his gaze across everyone present.
"If other cities fall into disaster, then I shouldn't need to explain the principle that when the lips are gone, the teeth feel the cold. You should all understand that much."
Hearing Asagiri's words, everyone present fell silent.
They all understood that principle.
But...
If it were their own faction that possessed something with such heaven defying effects as the NERvGear, would they truly be willing to share the right to use it?
Shadow...
He truly was not a simple character.
"Of course, I say we are sharing the right to use it, but we also have conditions."
Asagiri's index finger tapped lightly against the wooden table.
He had already fully grasped the rhythm of this negotiation.
After all, when holding a bargaining chip like the NERvGear, no matter how high the conditions he offered were, they would not be considered excessive.
"You need to contribute the data of the high end Players under your forces. After all, without inputting data, it is impossible to restore a Player's own abilities in the virtual world."
"Also, for the Dungeons that Players under your forces have experienced, we do not need information about the first and second stage Dungeons. However, starting from the third stage Dungeons, you must tell us the specific circumstances. That information will serve as the prototype for the Player simulation Dungeons inside the NERvGear."
Katahara Metsudo, Kure Erioh, Shinomiya Unyo, Shijo Maki, and her mother heard this and did not think for too long before agreeing.
However, Asagiri's conditions did not end there.
"Then, you need to form an alliance with our Ashikaga Budo Association."
He spoke plainly.
"Not an alliance of equals, but an alliance with clear primary and secondary roles. In other words, something like a vassal relationship. If we encounter a crisis and need your strength, you must contribute it. If you encounter a crisis, we will consider whether to help depending on the situation."
"What?"
Katahara Metsudo's expression changed upon hearing this, and he frowned.
"Become vassals of your Ashikaga Budo Association? And under such unequal conditions? We must help you unconditionally. That is too..."
"You seem to have misunderstood."
Before Katahara Metsudo could finish, Asagiri interrupted directly.
"I did not come here to negotiate with you. Conditions are conditions. You can only choose to accept or not accept."
He looked calmly at the old man opposite him.
"It seems you still do not understand who holds the superior position here."
Upon hearing Asagiri's words, Katahara Metsudo fell silent.
Because he suddenly realized that the other party was right.
In terms of asset scale, Dai Sakura Bank was far larger than all of Miwa Ashikaga's industries combined.
However, as a Player faction, the Ashikaga Budo Association was...
No.
It could be called the strongest Player faction at this stage.
On top of that, it also possessed the NERvGear, a top tier scientific research device with a heaven defying effect that could not be bought no matter how much money one had.
Money had already lost its meaning.
Resources and power related to the Game were everything.
Katahara Metsudo was no fool.
He could already foresee that if he missed this chance to cooperate with the Ashikaga Budo Association today, his own Player faction would surely be left far behind in the near future. Even his existing companies and industries would be affected.
Thinking of this, he nodded without hesitation.
"Very well. I accept the conditions you have proposed."
Kure Erioh also grasped the logic of the situation and immediately expressed his agreement.
As for Shinomiya Unyo, that went without saying.
The Shinomiya Family faction he created was already cooperating with the Ashikaga Budo Association.
Shijo Maki's mother was the same, directly stating that she accepted the conditions proposed by Asagiri.
After those three had left, Shijo Maki and her mother stood up.
However, instead of immediately leaving the conference room, they suddenly bowed deeply to Asagiri, who was sitting across from them.
"Mr. Shadow, on behalf of the Shijo Family, I would like to express our gratitude to you. Thank you for saving Maki."
Shijo Maki's mother said this first, then gave Shijo Maki a look.
Shijo Maki nodded, retrieved a pure white shield with jet black patterns from her inventory, placed it on the table, and spoke softly to Asagiri, who sat opposite her.
"Mr. Shadow, this is a token of gratitude prepared for you by our Shijo Family."
Asagiri gently touched the surface of the shield while taking out his phone with his other hand.
The information that entered his eyes surprised him slightly.
[Oracle Shield (Red Epic Quality): A special shield crafted by fusing a portion of a certain god's power. When equipped, this shield significantly increases the user's mental resistance, greatly enhances resistance to Curse damage, and greatly boosts the effects of holy attribute skills.]
[Exclusive Passive of this Equipment: Oracle Barrier]
[Oracle Barrier: If the Oracle Shield is used to completely block an enemy's attack, it will unleash holy attribute power within a ten meter radius around the user, restoring stamina to the user and their companions within range, while inflicting holy attribute burn damage on enemies.]
"Red Epic level equipment, huh..."
After reading the description of the Oracle Shield's effects, Asagiri merely nodded noncommittally.
This equipment would be fine if he used it, but that would be somewhat wasteful.
After all, because he possessed Human Asura, he was already immune to all mental attacks, and his Curse resistance had already reached an absurd level.
However, the effects of the Oracle Shield were fully worthy of its Red Epic quality.
The passive effect, Oracle Barrier, alone was heaven defying.
By constantly blocking with the shield in battle, one could continuously burn enemies and restore stamina for oneself and nearby companions.
It could be said that the longer the battle lasted, the more obvious the advantage became.
"You are quite generous, using this as a token of gratitude."
Hearing Asagiri's words, Shijo Maki pursed her lips and spoke softly.
"After all, it was a life saving grace. When one receives a favor, one must repay it. This is the style of our Shijo Family."
After Shijo Maki finished speaking, her mother immediately added,
"And at the cost of one Red tier piece of equipment, building a good relationship with the strongest Player is, in my opinion, a very worthwhile transaction."
Asagiri chuckled upon hearing this.
"Although I can roughly guess the Shijo Family's intentions, you are being very blunt."
"It is better to be honest."
Shijo Maki's mother nodded at Asagiri, then looked at Miwa Ashikaga, who was sitting at the head of the table, and bowed slightly in acknowledgment.
"Then, Ms. Ashikaga, Maki and I will take our leave."
After those two also left, Miwa Ashikaga changed seats and sat opposite Asagiri.
She took off her gold rimmed glasses, raised a hand to rub her temples, and spoke in a flat tone.
"Finally resolved. Next, it is time for the NERvGear to officially begin being put into use."
Asagiri had proposed granting the right to use the NERvGear to those factions. Although he had considered the factor of confrontation between Players from different worlds, that was actually not the most important reason.
The most important reason was that building the NERvGear required a large amount of sample data.
While the Players from those factions used the NERvGear for training, the internal programs set up by Kayaba Akihiko would continuously learn their movement patterns and combat styles.
Simply put, it would collect data from those Players, then use that data as virtual opponents for Asagiri and the others during training.
Through high intensity simulated battles, they could discover flaws in their own strength and fill in those gaps.
It might even be possible to awaken new abilities during the NERvGear's simulated battles, just like Yuuki Asuna's Space Killing Art and Kato Megumi's Dawn.
Furthermore, in order to use the NERvGear, those factions were effectively bound to the Ashikaga Budo Association.
"In any case, I'll leave these matters to you."
Asagiri stood up and stretched, smiling at Miwa Ashikaga.
"Good luck, manager of the Ashikaga Budo Association."
Watching his departing figure, Miwa Ashikaga sighed helplessly and muttered to herself.
"This kid really slacks off whenever he can. He won't touch boring or tedious matters at all…"
.....
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