Bornandtorn - Chapter 136 Schemes and Schemers and one really annoying NPC

The interview was received well and bringing in a lot of new viewers. At first, everyone had been a little sceptic about the decision to interview a simple NPC instead of a famous player but they had soon be won over by the mysterious NPC.

Learning about their ancestor’s ways of living and everything about them had a strange allure to them. Hearing all about them was satisfying and at the same time, they wanted to get to know even more about them.

Their obsession with monster meat or the constant desire to make jokes at inappropriate times was really not how they would have imagined their ancestors to behave. They had the impression, that their lives consisted out of fear for their lives amidst the monsters that had been preying on them before the Gods had selected them.

Yet they found out that the humans were a lot more different than initially expected. Especially a human carrying the label Sin. They had never seen or heard of a case like this. According to their experience, only a monster was fit to carry something like this as their entire existence was considered sacrilegious.

Why a human would carry this label was hard for them to fathom. Despite all of their flaws, the Ancestor had been one of them before being chosen. After pondering on this issue for a while the came to the conclusion. that their Ancestor must have been special among the human.

This explanation gave them enough reason to be proud of their heritage. Their lineage being superior to the sinful human was common sense in their eyes. After making that kind of distinction between themselves and the weird human on their magic crystals they could finally rest easy.

All of the knowledge the human gave away was soaked up as it filled the cold and harsh reality with something new and exciting. Drawn in by their vivid imagination, they started the dire struggle for survival the old humans must have faced. Or at least how they thought it must have looked like. Because the source for their imagery was a really modern interpretation of the thing known as human.

Due to the lack of understanding, many things about Moirai were just accepted without pondering too deeply and treated as a fact. For instance, the fierce expression on Moirais face was wrongly interpreted as a sign for compassion. The changes in his mood were seen as the normal way humans had conversed.

The lack of manners and formality was brought into relation to their savage lifestyle that did not allow for something like this. Therefore the lack thereof was seen as a realistic depiction of the prehistoric humans.

That this judgement could not be any more of the truth is not something that they were aware of. Watching Moirai formed their new view and their new understanding of how a human behaved and acted.

During the interview, the audience experienced a wide range of emotions, from pure laughter to excitement and sobriety. Moirai brought them to feel these emotions due to the quality of the answers he gave. They even shed a tear after hearing his speech about their responsibility.

But there were some who did not share the same feelings as the general audience. Looking at the NPC and all its antics was the cause for the utter disgust and bitter hatred they felt towards this entity.

Without a doubt, the people who had suffered the most due to his existence were the technicians who still had not been able to solve the issue and were now forced to helplessly watch on as his face was taunting them over and over again.

They had lost all of their remaining hope as their actions did not yield any results and that this NPC had the audacity to hold an interview was the final straw for them. After giving up on trying to salvage this situation, all they wanted to do was cry and curse their ill fate as their future had now been sealed.

A general feeling of resignation and downcast expression filled the room but next to no words were spoken as they all suffered silently. The realisation that everything had failed was a painful sensation, that every single technician had to make for themself.

They only could watch on in horror as the NPC they despised continue to bask in the limelight of the general public. Absolutely sick of seeing its face right in front of them, they wanted nothing more than to avert there eyes, but yet the could not do that.

There was something which forced them to continue watching this torment as if in the back of their minds they still had to fully give up and were hoping for a miracle to occur. Trying to hold onto this faint hope was something they did subconsciously.

Strangely they decided against praying for a solution in this matter. Normally directing a prayer at their specific God would have been considered nothing more than a formality. But for whatever reason, they decided against involving the Gods in this matter.

A technicians responsibility lied in the exchange with the system and the adaptation of the whims of their superiors. So, they were considered to be the ones who knew the most about the world of Primal Survival. Yet, even they lacked a feasible explanation of what Moirai exactly was.

The system remained silent about the details surrounding Moirai and the teams they had sent could not even approach the NPC before being killed by the now many clones that were freely roaming in the vicinity around the deserted town.

They were as clueless as everyone else, although they were the ones supposed to fully understand the simulated world. Lacking the knowledge about everything, which was remotely related to the mysterious NPC. At first, they still got away claiming to have designed this NPC to advertise Primal Survival but now everything had deteriorated.

All of the initial lies they had used to keep their boss happy had come back to haunt them and they were just waiting for the infuriated boss to appear.

The mood in this dark and cold room was incomparably sullen. Awaiting their boss and his terrible mood, they had accepted their immediate doom.

All they could do was wait until the inevitable would take place.

Unbeknownst to them, it was their boss, who was currently in a heap of trouble. The boss known for his fierce temper found himself at the opposing side for once as he was screamed at without getting any chance to retort.

The cause for this unusual sight lied in the unusual behaviour of the NPC as well.

” Why do we spend so many resources and a trivial NPC, or however that thing is called can ruin it singlehandedly. If you can not even solve such an issue, how can we put any trust in you and your team full of failures?

The men who said this was the spokesperson for the Church council and was regarded as one of the most influential people in the future development of Primal Survival. While he certainly did not look the part with his slightly chubby body and round face, there was no denying, that this person had the abilities to make his life a living hell.

It was the first time that he had interfered with their decisionmaking. Prior he had let things run its course, but this situation caused him to speak up and to convey his concern in an audible fashion.

What made the situation even less tolerable was that he was not the only person present at the conference. There was also a representative for the crown, who was also clearly not amused by the current development of the situation.

Although his demeanour was a lot more reserved a look in his face was enough to tell, that he shared the same opinion has the member of the Church. The involvement of the royal family was a well-kept secret, as only the highest echelons were aware of this fact.

Not even Lysander himself, as the president of Casum Entertainment, knew the purpose of it, but since they were adamant of being secretive he did not dare to ask. They provided the resources and in return he kept quiet.

Though the same did not stand true for the Churches, all of them had sent many of their youths into ” Primal Survival” trying to achieve something, which Lysander could not figure out even after supervising the activity of their affiliated players.

This measures had to be taken because Lysander was keenly aware. that the participation of the Churches came at a cost. After being involved in this struggle for far too long he had begun to detest it.

He wanted to shield the common players from this fierce battle, full of intrigues and lies. His aim lied in training these players to solve the trouble and not to create it. Unfortunately despite all of his effort, he could not stop most of the players from becoming a part of this cruel fight. He just had the still hope, that they would not lose sight of themselves and to follow their own path.

The least he could do was to supervise and if possibly subtly intervene in their endeavour. Lysander had no intention of becoming an enemy with their Churches far from it. He knew all too well about all of their responsibilities but he also knew that the current players were not ready yet.

Though the detail that worried him the most was, that the Church was not particularly interested in the development of said players. Except for a few rare exceptions, their main focus lied entirely else. Which begged the question, why did they invest so much if they are not interested in the players themselves? Lysander did not have an answer to this question.

With this thought in his mind, he decided to probe the Churches for their intention.

” Dear Sir, I understand your concern, but I do not see how a simple NPC is a burden for our plans. I do not see how a simple NPC can clash with our plan to train the next generation of talents. Especially if this NPC had been seen as a valuable asset just before the current situation.”

Lysander had never broken eye contact with the spokesperson of the Church Council while he had spoken to him. He had to stand in his ground in this matter, but he had to so while maintaining the highest form of formality and manners. Coming across as confronting was not the goal, instead, he wanted to gain some important information by playing dumb.

” How can you not see it? Maybe I should just pick any commoner from the streets and he would probably be better in any regard whatsoever” This comment was made with degrading tone intending to remind Lysander of his role.

Yet Lysander did not seem to mind the contempt in his voice as he calmly answered.

” But Sir, I do not think, that the players would accept a commoner in my position. It would not reflect well on a prestigious project sponsored by the Church. But if you deem a commoner, despite the risks involved, as a better option for the future of “Primal Survival” then I will gladly let him take over.

“After all a commoner endorsed by all of the Churches must really be something special.” No more words where needed and the expression on the face of the Church representative turned ugly. The words had caused the intended effect.

Lysander had brought his point across securing his position while reminding the representative of the Church of his position. All of this while still carrying the same pleasant smile on his face. He had played this game for a long time and he would not falter under this bit of pressure.

The real problem was not the representative of the Church but the more reserved spokesperson of the royal family, which had yet to speak a single word. With everything about their intention and plans being unknown, it was hard for Lysander to predict his position.

” Thank you for including the reputation of the Church in your decisionmaking” through gritted teeth came the “apology” but this success did not last long as another concern was directly flung into the face of Lysander.

” But why exactly a human, how does that filthy creature look good for our ambition.”

Lysander had to admit he made a valid point, during their discussion they could hear and watch the interview conducted by CallMeDaddy in the background. Looking into the ugly visage of the human NPC really underlined the valid concern of the Churches.

” I have a good question here Moirai, it is from someone called ” It is in the blood” Dear Moirai. with all of your strength, why waste it here just to train others?” Hearing this sentence caused the first visible change in the countenance on the man who had yet to utter a word.

Lysander had missed this change as his eyes were currently fixated on the image displayed by the crystals.

” I am certain this world has many valuable things to offer, otherwise many would be not here.”

After hearing this the expression on his face remained stagnant but this only lasted until the very next second as Moirai added something to his last statements.

” Especially if it is in the blood. You are a very strong after all.” Many might have missed the implication but not the spokesperson for the royal family as the shock had become more than apparent on his face.

What followed was a deep frown as magic around him fluctuated quite heavily. This time around this change did not escape Lysander who was overwhelmed by the sudden change. He had no other choice, then to wait until the esteemed guest had regained his calm.

The tense atmosphere did not last long before it returned to its previous state, but the reaction from the royal spokesperson has left a deep impression on everyone present. Both of them stopped their discussion and waited for his words.

After a long time has passed he finally spoke. His voice was cold and callous but a hint of anger could be heard inside of it. In comparison to the chubby representative, his body looked lean and fit, while he towered over the both of them. His height was considered tall among the Chosen ones as it approached the 1,70 meter mark. His clothing bared the insignia of the royal family with the symbol of a dragon embedded in it.

” We should only intervene, when the situation itself calls for it and this is currently not the case. But we can not accept it either. Therefore i have decided to give some of the younger generation the change to prove themselves and solve the issue for us. Mr. Statera would you kindly alleviate some of the restrictions, that the specific players face?”

While this arrangement was by no means favorable for Lysander, he had no choice but to accept it. Due to this change only being a temporary measure, it was a lot easier to accept it. The thought about losing Moirai, did not even cross his mind, because Moirai in his eyes was not even a valuable asset.

” May my little girl also participate in this opportunity? She is currently begging me for this.”

” That should pose no problem” Lysander nodded and accepted without any hesitation.

One person more or less did not matter, what is the worst that could happen?