第９７８堀：情報をどう探し出すのか？ (Part2)
"What kind of thing are you saying to a maiden of flowers? Even if I am an undead, that is."
"Jokes aside, that’s the situation. Comet is undoubtedly the one who knows the most about the mana depletion phenomenon and the Great Outbreak in Weed. I’m entrusting our lives to you. Or would you rather I strike you down from behind?"
"There’s no way I’d do that. If I did, I’m sure Yuki’s wives would turn me into a pincushion."
Yeah, that would definitely happen. Besides, the very idea of me cutting down Yuki is impossible.
"But I understand that Yuki trusts me deeply. Well, the chances of it becoming such a major issue are low, but I’ll do my best."
"Yeah, I’m counting on you. And Ria, Jessica, Cleena, and Samantha—help her out as much as you can without overexerting yourselves."
"Understood."
With that, the communication with Yuki ended. We immediately gathered the mountain of documents and began our strategy meeting.
"So, Comet. There’s a mountain of these reports. Are we really going to examine every single one of them?"
"…I understand they are useful as information, but honestly, this volume is too much for just us to handle."
"Hmm. But this information is highly important; we can’t just let anyone help us."
"You’re right, Cleena. In that case, do we really have no choice but to struggle through it with just this group? It’s going to take a significant amount of time."
The main topic was how to organize the data we had received. The sheer volume was vast, and it contained a wide variety of information. Since we were dividing the work, we had to decide on a system for organizing the report contents first. If we didn't, everyone would organize them from different perspectives, leading to fragmented information and eventually forcing us to redo the entire investigation. We had to avoid that at all costs.
"You’re right. When it comes to the number of people working, the more the better. However, as Cleena said, this is top-secret information, so we can’t just show it to anyone. In that case, we should gather people who can be trusted with these secrets."
"People who can be trusted with these secrets? Um, like Lilishe?"
"I don't think she would ever talk... but for some reason, a voice in the corner of my heart is screaming at me to absolutely not do that."
"Hmm. Lilishe is a no-go."
"…It’s sad that I can’t even deny that. But then, who else is there?"
Samantha looked at me, clearly troubled.
"Well, we can just borrow some military personnel. There are plenty of them right here, aren't there? People like John or Surakichi-san. And for knowledge, perhaps Sota-san and Enor-san."
"Ah."
Exactly. If we needed a human-wave tactic, Weed had the perfect workforce. Yuki’s monster subordinates would never leak a word, and Sota-san and Enor-san possessed seasoned wisdom. It would be foolish not to utilize them.
We decided to call them over immediately, but there was one more thing we had to settle before the members arrived.
"Next, we need to decide what information to extract from these reports."
"Eh? Isn't it just the location, the type of monster, and the number?"
"As Ria says, those three items are necessary. But is there anything else you think we should collect?"
We had to decide what information to gather now. As Ria said, the location, type, and number of monsters were essential. But there were other things that would be beneficial to track.
"In that case, how about the timing? There were times when it was easier for wars to break out, after all."
"That’s right. Timing—meaning the date and time. And I think the year would be good, too."
For statistical analysis, the year, date, and time are essential. In scientific experiments, you even record the environmental conditions. It would be ideal to gather information down to that level of detail, but it’s probably too much to ask for that level of precision from the Adventurer Guild’s reports.
Just as I was thinking that...
"Hmm. In that case, I think it would be good to have the climate and weather at the time as well."
"Oh, that’s good. I think that’s a great idea."
The weather was a blind spot. It was unclear if it would be recorded in every report, but we decided that if it was available, we would record it.
After much discussion, we decided to record:
- Location
- Year
- Date
- Time
- Monster Type
- Number of Monsters
- Presence of human-on-human warfare near the location
Now then... the hell begins!
When gathering information, you must narrow down what you need from the start. It’s incredibly difficult for those doing the work, and doing it twice over would just destroy our efficiency.