Long Live Money in Anime Crossover

The figure seemed surprised that Asuna could find him despite the great distance and the thick fog. He hesitated for a few seconds, but then chose to walk forward.

"stop!"

In response to Asuna's renewed warning, a gentle baritone voice came from the other end, a voice that sounded harmless.

"Hey, don't be nervous, I'm just a regular player. Look, I have a green name, you know, green!"

Mo Mo chuckled coldly and said, "Would an ordinary player emphasize that their name is green? I'm afraid that for many players, the fact that their name changes color is a rather novel topic, isn't it?"

The newcomer gradually appeared in the mist, but stopped because of Mo Mo's words. He was shrouded in a cloak and patted his head in frustration.

"Don't be so wary. Your wariness makes it difficult for us to set up an ambush. Can't we all be a little more considerate of each other?"

Upon hearing this, Asuna swiftly drew her sword halfway, ready to unleash her sword skills and charge forward in an instant.

However, Momo pressed Asuna's hand down, pushing it back down.

"Calm down, Asuna."

"Mo Mo!"

"Don't forget, he's a green-named player. No, or to be precise, they're all green-named players. Also, Asuna, we made a promise, trust me."

Asuna gritted her teeth and sheathed her sword.

As Momo finished speaking, Argo was startled. From all directions, figures began to emerge, all sharing a common feature: they wore hoods, revealing only half of their chins, and wore eerie smiles.

"That's right, we're all green-named players, harmless green-named players! To show that we're harmless, I even took off all my defensive gear, leaving only this hood to conceal my identity!"

He looked at Asuna and Momo, a hint of mockery on his lips, and said, "Now, with your astonishing strength, a single sword technique from either of you could send me to my death!"

"How about it, beautiful Miss Asuna, and Mr. Momo, the mastermind behind the scenes, how about giving it a try?"

Asuna stared wide-eyed at the person in front of her in disbelief. Only then did Asuna realize that under his hood and cloak, he was wearing nothing but beginner's gear.

Beginner equipment with zero defense.

"If you make a move, we're all doomed! You can send us to our deaths! Come and try it out, experience the thrill of instantly becoming a red-named criminal, and enjoy the fun of being a criminal and a serial killer!"

His smile grew increasingly distorted, yet increasingly confident.

"Well, boring. Anyway, you guys don't dare to do it. The mighty Rose Knight Asuna and the behind-the-scenes boss Momo-kun are nothing more than mortals with only the courage of ordinary people."

Asuna's hands trembled slightly as she gradually began to understand what this so-called conspiracy was all about.

What a brilliant Kayaba Akihiko!

Momo held Asuna's hand, comforting her, and smiled, "Don't rush to mock me. We haven't officially started fighting yet, so it's not certain whether we're friends or foes, is it?"

"Mo Mo!"

This time, Argo and Asuna exclaimed at the same time, looking at Momo in surprise, completely unaware of why Momo had said those words.

The person opposite seemed quite surprised as well, saying, "As expected, you are indeed a very strong person, your mind is really too smart."

"Well, let me introduce myself. I am Johnny Black, currently the third-ranking member of the Laughing Coffin guild, and also the last high-ranking member with a green name. I am here to welcome the three of you."

Johnny Black bowed and performed an awkward aristocratic gesture, clearly imitating someone else.

"A smiling coffin! How could this be... I thought, I thought!"

Argo pursed his lips, then suddenly grabbed Momo's hand, saying, "Momo, legend has it that this is a murder guild! I used to think it was just a legend, after all, I've met their guild members, and they're all..."

"Are they all green-named like us?"

Johnny Black grinned and said, "Someone has to be the positive character who deals with you cowards on the bright side, doesn't there?"

"Momo, we have to find a way to escape! If these reports are true... then... they really will kill!"

Argo's hands trembled slightly. She regretted not paying more attention to this intelligence sooner!

"escape?"

"I'm sorry, haven't you two realized the current situation yet? Miss Rat, you are surrounded by us, surrounded by our green-named players who are powerless to resist! Learn from Mr. Momo, look at the smile on his lips, how calm he is!"

"Surround them? Don't be ridiculous, they're just a bunch of green-named enemies..."

"Yes, we are the strongest shield against a mere group of green-named individuals!"

Johnny Black spread his hands and said, "We're just forming a circle. What are you going to do about it? Attack us? Come on, attack us, and then you'll turn into yellow names!"

"But be careful after you turn yellow, or you might die!"

Johnny Blacklake's long utterance of the word "death" echoed through the thick fog, making it all the more eerie.

"This kind of thing... it's clearly a rule designed to protect players, yet it's being exploited like this..."

Argo finally understood what Johnny Black was relying on: the player-versus-player combat protection rules.

Under normal circumstances, a player is green-named. If a player attacks and harms another player, they will become yellow-named. If they kill another player, they will become red-named.

The penalties for players with yellow or red names are quite severe.

Any green-named player can initiate an attack on a yellow-named player without incurring any penalty unless the yellow-named player is killed. Any player can directly kill a red-named player without incurring any penalty and will even receive the items dropped by the red-named player as a reward.

Right now, this is what Johnny Black is relying on.

A group of green-named players surrounded Mo Mo and his companions. Unless they moved aside, the three of them would be helpless unless they turned into yellow-named players themselves. However, this group was numerous and powerful, clearly intending to gang up on the yellow-named players.

Once Momo and the others become yellow-named...

"If I'm not mistaken, you have some little tricks up your sleeve, like being able to kill people at will in this misty forest without any punishment."

"As expected of Mo Mojun, that's right!"

Johnny Black pulled out some mysterious black lumps and threw them into the air. Suddenly, a group of large bats appeared in the seemingly empty sky, grabbed the lumps, circled them a few times, and then flew away reluctantly.

"It's not that there aren't monsters here; on the contrary, there are powerful flying monsters, level 30 Mist Bats. Moreover, they are only interested in the byproducts of a certain cooking skill. Once we sprinkle this filthy dregs on the three of you..."

"Ah, of course, the three of you aren't afraid right now, but if you turn into yellow-named individuals and then get knocked into a critically injured state with low health... tsk tsk, life is precious, would you three like to give it a try?"

"hey-hey……"

"Haha! You're really scared now, aren't you?"

“These three are all top-tier individuals…”

"Aren't you just afraid of us?"

A group of green-named players dressed in beginner gear surrounded Mo Mo and his two companions, yet they were unable to move despite Mo Mo's powerful abilities, which was undeniably ironic.

"Here comes the machete you wanted!" Reimu Hakurei retorted casually, "Aren't you afraid they'll actually attack you since it's an ambush like this?"

"They simply don't dare, since their confidence is based on the premise that we won't dare to act. However, when it really comes down to life and death, who can guarantee that moral and legal constraints will still be effective?"

"Murderous madmen are often afraid of death themselves."

Momo shrugged, released the two women's hands, and stepped forward, standing in front of Johnny Black, amidst their astonished gazes.

Johnny Black's expression changed, and he instinctively gripped the dagger in his hand, but then put it down, saying, "Mo Mojun, what does this mean?"

"You disgust me."

Momo's words made Johnny Black narrow his eyes, and the friendly green-named players around him also narrowed their eyes dangerously, staring at Momo.

"What does this mean? Is it a provocation, or a signal to start a war, Mo Mojun?"

"No, I just want to meet the mastermind as soon as possible. Rather than wasting time with a nobody like you, I'd rather get to the point. That's what you're planning too, isn't it? Even though some people make too many promises, you don't trust them, do you?"

Johnny Black was genuinely surprised this time. After a long pause, he muttered to himself, "This time, I truly believe he'll abandon his identity and deal with you personally. A guy like you would definitely sabotage his plans given the chance!"

"This way, Mr. Momo, please make way so that Mr. Momo can pass."

077 Wait for me to come back, and then we'll get married!

Johnny Black stepped aside, and the players behind him made way for him. Asuna and Argo rushed forward, but Johnny Black stopped them with a grin.

"I'm sorry, ladies, you can't come over. I can assure you that as long as you two keep quiet, we won't have any conflict."

"Are you kidding me?!"

Argo roared, drew his dagger, and was about to charge forward when Asuna suddenly stopped him.

"Asuna, what are you doing! They're trying to separate us. The three of us are safe together, but Momo is alone... alone... he'll die!"

Argo's eyes reddened with anxiety. She looked at Asuna in disbelief, not understanding why Asuna was stopping her.

"Argo, calm down. Trust Momer. Trust him. You have no choice but to trust him!"

Asuna's voice trembled slightly. The current situation was likely a deadly trap, just as Momo had predicted. So what should she do now?

She has made a promise to trust Momo!

What should be done in any situation? What identity and means should be used to support Momo so that Momo can investigate the conspiracy behind it all as much as possible, and then support Momo in destroying the core of the game.

This was a plan she and Mo Mo devised, one in the open and the other in the shadows. Mo Mo was in danger alone, while she was to openly help Mo Mo guide the others.

At first, Asuna disagreed, but without a doubt, she was an indispensable part of Momo's plan.

No one can replace her, and even if someone else were replaced, Asuna and Momo cannot trust that replacement, nor can they believe in his safety, stance, will, or strength.

Only we can trust each other!

It's not just a matter of safety, but also a matter of capability, as it concerns the future of the entire game and the lives of thousands of people.

Therefore, we must trust Momo!

We must believe him!

"Let me go!"

Asuna's words didn't calm Argo down; he was thrown back several steps by Argo's force. Asuna stared at Argo in astonishment and said, "Why..."

"why?"

Argo pursed his lips and said, "I don't know why, and I don't know what kind of plan you two have. Anyway, I'm not involved. But now, Momo is in danger. These are green-named players, so what awaits Momo are yellow-named and red-named players!"

"Asuna, how could you let your boyfriend go to such a dangerous place alone! Even if Momo is smart, even if you have a plan, what if there's even the slightest mistake?"

"Mo Mo, you'll die!"

Argo's desperate roar made Asuna's words of persuasion fall back into her heart. Didn't she feel the same way? But she had already made her choice, the choice that Momo had hoped she would make.

"...No, we must trust Momo!"

Argo looked at Asuna as if she were a complete stranger, seemingly unable to believe that Asuna had become like this.