Time passed minute by minute. The waterfall continued its roar, and mist filled the air. That strange man just stood there quietly, gazing into the distance, as if he had turned into a statue.
About twenty minutes later, just as Artoria was considering whether she should "politely" end the tea party and leave this place that had suddenly become somewhat eerie, the man suddenly moved.
He turned around slowly, still keeping his head lowered, his hat brim obscuring his face, and spoke in a hoarse voice: "Are you few... here for a 'vacation'?"
His choice of words made Artoria's heart sink! Vacation! This word, in this death game of SAO, should absolutely not be uttered so naturally by an "ordinary NPC" or "local player"! Especially in this context!
Minerva's gaze also instantly became sharp. Ellie almost exclaimed out loud, but was stopped in time by a look from Artoria.
Artoria steadied herself, maintaining a calm expression, and asked in return: "Vacation? Sir, do you mean... relaxing in this game? I suppose so; we quite enjoy the scenery."
"Heh heh..." The man let out a low chuckle, which sounded indistinct amidst the roar of the waterfall. "Looking at the scenery... that's quite nice. The'scenery' here is indeed well-made. It's even more convincing than many 'real' things."
He paused, as if weighing his words, and then continued: "However, looking at the scenery is one thing, but it's best not to easily cross certain 'lines'. Some 'plays' are fine to watch, but don't just go on stage. Under the stage... it's sometimes quite crowded."
The implication in his words was already quite obvious! He was warning them not to intervene too much in the "plot" of this World, not to try to step onto the "stage" (meaning deeply participating in clearing the game or changing major events), because "under the stage" (meaning observers, variables, or travelers like them) might not just be them!
He really did know! He knew their identities! He might even know that other "travelers" existed!
"Your words are a bit profound, sir." Artoria remained calm and probed, "We are just ordinary tourists, looking at the scenery and experiencing life; we won't touch things we shouldn't."
"That's good." The man nodded, seemingly satisfied with her answer. He bent down and hoisted his worn canvas backpack again, his movements still slow. "The scenery has been seen, and it's time for this old man to go. This place... the water vapor is too heavy; staying too long makes my bones ache."
He turned and walked back toward the entrance of the stone steps, his gait still stumbling. But at the very moment he was about to step down the stairs, he turned his head slightly. The shadow under his hat brim seemed to glance at Artoria one last time, leaving behind a final sentence, his voice so soft it was almost drowned out by the sound of the waterfall:
"'Crystals', use them sparingly. 'Mirrors'... occasionally looking in them doesn't hurt."
After the words fell, his figure disappeared down the steep stone steps.
On the viewing platform, silence returned. There was only the eternal roar of the waterfall and the slightly hurried breathing of the three of them.
"Who... who exactly is he?!" Ellie clutched her chest, still shaken. "How did he know we were here for a 'vacation'? And he even knew about the 'crystals' and the 'mirrors'?!" The crystals referred to their infinite safe teleport crystals, and the mirror was the handheld mirror given initially by Akihiko Kayaba that reflected their true appearance! This was almost equivalent to directly pointing out their identity as "travelers" and some of their privileges!
"Not an NPC, nor an ordinary player." Minerva's expression was grave. She walked to the spot where the man had just been standing and sensed carefully, but nothing was left behind, as if everything just now had been a hallucination. "His state of existence is very peculiar; he seems to be able to interfere with or be immune to the conventional rules of this World to a certain extent, including the cognitive coordination field loaded on us by the'System'. Moreover, he seems to have a deep understanding of us, of 'travelers', and of the nature of this World."
Artoria was silent. She walked to the railing and looked in the direction where the man had disappeared; it was already empty. She recalled the man's last two sentences.
"'Use crystals sparingly' — was this a reminder not to abuse their privileges, to avoid attracting unnecessary rule-based attention or consuming'System' resources?"
"'Occasionally looking in the mirror doesn't hurt' — was this implying that they shouldn't become completely immersed in the 'appearance' of this World because of the 'vacation', and should always remember their 'reality' and maintain a clear self-awareness?"
"'It's sometimes quite crowded under the stage' — this is the most crucial part! He was clearly informing them that there isn't just the three of them as 'observers', 'variables', or 'travelers' in this World, or at least in this 'vacation' event! There are other existences, in similar or different ways, also 'observing' or 'experiencing' this World! This might explain why the First Floor clear was so smooth, and why Diabel could survive — perhaps other 'travelers' provided help unknowingly, or indirectly changed certain factors!"
A chill, mixed with a deeper realization, crept up Artoria's spine. This "SAO vacation" was far more complex than they had imagined. It wasn't just a safe playground tacitly approved by the "Observing Great Expert"; it was more likely a special "test zone" or "observation station" where multiple "observers" coexisted, rules intertwined, and undercurrents surged!
They thought they were VIP tourists coming for a vacation with "cheats". But now it seemed they might just be one of many audience members holding different "tickets", with different purposes, entering the same "large-scale immersive observation theater". And that mysterious man just now might be the "administrator" of the theater, or perhaps... a more senior "audience member", or even "stage crew" sent by the "production team".
"Our vacation... seems to have become more 'interesting'." Artoria slowly exhaled, turned to look at Minerva and Ellie, and smiled again, but there was a deeper meaning in that smile. "It seems we need to be more low-key, more cautious, and also... more attentively enjoy this 'performance'."
Minerva nodded, her eyes returning to a calm state: "At least, he did not release any malice; it was more like... a kind reminder and a warning within the rules. We should just continue our journey according to the original plan, only we need to pay more attention to the boundaries."
Ellie also patted her small chest, trying hard to calm herself down: "Yeah! Anyway, we have crystals, so we're not afraid! Besides, Master and Miss Minerva are the best! Let's continue our vacation! But... how about we find another place for a picnic?"
"Good idea." Artoria packed up the picnic cloth and tea set. "The water vapor here is indeed too heavy. Let's go to the grassland, find a place where we can see the waterfall, but isn't so 'crowded'."
The three of them quickly packed up and left the Thunder Roar Waterfall viewing platform. As she walked down the stone steps, Artoria couldn't help but look back one more time at the empty platform and the roaring waterfall.
The mysterious "warner" had already left, but his words were like a stone thrown into the lake of her heart, stirring up ripples that would not dissipate for a long time.
The sky of Aincrad remained blue and fake.
But behind the curtain of this "death game vacation", more unknown audience members and rules seemed to be hidden.
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