As they made their way toward the gathering where the last survivors were located, Ishikawa felt a sense of relief.
"I'm relieved that the telepathic message I sent you reached you, Saé."
It was comforting to know that they were connected, even in this chaotic situation. Indeed, like Bun, Saé, and Edano, Ishikawa also had the ability to communicate telepathically with Saé, a valuable resource in this world where words were sometimes insufficient to express the deepest feelings.
Once they arrived, they were greeted by the soulless faces of the other survivors. Their eyes were empty, devoid of any glimmer of hope or determination. They seemed completely helpless in the face of the situation unfolding before them, like puppets abandoned in a world whose strings were now in the hands of an invisible and relentless force.
As exasperation mounted among the survivors at the mysterious childish voice's new announcements, one of them spoke up, letting his anger burst forth in a torrent of words laden with helplessness and frustration.
"This time it's too much, that kid's voice is mocking us!"
But Kaisho, always calm and in control of his emotions, cut him off sharply.
"Calm down, giving in to anger will do us no good in such a critical situation."
"But then what can we do, Kaisho?"
In this moment of despair, Ono, true to his usual serenity, offered his idea. He stepped forward into the middle of the group, his voice carrying clearly through the oppressive silence that reigned, and began to explain his theory with quiet confidence.
"I think I understand. It's almost obvious that the explosions will occur where the heat was most intense."
The other survivors listened attentively, a glimmer of interest appearing in their dull eyes. Despite their distress, Ono's words seemed to bring a semblance of hope, a glimmer of understanding in the darkness of uncertainty.
The group, engaged in lively discussion, quickly saw Ono's theory challenged by one of the survivors.
"Except that with the number of people present, heat production will inevitably be high."
"So we have no chance of survival with only two plots?!"
However, another survivor intervened to qualify this explanation.
"There is a way to survive, if we don't spread out evenly across the two plots. The amount of heat produced will be affected."
A gradual understanding began to spread among the group: to increase their chances of survival, they would have to be on the plot with the fewest survivors of the two available. This meant making a choice to fight to be on the side of the minority.
In the midst of this turmoil, Ono spoke up confidently. He put forward a practical solution.
"There is indeed a solution to all this..."
"Oh yeah, and what's that?"
"Well... Just wear as little clothing as possible!"
Faced with Ono's bold idea, a collective grimace appeared on the faces of the survivors. It seemed that many of them refused to accept what Ono was suggesting.
One of the survivors, expressing the general skepticism, spoke up with a touch of irony.
"Am I dreaming, or are you asking us to get naked?"
"If that's really what you're saying, I refuse!"
"I don't really want to show myself in this kind of situation."
In a lighthearted mood, Ono replied with a smirk.
"You bunch of wimps, our survival is at stake here! If you're so embarrassed by nudity, you may not survive very long."
Saé shared her thoughts with her allies, expressing her disagreement with Ono's theory. Calmly and confidently, she presented her own interpretation of the clue.
"Each piece of land is marked with a cross that symbolizes the location of the bomb. However, it is not heat that determines the explosions, but rather a celestial sign."
Ishikawa and Edano listened attentively.
"When you stand precisely on these crosses at night and look up at the sky, red stars appear, shining with a singular brilliance."
Edano made a pointed remark, expressing his skepticism about Saé's explanation.
"I understand, but that still doesn't explain anything..."
But she took the time to explain her observations in detail.
"I checked my hypotheses. I found that the areas where the most red stars shone were the ones that were going to explode. On the other hand, the ones with the fewest stars were spared."
Saé mentioned that she had already noticed this consistency, noting that the secondary puzzle's terrain had only one red star, and that the number of red stars did not change after each explosion.
This revelation shed new light on the dynamics of the events to come, providing valuable insight into the parameters to consider for their survival.
Bun seemed lost in thought, his face frozen, showing no emotion at Saé's revelation.
[Information
Name: Chokan Bun
Age: 26
Dome of Belonging: Tokyo
Floor 4
XP: 2348/2462
Physical Strength: Level 5
Agility: Level 11
Magical Energy: Level 9
Tenacity: Level 8
Spotlight: Pending...
Mastery: Mastery in Reflection - Level 88 | Mastery in Combat - Level 7 | Mastery in Cooking - Level 5 | Mastery in Compassion - Level 6 | Mastery in Ancient History - Level 2 | Mastery in Communication - Level 4 | Mastery in Understanding Nature - Level 4
NFT Card: None
Inventory: The Chalice of United Souls | Ephemeral Dust of the Golden Dawn
Coins: 4,400
Journal:
You can access your health bar
! The 'Mastery in Reflection' maestria cannot be upgraded with coins !
! Your reward for solving Riddle #3: -The Invulnerable Beings- will be given to you at the end of it !]
?
Meanwhile, a visibly embarrassed man approached Saé to ask her a delicate question.
With some hesitation in his voice, he asked her, "Excuse me, have you already made your choice regarding the land you intend to take?"
"The land I intend to take?"
Seeing that Saé did not seem to understand what he was talking about, he explained in detail.
"Actually, an agreement has been reached to divide us into two groups: the 'minority' and the 'majority.' With this in mind, the 'majority' plot would be the one with the largest number of survivors, while the 'minority' plot would be the one with the fewest."
The man went on to describe the specific conditions imposed on the two groups.
"The 'minority' group will have to wear less clothing than the 'majority' group, and they will also have to implement cooling techniques such as standing in the shade in pairs, covering themselves with leaves, wetting their clothes, and other similar methods."
This complex explanation reflected the dilemma faced by the survivors, forcing them to make difficult decisions to increase their chances of survival in this perilous situation.
Saé replied to the man that she would choose the minority group's camp, but in reality, she was lying. She had sensed something disturbing in his behavior and preferred not to take any risks. The man, satisfied with her answer, thanked her and walked away, looking somewhat pleased.
Edano, intrigued, asked Saé what she was thinking.
"I lied. I suspect he has malicious intentions towards us."
"You saw that thanks to your masterful observation skills, right..."
As Saé, caught up in the urgency of changing location for fear of the consequences, instinctively headed toward the cross to observe the red stars, she remembered that they were only visible at night. About to abandon her idea, she was surprised.
"What? That's not normal!"
"What is it?"
"The red stars... I can see them!"