Gamers of the Underworld

Brainiac took the newspaper back to his Burial Hall and finished reading it.

He returned to the Dungeon Lord Main Hall immediately after.

“Lord Sherlock! I hope to apply for a day’s leave!”

“Apply for a day’s leave? Aiya, it’s difficult. There’s no precedence of your colleagues applying for leave…”

“The recent Houndhead Man research has passed the critical stage, and the results were impressive. I intend to modify and incubate a hundred Houndhead Man eggs. Of course, it’s my interest, so I’ll pay with my money. The eggs will come from Lord Sherlock.”

“In that case, I’ll have to approve your leave!”

…

At the Winterfell Garrison Guard Station.

“Aiya, this is a troublesome matter. I heard you’re Eternal Kingdom’s Lich?

“The relationship between Eternal Kingdom and Professor Bacon is muddy. We’re investigating Eternal Kingdom. What do you know?

“I know Eternal Kingdom doesn’t belong to the management of the Merchant Alliance and that the incident occurred within the Merchant Alliance’s jurisdiction.

“Aiya, it’s not a problem of Magic Stones. If you’re posting bail, then the problem is easily solved. Hey guard, release Professor Bacon!”

…

Outside the Winterfell Garrison Guard Station.

“Brainiac! Why did you post bail for me?”

“What? The newspaper reported it? Let me see.”

“Lord Sherlock… Unscrupulous media! How can they report such stuff?”

“No, bring me to see Lord Sherlock!”

…

At the Dungeon Lord Main Hall in Eternal Kingdom.

Sherlock put a cup of boiled underground water in front of the despondent Bacon. The worried Brainiac was sitting beside Bacon.

Sherlock patted Bacon’s shoulder and sighed. Then he said, “Professor Bacon, don’t be too sad. Since the bail has been posted, the matter should be resolved. As for the unscrupulous media, don’t be too bothered. The rumors will break down on their own.”

“Thank you, Lord Sherlock, for the consolation. This tea is…”

Bacon held the cup of boiling water, but with his deep knowledge of teas, he didn’t recognize it.

“Oh, underground water, boiled.”

Sherlock poured a cup for himself and sat opposite Bacon.

“Oh… boiled water.” Bacon nodded and drank the boiling water, which dripped down his spine vertebrae. His bones started emitting steam.

“Yes, did Professor Bacon return back to Specter College? Did you stay in Winterfell all this time?” Sherlock asked.

“As I intended to teach the students, I didn’t return to the college. If I returned, it wouldn’t be easy to apply for leave,” Bacon said.

“Understand. I fully understand.” Sherlock nodded.

“I’m ashamed to meet Lord Sherlock. Due to my negligence, the newspaper reports weren’t factual. If I left without meeting you, Lord Sherlock might bear grudges against me. I feel that I have to clarify things with you,” Bacon said with agitation.

“Professor Bacon, with our relationship, it’s not necessary. I don’t believe a word of the unscrupulous media.” Sherlock consoled Bacon.

“It’s good for Lord Sherlock to think this way. I created so much trouble for Lord Sherlock. If you have any requests, please inform me.” Bacon stood up and bowed to Sherlock with a sense of guilt. He left together with Brainiac.

At Sherlock’s request, Bacon entered and left while he was cloaked in invisibility so that the gamers wouldn’t notice.

“We gained another favor from Professor Bacon, though he betrayed Lord Sherlock,” Bru said. “Anyways, Lord Sherlock didn’t lose anything.”

“What’s the situation with the reincarnations and online durations of the gamers?” Sherlock ignored Bru and asked about the gamers.

“Of the 2,100 gamers, 1,500 gamers had an average online duration of 12 hours or more. They are mostly undergraduates, as the current period is the otherworld’s summer holiday. I postulate that the duration will remain stable. As for the reincarnations, from these 1,500 gamers, there are 300 Gnomes, 200 Houndhead Men, and the rest are Goblins,” Bru replied quickly.

“We’ll report 20,000 creatures and apply for 20,000 sets of equipment worth of aid,” Sherlock said solemnly.

Winterfell Business Unit Meeting Hall.

“What! Twenty thousand sets! This Dungeon Lord is too overbearing. Does he have 20,000 servants? Even Eternal Fire only requested supplies for 20,000 creatures!”

An armored Orc General shouted angrily, “I suggest striking Eternal Kingdom off of the Merchant Alliance’s collaboration list.”

“Though they requested 20,000 sets, half of the requested armor is for Goblins,” a Gnome sitting at the side said.

“And it’s not a small number for three thousand Houndhead Men and seven thousand Gnomes,” another Gnome said.

“We can’t accept such a request. If every Dungeon sends similar requests, then Winterfell will lose face!”

“That’s correct. I suggest we reject them with strong words. Without Eternal Kingdom’s help, we can deal with the Ancient Gods crisis.”

“We can’t let him be willful just because he’s a superior Devil!”

The creatures started discussing heatedly. Dungeon Lord Onionhead, who was heading the meeting, slammed down on the table and looked at everyone. He then calmly said, “I know a bit about Eternal Kingdom, which is a Dungeon that was bought three months ago. Then it was upgraded to a Level 2 Dungeon, and Sherlock ordered a large furnace that will allow thousands of Blacksmiths to work at the same time.”

“What? It’s a Level 2 Dungeon after only three months?”

“Even Eternal Fire doesn’t require such a large furnace.”

“Dungeon Lord Onionhead, the fake red tea is causing harm!”

“Quiet! Quiet!” The son-in-law of Onionhead slammed down on the table violently.

But the creatures didn’t stop their discussion.

The door of the Meeting Hall opened. Everyone stopped their talking as they gazed at a creature standing at the door.

The tall creature wore dark red ceremonial clothing with double buttons and a white shirt with a high collar. Hidden within the shadows, one could clearly see the folded bat wings on his back. This was a superior Devil with a distinctive trait.

“Everyone, if Winterfell is facing problems providing armor, I can provide assistance,” the superior Devil said.

“Lord Alexandria…” Onionhead narrowed his eyes.

“Of course, there’s a condition for my help. I hope everyone can listen to my opinion.” Alexandria walked forward. Only his ceremonial clothing could be seen.

“Let Eternal Kingdom guard the location that I designate. Are you agreeable?”

…

In the Winterfell Teleport Portal VIP Hall.

Sherlock looked at the list of armor and the defense map in his hands and pondered.

“Winterfell values Lord Sherlock’s capability. They agreed to supply the 20,000 sets of armor without thinking and arranged for our army to be stationed beside Eternal Fire’s army. From the indication on the map, our allies have 20,000 creatures. We can go ahead with our plan at full speed,” Bru said happily.

“I hope so.”

Sherlock put down the defense map. On the map, a tunnel that ran along a valley had the words “Sleeping Valley.” On the side were the words “Eternal Kingdom, Co-defense Area No. 10.”