PNC Story/Standard 1-3/Script

Remaining Oasis Barrier Uptime - 1:21:48

Rossum Sector, junction of unopened route LS-1121

Sanctifier: [Irregular Agents detected, cleansing in progress–]

Sol: Are these Sanctifiers flies or something? They're everywhere!
Sol: Didn't Turing say these were all closed routes?!

Persicaria: Sol, this way! There's a plaza over here, don't get entangled with them.

Sol: Out of my way!

After destroying the pursuing Sanctifiers and avoiding the agents milling back and forth, we manage to sneak into a corner of the plaza.

Persicaria: The Data Center is at least 30 minutes away, and other main roads are swarming with Sanctifiers.

Sol: Can't we contact Turing again for another route?

Persicaria: …I'll try.

>Error 10061: Remote connection failed.

Persicaria: No good, I can't get through.

Sol: Dammit… Wait! Be quiet! More Sanctifiers are approaching.

Right after she finishes speaking, several Sanctifiers enter the plaza. They begin questioning the surrounding agents.

Sanctifier: [Searching for target…]
Sanctifier: [Multiple agents detected.]
Sanctifier: [Query: Have you witnessed any Irregular Agents or unusual phenomena?]

???: Oooh! Irregular Agents you say? Oh my, I'm sorry, Riko didn't see anything.
???: But if you're talking about unusual phenomena~ Perhaps… Over there? When Riko came here earlier, Riko heard lots and lots of noise from that way!

Sanctifier: [Thank you for your cooperation. Truncating irrelevant text. Parsing intelligence…]
Sanctifier: [Altering search route…]

Persicaria: How are things?

Sol: It looks like someone's giving the Sanctifiers directions… They're going elsewhere!

Persicaria: …That was close.

Sol: Stay put! Looks like that person's coming over!

???: Hi hi~
???: Don't bother hiding, not even Riko's tail is as obvious as you are. Come on out.

Sol: …Who ARE you?

Riko: Uwah– No need to be so uptight, right? If Riko hadn't drawn off the Sanctifiers just now, you'd have been spotted already.
Riko: It's one thing to not thank Riko, but then you even went and snapped at Riko, you're just terrible.

Sol: Er… I'm sorry, we just…

Riko: (Sigh) Never mind, never mind, there's nothing to be sorry for, so long as you show a bit of gratitude!

The agent called Riko shifts expressions at the speed of light. She sticks out her thumb and forefinger, then rubs them a couple of times with a vague smile on her face.

Sol: …Gratitude? What do you mean?

Riko: Tch, looks like you really don't get it.

Sol: Get… Get what?

Riko: Want to find out? Then look in my backpack!

Saying so, Riko forcefully peels open her backpack, revealing that it is chock-full of various items.

Riko: Operands, weapons, chips, gear, information, and special services… Riko has it all!
Riko: All you need is a few Diggcoins and no matter what you want, Riko will send it all to your doorstep!
Riko: Drawing off those Sanctifiers was just a token of my sincerity. I'll just collect token payment of… hm… 1,000,000 Diggcoins! Yes, just 10,000,000 Diggcoins will do!

Sol: Hey, did you add a zero at the back just now?

Riko: Ha… Ahahahaha, I guess I did. Oh, you know how it is, math is hard, you make mistakes easily, so let's not quibble about that for now.
Riko: How about this, Riko will provide you with a full suite of after-sales services!
Riko: Evading Sanctifier tracking, safely leaving Rossum behind, add the previous services to that… and I'll give you an 11… no, a 10% discount!
Riko: How about it, Boss? What do you think?

Sol: ...Does she sound like a scammer to you guys?

Riko: HEY! Riko heard that! Riko is NOT a scammer!

Saying so, Riko dumps her backpack on the ground and plants her hands on her waist, puffing up her cheeks with a smug look on her face.

Riko: Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Riko, a Decentralised Currency Trader, and I'm responsible for balancing excess operands throughout the various sectors through trade.
Riko: We control the operand balance throughout the entire cloud server, got that?
Riko: Riko's a bona fide merchant of Magrasea, not a scammer or what have you!

• So you're saying there are a lot of operands inside that backpack of yours?

Persicaria: Professor? Does this mean the deal with Turing is off?

Professor: I just don't want to pin all our hopes on her. We need to seize every possibility that presents itself. Besides, I have no intention of going back on our word.
Professor: If we can get enough operands ahead of time, then you or Sol can head back first.
Professor: Granted, doing this will be riskier for whoever states behind, but at the very least the Oasis will be safe sooner.

Persicaria: Hm– Yes, you're right. I hadn't considered that point.

While we're speaking, Riko has already taken the request form we gave her.

Riko: Hm… hm?? Now it's Riko's turn to ask you a question.
Riko: Are you sure you didn't add an extra zero… No, wait, two zeroes… no, hang on… In any case! Are you SURE you didn't accidentally add a whole ton of zeroes to this?!
Riko: Even Riko would need some time to get a sum like this together…

Persicaria: The list is right. Since you can't produce that amount, then let's forget about it.

Riko: No, wait, what about something else? How about a device to reduce operand consumption? Or maybe I could get you the amount piecemeal?
Riko: If it's just 20% or 30% of this amount, Riko can put in some elbow grease and make it happen.

Persicaria: Then there would be no point. I'm terribly sorry, but we need the full amount.

Riko: You really don't want anything other than operands?

Persicaria: Yes, nothing except operands.
Persicaria: Miss Riko, we're very grateful to you for your help just now, but we need to go.

Sol: Hey, wait, Persicaria, isn't just leaving at all a problem in itself?
Sol: Riko, do you have some way to get us to a Data Center quickly?

Riko: See! You DO need something after all. And where there's a need, Riko can meet it!
Riko: Now, the Data Center… Let Riko think… Ah! Got it!
Riko: Alright, so… Wait a minute. Riko's got a way for you, but do you have a deposit for Riko?

• (Cover up.)
  Professor: We're agents working for Turing, you can claim it from her.
  Sol & Persicaria: ???
  Riko: Why don't you try that on the Sanctifiers, Riko's not dumb!
  Riko: Riko knows exactly what the agents working for Turing look like.

• (Come clean.)
  Professor: We'll pay later. Put it on our tab.
  Riko: No can do! Riko does NOT extend credit!
  Riko: If all our traders balanced operands like this across the sectors, Magrasea would be a colander by now!

Saying so, Riko draws close, then she walks two circuits around us before sizing us up with a meaningful look in her eyes.

Riko: (Sigh) So you can't pay after all. And you sounded so confident when you were talking about operands that Riko thought you were rich.
Riko: In that case, let's make another trade.
Riko: But before that, Riko wants to confirm one thing. You guys… You're not agents, but beings from the real world, right?

Sol: !!! How could you tell?

Riko: Hehe, don't look down on Riko's long years of experience as a merchant. If nothing else, I know people.
Riko: Since that's right, we can make a deal. I'll trade a piece of real-world intel for a piece of route intel. How about that? It's a good deal, right?
Riko: Now, just hand over the deposit and Riko will take you to the Data Center~