"Alright, I was kidding. So, what exactly is the commission?" Belle asked.
"Don't worry about the details yet. Honestly, this feels like an Inter-Knot scam, and those are everywhere these days."
Wise paused, a sudden idea crossing his mind as he looked at Fairy.
"Fairy, can you check who posted this commission?"
"Come on, Brother. Inter-Knot accounts are encrypted. Even Fairy shouldn't be able to—"
Before Belle could finish, Fairy's voice came through.
[|Affirmative. Based on analysis, the commissioner is likely affiliated with Belobog Heavy Industries.|]
"Huh? No way. You actually managed to find them?"
Under Belle's shocked gaze, Fairy explained how it reached that conclusion. It was all based on nothing more than a blurry profile picture.
Wise couldn't help but marvel at how terrifying advanced AI had become in the era of big data. But it wasn't over yet, as Fairy delivered another prompt.
[|Master, a private message has been detected from the commissioner who previously issued the designated commission.|]
"Hmm? They contacted us?" Wise asked, raising an eyebrow.
[|Confirmed. The private message includes threatening language. Please permit me to read its contents.|]
"Threatening language?"
Hearing Fairy's report, Wise felt a bit puzzled. Since it was a designated commission, threats did not really make sense.
However, before he could think too deeply about it, Fairy had already begun reading the message.
According to the message, their situation was dire and they desperately required Phaethon's assistance. To avoid revealing their identities online, they proposed an offline meeting instead.
The scheduled time was 5 AM tomorrow, with the meeting point at the Six Street intersection. Wise listened carefully, but no matter how he thought about it, there was nothing that felt like a real threat.
"Fairy, remember this for the future. When you detect threatening words, clarify the target of the threat first. Otherwise, you might easily cause misunderstandings."
[|Understood, Master. This command has been recorded in the 'World's Strongest Artificial Intelligence Code of Conduct.|]
'Heh, it's just an AI, but it really loves to brag.'
After grumbling inwardly, Wise turned to look at Belle beside him.
"Hmm… Based on the message, the commissioner seems genuinely desperate, and the tone feels honest. Even so, requesting a face-to-face meeting is still suspicious. Inter-Knot rarely asks Proxies to meet offline without explaining the commission first, and doing it at 5 AM makes it even stranger."
What confused Wise the most was that he had never mentioned Phaethon's identity on this account, yet the other side already knew.
'Did someone introduce us to them? Besides Nicole, I really can't think of anyone else who would do that,' Wise thought, putting his hand on his chin.
[|Master, the commissioner just sent a new private message: 'As a token of sincerity, 20% of the commission fee has been paid in advance as a deposit. Please, I beg you.' Your Inter-Knot account has received the corresponding funds.|]
He still hadn't fully figured out what was going on, yet the commissioner on the other end was already anxious enough to send a deposit.
"Brother, Brother, th… that's so much money. Are we really taking this?"
Belle glanced at the deposit amount. It was roughly 1.1 times their total Inter-Knot income from last month.
And last month, they had still been operating Phaethon's account. This was only 20% of the total payment.
"Alright. We did say we wouldn't make choices between money and life, but if it's only a brief stop to observe from a distance, it should be fine. I'll take care of it."
"Huh? Are you sure about this, Brother? Your acting… It doesn't sound very reliable," Belle said, clearly uneasy about him risking his life.
"Sorry if my acting's bad, but I won't need it this time. If things really turn dangerous, I can always retreat."
Belle then remembered the moment Wise saved her from the Hollow. With what he could do, letting him go made sense.
"Alright. But if you sense any danger, you have to run right away. Don't make me worry, Brother."
"Okay, okay. I won't."
With the decision made, they naturally moved on to their respective responsibilities.
Wise used the free moment to open his author account, one he hadn't logged into for a long time.
The last update time showed it had been several years ago. Since that was the case, he might as well finish the novel he had left incomplete back then.
Once he made up his mind, Wise sat down at the computer and started typing right away, his fingers gliding smoothly over the keyboard.
With his current physical fitness and reaction speed, typing was naturally effortless. As for inspiration, he could draw from the many outstanding literary works from his previous life.
After all, it was for Dennies, so there was nothing to feel ashamed about.
[Ding! My dear Host, since you're about to write a novel, I strongly suggest you take a look at the updated Emotion Value Store.]
The moment the system spoke, Wise couldn't help feeling puzzled. Under normal circumstances, it rarely appeared unless favorability targets were involved.
Even so, since it had brought it up, he chose to check it out.
[Emotion Value Store]
[Blessing of One of the Four Gods (SSS): 100,000,000 Emotional Value.]
[Description: Host, which blessing do you think this system should possess?]
...
[Otherworld Manga and Novel Gift Pack (B): 500 Emotional Value.]
[Description: Contains multiple otherworld manga and novels. The system can assist in importing them to your computer. Master-level drawing skills are included.]
[Storage Space Upgrade (1 cubic meter): 500 Emotional Value.]
As Wise looked at the newly added items in the Emotion Value Store, his eyes were immediately drawn to the first and most eye-catching option.
'What the heck was that supposed to be?'
Ignoring the outrageous price, even if he could afford it, he wasn't confident that buying it wouldn't come with serious consequences.
[Host, please rest assured. This system will absolutely protect your consciousness and thoughts, and your appearance will remain just as charming.]
'That's not the problem!'
Wise chose to ignore the item and focused his gaze on the gift pack.
500 Emotional Value could be traded for five million Dennies, but under the current market conditions, that sum paled in comparison to the value of the gift pack's contents.
In a world where entertainment options were limited, the money those items could bring in would easily go beyond five million Dennies.
After exchanging for it, Wise went back to updating, choosing to finish the old novel first before putting out anything new.
As for the storage space upgrade, he decided to ignore it for now.
Before long, Wise uploaded the continuation of the novel he had never finished.
><
Meanwhile, somewhere in the Outer Ring.
A blonde girl had just returned home and was about to take a shower when her phone rang. She picked it up casually, but the moment she saw the notification, her eyes lit up.
"Huh? It finally updated. I honestly thought this author died in the Hollow disaster."
Her assumption wasn't unreasonable. The last time she had someone investigate the author, the final login location was Hollow Zero, so she had naturally assumed the worst.