“Oreo? What does increasing your power have to do with Oreo?”
Despite having obtained secrets that no other human in the wasteland would likely discover for years, Su Mo looked dazed and confused when Connie shifted the topic of discussion over to Oreo.
Oreo had been hatched from a pet egg that dropped from the Abyssal Dragon Zeta. Although it had been a little mysterious, there was nothing mentioned about it being able to affect the powers of the foreign races in the wasteland.
Other than the fact that, after she absorbed the Heavenly Dog Pseudo God’s divinity, she gained…
Wait for it…
Divinity!
As he saw the concealed smile at the corner of Connie’s mouth, Su Mo immediately associated Oreo receiving the Heavenly Dog Pseudo God’s divinity with the changes in her properties panel; and the cogs in his mind began to turn.
Man! Connie sure was tough to handle!
Her ability to hold a back-and-forth argument like this was indeed outstanding!
Had it not been for the discussions he had with Zhong Qingshu, it would be impossible for him to know Connie’s true thoughts based on his previous interactions with her.
After pondering on the matter for a while and discovering that the matter was a straightforward one, Su Mo no longer held back and immediately asked:
“Are you really going to betray your clan?”
“Think this through properly, but don’t regret it later!”
“No, I’m technically not betraying my clan. Ever since they gave up on me, they took my name off the book. In other words, I don’t belong to any clan now.”
Seeing how Su Mo guessed her heart’s intention, Connie did not seem surprised, but continued to speak frankly:
“The lion clan can’t afford any further losses. We can’t offend any other foreign race, otherwise, it’ll be a huge challenge for the next wave of clansmen coming over…”
“…therefore, even if they find out that I’ve taken refuge with you now, they won’t be able to say anything about it because I no longer have any relationship with the clan thanks to that ridiculous rule they came up with to cut their losses since the clan was defeated in battle.”
“About ten days ago, after I was completely cut off from any contact with the clan, it became possible for me to utilize all the remaining points, trade with the other clans using points to exchange for the human language chip to learn by myself. I can even exchange basic skills for these…these fools, who don’t know why they were abandoned, to allow them to learn…”
“…and, as long as I belong to a clan again, all the points I earn in the future can be used to improve my own strength through the game panel without having to contribute anything back to the clan at all!”
Connie’s expression was obvious when she told him everything about her current situation, clearly stating her alienation from the lion clan.
Compared with the insincere surrender from before, she indeed had fully given in this time.
There was no backing from the lion clan, and no new strength to supplement her growth.
In other words, she had fully accounted for her own value and completely handed her destiny over to Su Mo.
“That’s not right. How did you get those points? You can directly increase your strength by relying on points?”
Su Mo had already thought of more questions as he fiddled with the grill.
“Using two methods. The first one is the same method as humans, we can receive points by overcoming disasters…”
“…the second method is to achieve victories in battles against the other clans. Points will be rewarded according to the magnitude and results of the battle…”
“…the points obtained in these two situations cannot increase one’s strength directly, but there are exceptions!”
“If you let me join Oreo’s clan now, and let her allow me to perform a sacrificial blessing and elevate my rank, I’ll be able to use the points to make up the gap in strength.”
Connie’s eyes were on fire. The moment when she mentioned the sacrificial blessing, there was only fervor in her eyes and an unabashed desire for power.
At the same time, there was also a trace of wild ambition that ordinary lion people, or even ordinary foreign races, did not have at all!
Her sense of ambition was strange. It was stronger than the White-Robed Kobold, who held unimaginable levels of piety toward the Heavenly Dog Pseudo God, and who was forever dedicated toward the future of the kobold clan.
In contrast, Su Mo did not find any loyalty toward the Lion God expressed on Connie’s face.
If he read between the lines, Connie even seemed to exude some “gratefulness” for being able to leave the lion clan?
“What can you bring to the table?”
As he sprinkled a handful of cumin and watched the sparks below violently ignite, Su Mo did not rush his words or his decision; no emotion could be heard in his tone of voice.
After Oreo consumed the the Heavenly Dog Pseudo God’s divinity, she gained:
[Ability 4]: Oreo? Clan? (Pseudo): Creature has the right to create its own clan.
He had previously thought that it was a useless ability. However, now it seemed that not only was it useful…
But to ordinary foreign races, it was a form of “honey” that was fatally attractive!
If those foreign races who were defeated in wasteland battles and abandoned by their own clan could join Oreo’s clan like Connie…
They would not have to worry about not being able to achieve great things!
“I can persuade more foreign races to join Oreo’s clan. I can help you build a loyal and devoted foreign race army. I can provide stronger blessings…”
“…I can make Oreo’s clan the only Royal Clan there is. I can command more foreign races to help you find the God-transcending item!”
“We can gather the abilities of many different clans, creating different ability combinations, and deriving more magical powers!”
“Besides…as my strength and status rises, there will be no second voice in this wasteland, and everyone will have the same master…”
“…which would be you, Su Mo, if you’re willing!”
Connie was buzzing with excitement as she spoke those words, more excited than when she had heard Su Mo’s proposition a few minutes ago.
Both sides were giving “empty promises” to the other, trying to sound out information from the other.
The difference was that, this time, Su Mo was the one who was moved first.
The foreign races’ abilities were extremely amazing. From the kobold’s fireball to the lion clan’s wind ability, to the Cursed Tiger’s curse powers and the great strength of the Taurens…
It was these outrageous skills that made the foreign races such a force to be reckoned with!
If Su Mo could obtain a foreign race army of his own and find a way to analyze their strange abilities, and perhaps even use those abilities to fuel his development and growth…
He could easily develop some science fiction + mystical technological structures and devices alongside researching cutting-edge technologies.
Although these mystical structures and devices could not fundamentally solve the problem of the wasteland’s disasters, they could be sold to other humans!
Not only could they be exchanged for a great number of resources and good things, which would create a positive cycle that ensured the rapid development of the primary technological development pathway, but they were also extremely useful in their own right and would allow more humans to survive the natural disasters!
“If I can control the foreign races from different environments and use their mystical abilities to develop a magical tower, humans will never have to be afraid of being frozen to death…”
“…when the weather is hot, I can mimic the lightning storm from Red Alert and simply create an artificial thunderstorm…”
“…as for planting, I can use it to a temperature-controlled farm that won’t be affected by pests, fluctuating weather conditions, or any external problems, just like the one in Stardew Valley!”
“We can even decipher the true source of the foreign races’ powers and research an energy battery that can store greater amounts of energy and perhaps even resolve the problem of energy once and for all!”
“…”
In Connie’s eyes, Su Mo looked like he was serious about grilling the beef in front of him, while at the same time weighing the real benefits of letting her join the team.
However, if she was patient enough, Connie would be able to tell from the slightly charred beef that Su Mo’s heart was not at peace!
“Tell me, what’s your purpose?”
“Purpose?”
Seeing how Su Mo finally took the burnt beef off the grill and handed her a few pieces of them without looking, Connie frowned as she ate while thinking.
One-piece, two pieces, three pieces…
Objectively speaking, the burnt beef tasted bad, chewy, and stuck to her teeth.
However, despite this, Connie involuntarily ate half of the plate of meat skewers while remaining deep in thought.
Her expression went from resentment and hatred at the very beginning, to slowly turning calm, and finally returning to one of unwillingness.
“My purpose is simple. I want to have enough power to find the Lion God myself!”
“I want to know the reason for the great battle. I need to know what the conspiracy is behind this and why so many people have to die because of it!”
“What if the Lion God won’t tell you?”
“I’ll kill him!”
Seeing how Connie gritted her teeth, Su Mo drank the last sip of wine in the small, green jar and stood up laughing.
Both her parents had died, and undertaking a mission to find the cause of the battle back then would need a certain amount of luck and strategy.
On Earth, Connie’s status as an orphan would have qualified her for the standard protagonist template.
As for the information and promises that Connie had given him, Su Mo was extremely satisfied with them.
“There’s no time to lose. Since you’ve made this decision, let’s get on with it!”
As everything had been fully negotiated, this meal was now meaningless.
The time for the second test was tomorrow night, and all preparations for it had to be completed tonight and during the day tomorrow. Time was of the essence.
Su Mo extinguished the charcoal flame and left the stove on the ground for the militia members to clean up. He then walked all the way toward the Underground Shelter together with Connie.
Speaking of his control over Connie’s shelter core, which he had previously obtained, it would be calculated at 70%, which was not too far away from achieving total control.
Therefore, after Connie decided to abandon the lion clan and chose to become a part of Oreo’s family, that percentage would rise all the way to…
95%!
All it would take was a little more effort, and it was not impossible to achieve 100% and drag Connie along onto the battleship.
Therefore, regarding the disaster six days later, Su Mo did not hide the details and directly repeated the information along the way.
Compared to the people in Hope Village, Su Mo spoke more attentively this time, as Connie was one of those who would head out to sea with him.
From the changes before the disaster to Hope One’s performance during it; as well as the general description of the disaster’s strength.
Moreover, Su Mo made no secret of his idea to use blessings to withstand natural disasters.
“That’s impossible. We cannot withstand such terrifying disasters by solely relying on my strength…”
“…and this isn’t limited to me. Any other foreign race would die facing a torrential rain like this at this stage!”
Her reply was exactly as he expected.
Simply relying on the blessings to withstand the torrential rain descending from the sky head-on was indeed a little excessive.
However, Su Mo began laughing as he looked at the Underground Shelter that was already in front of him.
“Oh, Connie, this is the first lesson that I’m going to teach you today…”
“…after joining my shelter, ‘science’ is what we truly are pursuing; other things are tools used to complement science!”
“Ever heard of why ‘the eye of the hurricane is calm’?”
