Although the trio had left the "instance" earlier than Lin Yu, just as he predicted, the exit time from the [instance] wouldn't affect the [Settlement Space]. They still entered the [Settlement Space] simultaneously with him - after all, the remaining three also seemed to have just regained their senses.
"Heavenly Artisan" looked around blankly, noticed someone was missing, saw the bloodstains on "April," and gazed at her with interest. "Heh, didn't expect this. After playing nice the whole game, someone actually died at the end... and it's 'lovers turning against each other.'"
"April" coldly stared at "Heavenly Artisan": "None of your damn business."
Having heard of "Heavenly Artisan's" reputation earlier, "April" had been somewhat afraid of this member of the [Marauders]. But after killing "Number Eight," April's personality seemed to have undergone some changes.
"Heavenly Artisan," choked by "April's" retort, helplessly raised his hands. "Alright, alright... my bad. This probably isn't a pleasant memory."
Lin Yu then looked at "Unforgotten." Having confirmed this person was from the [Free Alliance], Lin Yu naturally needed to reinforce his persona more. "Tch, what a shame I couldn't leave you completely in that instance this time." Lin Yu put on an expression of dissatisfaction and indignation as he looked at "Unforgotten."
"Unforgotten" smiled: "Oh? Didn't you have fun? The [Death Game] is just a 'game'... enjoying it is what matters most, isn't it?"
Lin Yu shook his head: "I can't enjoy that kind of game. I just think the further away I stay from lunatics like you... the better." He said with a headache.
"Unforgotten" burst out laughing. "What a pity, you've already caught my attention - I said I'd pester you even more intensely."
"Then I'll be... eagerly waiting!" "Unforgotten" laughed heartily.
Then...
The settlement time ended.
Lin Yu returned to reality once more - opening his eyes, he woke up in that enormous wooden bathtub. "Splash!" Lin Yu stood up from the still-warm water in the tub, droplets rolling off his clean skin.
Through the conversation in the Settlement Space, Lin Yu roughly understood one thing. "Unforgotten's" evaluation of him was likely "qualified." Even though he'd acted "vengeful, impulsive, and scheming," even showing obvious "hostility" toward "Unforgotten"... the other party still seemed to consider him "qualified."
The reason was probably the abilities he'd displayed in the previous instance. "So the [Free Alliance] probably selects members based solely on 'potential,' not caring much about relationships between members or their personalities." "This suggests either the organization is as loose as its name implies..." "Or its administrators are confident in resolving conflicts between members." Lin Yu thought to himself.
Anyway, this [Free Alliance] was truly as bad as the [Psychological Society], having good reason to be banned from the forum. But Lin Yu felt the [Free Alliance] was slightly better for now. At least "Unforgotten" hadn't actually harmed him - whereas that mysterious junior girl from the [Psychological Society] had genuinely shot him dead.
Thinking of this, Lin Yu rubbed his chin. The reactions of other players in this game also revealed something. "The 'forum' really does seem like a trustworthy organization..." After all, even "Heavenly Artisan" and "Unforgotten," who weren't allowed on the "forum," had initially fabricated forum IDs. And when "April" and "Number Eight" heard "Heavenly Artisan's" forum-banned name, they immediately became wary and guarded against him. Even "Heavenly Artisan" himself didn't dispute anything.
This indicated that the [forum] should be a highly credible and authoritative organization among most players. Previously, the reliable information Lin Yu saw about the [forum] and [Order] organizations came from posts on the "forum." How could information from the same source be credible? Only after seeing the reactions of several "veteran players" did Lin Yu finally lower his guard slightly toward the "forum."
Similarly, the [Tycoon], verified by the "forum," might also be relatively trustworthy. "Maybe I can try subtly probing him for information about that mysterious woman from the Psychological Society..." "And the [Free Alliance's] 'Unforgotten'..." Pondering this, Lin Yu decided to find another opportunity to contact the [Tycoon].
Of course, he'd temporarily stop selling fake items this week. Lin Yu now had a more reliable money-making method than "selling fake items" - the "bounty" posts on the forum! Since the [forum] organization was trustworthy, those they put bounties on were likely people who deserved to die. So why not kill some deserving targets within his ability and earn some extra cash?
"I'll carefully ask that Tycoon about the 'bounty' thing later!" "Might as well ask about [Promotion] while I'm at it." Although Lin Yu had decided to temporarily stop selling fake items, to the Tycoon, just based on that last deal, he was somewhat of a "big client" now. Moreover, with the permanent "double rewards" buff, even if he never sold fakes again, he could always sell genuine items! So the Tycoon probably wouldn't mind answering a few questions.
With this in mind, Lin Yu took off his wet clothes, dried himself with a towel, and changed into prepared clean clothes. He decided to message the Tycoon right now to contact him. Lin Yu picked up his phone from the bathroom counter and turned on the screen. The time was just five minutes past midnight - same as last time, he'd woken up around one minute past midnight. Drying himself had taken about four minutes.
But at this moment, Lin Yu suddenly realized the blood text before his eyes seemed different from before. [Time until next game latest start: 06 days 23 hours 54 minutes] [Note: In the next game instance, you will receive an additional [Promotion Trial] task.]
Lin Yu was dumbfounded. "[Promotion Trial]... huh?" He'd just been wondering whether to ask the Tycoon about [Promotion] while inquiring about other matters. Now it seemed... he'd have to prioritize investigating [Promotion]. If he couldn't get satisfactory answers from the Tycoon... Lin Yu was even prepared to use that precious "question opportunity" given by the "God of Change"!