Long Live Money in Anime Crossover

All of this was a conspiracy, a conspiracy orchestrated by Kayaba Akihiko. Since it was a conspiracy, how could there be any talk of justice and ideals?

All Kayaba Akihiko did was to give Momo an indelible crime, then mobilize everyone's participation to restrict everything Momo did under the guise of justice, and get the game back on track.

The right path designed by Akihiko Kayaba himself.

The so-called torrent of justice is such a simple thing, yet it can limit Momo's abilities to the greatest extent.

So what if you are powerful? So what if you can turn someone to your side in an instant? Mo Mo, how will you deal with the righteous tide of thousands of people?

This time, he's bound to win.

"Oh?"

Mo Mo watched Kayaba Akihiko approach with interest, a strange smile on his face, and asked, "Reimu, if I couldn't help but call him Kayaba Akihiko right now, what kind of expression do you think he would have?"

Reimu Hakurei chuckled and said, "He'll probably just faint from anger, and then all the players on site will collectively riot and hack him to death with their swords?"

"Well, I just couldn't resist!"

"But that won't do. You promised not to reveal the truth about the game. That's a broad concept. What exactly is the so-called truth about the game? Does it only refer to the murder mystery itself, or does it refer to all the inside stories about the game..."

"and many more!"

Reimu Hakurei seemed to have thought of something and asked, "Kayaba Akihiko, was he planning to scheme against you back then?"

Mo Mo stroked his chin and said, "It should be correct."

"Isn't he too far-sighted? Is this person really that terrifying?"

"Well, it's not hard to understand. Why don't you think about how long Kayaba Akihiko has been planning this Aincrad? He's probably only in his twenties, but he's already been planning it for more than ten years. He's a person who can endure loneliness."

"So you don't have any problems on your end?"

"Of course, no matter how many schemes and plots he devises, he's still just an amateur. Moreover, he tries to wave the banner of heroism and justice. This kind of banner is mostly used in literary works, but in reality, it's the most unreliable."

"Don't worry, everything is going according to plan."

Momo's confidence relieved Reimu Hakurei. Right now, she really had nothing to be nervous about and was just treating it as a comedy.

Reimu Hakurei wanted to see just how much trouble Kayaba Akihiko's actions would cause.

"Mo Mojun, what's wrong? Are you speechless?"

Looking at Heathcliff's confident smile, Momo couldn't resist teasing him a little.

"Um, excuse me, who are you? I don't know you."

Heathcliff was not angry at Momo's words; on the contrary, he was even more pleased. This showed that his identity had not been exposed. In the current confrontation with Momo, Momo was in the open, while he was in the shadows.

"I am Heathcliff, the Grand Master of the Knights of the Blood Oath. It's normal that the leader of a large guild like Momo has never heard of me or seen me, especially a leader like Momo who can entrust tasks to his subordinates with confidence."

"Why not just say I'm a hands-off manager?"

"Not at all. If Mo Mojun is indeed a wealthy man in real life, then this is a way of managing people that all of us guild leaders should learn. You are my role model."

Mo Mo watched Heathcliff with great interest. There was no doubt that Kayaba Akihiko's performance as such a composed middle-aged man was flawless. It seemed that he had rehearsed this chuunibyou dream countless times in his sleep.

"Alright, Heathcliff, what are you going to say? Are you going to continue framing me?"

Heathcliff straightened up, looked directly at Momo, and said, "Watch your words, Momo-kun. No one wants to frame you. Ya-o-kun and Kirito-kun just want a reasonable explanation."

"After all, you met with Kayaba Akihiko privately by yourself. You absolutely need to give an explanation. He is the mastermind behind all of this. What did you do after meeting the culprit? Is it some unspeakable secret?"

"Ya-o-kun and Kirito-kun's behavior may not have been very appropriate, but it was for all the players and for everyone's liberation. If they did make you angry, Mo-mo-kun, after you explain yourself, I will persuade them to apologize to you and let you punish them as you see fit."

Mo Mo smiled slightly and said, "So, if I don't explain, you'll assume I'm an accomplice too? And then you can openly convict me and label me a universally hated murderer?"

"Please don't misunderstand. Even if you don't explain anything, we can't determine that you did anything. None of us here have the right to judge you; only the law has the right to punish you. Therefore, we will only restrict your movements. After the game is completed, everything will be judged by the law."

"Furthermore, we are only restricting your movements to guard against potential dangers. After all, if you have no contact with Kayaba Akihiko, you can tell us everything that happened that day, what you talked about, and all of us."

Heathcliff's smile deepened; he knew all too well the power of Momo. After signing the contract with Momo, he could no longer alter the system permissions of Aincrad in the slightest.

All he could do was allow the system to run according to the pre-set permissions, and that left him with only the option to switch between the three identities: GM Kayaba Akihiko, Heathcliff, and the King of the Crimson Palace. This was not a modification to the system, but rather a setting that had been in place from the beginning.

He was afraid of mobilizing Yui, so he resorted to deception, offering to spare all the players as a verbal price to make Yui sow discord between Asuna and Argo, and then lead Momo into the trap he had set.

Moreover, the Smiling Coffin was just another trap.

PoH, the guild leader of Smiling Coffin, was far too clever. Kayaba Akihiko, who couldn't access system privileges, couldn't fool PoH at all. On the contrary, the more he talked, the more suspicious PoH became. In the end, PoH even started to test what this GM could do.

Unfortunately, Kayaba Akihiko had originally planned to have Laughing Coffin eliminate Momo and force him to leave the stage. However, now, Kayaba Akihiko decided to play along and include Laughing Coffin in his scheme as well.

In this way, no matter what abilities Momo possesses, he will be unable to use them.

Because of his trading power, he cannot reveal the truth about the game, so Momo's explanations are very limited. Just like now, Momo keeps trying to steer the conversation away from the topic, using both threats and persuasion.

Ya-Oh and Kirito are useless, but Kayaba Akihiko is different. He knows all this and he will not be threatened by anything.

Momo cannot disrupt the game, cannot interfere with its continuation, and cannot reveal the truth about the game. Even if Momo possesses abilities, he needs the consent of the person he is trading with to use them.

Right now, Kayaba Akihiko couldn't think of even the slightest flaw in him.

He had no flaws, so he was naturally invincible, while Mo Mo was full of weaknesses.

Mo Mo has never been able to explain his relationship with Kayaba Akihiko, and Kayaba Akihiko has even prepared evidence that Mo Mo is colluding with Laughing Coffin.

How can players trust someone who colludes with a murder guild, has spies on the game's mastermind, and can't even explain himself?

Mo Mo is finished.

Unable to be trusted any longer, he could only cower in the starting street amidst everyone's hostility, silently praying that one day, this game would be completed.

Isn't this the biggest failure?

Heathcliff's lips curled up again, his smile now so wide it was almost palpable.

"Mo Mojun, you are powerful, capable, wealthy, young, and charming. You should be living a life that everyone envies and is jealous of."

"But you just happened to enter my game and acted recklessly, completely messing up my plans."

"That's where you went wrong. You even tried to obstruct my experiment, which I cannot tolerate. So, consider this a lesson for you. I have no intention of killing everyone in the game."

"When Kirito grows up, that will be the end of this game. At that time, you can leave here with regret and failure, and continue your unrestrained life."

"However, you will always remember that in my world, Kayaba Akihiko's world, you are a loser!"

Seeing Heathcliff's smile, Momo chuckled and said, "What good news? Tell me and cheer me up?"

Heathcliff's face darkened, realizing his lapse in composure. He immediately straightened his expression and said seriously, "Mr. Momo, please give us an explanation."

"Explanation? What explanation?"

Heathcliff was both annoyed and amused. Was Momo now planning to act like a rogue? If so, he was truly disappointed.

"Naturally, it's about explaining your secret meeting with Kayaba Akihiko. We need the truth."

"Oh, that? No need to explain."

Mo Mo smiled, spread his hands, turned to face the thousands of players, and laughed loudly, saying, "I plead guilty."

090 A cold gaze

Plead guilty?

Mo Mo's clear voice echoed in everyone's ears, causing everyone to open their eyes wide in disbelief.

Confessing a crime...does that mean admitting one's guilt?

Mo Mo... confessed!

Suddenly, countless breaths became heavier, as if the entire scene was filled with the sound of wind due to these heavy breathing.

This left countless people stunned, countless people unable to understand, and countless people still in a daze of confrontation, and it ended just like that?

Mo Mo, have you confessed?

Heathcliff stared at Momo in astonishment, even he was stunned by Momo. He had originally planned to have a fierce verbal battle with Momo so that Momo would admit defeat and obediently stay in Aincrad, watching the game continue.

But now, he has actually confessed!

That's how you win?

A sense of utter absurdity arose in Heathcliff's mind: was Momo just a pretty face with no substance?

No, absolutely not, there's definitely something wrong!

Heathcliff and Momer have clashed more than once or twice. Momer would never have so many people; he definitely has his own plan!

What is the plan? What is the conspiracy? In this situation, if he wants to confess, what else can he do?

Or rather, what could he have done that he could only have done by confessing to it? What exactly was it?

In an instant, Heathcliff's brain started working at lightning speed. While he could work at 1,000% efficiency in calculating quantum leaps, the slightest change would cause his mind to tangle when he was thinking about conspiracies and schemes.

He was ultimately not a master of devising schemes and plots.

"Huh? That's strange. Did I not explain myself clearly?"

Momo walked towards Ya Wang, took the megaphone crystal from the stunned Ya Wang, and addressed everyone again: "I'll repeat myself, I, Yagyu Momo, have confessed. Well, so there's no need for that expression anymore. I admit my guilt!"

wrong!

Heathcliff finally realized what was wrong.

They haven't convicted Momo yet!

The question now, the question we need to discuss, is what exactly Momo and Kayaba Akihiko said during their secret meeting. Only by having Momo explain what they said can we determine whether Momo is guilty or not.

According to Heathcliff's own plan, Momo, due to the limitations of his trading authority, would certainly be unable to say anything. In that case, Momo would be considered to be keeping secrets and must be hiding something from others.

After that, Heathcliff was able to use Momo's attitude as a basis to judge that there might be unknown dangers associated with Momo, and then incite everyone to imprison Momo.

but!

but!

Even if Heathcliff's plan succeeds, Momo will only be imprisoned because he might be in danger. None of the players, including Heathcliff himself, can determine whether Momo is guilty or not, because they also don't know what Momo said to Kayaba Akihiko.

Does that mean a player is guilty simply because they bumped into Kayaba Akihiko in the wild and chatted with him for a bit?

Such a conclusion would absolutely not be accepted by all players at present. Even if Momo is imprisoned, it's only because he knew something but didn't report it, and might pose a threat!

Therefore, as long as Momo gives a seemingly reasonable reason, a considerable number of the players present will likely side with him, given his reputation and battle record.

Heathcliff believed he had Momer figured out because Momer couldn't reveal the truth, and couldn't even defend himself!