Harvest Moon Survey

 Harvest Moon Survey ( ハーヴェストムーン・サーベイ ) is a game event in Mass for the Dead that was released on September 23, 2023 to October 7, 2023.

Background
A single "rumor" was spreading in the reconstruction of E-Rantel.

It was an illegal gambling den that was recently built on the border of the kingdom. A mysterious gambling den that is said to be run by a "strong man in the underworld" In order to investigate, CZ and the Kyuko head to the site right away.

Incident
At the Adventurer's Guild in E-Rantel, Soi finishes delivering a report to the receptionist for the guildmaster. For a few days the undercover Nazarick agent has been patrolling the city on the protagonist's behalf, so far she hasn't seen anything odd happening. Exiting the guild, Soi is about to return to report back to her comrade, when Saint Clementine approaches the guild from the street.

The two women cordially greet each other, when Soi notices that there is something on the saint's mind. Clementine asks the adventurer to spare a moment of her time to discuss something she heard in town. Before she can do so, Soi changes the location of the conversation back to guild in one of the offices for some privacy. Though its a bit of a hassle, considering that she just left, Soi still wants to know what Clementine has to say.

Recently the saint has heard that there is an illegal gambling den that is becoming famous in the kingdom. This brings up a memory of when Blue Roses were investigating a similar gambling establishment. In E-Rantel, illegal gambling dens have been stamped out thanks to the efforts of the protagonist, which Clementine is thankful for, but it seems that one has opened up on a new area. And its influence had even reached their city as well.

Soi asks if there is a point to the conversation, which the saint then explains that some people have been doing well as of lat. After some investigation she found that those people had made money at the illegal gambling den. Soi asks what is the range of the gambling den being "illegal"? For clarification, Clementine asks if the adventurer is wondering if the gambling den in question is operating without a license or is the content and operations of the place illegal to which Soi confirms.

Sadly it appears to be all of the above. There is also a lack of entertainment at the den, and normally such establishment can exist as long as it will energize people. However having checked with the mayor, there is no proper permission for such a place to exist. In addition the scale and stakes conducted at the den are prohibitive and are of similarity to illegal gambling dens in other cities and the ones that were shut down in E-Rantel. It is also said that unusual gambling is being carried out using something like a large gambling box.

The mention of this gambling box piques Soi's interest who wonders what it could be. Clementine unfortunately does not know the details, but apparently the parlor is run by a "strong man from the underworld who has many stories of heroism." Stories such as about the man who took on multiple teams of adventurers at the same time and won, setting Jaldabaoth in a trap in advance and inflicting a fatal wound on him before the protagonist defeated him. From the stories to Soi it seems as if someone else took advantage of her comrade's accomplishments, though its not unexpected as there plenty of people who would want to use the protagonist's fame if they don't get found out.

There is one thing that is hard to ignore...there was a dealer who was recently caught in the city, selling illegal drugs. While the full details of the sales channels have yet to be clarified, it appears the aforementioned gambling parlor is also involved in the drug trade. At this point, Clementine, doesn't think it to be just a rumor and asks Soi if she can deal with the problem.

Due to its being something that she can give an immediate answer to, Soi promises to tell the protagonist about the situation and wait for a reply. Before she heads out, Soi curious ask why Clementine doesn't think it to be a mere rumor? Although the saint says it's a rumor, she appears to have done a lot of research in advance and has a air of certainty. Frankly Clementine replies that she is going on a "hunch." Soi accepting the answer then leaves the room, before Clemetine mutters that her "hunch" is more like a sense that there are people like her involved.

In the streets, Soi sighs about getting involved in a complicated situation. Though she promised to tell the protagonist for Clementine, Soi decides not to inform him, as it currently it would be too cruel to approach him. Instead she reports the situation to Momonga via a [Message]. Momonga who is in the Round Table Room receives the call and is informed of the details of the case. Soi apologizes if she overstep her bounds by skipping past the protagonist and going to the Overlord directly, but Momonga assures her that she made the correct decision, as it would not be a good idea to put any more burden on the homunculus who is already in too deep.

Momonga states that Nazarick is currently proceeding with a casino plan in acquiring foreign currency so this gambling den is a potential business rival that will likely compete with them. If so they need to deal with their competitors. The undead then tells his subordinate that he will be handling the matter as he ends the call.

To Momonga, at this stage, he feels that the news of the gambling den has yet to reach beyond the category of a "rumor" thus its reliability is questionable. Even if it is just a rumor, Momonga thinks it's a weak reason to move Demiurge to investigate. At the same time he doesn't feel comfortable of asking the protagonist to do so either. He then turns his mind to the one tidbit of the report mentioning the "big box where one can play special bets." Based on his knowledge, the first thing that comes to mind is a slot machine. And if such a device is there then it could mean a player is involved. It's not impossible considering the protagonist reported that the Sunlight Scripture have toys like Rubik's Cubes. Another possibility is that the item is another legacy of the Boastful Sage. Regardless Momonga believes that it would be better to take action and send someone to check on the area. But everyone at present is busy and he doesn't think there is a credible reason to move any of the NPCs for such as task to confirm a rumor.

There is a knock at his door, from Momonga's attending Homunculus Maid, who announces that Demiurge is here with a suggestion. Momonga then invites the demon into the room, who has some new suggestions regarding casino measures.

Aftermath
TBA