Could she really be a social genius?
Mo Shao rubbed her cheek, feeling a bit dazed. She had only been gone for one trip, and Little Ka had already managed to kidnap... err, recruit someone?
I’ll have to ask about the details later...
Various thoughts flashed through her mind, but Mo Shao still chose to reach out her hand. “Hello, Aris. Welcome to the team.”
No matter what, she had to acknowledge this teammate first! After all, once you’ve got them, they’re yours!
“Hello, Sister Hui!” Aris greeted her with a bit of fluster, then bowed as if unsure what to do with herself.
“There’s no need to be so formal...” Mo Shao’s eye twitched slightly.
“See, I told you Sister Hui is very easy to get along with.” Little Ka patted Aris on the shoulder. “Just relax.”
“Ah, yes...” Aris still looked a bit constrained.
“So, could you tell me now?” Mo Shao shook her head gently and looked at Little Ka. “What exactly happened here?”
***
“Essentially, it’s like this,” Little Ka began her brief explanation. “Aris was originally acting with another team, but they abandoned her.”
“Abandoned her?” Mo Shao raised an eyebrow, feeling curious.
She wasn’t surprised by the act of abandonment—after all, such things were common enough in the apocalypse. What she found strange was why anyone would abandon Aris, someone with both current combat power and future potential.
“They encountered a dangerous situation and had her cover their retreat, but they just sold her out,” Little Ka said with a curl of her lip, sounding indignant.
“I see.” Mo Shao nodded. “And after that?”
“After that, Aris survived. When she finally made it to Seven Hills City, she happened to run into her former teammates again.” Little Ka threw her hands up in disdain. “Those teammates wanted her back in the group, and naturally, Aris refused.”
“But those people actually went around warning others not to take Aris in—basically threatening anyone who might want to recruit her.”
“That’s really...” Although Mo Shao could understand it, she couldn’t help but marvel at how thick-skinned some people were. But it made sense; only the thick-skinned lived long... though she didn't need to be thick-skinned to survive just as long!
***
“Which team was it?” Mo Shao asked. Since Aris had joined her team, there might be conflicts in the future, so she needed to know.
“It was Zhang Jiaying’s team,” Little Ka answered, followed by her own deduction. “She’s trying to force Aris back into the group.”
Zhang Jiaying, the leader of a residential community. That was the person she had traded for the Idea Camera with...
But her threats were enough to make other factions wary? It seemed that community’s strength wasn’t as simple as it appeared on the surface.
Oh well, no matter how complicated they were, could they really be more absurd than her?
“She didn't necessarily have to act with a team, right?” Mo Shao was slightly confused. With Aris’s strength, being a lone wolf wasn’t out of the question!
Aris had a physical arm strength setting of one ton, and the Sword of Light she held was originally set as a naval railgun with a recoil of 200kg! Plus all those weird programming permissions and settings... she was a quite excellent Transformer, more than capable of being a lone wolf!
***
“It’s mainly because of the Soul Knight dungeons,” Little Ka explained, seeing Mo Shao’s confusion.
“Oh, then I understand.” Mo Shao realized.
In Soul Knight dungeons, you can form a team of up to four people, and the safety of group participation is extremely high. This is because living teammates can revive those who have fallen. As long as one person among the four is still standing after clearing a room, everyone can be brought back.
But entering a dungeon alone is very easy to mess up. While one can theoretically enter and leave a Soul Knight dungeon at will, in reality, you need time to 'interface.' You have to use a Live-binding slot to connect to the dungeon’s rules to allow yourself to exit and return to the outside world. In the current situation, during combat, very few people could manage that operation. Sacrificing a Live-binding slot during a fight is already a significant blow to combat power, let alone having to split one's attention.
***
“So, after I learned about this, I went straight to Aris and brought her in~” Little Ka smiled easily.
“I see.” Mo Shao was enlightened. She had wondered how things had finished so quickly. “I really thought you were a social genius.”
“Wow, is that any way to talk to the person who did all the work?!” Little Ka’s eyes widened, and she gave Mo Shao a playful punch.
“Well...” Mo Shao didn’t dodge. She felt she was just stating facts, but still... “Thank you for your hard work.”
“That’s better.” Little Ka nodded with satisfaction.
“So, Aris, welcome once again to the team.” Mo Shao smiled inwardly and looked at Aris again.
“Mhm! Thank you, Sister Hui and Sister Ka!” Aris nodded.
“Uh...” Mo Shao paused. What on earth was 'Sister Ka' supposed to be... “Forget it, let’s head to our future home first.”
Mo Shao dug a hole as usual, opened the chest, and recited the incantation, leading Aris inside.
“Woah!” After entering the world within the chest, Aris cried out in confirmation. “This is Vertin’s suitcase!” Her eyes were sparkling, clearly very excited.
“You’ve played it before.” Mo Shao was a bit surprised, but this was a good thing. “That saves me the trouble of explaining.”
“Aris loves playing games,” Aris replied seriously.
But... her speech pattern had already changed? She was being influenced so quickly... maybe it hadn't been that different before either?
“Now, let’s lay everything on the table.” Mo Shao found a chair and sat down, getting straight to the point. She explained the basic information clearly to avoid any ridiculous misunderstandings in the future.
***
At the same time, she learned about Aris’s situation... She was essentially a child, so it was no wonder she was influenced so fast. And... she was also an orphan. This fit Aris’s character profile even more, considering she was supposed to be a humanoid robot.
Why was it that everyone she met turned out to be an orphan?
Oh well, it was fine. At least there weren't many complications. However, Aris was slightly different; her life had been quite prosperous. After her parents died in an accident, they left behind a significant inheritance. No one had fought her for it because she had almost no relatives. Aside from being a bit lonely, she had lived quite comfortably.
“I understand, Mo... Bro?” Aris nodded, then hesitated slightly while trying to decide how to address Mo Shao.
“There’s no need for that... Call me whatever you feel comfortable with,” Mo Shao waved it off. “Also, remember to call me Sister Hui outside.”
“Okay, Sister Mo! Aris understands!”
“Mhm.” Mo Shao nodded and continued, “Since Aris has joined the team, let's head to the desert in the southeast next to explore and build our synergy.”
Rate on N.U.
