Chapter 12 Your Hometown

• If the phrase “the rules are absolute” still applies to this second game, then the writing on the mask holds the key to solving it. But how can it be solved? When will the harpoons fire? “The quartz clock never stops” Does this mean a quarter past one?
• Skyler glanced at the clock on the table. It was already five minutes past one. If a quarter past one was the time when the harpoons would fire, they had less than ten minutes left.
• Turn a hundred times toward hometown...
• The nine people here came from different hometowns, and “a hundred times” was no small number.
• If they wasted those ten minutes by thinking in the wrong direction, they'd have no chance.
• But in this room, besides themselves, what else could be “turned”?
• Skyler's eyes landed on the clock in the center of the table.
• He leaned over and touched the clock, but found it was firmly fixed to the table and couldn't be moved.
• If the clock won't move, could it be the chairs?
• Skyler looked down at the chair he was sitting on. It was an old, musty-smelling, ordinary chair, just sitting on the floor with no mechanisms.
• Given the circumstances, all that remained was...
• Skyler's gaze shifted to the round table in the center of the room, noticing something odd.
• This table couldn't exactly be called “round,” as it seemed to be a polygon with many sides. That was why it gave off the impression of being round.
• He reached out and tried to turn the tabletop. Sure enough, a faint sound of chains came from within the table.
• However, the table was quite heavy. Despite exerting considerable effort, Skyler could only manage to move the table a few centimeters.
• “A hundred times...”
• That number wasn't something two or three people could achieve on their own. All nine of them would need to work together to turn the table, giving them a slim chance of survival.
• Pomeline, who had been keenly observing Skyler's movements, called for everyone to stop.
• One by one, they walked over to the table and saw that it could indeed be turned.
• “Well done, con man.” Jeremiah nodded. “If we turn this table a hundred times, maybe we'll open that invisible door.”
• Skyler glanced at the clock again. Time was running short, but now the problem was simpler.
• Turn the round table a hundred times toward their hometown—there were only two possible answers: left or right.
• To the left, or to the right.
• But with everyone's hometown scattered across all directions—east, south, west, north—how could they be sure which way to turn?
• “Skyler, do you already know when the harpoons will fire?” Pomeline asked, covering her mouth and nose.
• “The clue says 'the quartz clock never stops', so I'm guessing it will happen at a quarter past one,” Skyler said softly.
• Jeremiah's face changed at that. “Then we've got less than ten minutes left! Let's start turning it now.”
• Harvey moved the corpse that had been lying on the table aside and sat down, testing the weight of the table. “But we only have one chance. If this heavy table has to be turned a hundred times, what if we turn it the wrong way?”
• “That still gives us a fifty percent chance of survival!” Jeremiah exclaimed. “If we don't turn it, we're dead for sure. But if we start, we have a fifty-fifty shot at living. Let's hurry!”
• He then threw all his strength into turning the table to the left.
• Though he appeared thin, Jeremiah was quite strong. With just him, the table turned half a circle.
• “What are you standing around for? For f*ck sake, help me!” Jeremiah shouted at the others.
• Realizing he had a point, the others joined in and began turning the table.
• There simply wasn't a right answer at the moment, so all they could do was take a gamble.
• Yet, Skyler remained motionless throughout.
• He wasn't sure which direction to think in.
• Left or right? Why is the keyword “hometown”?
• We're all Corvainan. Does that mean east? On maps, north is up, south is down, left is west, and right is east. So is the answer “right”? But what about the people from the west? Or could the answer be “left” as nobody should be left behind?
• Skyler closed his eyes, thinking. He could use the two corpses to shield himself. But if everyone else died, what will happen in the next game? It's not time to give up on them yet.
• Skyler reached for a blank sheet of paper from the table. Grabbing a pen, he moved to a corner and began scribbling something.
• Although the others were puzzled, they didn't stop turning the table. So far, they'd turned it ten times.
• “If he hadn't introduced himself as 'con man' I'd have thought he was a mathematician,” Jeremiah muttered to Candy.
• Candy had just been spinning around and was feeling a bit dizzy, so she could only nod absently.
• This time, however, Skyler didn't write out any equations. Instead, he roughly sketched a map of the country.
• “Hometown?”
• His mind raced, and suddenly, something clicked.
• “Wait a minute...” Skyler's eyes widened. “If the organizer has the power to gather people from so many states with similar experiences, then are the states the key?”
• He turned and looked at the group still turning the table, asking seriously, “Did anyone lie about their hometown earlier?”
• Everyone shook their heads.
• After all, hometowns were tied to accents and habits. Lying about that would be easy to expose.
• “Good.” Skyler nodded slightly. “Now, tell me your hometowns again, one by one.”
• Spencer spoke first. “I'm from Inner Myrthesia.”
• Skyler marked a dot on the map for Inner Myrthesia.
• “I'm from Xabruoca,” Christine said coldly.
• “I'm from Sablehaven,” Candy said.
• “Drocver, Yublary,” said the kindergarten teacher, Renee.
• “Grivoria,” Jeremiah said.
• “Narvona,” Pomeline said.
• “I work in Juniperville,” Harvey added.
• Skyler marked their hometowns on the map, then added his own, Sonora.
• Now all eyes were on Michael, the author, who had never mentioned his hometown.
• “Michael, are you from Goldcrest or Totresh?” Skyler asked.
• Michael froze. “How did you know?”
• “We're running out of time. Just answer.”
• “I'm from Goldcrest...”
• Skyler nodded. Now only two states remained: Goldcrest and Totresh.
• If Michael's answer wasn't one of these two, then he'd be lying.
• Fortunately, he had told the truth.
• Skyler marked the last state on the map, and now there were nine black dots in total.
• “Just as I thought.”
• Skyler whispered, “Stop. Turn it to the right.”
• “Right?”
• Skyler rushed to the table, threw the paper onto it, and began turning it in the opposite direction.
• Though confused, the others followed his lead.
• Harvey glanced at the map and the nine black dots.
• “Why right?”