Willis smiled honestly and said nothing; it was all thanks to Brother Stark’s teaching.
Not only did he sell those electronic components, but he also recruited others for Stark.
Stark said he was a businessman and very reasonable.
There was a commission for introducing newcomers…
As for the previous matter, they had loose lips and cursed at Silver Wolf, but Stark had already dealt with them.
Let bygones be bygones; if they worked hard in the future, he guaranteed they would live well in the Punklorde lower city.
Willis didn’t think much of it…
He only knew that the price Stark paid was indeed higher, and when his accomplices heard that he used the money he earned to treat them, they all trusted him much more.
This money also came from Stark’s funding…
He called it a recruitment bonus, saying Willis would never have to pay out of his own pocket.
From now on, he was a founding member and a core member.
“Young man, your future is promising.”
“Believe in yourself.”
Willis believed him.
This was the first time someone had trusted him so much.
Even his parents hadn’t believed in him.
It was hard to imagine someone actually handing money over to a scavenging orphan.
Weren’t they afraid he would run away?
But to Stark, that was just a small amount of money.
He had a good eye for young men; this kid could bend and stretch, he wasn’t someone who would willingly degenerate.
With just a little opportunity, a hidden dragon could ascend to the heavens.
In plain English: Stark didn’t have time to go scavenging himself, and there was no one more useful, cheaper, or even easier to control than this group of scavenging orphans.
It was mutually beneficial, after all.
He wasn’t really scamming anyone.
“So, who are we waiting for?”
Night, at the Arcade.
Silver Wolf was tapping away at the game console, trying to chase a record, though this path was clearly not one that could be completed in just over ten days.
Grinding the experience bar during the newbie phase was the slowest.
However, her mind wasn’t on that.
She glanced sideways, stealing a peek at Stark, who was tinkering with mechanical components beside her.
The man was quite focused, holding a square, rather nice-looking little box in his hands…
Hmm, he understands these things too?
Come to think of it, where did this scrap come from?
Stark was usually with her all the time, so how come she had no idea…
Did he sneak off somewhere behind her back?
This thought suddenly popped into Silver Wolf’s little head.
［ Make a choice!
Which one is your true thought?
］
Damn it, not again…
［ 1.
Hey, old man, kneel down.
Have you been sneaking out behind my back lately?
Did I give you permission?
］
［ 2.
Stark…
(Eyes complex, wanting to speak but stopping, tsundere) Never mind, hug me.
］
［ 3.
Daddy, where did you find this thing?
Are you hiding something from me!?
That’s not allowed, there can be no secrets between father and daughter!
］
［ Reward: Hand speed increased (Are you ready to experience quadruple speed?), Constitution attribute increased (You don’t want to exercise, right?).
］
The smile slowly faded from Silver Wolf’s face.
Damn it, none of these were her true thoughts.
This game cartridge quest was messing with her again, but if she had quadruple hand speed…
Wouldn’t grinding game records be significantly faster?
Then wouldn’t she be able to see Stark’s affinity sooner?
Strengthening her constitution meant getting stronger.
As for why she wanted to get stronger, there was no need for a reason!
The game cartridge offered a temptation she couldn’t refuse.
She struggled internally, her movements even starting to falter, but a 10-second countdown suddenly appeared on the quest panel.
I really don’t understand…
What exactly is the logic behind the game cartridge issuing quests?
［ 5, 4, 3…
］
Fine, fine, she’ll do it!
Silver Wolf took her hand off the joystick and secretly tugged at the corner of Stark’s shirt.
She really didn’t think much of it, or perhaps she did want Stark to hug her.
It was all the system’s fault…
The Wolf Cub’s face flushed red.
She no longer cared where Stark got that bag of scrap.
She opened her mouth, stuttering a bit.
“Yun, Stark!”
“What’s wrong?”
Stark turned his head.
He had found a relatively well-preserved music box among the scrap and intended to fix it for Silver Wolf to play with.
Although it was a bit shabby…
But as the first appliance he had fixed, it still had commemorative significance, didn’t it?
Though he could only say he knew the theory; actual practice still had its difficulties.
It seems the distance to assembling a mech…
Modifying a Project Bunny 19c is still a long and arduous road!
“…”
Silver Wolf made eye contact with Stark.
As expected, it was hard to say what was on the tip of her tongue.
She wanted Stark to hug her, but she had to find a reason, right?
Otherwise…
Wouldn’t it be very strange?
Her eyes were indeed complex, she wanted to speak but stopped, and she was naturally tsundere.
How could someone who wasn’t tsundere be so hesitant and have to think of a reason?
If it were someone naturally airheaded, they wouldn’t care about all that and would just go for it.
“What’s wrong, looking at me with a flushed face?
Need to pee?
Afraid of the dark and want me to keep you company?
Tsk, that shouldn’t be it!”
That’s not it at all!
Perhaps she didn’t even realize it herself, but when they first met, she definitely wouldn’t have dared to lay a hand on Stark.
There was no time left to think.
The countdown had reached the end, so she had no choice but to blurt it out, her mind going completely blank.
“Hug me, Stark…”
“Eh?”
Stark blinked.
Did this count as some kind of bonus reward?
The Wolf Cub was actually asking for a hug, but why did she look so reluctant and shy…
His hands were faster than his brain.
There was no need for a reason to hug the Wolf Cub.
If they weren’t both so busy, he would have wanted to hold Silver Wolf while playing the Arcade, but that would indeed be too much of a hindrance.
“Alright, alright, I know it’s a quest.”
“After all, my Wolfie is very tsundere; she wouldn’t ask someone for a hug, right?
However, I do like holding you.
Since you’ve taken advantage of the quest, let me hold you a little longer, Cub.”
“…”
Actually, that wasn’t entirely the case.
Silver Wolf didn’t dislike Stark hugging her that much; it was just that sometimes Stark was a bit too enthusiastic, and she didn’t know how to respond.
Why…
Could Stark hold her so nonchalantly, calling her Wolfie, and saying words like he loved her the most?
She never understood.
So…
That was why she really wanted to check Stark’s affinity, to see if those words were true or false, even though she knew it was wrong to doubt her “benefactor” like this.
But Silver Wolf really cared.
Just like how she cared about where that pile of scrap came from.
She didn’t even realize that at that moment, her panic might have been her subconsciously asking herself: today, he went off somewhere behind her back to collect parts.
Would he dare to abandon her tomorrow?
Just like before, letting her return to a life of wandering alone, heartless and cold—this man without a heart!
A great sense of grievance filled the little Silver Wolf, but the Wolf Lord would not shed tears because of this.
She tried her best not to think about it.
Even if Stark were gone, the game cartridge would still be there, and she wouldn’t return it!
Once given to her, it was hers.
Stark was the same…
It wasn’t that Silver Wolf insisted on anyone staying by her side, but if he dared to leave without a word, she, she would definitely…
anyway, she would definitely take revenge on Stark!
“Stark, what were you tinkering with just now…”
“A music box.
Hmm, I intended to fix it and give it to you.
Do you like it?
Hmm, it seems it’s already fixed…
Let me see, the switch is here.”
The old music box began to rotate.
A melodious tune played; it was “Canon,” an eternal classic, music that was completely out of place in the Arcade.
Silver Wolf stared blankly.
Was it nice?
It was quite nice…
As for why it was nice, she couldn’t say, but compared to the music, her nose suddenly felt sore.
So it was meant for her all along.
Was it a surprise?
You should have said so earlier!
She had almost figured out how she would conquer Punklorde relying on the game cartridge if Stark dared to run away, and then search the whole universe for this jerk.