"That will do."
After inserting the Hero's Sword into the soft ground, Alice held up her phone and took a picture of it.
As a side note, the sword's sealing magic continued working even after it was drawn from the special metal platform, so Alice could only wield the sword with her right hand. Otherwise, she would experience a strong sense of discomfort.
Zauna had also given wielding the Hero's Sword a try before, but she soon became drowsy and had to return the weapon to Alice.
Judging by this outcome, it was safe to say that the Hero's Sword could recognize the Hero. It was also because of this realization that Alice had brought the Hero's Sword to the Gryffin Forest for a photoshoot. So long as she photographed the sword together with the surrounding forest, she could trick others into believing that the Hero was in the Gryffin Forest.
To ensure they covered their tracks, Alice and Zauna only rode a taxi up to the Gryffin Forest's edge before continuing into the forest on foot. Then, after finding a remote corner, Alice took a photo of the Hero's Sword inserted into the dirt ground and surrounded by tall trees. No matter how advanced this world's technology was, there was no way the people here would set up surveillance cameras in a remote place such as the Gryffin Forest, right?
The likelihood of someone looking into the people traveling into the Gryffin Forest was also very low. Although the appearance of the Hero had indeed caused quite a commotion in the human realm recently, everyone still needed to continue with their lives. Hence, there were still plenty of mercenaries and magicians entering and leaving the Gryffin Forest at this time. And even if someone went to the trouble of looking into the people entering the Gryffin Forest, there was no way they would place their suspicion on an apprentice magician and an ordinary girl.
"Beginning my training to defeat the Demon King as soon as possible."
Alice posted a LINK with straightforward content using her Hero's account. Apart from the photo of the Hero's Sword inserted into the ground, the post only had a short sentence. Alice even included her current location in the post to make it more believable.
After sending out the LINK and diverting the public's attention, Alice drew the Hero's Sword from the ground and returned it to its unassuming scabbard. Then, she fled the forest together with Zauna.
There was a possibility that people roaming the forest would check their LINK when they were bored. If they realized that the Hero was also in the Gryffin Forest, they might gather to search for the location where Alice took the photo. Hence, Alice and Zauna couldn't loiter around.
After running a certain distance away from their original location, Alice and Zauna found an open space to sit down and rest for a while. In the meantime, Alice took out her phone and, with a thought, loaded the demon realm's LINKS.
Indeed. Alice intended on making a status post for the demon realm as well. Previously, she had already used a LINK guest account to take a screenshot of her Hero account's post. She intended to share this screenshot on LINKS, providing misinformation to the demons eager to assassinate the Hero. If the demons truly intended on assassinating the Hero, they would go to the Gryffin Forest instead of the Gryffin Church.
The Gryffin Forest was massive. Although Alice had vaporized a sizable chunk of the forest through the use of Purification Blade and Gaia's Power, it would still take the demons a long time to comb through the remaining forest.
But what ID should I use on LINKS?
Alice had named herself "Hero of the New Era" on LINK. It was an ID that had no frills and got straight to the point. Although the ID sounded cringe, it didn't matter since she would only be using it to spread misinformation. Everyone could complain about it for all she cared.
However, it was a different story for her LINKS ID. After all, she didn't have the benefits provided by her Hero status in the demon realm. If she used a strange ID, others might not even click on her post, let alone read it. This, in turn, would reduce the effectiveness of her misinformation.
After thinking about it, Alice decided to name herself "Hero BOT" on LINKS. It was a relatively straightforward and nice-sounding name. The account would essentially be a bot that specialized in conveying information on the human realm. There was no way the demons could resist checking out her posts.
After creating her account, Alice promptly uploaded her LINK screenshot onto LINKS, pairing it with the words "The Hero is in Gryffin Forest. Act quickly if you want to assassinate him."
Then, just like Alice anticipated, her post caused an uproar in the demon realm's LINKS in no time at all.
Initially, not many people paid attention to the post. The number of comments and "relinks" the post received were few and far between as well. However, it didn't take long before some demons noticed the screenshot's authenticity. Once that happened, the number of comments and relinks instantly skyrocketed.
"Huh? Someone brought over the Hero's information?"
"The Hero posted his LINK only a minute ago. This is piping hot news! Bro, recommend us your bypass software as well!"
"I'll pay big money if you just tell me your bypass software's name."
The demons' reactions were too realistic. When Alice saw that most of the comments were asking her for a bypass software instead of talking about the Hero's whereabouts, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It appeared that the separation of the human and demon realms' internet had stirred the desire of many people to check out what each other's internet looked like and obtain some information from each other.
Of course, Alice couldn't provide the demons with an answer since her "bypass software" was her right hand.
However, Alice still acquired some valuable information through the comments.
"How could anyone create a bypass software in the demon realm's environment? You got it from the human realm, didn't you? But I heard that the human realm imposes heavy restrictions on bypass software. Aren't you afraid of getting discovered by the human kingdoms by posting such fresh information?"
Alice caressed her chin and fell into thought when she read the above comment. If what the comment said was true, then almost all bypass software originated from the human realm. Moreover, the human kingdoms had placed heavy restrictions on bypass software by the looks of it.
Unlike Alice, who could directly access the demon realm's internet by virtue of her strange ability, if someone from the human realm wished to access the demon realm's internet, they would have to bypass the realm barrier. To do so, they would have to meddle with the mana making up the barrier. Meanwhile, such interference was easily traceable if discovered. Hence, even if the people of this world had the ability to bypass the realm barrier, they would have to do so carefully.
I see. That thief… She must've gotten her information through bypassing the barrier and accessing the demon realm's internet.
The first time Alice visited LINKS, she saw a recommended post on her homepage talking about the Four Heavenly Kings taking action. Since the matter was no longer a secret in the demon realm, the thief-turned-paparazzi girl must've gotten the information through reading this post. However, as Alice had caught the thief girl, the latter had no choice but to reveal this information in exchange for her freedom. In doing so, she also revealed the fact that she had the means to bypass the realm barrier.
However, Alice wasn't particularly surprised that the thief girl had access to such means. After all, nine out of ten thieves that one met on the road would receive life sentences should they be brought in for sentencing. Hence, it was normal for such people to do things that the average civilian dared not do.
But the things I can learn through the demon realm's internet are ultimately limited.
It seems I'll have to bring back that thief if I want to know more about the demon realm.