Chapter 60

Chapter 60

Obviously, Lanen's bait was very enticing.

Just seeing the array of high-grade potions and enchanted weapons was enough to send the players into a collective frenzy.

11l: A-grade potions, A-grade enchanted weapons, crowbars, old seals…

12l: Polite inquiry, why haven’t I time-traveled to the late game yet? My collector’s obsession is killing me, I want all these items!

13l: This must be the most luxurious shop setup since the game started, but looking at the exchange conditions, they're high-end items that players can’t afford yet.

14l: Ahhh, I really want them!

15l: If this is a lure from the officials, then they’ve clearly succeeded. I’m going to blow all my money on faction tasks.

16l: Has anyone posted the current daily tasks for the Secret Church faction? I want to make a list to see the fastest way to farm honor points.

Druid: Image.jpg, no thanks needed.

17l: Sigh, these daily tasks give so few honor points. Are there any main faction missions that can net a lot of points at once? (crying)

18l: There should be, right? Since they've launched the faction system, this version's focus must be on faction conflict!

19l: Officials, speed up the faction conflict, please.jpg

20l: Officials, speed up the faction conflict, please.jpg

21l: Lol, can we really start conflicts? I'm beginning to doubt it, look at this queue.jpg

The photo posted by Post 21 shows players queuing up in the Kamui district, with the line extending outside the block.

Carmen is overwhelmed, his smile gradually stiffening, while Lanen is also busy, dealing with players appearing in the divine realm and simultaneously keeping an eye on the forum.

Fortunately... the efforts of him, Ogel, Carmen, and others are not in vain.

The players are all flocking to him.

22l: This number... Can't be all the players, right?

23l: No way, how can there be a conflict if everyone joins the same faction?

24l: No choice, Lanen is popular, the Secret Church was the first with a clear path to join, and look at the faction store, who wouldn't be tempted?

25l: My only worry is, if the player count reaches a certain limit, the officials might impose restrictions, like no more joining, otherwise, it's obvious there won't be any conflict.

26l: They shouldn’t do that, right? Crap, can I still make it if I hurry now?

27l: Too late, the Secret Church has too many benefits, and there’s already a bandwagon effect. Look at these players, I bet many joined because they saw the large numbers in this faction. Plus, if friends and family join, others will follow. With this compounding effect, the numbers are only going to increase unless another faction emerges with equally good benefits.

But naturally... that’s unlikely.

Lanen’s strategy of recruiting players on their first day in the game was to attract as many as possible.

According to the timeline from the previous world, the recruitment of other major factions hadn’t even started yet. Lanen clearly jumped the gun. And now the game's setting has changed; after Arkham disappeared, most players should have appeared in another major international city, the headquarters of various secret organizations and the Inspection Bureau.

But now, the storyline has been disrupted. The players' arrival point is still Arkham, and the Secret Church, though established late and less than a week old, has become a top-tier faction in terms of influence.

A combination of a popular NPC, potion shop, Black Poker newbie village, early recruitment, and enticing promises have led to the current situation where the Secret Church is attracting a large number of players.

Other factions are not even aware of the players' existence yet.

28l: No way, no way, there can't still be players joining other factions now, right?

The Stargazing Team, reading the forum: …

Fate Is In My Hands, under the odd gazes of his teammates, coughed uneasily: "The officials will surely find a solution. Maybe the Inspection Bureau we plan to join will turn out to be the best choice."

Fatty: "Right, it can't be that all players join one faction, right? How would faction battles work then? There must be a limit on the number of members."

29l: But what if the player numbers become too unbalanced for later faction battles?

30l: Relax, it won’t happen. Have you guys forgotten the game’s unique mechanics, the character cards? I can just join Lanen’s faction with my main and other factions with my alts.

31l: Lol, is that even a strategy?

Baba Hao: That's interesting. I could create a character specifically for infiltrating other factions and send back intel. That way, I could earn more honor points, right?

32l: Damn, typical of the troublemakers, instantly thinking of underhanded tactics we didn't consider.

33l: But it makes sense. To make the faction battles more interesting, we could use our alts to join the Inspection Bureau or other factions and feed them false information, setting them up for a fall!

34l: I'm going to steal intel from other factions to support my wife!

35l: Heh, that's nothing. Be bolder. Get a high position in these factions and then backstab during faction battles. You get everything (dog head with a rose in mouth).

Night Night Hao: You guys are truly talented! You should be the troublemakers.

36l: Oh no, you're more suited for that.

Lanen, in between attending to players, saw these replies and was momentarily stunned.

He remembered that in the past, players indeed used this tactic: main character cards joining their most desired faction, while alternate characters joined different factions, only to betray these factions' secrets during ceremonies in exchange for faction honor points and rewards.

However, in the past, the Inspection Bureau had the majority of players. Before their dark secrets were exposed, the allure of the investigator profession and the sentiment covered most players, naturally making the Bureau the biggest beneficiary of such backstabbing.

Eventually, other organizations realized something was amiss. They massively reduced their influence, making it almost impossible for new members to access core information. The difficulty of infiltrating rose significantly, and such backstabbing tactics gradually ceased.

Wow, he didn’t expect players to devise backstabbing strategies so quickly this time.

Fortunately, he was the beneficiary.

Worthy of being called the Fourth Calamity, truly a breeding ground for talent.

Not wanting the discussion to continue in this direction, Black Cat and Druid quickly intervened to prevent the thread from veering off-topic.

Black Cat: Hey everyone, please start another thread or create a group to discuss the hundred uses of character cards and backstabbing. This thread is about the Secret Church, let's stay on topic.

Druid: Just a friendly reminder, if you really plan to do backstabbing, keep it low-key. It’s better to discuss it in a group with friends and family. Once the method is exposed, it might not work anymore.

Black Cat: Alright, let’s get back on track. That’s all for promoting the Secret Church. Clearly, those who want to join will do so, and those who don’t won’t be swayed by these benefits. Promotion over, now back to my usual business.

37l: Yo, been waiting for this.

38l: The prophet is back in business!

Black Cat: Cough cough, first, allow me to summarize the parts of my previous predictions that were successful.

First, the task acceptance method in this game. As everyone knows, the initial version of the game had no formal task acceptance channel, and most of us during the 1.0 beta spent our time wandering until we gradually found NPCs to give tasks.

But now, this game! Finally! In the 2.0 beta, it fixed the bug of narrow and scarce task acceptance paths (cheers), adopting a faction mode, allowing players to take tasks regularly. Most players entering the game now won't have to experience the aimless wandering we did in the streets, ah, such a pity (wrings hands).

Druid: Lol.

Black Cat: Okay, this small bug fix was expected, not really a successful prediction. But the next part is different.

Second, Lanen's identity. Everyone should now have little doubt about Lanen's identity, right? He is one of the few ‘gods’ that can be confirmed in the game. Now with the church, prayers, and divine realm all established, it’s like my prediction has come true.

Third, the issues with the Inspection Bureau and the inversion of good and evil. Hiss, to be honest, I didn’t even expect this prediction to come true, it was just a guess without any basis.

Arlong: Indeed, I was stunned when we found that notebook in Archie's apartment. I didn't expect the Inspection Bureau to really be corrupt.

Matcha Milk Green: Isn't this still under debate? Maybe it’s just a part of them or a faction within the Inspection Bureau.

Black Cat: No, no, a hunch tells me it's not that simple. Think about it, why did Archie's father prefer to seal away the notebook rather than hand it over to the investigators? He must have discovered something, convinced that there was no one trustworthy in the Bureau. This at least indicates the extent of the Bureau’s darkness.

Black Cat: And considering the reaction of the NPC named Albert, he probably was also kept in the dark. This means Albert, to some extent, followed the same path as Archie's father, infiltrating the foreigners, only to be betrayed by his own organization.

Arlong: That's tragic. Poor Archie, his father and friend were both deceived by the Inspection Bureau.

Black Cat: Moving on, about the notion of evil gods being benevolent, this doesn't have universal applicability. Judging from Lanen's reaction in these series of events, at least I think Lanen is much purer than the Inspection Bureau. If we judge by actions and not intentions, he seems to be the one who saved Arkham.

Druid: What a joke, evil gods saving the world. The game developers shouldn’t be too outrageous.

39l: Honestly, I also find this quite absurd, too absurd. It feels like the developers want to pull off some trick, but honestly, they’ve messed it up. This is a real turn-off for me, evil gods saving the world is such a cold joke.

40l: I agree, it's too out of character (OOC). I still can't accept it.

Black Cat: To those who can't accept it, don't rush. At least finish reading my post before commenting.

Black Cat: Alright, that concludes the summary. I'm not counting some minor prediction details. Overall, my status as a prophet should be well established now, right? You all are my witnesses.

41l: Okay, werewolf, you're the target tonight (dog head).

Black Cat: Now, let's move on to speculation.

Black Cat: First, I want to revise my statement about Lanen's identity. I no longer agree with the idea that Lanen is an evil god.

42l：？？？

43l: ? But you just said…

Black Cat: What I said before was that Lanen is 'a god', but I never specified an evil god. Remember, in Lovecraftian cosmology, there are more than just Great Old Ones and Outer Gods.

44l: You mean... ancient gods?

Ancient gods in Lovecraftian lore are a unique concept. They were not created by Lovecraft but by a successor, Derleth. He referred to these beings as 'Ancient Gods' or 'Elder Gods,' positioned as adversaries to the Great Old Ones and Outer Gods. Unlike the latter, their stance is more neutral, even occasionally leaning towards good, similar to the biblical relationship between God and the Devil.

However, because Derleth attributed benevolent traits to these gods, it disrupted the original Lovecraftian cosmic vision of a cold, malevolent universe. Lovecraftian fans do not recognize these Elder Gods, but over time, successors have integrated these Ancient Gods into the ‘Earthly Gods’ mentioned in Lovecraft's Dream Cycle, emphasizing that they are not inherently good but oppose the Great Old Ones for personal reasons, aiding humanity only when it suits their interests.

In short, the Lovecraftian concept has been enriched by continuous reinterpretation and expansion by later creators. Nowadays, it's common to use this concept in role-playing games.

Black Cat: Maybe it's a being similar to this concept, though I'm not sure. But do you remember the 'door' and the giant hand behind it, as well as the gatekeeper, from the last main storyline?

Arlong: Of course, I remember.

Black Cat: That might be evidence of the existence of these Elder Gods I mentioned, some beings helping humanity. Regardless of their motives, doesn't this resemble the role of ancient or elder gods?

45l: That makes some sense...

46l: So, Lanen = Gatekeeper = Being helping humanity = Ancient God?

Black Cat: I never said that. I'm just suggesting that the gatekeeper might not be malevolent towards humans and could be an ancient god. But Lanen, he's part of another theory of mine.

Black Cat: I suspect Lanen might not be the gatekeeper.

47l：？

Black Cat: Think about it, the official sources have never stated Lanen is the gatekeeper, and there's no such description in the storyline. Yet, the player forums have 'concluded' this as fact. Why is that?

Arlong: Uh, is there even a debate? If the gatekeeper isn't Lanen, then who? Like in mystery novels, the culprit must have appeared in earlier chapters. The same goes for the main quest. If the gatekeeper isn't Lanen, it's like a deus ex machina, abruptly helping players through the main storyline. That would be too far-fetched.

That's why so many people on the player forums suspect it's Lanen.

Night Night: Yeah, plus the hints in the subsequent promotional PVs. It's obvious Lanen is the central figure. Right after the gatekeeper in the main storyline orders the door to be closed, it cuts to speculations about Lanen's identity. Isn't that a clear hint?

Black Cat: That's the trap set by the officials!

Black Cat: They deliberately presented an obvious suspect. Now everyone thinks Lanen is the gatekeeper, but the current storyline has already hinted at Lanen's real identity.

Druid: Ah, the prayer of the Secret Church.

Black Cat: Exactly. Prayers typically refer to a god's identity and powers. Look at that prayer: not a single line points to the gatekeeper but talks about 'the new master of forests and agriculture', clearly referring to a Shepherd God.

Black Cat: The role of a Shepherd God is overseeing forests and agriculture. Combined with the environment of the divine realm, there's hardly any doubt.

Lanen, on seeing this, couldn't help but slam the armrest of his chair.

Just as expected from Black Cat, perfectly capturing the hints he had revealed.

Indeed, Lanen's goal was to guide players' speculation, from the prayers of the Secret Church to the deliberate weapon descriptions, subtly providing clues to distinguish the 'Shepherd God' from the 'Gatekeeper.'

And detail-obsessed Black Cat certainly didn't miss them.

48l: What about the first two lines? 'Destiny's Subverter' could refer to the gatekeeper, right? Because of Him, the being behind the door couldn't come through, saving Arkham.

Black Cat: Well, there’s another interpretation. Here’s a lesser-known fact: the Shepherd God is the only deity in Greek mythology explicitly mentioned as having died.

49l：？

Black Cat: In mythology, the Shepherd God, Pan, is described as the guardian of shepherds and flocks, ruling over nature and the wilds. But one day, a sailor named Thamus, while passing a small island on his way to Italy, heard a voice from the sea saying, 'Thamus, are you there? When you reach Palodes, announce that the great god Pan is dead.'

Pan, meaning 'all' in ancient Greek, symbolizes the end of Greek mythology. His death marked the closure of the polytheistic system, coinciding with the rise of a new religion in the West. Early Christians interpreted Pan's death as a prerequisite for Jesus' birth. Pan represented the old beliefs, and the new colossal entity was born from His corpse.

As a side note, the reason Christianity later associated goat horns with the devil is also linked to Pan. Some say the image of Satan was derived from the dead Pan.

Black Cat: I digress. In short, Pan, the Shepherd God, was a deity who definitively died. Looking at the enchanted weapons' label, 'newborn Shepherd God', could this ‘resurrection’ correspond with the 'Destiny's Subverter' mentioned in the prayer?

After all, it overturns the concept of the Shepherd God being dead, or perhaps His return will significantly change the current world?

At this point, Lanen's lips curled into a slight smile.

Black Cat: Following this line of thought, the prayer’s second line, 'Unspeakable Mystery', could be explained. In the era when Christianity was at its peak, anything related to Satan, or Pan, was equated with evil, thus becoming 'unspeakable.'

50l: Hiss, that's enlightening. I never knew this interpretation existed.

51l: I see, this does explain the meaning of the prayer. In this case, the Gatekeeper and the Shepherd God aren’t related.

Black Cat: Exactly. I based my deduction on these clues that Lanen might not be the Gatekeeper. The misunderstanding arose because the officials intentionally misled our thoughts. If the main storyline of this version really revolves around the 'Gatekeeper's' identity, it feels too simplistic. Of course, my current theory might be the officials' way of misleading us.

52l: Uh, if it keeps going like this, it loses its charm. I'm more inclined to support this deduction now. I'm with Black Cat.

53l: I still find Lanen suspicious. And if Lanen is not the gatekeeper but a Shepherd God, why are his faction tasks so inclined towards good and order? The Shepherd God in mythology isn't exactly a benevolent deity.

Black Cat: About that, I have a little speculation…

Druid: Wow, there’s more?

Lanen: ?

Wait, wait, that's enough for now.

Black Cat: Yes, but this is mostly my conjecture.

Remember at the hospital, we speculated that Lanen’s goal was to take over the position of the hospital director? He did it. He has presumably lifted the seal and preserved the hospital permanently, transforming it into His divine realm.

According to what He told us, His divine realm is located at the seam between dream and reality. So, why doesn’t Lanen manifest in reality anymore?

Is it a choice, or is it impossible? Why did Lanen suddenly start creating His own church or massively expand its scope? He could have done this before but didn't recruit players into the church.

52l: …Because the game officials hadn't introduced the faction system before?

Druid: Lol

Arlong: Lol

Black Cat: How can this be hhhhh. The officials said the game world has its own set of rules and logic. We can't just say it’s because the faction feature wasn’t introduced before. It should be thought of as the storyline reaching this point, so the officials launched the faction feature accordingly.

In other words, regardless of the official faction launch, Lanen would have started recruiting followers at this point in the game's storyline.

So, why the sudden expansion? I assume the Secret Church always existed. People like Carmen, Kalens joined the Secret Church early, but players were unaware. Meaning, until this point, the Secret Church always adhered to the principles of 'secrecy' and 'low profile', only recruiting the elite.

Lanen: …Well, that’s not entirely true. After all, he only recently realized his own identity.

Black Cat: The reason it’s now open to players is because Lanen needs that many followers.

Druid: ? What do you mean.

Black Cat: Disclaimer, this is all my speculation. If we assume Lanen is not the gatekeeper, then in the previous storyline, the gatekeeper ordered the 'closing of the door', separating the dream and reality, thwarting the foreigners' plan. Could it be that Lanen, as a suspected evil god or ancient god, is temporarily unable to descend into reality?

But because of the existence of the hospital, he wasn't expelled by the gatekeeper like the giant hand behind the door. If the inside and outside of the door are considered two different worlds, the Dream Gap is like a transit station. Lann had claimed a part of it as his own kingdom, a place for both offense and defense.

The reason the Secret Church is now openly recruiting followers is that Lann needs 'believers' as anchors to re-emerge into reality.

Lann: ?

Wait a minute, stop imagining things. He really just chickened out because he was discovered by the Inspection Bureau—