"So, Lady Durandal needs to form a city exploration team, but due to the number restrictions, you've come to invite me to join?"
On the eleventh basement level, Kallen repeated Durandal's words in a tone identical to Theresa's.
Although she was a bit baffled by their similar reactions, Durandal still nodded very seriously. "That's right, Senior Kallen. I want to invite you to join my 'Immortal Blades'!"
Ah... she's even thought of a name already... Rita, standing to the side, could only lament internally. She wore a smile, but her mind had already drifted far, far away.
"Lady Durandal, you should know that my mission is to guard the eighth basement level and below, correct?" Kallen, however, didn't agree on the spot like Theresa. He spoke to Durandal very seriously.
"In other words, no matter what, unless enemies like Honkai Beasts invade the MOTH base, I cannot leave the eighth basement level or below."
"This..." Durandal was taken aback. Vaguely, she remembered Kallen had indeed mentioned her duties to her before.
The true guardian of the base wasn't Fu Hua, who was stationed there, but Kallen.
Don't be fooled by the fact that Kallen currently seemed to be on par with Durandal. In reality, Titans weren't assault mechs; they were tactical mechs.
Any piece of Kallen's top-of-the-line tactical equipment would be astounding if taken out, including but not limited to a laser-cutting sword with a forty-meter attack radius, a continuous-fire energy cannon that never overheated, and so on...
Even Shu and Otto couldn't help but click their tongues at such technology.
As for why there was a hint of disdain in their clicking tongues, that's a story for another time.
"I see..." Durandal scratched her head and then turned to Rita. "Rita, do the members of a city exploration team have to be able to go outside?"
Rita, who had been daydreaming about what to cook for dinner, seamlessly transitioned back from her daze. "Not necessarily, Lady Durandal. Rather than a position, being a member of a city exploration team is more like a part-time job."
"It doesn't have any guaranteed benefits. It only requires granting the right to freely enter the city districts. Even if a member never leaves the base for their entire life, the title will not be revoked."
Rita's answer was quite serious. After all, as a perfect maid, she wouldn't allow herself to be perfunctory, even in a situation like this.
And honestly, she was really looking forward to seeing what kind of team this would end up being.
After all, even if Kallen agreed to Durandal's invitation, the team would still be one person short. Who would Durandal go find to join her team then?
"I see." Kallen's eyes flickered. He had just accessed the relevant MOTH database and indeed found what Rita had said.
And it was almost word for word, which made one marvel at Rita's memory.
"Lady Durandal, Kallen accepts your invitation." Then, Kallen readily agreed to Durandal's invitation and submitted his proof of consent.
"That makes four of us," Durandal said with a smile, looking at the two applications in her hand.
Before they left, Durandal had been very impressed by what the shop owner had said. The city exploration team was a position full of honor, precisely because its creator was the owner of the clothes she was wearing...
"Huh?" Durandal suddenly let out a puzzled sound. Rita came back to her senses and looked at Durandal.
"Did something happen?" Rita asked, seeing Durandal's stunned expression. "Lady Durandal?"
"No..." Durandal subconsciously shook her head, but the doubt in her heart hadn't dissipated.
This jacket I'm wearing... did it have an owner?
And who was the professional pioneer the shop owner told me about?
Wait, did the shop owner even tell me about these things?
A series of questions kept piling up, finally turning into a single thought.
Did I sleep too much?
Just as she was about to delve deeper into her thoughts and get stuck on it, Rita's voice interrupted her, and her attention immediately shifted to Rita.
"It's nothing..." After subconsciously indicating that she was fine, Durandal quickly found the "reason" for her distress.
"The fifth person... who should we ask..."
Rita felt that her face might be a little stiff from smiling today. So, Lady Durandal, like her, didn't have a fifth person in her network either?
That made sense. For someone like Lady Durandal, who was a loner and not good at socializing, it was normal not to have many friends...
"How about we ask Lord Overseer Otto?" Durandal had a flash of inspiration, completely oblivious to the slight tremor that went through Rita's body.
"Can Lady Durandal find the Overseer?" This was no laughing matter. Although there was no problem with someone of Durandal's status seeing Lord Overseer Otto, to see the current de facto leader of the MOTH for such a reason was a bit too...
"Of course I know him," Durandal turned back matter-of-factly. "Lord Overseer Otto is a very gentle person. He taught me a lot..."
As she spoke, Durandal even had a nostalgic expression on her face.
Rita understood. As expected, the importance placed on Durandal was unusually high. Even her education was personally handled by Otto...
Wait, does this mean Durandal can really pull Lord Overseer Otto into the team?
Wouldn't that be the same as the officials getting directly involved?
"Let's go, let's go ask Lord Overseer Otto," Durandal said, putting away the two applications and pulling Rita along to find Otto.
The two of them arrived at the seventh basement level unimpeded. Durandal used her ID card to gain access to the seventh basement level.
Rita's eyes froze for a moment. Her ID card also had a very high clearance level. Even a military stronghold like the eighth basement level was open to her. The only places she couldn't go were the twelfth and thirteenth basement levels.
And now, the seventh basement level.
According to the introduction, the entire seventh basement level was a test area. Currently, only the captains of each squad could go here, and some cleaning staff were allowed in during fixed time slots.
Now, there was also Durandal.
More importantly, Durandal looked like she knew her way around here, which meant this wasn't her first time here.
"Let me think... where would Lord Overseer Otto be now..." Durandal thought for a moment, then pulled Rita to the door of a laboratory and knocked.
"Lord Overseer Otto, are you there?"
Not long after, Rita saw the supreme leader of this base.
Except... he didn't look very good.