Gacha Kingdom Building

While still inside the Infinite Hotel, the Hotel Girl and I kept playing her game. The strategy to win it was quite simple, first I complimented her at every turn.

Miwen: "I'd say the cookies of the Infinite Hotel are the best in the universe..."

Hotel Girl: "That's correct! You earn a bazillion points!"

Miwen: "The rooms are all neatly decorated, and the receptionist is beautiful too, I want to come every weekend!"

Hotel Girl: "I'll double your points if you go into detail about how much you like me!"

With the points I was getting, I could ask any question... theoretically. But there were a few that she refused to answer no matter how many points I acquired.

Specifically about whoever I'm in a Contract with... she eventually told me that telling me about this would be considered interference and that her brothers and sisters of the Endless might make a stand against me and her in case she talks about it, so, for the good of everyone involved, she decided to keep quiet about it.

Still, our game had practically devolved into a simple conversation... though a very flirty one as I praised her every time possible.

It certainly made for a strange event, but I would take this one over the others any time since there was no danger involved at all.

Mia: "...What the fuck am I watching?"

Anna: "He has a knack for befriending these kinds huh..."

Taking into account the Traveling Merchant and the Infinite Hotel, her statement was absolutely right. While the Merchant is an idiot, it's impossible to hate the guy, and I consider him a good friend.

Now the Hotel Girl... she's surprisingly easy to talk to and quite friendly. If I had to point out why I feel comfortable around these guys... it's probably because they have no reason to deceive me.

Being the apex of power, they have no need to consider how I feel or what I think in any way, and they can force their will whenever they want. While a scary thought, on the bright side, it makes their words more believable and reliable, as they don't have incentives to lie or deceive.

It's a contradictory feeling given that these guys are by all means the most dangerous in all of creation, but knowing that fighting against them is presumptuous by itself gives me a strange peace of mind. It's kind of freeing in a way.

While the mood in the Infinite Hotel was good, I thought it was necessary to bring back the conversation to useful topics, since I couldn't count on the Hotel Girl to do that seeing as she would love nothing more than getting compliments all day.

Of course, I couldn't ask about the contractor... but there were a few other things that I wanted to know.

Miwen: "...Why is it that I can only summon girls?"

Hotel Girl: "Remember what the Merchant told you? That for a lifeform like yours, a Gift so powerful should have some restrictions? Well... Your contractor chose to do so in a few places and had locks that would only open whenever you reached specific goals. It was the only way to... it was the only way.

If you were to ask for a reason why this specific change was made... your contractor would probably say that as a man, you would definitely appreciate it."

She decided to cut herself short in one of her sentences, and while I'd like to question it further, I knew she wouldn't stop for no reason. Whatever she was going to say probably entered the territory of interference or dealt with something she couldn't talk about for some reason.

Since these locks and changes on my Gift were put in place by this contractor, I'm assuming these were terms of the contract... This all but confirms that he's messing with things in the background too... The problem is that with no memories of ever entering this contract, the Hotel Girl was my best bet for determining the identity of this person.

Well... at least they seem to understand my heart a little bit. If I used the [Companions Banner] and instead of Licia I had summoned a naked man that first time, I would've probably given up on this banner completely.

If I were given the choice, I'd actually choose to lock it this way too.

Hotel Girl: "...Another change he made to your Gift was making it impossible for you to buy electronics and modern things through the use of Kingdom Points. You've noticed how you can buy things found in Earth's nature, like trees, but not something like a videogame, for example, right?"

I did... there were a bunch of constructions from other worlds that I could buy, and while I could summon them with a variety of different designs, I often wouldn't find one corresponding to a culture or architecture from Earth.

Hotel Girl: "With your level... I guess I can change both of these if you want... But for it to not count as too much of an interference, I'll have to do so as an event reward, and I'll also need to take your Kingdom Points and Gacha Tickets too..."

It's not a bad offer... while it sucks to lose a few of the resources I have, it might be that the Hotel Girl is the only one capable of offering these conditions to me.

I'm also earning a good amount of Kingdom Points thanks to Elizabeth and the girls, so giving her the amount I have stored, while a blowback, it's not that big of a deal.

But there's just one thing I need to ask her...

Miwen: "I'll accept your offer, but you don't need to change the [Companions Banner]."

What can I say? Perhaps I grew attached to the way it currently is.

Hotel Girl: "Pfft, as expected."

While we continued to talk, she explained a few more things to me, and as time passed, I got the answers for most of the things I was curious about. I felt like she kept the most important answers away from me giving the excuse of it being too much of an interference, but it was better than nothing.

Those questions were mostly related to my Gift, things such as what the mist surrounding the Kingdom was, and if it was safe to touch it or not.

To which she answered that it was simply the limit of the dimension. If I went in there, I would not be able to find my way back to the Kingdom and would need to get back to Earth.

As for someone inside the Kingdom who cannot leave, they would be lost forever inside that mist.

There were a few things that I wanted to ask her about that were unrelated to my Gift too...

Miwen: "I know that Asdrea is manipulating the Gods and robbing them of their Divinity... but I don't see that being the only reason why the Merchant has it out for him. Can you tell me, what is the reason for their fight?"

Hotel Girl: "The First Cycle fell on its own. After that... every single one of them was destroyed by Asdrea. We of the Endless wanted to make reality... endless, and during the First Cycle we took action to prevent creation from collapsing, but now, we can't confirm if it worked or not thanks to him... The Merchant doesn't like to talk about that.

The implications are that everyone that you know will die. Everything that you ever did will be meaningless. There is no hope for anyone to stand against Asdrea, aside from him."

It's a bleak reality... but...

Miwen: "...That's not enough to make me despair. I swear, that guy underestimates me too much."

Hotel Girl: "You're just a kid. It's easy for you to talk since it's so far from your reality... but the Caravan members watched this happen repeatedly. They lost their homes. They have no family to return to. Any friends or memories they made became truly meaningless whenever another Cycle started.

It's why you thought Priscilla seemed so uninterested in everything... she, like most of them, is simply tired. As much as they want to kill Asdrea and prevent this fate from befalling someone again... they also want to die. The Merchant has seen plenty of strong men fall into despair and end their lives after their Cycle has been destroyed...

it's too early for you to say you will feel nothing when it happens to yours."

As I thought... the Merchant carries a lot huh... being the leader of the only group capable of standing against... well, basically the end of the universe, is quite a lot.

Miwen: "There's one thing I don't understand, though. I can see the Merchant being capable of traveling to different Cycles due to his Gift, but if Asdrea needs to be present in a Cycle to destroy it, how does he get out after doing it?"

Hotel Girl: "To destroy a Cycle he uses his puppet Gods to cultivate his own power in the form of Fake Divinity, which he then absorbs back to destroy a Cycle... as for how he survives... that's where the True Divinity he robs from the Gods comes into play. That power can perform miracles... and if set in advance, it can even make someone be reborn in another Cycle."

I see... He has the most powerful lifeforms on a leash and uses their ego and hunger for power so that they bless more planets, which gives people access to their Gifts and a return in Divinity in the long term for the Gods,

Then, he absorbs all of their power to kill everything in existence, all the while increasing his power for the next turn.

Everything in creation, from the lowest lifeform to the highest deity is inadvertently working in his favor... working toward their own demise...

Miwen: "But then... why is Asdrea doing that, to begin with?"

It could be that it's the only way he has of guaranteeing his survival through the Cycles. It is incredibly selfish, but I can at least understand the motivation. Most living beings rank their survival above everything else, after all.

It's just natural to seek self-preservation, and if the guy has lived for... who knows how long, he must be quite attached to his life.

Hotel Girl: "I don't want to talk about that anymore. More importantly, how about we change things up a little with a question of my own? You see... you're very interesting, Miwen, and so, I want to hear your opinion. What do you think should be in the first room of this Infinite Hotel?"

...It was quite a loaded question...

Taking into consideration everything that I was able to confirm about this place, I can kind of understand how it works in a basic sense...

If the rooms from 2 until 12 are all filled with the Endless, then, the first room should naturally have whatever came before them.

But what would that be? These guys change reality as they see fit, I doubt there are others as powerful as they are... and if I had to point out one single thing...

Miwen: "Maybe... whoever created you guys? It would make some sense if you couldn't acquire something that exists in a higher form than you... even if you are infinite..."

Hotel Girl: "I see... that's a good answer. I'm satisfied now. If there's anything else you want to ask, feel free."

She seemed to be at peace after I answered her question, but she didn't tell me if I was right or wrong.

I couldn't think of many more things I wanted to ask, but then I remembered what the Merchant told me, about my origin going to everyone whenever I summon something.

According to her, it's just the mechanism my Gift uses to forcibly identify everything eligible in existence for the Banner that I selected.

She couldn't explain why it used my non-existent origin though.

In the end, there was only one last thing that I wanted to confirm.

Miwen: "You didn't invite me just because you are lonely..."

Hotel Girl: "Yeah. But I don't have any more points to give."

There wasn't any meaning in playing the game anymore... I had acquired all the points after a long session of flirting with her, so I could just ask whatever I wanted.

In case she couldn't answer me, she would just tell or avoid the question, which I understood.

To begin with, she had no obligation to tell me anything, so I appreciated whatever she had to say.

Miwen: "Then, just tell me your reason."

I could treat her with honesty. I wanted to know why I was here since sharing a bunch of secrets with me did nothing for her.

Hotel Girl: "Well... I was interested in you. But more importantly, there are a few things I want you to do for me... "